Poker Strategy: Understanding Exception Hands in Gameplay

The author advises poker players to focus on playing ranges of hands rather than individual hands. This approach is crucial for achieving a deep understanding of the game. However, the author notes that occasionally, the strategy for a single hand can teach us a lot. By examining the strategy for a range of hands, we often notice that the play with certain hands differs significantly from others. These are what the author calls 'exception hands.'

The author explains that QTs is an exception hand that is always limped in a 25 bb stack, but is often pushed in lower stacks. The author suggests that this is because QTs plays well in multi-pots. After limping, the small blind often calls, and the big blind often checks, making QTs stronger than both ranges. On many flops with draws, we can comfortably bluff, and if we hit a pair, we will be fairly confident that we are ahead. Additionally, with QTs, we can easily call a raise from any of the blinds, unless it is an all-in.

The author notes that AKo is an exception hand that is always pushed in a 30 bb stack during the bubble phase. The author explains that this is because AKo blocks a very narrow calling range, making it an effective bluff in this situation. The author also mentions that in a 50 bb stack, hands like and are exception hands that always bet on a rainbow flop. The author suggests that this is because these hands unlock the calling range and benefit from increasing the pot size immediately. The author states that underpairs, such as , are exception hands that rarely bet in the given scenario.