Introduction

In this article

• What to do when you are the preflop aggressor
• Factors that influence postflop play
• Examples of postflop play

The importance of the postflop play in SNGs is generally underestimated. The general opinion of many players seems to be that there is not much space for postflop action. A common strategy that is therefore often encountered in low buy-in SNGs is the so-called Kill-Phil-Strategy. It advises playing push or fold in every stage of an SNG, which means either going all-in preflop or folding. This article aims to reveal how such a strategy leaves many potentially profitable situations unexploited.

There are several different positions in which you can find yourself postflop:

• Preflop aggressor
  You raised preflop and one or more players called.


• Caller
  You called an opponent's raise.


• Limper
  You called and there was no pre-flop raiser.


• Free play in the big blind
  You are in the big blind and there was no raise before you, so you checked and saw a free flop.

In addition to the aforementioned points the postflop play is affected by the following factors:

• The texture of the flop
• The number of opponents
• Your position
• The chip stacks at the table
• The images of the players

Depending on your preflop play these factors can be of different importance, which will be explained more explicitly in this article.

You are preflop aggressor

The most important factors are:

• Texture of the flop

Did you hit the flop and does the board allow draws?
 

• Number of your opponents

Against one opponent you should nearly always make a continuation bet.


If you consider yourself to have the best hand on the flop, your aim is, in consideration of the aforemention factors, to make the maximum amount of profit with the hand. If you have a top pair or an overpair on a board which is not draw heavy against one opponent, you should try to make him stay in the hand by betting about half pot size.

If you are confronted with more than one opponent, you should bet more: about 2/3 of the pot. Depending on chip stacks and pot size an all-in could be appropriate.

If the board allows many draws, the number of your opponents in the hand becomes a very important factor. The more players are in the hand, the higher is the probability, that someone has a draw or even a straight or flush on the flop. In these cases a bet for protection is advisable although you should avoid risking the whole tournament with e.g. top pair, in an early stage of the tournament on a draw heavy board.

Playing against one opponent you can make a continuation bet. You should be more careful against many opponents and make a continuation bet, if you have reads and your image is adequate. If you encounter resistance, you need to be capable of folding. Should the board allow draws, and you are confronted with multiple opponents, a defensive stance is advisable.

Against one opponent you can try to pick up the pot with a continuation bet. Against many opponents you should play defensively, regardless of the flop texture. Once in a while continuation bets may be advisable, if your image is solid enough and you are sure that the opponents will give up their hands easily.

You called a raise preflop

The most important factors are:

• Texture of the flop
• Position
• Number of opponents
• Reads
• Your image

Depending on your reads on the preflop aggressor you should try to determine a range of hands he could have raised preflop. If you face a rather solid player, you shouldn't necessarily risk all of your chips with top pair. Against loose players, who plays many hands, the willingness to go all-in with top pair increases.

If you have position on the preflop aggressor, you will be able to wait for his action and react on it. Depending on your opponent you can raise his bet or just call it, in order to extract more money from a loose player. If the opponent checks, you shouldn't give a free card, but bet yourself. If there are several opponents in the hand, you have to take the draw heaviness of the board into consideration and not give away the next card too cheaply.

Depending on your position you should wait for the next move of the preflop aggressor or - if you are playing out of position - check. The texture of the flop and your reads decide, whether he just makes a standard continuation bet or if he really has the best hand. In this case you must not play for your whole chip stack, except if you have special reads on the opponent, which tell you, that he plays many weaker hands.

Without certain reads on the preflop aggressor and/or a board, which supports draws, you should play defensively and not undertake unnecessary aggression.

You limped preflop and there was no raise

The most important factors are:

• Texture of the flop
• Reads and your image
• Number of your opponents
• Position

You normally limp pocket pairs, which means you hit three of a kind or you have an overpair. Depending on the number of your opponents you should try to maximize the value of your set. You should never fold three of a kind on the flop even if the board is draw heavy. In the worst case of someone having flopped a stronger hand you still have outs for a full house.

If you have an overpair, and there are several opponents in the hand you should rarely slowplay, and protect your hand against draws and potential overcards. If you limped something different from a pocket pair, you will have to pay attention with top pair (e.g. you played JT) against more than one opponent.

This applies mainly to hands you limped in late position like suited connectors, offsuited connectors, one gap connectors and suited Ax hands. In this case you have to pay attention and play carefully. The more players are in the hand, the more defensive you have to be. Against one opponent you can definitely make a bet, in order to win the pot.

You generally play it like a partially hit flop. But you can also make a bet against one opponent, even on a draw heavy board.

You are in the big blind and got a free play

The most important factors are:

• Texture of the flop
• Number of your opponents
• Reads and your image

Normally your position is unfavourable as a big blind. Moreover you will often have a weaker kicker, if you hit a pair on the flop. This means, that you must play carefully after the flop, if you hit a top pair with a weak kicker, for example.

Once again you do not want to risk your whole chip stack. The more players are in the hand, the more defensively you act.

You shouldn't invest any chips against several players here. You can try to steal the pot on an unsuspicious flop against one opponent.

Examples

 

Chip stacks:
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1500)
Hero (t1500)
MP2 (t1500)
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1500)
Button (t1500)
SB (t1500)
BB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is in MP1 with Q Q
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to t80, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB calls t70, BB folds

Flop: (t180) 6 K K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t120, SB folds

Comment:
The Kings on the flop do not represent much danger against one opponent because the probability, that the opponent has a king, is quite low. Thus a continuation bet of 2/3 pot size should be adequate.

Chip stacks:
UTG (t1870)
Hero (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
MP2 (t2770)
CO (t1490)
Button (t1470)
SB (t1480)
BB (t1420)

Preflop: Hero is in UTG+1 with Q Q
UTG folds, Hero raises to t60, MP1 folds, MP2 calls t60, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls t40

Flop: (t190) 2 K 4 (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t120, MP2 folds, BB calls t120

Turn: (t430) 7 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (t430) 8 (2 players)
BB bets t140, Hero calls t140

Results:
BB has K, T (a pair of Kings)

Comment:
Against two opponents and on this unsuspicious flop (despite the King) a continuation bet of 2/3 pot size is advisable. The call by one opponent indicates a pair of Kings because he unlikely hit one of the other board cards. I call the bet on the river simply because the price of 140 chips in a pot of 570 chips is very good and the opponent doesn't necessarily have the king.

Chip stacks:
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
MP2 (t1380)
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1460)
Hero (t1700)
SB (t1460)
BB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is in Button with J J
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls t20, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 raises to t80, CO folds, Hero calls t80, SB folds, BB folds, UTG+1 calls t60

Flop: (t270) Q 4 7 (3 players)
UTG+1 bets t100, MP3 raises to t280, Hero folds, UTG+1 calls t180

Comment:
The action on the flop may not let us think, that our JJ is still good. I fold here.

Chip stacks:
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1510)
MP1 (t1530)
MP2 (t1500)
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1480)
Button (t1460)
Hero (t1740)
BB (t1280)

Preflop: Hero is in SB with Q A
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls t20, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, Hero calls t10, BB checks

Flop: (t60) 5 2 7 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP1 checks

Turn: (t60) A (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP1 bets t60, Hero calls t60, BB folds

River: (t180) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 bets t100, Hero calls t100

Results:
MP1 has 6, A (a pair of Aces)
Hero has Q, A (a pair of Aces - Queen kicker)

Comment:
There is no reason for you to bet on this monotonous board without having hit anything. I get the top pair on the turn, but the board is still suspicious. Thus I try to get a free showdown. Another clubs on the river would have made me fold.

Conclusion

This article aimed to give you a deeper understanding of postflop play in a tournament. Yet, as always in No-Limit Hold'em, the topic is very broad and postflop play is dependent on a multitude of factors. This article can therefore only give you general impulses toward a direction you could follow and not set in stone rules to blindly follow. As always in NL you need to consider which factors influence the current situation, and which plays are possible?

It is therefore important to think about the different possibilities available to you - yourself and to use the opportunity to post hands in the forum. The post flop play in No-Limit Hold'em is a science for itself and can be best comprehended through discussion with other players.

LINKS

Related Articles: How do You Play Speculative Hands? [http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/sng/774/] Bet sizing - How much do you bet and why? [http://www.pokerstrategy.com/strategy/sng/761/] Sample Hand Forum: Discuss sample hands in the Sample Hand Forum [http://www.pokerstrategy.com/forum/board.php?boardid=1429] Discussion Forum: Discuss the content of this article in the Forum [http://www.pokerstrategy.com/forum/board.php?boardid=1428]

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