In past articles I repeatedly iterated the importance of sticking to a sound poker strategy no matter what, and to concentrate on not letting the sharks at the table ever get a sense that you’re hurting. Sharks – by virtue of their extreme olfactive sensitivity – can literally detect a drop of blood in the ocean.
Good poker players are by no means second to sharks when it comes to singling out the weak-link at the table. Do not dellude yourself either, that if you’re playing online poker, this won’t happen. Real sharks are just as much at home in cyberspace as they are at the poker table.
While it is important indeed not to get oneself drawn into all sorts of crazy plays under the influence of a losing streak, out-of-this-world plays can sometimes yield surprisingly good results provided they’re done after careful deliberation and analysis of a multitude of factors.
Going all in a on crazy bluff, ( aka “squeezeplaying”) is sometimes – under the right circumstances- a move that can pretty much bust all of the opposition on a dime-a-dozen hand.
As many professional poker players warn , however, the squeeze play is a pendulum that can swing either way, thus it should only be attempted by players who are fully aware of the power this weapon represents and also of the circumstances that can make it work.
Remember this play is either going to mow the table down, or it’s bound to cut your own throat provided it swings back your way.
Let us now take a look at some of the circumstances that a good poker player would feel need to be in place in order that he/she should attempt a squeezeplay.
First of all: diversion. Diversion is always a key part of any sound poker strategy, however in case of the squeeze it can come in extra handy. The player needs to build up a tight image prior to deploying the “heavy weaponry”. Having everybody at the table worried at the sight of your raises will definitely help the cause.
Secondly: one needs to take another – much iterated – element of the game ( reading the opponent) to a near-perfection level. The sqeeze won’t work on just any player. One needs to look for a guy who has the tendency to raise a lot on weak hands, somebody who usually shows weak hands after having previously raised. This move is called the selection and the stalking of the would-be prey. Much like a wild animal you should first disguise your intentions, then stalk the target. It is a commonly known fact however, that good stalking and target selection don’t always mean a succesful hunt. If the wind blows from the wrong direction, sending the scent of the hunter right into the prey’s nose, the hunt is altogether compromised. Quite similarly if you find that there’s someone acting after you who’s shortstacked enough to see on just about any hand, you should abandon the hunt and wait until circumstances are again fully in your advantage.
The last thing one should keep in mind when going for the squeeze, is that there is no room for second thoughts once everything suggests one should move in for the kill. You need to hit the prey with everything you’ve got,( hit him hard, hit him fast hit him with the kitchen sink too) not only make a bigger bet but move all in as menacingly as you possibly can.
That’ll show the opposition that you mean business indeed. Provided you have everything figured out right ( and display the tight image mentioned above) it should work in most of the cases. If it doesn’t, well that means you’ve bombed completely.
This is one of the things that makes poker such a wonderful game. One can actually make good money on hands worth nothing but squat, provided he/she posesses the right skills. Whether playing in a poker room or an online casino, strategies like this one, and the possibility to come up with an almost endless range of such plays, makes me repeat the catch-phrase time and again in my mind:”Gosh, I love this game”.
Article by James West.