WPT GTO Trainer Hands of the Week: Raising The Chip Leader on The Button
The featured hands this week showcase correct play at a major final table with short stacks when you have a medium stack and you are in position against the chip leader.
Due to the presence of the short stack players along with the pay jumps at this final table, the big stack can exert ICM pressure on you. ICM Pressure occurs when you are highly incentivized to not bust out before the other players at the table with shorter stacks. Your preflop opening hand ranges should be significantly narrower due to this effect and a good player in the Big Blind will be defending much wider than they otherwise would be in a similar spot. They will look to exert ICM pressure postflop as well.
Typically, in situations where the chip leader can exert significant pressure on you postflop, you c-bet less frequently. However you have a significant range advantage on most flops, as you are raising significantly fewer hands than you typically would on the Button and your opponent is calling with significantly more hands than they typically would in the Big Blind. These factors directly lead frequently c-betting on the Button.
Pay close attention to the pot size and your remaining stack size on the turn and river and be cautious of betting too frequently on turns with medium strength hands. Tough players can exploit this by utilizing aggressive turn strategies to exert ICM pressure. You will want to bet with a balance of bluffs and strong hands that can withstand pressure on the turn and pay special attention to cards that significantly favor your range and key blockers.
To see more examples and test your skills, you can play through five free solved hands from this scenario.
To access the free five hands, visit this page.
Regular play on the WPT GTO Trainer will help you adjust your decisions closer and closer to GTO strategy.
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The full selection of scenarios for the WPT GTO Trainer are only available to members of LearnWPT, however we’re giving PokerNews Readers free access to the Trainer on a regular basis with the WPT GTO Hands of The Week.
Use this series of articles to practice the strategies you learn on LearnWPT (or at the table) and test your progress by playing a five-hand sample each week
