Aggressive opponents and escalating blinds combine to create a paralyzing force during a major poker tournament, especially given the increased odds with a Big Blind Ante in play.

You will face raises with a high frequency throughout the course of a tournament and fortifying your defense strategy must be a big part of preparation. Focusing on the specific ranges that perform best in these spots and the typical postflop situations that result from Defense scenarios is essential to growing and protecting your chip stack.

Over the next 2 months Team LearnWPT is hosting Poker Study Sessions for Members to get their game ready to dominate the 2023 WPT® World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.

For each poker Study Session we'll provide Members with a curriculum that focuses on specific concepts and habits essential for tournament success and our 3rd Study Session is focused on Defense Strategy!

➊ First, watch the selected Episodes, download the charts, play the WPT GTO Trainer pack, and write down any questions you have.
➋ Then join Team LearnWPT LIVE on Thursday, October 19th at 6PM ET / 3PM PT to discuss the study session topics and to get answers to your questions.

Let's Get Started...

Study Session 3: Defense Strategy

Poker tournaments with excellent structures like the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas are full of aggressive opponents who attack blinds and pressure opponents to build their stacks. If you aren’t prepared for this level of aggression or lack confidence when facing a raise from the Blinds or on the Button, the likely result is indecision and bleeding chips.

In this Session we'll be talking about the specific strategies you can use when facing aggression in common Defense situations at the poker table. We'll also dive into the factors that you need to consider when deciding to defend in position vs out of position.

🤔 Send us your questions to [email protected] about defense strategies and we’ll answer them during the Live Study Session.

Save the Date: Live Session October 19th

Join Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Michael "Gags30" Gagliano for a LIVE Study Session on Thursday, October 19th at 6PM ET | 3PM PT

Make sure you watch the selected Strategy Episodes, practice the suggested WPT GTO Trainer pack, and write down any questions you have. Join Rizen & Gags on October 19th to discuss the study session topics and to get answers to your questions.

Send us your questions to [email protected] about defense strategy and we’ll answer them during the Live Study Session.

Thanks to everyone who joined the Live Study Session!

Did you miss it? No worries! Members can rewatch the Study Sessions anytime on the Webinars Dashboard.

🛡️ Defend Your Big Blind

The Big Blind Ante creates an increase in the frequency you should defend against a single open raiser. Increased pot odds preflop allows for Defending with shallower stacks more often, and the specific portions of your range that perform best across each stack size is constructed differently.

Upgrading your Big Blind Defense Strategy to focus on these specific stack size inflection points will reduce the stress around these decisions in real-time.

Watch this Strategy Episode from LearnWPT Instructor Nick Binger for an in-depth look at Big Blind defense in tournaments with stacks ranging from 15BBs to 40BBs.

Tune in as Nick describes the strategy for each stack size based on open-raises from late, middle, and early position using detailed hand range charts* that you can download and use today.

Note: The advanced hand ranges featured in this Strategy Episode are the result of modifying Game Theory Optimal hand ranges to remove the need for randomizing and exclude some hand combinations that are infrequent in common live poker games.

➧ Download the Big Blind Defense Hand Range Charts

Add the Big Blind Defense Strategy hand ranges to your study routine each day to build a mental snapshot of the hands you should call with against each position group across the stack sizes.

Use the Big Blind Defense charts to decide your response when facing a raise in the Big Blind against a single opponent and increase your chances of winning more chips in the Blinds.

Quick Tips For Using Hand Range Charts:

Note: The strategies outlined in the charts assume optimal responses from our opponents, and therefore may require some adjustment for player tendencies and raise sizes.

• For example, all-in shoves (hands highlighted in dark red) with wider ranges as shallow stacks may be called at different frequencies with tighter or wider ranges.
• You should raise with all hands highlighted in PINK. Do not call the minimum bet amount - RAISE!
• Your raise sizing should be 3.5x-4x the total raise size - i.e. MP2 opens to 2x - your raise size should be 7BB to 8BBs total.
• When calling (hands highlighted in GREEN), your default should always be to check first to act, even when you flop a huge hand. Defaulting to a check on the flop keeps your entire range balance and avoids betting pattern tells.

You’ll gain confidence vs aggressive opponents and have the tools to battle for tough pots from out of position!

Not a Member? Join for just $5 your first month to watch the full Episodes, download the charts, and attend the LIVE Study Session.

Turn and River Play With Tony Dunst

With more opportunities to Defend your Big Blind, you’ll definitely be in some interesting postflop situations facing a wider range of hands. In many of these spots you’re likely to face a continuation bet so understanding which board textures are favorable and when bluffing may be an option is valuable. Navigating these pots from out of position without the equity advantage translates to more difficult decisions on every street.

To gain a true understanding of how tough these spots can be it’s essential to analyze postflop decisions in Big Blind Defense situations away from the table.

Join LearnWPT Instructor Tony Dunst as he explores 3 hands from recent sessions to break down optimal play on the turn and river when defending from the Big Blind. Watch this Strategy Episode as Tony uses PioSolver to demonstrate how ranges interact in this spot and what factors you should be accounting for.

🛡️ Tips for Defending Your Big Blind Like A Pro:

• Avoid calling with offsuit hands, suited hands and speculative hands are best
• This strategy only applies when you are up against 1 opponent and in the Big Blind
• Make sure you only defend by calling with specific hands. Don’t remove 3-Betting from your game plan!
• Defend with tighter calling range against larger open raise sizes
• Default to checking the flop after you call the raise, no matter what cards you hold

Have a Strategy question? Email them to [email protected] and we’ll answer them during the October 19th Live Study Session.

🔘 Button Up Your Defense

The Button is the most powerful position at the table and it should be a priority to play as many hands as possible when you are in that seat. By entering the hand on the Button, you secure ultimate position postflop and can deploy a wide array of bluffs and creative plays on many board textures.

While position plays a major factor in your ability to win, playing just any 2 cards is not viable and there still needs to be a structured response strategy to maximize value.

In this Strategy Episode Nick Binger analyzes the hand ranges you should be using to Defend your Button in Tournaments. Watch as Nick details key range adjustments for each positional group and gives you shortcuts for adjusting to different player types in real-time.

*Note: The advanced hand range charts featured in the Button Defense Episodes are the result of modifying Game Theory Optimal hand ranges to remove the need for randomizing and exclude some hand combinations that are infrequent in common live poker games.

Download a copy of the Button Defense ranges introduced in this Strategy Episode to defend your Button facing a single open raise.

Not a Member? Join for just $5 your first month to watch the full Episodes, download the charts, and attend the LIVE Study Session.

Time to Test Your Button Defense Skills!

Picture yourself on the Button with a 50BB stack in the $5 Million Guaranteed prize pool WPT® Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. Action folds to the player in the Cutoff who open raises 2.5BBs.

Put your skills to the test with the WPT GTO Trainer and play 5 GTO solved hands from this situation. After playing get your score and a breakdown of the correct moves from Team LearnWPT!

LearnWPT Members can play more hands from this common Button Defense spot with the Button Call Vs Cutoff Open WPT GTO Trainer pack and see firsthand the importance of defending your Button.

Defending Your Small Blind...

Improving your play from the Small Blind can have a dramatic impact on your tournament game and help avoid leaking chips due to critical mistakes. Spend time studying your Defense Strategy from the Small Blind and improve your play from the toughest seat at the table.

Watch this Strategy Episode as Nick introduces a tool for your tournament game-plan, Small Blind Defense. Nick also provides detailed hand ranges and discusses your approach to defending the Small Blind in Tournaments.

Download a copy of the advanced Small Blind Defense ranges introduced in this Strategy Episode to defend your Small Blinds preflop facing a single open raise in tournaments.

Have a Strategy question? Email them to [email protected] and we’ll answer them during the October 19th Live Study Session.

Put Your Small Blind Defense Skills to the Test!

You are in the $40 Million Guaranteed prize pool WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. A Middle Position player open raises to 2.5BBs and action is on you in the Small Blind with a 50BB stack. You call the raise. Now what’s your plan on the flop??

Tip: Members can practice Small Blind Defense strategy with the newly released Small Blind Call Vs MP2 Open WPT GTO Trainer pack!

Regular play on the WPT GTO Trainer will help you adjust your decisions closer and closer to GTO strategy.

Here are some tips when practicing with the WPT GTO Trainer:

• Your goal is to select the action for each individual hand that is as close to 0.00 EV as possible
• EV Loss of 0.00 is the same action a GTO Player would take
• 0.00 EV Loss means you broke even against a GTO Player
• EV Loss Color Coding Hint:
  • Green = Near GTO Play
  • Orange = Take Caution
  • Red = Probable Leak in Your Game

Not a Member? Join for just $5 your first month to play more WPT GTO Trainer scenarios like this.

Review Previous Poker Study Sessions Here!

A huge THANK YOU to every Student who’s joined us for the WPT World Championship Study Sessions.

You can rewatch any of the sessions right now by clicking the links below or on the Webinars Dashboard.

☑ Study Session 1: Mental Game and Endurance
☑ Study Session 2: Preflop Strategy
☑ Study Session 3: Defense Strategy
☑ Study Session 4: Postflop Considerations
☑ Study Session 5: ICM, Bubble, and Satellite Strategy
☑ Study Session 6: Exploits and Intuition

We’re in the home stretch now! Make sure to submit any questions or hands on trouble spots to Ask a Pro and we’ll get you ready to conquer Vegas.

Good luck and good playing,
-Team LearnWPT

Improve Your Game With Team LearnWPT

Whether you are brand-new to poker training or you’re an experienced student this is your chance to learn from world-class professional poker players in a friendly community using state of the art tools.

You must be a LearnWPT Member to access and join the WPT® World Championship Study Sessions and becoming a member is easy! Click the red JOIN NOW button to get started.

As a Member you'll immediately gain access to LearnWPT Training and WPT GTO Trainer packs, featuring 500+ Strategy Videos, Downloadable Tools (and more).

You'll also get alerts and links to the Study Session curriculum and Webinar dates.

Have Questions about LearnWPT? Send an email to our Support Team at [email protected] or click the red CONTACT US button.