Putting People To The Sword

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 03 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

One of the main traits of the best no limit poker players is their ability to size up the best spots to really put people to the test - to force them to play a pot for all their chips if they want to continue in the hand.

This is especially true in tournament poker, where a player's stack literally represents their life, and losing it any chance they have of making any money.

Being able to pull the trigger in these situations is critical to becoming a great player, and there are certain situations where this sort of play is particularly strong. Many weak players fall victim to good no limit players because they don't think about action in terms of multiple streets. This is particularly obvious on the flop, where weak players will frequently check call with a marginal hand hoping that somehow they will get to show down. In reality though, strong players will happily put in a big bet on the turn or river in these spots even with air, and weak players time and time again lose big pots simply because they fail to anticipate the future action in a hand.

The reason this is an important concept to become familiar with is that it has a powerful effect on the sort of bet sizes you should be making late in tournaments when the stacks are shorter. If you feel that your opponent is very weak, or that a specific flop completely misses their range, you can make your bet sizes such that you or they will only really have one pot size bet left for the rest of the hand. This enables you to escape with a playable (albeit short) stack if the board deteriorates or your opponent suddenly shows a lot of strength, while also giving you the option of making them face a tough choice for all their chips.

No limit games require a lot of analytical skill and observation, but they also require these factors to be blended with a great deal of courage. To be able to accumulate chips at the necessary rate required to win tournaments, or to gain an edge over tough mid and high stakes cash game players, you have to be prepared to constantly look for spots to really put your opponents to the test for their whole stack. No one likes losing buy ins or busting tournaments, and taking advantage of this basic fear is critical to taking your no limit game to the next level.

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