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Protection - How do I protect my poker hands?

Unfortunately, as a player at the poker table, you rarely have the nuts, which is the best possible hand taking into account all dealt and known cards. Only those with the nuts can be certain of winning the pot. In most other cases, you have a made hand. However, opponents may still have outs that can improve their hand. In this scenario, there is only one objective: to protect your own hand!

At poker-6.com, you'll discover the true meaning of "protection" in the poker world, along with expert guidance on safeguarding your hands effectively. We shed light on this pivotal concept and unveil foolproof strategies to shield your valuable holdings. Arm yourself with invaluable insights, and master the art of protecting your cards like a seasoned pro. With our comprehensive explanations and practical tips, you'll gain a competitive edge by safeguarding your hand with finesse and precision. Trust poker-6.com to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to ensure the utmost protection for your poker hands.

Definition Protection

The essence of protecting your hand lies in a straightforward principle. You size your bets in a way that prevents opponents from getting the correct odds for their outs. These bets, aimed at safeguarding your hand, are known as protection bets. Another objective is to secure a portion of the pot that you technically do not deserve based on your pot equity. To accomplish this, you must induce your opponent to fold and relinquish their share of equity.

Example 1: Avoiding dangerous overcards

Player 1 holds A-8, and the flop reveals 2-5-8. This means that Player 1 has top pair with a top kicker. So, what is the best course of action now? One option is to check and hope that everyone else does the same. This way, there is a chance that an Ace or an 8 may appear on the turn. However, if you want to avoid dangerous overcards like the King, Queen, Jack, or 10, you must protect your hand and make a bet.

Player 1 should apply pressure to his opponents on this flop. Only hands such as high pairs or a set could withstand the pressure. By betting, hands like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q will also fold, and Player 1 wins the pot. If Player 1 only checks or places a small bet, it makes it easy for opponents to call. If, for example, a king comes on the turn, Player 1 is beaten.

Example 2: Do not slowplay good hands.

On the flop, there are 8-9-6. Player 1 holds A-A. It's easy to fall into the trap of slow-playing this strong starting hand, considering that it's the best hand preflop. However, this allows the opponents to see more cards. With just a 5 or a 7, an opponent could complete their straight. Moreover, since there are two hearts on the flop, there is also a flush threat if the turn brings another heart. If you want to protect your "pocket rockets" properly, you should raise significantly.

Safeguarding in One-on-One Pots

However, there are also some more complex cases. Here's an example of protection in a heads-up pot: We're playing No Limit Hold'em, 6-handed, with blinds at $0.50/$1.00. Player 1 has K-Q and raises to $4. The Big Blind calls with 9-10s. The flop brings Q-9-2. After a check from the Big Blind, the usual approach here would be a value bet just below the size of the pot. The equity distribution on the flop is as follows: Player 1: 75.8% - Big Blind: 24.2%. This means that if it goes to a showdown without any further bets, both players would have a positive expected value (+EV).

However, it is precisely this that Player 1 must prevent through a bet. If he places $7, there will be 15.5 big blinds in the pot for the Big Blind to win, but he would have to pay 7 big blinds. Assuming that Player 1 chooses to check behind on the turn for pot control, giving the Big Blind a free card, the expected value for the Big Blind becomes negative (-EV). As a result, he must either give up the pot or mistakenly continue playing the hand despite the -EV.

Shielding in Multiway Pots

In Multiway Pots, one of the primary objectives is to minimize the number of opponents. Let's consider an example of Protection in Multiway Pots: We're playing No Limit Hold'em once again, with 6 players and blinds set at $0.50/$1.00. Player 1 holds pocket Aces (A-A) and raises to $4. The button calls with King-Queen (K-Q), the small blind calls with pocket Fives (5-5), and the big blind calls with 10-8 suited (10-8s). The flop reveals King-Nine-Eight (K-9-8). Both the small and big blinds check. The equity distribution on the flop (Player 1: 50.7%, BU: 18.9%, SB: 9.2%, BB: 21.2%) indicates that Player 1 is the clear favorite. However, if the hand goes to showdown without further action, Player 1 will only win the pot in half of the cases. But if they manage to make the small and big blinds fold, the expected winnings would be as follows: Player 1: 80% - BU: 20%.

While the BU doesn't benefit much from the folds, Player 1's chances improve immensely. Therefore, Player 1 knows what to do: he bets $15. Assuming the button calls and the small blind folds, the big blind faces the following situation: there are 46 big blinds in the pot, with 15 big blinds to pay. He holds an obviously worthless bottom pair. However, he has 5 outs for two pair and a backdoor straight draw. He has no position and cannot hope for a free card on the turn. His expected winnings also drop into the negative, and he should actually fold his hand.

Protection against implied odds

One of the most challenging aspects in No Limit Hold'em is the concept of implied odds. Holding "Top Pair Good Kicker" and getting drawn out on the turn by an "Open Ended Straight Draw," one might consider folding their hand. But what if they have a set? Who wouldn't feel ahead in this situation and want to call or even raise? Often, in such scenarios, the entire stack finds its way to the middle on the turn. Despite having outs against the straight, the situation carries a significantly negative expected value.

High Implied Odds can cause a negative expected value for a call with an "Open Ended Straight Draw" against "Top Pair Good Kicker," but a positive expected value against a Set.

Example 1: Comparing "Top Pair Good Kicker" with "Open Ended Straight Draw"

We're back to playing No Limit Hold'em, 6-handed, with blinds set at $0.50/$1.00. Player 1 is on the button and holds A-Ks. They decide to make a raise to $4. The big blind decides to call with J-10. The flop reveals K-9-8. After the big blind checks, player 1 raises to $7. Even with the potential for Implied Odds, it no longer makes sense for the big blind to call at this point on the flop.

Example 2: Set versus "Open Ended Straight Draw"

We continue playing No Limit Hold'em, 6-handed, with blinds set at $0.50/$1.00. Player 1 is once again on the button and holds pocket kings (K-K). They raise to $4. The big blind calls with a jack-ten (J-10). The flop reveals a king-nine-eight (K-9-8). Once again, the big blind checks, and player 1 raises to $7. If the big blind hits their draw on the turn, it could lead to an all-in situation. Player 1 has 10 outs to make a full house or quads. Against a set, assuming the opponent's entire stack could be in the pot, having an open-ended straight draw actually has a positive expected value. The only way to protect against a suckout here is by making an overbet on the flop. The problem is that you have a monster hand and want to be paid off by weaker hands. Strictly speaking, in heads-up pots, it is difficult to effectively defend against suckouts with large implied odds.

Example 3: Comparison between a Set and an "Open Ended Straight Draw"/Flushdraw in a Multiway Pot.

However, in multiway scenarios, the dynamics often change. We continue to play No Limit Hold'em, 6-handed, with blinds set at $0.50/$1.00. All players have approximately 100 big blinds before the hand begins. Player 1 is once again situated on the button. This time, they hold a pair of threes (3-3). The player under the gun (UTG) raises to $4. The cutoff (CO), player 1, and the big blind all decide to call. The flop reveals a board of K-Q-3. Following a check from the big blind, UTG raises to $12. The CO calls, and player 1 decides to raise to $45.

In this scenario, it is crucial for Player 1 to adequately protect their hand against a flush draw or an "open-ended straight draw," even if the implied odds amount to their entire stack. If either UTG or CO has the nut flush draw, there are 85.5 big blinds in the pot, and 33 big blinds still need to be paid. Both players still have 51 big blinds remaining. Player 1 decides to make the call on the turn with their set. This decision will result in a negative expected value for the opponents. By opting for a re-raise, Player 1 has caused the pot size to increase significantly, thereby significantly reducing the implied odds. In this situation, Player 1 should never just make a simple call out of fear of scaring away weaker hands.