Poker Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
How good is our opponent in the big blind?
How good is our opponent in the big blind? If your opponent is a pretty good regular, then you'll want to tighten up your flatting range, and slightly tighten your 3-betting range. You don't have to adjust your 3-betting range too much, unless you're playing higher small stake games against really good opponents. In general, if your opponent on the button is loose, but your opponent in the big blind is good, then you should use a similar flatting range as if your opponent opening on the button was tight. Consequently, also occasionally flatting some of your big hands can be quite lucrative against opponents that are known squeezers in the big blind. It's a more risky line pre-flop, but can turn into some good size pots post flop if you call their squeeze with a hand like QQ+ for example. b. If your opponent is a bad regular, or a fishy bad player, then expanding your flatting range, and providing a good price for them to call and stay in the pot can be ideal in a lot of situations. Even though you'll be at a positional disadvantage, any reason to allow a bad player to come into the pot can be very +EV. Slightly reducing your 3-betting range because of this, and turning some of your 3-bet value hands into flatting hands can achieve this goal. So hands like AJs, AQo, KQs, etc., can be some hands you look to flat to allow your weak opponent in the big blind to call with worse hands like A2s+, KJ, etc.
How aggressive is the opponent on the button post flop?
How aggressive is the opponent on the button post flop? If they are more passive (AF of 3 or less), then you can widen your flatting range a little more. You'll have more of a chance to get to showdown, and you don't have to be as concerned about being bluffed or blown off your hand.