Theory- Merging Your Range

[skier_5]

I spewed so much money trying to "merge" my range in march. I predict at least half the people who read this thread and try to do it will do the same as well. Don't do it against bad players and try to keep it to situations where you think your opponent will think your hand range is polarized and will make a call with a much wider, weaker range of holdings the % of the time he actually calls.

[luegofuego]

lol

[The Man]

[ QUOTE ]
Here you go punter:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $6 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($1550)
Hero ($603)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Button posts a blind of $6.
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $15</font>, Button (poster) calls $12.

Flop: ($33) 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Button checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $24</font>, Button calls $24.

Turn: ($81) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Button checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $66</font>, Button calls $66.

River: ($213) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Button checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $180</font>, Button calls $180.

Final Pot: $573

[/ QUOTE ]

If you had TT-QQ here, it would make sense to me. But Trips are a little too strong.

[jalexand42]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to repeat myself here.

There's a difference between making a bet with the intention of it being a valuebluff and making a bet with the intention of it being a bluff or valuebet that happens to work as something you didn't mean it to.

If his calling range is weighted towards hand you beat then it's a value bet. If his calling range is weighted towards hand you lose to then it's a bluff. Sometimes he calls worse when you were bluffing or folds better when you were valuebetting but that's a function of him having a range of hands and you not knowing that range perfectly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, end of thread. Wow, we can value bet really thin and sometimes fold something better or get called by worse/better? REEEVOLUTIONARY.

[RichGangi]

[ QUOTE ]
when there's a nuts or air situation, and you can bet something like the nuts that's only slightly better than their best bluff catcher, that just makes you a whole new level of dangerous.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is the nuts right here. NH.

[intensity]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...rue#Post9205665

would this be a good example?

[piriformis]

two way bet: opponent thinks your either bluffing or have nuts, so u can bet a hand that isnt nuts for value because he may call with a worse hand expecting to see a bluff. Sometimes his bluff catchers may in fact be better than the hand u bet for value because any hand that isnt nuts to him is a bluff catcher.

I think this concept is the same as value betting. U are tricking your opponent into thinking you have a hand worse than u actually do so that he pays u off thinking he might be good.

Although i think it is good overall stratergy because it opens up your range on the river and makes you harder to play against.

[dchz]

[ QUOTE ]
I mean, some people will read this post and never understand it, and some people do it naturally without understanding reasoning behind it.

[/ QUOTE ]

some people will understand and do it naturally w/o reading this post

nonetheless very well thought out and written post [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[dchz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
this is just a thin value bet

[/ QUOTE ]

no, it's what TWP said. against some players, it's a thin bluff.

a value bluff or combo bet or whatever is just a blanket term to really describe a situation, imo. it can't really logically make sense.

but it sounds [censored] cool

[/ QUOTE ]

[LouisCyphre]

I have read most of this thread and the discussion seems to revolve around the paradox that the SAME player might for whatever reason sometimes fold a better hand and at other times call with a worse hand in the exact same spot.
But what if we look at it from a different perspective.

We end up on the river with an unimproved 88.
Our opponent is either player type A(the sheriff) who will call with 77 or weaker trying to catch a bluff or if he is player type B(the nit) who will fold some of his hands that are 99 or better.
We don't have a good read and therefore don't know which player type we are facing. Nevertheless we make a bet knowing that we might get player type A to call or player type B to fold. The combined chances might make this play +ev without knowing beforehand if this a bluff or a value bet.