Poker Play: Advice: Stealing and Defending Blinds

lasv3gas

During Poker Play I've noticed that the bot "Expert Advice" completely ignores situations where I would consider stealing blinds from the Button/CO/HJ and also ignores defending blinds from the same stealing positions.

Is it just me?

LasV3gas

AllenBlay

Hi,
The bots definitely consider those things. They do steal blinds and they do defend. It is possible that they do it on different hands than you because there is definite randomization in that. I think if you play enough hands you'll see that they play pretty well from the blinds and in stealing. I haven't noticed any systematic problems with this in our analysis of their play.

Allen

lasv3gas

Allen,

I definitely see the bots stealing and defending blinds. I'm talking about the little "ADVICE" button from the experts. I don't see them telling me I should steal or defend.

LasV3gas

AllenBlay

Ah....that make sense. The advice is supposed to be the move that they would make in that situation, but with randomization, I'm not sure how that works. It's possible the advice is just giving a "cards-based" recommendation in some of those situations. I'll have to take a closer look at that. I've never noticed any issues with it, but I'll admit that I haven't paid a ton of attention to the advice lately because I typically only look at that if someone mentions a potential problem.

lasv3gas

I think its giving cards based recommendations based on probability of winning with given hole cards, then cards that fall on FTR. I haven't seen any recommendations when on the button and the calls fold to you. Then stealing is an option, but the ADVICE seems to still just look at the hole cards and look at FTR probability. Same as true when in the BB or SB.

SteveBlay

Hi Lasv3gas,

The Advice definitely does adjust to steal/defend situations. I think one thing that will help make it clear is to press the Advice button when it is folded to you on the button, and then press the BRAIN button that comes up to see the hand types that your advisor would steal/defend with in that situation. In a 9-max game, when folded to them on the button, most of the good advisors are going to recommend stealing with about 40% of all their hands.

To check that they were defending properly, I just played a session and the Cutoff opened with a raise. I was in the Big Blind with JTs. I clicked the BRAIN button and my advisor recommended I 3-bet with JTs, T9s, and 98s. That sounds about right to me. Of course, those would not normally be 3-betting hands, but the advisor correctly picked up on the fact that the cutoff was probably opening a wide range of hands.

Thanks for the post!

Steve

lasv3gas

Thanks Steve, I completely missed the Brain button. I'll give it a try.