6 Card Poker

Laddering up is when a player at a final table or in the money in a Texas Holdem tournament folds a hand or plays very conservatively hoping that a fellow player busts out allowing them to finish higher in the tournament and earn more prize money as a result. Although not a prerequisite for laddering up this normally involves playing less than your normal amount of hands and playing them less aggressively than would be advised should money not be a consideration. Many players say this is not good poker strategy and that you should play to win, but is this always the case?

Deciding whether you should try to ladder up depends entirely on your bankroll and how often you find yourself in a situation where you are about to win a handsome amount of money to you. It can be very difficult to play normal poker when you know if you just sit back and wait you could earn more money. This could be any amount of money that means something to you it does not have to be hundreds or thousands of dollars.

A good example of the dilemma was when Craig Marquis had 99 in the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event with 9 players remaining. Kelly Kim was short stacked and was going to be forced to go all-in within one or two rounds of poker. Craig decided the right move was to push his stack of around 9 big blinds with a middle sized pocket pair and was called by AJ and eliminated. If he had waited until Kelly Kim had busted, he would have laddered up and earned an extra $400,000 or so. Marquis deserves nothing but praise for his play to win attitude but there will be those that question whether on this one occasion discretion was the better part of valour.

Think about what you would have done facing the same situation. How bad would a bad beat feel at this point if you are knocked out facing 88 or lower and they hit their set? In a spot like this you need to be consciously aware of your preferred strategy for dealing with a potential big win. Do not place in the chat box or proclaim to the table at a live tournament that you are prepared to make big folds or a deal as this makes you look like you are thinking only of the money and this can be exploited by aggressive opponents who realise you are only interested in moving up the ladder rather than trying to outplay them. Phil Ivey has a distinct advantage at the upcoming World Series final table as the money is not a major motivation for him unlike nearly every other member of the November nine.

I think that Laddering up should only be a consideration at the final table. Before that point the equity you earn from the tournament is not enough to keep sneaking into the money then not playing to win. You will bust your bankroll playing tournaments in this way, many players have tried and unfortunately it is not a strategy that works.

You must strike the balance between not making rash plays to take advantage of players playing with “scared money” and avoiding going into your shell and passing on opportunities which could see you make the final three and earn that big payout. In a spot where you can make a real difference to either your bankroll, your life or both depending on your own personal circumstances laddering up can be the right thing to do, just try and play good strategy wherever possible. I would never criticise a player who by laddering up one more spot would mean they are debt free rather than facing years paying off a debt if they make a marginal shove. Try and spot other players in a similar situation who may be trying to ladder up as they are more inclined to fold to a raise in tight spots.

Simon was ecstatic when he was dealt with pocket Qs. Flop was a rainbow 2-4-9. Bob bet the minimum $2 and his opponent raised $20 while another player checked. The opponent then went all in and the other player called it. Simon thinking he has the upper hand also called.

The one who went all in has pocket Js. The other player had an A-K. Simon indeed had the strongest hand. The river was a J. That’s how pocket Js beat pocket Qs.