Sports & Gaming
Preflop and Blind Defense
Lesson time 19:54 min
Phil breaks down the importance of table position, debunks a common misconception about hand-range charts, and shares tips for defending the blinds.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Position Is Everything · Prioritize Game Dynamics Over Range Chart · Reasons to Defend the Blinds · Defend More With Suited Connectors · Don’t Over-Defend the Blinds · Hand Review: Over-Defending the Blinds
Preview
[MUSIC PLAYING] PHIL IVEY (VOICEOVER): A solid understanding of preflop play is crucial for any player. Remember, most of your hands are going to be won or lost before the flop even comes down. You really need to learn how to use position to your advantage, which hands to play, and definitely which hands to get away from. Master preflop and you're in the game. ANNOUNCER 1: Match is on Phil. - 500. ANNOUNCER 1: Ivey takes it down with a preflop four-bet. PHIL IVEY (VOICEOVER): Position in hold'em is one of the most important aspects of the game because it dictates who has to act first and who gets to act last. If you're seated to the right of the button or on the button, you're in late position, and you get to act last. If you're seated to the left of the button, you're in early position, and you have to act first. Since the game is played in clockwise order, usually the player to your left has position on you, while you have position on the player to your right. The rare exceptions are when you and your opponent is seated on the button or in the blinds. Everything becomes more simplified when you are in position because you gain valuable information by seeing how the opponents in front of you play their hands. If you watch the better players, usually they're acting in position. OK? So they're three-betting, they're isolating, with position. A lot of times, you can have a worse hand, but you can have position, and that will give you the advantage in the pot. And that's because they have to act first. Say, you know, you have a hand like 10-9, and they have a hand like ace-10. And the flop comes queen-8-3. And they check, now you bet, and it becomes very difficult for them to play because, you know, standard for them to do is-- when they act first-- is to check. Now they don't have no choice but to fold. And you end up winning the hand with the worse hand because you have position on the hand. So I think that's a pretty clear example of how position matters. Out of position is a lot more trickier than playing in position. It's much more a delicate of a situation. So you just need to be a lot more careful. I think you need to have a much stronger hand when you call or reraise out of position. You need to know when to four-bet if your hand's not as good or if your hand's stronger than them, if you think they're going to continue playing. For example, under the gun, a nine-handed game-- my guess, it would open ace clean. I would open two 8s or above, two 7s maybe, sometimes depending upon the players. Usually, I like to look around the table and see who looks at their cards first-- you know, see if I can get some sort of read off of whether they're interested in their hand or not. I do that sometimes. Well, yeah, I play pretty snug under the gun because I think position is very important. It's a lot more important than people think it is. [MUSIC PLAYING] Most players have a set of guidelines of what hands...
About the Instructor
At age 38, Phil Ivey became the youngest player to win 10 World Series of Poker bracelets. Now the man known for his enigmatic table presence—and widely regarded as the world’s best all-around poker player—gives you unprecedented access to his mental game. Learn poker strategy, pick up new poker tips, and review hands with the player who’s won more than $26 million in live tournament earnings.
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Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey opens up for the first time about his poker strategy and teaches you how to make smarter moves at the table.
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