No Limit Hold'em The Blocker Bet
So far in this series of no limit articles we’re restricted ourselves to discussing the general concepts that guide wining play. This is because it’s crucial that any aspiring poker player equip themselves with an understanding of the fundamentals before they move on to more esoteric and situation-specific tactics, and also because so much of what happens at the no limit tables is determined by variables that are hard to discuss in anything but the most general terms.
Here, however, we’re going to depart from this pattern and look at a specific play. Known as the ‘blocker bet’, it’s one of the most important plays for a winning no limit player to have in his arsenal. The opportunity for the play usually arises on the turn (it appears occasionally on the flop and river, although its applications on these streets tends to be more limited), and occurs when a player is out of position against a single opponent.
Let’s illustrate the play with an example. Say you’re in the big blind with the Tc 9c in a $2-$4 game. One player calls, and a fairly predictable player raises to $15 in late position. Both you and the raiser have fairly deep stacks, so you decide to call. The other player folds.
The flop comes Ts 7c 5d. You check, and your opponent bets $20. You call. The turn is the 6c. Now, note that this is a very interesting card for you. You now have top pair with a flush draw and an inside straight draw. Also, this card has made the board even more coordinated. If you check here your opponent will ‘set the price’, which means he will get to decided how much it’s going to cost to get to the river. But if you bet then it will be you who, in all likelihood, will be setting the price. Why? Because your opponent is going to have a very hard time pulling the trigger on a raise if he’s holding an overpair. He needs to worry about you having a ‘real hand’, and perhaps pushing all in if he raises you. Thus, he will most likely just call your bet.
If you check and allow him to bet he will probably bet somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the pot—something probably in the $40 range (assuming he actually has a hand). However, if you make a slightly smaller bet than that, say $25 or $30, then you are reducing the price you have to pay to get to the river. Also, if your opponent has two overcards he will almost certainly fold when you bet. This works out great for you if your opponent was planning on checking behind on the turn, since you’re now preventing him from taking a free card and possibly hitting a higher pair on the river that would beat you.
The blocker bet can be effectively used in all kinds of situations. Hands where you have something like top pair with a marginal kicker, or a flush draw with a small pair, are candidates for this play as well. The important thing is that you’re against an opponent who is not inclined towards pushing (or making a big raise) on the turn with a hand like an overpair or a nut flush draw. But players like this tend to be the exception. A ‘typical’ player is not looking to play a monster pot with a hand like KK when their opponent shows aggression on the turn, which means you should be able to find plenty of spots to ‘set the price’ with a blocker bet.
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