squeeze play??

windamon

hello fellow pkr players. can someone explain to me (in detail) the squeeze play in holdem,and what the advantages are and why is it called "squeeze play".

grantorino

squeeze play is when you 3bet bluff facing a raise and a caller behind.

Called a squeeze play cos original raiser is caught in middle

Advantages are there is more money in pot for you to steal and caller rarely has a hand. Original raiser also often has to go 3way usually with bad relative position if he calls

DOHHHHHHH

Is it only a squeeze play if you're bluffing then?

I always thought it was a squeeze regardless of our hand?

Your definition makes more sense I suppose. 

grantorino

In Response to Re: squeeze play??:

Is it only a squeeze play if you're bluffing then? I always thought it was a squeeze regardless of our hand? Your definition makes more sense I suppose. 
Posted by DOHHHHHHH

I thought so, but everyone on this forum  talks about squeezing with AQ so idk

percival09

I've always considered a squeeze play to be a bluff - but I see it more and more where tv analysts use it in any scenario where there's been a raise and a call

rancid

squeeze is a bluff

your squeezing them out of the pot as GT states, the orignal opener hates life and the caller has hardly ever got a hand - obviously unless your playing some tight passive who calls with QQ

Mohican

3betting a raise and a call with a premium hand isn't difficult is it and is the correct play.
3betting a raise and a call with 7 2 off is difficult and isn't the correct play.
That's the difference for me and why a squeeze is a bluff with hands you'd normally fold.

simonnatur

I'ld assume it applies equally in a spot where fish in early position limps and button raises to isolate (we assume without much of a hand ) and we 3 bet from blinds.

dub1

A squeeze is a squeeze regardless of your holdings

BorinLoner

A squeeze play is always a bluff. Simply put, a squeeze is when we 3-bet over the top of a raiser and one or more callers. We only do this as a bluff because it's designed to draw folds from our opponents and therefore it's a play that can be made with any two cards. The original raiser has the difficulty of being sandwiched between a 3-better and the player that called the original raise. This is the "squeeze". The caller will usually not be able to call our 3-bet as their initial call likely indicates that they are not holding a premium hand. The effect is that both players will find it more difficult to continue in the hand. So the play is designed to result in folds from both players.

Usually a squeeze is a play we would make against an opening raiser that has been opening alot of hands and a caller that has been calling in alot of hands. This means that they both have wide ranges in this hand so we can get folds from them both quite often. Squeezing against tight players is not advisable since they will probably be holding a strong hand. Squeezing against experienced players is also not advisable as they will recognise what you're doing and will call you with a wider range of hands.

Sometimes you hear people talking about squeezing with big hands but this is usually intended to mean that they are representing a squeeze hoping that good players will perceive it as such, or they are using the term in error. If we have a big hand we don't want all of our opponents to fold and a squeeze is designed to put pressure on them to fold. 

The reason that 3-betting a player that has raised after a limp is not a squeeze play is that this raiser does not have a player to act behind them. In a squeeze play, the original raiser has another player yet to act who has shown some strength in the hand by calling their opening raise. This makes it more difficult to continue with marginal holdings.

dub1

Rubbish.....

The term squeeze is refurring to the original raiser which is sandwiched(squeezed) inbetween the caller and 3Bettor .

This is fact, regardless of holdings

BorinLoner

Starting your post with "Rubbish..." doesn't add any weight to your argument.

Yes, you can call it whatever you like. Nobody's going to stop you. However using it in other terms will only confuse the difference between a squeeze and a value bet.

When we squeeze it's always going to put pressure on our opponents. That's because the act itself will draw folds from weak or marginal holdings that have extra difficulty due to the players yet to act behind them. Squeezing and putting pressure on these players, forcing them to fold all but their strongest hands is bad if we're holding AA. That's why we shouldn't view a squeeze play as a value bet.

Of course, that doesn't mean we shouldn't 3-bet in these spots with monsters. It simply means that we need to tailor our bet to gain value from one player while getting a fold from the other, rather than getting folds from both.

dub1

So if someone raises and someone calls and I have AA and 3Bet, What shall i call it then?

..........................let me think.............................oh squeeze....lol.


Jokes aside, every thing you said is true, your just missing the point.

The squeeze is meant to put pressure on the original raiser, but if hes got 1010 say and I squeeze my AA he might think...Hmm crazy squeesing mofo, im allin, only to get snaped by my AA.

So back to the point......A SQUEEZE IS A SQUEEZE REGARDLESS

BorinLoner

As you say, in those circumstances he perceives we're making a squeeze with a hand worse than TT. In other words; we're representing a squeeze when doing this with AA. You yourself define it as a play that you make as a bluff.

dub1

No he preceives us as making a light 3Bet, the fact still remains that we squeezed!!!

BorinLoner

You can definitely call that a squeeze if you want to. However, since I and many others would refute your definition, it certainly isn't a fact, merely an opinion.

For future reference; when I, as well as many others, make reference to squeeze plays on the forum, it should be understood that I am defining them as bluffs.

dub1

example.

I open UTG, 
villian1 flats UTG1,
Villian2 3Bets on the BTN,
I fold,
Villian1 Folds.

Is this a squeeze? we do not know villian2s hand, it could be AA or 27o.

BorinLoner

Well that's exactly the point. Only the 3-better knows if he's squeezing or not. If he has 72 then he's squeezing and if he has AA he's value-betting. If we're facing this 3-bet and know that our opponent is capable of the squeeze then we can call or raise with, let's say, TT. If he's a rock and is only ever playing value hands then we can fold.

A squeeze is defined by what we hope to achieve. 3-betting puts pressure on our opponents but we tailor our bet size to accomplish our goal. If we have 72 we're 3-betting to make our opponents fold and this would be a squeeze. If we have AA and we want to isolate one opponent then our 3-bet is a value bet. We vary the size of our bet to encourage one or the other, though it's important that we aren't transparent about doing this.

Whether our opponents perceive our 3-bet as a squeeze or as a value bet is down to meta-game issues - What have they seen us doing, what have we seen them doing, how clever do they perceive us to be, how clever do we perceive them to be, etc...

windamon

In Response to Re: squeeze play??:

You can definitely call that a squeeze if you want to. However, since I and many others would refute your definition, it certainly isn't a fact, merely an opinion. For future reference; when I, as well as many others, make reference to squeeze plays on the forum, it should be understood that I am defining them as bluffs.
Posted by BorinLoner

flippin eck!! iv sterted sumat here aint i. thanks for your input.  regards phil.

JackoG9

Didn't Dan Harrington first use the term 'squeeze play' in his first 'Harrington on Hold'em' book? He described his squeeze play at the WSOP ME final table (2003 from memory), which was a bluff, with something like 62 off. 

He said it was the ideal opportunity to pull of a bluff as he had a tight image and his two opponents were quite loose.

I'm not 100% sure this is where the term came from but, regardless, I think the vast majority of players view the term squeeze play to mean a bluff.