Chapter 3: Excessive Bravery - Acting When You Shouldn't

In the previous chapter, we discussed the cost of being "too timid". Today, let's switch gears and talk about the other extreme – Excessive Bravery . It's like driving: flooring the gas pedal is exciting, but one wrong move can lead to disaster. At the poker table, excessive bravery usually manifests as: Betting or Raising when you should check , and even more severely, Raising or Shoving when you should fold .

This mistake often stems from:

• Overly optimistic reads: Overestimating your own hand strength and underestimating your opponent's.
• Inability to accept defeat: Unwilling to give up the pot, trying to 'scare' opponents away with aggressive betting.
• Going on Tilt: Making reckless plays due to previous bad beats or frustration.
• Incorrect value assessment: Treating a good hand like the nuts, only to run into a stronger hand.
• 'Hero' complex: Always trying to make a big splash with spectacular bluffs or counter-attacks.

A 'Classic' Case of Excessive Bravery: Isildur1's Astonishing Shove

Speaking of the disastrous consequences of excessive bravery, many veteran players might recall the legendary figure from the high-stakes online tables, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom. Blom was known for his extremely aggressive style, fearing no opponent, but this very style occasionally cost him dearly.

While specific hand details from online high-stakes games can sometimes be hard to verify, one hand he played against Ian Munns in the EPT London High Roller event is often cited as a cautionary tale of 'excessive bravery':

• Background: Blinds were not low, and stacks had some depth.
• Pre-flop: Blom raised, Munns called.
• Flop: 5♦ 6♦ 7♠ (A very wet board, full of straight and flush draws). Munns checked, Blom continuation bet, Munns called.
• Turn: K♠ (A seemingly irrelevant card, but could complete some backdoor draws). Munns checked again, Blom bet again (heavily), Munns thought and called.
• River: 2♣ (A complete blank).
• Action: Munns checked for the third time. The pot was already quite large. At this point, Blom, after considerable thought, shoved All-in! His stack size far exceeded the pot.

Munns went into the tank. We'll discuss his hand later. The key point is Blom's all-in shove.

Analyzing Blom's 'Bravery': What Went Wrong?

From an observer's perspective (and later hand analysis), Blom's river shove was highly problematic:

1. What is he repping? On a board like 5♦6♦7♠-K♠-2♣, what value hands could justify such a massive overbet shove? Completed straights (like 89, 48)? Sets? Two pairs? Considering the flop and turn action, it seemed unlikely Blom's range contained enough strong value combinations to support such a shove.
2. What folds? Munns had called bets on both the flop and turn, indicating at least some hand strength. On the river, facing a huge overbet shove, would Munns fold hands worse than Blom's value range but better than his bluffs? Ace-high? Unlikely to have called to the river. Top pair (like Kx)? Middle pair (like 7x)? These might fold to an overbet shove, but what bluffs does Blom have that beat these hands? For the bluff to succeed, Blom needed Munns to fold hands that were actually better than Blom's bluffing hand itself.
3. What calls? The hands that could call this massive shove were almost exclusively hands that beat most of Blom's likely bluffs: straights, sets, strong two pairs. In other words, Blom's shove looked like a bet that would only get called by better hands and struggle to make worse hands fold. This exemplifies potential mistakes like overplaying your hand or bluffing in spots where you represent very few value hands and get called by a large portion of your opponent's range that beats you.

The Result?

After a long tank, Ian Munns eventually called with two pair (K♦ 7♦)! Blom revealed Q♠ T♥, a complete air ball that hadn't even completed a draw. Blom tried to scare his opponent off with extreme bravery, but Munns' hand was strong enough to call, costing Blom a huge amount of chips.

How to Avoid the 'Excessive Bravery' Trap?

1. Calmly assess range vs. range: Before making a big move, think carefully: What value hands in my range can I play this way? What hands are in my opponent's calling/checking range? What worse hands will my action make fold? What better hands will call me?
2. Understand bet sizing and purpose: Not every bet needs to aim to bust the opponent. Sometimes, a small bet or a check achieves the goal (whether for value or as a bluff) better than a scary All-in. Overbetting is an advanced technique requiring precise reasoning and timing.
3. Learn to fold: Recognize that not every pot is worth fighting for. When your hand strength isn't sufficient, or the success rate of a bluff is clearly low, bravely folding and preserving chips is far wiser than going broke.
4. Manage emotions: Avoid making decisions while on tilt. If you feel your emotions are off, take a deep breath, step away from the table, and take a break.

Excessive bravery is often just recklessness. True strength lies in understanding the situation and acting appropriately. In the next chapter, we will explore a 'giant pitfall' that countless players (myself included) fall into and struggle to escape – the stubborn call. We'll see why we so often hit the Call button when we really shouldn't.