janvier 3, 2023
Poker strategy has a lot of elements that are not obvious from the game’s rules. You can think of basic techniques like bluffing, but for more advanced concepts, you need to find information on the internet or from other people. Those concepts include equity and the independent chip model (ICM) for tournaments. Poker beginners often underestimate how vital math is to poker and how many advanced techniques it’s responsible for. This poker guide will focus on another application of math in poker: Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR). It will cover everything from what it is to how to use it in your games.
Qu’est-ce que le rapport pile-poteau ?
Stack-to-Pot Ratio, also known as SPR, is a mathematical principle that greatly influences your decisions in poker. As the name implies, you can calculate it by dividing the effective stack sizes by the pot size at the flop. Effective stack sizes are whichever stack is smaller in a heads-up pot. For example, you are in a regular game with $100, and your opponent has $150. The blinds are $1/$2, and you just bet $5 pre-flop. All but one of your opponents fold, and that player calls. You are now in a heads-up pot, and the effective stack size is $100 – your $5 bet, or 95. The pot is $3 from the blinds and $5 from you and your opponent. In this scenario, the SPR would be 95/13, or the stack sizes are approximately 7.3 times the pot.
Pourquoi le ratio pile/pot est-il important ?
SPR is invaluable for post-flop decision-making. A low SPR simplifies what you need to think about since there is not much money left to use. With a $20 flop and $40 stack, you’re not thinking about floating or multi-round bets; it’s essentially all in or fold. In contrast, a high SPR means you have to think more carefully since there is still a lot of money left that people can use on the flop, turn, and river. SPR also impacts hand selection, as some hands are much better on low SPRs and vice versa. Knowing SPR will allow you to try and use pot control to achieve the optimal SPR for your hand or fold until you get a nice hand and SPR.
Faible SPR
A low SPR makes decision-making easy. That is any SPR from zero – six, though everything varies based on how your opponents play and other factors. The best hands to play with a low SPR are overpairs (pocket pairs higher than any potential pair from community cards), top pairs, and weak two pairs. They are good because they are much easier to play with low SPRs; thus, they are more profitable. If you had a $60 stack and bet on a $20 flop, you would not worry if someone calls that bet. Because you are already committed to the hand, it’s much easier to call or raise with an all in. You also want to avoid large pots with those hands, as large pots mean there is a high chance you are behind.
Medium SPR
This level contains SPRs from seven – 16. Good hands here include strong two pairs, sets (three-of-a-kinds made with a pocket pair), drawing hands (suited connectors), and made hands like flushes and straights. All of these hands are strong and good enough to justify going all in with this SPR. This SPR level also allows you to play drawing hands like suited and weak pocket pairs because if you hit the flop, there’s still a lot of potential money on later rounds.
Haut SPR
This level is any SPR above 17. Here, you want to play hands that are near-guaranteed wins when you get them. Examples include sets, strong flushes, straights, and big potential draws (AK suited). A high SPR requires the absolute best hand or draw since a lot of money could grow the pot. You never want to get deeply involved in a high SPR pot without a good shot at winning.
Contrôle du pot : Obtenir le SPR souhaité
Lorsque vous comprenez quel SPR vous souhaitez, il existe des moyens d’influencer le jeu et d’obtenir le SPR idéal et la combinaison de mains. Il y a deux façons principales de le faire :
- Size your raises properly pre-flop. You can adjust your raise sizing to get a better SPR if someone calls your raise. For example, you have a $50 effective stack size in a $0.5/$1 game. You hold AKs, the best drawing hand in the game. If you raise $6 and one poker player calls, the SPR would be 44/13.5, or about 3.3. This low SPR does not favor your drawing hand due to the lack of implied odds (odds of you making more money after a call by hitting your draw). Ideally, you would want a larger SPR to increase the payout when you get a straight or flush. You could lower your raise size to $2, which would make the SPR about 8.7. Of course, you should not consider SPR alone, as you could still play AK without the implied odds depending on your opponent, position, etc.
- Plier. Parfois, votre SPR et votre main ne fonctionnent pas bien ensemble. C’est tout à fait normal, et souvent, il est préférable de se coucher sur une main comme une paire de poche faible avant le flop si vous voyez un faible SPR. Le manque de cotes implicites signifie que vous pouvez rarement justifier de suivre des relances avec un faible SPR et une main à tirage.
Comment pratiquer le poker
Nous espérons que cet article vous a appris comment jouer au poker en utilisant SPR. Pour vous entraîner, vous pouvez trouver des cash games de tous les enjeux sur des sites comme GGPoker, la plus grande salle de poker du monde. Outre le fait de trouver les enjeux parfaits, il existe de nombreuses raisons de jouer au poker en ligne plutôt qu’au poker physique, en particulier lorsque vous apprenez. Vous pouvez jouer plus de parties en moins de temps en ligne et jouer de n’importe où. Vous pouvez même accéder à un logiciel de suivi de poker, un outil indispensable pour trouver vos faiblesses et améliorer votre jeu.