Squeeze Play
Posted: 2008-08-26 16:18:49
Squeeze play
Poker is always changing and evolving, especially online. One of the plays I see happening with more and more frequency is the squeeze play. A typical squeeze play is when there is a raise and a flat call in front of you and you put in a big raise that is unlikely to be called by either player. Timed right this play can increase your chip stack in a tournament. Ideally a squeeze situation involves a fairly loose player making the original raise.
Some things to be aware of
Your opponents You need to have a good idea of how the 2 opponents involved in the hand with you play. You obviously don't want to squeeze if the original raiser is an ultra tight player. Also you need to know if the caller is a player that often just calls raises with a wide range of hands. You also need to know if your opponents are capable of laying down hands.
Stack sizes You must have a stack that is a threat to both players involved. Typically I like to squeeze players with mid stack sizes. I don't like to squeeze the big stacks that might be willing to gamble, or a desperate smaller stack.
Cards The cards you hold are the least concern in the squeeze equation. If the time is right for a squeeze, your cards don't even matter.
An example of a good squeeze situation
You have 32k chips. Blinds are at 500-1000 and a fairly loose player with 23k raises to 2700 from the cutoff. Player B with a stack of 24k calls from the small blind. A good squeeze raise would be in the range of 8-10k. This should be enough to get the players off marginal hands. It also allows you room to fold your hand if you timed it wrong and ran into a hand.
Some of the great online players have this move down to a science. They use it to pick up chips without a showdown. I suggest playing some low buy in tournaments and just looking for places to squeeze the entire tournament for practice.
Good luck at the tables
Debo
