Quote:
Originally Posted by checkraisdraw
I have been checking back a lot more hands in hu situations lately which I thought was good because I had seen good players do so in the games I play, but maybe that is a mistake? Or is it a completely different situation hu vs a blind as apposed to heads up in a 3b pot versus an open from the field.
Completely different situation and it's important to understand the differences. In a HU situation vs. a blind, ranges will be much wider than in a 3b pot. This is the most extreme in a blind vs. blind or BTN vs. BB battle when ranges are very wide. In these scenarios there are sufficient hands in the preflop aggressor's range which can profitably check back 100% of the time as a defensive measure. A hand like 66 in a BTN vs. BB battle on a Q97 board is a good example.
Now let's think about another scenario, LJ raise (UTG 6 Max) vs. BB. Here the UTG raise will be much tighter and so therefore we will have a situation that is more like the hand in this thread. It's correct for the LJ to bet all hands, but mix in some check backs with a hand like 66 (50%).
Finally, let's look at an UTG 9max vs. BB. In this scenario on the Q97 board we only check back 66 30% of the time.
So the moral of the story is that as your range tightens you should have less check backs, tailored to the texture of the board and how it fits your range vs. your opponent's. In a wide range spot you'll have enough hands in your range so you can check some back 100% of the time, but in a tight range spot you'll just check back those hands a % of the time, defaulting to bet.