Master Playing From The Big Blind with Ryan Fee & Doug Polk
The big blind might just be the trickiest position to approach.
When you’re expected to defend a wide range against a raise, you will frequently run into difficult post-flop spots. To address these tough situations and patch the various leaks you may have in your BB strategy, Doug and Ryan have just released an entire module dedicated to this position in The Upswing Lab.
The module focuses mainly on cash game play, but many concepts apply to tournaments as well. Featuring 11 videos and totaling almost 4 hours of content, this module is a must-watch for anyone that finds themselves bleeding chips from the BB.
Find out what’s inside the module in greater detail below:
Video 1: Calling from the Big Blind (20m 58s)
Kicking off the module with some pre-flop strategy, Ryan and Doug talk about the nature of calling ranges from the big blind.
They go into detail about the differences in these ranges between cash games and tournaments, as well as looking how different ante/rake structures can further influence them.
(Note: Become the best player at the table from every position in The Lab, an extensive poker training course developed and updated monthly by Doug Polk and Ryan Fee. Click here or below to learn more!)
Video 2: Equity Realization (18m 24s)
In this video, Ryan and Doug try and dispel the ambiguity that surrounds equity realization in relation to raw equity.
People often talk about selecting hands that ‘realize their equity well’ – but how can you get a better idea of how well a hand realizes its equity versus a particular range? Using the help of PokerRanger and a couple of hand matrices, this video gives you an answer to that question.
Video 3: Samples and Winrates (31m 42s)
Using actual database samples submitted by Upswing Lab members, this video demonstrates the effectiveness of using a tool like PokerTracker to help you analyse the profitability of specific BB strategies. You’ll learn how to get a better sense of the overall EV of your plays by using filters in tracking software to your advantage.
Videos 4-8: Hand Examples (5 videos)
Over the next 5 videos, Ryan reviews some of his own hand histories to discuss how BB post-flop strategies change depending upon board texture and the range of your opponent(s). The specific spots covered are:
- BB vs LJ on a board of Q-8-7
- The K-7-2 calldown
- BB vs LJ on a board of J-6-6
- BB vs BTN on a board of 8-7-5
- BB vs BTN on a board of 9-5-2
Using Equilab and PokerRanger as analytical aids, you’ll learn about how to respond facing a variety of bet sizes (including the fashionable 1/3 flop sizing and overbet turn line) and how to properly categorise your ranges.
Video 9: New BB Ranges (20m 43s)
Ryan and Doug discuss the new adjustments to BB online cash game ranges in The Lab.
After reviewing a number of databases that have revealed more information about RFI tendencies of multiple player pools, they have decided to alter these ranges so that they are better suited for the majority of Lab members.
Find out more about the specific adjustments made and why these subtle changes should be made to your own BB strategy.
Video 10: Probing (38m 12s)
This video covers probe betting in detail – when an out-of-position player bets into an opponent who missed a flop c-bet.
Find out how to construct a probe betting range, when you should do it and which sorts of hands are best to probe with. Doug and Ryan analyse hand histories from Lab members where probing has taken place to discuss the concept in detail.
Video 11: 3-Bet Pots (39m 16s)
Saving the big action until last, this final video includes multiple hand histories with critical analysis from Doug and Ryan.
You’ll get a good idea of how to structure your post-flop BB strategy on a variety of board textures in 3-bet pots – learn which hands go into each category and improve your ability to identify range advantages and disadvantages when they apply.
If you’re an Upswing Lab member, you can find this module under the Post-Flop section, or just click here. (Make sure you’re logged in when you click that link or it won’t work.)
Not a Lab member? You can gain access to this module–and 41 others–by joining the Upswing fam. Click here or below to learn more.
