Elite Strategy: Limit Hold'em with Jonathan Tamayo

December 24 2009, Jonathan Tamayo, Michael Friedman

Poker is a game of information so it is in this vein that PokerNews brings viewers a strategy section devoted specifically to helping develop one’s game. Titled ‘Elite Strategy,’ these articles feature the wisdom of some of poker’s top players and they provide viewers with a look at what goes on inside the head of the game’s elite when they are looking to build their stack.

The Player: Jonathan Tamayo

At 24, Jonathan Tamayo is one of the game’s top young players. Having collected over $1,000,000 in combined earnings, he is well-respected in both the online and live arenas. His biggest cash to date is his 21st-place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event which earned him $352,000 and plenty of ESPN coverage. Although this was his largest score, he is even more proud of a previous accomplishment in which he nearly captured a WSOP bracelet, finishing second in the 2008 $1,500 Mixed Hold'em event.

The Game: Limit Holdem

"The turn semi-bluff raise"

The “turn semi-bluff raise” is one of the most underused moves in limit hold’em despite being a very profitable play. As a rule of thumb, I'd recommend using this play if you are heads-up, in position, and you have at least 10 outs going to the river.

Frequently, after you raise preflop and have the big blind defend (call), you will encounter a situation in which the blind will check-raise after you make a standard continuation bet on the flop. More often than not, many players call with draws and mediocre hands so they can see one more bet. Most of the time after the turn, your opponent will bet at the pot to try to get you to fold. Traditionally, in this situation, most players automatically call to see the river unless their hands have improved, in which case, they will raise to try to get value.

Using this tactic in your game, regardless of whether you have a hand, will keep your opponents guessing. Unleashing the semi-bluff strategy on the turn in several hands during play makes it difficult for opponents to put you on any one particular hand, and it is especially effective against players of lesser skill.

If you are playing against better players, they tend to figure out what you are doing and they fold their second-best hand once they pick up that you are making a move. By using the turn semi-bluff occasionally, you throw off your opponents and induce weaker players to pay you off when you do improve or when you already have a huge made hand.

How it can be used

Suppose you are in a six-handed in a $30-$60 limit hold’em game, and you are dealt the in the cutoff, and you raise. The big blind defends and the flop comes down . The blind checks to you, and you bet and get raised by your opponent, and you make the call. The turn is the giving you two overcards and the royal flush draw, and your opponent bets. This is a perfect time to raise because in your opponent’s mind you could easily have a queen, overpair, or a set already.

If the opponent is holding a hand like jack-nine suited, he or she faces a tough decision at that point and frequently calls down to the river, which costs two or more bets most of the time, or the person folds and possibly gives up the best hand. If your opponent is semi-bluffing with a draw as well, you have the best hand and will often get to check to the river and get a free showdown.

What makes this play profitable is that if you are called, any ten is good, along with most of your flush cards. Frequently, the ace, king or both overcards will be good as well. Suppose your opponent has for middle pair. You now have 18 outs against him or her, which gives you about a 41 percent chance of winning the hand if he or she decides to call. You may also get another chance to bet if you do hit one of your outs and the river is called as well. Thanks to the money already being in the pot, your opponent does not have to fold the turn often for you to show a profit, if you can make the opponent fold.

If your heads-up opponent doesn't fall for this trick and calls you down, showing these hands to others at the table will more than likely pay dividends for you when you actually do raise the turn with a huge made hand.

Jonathan Tamayo is a member of Poker Players International’s Elite Team, an agency that represents scores of players spanning from Hall of Fame inductees to online superstars.

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