Explanation of Protection
Protection Bet
Protection bets straddle the line between a value bet and a bluff . It's beneficial to review the definitions of value bets and bluffs in the glossary for clarity. The main aim of protection bets is to diminish the chances of opponents having equity in the pot. These types of bets, while not fitting neatly into the categories of value bets or bluffs (too weak to be value bets but too strong to be classified as bluffs), exhibit traits of both.
Commonalities with bluffing: Protection bets gain a significant advantage from fold equity. While they aren't primarily intended to force better hands to fold (as is often seen with bluffs), they occasionally succeed in doing so, while also convincing a range of lesser hands with potential equity to fold.
Similarities with value betting: While protection bets are not specifically aimed at eliciting calls from inferior hands, such occurrences happen quite frequently. The term 'value bet' applies strictly to scenarios where a hand has over 50% equity when matched against an opponent. This isn't typically the case with protection bets. Nevertheless, even if a hand doesn’t have a winning edge when called, it can still possess meaningful equity. Protection bets often secure a reasonable amount of fold equity and maintain a chance of winning at showdown, even when called.
Protecting Ranges
Protecting ranges relates to the concept of playing poker in a balanced manner or aligning with game theory optimal strategies. If a particular betting pattern consistently signals weakness in our range, opponents could exploit this (indicating an unbalanced approach). Thus, it is important to occasionally integrate strong hands into a line typically suggesting weakness. This ensures that when an opponent attempts to exploit us, their strategy becomes ineffective due to sufficient strong hands 'protecting' our overall range.
Example of Protection in Context -> (In Hold'em) We held a vulnerable pair on the flop, prompting us to make a continuation bet for protection .
Incorporating Protection into Your Poker Approach
Protection Bet
Protection bets are often underestimated in their strategic importance. This is particularly true in scenarios where they can be applied consistently against passive opponents, while adept players may complicate protection betting, as they tend to raise our bets with greater frequency and proficiency.
It's advisable to consider placing a bet for protection when the following statements hold true:
- We have a strong likelihood of holding the best hand.
- Our hand is prone to vulnerability and we wish to avoid giving away free cards.
When opting to bet mainly for protection , utilizing smaller betting amounts is recommended. Making underbets (stakes lower than 50% of the pot) can be a viable and effective strategy.
Protecting Ranges
A common fallacy is assuming that we should protect our ranges by default; however, we should do this only when prompted by our opponents' actions. Unnecessarily protecting ranges can lead to a diminished win rate. Often, the goal is to adopt an exploitative strategy, prioritizing an aggressive approach and only turning to balance when facing skilled players who warrant such consideration.
For example, it usually makes sense to bet with all top pairs when in position on the flop against passive players. However, when up against stronger opponents who might view our checking back range as weak (and act accordingly), we should then consider integrating some top pairs into our checking back range.
See Also