This week, after two weeks of mastering The Rules of Engagement, we do a module designed to round out our students' preflop tools: The Decision Script.
The concept is simple: Decisions come from information. Good information, good decision. So the key is to have an efficient way to gather this information. We have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. But since not all information is useful, we can't waste thought-energy asking too many questions.
Hence, a Decision Script. A Players' customized thought-process for gathering the information he needs.
I first heard this idea listening to Phil Gordon audiobooks. Phil liked to ask a bunch of questions as a checklist that he went through when it was his turn to act:
Should I bet or raise?
Should I fold?
Can I call?
Naturally, given the target audience and the era that poker was in at the time, this was a very general decision script.
Harrington introduced me to a script that I ran for a long time and found to be quite efficient. he just looked at three things - and in this order (I'm paraphrasing, btw, since he spends a chapter on this):
1. STACKS - what (how deep) are the stacks involved?
2. POSITION - who is where? how is this hand going to play out towards/from me
3. HAND - what have I got anyway?
Just going through #1 and #2 often made #3 automatic. The first two items are great because almost all that information is available if you care to be aware! It is not hidden. The only hidden part of the information concerns the "who" part of the "who is where" question. But even that, you can consistently solve with a HUD in due time.
So let's say I am in a hand. I can start my Harrington-style Decision Script as soon as the dealer shuffles!
1. STACKS - hmm, I have 120BB at the CO, a shortie is UTG, the small blind is deep, the button is also a shortie with 30BB. every one else is 100BB-ish. If the shortie opens for a raise, calling is out, set-mining is out, speculating with SC's is out. If i somehow open and the BU 3bets, it's shove or fold for me.
2. POSITION - action gets to me unopened. the guy on the big blind folds to steals 90%. the small blind is also a nit. both have a very high fold to Fcbet. the BU is unpredictable - could be steaming - god knows he has had chances to reload, but hasn't. If I open from here, with anything less than the top of my range, I want him (the BU) gone. With the rest of my range, I am willing to fold to a 3bet. If the BU drops out and either of the blinds see a flop with me and check, I am going to Fcbet a little more than usual (even rag flops). What about my PF bet size? I standardize at 3bb, but since the big blind is just mostly going to fold, 2.5bb serves. However, since I want to discourage a light 3bet from the BU (and I want to buy his button), perhaps 3.5bb this time? Since both blinds give up a lot post-flop, 3.5bb is the choice.
3. HAND - even before I've seen my hand, I have actually already sort of constructed the range I am going to play, and how I am going to play it. Time to look at my hand...
72o, not in the range, fold
Okay, okay, sometimes if you have 72o you can save a lot of brain cells and just fold. The exercise of this whole concept however, has to do with organizing our thoughts and getting to know how we go about them.
Elsie's assignment is to create a video with him thinking out loud. Then we will listen to it and fine tune his thought processes. he must write his script down. That is the discipline of the exercise. Nothing becomes automatic without practice. And nothing can be practiced without the intention of fine-tuning.
For those of you thinking of creating your own decision script (I think you must!) here are some of the questions you always want to work into your script in some way shape or form:
1. Where is the money going to come from? is it coming from folding out most of villain's range? Is it coming from value? This is most important when we make plays like 3bet stealing or set-mining.
2. What is the plan? (and post-flop: has the plan changed?) let's say your plan was to capitalize on the big blind's folding range by raising 94o from the BU. he folds 80%, so that is outright profit with any two cards. Once he resists, we shut down. That's the plan. It does NOT change when the Flop comes 937r. The money comes from the outright profit of his likelihood to fold preflop. The plan changes when the Flop comes 944. Now the money comes from getting called by a worse hand to the showdown.
Listening to thinkaloud videos is both rewarding and extremely tiring. Some students have such an inarticulatable thought process, it is a nightmare to fine tune. Their thought processes can be filled with statements like "coz I am feeling this hand" or "because i think he is on tilt"...
Other times, they are articulate, but the thought process is somewhat flawed - as in: "I bet to see where I am"
Because, well, you can also see where you are by checking.
To close out the week's module, here is a link to a great video on preflop planning.
(credit dnb118 for finding this and sharing!)
My final reminder for this module has always been this: if you cannot run a decision script - If you fail to gather the info, or gather info and fail to follow what the info suggests - then your mind is mush. Time to rest and play some xbox!
No comments:
Post a Comment