Light four-bet Strategy
Once you understand the importance of aggression in poker, a series of plays can be used to destabilize opponents. Today, we will focus on the “light” four-bet strategy, which you can do before the flop. It can be compared to a pre-flop bluff, with a good chance of bringing you no-fight chips.
For many novice players, standard pre-flop raises are still an enigma. However, once they understand that the “limp” option brings you more disservice than satisfaction, in the long run, they will begin to be aware of the importance of aggression and raises before the dealer reveals the board. . But the “light” four-bet tactic catches most of them unprepared, being an extremely strong bluff, right from the start.
What exactly does “Light” four-bet mean?
It tends to become a standard re-raise, even if few still use it. To use this play, you need the image to help you and always consider the position (to be in position). The beauty of this strategy is that it can be used against both loose and tight players with the same success rate.
The tactic refers to a re-raise that you make from the position after a single player from the early position has previously raised. You don’t need more pot fighters because the chances of getting paid will increase considerably. Thus, after a raise made by an opponent, you can come up with a re-raise worth four times the big blind, the goal being to throw the other one out of the pot right now. There is no justification for your growth in the hand you hold, which is far from a premium. But your opponent doesn’t know that, and he’ll think you’re on your favorite road.
So, with the raise, you will tell your opponent that you have a premium hand, and he will weigh the options very well before moving on. You feel like you have a “monster” (Q-Q, K-K, A-A, or A-K), so many players will fold here as a percentage, even if they opened the action.
The great advantage of this strategy is that you will take advantage of the other’s weaknesses. Thus, if he is a loose player, used to playing many hands, the chances of having a good card this time are not very high. He will understand that he will start at a disadvantage in the pot, putting you on a very large card, and, despite his style of play, he will usually choose to give up his hand. If he continues with a marginal hand, there is no drama: you still have enough options to defeat him, especially since he will never put you on a book as weak as the one you have, and you can “hit” combinations at which is never expected. But the main purpose of this re-raise is to make him fold, about how you should play your hand next, in case of a call, we will talk in a future article.
As for tight players, they usually raise good cards. However, once your four-bb re-raise comes, they will be tempted to give you credit and will not invest in the pot unless they have a “monster” in their hand. The probability of a tight player folding such a play of yours is paradoxically higher. That and as a result of the image you created. Such an opponent perceives you as a solid player, who plays in the card, and he finds himself largely in your style of play. Putting himself in your shoes, he knows that he would make such a raise only with the best hands. As such, the fold is the only option that makes sense to him right now (as long as he doesn’t own big pairs or A-K).
The benefits after
Everything is perfect if you reach your goal and get the desired fold from your opponents (chips accumulated without a fight). But sometimes the other person will pay, which you will consider, in theory, a real drama.
Not nearly so. On the one hand, you will have the opportunity to complete your marginal hands, which your opponents would never have thought of, but more importantly, you will have the opportunity to see cards that will improve your hand at a modest price. Frightened by your pre-flop raise, players who have agreed to take over will be much more cautious. They will think that they are in danger of losing a large number of chips in front of your excellent hand and, as such, they will play much slower. They will not resort to large raises (unless they have a very good combination), and even, as a percentage, they will take the “check” in their arms. The fact that I am not in a position, an advantage of yours that once again shows its significance, also contributes to this. As such, you will be able to control the pot; you will be able to see at least one more book without paying too much, which is often of paramount importance.
In conclusion, he relies heavily on the “light” four-bet strategy but always considers the following: do it from the position and only when one player is raised. Be careful that the image you have is of a tight player, and do not abuse this tactic because, at some point, others will understand that you want to steal. And most importantly, don’t resort to this short-stack re-raise. They will often be tempted to push all-in, even if their hands are not the best. Flop and bring you a significant number of no-fight chips).
