The Isolation Play

First of all, let's talk about what isolation means when it comes to poker. Quite simply, isolation is a poker move that you make in order to get the situation heads up. You usually want to do this with good position, and before the flop. What this does is gives you the best chance to win a pot off of a weak or extremely aggressive player.

Now, let's talk about an example. Say you have 99 on the button, and a middle position player who is an aggressive player makes a raise. In this situation, if that player was the only one to enter the pot, you should re-raise in order to knock out the blinds and get the hand heads up. This gives your pair the best chance of holding, and you will also have position on every round of betting.

By making this play, not only do you have the best position, but you also have your opponent intimidated. By you re-raising here, you have given the impression that your hand is much stronger than just a pair of nines. So, if the flop comes down AQJ, and your opponent checks to you, you can bet out with confidence.

The reason is, even if he has a hand like Q9 or A4, he still will probably fold because of the strength you showed preflop. Plus, if he has a pocket pair like 1010, how could he call a bet on that flop? By making the re-raise, you've put yourself in the driver's seat for the hand.

One thing to remember is who you should be isolating. If a player in early position makes a raise, and you have 99 again, you shouldn't isolate in that situation. The reason being that if the player entered from early position, then they likely have a strong hand, and probably a bigger pair. Also, if a very tight player makes a raise from middle or early position, once again you should not isolate because it's likely that they have a stronger hand. The opposite is also true: If a maniac in early position makes a raise, you should isolate just because of how crazy they play.

Now that you know more about isolation, get out there and hit the tables. Good luck!