The Power of Preflop Blockers in Poker

[@cain2548]

I was struggling with these chapters going through the workbook. This video really helps me. Thanks. Btw the preflop workbook is great. Thanks again.

[@ThePokerBank]

You're very welcome Cain!

[@bossbear7187]

Been learning from and referencing your content for a long time. (including some workbooks), love the evolution...this format is awesome. The shorter video lengths are great. Fantastic work brother, thank you. ...ps) I look back at my old Hand Reading Workbook and laugh at some of my initial answers...just like you say, it becomes so much easier more intuitive and natural as you keep it in practice.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers Boss!

[@adrianallen1808]

I am so thankful for your videos and mindset. I have learn so much and changed my whole point of view playing poker and "Playing" poker. Maybe I missed this question in a pass video. Bout how do I get value from hitting the nuts on the river with a multiway cheched down pot? I think I know my opponents. I have been working on being a LAG but I am a TAG.

[@splitsuit]

Cheers Adrian! In your example, checked down pots are small and you're just not that likely to get a big payoff. It happens, especially when nobody has shown any interest in the pot leading up to the point =)

[@oskarreinfelds2033]

James, thanks for all these videos man. Im gonna get your Live Masterclass pack soon brother

[@FANITYstyle]

Good as usual!

[@splitsuit]

Thanks Johan =)

[@gam3rjae330]

@11:06 Solver says 12 combos of AKo. To my understanding there should be 16 combos of AKo. Can someone please explain to me what I am missing or misunderstanding. Thanks!

[@ThePokerBank]

There are 16 total combos of AK: 12 offsuit and 4 suited.

[@jackiehoo4887]

Love the video as usual!

[@untouchable360x]

Keep preaching this blocker mentality. It's an expensive lesson to learn when you have AK and your opponent has AA.

[@lxtdsouza]

Big fan 🙌 love from India ❤️

[@ThePokerBank]

Thanks Alex :)

[@splitsuit]

Thank you so much Alex!

[@emanueldoby8685]

How do you get one of these workbooks?

[@ThePokerBank]

Right here! www.splitsuit.com/poker-preflop-math-workbook

[@jeevanjoshy7388]

so he can only win with a bluff so what range he can do it with plz answer

[@Ng-nv9to]

my group of friends are a bunch of nits and calling stations. I can't play aggresive to exploit the nits because I will get called by the calling stations. What do I do in this scenario?

[@rcrawle]

Play tighter and value-town (stack) the calling stations, once you've knocked them out change gears and bully the nits.

[@loganw861]

Raise preflop to isolate calling station in position when nits haven’t opened.

[@johnecho2861]

Another GREAT video , THANK YOU .

[@splitsuit]

You're very welcome John!

[@jeevanjoshy7388]

Since I started using the app combination and EV became 10 time easy for me.l get it like snap of a finger don't get me wrong your videos still great too. And what's fold equity and bluff catcher

[@jakewhitley7913]

what?

[@jeevanjoshy7388]

@@jakewhitley7913 you didn't understand what l said

[@jakewhitley7913]

@@jeevanjoshy7388 no shit

[@ryangi5]

No joke! While watching this video, I was playing an 18-person SNG on PokerStars. I had A4s in the BB. It folds to the SB. He raised. I thought, I'm blocking the Ace combos, his range is likely marginal. I shoved. He called with ATo!!! So much for blockers!!! 😂🤣😂🤣 Luckily by the river I made a boat, AA444. (While that’s actually how the hand played out, I’m just joking about blockers not mattering. I’ll be ordering a copy of the workbook.)

[@myperspective7735]

He didnt say go crazy with any A lol player profile is important. Nice run out lol

[@smackastan5697]

The blockers here don't seem to do much. I will give probabilities here before and after blockers using a simple model. The model is that any ace combo above yours wins. so A5 A6 ......... AA would win. Before blockers 5.88% of hands beat you. After blockers 4.65% beat you. It looks like there is only a small percentage difference in the amount of hands that beat you, but I wonder how this translates to a real game.

[@michaelsviews9851]

Anyone help ? I'm on the EV:Advanced chapter of the book Math and Preflop - page 153 - I'm kinda confused as to how we use the sums 110 and 90 ? ....The 110 makes sense if I'm including my 3bet of 10bb but how am I then using a 90 figure in the final part (38.5%) ......any help much appreciated !!

[@splitsuit]

Hey Michaels. Here is a screenshot of Page 153 #1: ibb.co/Bsm0bHL (be sure to check the "work" column in the answer key for those!)

[@michaelsviews9851]

@@splitsuit Hello sir, thank you for the reply, but you have misunderstood , I have the answer key sheet so can see what the answer should be, I don't understand WHY I am using the 90 figure. As I say I believe I understand that I am using the 110 figure as it is the all in 100bb push + the 10bb 3bet......but then I use the 90 figure and I don't understand where that comes from ? (PS thank you for your videos, and which book would you recommend after ?) tyty

[@splitsuit]

@@michaelsviews9851 ahhh, I understand better now. Starting stacks are 100bb and your 3bet was to 10bb total. This means when you shove and they call and you win, you win 110bb (their 100bb stack + your 10bb 3bet). When you shove and lose, you lose 90bb since your 10bb 3bet belongs to the pot and not to you.

[@michaelsviews9851]

@@splitsuit thank you that makes obvious sense once you've said it....I was reading it as I had 110BB to start with - thank you, great book, expanded my thinking massively :)

[@mjl1966y]

Not going along with this entirely. This math does not factor in the simple fact that villain can use the board. You can say they're down to 12 AK combos with AKX on the board, but that's not really true. Any combo that uses the board is potentially available to them. So the three unseen aces can go with the king on the board and the three unseen kings can go with the ace on the board, bringing us up to 14. And so on. Blocking flush and straight draws makes a lot more sense because your killing their outs. We all use that in general terms. Somebody is drawing their gutshot and you have on of their four outs... that certainly makes sense. That's just straight-up blocking.

[@lee_dubs3206]

how did we get from 60 to 55 if TT blocks only 1?

[@gam3rjae330]

There are 6 combinations of TT. If we see two T's, it leaves only one combination of TT left. Meaning we block 5 out of 6 combinations of TT.

[@jahjoeka]

Does this actually help you win games?

[@24Cristiandiaz]

It helps you make better desicions at the table. You can´t control results, focus on making the right play...

[@splitsuit]

@@24Cristiandiaz Well said!

[@compteofficiel4112]

i think blockers are much more useful postflop after ranges become more defined from betting actions. preflop all you can do is guess...people do bluff, people do open 22, 33, 1- and 2- gapped SCCs, ace-rags, suited kings, offsuit broadways, etc...there are so many variables. but after some money goes in most reasonable players' ranges become way more defined. like he said: "you can argue about these ranges".... i honestly don't see people play as predictably as most video authors use when they input this kind of data... it is all guesswork. Antonius said in an interview that he never studied or read anything. Brunson said that too. Experience is way more important than this kind of thing, but if you have the time and energy for it you could spend 5+ years easily trying to absorb all the material out there... I honestly think that those 5 years would be better spent playing live, full-ring cash (i.e. real poker)... just my opinion of course. good luck in your games.

[@therapeutech]

This is more like "how to count combos," not at all demonstrating the power of blockers.

[@loose4bet]

The power of blockers is the reduction of the number of strong combos

[@hx1234]

still confusing. why is there 6 when theres only 4 aces? If I have AA, then theres only 1 combo left to make AA.

[@steveningram9557]

11 out of 10 times I have AK someone has AA. :(...

[@abbeybon]

🙏😻✌️

[@bennybui7252]

Huh? Lol