The Power of the Two: A Poker Strategy Revealed

In poker, one of the most uncomfortable situations is when a large bet comes your way and you have only a bluff catcher. Linus Löliger found himself in such a situation against Stefan Burakov. Linus defended the big blind with and called the continuation bet with top pair.

On the turn, Linus checked and received a raise. Linus paid, and on the river, a full blank appeared. Stefan pushed $7,827 into the pot of $5,061. At first glance, it seems like a simple fold, but the strength of the kicker in this situation is irrelevant.

After the turn raise and river push, Stefan's range becomes extremely polarized. Against his bluffs, even Q2 and QT would work. His value bets would lose to both hands. Moreover, Q2 is even better because it unlocks bluffs. In the button's range, there are many offsuit Broadway hands. Therefore, it is more profitable to catch bluffs when you have a small kicker that does not block anything, as it increases the probability that the opponent is bluffing.