Floating is a skill in poker that requires careful execution. You'll need to be even more precise when you are attempting to float while playing in a tournament. Floats have one goal in mind, getting their opponent to fold at a later stage. You shouldn't be floating with the hope of improving your hand. Any casino with a poker room must hire a staff of dealers. Casinos generally pay dealers minimum wage.However, a dealer's primary source of income is not salary, but tips from players. Tip income may be substantial for dealers who can deal hands quickly and efficiently. Apr 18, 2019 PokerStars’ recently-announced promotion to celebrate its 200 billionth online poker hand has revealed a startling statistic: The operator has been steadfastly dealing hands at an unbroken, consistent rate for almost ten years.
The 'float play' is an advanced bluffing technique in Texas Hold em that is extended over two betting rounds.
The principle role of the play is to make your opponent believe you have a stronger hand than theirs via the flop and turn betting rounds, and thus closing down the action and winning the pot on the turn.
What is the float play?
The float play essentially involves calling an opponent’s bet on the flop (floating the flop), and then betting after being checked to on the turn to win the hand before seeing the river card. It is possible to make a successful maneuver like this with any two cards, which typically makes it a good bluffing play.
Why is the float play effective?
The play works well because it is typical for an advanced player to make a continuation bet on the flop, regardless of whether or not they caught a piece of it. Therefore it is not uncommon that our opponents will be making a bet on the flop with air, hoping that you did not catch a piece of it either and that their continued aggression will give them the pot.
The fact that you then call this bet will set alarm bells ringing in their heads, as they may fear that you could well be slowplaying a very strong hand. The majority of players will then shut down on the turn and check, which leaves us open to capitalize on their weakness by making a strong bet to win the pot.
The float play turns out to be a great defense against the continuation bet. However, it should not solely be used to try and pick off bets that you suspect are continuation bets.
How to make a successful float play.
There are two criteria however that have to be met before being able to pull off a good float play.
- You should be acting after your opponent.
- You should be heads-up with your opponent.
It is actually possible to make a float play out of position, but this is far more difficult and it is not often recommended that you try to do so as it can become costly. In position you have the opportunity to spot any weakness on the turn from your opponent after calling their flop bet. If your opponent bets strongly again on the turn, you are able to comfortably fold knowing that they more than likely have the best hand. If they check however, you are in the perfect position to take down the pot.
A second and equally important rule for a good float play is that you should be heads-up against your opponent. If there is more than one player in the pot, it makes it more difficult to pull off such a complex bluff, as it is more likely that at least one of the players has a decent hand.
The float play works best heads-up and in position. In fact, I would rarely (if ever) attempt a float play against more than one player.
The float play relies on us trying to pick off a continuation bet from our opponents, and the addition of another player into the equation adds too many variables to make it successful, and often our attempted display of strength will go unnoticed. Therefore it is best to keep things simple, and stick to being in position against one opponent when attempting a float play.
Float play example.
Lets say we are on the button holding A Q, and a player from middle position makes an $8 bet in a $1/$2 NL Holdem game. The action folds to us and we make the call, both players in the blinds fold. The flop comes 8 J 5, which does not improve our hand. Our opponent now bets $16 into the $19 pot.
Typically we would fold this hand as we have not connected with the flop at all, but instead we decide to make the call as we know our opponent regularly makes continuation bets with air. The turn comes the 3, but this time our opponent checks to us displaying some weakness.
We now bet $40 into the $51 pot, and our opponent folds, suspecting that we have a stronger hand than them.
$1/$2 No Limit Hold'em cash game - 6 Players
SB: $200
BB: $200
UTG: $200
MP: $200
CO: $200
Hero (BTN): $200
Pre Flop: ($3) Hero is BTN with A Q
1 fold, MP raises to $8, 1 fold, Hero calls $8, 2 folds
Flop: ($19) 8 J 5 (2 players)
MP bets $16, Hero calls $16
Turn: ($51) 3 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $40, MP folds
Float play example overview.
In this particular hand, our opponent may well have been making a standard continuation bet with a hand like AK, AQ, KQ, or a middle size pocket pair like 99 or 77. Our opponent was concerned about our call on the flop as it meant that we could be holding a wide range of hands that beat theirs such as AJ, KJ, JJ, 88 and so on.
Therefore our strong ¾ pot size bet on the turn means that it is too expensive for our opponent to play on, and so they give up the pot. It is important that we make a strong ¾ pot size bet, as it confirms to our opponents that we may well have a strong hand and that we are not giving them the correct pot odds to call to try and improve.
A strong bet on the turn is key in making our opponent think twice about playing on with their hand.
The float play can still work even if your opponent bets on the turn after you have called their bet on the flop. Some particularly aggressive players will fire a second barrel on the turn in an attempt to take down the pot with air once more.
Therefore by re-raising what you feel is a second barrel or a particularly weak bet, you can still pull off a successful float play. However, the re-raise on the turn as a float play is a very dangerous and advanced move, which requires a very good understanding of your opponents. Consequently, you should be more inclined towards folding if you do not know your opponents well and they are making another bet on the turn.
Tips on making an effective float play.
Dealing Poker Games
- Have a good read on your opponent.
- Only use the float play when necessary.
It is central to note however that we should have a good read on our opponents to make a float play like this, as it is important to be sure that our opponent is the type of player that makes continuation bets, but will shut down and fold when they come up against any resistance. This means that float plays will work well against your typical tight-aggressive player, rather than calling stations that will call down bets regardless of what they think you might be representing. (See the article on putting players on a hand for hand reading.)
It is also important to remember that float plays should not be used liberally as a regular defense against the continuation bet. It is true that this play will snap off a few continuation bets from time to time, but you will find yourself in sticky situations and getting check-raised on the turn with real hands if you overuse this particular play.
Poker Dealing Schools
The float play is not usually something that you intend to use when you enter a pot before the flop, it is a more of a play that you can consider when faced with certain situations as they arise.
Float play spots make themselves apparent as you play; you should not go actively looking for them.
Float play evaluation.
Floating is an advanced play that usually takes place at the $100NL Holdem games and higher, although it does not mean it does not take place at some of the lower limits. The fact that the bluff extends over two betting rounds and involves a good knowledge of your opponents style of play means that it is quite a sophisticated move, but it is a very satisfying play to use when it works well.
If you can learn to master the float play and understand situations where it can be successful, you will find that you will have a very powerful tool in your poker arsenal. However, as it has been mentioned in some top NL Holdem books, don't become too cocky after pulling off a successful float. Its just another standard play in an everyday game of poker that we can call upon from time to time.
Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.
Can You Afford Not To Use
Poker Tracker 4?
“I wouldn’t play another session of online poker without it”
“I play $25NL, and in under 1 week PT4 had paid for itself”
Comments
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Floating is a skill in poker that requires careful execution.
You’ll need to be even more precise when you are attempting to
float while playing in a tournament. Floats have one goal in
mind, getting their opponent to fold at a later stage. You
shouldn’t be floating with the hope of improving your hand.
Sure, you might get lucky on rare occasions and back into a
big hand, but this isn’t going to be the usual. A float
means that you have put your opponent on a weak hand, but that
you don’t think a raise is the best plan of attack. It’s a
mixture of passive play with restrained aggression that allows a
float to be successful.
Floating isn’t the type of move that just any player should
be making. There’s a high degree of skill which is involved
when attempting a float. There’s also a lot of risk associated
with this move as well. A big problem that a lot of players have
is that they will get sucked into floating. They will plan on
giving up if their opponent bets again on the turn, but they
then decide to make the call anyway. Not only do you need to
have a somewhat solidified game plan in place if you want to
float, but you need to be self-disciplined to stick to it.
How to Float in Tournaments
If you are thinking about floating one of your opponents,
there are a handful of different areas of concern. If you can
effectively check each one off, you may be in prime position for
a float. In this section we are going to analyze the various
dynamics that are the most vital in the success of any attempted
float. Your opponent in the hand, your own table image, and the
board itself are arguably the three most important factors in a
hand when you are thinking about floating. Though there’s
definitely much more that goes into it than this, these are
going to be recurring themes that serve as positive indicators
of whether a float is a good or bad idea.
Your opponent. You need to know how someone tends to play
before you can pick apart their weaknesses. You wouldn’t try to win a
football game by passing if you knew that the opposition had an
exceptionally weak run defense. Likewise, you don’t want to float
a player who is notorious for their tight play. Floats are going
to have a much higher rate of success against aggressive
opponents than they will against any old random person. You need
to be picking off mistakes that others are making, not trying to
artificially create a move out of nowhere.
Your image. Your image at the table will allow you to play
the part of a strong hand. If you have shown a propensity for
calling down light and/or making moves, the chances of someone
backing down to your float are much decreased. So, what you
should take away from this is that there are definitely
situations where a float won’t be practical no matter what. Even
if you have an overly aggressive player firing away and you
really think that they are weak, a float still won’t work if
said player knows that you are likely making a move.
With that said, there are also going to be hands where a float couldn’t be
set up more perfectly. If you have only shown big hands at
showdown and/or have been very tight during your time at the
game, floating will be much easier to do. Your image can be
controlled, but you still need to consider how everyone else
views you. Yes, you may know that you are actually very
loose and aggressive, but if your opponents have only seen
otherwise, there’s no reason not to use this to your advantage.
Turn card. The board itself seems to be one of the most
underrated facets of the float. A lot of players will coordinate
a plan to float the flop and then bet on the turn if their
opponent slows down, but you should consider what cards are good
for a bet. If a card completes a draw, for example, you would be
in a position where your opponent could reasonably conclude that
you have now made your hand. If the turn is a total blank,
however, it will be hard to convince someone that you have
suddenly improved so much that you can now make a bet.
The easiest way to look at the board and how it affects your chance
to float is to analyze whether or not it is intimidating. Define the
range of hands that you had someone on after the flop, and look
to see how they would have been impacted after the turn. This
culmination of information will ultimately tell you both which
cards are good to bet and how much you need to bet. And yes,
sometimes you may be better off just backing down altogether. Is
that fun or exciting? No, but it can save you a lot of money in
the long run.
How Floats Vary in Tournaments vs. Cash Games
There is little arguing that, as a whole, players tend to be
more nervous and apprehensive when they are in a tournament than
when they are in a cash game. This is the type of thing that you
can use to your advantage. Since players are going to be more
nervous about how they manage their chips, they are going to be
prone to slowing down in tournaments. In cash games, a lost pot
means a chance to re-buy, but in tournaments you don’t have
that luxury. Applying pressure is so much more valuable in a
tournament than it is in a cash game.
Tournaments are also good because they’ll make your play
much more defined. If you float the flop and get a call after
you bet the turn, you will almost always know that it’s time to
give up. In tournaments, players who put a significant amount of
their chips in the middle over the course of a hand become less
and less likely to fold as the hand continues. This isn’t the
same as in cash games where a bricked draw is more likely to be
in the hand to the river and can fold to any bet.
Basically, the turn is, and pardon the pun, the turning point in tournament
poker. If a player is still committed at this point, the odds of
them giving up on the river are quite small. Use the turn as
your cut off point for float attempts. There may be some random
hands where you are inclined to fire a third barrel on the
river, but you are definitely going to be in some awfully
dangerous territory.