Learn Texas Holdem

The squeeze play is a tactic that has probably been used for years in no-limit Texas hold'em tournaments but was crystallized by Dan Harrington in his must-read volumes on no-limit Texas hold'em poker strategy "Harrington on Hold'em." You may not decide to use the squeeze play but it is important to understand how it works in case it is used on you!

What is the Squeeze Play?

The squeeze play should not be confused with a poker situation in which an opponent is "getting squeezed." Getting squeezed is a situation that occurs most often in limit poker games where two players who both have the best hand or very strong hands keep betting and raising, and a player caught in between them with merely a very good hand finds himself compelled to call more and more bets. The squeeze play is something else entirely. Here's how it works. Player A makes a sizeable bet. Player B flat calls said bet. Player C, with a marginal hand at best, now makes a large raise. Both Player A and B fold, and Player C collects a nice pot with a mediocre hand.

Why should Player A and B fold? If they have raising and calling hands, they must be strong, right? Harrington's reasoning is as follows. Player A likes his hand, but he wants to protect it, so he raises. Player B has a decent hand and position on Player A, so he figures he will call, take a flop, and see where it takes him. When Player C raises, Player A is in a bind. If he just calls Player C, Player B behind him may have been trap-limping with a monster and re-raise. If this happens, unless Player A has aces or kings, he may feel he has to fold, giving away a sizeable sum. In contrast, he can get away cheaply now and let Players B and C fight it out. Once Player A folds, Player B should think thusly: "Player A must have been very strong since he opened from an early position. Player C's hand is strong enough to raise a strong hand and a call, so he must be very strong as well." With this reasoning, Player B should fold any hand but kings or aces as well.

Does the Squeeze Play Work?

It certainly can, if conditions are right. What are the right conditions? First, your opponents must be savvy enough poker players to follow the above reasoning. If you are facing opponents who simply play their own hand, the squeeze play is not recommended. Secondly, your raise must be enough to threaten the tournament lives of your opponents. The raise doesn't have to be enough to eliminate them if called, but your stack has to at least threaten to cripple them. Finally, you have to have the heart to pull off this move, as one of your opponents very well could hold one of those monster hands, in which case you may be in big trouble.