Explanation of Counterfeit
Counterfeiting in No Limit Hold’em
Counterfeiting in No Limit Hold'em can be made clearer with practical examples.
Board: 5 ♣ 5 ♠ 7 ♦ 7 ♥
Hand: 4 ♣ 4 ♠
Consider this: we had a pair of Fours after the flop, specifically two pairs with Fours and Fives. If our adversary had an unpaired hand such as AJ, our pair of Fours would seem solid. However, if a Seven appears on the turn, it effectively counterfeits our hand. The pocket Fours can no longer be factored into our hand as a stronger two-pair option now exists on the board. This Seven alters our hand to two pairs of Fives and Sevens. While the absolute strength of our hand may have increased, its relative value has sharply declined. Now the strength of the combination depends on the kicker, and unfortunately, our kicker is just a Four. board This situation can confuse novice players in Hold'em. For instance, if we compare the hands of 79 against AK, it may surprise beginners to see that AK wins the pot. After all, we think we have an advantage with a two-pair against their single pair. What actually transpired?
Board: 7 ♣ 9 ♠ A ♦ 2 ♥ 2 ♣
Hand: 7 ♦ 9 ♦
The issue arises because 79 gets counterfeited when the river card pairs a Deuce. This means that now any Ace can make a two-pair combination (Aces and Deuces), which is enough to beat our Sevens and Nines. It's important to note that the strength of a two-pair hand is determined by the rank of the highest pair.
While counterfeiting is often associated with one-pair or two-pair hands, it can also be relevant in other scenarios in Hold'em that could be described as being counterfeited.
Board: Q ♣ Q ♠ Q ♦ 5 ♣ Q ♥
Hand: K ♣ K ♦
For an illustrative example, let's suppose we have a full house on both the flop and turn. But what happens when we reach the river? We can no longer rely on our paired Kings to form a winning hand, as the board now shows four-of-a-kind Queens. Consequently, we would only have Quad Queens with a King kicker. This means that despite holding pocket Kings, we would lose to any Ace, regardless of its other card. For instance, if our opponent holds A2o, they take the pot with Quad Queens and an Ace kicker.
Counterfeiting plays a significant role in Omaha-8 (Omaha hi/lo split). Let's look at an example to clarify this concept.
Counterfeiting in Omaha-8
We will examine the low hand aspect exclusively. On the flop, we qualify for the low hand with A, 2, 4, 6, 8. Given the board layout, this is the best possible low hand, which we can refer to as the nut low.
Board: 4 ♣ 6 ♠ 8 ♠ 2 ♦
Hand: A ♠ 2 ♠ K ♣ Q ♣
If the turn brings a Deuce, we face a setback because we cannot use it to enhance our low hand. Since we've already got a Deuce, it cannot contribute to improving our low in Omaha-8 as pairs are not considered. Our absolute hand strength remains unchanged at A, 2, 4, 6, 8, but our relative hand strength suffers greatly because now a better nut low exists. Any player holding A3xx can construct a low hand of A, 2, 3, 4, 6 which is superior to what we have (A, 2, 4, 6, 8). In Omaha-8, this situation is termed as getting counterfeited .
Now, let's envision a slightly different holding on the same runout.
Suppose we still had A, 2, 4, 6, 8 as our nut low on the flop, but remember, in Omaha, we must use exactly two of our hole cards to create a hand. Should the turn reveal a Deuce yet again, does that mean we still get counterfeited ? The exciting twist is that with the Three now being one of our hole cards, we can still make the nut low. Hence, rather than being counterfeited by the Deuce, we can utilize another hole card (the Three) to form the new nut low. In Omaha-8, this concept is referred to as counterfeit protection .
Board: 4 ♣ 6 ♠ 8 ♠ 2 ♦
Hand: A ♠ 2 ♠ 3 ♣ Q ♣
Example of Counterfeit used in a sentence -> (Hold'em) Our powerful full house became entirely counterfeited when Quad Queens appeared on the river (imagine a board of KKK2K while we have QQ; any Ace would win).
Incorporating Counterfeit into Your Poker Strategy
In Hold'em, an essential strategy revolves around recognizing when we might have been counterfeited . Take the example with 79s mentioned earlier; it’s common for new players to continue betting aggressively on the river, hoping to gain value from their two-pair. This tendency often arises from a misunderstanding of the impact of the Deuce pairing on the river. Seasoned players, however, quickly acknowledge that their two-pair may have been counterfeited and will adjust their tactic accordingly.
In a scenario where we possess pocket Fours and the Seven appears on the turn, our hand becomes one of the weakest holdings possible. It no longer holds the value of being a pair of Fours but is more akin to Four-high. Effective river strategy involves bluffing with our weakest holdings in Hold'em, making counterfeited pairs excellent candidates for bluffing.
Counterfeiting may not occur frequently in Hold'em, which can lead novice players to overlook situations where it does happen. In contrast, it happens much more often in Omaha-8 and is a crucial element of the game.
A proficient Omaha-8 player must remain consistently alert to potential counterfeiting opportunities while holding a low hand. Knowledgeable Omaha-8 players also comprehend when to consider counterfeiting as a factor in their preflop decisions.
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See Also
Hold’em , Omaha , Low Hands , Lowball , Pair , Two-pair , River , Bluff , Board