Now that your CSI has fallen below 12, you need to become even more aggressive. However, you’re in a sort of a strange “in between” state that causes a few odd
things to happen.
First, suited connectors and pocket pairs generally should not be just called in this stage. You can no longer limp with these speculative hands anymore and calling a raise with them is even worse. You should raise or fold, with few exceptions.
Another strange thing about having a CSI in this range is that it’s no longer as attractive to be the “first-in” raiser.
With deeper stacks or with shorter stacks, it’s usually to your advantage to be the first one to raise pre-flop. With deep stacks, raising allows you to assume the role of the aggressor and take control of the hand. With a shorter stack, you can simply raise all-in and put your opponents to difficult decisions.
However, with this “in between” stack size, you have too many chips to go all-in when no one has entered the pot. If you make a smaller raise as the first one in, a re-raise by one of your opponents will essentially put you all-in.
Now it’s you who’s facing the difficult decision. There’s a saying in bridge (the card game) that goes, “Make your opponents take the last guess.” The same can be said in this situation for poker. By being the first raiser, you give your opponents the opportunity to put you to the last guess.
Even though it’s a slight disadvantage, if you’re first to enter the pot, don’t be afraid to come in for a raise. Taking down the blinds is essential. However, pay attention to your raise size. Make your standard-size raise whenever possible, but if that amount would be a third of your stack or more, go all-in instead. If you were to raise larger than a third of your stack, but not all-in, you’ll often feel pot-committed if re-raised. Don’t make the mistake of raising a smaller amount than your standard raise because you intend to fold to a re-raise; your opponents may pick up on this. Make the same-sized raise with your good hands and weaker hands alike, so that your opponents can’t determine the strength of your hand by the size of your raise. If you can make your standard-sized raise for less than a third of your chips, do it. Otherwise, you should be going all-in.
As a result, you may find yourself playing more like the Move-in stage if your CSI is around 8, especially in late position. Let the style of your opponents determine how you should proceed with the hand. If your opponents frequently re-raise from the blinds, it may be best to push all-in right away when your CSI is below 8.
Even though it’s not as attractive for you to be the first to enter a pot, it’s now more attractive when you’re on the other side of a raising war. Your opponent raises as the first one in the pot and now you can re-raise him all-in. Now he must make the last guess. Every time you put your opponents to a decision, there’s a chance they will make the wrong choice. Every time they make the wrong choice, you make money. Consistently having fold equity on your side is critical for tournament success. We’ve mentioned this previously, but it’s worth repeating:
When you bet, raise, or re-raise, there are two ways you can win the pot—your opponent folds or you win when all the cards are out. When you call, there’s only one way to win. That’s why I sometimes call the Aggressive stage of 7 to 12 CSI the “Re-steal Stage.”
Coming over the top of a raiser needs to be done judiciously. Adapting to your opponents’ playing styles is very important. The right hands to re-raise someone all-in obviously depend on how frequently they’re raising to begin with. If your foe is aggressive and constantly stealing the blinds, he’s less likely to have a hand that can call a re-raise. If he’s very tight, then you need to have a premium hand yourself to go up against him.
Unfortunately, most players fall somewhere in between these two extremes and judgment becomes the determining factor. Close observation and focus when you’re not in a hand can help you identify these targets. The more likely your opponent is to fold, the more often you can try coming over the top.
The following two tables show a couple of example
The following two tables show a couple of example ranges that an opening raiser might have. If he comes in for an opening raise of 3BB, then you can profitably come over the top of him with the following hands, no matter how he responds. For example, if you think your opponent originally raised with 77+, AQ+, AJs and your CSI is 11, then you can unexploitably re-steal with JJ+, AK, AQs4.