10 Essential Texas Hold’em Moves: The Squeeze Play

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Arved Klöhn Pokerlistings Author
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: January 17, 2025

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Winning at poker isn’t all about the fundamentals.

There are a handful of special power moves that, when mastered, can make the difference between winning a little and winning a lot.

In this 10-part beginner poker strategy series we show you exactly how to use these powerful poker moves to make more money.

Today we look at the squeeze play, a move that can increase your win rate regardless of what cards you’re holding.

By leveraging a few key concepts and using your understanding of your opponents’ playing tendencies, we’ll show you how to squeeze every cent of out of your poker sessions.

How to Make a Poker Squeeze Play

The What: The squeeze play is a bluffing opportunity arising when a loose player raises before the flop and another loose player calls behind him.The “Squeeze” comes in when you put in a big three-bet and blast both of them off the pot.

The Why: Because a loose/aggressive player will often be opening with a wide range of hands, and the second player will be calling with a very wide range to see a cheap flop, neither one has a hand that can stand up to a big three-bet.

The Who: Look for loose/aggressive opening raisers who are opening too often, and weaker, passive players who are calling to see cheap flops.

The Where: Squeeze plays can be used in tournaments and cash games but they’re only effective in big-bet games like No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. In Limit games you can’t raise enough to force your opponents to fold.

Squeeze Plays Done Right

At its core the squeeze play relies on:

  • the opening raiser’s loose table image and
  • the calling player’s awareness of that image

Just picture it like this:

Player A (Raiser): Has a loose table image and a wide open-raising range.

Player B (Caller): Is aware of Player A’s loose image and has a wide calling range because of it.

You have to identify the right combination of loose open-raising and loose flat-calling to get a high percentage of folds.

But that’s not all that goes into a successful squeeze play:

Raise Big – Your squeeze play has to be big enough to force your opponents to fold mediocre hands. Your squeeze raise should be at least five times the initial raise.

Less Players Behind You is Better – Ideally you want to squeeze when you have as few as possible players still to act behind you. The more players to act, the more likely someone’s going to wake up with a hand. It’s also helpful if the players still to act are tight and not likely to call light.

Your Credibility and Table Image – How you’ve been playing and what your opponents know about you will affect how light they’re willing to call off. The tighter you’ve been playing the better.

Example #1: You see a loose-aggressive opponent raise to 2.5 big blinds from early position, and a fairly loose caller flat behind him. You are on the button holding J 10 and decide to three-bet to 12 big blinds. This sizing pressures both opponents by threatening a large portion of their stacks if they continue.

Example #2: A player opens to 3 big blinds in middle position and another player calls. You three-bet from the cutoff to 15 big blinds with 9 8 . This sizing often forces both opponents to fold unless they have a premium hand.

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All-In Squeeze Plays in Tournaments

One of the places you’ll see this move most often is when people squeeze all-in during a tournament. There are two big reasons this is the easiest and most effective place to squeeze.

  • No Post-Flop Play – Since you either get called or you don’t, it takes the guesswork out of playing three-bet pots after the flop.
  • Added Strength – If your opponents are calling for their tournament lives they will fold a wider range of hands.

All-in tournament squeezes still rely on a loose raiser and a loose caller, but there’s another set of variables you have to consider.

The size of your chip stack, your opponents’ stacks and the blinds all have to align to make this kind of squeeze play truly effective.

Just like all squeeze plays you need to have enough chips to force your opponents to fold but in tournaments your all-in has to make sense in relation to the blinds as well.

Look for spots where you have roughly 15 big blinds. In most situations any less than that and you’ll be giving your opponents too good a price on a call.

Related Reading:

The Power of the Squeeze Play Comes from 3 Factors:

  • Lots of aggressive players open-raise with weak hands that can’t stand up to a big three-bet.
  • The players who are just calling are most likely holding marginal hands too since they opted not to raise.
  • When you re-raise, you put the original raiser in a tough spot, out of position with players still to act behind him.

All of this adds up to folds from your opponents and more chips in your stack.

Watch the video below and learn to use the squeeze play in just two and a half minutes:

Modern Squeeze Play

In today’s more balanced poker environment, experienced players understand the importance of mixing in well-timed squeezes to remain unpredictable. The best squeezes are not always about brute force but about reading the game flow. This can mean noticing when the initial raiser has been opening consistently or spotting a second caller who always tries to see flops cheaply. By combining situational awareness with proper sizing, your squeezes stand a greater chance of success.

A key concept is evaluating range vs. range, factoring in your own image, and accurately predicting how opponents will respond. High-level players often weigh the pot odds and chip stacks carefully, noting that a good squeeze does not just punish wide open-raisers but also dismantles the confidence of looser flat-callers who dislike committing large portions of their stack without premium holdings.

Balancing Squeeze Frequencies

Frequent squeezes can quickly become predictable, but applying them too rarely means missing valuable opportunities to accumulate chips. By balancing your squeeze frequency, you create uncertainty for your opponents. You also make them second-guess whether your re-raises are pure bluffs or solid value bets. To maintain balance, try to mix in squeezes with hands that have decent equity if called, such as suited connectors or big Broadway cards, ensuring that you still have playability post-flop.

Adjusting to Different Stack Sizes

In deep-stack scenarios, you have more room to maneuver with post-flop decisions after a squeeze. Opponents must likewise consider that if they call your re-raise, they could face a tricky post-flop situation. In mid-stack and short-stack spots, your all-in squeeze can be especially potent, but only if your stack size puts maximum pressure on your opponents. Being too short might invite calls, while being too deep can tempt loose players to speculate. Therefore, always align your squeeze sizing with the effective stacks at the table.

FAQ

What is a squeeze play?

A squeeze play is a bluffing move that happens when one player raises and at least one other player calls. The squeezer then re-raises (often significantly) to force both the raiser and caller to fold before the flop.

How do I know when to execute a squeeze play?

Look for situations where the original raiser is loose-aggressive and the caller has a wide calling range. It also helps if there are few players left to act behind you and your table image is relatively tight.

Does the squeeze play only work in tournaments?

You can use it effectively in both tournaments and cash games, but it is more effective in big-bet formats like No-Limit Hold’em. In Limit games, the restricted bet sizes rarely offer enough fold equity.

How large should a squeeze bet be in a cash game?

A good rule of thumb is at least five times the initial raise, or more if there are additional callers. The size must be big enough to discourage opponents from calling with marginal hands.

What stack size is ideal for an all-in squeeze in tournaments?

Around 15 big blinds is often a sweet spot. Having fewer chips can give your opponents more incentive to call, while having too many chips may reduce the pressure an all-in bet applies.

Why is balancing my squeeze frequency important?

Squeezing too often can make you predictable, and doing it too rarely means passing up profitable spots. By balancing your squeezes with strong and semi-bluff hands, you keep opponents guessing about the true strength of your holdings.

How do range considerations factor into modern squeeze strategies?

In today’s game, you must consider each opponent’s likely holdings, your own perceived range, and how everyone’s stack sizes interact. This approach ensures that your squeeze is based on solid calculations rather than guesswork, making it more effective against experienced players.

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