Poker: Blockers Part 1

Blockers are cards which you hold, and thus consequently, your opponents do not. Occasionally, because your opponents lack the card you have in hand, this may affect the range of their hand (-in poker the range of a hand refers to the list of possible winning combinations that can be obtained from the cards in hand).

Blockers are of special importance when in the 3-bet position or on drawing boards, and also often during the push/fold manoeuvre of a tournament. They should not, however, be ignored during a cash-game. We are now going to consider some blockers and how they affect different situations, post-flop.

Post-Flop Blockers:
In Texas Hold'em each player receives two cards and a maximum of five cards are dealt communally. These two cards have the potential to combine with the community cards to create 1326 different winning hand combinations, and these can be classified in the following manner:

78 unsuited hands (for example, Ace-King o)

78 suited hands (for example, Ace-King s)

13 pairs (for example, 2-2)

Each of these groups can then be further divide in to sub-categories:

Every suited hand has four combination possibilities (for example, Ace of Hearts-King of Hearts, Ace of Clubs-King of Clubs...)

Each unsuited hand has 12 combination possibilities (for example, Ace of Hearts-King of Spades, Ace of Spades-King of Hearts...)

Each pair has 6 combination possibilities (for example, Ace of Hearts-Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs-Ace of Spades...)

So what type of blocker does your current hand hold? An unsuited hand (for example Ace of Hearts-King of Spades) blocks 101 different combinations. This means that each unsuited hand blocks 101 of the 1326 different winning hand combinations. A suited hand will also block 101 winning combinations, whereas a pair blocks 91 combinations. Clearly, this represent a large portion of winning hands that can be blocked, and your opponents hand becomes a lot more limited- although there are still a lot of winning combinations left, it is still the case that the potential of their game is reduced.

For example, you can block a combination such as King-2 unsuited, but this hand will not often be part of your opponents range. Generally, you can begin by attempting to determine the range of your opponents' hand, after which you can eliminate some of the combinations from their range. On reflection, what is more important is to estimate how many pairs, unsuited hands and suited hands that feature in your opponents' range.

Example (for the description below you are Goody):

The following hand allowed you to make it to the river:

Seat 1: Baddy ($99 stack)

Seat 2: Goody ($101 stack)

Seat 3: Folder

Seat 4: Folder

Seat 5: Folder

Goody: Posts the small blind of $0.50

Seat 3: Posts big blind $1.00

***1st Deal***

Goody: Ace of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds.

Seat 4: Folds

Seat 5: Folds

Baddy: Raises $2 up to $3.

Goody: Calls $2

Seat 3: Folds

***Flop*** Ace of Diamonds, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Clubs.

Goody: Checks

Baddy: Bets $4

Goody: Calls $4

***Turn*** Ace of Diamonds, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Spades, 2 of Hearts.

Goody: Checks

Baddy: Bets $10

Goody: Calls $10

***River*** Ace of Diamonds, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Spades, 2 of Hearts, King of Clubs.

Goody: Checks
Baddy: Bets $24

Goody: What does he do?

With what did Baddy bet with at the flop, turn and river? He made a continuation bet at the flop and he continued to place bets when scare-cards were dealt. Baddy's range of hands could have been as follows: a few completed combinations (2-2, 9-9, 10-10, Ace-Ace, 9-T, Ace-2, Ace-9, Ace-King), a few draw hands (Jack-Queen, 7-8), draw hands with pairs (10 of Diamonds-Jack of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds-Queen of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds-King of Diamonds) and a few bluffs. How many potential combinations does Baddy have in total and how does this number change in relation to the hand that you are holding?

 

Thus, with an Ace of Hearts and a Jack of Diamonds, you can block 39 out of the 135 combinations in his range (as you can see this is actually a large amount, although when you considered the 293/1396 total possible did not seem as significant), not including the bluffs. Say that you decided to call; in this case, it is useful to know how many of the hands that beat yours are blocked by your hand:

Of the 79 combinations that can beat your hand, you can block 24 with the hand you hold. This means that you block 30% of the hands that can beat you and that you beat 28% of hands which are ahead of you. This makes a massive difference; to call with a hand that has multiple blockers is a lot more significant than playing a hand without any, or few.

Poker: Blockers Part 1 Poker: Blockers Part 2

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