Squeezing is a play that can influence your winrate regardless of the cards you are holding. Once you understand some concepts and know your opponents' playing tendencies, you can squeeze some money out of the villains with this play.
What is it
The squeeze is a play that can be used as a bluff when a loose player raises before the flop and another loose player calls shortly after. It takes shape when you 3-bet big and push both players out of the pot.
The why
Since loose aggressive players will often open with a wide range of hands, and the second player will also call with a wide range in an attempt to see a cheap flop, it is likely that neither player has a hand that can handle a 3-bet.
When to use
Look for loose aggressive players who raise too often and weak, passive players who call to see cheap flops.
Where to use
Squeezing can be used in tournaments and cash games, but it is only effective in high-stakes games like No Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha. In limit games, there is not enough strength in the raises to make your opponents fold.
Running correctly
The essence of the squeeze lies in the loose image of the player who opened the bet, and in the perception that the player who called has of this image.
Imagine the following situation.
Player A (aggressor): He has a loose image at the table and a very wide open-raise range.
Player B (the payer): You see Player A's loose image and have an open calling range because of it.
You need to identify the right combination of a loose aggressive aggressor and a caller who has a high percentage of folds.
However, this is not all that matters in a squeeze bottle.
Betting big: Your squeeze needs to be strong enough to make your opponents fold bad hands. Your squeeze should be at least five times the initial raise.
The fewer players to talk to after you the better: Ideally, you want to squeeze when there are fewer players left to act behind you. The more players there are, the more likely someone has caught a good hand and wants to get in on the action. It also helps if the players left to act are conservative.
Your credibility and image at the table: How you have been playing and what your opponents know about you will directly affect how they view your squeeze. The tighter you have been playing so far, the better.
The all-in squeeze in tournaments
One of the places you will often see this play is when people squeeze all-in during tournaments.
There are two reasons that make this the easiest and most effective situation to apply the squeeze.
There is no post-flop play: Since you can just get called or not, this saves you the hassle of playing a bloated pot after the flop.
More strength in the bet: If your opponents are worried about their tournament life, they will be much more likely to fold a wider range of hands.
All-in squeezes in tournaments still depend on an aggressor and a caller, but there are other variables to consider.
The size of your stack, your opponent's stack, and the blinds are also variables to consider if you want to make a truly effective squeeze.
Like any squeeze, you need to have enough chips to make your opponents fold. However, in tournaments, your all-in needs to make sense in relation to the blinds as well.
Look for situations where you have around 15 big blinds. Most of the time, having less than that will give your opponents a good opportunity to make a good call.
Article translated and adapted from the original: 10 Essential Texas Hold'em Moves: The Squeze Play
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