Thread: Commited
View Single Post
  #5  
Old 11-03-2007, 11:59 AM
Albert Moulton Albert Moulton is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Live Full Ring NLHE
Posts: 2,377
Default Re: Commited

Read Professional No-Limit Hold 'Em Volume One.

There is an excellent discussion of "The Commitment Threshold," and how it effects your plan for playing a no limit hold 'em hand.

The basic ideas are summarized with a couple of "rules."

[ QUOTE ]
Don't put in one-third or more of your starting stack and then fold. Or more specifically: Between you and each opponent, avoid putting in more than one-third of the smaller starting stack and then folding.

[/ QUOTE ]

And also,

[ QUOTE ]
Make your commitment plan before putting in one-third of the money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Based on that 1/3 rule, the "Commitment Threshold" is then one bet prior to putting in 1/3 of the effective stacks.

[ QUOTE ]
You reach the commitment threshold when the pot becomes one-fourth of the remaining money.

[/ QUOTE ]

In practice, that more or less can be estimated as about 10% of your stack, assuming your opponent has about the same number of chips.

[ QUOTE ]
Once you put in 10% of your stack, your're at or beyond the commitment threshold.

[/ QUOTE ]

So, to put it all together...

[ QUOTE ]
If you make or call a big bet after putting 10 percent of your stack in, you will have put in one-third of your stack. Once one-third goes in, you should seldom fold. So, at 10 percent, you should make a commitment plan, such as: "I will go all-in if the flush doesn't come, but fold to a big bet if it does."

[/ QUOTE ]

and

[ QUOTE ]
Once near the commitment threshold, your basic strategy should be to commit or avoid making or calling a large bet.

[/ QUOTE ]


Now, all that being said, there is a whole page of "Exceptions" to this general set of rules around commitment. And if you were really "90% sure i was behin[d]" and the pot odds were less than 9:1, then folding would be correct.

However, the point here is that (1) when 10% of your stack went in, you should have already had a plan before making the next bet or call regarding your willingness to commit your stack, and (2) once 1/3 (or, in this case, 1/2) of your stack went in, you should have been operating under a commitment plan of some sort, such as, "if the next card is a blank, then I will [push, c/c, CRAI, whatever], but if it is a flush card and he makes a big bet, then I'll fold."
Reply With Quote