When you're seated directly to the left of the big blind, you're in the position called under the gun (UTG). Preflop, you're the first player to act. Postflop, you've got position on two players–the small and big blinds–and the rest of your opponents have position on you.
The (A) blocks out some combos but that is irrelevant. Your 3 betting range is KK+ A5s. This is extremely tight. Your opponents especially the perceptive ones (who notice you 3 bet rarely) will fold to your 3 bet bluff w/A5s enough of the time for this to be profitable. Useful information regarding Poker Hand Range Calculator What is range in Poker? A range is a combination of hands a player might have at a given time. Thinking about what players have in the form of a range is valuable because it allows you to think about all of the possibilities of a hand.
Under the gun isn't the best position to play from, but it's not the worst. An ideal UTG strategy will lean heavily towards value plays and will avoid speculative bluffs. Stick to a tight opening range and continue postflop only if you've got a legit hand.
- Against normal reg who, say, open 50% button by min-raise and then folds 55% vs 3bets. I know that from SB we 'should' 3bet a linear range, just because our flat-calling range is limited from SB.
- 91% of hands is a reasonable button min-raise range against tight opponents. If you are using a more middling size, such as 2.5x, you should usually open between 80% and 90%. Here is an 82.5% opening range: If you are opening to a larger size (3x) versus a loose opponent, it is usually best to open somewhere between 70% and 80% of hands.
- How to Assign a Hand Range On the Flop The flop comes 6♠ 7♠ 2♥. You bet $25 and the first two limpers fold; the button smooth-calls. Your opponent called your raise after limping on the button and has now called your flop.
The key to staying profitable under the gun is streamlining your preflop hand selection.
Legal gambling in bars. Gambling in West Virginia. West Virginia has five casinos. Casinos were initially legalized in 1994. West Virginia's are primarily 'racinos' or video lottery games at pari-mutuel dog or horse racing facilities. West Virginia has two operating dog racetracks and two operating horse racetracks. The table games at these casinos are state owned. The slot machines found at casinos, bars and restaurants throughout West Virginia are technically classified as video lottery terminals (VLTs) due to being control by the state lottery. In function, they are no different than traditional slots and offer similar payout rates depending on the particular game.
Under the Gun Preflop Range
Your preflop range should be very tight when under the gun. Play hands that you know have value and only carry on postflop when you're likely ahead. A solid preflop range looks something like this:
- 22+
- Suited broadway cards (e.g. AKs, QJs, KQs)
- 89s+ (shorthanded games only)
- AJo+
- KQo
While it's fine to include suited connectors 89+ in your UTG range, you shouldn't overdo them. When playing 89s from the button you don't necessarily need to hit the flop to take down a pot; under the gun you usually will. Since you're out of position when under the gun, you don't have the luxury of seeing your opponents act before you; therefore you've got less room to get bluffy and take shots at the pot.
Keep in mind when you make top pair type hands from UTG, it can be difficult to tell where you stand. For example, imagine you raise from UTG with ATo. Everyone folds to the button, who calls, and the blinds fold.
The flop comes A-4-5 rainbow. You place a strong bet on the flop and the button flat calls. A King comes on the turn and you elect to check for pot control. As soon as you check, the button blasts you with a full pot-sized bet. Is this a bet from a legitimate hand or is he simply betting because you checked?
It's hard to say. You're beat by all aces with better kickers, which is a significant portion of your opponent's range (AK, AQ, AJ are all likely holdings.) A thinking opponent will have deduced that you're raising with the top of your range preflop, since you're in the worst position at the table; thus you should expect your opponent's range to be strong as well.
Of course, you don't want to throw away top pair–at least instinctively you don't. Thus you're faced with a difficult choice: ditch your pair, or stick around with what's possibly the second best hand. Poker machine parts.
The above example illustrates the importance of keeping your range tight. Since you're out of position, you won't really be able to gauge where your opponents are at before acting. When under the gun, your advantage in a hand will come largely from the value of your cards. Save the loose play for late position.
Aggressive Play Under the Gun
A key to playing profitably under the gun is to be aggressive with your high ranking hands. When you've got good cards that tend to dominate preflop, you want to get your money in as quickly as possible.
Here's a common scenario. A player is dealt QQ under the gun and limps in rather than open raising. His logic is this: QQ is a great hand, therefore I should slowplay to give everyone a chance to put money in the pot. That's a nice thought, but here's the thing: it's faulty logic.
A hand like QQ is a massive favorite over almost all other hands preflop. When your hand is a massive favorite, you want to get your money in. If the players ahead of you have decent hands, they will call an open-raise; after all, they think they've got the nuts too. Therefore by neglecting to raise your QQ preflop, you're saying: 'I hate money, I don't want to build the pot to as big an amount as I can. I'll settle for less.'
Of course poker is all about maximizing our expected value, and making a play that is less profitable compared to another possible play is a bad move. When under the gun, it is almost always more profitable to raise than to call.
The only time you might want to restrain your aggression is when holding small pocket pairs. A hand like 22 or 33 isn't really valuable in itself. Both hands play best for set value, meaning you will toss them if you don't hit on the flop. Since that gives you less equity overall, it's a good idea to tone down the preflop pot-building with small pocket pairs when UTG.
However, I do not recommend open-limping with small pocket pairs. The only time you can get away with that move is when you are in extremely passive games. If you're in an average game, you should either raise with it (shorthanded games only) or fold it. Open limping is a transparent play and it makes it so that you can only win the pot if you hit something.
Be Flexible When Under the Gun
Keep in mind that how you play should change depending on the conditions of whatever game you're in. For example, if you're up against a bunch of nitty players who only enter pots with strong hands, loosen up; you'll be able to take down some pots with marginal hands, even without position.
On the other hand if you're up against loose-aggressive types, you'll have to play an all-or-nothing game. You can't come in with weak limps because the loose-aggressive players will blow you out of the water. You have to either come in strong against these players or come in not at all.
Look up buck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
In poker, the buck or dealer button is a marker used to indicate the player who is dealing or, in casino games with a house dealer, the player who acts last on that deal (who would be the dealer in a home game). The term button is also used for a variety of plastic discs, or lammers, used by casinos to mark the status of players.
History[edit]
When poker became a popular saloon game in the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century, the integrity of the players was unreliable and the honor codes that had regulated gambling for centuries became inadequate. Because the dealer has the greatest opportunity to cheat (by manipulating the specific cards that players receive, or by inspecting the dealt cards), the players would take turns in this role. To avoid arguments about whose turn it was to deal, the person who was next due to deal would be given a marker. This marker moves clockwise around the table after each hand. A knife was commonly used as a marker, and the marker became generally known as a 'buck', as an abbreviated reference to the buck's horn that formed the handle of many knives at that time.
When the dealer had finished dealing the cards he 'passed the buck'. According to Martin, the earliest use of the phrase in print is in the July 1865 edition of Weekly New Mexican: 'They draw at the commissary, and at poker after they have passed the buck.' The phrase then appears frequently in many sources so it probably originated at about this time. However, Mark Twain cited it as common slang in Virginia City when he was a reporter there in 1862.[1]
'Passing the buck' soon became a metaphor for dodging responsibility. U.S. President Harry S. Truman was noted for a sign in his office reading 'The buck stops here.' It was a gift from[citation needed] Fred Canfil, who found a similar sign in the warden's office at the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma.
The use of other small disks as such markers led to the alternative term 'button'. Silver dollars were later used as markers and it has been suggested that this is the origin of 'buck' as a slang term for 'dollar,' though by no means is there universal agreement on this subject. The marker is also referred to as 'the hat'. The origin of this term is believed to stem from the wearing of a hat having been used to denote dealership.
Dealer button[edit]
Today, a dealer button is typically a white plastic disc with the word 'Dealer' on each side. While in most home games, the player holding the dealer button deals the cards, in a casino or cardroom, an employee handles this responsibility.
The dealer button is sometimes modified to indicate a secondary detail about the hand being played—for example, a kill game may use a button with the word 'Kill' on one side to show that the current hand is a kill pot, and turn the 'Dealer' side up to show that the kill is off, or a dealer's choice game might replace the dealer button with a placard indicating the chosen game.
The term 'button' is often used to refer to the dealer position, which is the position whose turn to bet comes last. Being 'on the button' is therefore the most advantageous and most profitable position in poker.
Other buttons[edit]
In casino and card room cash games, the dealer's well may contain an assortment of laminated discs that the dealer may place in front of a player's seat under certain conditions. Properly called lammers (rhymes with 'spammers'), but also referred to as buttons, they are separate from and used differently from a Dealer Button.
The following table lists the most common lammers and their significance:
If it is not a kill pot, the 'No Kill' side is kept up by the dealer.
The lammer may also read 'Kill' and 'Leg Up' on each side to show who has triggered the first half of a requirement to kill the pot ('Leg Up'), or if the pot has been killed.
Which of the two differently marked lammers is used depends upon the requirement to trigger the kill pot for that game.
Button | Use |
---|---|
Missed Blind, Missed Big Blind, Missed Small Blind | Used to mark the position of a player who has missed their turn to pay a blind. When the player returns, the missed blinds may be paid immediately, or the player may keep the lammer and wait to play until the unpaid blind comes in turn. Which indicative lammer is used depends on the game being played or which blinds are missed. |
No Player or Absent | Placed on the table at the position of a player that has been away for an extended period. According to World Series of Poker Live Action Rules, after the seat has missed the blinds, each new dealer places an additional lammer in front of the missing player's empty seat. On receiving a third lammer, the absent players chips' could be picked up by the house in order to seat a player waiting to get in the game. |
Reserved | Put in front of an empty seat to hold it for a player that is arriving soon. |
Seat Change | A player can request one of these lammers from the dealer and reserve first choice to change seats when a player at the table leaves the game. |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
The key to staying profitable under the gun is streamlining your preflop hand selection.
Legal gambling in bars. Gambling in West Virginia. West Virginia has five casinos. Casinos were initially legalized in 1994. West Virginia's are primarily 'racinos' or video lottery games at pari-mutuel dog or horse racing facilities. West Virginia has two operating dog racetracks and two operating horse racetracks. The table games at these casinos are state owned. The slot machines found at casinos, bars and restaurants throughout West Virginia are technically classified as video lottery terminals (VLTs) due to being control by the state lottery. In function, they are no different than traditional slots and offer similar payout rates depending on the particular game.
Under the Gun Preflop Range
Your preflop range should be very tight when under the gun. Play hands that you know have value and only carry on postflop when you're likely ahead. A solid preflop range looks something like this:
- 22+
- Suited broadway cards (e.g. AKs, QJs, KQs)
- 89s+ (shorthanded games only)
- AJo+
- KQo
While it's fine to include suited connectors 89+ in your UTG range, you shouldn't overdo them. When playing 89s from the button you don't necessarily need to hit the flop to take down a pot; under the gun you usually will. Since you're out of position when under the gun, you don't have the luxury of seeing your opponents act before you; therefore you've got less room to get bluffy and take shots at the pot.
Keep in mind when you make top pair type hands from UTG, it can be difficult to tell where you stand. For example, imagine you raise from UTG with ATo. Everyone folds to the button, who calls, and the blinds fold.
The flop comes A-4-5 rainbow. You place a strong bet on the flop and the button flat calls. A King comes on the turn and you elect to check for pot control. As soon as you check, the button blasts you with a full pot-sized bet. Is this a bet from a legitimate hand or is he simply betting because you checked?
It's hard to say. You're beat by all aces with better kickers, which is a significant portion of your opponent's range (AK, AQ, AJ are all likely holdings.) A thinking opponent will have deduced that you're raising with the top of your range preflop, since you're in the worst position at the table; thus you should expect your opponent's range to be strong as well.
Of course, you don't want to throw away top pair–at least instinctively you don't. Thus you're faced with a difficult choice: ditch your pair, or stick around with what's possibly the second best hand. Poker machine parts.
The above example illustrates the importance of keeping your range tight. Since you're out of position, you won't really be able to gauge where your opponents are at before acting. When under the gun, your advantage in a hand will come largely from the value of your cards. Save the loose play for late position.
Aggressive Play Under the Gun
A key to playing profitably under the gun is to be aggressive with your high ranking hands. When you've got good cards that tend to dominate preflop, you want to get your money in as quickly as possible.
Here's a common scenario. A player is dealt QQ under the gun and limps in rather than open raising. His logic is this: QQ is a great hand, therefore I should slowplay to give everyone a chance to put money in the pot. That's a nice thought, but here's the thing: it's faulty logic.
A hand like QQ is a massive favorite over almost all other hands preflop. When your hand is a massive favorite, you want to get your money in. If the players ahead of you have decent hands, they will call an open-raise; after all, they think they've got the nuts too. Therefore by neglecting to raise your QQ preflop, you're saying: 'I hate money, I don't want to build the pot to as big an amount as I can. I'll settle for less.'
Of course poker is all about maximizing our expected value, and making a play that is less profitable compared to another possible play is a bad move. When under the gun, it is almost always more profitable to raise than to call.
The only time you might want to restrain your aggression is when holding small pocket pairs. A hand like 22 or 33 isn't really valuable in itself. Both hands play best for set value, meaning you will toss them if you don't hit on the flop. Since that gives you less equity overall, it's a good idea to tone down the preflop pot-building with small pocket pairs when UTG.
However, I do not recommend open-limping with small pocket pairs. The only time you can get away with that move is when you are in extremely passive games. If you're in an average game, you should either raise with it (shorthanded games only) or fold it. Open limping is a transparent play and it makes it so that you can only win the pot if you hit something.
Be Flexible When Under the Gun
Keep in mind that how you play should change depending on the conditions of whatever game you're in. For example, if you're up against a bunch of nitty players who only enter pots with strong hands, loosen up; you'll be able to take down some pots with marginal hands, even without position.
On the other hand if you're up against loose-aggressive types, you'll have to play an all-or-nothing game. You can't come in with weak limps because the loose-aggressive players will blow you out of the water. You have to either come in strong against these players or come in not at all.
Look up buck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
In poker, the buck or dealer button is a marker used to indicate the player who is dealing or, in casino games with a house dealer, the player who acts last on that deal (who would be the dealer in a home game). The term button is also used for a variety of plastic discs, or lammers, used by casinos to mark the status of players.
History[edit]
When poker became a popular saloon game in the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century, the integrity of the players was unreliable and the honor codes that had regulated gambling for centuries became inadequate. Because the dealer has the greatest opportunity to cheat (by manipulating the specific cards that players receive, or by inspecting the dealt cards), the players would take turns in this role. To avoid arguments about whose turn it was to deal, the person who was next due to deal would be given a marker. This marker moves clockwise around the table after each hand. A knife was commonly used as a marker, and the marker became generally known as a 'buck', as an abbreviated reference to the buck's horn that formed the handle of many knives at that time.
When the dealer had finished dealing the cards he 'passed the buck'. According to Martin, the earliest use of the phrase in print is in the July 1865 edition of Weekly New Mexican: 'They draw at the commissary, and at poker after they have passed the buck.' The phrase then appears frequently in many sources so it probably originated at about this time. However, Mark Twain cited it as common slang in Virginia City when he was a reporter there in 1862.[1]
'Passing the buck' soon became a metaphor for dodging responsibility. U.S. President Harry S. Truman was noted for a sign in his office reading 'The buck stops here.' It was a gift from[citation needed] Fred Canfil, who found a similar sign in the warden's office at the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma.
The use of other small disks as such markers led to the alternative term 'button'. Silver dollars were later used as markers and it has been suggested that this is the origin of 'buck' as a slang term for 'dollar,' though by no means is there universal agreement on this subject. The marker is also referred to as 'the hat'. The origin of this term is believed to stem from the wearing of a hat having been used to denote dealership.
Dealer button[edit]
Today, a dealer button is typically a white plastic disc with the word 'Dealer' on each side. While in most home games, the player holding the dealer button deals the cards, in a casino or cardroom, an employee handles this responsibility.
The dealer button is sometimes modified to indicate a secondary detail about the hand being played—for example, a kill game may use a button with the word 'Kill' on one side to show that the current hand is a kill pot, and turn the 'Dealer' side up to show that the kill is off, or a dealer's choice game might replace the dealer button with a placard indicating the chosen game.
The term 'button' is often used to refer to the dealer position, which is the position whose turn to bet comes last. Being 'on the button' is therefore the most advantageous and most profitable position in poker.
Other buttons[edit]
In casino and card room cash games, the dealer's well may contain an assortment of laminated discs that the dealer may place in front of a player's seat under certain conditions. Properly called lammers (rhymes with 'spammers'), but also referred to as buttons, they are separate from and used differently from a Dealer Button.
The following table lists the most common lammers and their significance:
If it is not a kill pot, the 'No Kill' side is kept up by the dealer.
The lammer may also read 'Kill' and 'Leg Up' on each side to show who has triggered the first half of a requirement to kill the pot ('Leg Up'), or if the pot has been killed.
Which of the two differently marked lammers is used depends upon the requirement to trigger the kill pot for that game.
Button | Use |
---|---|
Missed Blind, Missed Big Blind, Missed Small Blind | Used to mark the position of a player who has missed their turn to pay a blind. When the player returns, the missed blinds may be paid immediately, or the player may keep the lammer and wait to play until the unpaid blind comes in turn. Which indicative lammer is used depends on the game being played or which blinds are missed. |
No Player or Absent | Placed on the table at the position of a player that has been away for an extended period. According to World Series of Poker Live Action Rules, after the seat has missed the blinds, each new dealer places an additional lammer in front of the missing player's empty seat. On receiving a third lammer, the absent players chips' could be picked up by the house in order to seat a player waiting to get in the game. |
Reserved | Put in front of an empty seat to hold it for a player that is arriving soon. |
Seat Change | A player can request one of these lammers from the dealer and reserve first choice to change seats when a player at the table leaves the game. |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- Martin, Garry. 'Pass the buck', The Phrase Finder Retrieved May 13, 2005