Try to make opponents think you are just playing a carefree game when you advertise. If you appear to be advertising, your strategy may backfire, and if it looks out of character, you may even seem ridiculous. I see top pros try to advertise by playing squeaky tight and rarely coming down with a weak hand and making sure every one sees it. But that "did you see this?" strategy just looks phony. Few are conned by it.
It is far better to be playful in your demeanor whether you're in a pot or not. You should be willing to gamble frivolously with break-even hands. You should be a joy to lose to, and joyful when you lose. The attitude I strive for is, "I just don't care." Opponents are much more willing to buy that attitude and not think that they are being conned.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Drama Queen
Try to make opponents think you are just playing a carefree game when you advertise. If you appear to be advertising, your strategy may backfire, and if it looks out of character, you may even seem ridiculous. I see top pros try to advertise by playing squeaky tight and rarely coming down with a weak hand and making sure every one sees it. But that "did you see this?" strategy just looks phony. Few are conned by it.
It is far better to be playful in your demeanor whether you're in a pot or not. You should be willing to gamble frivolously with break-even hands. You should be a joy to lose to, and joyful when you lose. The attitude I strive for is, "I just don't care." Opponents are much more willing to buy that attitude and not think that they are being conned.
It is far better to be playful in your demeanor whether you're in a pot or not. You should be willing to gamble frivolously with break-even hands. You should be a joy to lose to, and joyful when you lose. The attitude I strive for is, "I just don't care." Opponents are much more willing to buy that attitude and not think that they are being conned.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Solid with an aggresive touch
Most good players, by the way, are solid.
The opposite of the tight player, as you would imagine from the name, is the loose player. He'll play most of the pots. Often he'll be drunk. You need patience to play him, and you require a good hand to bet because he'll call you with extremely weak hands.
The perfect opponent to face is the Calling Station. He's similar to a loose drunk player, but he rarely bets. Most of the time, he just checks and calls. And if you cant beat a man who always checks to you ... you can't beat anyone.
The opposite of the tight player, as you would imagine from the name, is the loose player. He'll play most of the pots. Often he'll be drunk. You need patience to play him, and you require a good hand to bet because he'll call you with extremely weak hands.
The perfect opponent to face is the Calling Station. He's similar to a loose drunk player, but he rarely bets. Most of the time, he just checks and calls. And if you cant beat a man who always checks to you ... you can't beat anyone.
Machine vs Man
A computer could be programmed to handle the extensive mathematics of a Poker game. But the psychological complexities are another matter. A system figured out by computer can beat Blackjack because there the dealer has no options. He has to stand on 17, he has to hit 16.
A computer could play fair to middling Poker. But no computer could ever stand face to face with a table full of people it had never met before, and make quality, high profit decisions based on psychology.
To do that requires perception and judgement. It requires a human mind.
The way I accumulate knowledge of a particular player is by listening to him, and looking at him, instead of talking.
A computer could play fair to middling Poker. But no computer could ever stand face to face with a table full of people it had never met before, and make quality, high profit decisions based on psychology.
To do that requires perception and judgement. It requires a human mind.
The way I accumulate knowledge of a particular player is by listening to him, and looking at him, instead of talking.
The Fourth Golden Rule of Poker
Know the players at the table; adjust your playing style accordingly
Friday, January 26, 2007
Why Online Poker?
The rake may be lower online
Many of the online poker rooms offer a lower rate per hand than brick and mortar casinos. They
may still collect a higher rake per hour because typically they deal more hands per hour in an
online poker room. This is a benefit to players as they get to keep a bigger portion of the pots thatthey win. The only situation where it may not be a benefit to players is in a situation like heads-up poker where the rake is usually negotiable between the players and the poker room management but would not be online.
There is no tipping online
Tipping is a somewhat controversial topic. In brick and mortar casinos, a major part of the dealers’income comes from tips. However tips do eat up on potential profits from the winning players, and it increases the losses for the losing players. Online poker requires no tipping, you cannot tip even if you wanted to. This means the winning players will make more money and the losing playerscan play longer, or at least play more hands.
Many of the online poker rooms offer a lower rate per hand than brick and mortar casinos. They
may still collect a higher rake per hour because typically they deal more hands per hour in an
online poker room. This is a benefit to players as they get to keep a bigger portion of the pots thatthey win. The only situation where it may not be a benefit to players is in a situation like heads-up poker where the rake is usually negotiable between the players and the poker room management but would not be online.
There is no tipping online
Tipping is a somewhat controversial topic. In brick and mortar casinos, a major part of the dealers’income comes from tips. However tips do eat up on potential profits from the winning players, and it increases the losses for the losing players. Online poker requires no tipping, you cannot tip even if you wanted to. This means the winning players will make more money and the losing playerscan play longer, or at least play more hands.
Know Your Poker Rules
Learn the correct rules of the game so that in an argument you can protect your money. A bad decision against a player can break him for the evening. If you know the rules and poker tactics, no smart aleck will be able to cheat you out of a pot by a bad decision.
don't give yourself away
Keep a poker face: Don't complain when losing or show elation when winning. Emotional displays prohibit clear thinking and the proper evaluation of your hand. Don't indulge in unnecessary conversation. Keeping a poker face means keeping the same disposition at all times. Such restraints are very difficult to acquire overnight, but they are essential requirements of a good poker player. When you achieve them, not only will you play your best game, but your opponents will not be able to figure your hand so easily.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Poker Anti-Fish
JV'S KILLER POKER: ANTIFISH!
BY: John Vorhaus
Poker is filled with nostrums � what the faux literati might call nostra � pieces of advice or, if you will, wisdom, designed to speed the player from ignorance to bliss in pursuit of perfect poker. One such nostrum that you hear from time to time is this: If you look around the table and you can't spot the fish, it's you.
And it's true. Or anyway I've heard that it's true. Never having been that sucker � that fish � I can't say for sure. And I'm sure you've never had that experience either. Clear-eyed, confident Killer Poker player that you are, you're an expert at game selection and never allow yourself to get into a situation where, against all conceivable odds, your enemies are actually better at their craft than you. Okay, once maybe, once it happened to you, but you never let it happen again, right? Right?
Well, whatever.
But behind every problem lies an opportunity, and it is opportunity which we wish to discuss here: the specific opportunity to be the dominant player in the game, the one the others defer to and avoid and fear. To describe this player I now coin the word antifish, and present a corollary nostrum thus: If you look around the table and can't spot the antifish, be it!
Nature, as we know, abhors a vacuum, and a poker game without an antifish is a vacuum waiting to be filled. Consider: You enter a nice, friendly $5-10 or $10-20 hold 'em game where everyone is more or less behaving themselves. They're tight, they're quiet, they're folding bad hands and raising with good ones. No one's getting too frisky or too far out of line. That's a stable game. That game could go on for hours without anyone getting too badly hurt or anyone (save the house) making any serious coin.
But now here comes you the antifish to destabilize the game. You do it with fiendish delight, because you know that the mere act of destabilizing the game, putting other players outside their comfort zones, will do more to make you a winner here than all the great cards you could wait to catch.
And you do it from the very first hand.
Having determined that the game lacks a table leader, a force to be reckoned with, you post your first blind. Most fish, with most hands, are hoping that they won't face a raise here because, face it, how premium is that very first holding likely to be? But the antifish has a whole 'nother agenda. You're more interested in seizing the game by the throat than in winning a particular hand (or saving a handful of chips), so when the action comes around to you, you make that raise, you pop your own blind, no matter what cards you hold. Immediately the table holds you in suspicion. Where did you come from, antifish, and where do you get off making so rash and reckless a move as to raise your own blind when everyone else was content to let you see the flop for free? Contemplate what the other players are feeling right now. Some may be angry, some may be wary; some may be licking their chops over you because they see you as reckless and stupid, and not the bold and smart antifish you really are. They're all morsels for your meal, poor fish, because they've stopped thinking about their own game and started thinking about yours instead. This is what you want; this is control. And it comes at so little cost.
Because what's the worst that can happen when you raise your own blind? The flop could miss you completely. Then you fold, and (mis)identify yourself as someone who plays too fast before the flop and pays for it afterwards. That's an image you can parlay into profit later with authentically muscular hands. But if you hit the flop, especially with the arbitrarily ragged hand you raised with, you can drive and drive and drive and never look like anyone but someone trying to make a hopeless bluff stand up. When you turn over winners � 9-4 offsuit! � you make the rest of the table hate and loathe and fear and deride you, all at the same time. As they struggle to recover, they realize only dimly what you already know to be true: The antifish is here, and the antifish rules!
But if you intend to play this role, gentle reader, make sure you know what you're doing, for there's a fine, fine line between fish and antifish, and it is ignorance which blurs that line. So how can you tell if you're the fish or the antifish? Easy. The fish calls a lot, folds a little, and raises not at all. The antifish raises a lot, folds a lot, and almost never just calls. To be the antifish, the dominant player at the table, you must be the one who is expected to raise. To create that expectation, simply put the heat on and keep it on. If you're in the right game with the right actions, you'll be the Lone Raiser... a consummation devoutly to be wished.
I mean really, wouldn't you like it to be that way? Wouldn't you love to play in a game where, literally, the only one who thinks to raise is you? Can't you just count the advantages that gives you? First, it gives you room to speculate with your hands. Second, it makes your foes nervous and edgy by forcing them to take their dubious holdings forward for twice what they wanted to pay. Third... well, you think of third; I'm not doing your homework for you.
So here's your homework: The next time you go to play poker, be the antifish. Look around for a game that's soft and genial (oh don't tell me you can't find one � I play in these places too, you know) and then set out to beat it senseless. Control is the issue, not profit. Or let me put it another way, in the form of a nostrum if you will: Antifish rules! Seize control of the table, and profit will follow you home.
BY: John Vorhaus
Poker is filled with nostrums � what the faux literati might call nostra � pieces of advice or, if you will, wisdom, designed to speed the player from ignorance to bliss in pursuit of perfect poker. One such nostrum that you hear from time to time is this: If you look around the table and you can't spot the fish, it's you.
And it's true. Or anyway I've heard that it's true. Never having been that sucker � that fish � I can't say for sure. And I'm sure you've never had that experience either. Clear-eyed, confident Killer Poker player that you are, you're an expert at game selection and never allow yourself to get into a situation where, against all conceivable odds, your enemies are actually better at their craft than you. Okay, once maybe, once it happened to you, but you never let it happen again, right? Right?
Well, whatever.
But behind every problem lies an opportunity, and it is opportunity which we wish to discuss here: the specific opportunity to be the dominant player in the game, the one the others defer to and avoid and fear. To describe this player I now coin the word antifish, and present a corollary nostrum thus: If you look around the table and can't spot the antifish, be it!
Nature, as we know, abhors a vacuum, and a poker game without an antifish is a vacuum waiting to be filled. Consider: You enter a nice, friendly $5-10 or $10-20 hold 'em game where everyone is more or less behaving themselves. They're tight, they're quiet, they're folding bad hands and raising with good ones. No one's getting too frisky or too far out of line. That's a stable game. That game could go on for hours without anyone getting too badly hurt or anyone (save the house) making any serious coin.
But now here comes you the antifish to destabilize the game. You do it with fiendish delight, because you know that the mere act of destabilizing the game, putting other players outside their comfort zones, will do more to make you a winner here than all the great cards you could wait to catch.
And you do it from the very first hand.
Having determined that the game lacks a table leader, a force to be reckoned with, you post your first blind. Most fish, with most hands, are hoping that they won't face a raise here because, face it, how premium is that very first holding likely to be? But the antifish has a whole 'nother agenda. You're more interested in seizing the game by the throat than in winning a particular hand (or saving a handful of chips), so when the action comes around to you, you make that raise, you pop your own blind, no matter what cards you hold. Immediately the table holds you in suspicion. Where did you come from, antifish, and where do you get off making so rash and reckless a move as to raise your own blind when everyone else was content to let you see the flop for free? Contemplate what the other players are feeling right now. Some may be angry, some may be wary; some may be licking their chops over you because they see you as reckless and stupid, and not the bold and smart antifish you really are. They're all morsels for your meal, poor fish, because they've stopped thinking about their own game and started thinking about yours instead. This is what you want; this is control. And it comes at so little cost.
Because what's the worst that can happen when you raise your own blind? The flop could miss you completely. Then you fold, and (mis)identify yourself as someone who plays too fast before the flop and pays for it afterwards. That's an image you can parlay into profit later with authentically muscular hands. But if you hit the flop, especially with the arbitrarily ragged hand you raised with, you can drive and drive and drive and never look like anyone but someone trying to make a hopeless bluff stand up. When you turn over winners � 9-4 offsuit! � you make the rest of the table hate and loathe and fear and deride you, all at the same time. As they struggle to recover, they realize only dimly what you already know to be true: The antifish is here, and the antifish rules!
But if you intend to play this role, gentle reader, make sure you know what you're doing, for there's a fine, fine line between fish and antifish, and it is ignorance which blurs that line. So how can you tell if you're the fish or the antifish? Easy. The fish calls a lot, folds a little, and raises not at all. The antifish raises a lot, folds a lot, and almost never just calls. To be the antifish, the dominant player at the table, you must be the one who is expected to raise. To create that expectation, simply put the heat on and keep it on. If you're in the right game with the right actions, you'll be the Lone Raiser... a consummation devoutly to be wished.
I mean really, wouldn't you like it to be that way? Wouldn't you love to play in a game where, literally, the only one who thinks to raise is you? Can't you just count the advantages that gives you? First, it gives you room to speculate with your hands. Second, it makes your foes nervous and edgy by forcing them to take their dubious holdings forward for twice what they wanted to pay. Third... well, you think of third; I'm not doing your homework for you.
So here's your homework: The next time you go to play poker, be the antifish. Look around for a game that's soft and genial (oh don't tell me you can't find one � I play in these places too, you know) and then set out to beat it senseless. Control is the issue, not profit. Or let me put it another way, in the form of a nostrum if you will: Antifish rules! Seize control of the table, and profit will follow you home.
RAISE
JV'S KILLER POKER: "RAISE!"
BY: John Vorhaus
Imagine that you're playing poker. I know this is hard, since you only spend, like, every possible minute doing that exact thing anyhow, and don't deny it because otherwise why are you reading these words? In fact, don't bother denying anything because I'll tell you at the outset, I know what you're thinking. It's true, absolutely. I know what you're thinking at the table. I know what you're thinking away from the table. I know what you're thinking when you're driving down the ol' [insert name of local highway here] to [insert name of local club here] to play a little $2-4, 4-8, 3-6, 6-12 with a kill, 10-20, 20-40 hold 'em Omaha lowball stud. Know how I know? Easy. I can read minds. Once I learned to read mine, yours was a snap.
Don't worry, I'll teach you too. In my munificence I plan to teach you everything I know about Killer Poker. (Don't thank me - I define myself through service.) Eventually you'll have all my secrets: how to read minds, instill dread, play like a maniac and win. Are you impatient? Do you want it all at once, all the wisdom, all the glory, all the art and science of Killer Poker? Okay, here you go. Go big or go home. There. There it is, everything you need to know to turn yourself into a winner.
So see ya.
Oh you're still here? Okay then, let's get one thing straight. If you don't have patience you're just screwing around and I don't have time for you. (That's funny, isn't it? I'm impatient with your impatience. Who cares? I'm consistently inconsistent so get used to it.)
Okay, now imagine that you're playing poker. But imagine that you're also playing a secret game called "Raise!" where the object of the game is to raise as much as possible - the more raises you make the higher your score. To your enemies, your actions would look reckless, a mistake. But according to your hidden rules, you're playing exactly correctly: a winning strategy in a different game. That's the secret, that's the wisdom. To play Killer Poker you play exactly correctly according to your own hidden rules.
Can you grasp this? Think it through. Think of all the drones around you playing book poker. They raise with big cards and fold with small ones, ho-hum. They don't get out of line, they don't want to get out of line and they don't want you to either. They want a nice, safe, congenial, cooperative game of poker. Their tightness and their discipline seem like assets, but you know what? That tightness is a straitjacket and that discipline is too.
Because think about who really wins in these games. I'm not talking about the kind of wins you book, "net plus," a few dribble-drabble dollars to the good. I'm talking about big wins. Who gets? You know who: the bold, the dominant, the sure. People who play by their own rules. Players with a feral determination to slaughter everyone in sight. Sad you, you never had a chance. And you won't until boldness and recklessness, imagination and feral determination are the tools you use and call your own.
You've been weak up till now. That can end. You've been tight up till now. That can end. You've been conservative, fearful, restless, inattentive, tyrannized, exploited, shot, stabbed and killed up till now. But that can end! And it will end if you pay rapt attention to me and do everything exactly as I say. Or let me put it in words of one syllable so you'll be sure to understand: There are two ways to think in this game: My way, and wrong.
Do I sound arrogant? Good! Arrogant is what confident wishes it was. Arrogant is how winners feel. How do you feel about that? (I could, of course, tell you exactly how you feel, for I know exactly how you feel, right down to the approach-avoidance conflict you experience every time you contemplate the tradeoff between being feared and being liked, but some things you should figure out for yourself, so I shall say no more.)
As even you know, there are four basic states of play in poker: Weak, Strong, Tight, Loose. Plus combinations in between: Weak-Tight, Weak-Loose, Strong-Tight, Strong-Loose.
But here's the thing. You can't win weak-tight and you can't win weak-loose. Can't. Can't can't can't. Weak in any form won't get it done. Not big-win done. Not get-a-hernia-carrying-racks-to-the-cage done. So that means this, flat out: If you're weak, you must stop. You must never play weak poker again. You must play strong, all the time, every time. Strong-loose, strong-tight, doesn't matter � so long as you play strong. Like I said, go big or go home.
I know what you're saying. I can hear you whining from here. You don't want to play strong. You're afraid to play strong. You tried playing strong once and it was an absolute disaster. I feel your pain, but just one thing: You weren't playing strong. You only thought you were. You may have been a bit more aggressive than usual, but you were still basically playing kosher poker. You raised with big pairs, threw away junk, etcetera, etcetera, et-interminably-and-uselessly-cetera. You hoped for the cards to fall your way, and based your hope for profit on that. Wouldn't you rather be able to win no matter how the cards fall? The best players can. They do it every day. You can too, but it's going to take transformation. Are you up for that? Are you ready to be born again?
I don't think you are. I don't think you're interested in risk at all. Know how I know? Because I'm not either. I have to drag myself kicking and screaming to the Killer Poker mindset. It does not come naturally to walk into a public place and think, "I am going to become a terrorist now." And yet that's exactly what's required. I know this. I have proof in my wallet.
You can have it too if you want it. Before you say yes, know this: I will piss you off. I will call you names. I will mock the way that you've played up till now. I intend to be rude, as if rudeness were raises and I wanted to put in the most. And if you complain I won't care. I know that you'll only change if I force you so I have to turn up the heat under you. Derision is my heat. Shock is my heat. If you can't stand the heat then maybe this isn't the, you know, kitchen for you.
But you know what? I'm being coy and why should I bother being coy with you? I don't have to build you a comfortable home here. I don't care if you stay. Higher knowledge is here if you want it. What you do next is your call.
I suggest you raise.
BY: John Vorhaus
Imagine that you're playing poker. I know this is hard, since you only spend, like, every possible minute doing that exact thing anyhow, and don't deny it because otherwise why are you reading these words? In fact, don't bother denying anything because I'll tell you at the outset, I know what you're thinking. It's true, absolutely. I know what you're thinking at the table. I know what you're thinking away from the table. I know what you're thinking when you're driving down the ol' [insert name of local highway here] to [insert name of local club here] to play a little $2-4, 4-8, 3-6, 6-12 with a kill, 10-20, 20-40 hold 'em Omaha lowball stud. Know how I know? Easy. I can read minds. Once I learned to read mine, yours was a snap.
Don't worry, I'll teach you too. In my munificence I plan to teach you everything I know about Killer Poker. (Don't thank me - I define myself through service.) Eventually you'll have all my secrets: how to read minds, instill dread, play like a maniac and win. Are you impatient? Do you want it all at once, all the wisdom, all the glory, all the art and science of Killer Poker? Okay, here you go. Go big or go home. There. There it is, everything you need to know to turn yourself into a winner.
So see ya.
Oh you're still here? Okay then, let's get one thing straight. If you don't have patience you're just screwing around and I don't have time for you. (That's funny, isn't it? I'm impatient with your impatience. Who cares? I'm consistently inconsistent so get used to it.)
Okay, now imagine that you're playing poker. But imagine that you're also playing a secret game called "Raise!" where the object of the game is to raise as much as possible - the more raises you make the higher your score. To your enemies, your actions would look reckless, a mistake. But according to your hidden rules, you're playing exactly correctly: a winning strategy in a different game. That's the secret, that's the wisdom. To play Killer Poker you play exactly correctly according to your own hidden rules.
Can you grasp this? Think it through. Think of all the drones around you playing book poker. They raise with big cards and fold with small ones, ho-hum. They don't get out of line, they don't want to get out of line and they don't want you to either. They want a nice, safe, congenial, cooperative game of poker. Their tightness and their discipline seem like assets, but you know what? That tightness is a straitjacket and that discipline is too.
Because think about who really wins in these games. I'm not talking about the kind of wins you book, "net plus," a few dribble-drabble dollars to the good. I'm talking about big wins. Who gets? You know who: the bold, the dominant, the sure. People who play by their own rules. Players with a feral determination to slaughter everyone in sight. Sad you, you never had a chance. And you won't until boldness and recklessness, imagination and feral determination are the tools you use and call your own.
You've been weak up till now. That can end. You've been tight up till now. That can end. You've been conservative, fearful, restless, inattentive, tyrannized, exploited, shot, stabbed and killed up till now. But that can end! And it will end if you pay rapt attention to me and do everything exactly as I say. Or let me put it in words of one syllable so you'll be sure to understand: There are two ways to think in this game: My way, and wrong.
Do I sound arrogant? Good! Arrogant is what confident wishes it was. Arrogant is how winners feel. How do you feel about that? (I could, of course, tell you exactly how you feel, for I know exactly how you feel, right down to the approach-avoidance conflict you experience every time you contemplate the tradeoff between being feared and being liked, but some things you should figure out for yourself, so I shall say no more.)
As even you know, there are four basic states of play in poker: Weak, Strong, Tight, Loose. Plus combinations in between: Weak-Tight, Weak-Loose, Strong-Tight, Strong-Loose.
But here's the thing. You can't win weak-tight and you can't win weak-loose. Can't. Can't can't can't. Weak in any form won't get it done. Not big-win done. Not get-a-hernia-carrying-racks-to-the-cage done. So that means this, flat out: If you're weak, you must stop. You must never play weak poker again. You must play strong, all the time, every time. Strong-loose, strong-tight, doesn't matter � so long as you play strong. Like I said, go big or go home.
I know what you're saying. I can hear you whining from here. You don't want to play strong. You're afraid to play strong. You tried playing strong once and it was an absolute disaster. I feel your pain, but just one thing: You weren't playing strong. You only thought you were. You may have been a bit more aggressive than usual, but you were still basically playing kosher poker. You raised with big pairs, threw away junk, etcetera, etcetera, et-interminably-and-uselessly-cetera. You hoped for the cards to fall your way, and based your hope for profit on that. Wouldn't you rather be able to win no matter how the cards fall? The best players can. They do it every day. You can too, but it's going to take transformation. Are you up for that? Are you ready to be born again?
I don't think you are. I don't think you're interested in risk at all. Know how I know? Because I'm not either. I have to drag myself kicking and screaming to the Killer Poker mindset. It does not come naturally to walk into a public place and think, "I am going to become a terrorist now." And yet that's exactly what's required. I know this. I have proof in my wallet.
You can have it too if you want it. Before you say yes, know this: I will piss you off. I will call you names. I will mock the way that you've played up till now. I intend to be rude, as if rudeness were raises and I wanted to put in the most. And if you complain I won't care. I know that you'll only change if I force you so I have to turn up the heat under you. Derision is my heat. Shock is my heat. If you can't stand the heat then maybe this isn't the, you know, kitchen for you.
But you know what? I'm being coy and why should I bother being coy with you? I don't have to build you a comfortable home here. I don't care if you stay. Higher knowledge is here if you want it. What you do next is your call.
I suggest you raise.
Getting Outplayed
Getting Outplayed In No Limit: Why Thinking Is So Important
BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)
It was 10PM. The game was great. Eight bad Hold Em players and I playing in a baby no limit game. Oh, and one good player as well. Turns out he was on my right.
I say he was good. I really don't know that for a fact. I know that he was aggressive -- aggressive as Hell. Everyone else seemed to be playing a different game. "Call $2, call $2, call $2, fold, raise to $4.00, fold, fold..." That type of game -- with lots of young, timid players. And then this guy. "Raise to $20 with nothing!" "Really. I have nothing. 7-2 off. I'll show you when the hand is over." That kind of guy.
And he often did have nothing -- nothing at all. He WOULD show it down at the end. Maybe not exactly 7-2 off but frequently 10-5 suited or J-6 off or 8-6 off -- his favorite hand (so he said).
He wasn't stupid or wild -- at least not without intent. It was all part of a plan. He wanted to look loose and wild and maybe even crazy. Crazy like a used car salesman. Players tended to stay out of his way. Which let him win a lot of small pots. It's not that he never folded or always raised. But he did it often enough to keep these timid souls completely off balance. And in the process many of them learned that they couldn't win by folding. So they took stands -- or they mimicked his raising. Only they really didn't have a clue. So they called when they should have folded and raised when they should have called. And many of them lost their stacks, winced, and went home.
Man, he had them all turned around. It was fun to watch. Poor suckers.
Not me though. Nah. I'm a pro -- or at least a semipro. And an author. Don't forget that. I'm a poker author of the first rank -- a book, many articles. Hell, I even tutor people and run seminars and charity tournaments. I'm a part of this poker industry that is booming. He wasn't going to touch me. No way.
All of this hyper-aggressive stuff wouldn't work on me. I notice it. I see through it. I know better.
Well, um, kind of.
I'd been rocking around. Not that I was quiet. I stole some small pots myself with some raising. Knocked this guy to my right out of a couple of pots with my aggressive play. He wasn't going to suck out on me. He wasn't going to outplay me. Sure, I folded a lot when he raised. Why go up against him unless I had a real hand. I wasn't going to be duped like the other dopes.
I just wanted a hand. I just wanted a chance to show him who was really boss. I was patient -- and the professional player after all He was just a wildman taking advantage of children. I'd show him. Give me a hand!
I got one. He raised the $2 big blind to $10. I don't even know if he looked (sometimes he didn't). Two guys folded. My turn. I looked down and saw A-K spades. Beautiful. I had a hand. I raised to $30. Everyone folded as I figured they would. Everyone but this guy. He looked at me, smiled and said something probing like "What you got Mr. Author?". And then he called.
Good. He called. I wanted him to call. And then I wanted to hit. And I wanted him to bet. And I wanted to take all of his money.
The flop hit me very well. K-J-4. Two suited. I didn't recheck my down cards. I knew that the suit wasn't mine. But the King was. Goodie for me.
He smirked and bet $25, after playing with his chips a bit. I raised to $75. He said, "$75 huh? $75 from the Author? Hmm." Then there was a rather long pause -- maybe 10 seconds or so. "All-in" he said -- shoving in his chip rack with about $240 in chips on it.
I had about $80 left and, without any hesitation, called. What could he have, after all? I figured maybe a pair and a flush draw. Trying to knock me off my hand -- off my great top pair top kicker. Hah! I'd show him!
We exposed our hands, I before he. "Ace King" I said solemnly. He didn't announce his hand -- letting them speak for themselves. He had King Jack for top two pair.
Turn blank. River blank. He won the hand. Thank goodness it was BABY no limit.
I reminded myself how badly the other players played. And I told myself to forget about it and shake it off. Being the pro I did shake it off-- and went on to win for the night. But not from him. Nope. He left when he was up about $300.
Lesson from this experience? I'm not sure I would have played the hand any differently no matter who had done the raising or how long I had thought about it. I mean, it was $80 more and I did have top pair and top kicker. And he surely could have been bluffing -- trying to knock me off the hand with garbage. But one thing is for sure. I did get outplayed. I was over eager. I didn't think about what he might have had for a moment -- just shoving in my chips without hesitation. HAD I thought about it I may have concluded that the odds that he had me beaten were too small to warrant a fold for $80 into a pot that was nearly three times that. But the key is that I DIDN'T think. I was affected by his act and his shtick. In other words, even though I would probably have called regardless of what he was doing to me -- he WAS doing something to me. I wasn't immune. I wasn't nestled in some superior players' zone that kept me safe from the affect of deliberate attempt to get me off my game. I wasn't thoughtful. I didn't pause to consider what he might have. I didn't hesitate one bit -- calling instantly with my hand.
You see, the lesson I learned is that goading works -- even on good players. The power of the goad -- of daring someone to take you on -- is very effective in no limit. All it takes is one successful stab to take someone's entire stack. It's worth the effort to set up the play -- unlike in limit poker. I don't think I was the intended object of his act all night long -- but maybe I was.
Any time you are reacting to someone without thinking you are making a mistake. Any time someone is getting you to push your chips in without real thought you are making a mistake. That was me. Replay the action or go back and reread it and you'll see that I was a puppet when I pushed in all my chips. Sure, in retrospect it may well have been the right play -- calling as I did. But I sure didn't know it when I did it. I did it unsoundly -- prompted by the play of my opponent as opposed to the thoughtful conclusion of decision making process.
In pot limit or no limit you will often be tested with bets the size of your entire stack. If you aren't thinking "does he have me beaten" before you call then you are getting outplayed. I wasn't. So I was. Some pro I am!
BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)
It was 10PM. The game was great. Eight bad Hold Em players and I playing in a baby no limit game. Oh, and one good player as well. Turns out he was on my right.
I say he was good. I really don't know that for a fact. I know that he was aggressive -- aggressive as Hell. Everyone else seemed to be playing a different game. "Call $2, call $2, call $2, fold, raise to $4.00, fold, fold..." That type of game -- with lots of young, timid players. And then this guy. "Raise to $20 with nothing!" "Really. I have nothing. 7-2 off. I'll show you when the hand is over." That kind of guy.
And he often did have nothing -- nothing at all. He WOULD show it down at the end. Maybe not exactly 7-2 off but frequently 10-5 suited or J-6 off or 8-6 off -- his favorite hand (so he said).
He wasn't stupid or wild -- at least not without intent. It was all part of a plan. He wanted to look loose and wild and maybe even crazy. Crazy like a used car salesman. Players tended to stay out of his way. Which let him win a lot of small pots. It's not that he never folded or always raised. But he did it often enough to keep these timid souls completely off balance. And in the process many of them learned that they couldn't win by folding. So they took stands -- or they mimicked his raising. Only they really didn't have a clue. So they called when they should have folded and raised when they should have called. And many of them lost their stacks, winced, and went home.
Man, he had them all turned around. It was fun to watch. Poor suckers.
Not me though. Nah. I'm a pro -- or at least a semipro. And an author. Don't forget that. I'm a poker author of the first rank -- a book, many articles. Hell, I even tutor people and run seminars and charity tournaments. I'm a part of this poker industry that is booming. He wasn't going to touch me. No way.
All of this hyper-aggressive stuff wouldn't work on me. I notice it. I see through it. I know better.
Well, um, kind of.
I'd been rocking around. Not that I was quiet. I stole some small pots myself with some raising. Knocked this guy to my right out of a couple of pots with my aggressive play. He wasn't going to suck out on me. He wasn't going to outplay me. Sure, I folded a lot when he raised. Why go up against him unless I had a real hand. I wasn't going to be duped like the other dopes.
I just wanted a hand. I just wanted a chance to show him who was really boss. I was patient -- and the professional player after all He was just a wildman taking advantage of children. I'd show him. Give me a hand!
I got one. He raised the $2 big blind to $10. I don't even know if he looked (sometimes he didn't). Two guys folded. My turn. I looked down and saw A-K spades. Beautiful. I had a hand. I raised to $30. Everyone folded as I figured they would. Everyone but this guy. He looked at me, smiled and said something probing like "What you got Mr. Author?". And then he called.
Good. He called. I wanted him to call. And then I wanted to hit. And I wanted him to bet. And I wanted to take all of his money.
The flop hit me very well. K-J-4. Two suited. I didn't recheck my down cards. I knew that the suit wasn't mine. But the King was. Goodie for me.
He smirked and bet $25, after playing with his chips a bit. I raised to $75. He said, "$75 huh? $75 from the Author? Hmm." Then there was a rather long pause -- maybe 10 seconds or so. "All-in" he said -- shoving in his chip rack with about $240 in chips on it.
I had about $80 left and, without any hesitation, called. What could he have, after all? I figured maybe a pair and a flush draw. Trying to knock me off my hand -- off my great top pair top kicker. Hah! I'd show him!
We exposed our hands, I before he. "Ace King" I said solemnly. He didn't announce his hand -- letting them speak for themselves. He had King Jack for top two pair.
Turn blank. River blank. He won the hand. Thank goodness it was BABY no limit.
I reminded myself how badly the other players played. And I told myself to forget about it and shake it off. Being the pro I did shake it off-- and went on to win for the night. But not from him. Nope. He left when he was up about $300.
Lesson from this experience? I'm not sure I would have played the hand any differently no matter who had done the raising or how long I had thought about it. I mean, it was $80 more and I did have top pair and top kicker. And he surely could have been bluffing -- trying to knock me off the hand with garbage. But one thing is for sure. I did get outplayed. I was over eager. I didn't think about what he might have had for a moment -- just shoving in my chips without hesitation. HAD I thought about it I may have concluded that the odds that he had me beaten were too small to warrant a fold for $80 into a pot that was nearly three times that. But the key is that I DIDN'T think. I was affected by his act and his shtick. In other words, even though I would probably have called regardless of what he was doing to me -- he WAS doing something to me. I wasn't immune. I wasn't nestled in some superior players' zone that kept me safe from the affect of deliberate attempt to get me off my game. I wasn't thoughtful. I didn't pause to consider what he might have. I didn't hesitate one bit -- calling instantly with my hand.
You see, the lesson I learned is that goading works -- even on good players. The power of the goad -- of daring someone to take you on -- is very effective in no limit. All it takes is one successful stab to take someone's entire stack. It's worth the effort to set up the play -- unlike in limit poker. I don't think I was the intended object of his act all night long -- but maybe I was.
Any time you are reacting to someone without thinking you are making a mistake. Any time someone is getting you to push your chips in without real thought you are making a mistake. That was me. Replay the action or go back and reread it and you'll see that I was a puppet when I pushed in all my chips. Sure, in retrospect it may well have been the right play -- calling as I did. But I sure didn't know it when I did it. I did it unsoundly -- prompted by the play of my opponent as opposed to the thoughtful conclusion of decision making process.
In pot limit or no limit you will often be tested with bets the size of your entire stack. If you aren't thinking "does he have me beaten" before you call then you are getting outplayed. I wasn't. So I was. Some pro I am!
Saving Bets
Baby No Limit, Turn And River Play:Part II: Saving Bets
BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)
In Baby No Limit, with the small initial stack sizes, you will often find that after your pre-flop and flop bets, you have gone through much of your stack or your opponent�s stack. Correct play on the Turn and on the River will often be fairly straightforward.
As I explained in my last article entitled Making Money, it is the obvious play that usually gets the cash. When you�re ahead you generally want to get all the money in the pot so you can double up or knock out your opponent by getting him to go all-in or fold. While it�s tempting sometimes to go for that fancy play that will blind your opponents with brilliance, the way to make money is usually to bet strongly when you�re ahead after the flop.
The flip side of this equation comes by recognizing those situations when you�re behind and should not initiate a bet as a bluff or call your opponent�s bet. It is often tempting, however, in these low limit no limit games to either bet as a bluff, in a desperate attempt to get your opponent to fold a hand that you believe to be ahead of yours; or to call an all-in bet in a desperate attempt to out draw an opponent whom you estimate to be far ahead of you. But if you can learn to recognize those situations when bluffing or calling with these hands is a mistake, you will save a significant sum of money in the long run. Here are some examples of those plays when you can save money.
Assume that you started with $100. You are in late position with Jh-Jc. Three players call the $2 Big Blind. You raise to $15. Hey, it�s not every hand you get a premium pair. Make them pay or fold, right! You get one caller in early position. You don�t know much about him. He seems to be relatively inexperienced and passive. He has slightly more chips than you.
The flop is Kh, 9h, 6h. Your opponent checks. You do not think he is slow-playing a monster, but you�re not certain. You figure that you must still be ahead. If he had a Flush you figure he�d bet it. If he had a pair of Kings you figure he might well fold to your bet. You don�t want to give him a free card that can beat you if he�s sitting with one heart or a pair lower than Jacks.
You bet $45, about the size of the pot, which leaves you with about $40. Your opponent pauses for a short while and then calls your $45.
The Turn is the As. It�s just about the worst card you could see. Your opponent bets $100. Calling him would put you all in for your last $45. What do you do?
Intellectually, you know you are probably beaten. You doubt he would have called your last bet without a Flush draw. But, on the other hand, it is tempting to call. A pair of Jacks is a decent hand � at least in the abstract. You have a draw to a Jack high Flush � the third nut flush. You�ve already put in $60. It�s only $40 more to call. Maybe your opponent is bluffing. Maybe he just has a pocket pair and is trying to blow your off your hand. Bad players overplay their hands sometimes. Maybe he�s making a desperation bluff like you used to do. You�re getting about $140 for your call of $40. What the Hell you think. Might as well call.
Don�t! Don�t just toss in your remaining $40 in chips. You must think about why he is betting. Could he really be doing this as a bluff? Sure, part of you wants to believe that, but is there more than the thinnest chance that he�s going to bet into someone who bet the flop if he didn�t at least make his Flush � especially when you�re down to your last $40 and might well just toss in your chips to call? You�re probably drawing dead. You�re at least against a pair of Aces. You have little or no chance. You should save the $40 for another hand. Don�t give in to the temptation to call. Save the money!
Here�s another one. You start with $100 again. You were in early position with Ad-Kd. You raised the $2 blind to $10 after the player in front of you folded. You got one caller who started with $60. The flop was Jc 7c 2d. You bet $30 as a risky semi-bluff hoping that your opponent would fold, but leaving yourself with six outs that would give you a good hand. Unfortunately, your opponent called your semi-bluff. You have $60. Your opponent has $20. The Turn is the Qs. You�re tempted to shove all-in to try to get your opponent to fold.
Don�t waste the money. You have nothing. Your opponent is getting good pot odds and will surely call if he�s on a Flush draw or has any kind of hand at all. Save the money and check. If your opponent throws in $20 go ahead and call. He might be bluffing with nothing too. If an Ace or a King hits on the River go ahead and bet the River. But don�t bet as a bluff for $20. Save the money!
Finally, you are in middle position with $160. You have Jh-Th. Someone in early position makes it $5.00. There is a caller to you. You call, hoping to see the flop cheaply with your drawing hand. Two other players call. Five of you see the flop � two in front and two behind you.
The flop comes Td, 7h, 6s. You�ve made top pair with a middling kicker and a backdoor flush draw. The early position player checks. The next player, in front of you and with a large stack, bets $10 � a weak bet given that the pot is a little over $25.00. You reluctantly call hoping that the pot isn�t raised. You don�t want to be in against a raiser who might well have you out-kicked. Maybe you should have raised. But you call. One player after you calls the $10. He has a large stack. You have $145 after your call. The pot is now a little over $55.00.
The turn is a 6h, pairing the Board, giving you two pair and giving you a flush draw. Early position checks. There is $45 in the pot. You decide that you have the best hand and should get anyone left in the hand to put in their money or pay to catch a winning card on the River. You bet $50. The player after you goes all in. He has you slightly outstacked. The early position player folds. You will have to go all-in with your remaining $95 to call the raiser.
Once again, you know that you�re probably beaten. Somehow this lucky bozo probably caught trip 6s. Of course, he could just be bluffing, trying to blow you out of the water with a large raise. But few players at this level do that � they�re generally too timid for such a play. And it�s true that you have that Flush draw and a draw to a Full House. This is a closer call than the other examples, to be sure. But, when you do the math it isn�t really all that close. The pot is $240. Your call is for $95. You�re getting about 5:2 on a long shot draw of worse than 11:1 for your Full House and 7:2 that you make at least a Flush. And neither the Flush nor the Full house would be the nut hand if you made them.
As much as you want to believe this guy is bluffing, you accept the fact that you are far behind and not likely enough to improve to the best hand. Don�t call the bet. Fold to the re-raise. Save the money!
Next time, close calls and how to sort them out.
BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)
In Baby No Limit, with the small initial stack sizes, you will often find that after your pre-flop and flop bets, you have gone through much of your stack or your opponent�s stack. Correct play on the Turn and on the River will often be fairly straightforward.
As I explained in my last article entitled Making Money, it is the obvious play that usually gets the cash. When you�re ahead you generally want to get all the money in the pot so you can double up or knock out your opponent by getting him to go all-in or fold. While it�s tempting sometimes to go for that fancy play that will blind your opponents with brilliance, the way to make money is usually to bet strongly when you�re ahead after the flop.
The flip side of this equation comes by recognizing those situations when you�re behind and should not initiate a bet as a bluff or call your opponent�s bet. It is often tempting, however, in these low limit no limit games to either bet as a bluff, in a desperate attempt to get your opponent to fold a hand that you believe to be ahead of yours; or to call an all-in bet in a desperate attempt to out draw an opponent whom you estimate to be far ahead of you. But if you can learn to recognize those situations when bluffing or calling with these hands is a mistake, you will save a significant sum of money in the long run. Here are some examples of those plays when you can save money.
Assume that you started with $100. You are in late position with Jh-Jc. Three players call the $2 Big Blind. You raise to $15. Hey, it�s not every hand you get a premium pair. Make them pay or fold, right! You get one caller in early position. You don�t know much about him. He seems to be relatively inexperienced and passive. He has slightly more chips than you.
The flop is Kh, 9h, 6h. Your opponent checks. You do not think he is slow-playing a monster, but you�re not certain. You figure that you must still be ahead. If he had a Flush you figure he�d bet it. If he had a pair of Kings you figure he might well fold to your bet. You don�t want to give him a free card that can beat you if he�s sitting with one heart or a pair lower than Jacks.
You bet $45, about the size of the pot, which leaves you with about $40. Your opponent pauses for a short while and then calls your $45.
The Turn is the As. It�s just about the worst card you could see. Your opponent bets $100. Calling him would put you all in for your last $45. What do you do?
Intellectually, you know you are probably beaten. You doubt he would have called your last bet without a Flush draw. But, on the other hand, it is tempting to call. A pair of Jacks is a decent hand � at least in the abstract. You have a draw to a Jack high Flush � the third nut flush. You�ve already put in $60. It�s only $40 more to call. Maybe your opponent is bluffing. Maybe he just has a pocket pair and is trying to blow your off your hand. Bad players overplay their hands sometimes. Maybe he�s making a desperation bluff like you used to do. You�re getting about $140 for your call of $40. What the Hell you think. Might as well call.
Don�t! Don�t just toss in your remaining $40 in chips. You must think about why he is betting. Could he really be doing this as a bluff? Sure, part of you wants to believe that, but is there more than the thinnest chance that he�s going to bet into someone who bet the flop if he didn�t at least make his Flush � especially when you�re down to your last $40 and might well just toss in your chips to call? You�re probably drawing dead. You�re at least against a pair of Aces. You have little or no chance. You should save the $40 for another hand. Don�t give in to the temptation to call. Save the money!
Here�s another one. You start with $100 again. You were in early position with Ad-Kd. You raised the $2 blind to $10 after the player in front of you folded. You got one caller who started with $60. The flop was Jc 7c 2d. You bet $30 as a risky semi-bluff hoping that your opponent would fold, but leaving yourself with six outs that would give you a good hand. Unfortunately, your opponent called your semi-bluff. You have $60. Your opponent has $20. The Turn is the Qs. You�re tempted to shove all-in to try to get your opponent to fold.
Don�t waste the money. You have nothing. Your opponent is getting good pot odds and will surely call if he�s on a Flush draw or has any kind of hand at all. Save the money and check. If your opponent throws in $20 go ahead and call. He might be bluffing with nothing too. If an Ace or a King hits on the River go ahead and bet the River. But don�t bet as a bluff for $20. Save the money!
Finally, you are in middle position with $160. You have Jh-Th. Someone in early position makes it $5.00. There is a caller to you. You call, hoping to see the flop cheaply with your drawing hand. Two other players call. Five of you see the flop � two in front and two behind you.
The flop comes Td, 7h, 6s. You�ve made top pair with a middling kicker and a backdoor flush draw. The early position player checks. The next player, in front of you and with a large stack, bets $10 � a weak bet given that the pot is a little over $25.00. You reluctantly call hoping that the pot isn�t raised. You don�t want to be in against a raiser who might well have you out-kicked. Maybe you should have raised. But you call. One player after you calls the $10. He has a large stack. You have $145 after your call. The pot is now a little over $55.00.
The turn is a 6h, pairing the Board, giving you two pair and giving you a flush draw. Early position checks. There is $45 in the pot. You decide that you have the best hand and should get anyone left in the hand to put in their money or pay to catch a winning card on the River. You bet $50. The player after you goes all in. He has you slightly outstacked. The early position player folds. You will have to go all-in with your remaining $95 to call the raiser.
Once again, you know that you�re probably beaten. Somehow this lucky bozo probably caught trip 6s. Of course, he could just be bluffing, trying to blow you out of the water with a large raise. But few players at this level do that � they�re generally too timid for such a play. And it�s true that you have that Flush draw and a draw to a Full House. This is a closer call than the other examples, to be sure. But, when you do the math it isn�t really all that close. The pot is $240. Your call is for $95. You�re getting about 5:2 on a long shot draw of worse than 11:1 for your Full House and 7:2 that you make at least a Flush. And neither the Flush nor the Full house would be the nut hand if you made them.
As much as you want to believe this guy is bluffing, you accept the fact that you are far behind and not likely enough to improve to the best hand. Don�t call the bet. Fold to the re-raise. Save the money!
Next time, close calls and how to sort them out.
The Old Poker Guy
The Old Poker Guy
By Ed BarrettPoker
Man was what they had called him when he was younger. He'd won all the big tournaments, and played against the best--Johnny Ross, Texas Slim, and the math wizard from Las Vegas, Tommy Polansky. You name the player, Poker Man had matched chips and wits with all of them. At least that's what he'd tell anyone who'd listen to his stories. Now at eighty-six years of age, his memory was fading and his stories had become even more boisterous. Poker Man, if he had ever really been known by that name, had become known as Old Poker Guy.
"Play it close to the vest," he would always tell the younger players. "Don't chase cards and don't chase the ladies." His cockeyed grin and wink would let them know that he didn't believe the part about chasing the ladies. The players would listen to his stories and make fun of the old man. No one knew if he was telling the truth when he talked of beating world champion, Johnny Ross in a heads-up game of Texas hold'em in the backroom of a Dallas nightclub or if it was just more of the old man's ramblings. "He didn't have a chance." Old Poker Guy would always smile when he told this particular story. "Pocket fives-- five of hearts and five of clubs, and the five of spades on the river. He should have known he couldn't beat me." Each time he told the story there would be additional details, as though he was remembering new incidents that had occurred. Most thought it was the old guy's imagination getting away on him. Or perhaps he was putting all his poker experiences into one story.
"My money's on you, old man," one of the locals had shouted just before final action began at the Texas State Hold'em Championship. The tournament director immediately admonished the young bystander to be quiet; there would be no interruptions for the rest of the tournament.
It was heads-up now. Old Poker Guy had made the final table of six at the end of the second day when his seven-deuce offsuit in the big blind had flopped a full house which he slow-played against ace-ace and king-king, eliminating the final two players in contention for a seat in the finals. Now he had whittled his way through the field, eliminating or watching four of the six worthy opponents fall by the wayside. It was Old Poker Guy against Hank Docherty, who had just recently placed second in the prestigious World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. They would play for the championship of Texas. No limit hold'em.
The tournament had begun three days before. Limited to three hundred entries, the best players in the southwest along with a large number of local wannabee champions had scrambled into the Four Star Indian Casino near the Mexican border. Most were surprised when Old Poker Guy had stepped up to the tournament table and laid out five crumpled one hundred dollar bills and two twenties. No one had ever seen him actually play before and no one had expected him to get past the first day of the competition. They'd chuckled at the old man as he signed in as Stanley Robinson, then erased his name and with a wry smile changed it to Old Poker Guy.
"I don't get lucky, I just get good," was another of the expressions that locals were apt to hear coming from Old Poker Guy. He always had on baggy pants and a tattered flannel shirt, regardless of the weather. Most days he'd wear a plastic bow-tie. "Damned kids nowadays don't understand the game," he would often mumble to himself as he watched the ring action in the 10-20 hold'em games at Four Star. They liked to hide his tattered New York Yankee baseball cap that Old Poker Guy claimed was a gift from "The Babe.
" Now with his head swirling, Old Poker Guy worried about being able to keep his concentration in the competition with his formidable foe. He'd cursed himself for having gotten lost on the way to the tournament earlier in the day, causing him to miss the first four hands. "I can drive here blind-folded," he mumbled to himself as he took his seat at the final table. The three days of constant poker weighed heavily on Old Poker Guy's endurance.
"He's a book of tells," one of the bystanders whispered. Every time Old Poker Guy would catch a card his eyebrows raised and he lifted himself upright in his chair. It was just a matter of time before Docherty eliminated the old man, whose mind had now departed from the game.
"Keep your damned mind on the game, old man!" the voice came from the rail directly behind Docherty. It was Johnny Ross. He was sure of it. Old Poker Guy raised his head and looked toward the rail. A smiling Johnny Ross winked at Old Poker Guy and gave him the thumbs up. It had been over forty years since he'd seen Johnny. Never mind. The advice was right. He'd have to get his mind back into the game if he was to compete with Hank Docherty. To his amazement, no one else had paid any attention to Johnny. Why hadn't the tournament director admonished him as he had the spectator who spoke out earlier?
The chips favored Docherty 3 to 1 as the old man pulled himself up in his chair and gathered his remaining energy. Back and forth the action went. Old Poker Guy had a sudden run of good cards and had taken a small lead on Docherty when his mind started to slip away again.
"Pocket fives," he mumbled to himself without looking at his cards. "Five of hearts and five of clubs." The hand that had put Johnny Ross out of his misery. A smile came to his face only to be disrupted when the dealer tapped the table signifying it was Old Poker Guy's turn to act.
The flop was already on the table. Old Poker Guy squinted at the eight-10 of diamonds, and the four of hearts. Docherty had eyed his opponent carefully before checking the flop. Old Poker Guy gently tapped the table giving the dealer the authority to continue the hand. "Six of diamonds," the tournament director announced as the fourth card fell on the table. "The turn card is the six of diamonds," he repeated.
Hank Docherty wasn't watching the card hit the table. His eyes were on Old Poker Guy while he pretended to look at his own cards, which he already knew were the ace-king of diamonds. The six on the turn and the two diamonds on the flop had given him the nut flush. He felt a tingling sensation in his face, which was as close to a tell as you were likely to get from Hank Docherty. He'd begun picking up tells on the old man again just a few hands before but had not had a hand with which to put a move on him.
"Check," Docherty said. The old man sat emotionless. Docherty was sure the cards on the board weren't close to anything Old Poker Guy was holding. If he bet now, Old Poker Guy would surely fold and his flush would have been wasted. He'd take the risk of looking at the final card, hoping that it would help his opponent enough that he would call a bet.
"Fifth and final card." The director nodded to the dealer, who burned a card and turned over the queen of diamonds. Again, Docherty's eyes were glued on the old man. There were four diamonds on the board. Maybe the old guy had made a second best flush, he thought. He had nothing to lose by trying.
"All in," Docherty said as he pushed his entire stack toward the middle of the table. There was little reaction from the crowd. They knew that Docherty had made his hand and surely the old man would fold. And they were right. Without looking at his cards, Old Poker Guy was about to push them into the muck when his thoughts were disrupted by a voice from the rail.
"Look at your cards, you old fool!" It was Johnny Ross again. Old Poker Guy raised up in his seat and squinted at the admonishing former world champion. "Look at your cards!"
Old Poker Guy knew he had a pair of fives, but he listened to the voice and slowly pressing down on the back side of his two pocket cards with his forefinger he gently lifted them with his thumb. Old Poker Guy stared at the cards for a full minute. "It's your turn, sir," the dealer reminded him, thinking that the old man had once again lost track of the game.
Old Poker Guy nodded toward the dealer. His mind was perfectly clear for just a moment as he announced, "I'll call your bet, Mr. Docherty." Without hesitation, he pushed his entire stack of chips toward the pot and turned over his cards, the jack and nine of diamonds. "I think my cards match up with the queen of diamonds on the river if you combine them with the eight-10 of diamonds on the flop," he said. Old Poker Guy had a straight flush, the only hand that could beat his opponent. The championship of Texas was his.
The normally quiet crowd which would usually show indifference to a good play, broke into a hearty round of applause and chatter as Hank Docherty sat stunned, wondering how he'd missed the tell that almost surely would have let him know that the old man was on a straight flush draw.
Old Poker Guy smiled and tipped his Yankee baseball cap to the crowd. Suddenly he remembered that Johnny Ross had passed away over twenty years ago. It didn't matter now. It didn't matter if he'd ever met or played with the former world champion. Today, Old Poker Guy was the poker champion of Texas. He would tell this story often in years to come.
By Ed BarrettPoker
Man was what they had called him when he was younger. He'd won all the big tournaments, and played against the best--Johnny Ross, Texas Slim, and the math wizard from Las Vegas, Tommy Polansky. You name the player, Poker Man had matched chips and wits with all of them. At least that's what he'd tell anyone who'd listen to his stories. Now at eighty-six years of age, his memory was fading and his stories had become even more boisterous. Poker Man, if he had ever really been known by that name, had become known as Old Poker Guy.
"Play it close to the vest," he would always tell the younger players. "Don't chase cards and don't chase the ladies." His cockeyed grin and wink would let them know that he didn't believe the part about chasing the ladies. The players would listen to his stories and make fun of the old man. No one knew if he was telling the truth when he talked of beating world champion, Johnny Ross in a heads-up game of Texas hold'em in the backroom of a Dallas nightclub or if it was just more of the old man's ramblings. "He didn't have a chance." Old Poker Guy would always smile when he told this particular story. "Pocket fives-- five of hearts and five of clubs, and the five of spades on the river. He should have known he couldn't beat me." Each time he told the story there would be additional details, as though he was remembering new incidents that had occurred. Most thought it was the old guy's imagination getting away on him. Or perhaps he was putting all his poker experiences into one story.
"My money's on you, old man," one of the locals had shouted just before final action began at the Texas State Hold'em Championship. The tournament director immediately admonished the young bystander to be quiet; there would be no interruptions for the rest of the tournament.
It was heads-up now. Old Poker Guy had made the final table of six at the end of the second day when his seven-deuce offsuit in the big blind had flopped a full house which he slow-played against ace-ace and king-king, eliminating the final two players in contention for a seat in the finals. Now he had whittled his way through the field, eliminating or watching four of the six worthy opponents fall by the wayside. It was Old Poker Guy against Hank Docherty, who had just recently placed second in the prestigious World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. They would play for the championship of Texas. No limit hold'em.
The tournament had begun three days before. Limited to three hundred entries, the best players in the southwest along with a large number of local wannabee champions had scrambled into the Four Star Indian Casino near the Mexican border. Most were surprised when Old Poker Guy had stepped up to the tournament table and laid out five crumpled one hundred dollar bills and two twenties. No one had ever seen him actually play before and no one had expected him to get past the first day of the competition. They'd chuckled at the old man as he signed in as Stanley Robinson, then erased his name and with a wry smile changed it to Old Poker Guy.
"I don't get lucky, I just get good," was another of the expressions that locals were apt to hear coming from Old Poker Guy. He always had on baggy pants and a tattered flannel shirt, regardless of the weather. Most days he'd wear a plastic bow-tie. "Damned kids nowadays don't understand the game," he would often mumble to himself as he watched the ring action in the 10-20 hold'em games at Four Star. They liked to hide his tattered New York Yankee baseball cap that Old Poker Guy claimed was a gift from "The Babe.
" Now with his head swirling, Old Poker Guy worried about being able to keep his concentration in the competition with his formidable foe. He'd cursed himself for having gotten lost on the way to the tournament earlier in the day, causing him to miss the first four hands. "I can drive here blind-folded," he mumbled to himself as he took his seat at the final table. The three days of constant poker weighed heavily on Old Poker Guy's endurance.
"He's a book of tells," one of the bystanders whispered. Every time Old Poker Guy would catch a card his eyebrows raised and he lifted himself upright in his chair. It was just a matter of time before Docherty eliminated the old man, whose mind had now departed from the game.
"Keep your damned mind on the game, old man!" the voice came from the rail directly behind Docherty. It was Johnny Ross. He was sure of it. Old Poker Guy raised his head and looked toward the rail. A smiling Johnny Ross winked at Old Poker Guy and gave him the thumbs up. It had been over forty years since he'd seen Johnny. Never mind. The advice was right. He'd have to get his mind back into the game if he was to compete with Hank Docherty. To his amazement, no one else had paid any attention to Johnny. Why hadn't the tournament director admonished him as he had the spectator who spoke out earlier?
The chips favored Docherty 3 to 1 as the old man pulled himself up in his chair and gathered his remaining energy. Back and forth the action went. Old Poker Guy had a sudden run of good cards and had taken a small lead on Docherty when his mind started to slip away again.
"Pocket fives," he mumbled to himself without looking at his cards. "Five of hearts and five of clubs." The hand that had put Johnny Ross out of his misery. A smile came to his face only to be disrupted when the dealer tapped the table signifying it was Old Poker Guy's turn to act.
The flop was already on the table. Old Poker Guy squinted at the eight-10 of diamonds, and the four of hearts. Docherty had eyed his opponent carefully before checking the flop. Old Poker Guy gently tapped the table giving the dealer the authority to continue the hand. "Six of diamonds," the tournament director announced as the fourth card fell on the table. "The turn card is the six of diamonds," he repeated.
Hank Docherty wasn't watching the card hit the table. His eyes were on Old Poker Guy while he pretended to look at his own cards, which he already knew were the ace-king of diamonds. The six on the turn and the two diamonds on the flop had given him the nut flush. He felt a tingling sensation in his face, which was as close to a tell as you were likely to get from Hank Docherty. He'd begun picking up tells on the old man again just a few hands before but had not had a hand with which to put a move on him.
"Check," Docherty said. The old man sat emotionless. Docherty was sure the cards on the board weren't close to anything Old Poker Guy was holding. If he bet now, Old Poker Guy would surely fold and his flush would have been wasted. He'd take the risk of looking at the final card, hoping that it would help his opponent enough that he would call a bet.
"Fifth and final card." The director nodded to the dealer, who burned a card and turned over the queen of diamonds. Again, Docherty's eyes were glued on the old man. There were four diamonds on the board. Maybe the old guy had made a second best flush, he thought. He had nothing to lose by trying.
"All in," Docherty said as he pushed his entire stack toward the middle of the table. There was little reaction from the crowd. They knew that Docherty had made his hand and surely the old man would fold. And they were right. Without looking at his cards, Old Poker Guy was about to push them into the muck when his thoughts were disrupted by a voice from the rail.
"Look at your cards, you old fool!" It was Johnny Ross again. Old Poker Guy raised up in his seat and squinted at the admonishing former world champion. "Look at your cards!"
Old Poker Guy knew he had a pair of fives, but he listened to the voice and slowly pressing down on the back side of his two pocket cards with his forefinger he gently lifted them with his thumb. Old Poker Guy stared at the cards for a full minute. "It's your turn, sir," the dealer reminded him, thinking that the old man had once again lost track of the game.
Old Poker Guy nodded toward the dealer. His mind was perfectly clear for just a moment as he announced, "I'll call your bet, Mr. Docherty." Without hesitation, he pushed his entire stack of chips toward the pot and turned over his cards, the jack and nine of diamonds. "I think my cards match up with the queen of diamonds on the river if you combine them with the eight-10 of diamonds on the flop," he said. Old Poker Guy had a straight flush, the only hand that could beat his opponent. The championship of Texas was his.
The normally quiet crowd which would usually show indifference to a good play, broke into a hearty round of applause and chatter as Hank Docherty sat stunned, wondering how he'd missed the tell that almost surely would have let him know that the old man was on a straight flush draw.
Old Poker Guy smiled and tipped his Yankee baseball cap to the crowd. Suddenly he remembered that Johnny Ross had passed away over twenty years ago. It didn't matter now. It didn't matter if he'd ever met or played with the former world champion. Today, Old Poker Guy was the poker champion of Texas. He would tell this story often in years to come.
Position
Every player will tell you the importance of position in playing a game like holdem. The reason for that is your position is fixed the entire time during a hand. In other games, like 7 card stud, the player who acts first is based on some type of criteria (low card, best cards, etc.) that changes from betting round to betting round. In holdem, your position is fixed for every betting round during the hand. It's always important to adapt your play based on your current position at the table. Below explains the advantages and disadvantages to the 4 key position areas: Early, Middle, Late, Blinds. The seats that define what position you are in may change based on the number of people in the hand and the texture of the table you are playing at. The seats defined below are for a basic table of 10 players.Early Position (1, 2 & 3 seats to the left of the big blind)There is a major disadvantage to being in early position because you don't know how the other players at the table are going to play the round. If you call, they may raise and now it will cost you 2 bets to see the flop. If you raise, they may all fold and all you will win is the blinds. It is generally a good idea to play much tighter in early position than you would from Middle or Late position, because you don't want to get caught calling with a pair of 4's and then have someone raise or re-raise after you. Now it would cost 2 more bets to see the flop and most likely the pot odds won't justify the call.Middle Position (4, 5 & 6 seats to the left of the big blind)While playing in middle position allows you to play more hands, you still need to play tight because there are up to 4 more players waiting to act behind you (in a 10 player game). You do, however, have the benefit of seeing what the players in early position have done before you and can use that knowledge to your advantage when deciding on your own actions. If there have been some callers, you may have the right odds to call your hand. If everyone has folded to you, you may want to raise to try and steal the blinds (this is much more effective in late position). Whatever you do, you have to keep in mind that there are players behind you than may raise and require you to have to call another bet. Make sure your hands are strong enough to stand up to that.Late Position (1 seat to the right of the button and the button)In late position you can play many more hands than from early or middle position. This is because most of the players at the table have already acted before you. You will know if there has been a lot of raising and called raises, or just a lot of calling, or maybe everybody has folded to you. Whatever it may be, you have more information that the other players did when it was their turn to act. The key to playing in late position is to use that information to ensure you play your hand to it's fullest potential. If there have been raises, you will still need a strong hand to play. But if there has been calling and/or folding, you can probably play with much weaker hands, since the pot odds may justify it and there are very few players remaining who could raise. Also keep in mind that you will also be last or close to last on the following rounds as well. This means that you will also get to see what the other players do on the flop before you have to act. This becomes a very powerful position if you choose to raise, then on the next round the other players may check to you (as they are afraid of a raise) and you can check and get a free card. Late position is easier to play than the other positions, but it's also important that you use the information that you are given and not just play any hand because you are in late position.Blinds (small and big blind)Post flop, playing in the blinds is the same as playing in early position. The only time you play the blinds differently is before the flop because you are the last 2 players to act. Most of the criteria is the same as playing in late position, as you have seen the other players act before you. If playing in the small blind you have an added benefit of having about half the bet to call already committed to the pot. So you can play even more hands because the pot odds are usually greatly in your favor. Some people get caught always calling in the small blind because it's so cheap to play, but it is generally better to mix it up and not be so predictable. Also, don't fold in the small blind too often either without it being raised, as that would be predictable and others would figure you for a very tight player. In the big blind with an unraised pot, you can obviously play with anything. This is because you already have put in your bet and it would cost you nothing to see the flop. If you have a good hand, go ahead and raise, or even with a bad hand to mix up your play and if you think it will cause others to fold. The key is to not over play your hand just because you are in the big blind. Take the free flop once in a while with medium strength hands. The key is to not become predictable while in the big blind. If there has been a raise before you and you are in the blinds, you should generally play tighter, however it will only cost 1 or 1.5 bets to call and if the pot odds are right, it may be worth a call.
Dangerous Poker Positions
Many years ago I was lucky enough to see The Flying Karamazov Brothers juggling/comedy act several times early in their careers. The highlight of the Brothers' show was juggling "nine objects of danger." Basically the Brothers challenged the audience to present them with any nine random handheld items, which they would then juggle.The great part was that this was the Brothers' hometown, and people knew the act, so the audience came up with a crowbar, a roll of duct tape, a soccer ball, a water balloon, a Togo's submarine sandwich, and a toaster. Add a bottle of beer, a cigarette lighter and a hatchet and you have nine objects of danger -- which the Brothers' then proceeded to successfully juggle to the amazement of the crowd. The Brothers' ensuing career led to ever more outrageous juggling of objects of danger.The poker lesson in this is that the Brothers' were great. They were great in a "don't try this at home, kids" way. They showed up for work each time knowing they would be expected to perform in an above-the-rim fashion when often taken completely by surprise. How do you juggle a dead mackerel for the first time? How about a ceramic bust of Ronald Reagan? The answer is that talented people adapt, even when it isn't easy.Great poker players squeeze pennies of profit out of situations that merely good players do not. Great poker players can try to do things that mediocre players shouldn't even think about ("don't try this at home"). Great poker players know that each time they play that they will have to do something great!Mediocre poker players have the dual problem of often being outplayed by great players, and of also failing when they try some Evel Knievel-ish tactic they have no business even thinking about.It's a common lament for decent players to complain about some unorthodox play a better player made, where the better player appeared to "get lucky". The truth is that mediocre players fixate on the earlier parts of hands, while better player focus on the later parts of hands. The ability to "finish" well is important in poker because the later betting rounds are both bigger, and there is more money at risk. Despite this, mediocre players, especially in Holdem, focus on pre-flop play. When they raise with 77 one behind the button after no one opens the pot, they can't understand how a better player will often re-raise with JsTs. All they see is that fairly crappy starting hand. They don't see how not only is the JsTs profitable here because of the dead money of the blinds, but worse, they don't see how the better player is going to make them pay on later betting rounds. They don't understand the relish the better player has for a situation like this, where they will be able to play above the rim and perform like the great players they are, while opposed only by a player who simply doesn't understand the situational exploitation of weakness.Great players understand that they are not trying to win every pot they play. Great players try to set up reoccurring situations where, at worst, they give up small edges repeatedly so they can get a huge return less often. You see this a lot in No Limit Holdem tournaments. Great players want to see a lot of flops, and aren't afraid to lose many small pots with hands like 6s5s. What they are waiting for is to "finish" in the more rare situations when things matter more.While this concept is easier to understand when thinking of No Limit poker, it also applies to Limit poker hands. If you play four pots against one person, and in three you lose one small bet, but in the fourth you win five big bets, you have just done something really, really well. Sacrificing pots, losing hands, is a truly fundamental part of winning poker.Weaker players fixate on pots. They don't even care if their thinking is right; they just care if they won a pot. How often do you hear someone say "well, you did the right thing since you won the pot"? Baloney. Making dumb decisions that accidentally lead to winning a pot are not good things. They were mistakes. Yes, sometimes mistakes turn out to make us money, but making mistakes is not the way to be a winner. Focusing on getting the money in the long run is what makes a winner. Money is how we keep score, and the game lasts your whole life.Very few of us are going to be able to juggle a porterhouse steak, a coffee cup and a birdcage, but we can learn to exploit weak opponents by losing the little battles while winning the big wars.
http://www.forexmonster.net
http://www.forexmonster.net
Folding
So, where was I when I was interrupted nearly a year ago? Oh, yes, I remember. I was writing about the monkey who stole my hat down in the jungles of Costa Rica. Well, it took me 11 months, but I finally found my hat, spanked the monkey, ended my sabbatical from Card Player, and here I am - back again. And for those readers who never noticed I was gone, all of the above is superfluous.
In the past I've written columns about betting and raising, but neglected the most common action players take at any poker table. It's not glamorous and it's not memorable, but it is our basic bread and butter play, and we do it more often than we do anything else. We fold.
That's what we do most of the time. Even loose players probably fold more than they call, and even the most unrepentant maniacs might fold more often than they raise. Let's face it, good, solid, selective-and-aggressive players fold most of the time. But it doesn't come across in the literature that way. While we're used to reading about those big confrontations upon which reputations are made and myths are created, there's generally a lot of downtime between watershed events. And most of that downtime is the result of looking at your cards and deciding they are plug ugly and not worth a plug nickel's investment, so you throw them away.
It's high time we created a better appreciation for the unglamorous act of laying your hand down, avoiding the fray for the time being, and saving your money for a better situation.
Do You Fold Often Enough?
The single biggest mistake made by most poker players is that they call when they should have folded. After all, most recreational players come to play - not to lay down their hands - and many get involved in pots with weak, unplayable starting hands. There are hold'em players who will see the flop with any ace in their hand, regardless of their position in the betting order, and with no consideration for the number of opponents in the pot or the amount of betting and raising that has taken place before it is their turn to act.
Folding in Split-Pot Games
The problem with calling far too often, when folding would have been the better course of action, is not limited to hold'em, either. It is an epidemic in Omaha eight-or-better. With four cards in their hands, many players just can't resist seeing the flop. The sad truth is that the more potential starting-hand combinations you're dealt - and with four cards dealt to you in Omaha, you have six unique two-card combinations, compared to just one in hold'em - the more selective you should be.
Those Omaha eight-or-better cards need to be coordinated and work well together to give you a reasonably good shot at winning. A hand like A A 2 3 is an incredibly well-coordinated hand, with two potential nut-flush draws, a low draw with counterfeit protection, and a big pair that might get better. Compare that hand to something like K J 5 5. Two big cards and a small pair is a treacherous hand. Make a set of fives and you've put at least one low card on board to give anyone with a low draw hope of chopping your pot in half. Your two high cards are not suited, and while you could make a straight with them, straight possibilities look a lot better when the cards all work together.
I see seven-card stud eight-or-better players who enter pots with an 8 as their doorcard, even when their opponents show lower cards. Let's face it, in a split-pot game like seven-card stud eight-or-better, if someone has an ace showing, you have no idea whether he's trying to make a high hand a low one, or is hoping to scoop. Suffice it to say that if you've got an 8 as your doorcard and an opponent is showing an ace, he probably has a better high and a better low hand than yours, assuming that he has two other low cards snuggled in under that ace.
Most of the time, you should be drawing to the best possible low hand; otherwise, the cost of making the second-best hand can become prohibitively expensive. While there are exceptional situations in which you don't have to have the best low draw to keep playing, they come up infrequently.
If you have a low draw along with a flush draw, you certainly don't need the best low draw to keep playing. Two-way hands - and that includes two-way draws - have lots of playability because of the possibilities of scooping. After all, you might catch a low card of the suit you're chasing and make a "flushy low." Most of the time, a flush is good enough to win the high side, and whenever that's the case, your quest for a low hand amounts to a freeroll. But you usually won't have that potent a draw, and if you're uncertain whether you'll wind up with the best hand if you catch the cards you need, think about folding instead of calling.
Calling, in fact, is often the worst of the three alternatives of folding, raising, or calling. After all, if you've got a winning low hand, but it's one that looks like it might be a high hand, too - perhaps your board is scary enough to suggest a straight or flush, but all you really have is a good low with one pair - you ought to be raising. If you can cause a better high hand to fold, you just might scoop the pot instead of splitting it. So, don't lose sight of your objective in all split-pot games: Scoop the pot whenever possible. This was a digression, to be sure, but far too many players call as their default action. Instead, they ought to think first of folding or raising, and call as a last resort rather than a first option.
In the past I've written columns about betting and raising, but neglected the most common action players take at any poker table. It's not glamorous and it's not memorable, but it is our basic bread and butter play, and we do it more often than we do anything else. We fold.
That's what we do most of the time. Even loose players probably fold more than they call, and even the most unrepentant maniacs might fold more often than they raise. Let's face it, good, solid, selective-and-aggressive players fold most of the time. But it doesn't come across in the literature that way. While we're used to reading about those big confrontations upon which reputations are made and myths are created, there's generally a lot of downtime between watershed events. And most of that downtime is the result of looking at your cards and deciding they are plug ugly and not worth a plug nickel's investment, so you throw them away.
It's high time we created a better appreciation for the unglamorous act of laying your hand down, avoiding the fray for the time being, and saving your money for a better situation.
Do You Fold Often Enough?
The single biggest mistake made by most poker players is that they call when they should have folded. After all, most recreational players come to play - not to lay down their hands - and many get involved in pots with weak, unplayable starting hands. There are hold'em players who will see the flop with any ace in their hand, regardless of their position in the betting order, and with no consideration for the number of opponents in the pot or the amount of betting and raising that has taken place before it is their turn to act.
Folding in Split-Pot Games
The problem with calling far too often, when folding would have been the better course of action, is not limited to hold'em, either. It is an epidemic in Omaha eight-or-better. With four cards in their hands, many players just can't resist seeing the flop. The sad truth is that the more potential starting-hand combinations you're dealt - and with four cards dealt to you in Omaha, you have six unique two-card combinations, compared to just one in hold'em - the more selective you should be.
Those Omaha eight-or-better cards need to be coordinated and work well together to give you a reasonably good shot at winning. A hand like A A 2 3 is an incredibly well-coordinated hand, with two potential nut-flush draws, a low draw with counterfeit protection, and a big pair that might get better. Compare that hand to something like K J 5 5. Two big cards and a small pair is a treacherous hand. Make a set of fives and you've put at least one low card on board to give anyone with a low draw hope of chopping your pot in half. Your two high cards are not suited, and while you could make a straight with them, straight possibilities look a lot better when the cards all work together.
I see seven-card stud eight-or-better players who enter pots with an 8 as their doorcard, even when their opponents show lower cards. Let's face it, in a split-pot game like seven-card stud eight-or-better, if someone has an ace showing, you have no idea whether he's trying to make a high hand a low one, or is hoping to scoop. Suffice it to say that if you've got an 8 as your doorcard and an opponent is showing an ace, he probably has a better high and a better low hand than yours, assuming that he has two other low cards snuggled in under that ace.
Most of the time, you should be drawing to the best possible low hand; otherwise, the cost of making the second-best hand can become prohibitively expensive. While there are exceptional situations in which you don't have to have the best low draw to keep playing, they come up infrequently.
If you have a low draw along with a flush draw, you certainly don't need the best low draw to keep playing. Two-way hands - and that includes two-way draws - have lots of playability because of the possibilities of scooping. After all, you might catch a low card of the suit you're chasing and make a "flushy low." Most of the time, a flush is good enough to win the high side, and whenever that's the case, your quest for a low hand amounts to a freeroll. But you usually won't have that potent a draw, and if you're uncertain whether you'll wind up with the best hand if you catch the cards you need, think about folding instead of calling.
Calling, in fact, is often the worst of the three alternatives of folding, raising, or calling. After all, if you've got a winning low hand, but it's one that looks like it might be a high hand, too - perhaps your board is scary enough to suggest a straight or flush, but all you really have is a good low with one pair - you ought to be raising. If you can cause a better high hand to fold, you just might scoop the pot instead of splitting it. So, don't lose sight of your objective in all split-pot games: Scoop the pot whenever possible. This was a digression, to be sure, but far too many players call as their default action. Instead, they ought to think first of folding or raising, and call as a last resort rather than a first option.
Play The Odds
Introduction
Odds analysis in cash games is pretty straight forward. The blinds aren’t rising, so you don’t have to worry about getting blinded out. Plus, you don’t have to worry about getting short stacked because you can always buy in for more. In sit and gos, however, just playing using odds analysis can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t leverage them with your basic need to survive in the sit and go. In this article, I’m going to try to lay out some ground rules on how to use odds analysis in sit and gos.
Early Rounds (The first three rounds on most sites)
In the early rounds of the tournament, you should always calculate your pot odds and consider playing the hand from the cutoff seat and the button. You will have position throughout the hand, and it gives you the possibility of flopping a well concealed monster hand. Of course, you want to be fairly certain that the players yet to act haven’t been too aggressive and that you will be able to see the flop for as cheaply as you calculate.
From the button or cutoff seat, you should see a flop regardless of your holdings if you can get 4 to 1 odds (3 limpers) or better. For odds less than that, you should be looking to play marginal hands with 2.5 odds or less (2 limpers or less) and increasing your hand requirements as the odds drop.
When you enter these hands for the pot odds, be sure that your strategy is to either hit two pair or greater or check the hand. This is important. Unless you have a legitimate single pair (Ace, King, Queen), you should not bet post flop and you should fold to any bets. If you hit top pair with a pair of sevens, for instance, you will likely not get multiple limpers to fold, and you will be an underdog to hands like two overcards and a straight draw. Be careful not to throw money away early in the tournament because you got good odds pre-flop and flopped a mediocre hand.
If it is folded down to you in the small blind, at minimum, you should complete the big blind with anything in the first two rounds because of the 3 to 1 odds. It’s not normally a good idea to get involved in aggressive small blind-big blind confrontations early in the game. If the big blind is overaggressive, just let them have the chips and look to trap them later in the game. In most cases you will want to try to limp twice as you may have just run into a legitimate hand where the big blind should be betting.
When raised in the big and small blinds, odds should be considered, but there two other important factors to consider. You are facing an aggressive opponent and you will be out of position the rest of the way. Complicating your decision is the fact that unless someone has made a large raise, you will normally have pretty good odds to call. If a player raises three times the big blind, the player in the big blind will be looking at 2.25 to 1 odds if it folds down to him and 3.5 to 1 odds with a caller out of the small blinds.
Personally, I need some sort of hand to continue, and I am more apt to fold and wait to use the chips for late position bluffs or doubling up. However, it is not a stretch to believe that you can win that bet one out of three times, and I don’t consider it a bad play when I see players flip over Q9o (or something like that) given 3 to 1 odds. Technically, you can calculate the proper calls for heads up in the big blind using a percentage chart, so that may be an option. Just remember that the raiser’s hand is probably better than random, so you will need to discount your chances of winning.
In the early rounds, I would make all post flop decisions by the book as far as odds go. You shouldn’t be short stacked and you have the ability to play your normal game.
Middle Rounds
In the middle rounds, you should begin to tighten up a bit pre-flop and resist the temptation to call simply because you have good pot odds unless you have a lot of chips. In many cases, limping won’t be an option in late position, and you can almost guarantee that the button or one of the blinds will raise if it gets around to them. There aren’t a lot of uncontested pots in the middle rounds, because people are beginning to jockey for position. Knowing this, you should be fairly certain that you will be able to get any pot odds limps for your price.
In this stage of the tournament, you will need to start saving chips and begin to think more about making effective bets when you can be the aggressor. Making a few calls pre-flop because of pot odds can put you on a short stack in two or three hands, so be especially careful not to get overzealous with it.
Post flop, large stack players should continue to play by the book, and short stack players should continue to wait for their opportunity to get their chips in. As usual, the tough decisions come for the player with the average/middle stack.
Together, with our friends at pokerlistings.com, we have developed the following strategy for the middle stack player. (I’ve separated the text so that both pokerlistings.com and sitngodomination.com deserve credit.)
Considering the Negative Implied Odds
Disregarding pot odds
Pot odds and implied odds help you decide whether a certain type of play (drawing for a flush, for example) will be profitable over time or not. When you use these tools you can justify calling 1/4 of the pot with a 1/4 chance of winning the hand. However, the pot odds don’t tell the whole story, especially not if you’re playing in a Sit-and-Go tournament. One very important factor that lots of poker players fail to consider is what will happen if you lose, and get knocked out of the tournament. You will not just lose your buy-in; you will also lose the chance of winning several times your buy in. These negative implied odds must be considered when you’re about to play a drawing hand in a Sit-and-Go tournament.
On the bubble
When you’re playing in a Sit-and-Go tournament you’re never far from the money. The odds adjustment you make should represent your current position in the tournament. For example, you might be the 5th largest player of 6 remaining in a 10 player Sit-and-Go tournament. The top 3 positions pay out, and 3rd place would give you double your buy-in. When you have a middle stack, you should adjust your pot odds needed by multiplying them by 150% as just surviving until the money is distributed has value. You are significantly affecting your chances of making the money by calling the draw with a middle stack. Consequently, in a situation like the one mentioned above, you would need 1 to 6 pot odds when you have a 1/4 chance of hitting your hand.
Play fewer draws
You have to keep in mind that the long run consists of many disjoint short runs. If these short runs are all (or mainly) Sit-and-Go’s, the regular pot odds calculations will be misleading since 4th place and below (the bottom 60%), usually won’t give you any money at all. This doesn’t mean that you should change your strategy all together. You should still play aggressively, and still attempt semi-bluffs. The adjustment you have to make is simply to play fewer drawing hands in Sit-and-Go tournaments.
Provided by PokerListings.com in conjunction with sitngodomination.com
While there is a mathematical way to determine the value, this simple adjustment seems to be effective and perform well in game situations. If someone has a pure mathematical solution that is easy to apply, please let me know and I will post it to the site.
In the Money
Once in the money, the play tends to change as everyone is now relieved to be in the money. The decisions become slightly clearer and the odds can be a powerful tool.
Pre-flop, I would once again begin to use pot odds pre-flop to help determine my playable hands. You will need to do so, since in most situations, no one will have a really strong hand. Pot odds will help you get in and win more hands. If you can get 3 to 1 odds, I would be in the pot with all but the worst hands pre-flop.
Post flop, play by the book with anything but a short stack. You may not have the stomach to short stack yourself chasing a draw, but I don’t mind in this situation since I am going for first at all costs. If you do mind, then you should continue to play a tighter game. Don’t be afraid to call all in bets if you have a flush draw (or similar outs) and your opponent is short stacked regardless of the odds.
Odds analysis in cash games is pretty straight forward. The blinds aren’t rising, so you don’t have to worry about getting blinded out. Plus, you don’t have to worry about getting short stacked because you can always buy in for more. In sit and gos, however, just playing using odds analysis can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t leverage them with your basic need to survive in the sit and go. In this article, I’m going to try to lay out some ground rules on how to use odds analysis in sit and gos.
Early Rounds (The first three rounds on most sites)
In the early rounds of the tournament, you should always calculate your pot odds and consider playing the hand from the cutoff seat and the button. You will have position throughout the hand, and it gives you the possibility of flopping a well concealed monster hand. Of course, you want to be fairly certain that the players yet to act haven’t been too aggressive and that you will be able to see the flop for as cheaply as you calculate.
From the button or cutoff seat, you should see a flop regardless of your holdings if you can get 4 to 1 odds (3 limpers) or better. For odds less than that, you should be looking to play marginal hands with 2.5 odds or less (2 limpers or less) and increasing your hand requirements as the odds drop.
When you enter these hands for the pot odds, be sure that your strategy is to either hit two pair or greater or check the hand. This is important. Unless you have a legitimate single pair (Ace, King, Queen), you should not bet post flop and you should fold to any bets. If you hit top pair with a pair of sevens, for instance, you will likely not get multiple limpers to fold, and you will be an underdog to hands like two overcards and a straight draw. Be careful not to throw money away early in the tournament because you got good odds pre-flop and flopped a mediocre hand.
If it is folded down to you in the small blind, at minimum, you should complete the big blind with anything in the first two rounds because of the 3 to 1 odds. It’s not normally a good idea to get involved in aggressive small blind-big blind confrontations early in the game. If the big blind is overaggressive, just let them have the chips and look to trap them later in the game. In most cases you will want to try to limp twice as you may have just run into a legitimate hand where the big blind should be betting.
When raised in the big and small blinds, odds should be considered, but there two other important factors to consider. You are facing an aggressive opponent and you will be out of position the rest of the way. Complicating your decision is the fact that unless someone has made a large raise, you will normally have pretty good odds to call. If a player raises three times the big blind, the player in the big blind will be looking at 2.25 to 1 odds if it folds down to him and 3.5 to 1 odds with a caller out of the small blinds.
Personally, I need some sort of hand to continue, and I am more apt to fold and wait to use the chips for late position bluffs or doubling up. However, it is not a stretch to believe that you can win that bet one out of three times, and I don’t consider it a bad play when I see players flip over Q9o (or something like that) given 3 to 1 odds. Technically, you can calculate the proper calls for heads up in the big blind using a percentage chart, so that may be an option. Just remember that the raiser’s hand is probably better than random, so you will need to discount your chances of winning.
In the early rounds, I would make all post flop decisions by the book as far as odds go. You shouldn’t be short stacked and you have the ability to play your normal game.
Middle Rounds
In the middle rounds, you should begin to tighten up a bit pre-flop and resist the temptation to call simply because you have good pot odds unless you have a lot of chips. In many cases, limping won’t be an option in late position, and you can almost guarantee that the button or one of the blinds will raise if it gets around to them. There aren’t a lot of uncontested pots in the middle rounds, because people are beginning to jockey for position. Knowing this, you should be fairly certain that you will be able to get any pot odds limps for your price.
In this stage of the tournament, you will need to start saving chips and begin to think more about making effective bets when you can be the aggressor. Making a few calls pre-flop because of pot odds can put you on a short stack in two or three hands, so be especially careful not to get overzealous with it.
Post flop, large stack players should continue to play by the book, and short stack players should continue to wait for their opportunity to get their chips in. As usual, the tough decisions come for the player with the average/middle stack.
Together, with our friends at pokerlistings.com, we have developed the following strategy for the middle stack player. (I’ve separated the text so that both pokerlistings.com and sitngodomination.com deserve credit.)
Considering the Negative Implied Odds
Disregarding pot odds
Pot odds and implied odds help you decide whether a certain type of play (drawing for a flush, for example) will be profitable over time or not. When you use these tools you can justify calling 1/4 of the pot with a 1/4 chance of winning the hand. However, the pot odds don’t tell the whole story, especially not if you’re playing in a Sit-and-Go tournament. One very important factor that lots of poker players fail to consider is what will happen if you lose, and get knocked out of the tournament. You will not just lose your buy-in; you will also lose the chance of winning several times your buy in. These negative implied odds must be considered when you’re about to play a drawing hand in a Sit-and-Go tournament.
On the bubble
When you’re playing in a Sit-and-Go tournament you’re never far from the money. The odds adjustment you make should represent your current position in the tournament. For example, you might be the 5th largest player of 6 remaining in a 10 player Sit-and-Go tournament. The top 3 positions pay out, and 3rd place would give you double your buy-in. When you have a middle stack, you should adjust your pot odds needed by multiplying them by 150% as just surviving until the money is distributed has value. You are significantly affecting your chances of making the money by calling the draw with a middle stack. Consequently, in a situation like the one mentioned above, you would need 1 to 6 pot odds when you have a 1/4 chance of hitting your hand.
Play fewer draws
You have to keep in mind that the long run consists of many disjoint short runs. If these short runs are all (or mainly) Sit-and-Go’s, the regular pot odds calculations will be misleading since 4th place and below (the bottom 60%), usually won’t give you any money at all. This doesn’t mean that you should change your strategy all together. You should still play aggressively, and still attempt semi-bluffs. The adjustment you have to make is simply to play fewer drawing hands in Sit-and-Go tournaments.
Provided by PokerListings.com in conjunction with sitngodomination.com
While there is a mathematical way to determine the value, this simple adjustment seems to be effective and perform well in game situations. If someone has a pure mathematical solution that is easy to apply, please let me know and I will post it to the site.
In the Money
Once in the money, the play tends to change as everyone is now relieved to be in the money. The decisions become slightly clearer and the odds can be a powerful tool.
Pre-flop, I would once again begin to use pot odds pre-flop to help determine my playable hands. You will need to do so, since in most situations, no one will have a really strong hand. Pot odds will help you get in and win more hands. If you can get 3 to 1 odds, I would be in the pot with all but the worst hands pre-flop.
Post flop, play by the book with anything but a short stack. You may not have the stomach to short stack yourself chasing a draw, but I don’t mind in this situation since I am going for first at all costs. If you do mind, then you should continue to play a tighter game. Don’t be afraid to call all in bets if you have a flush draw (or similar outs) and your opponent is short stacked regardless of the odds.
Tight Player Strategy
Early in the tournament, don't gamble. You'll see other people around you gambling, but you shouldn't get involved unless you have a big hand. Big hands are AA, KK, QQ, AK. For the first 3-4 blind levels, you shouldn't be playing any other hands except these (with one exception, listed next). If you have AA, KK, or QQ, try to get all-in before the flop. Your preferred plan with AK is to re-raise a raiser all-in and have him fold. If you see a flop with AK and you didn't hit a pair, you probably need to get out. 2. You can call with a pocket pair (e.g., 88) if what it costs you to call is less than about 1/15th of your chips. For instance, if you have 1000 chips, if you can call for less than 60-70 chips, do so. Your plan is to flop a set or an overpair. If you don't flop a set or an overpair, you get out. If you flop a set, try to get all your chips in the middle. If you flop an overpair, you may be willing to get all-in - you may not. Tread carefully. 3. If you're the second person to put in a raise, it's usually not correct to raise the minimum amount. A good rule of thumb is to raise about the size of the pot. For instance, suppose everybody has 1000 chips, and it's 20 to go. One person calls, the next makes it 40. If you have KK, you should not raise to 60. There are a few options here: a. Raise the pot. That would be a raise of about 130 chips (including the 10 and 20 chips blinds that are already in).
b. Raise a large amount that will really commit your opponent to the pot after the flop. For instance a raise to 400-500. When the flop comes down, if there's no dreaded ace, then move the rest of your chips in.
c. Raise all-in right there. If somebody wants to call you with AJ or QQ, fine. 4. When betting after the flop, your bet must be some reasonable fraction (perhaps not less than 1/3 or 1/2) of the pot. Otherwise, you are giving drawing hands the correct pot odds to call. If they hit their draw, they can now put you all-in. Unless you have an unbeatable monster (for instance, you flopped a full house), it's rarely correct to "suck people in." You want them out. 5. When you make a bet with what you believe to be the best hand, bet enough so that an opponent with the most obvious draw would be making a mistake to call. For instance, suppose you have QQ, and the flop is J-7-3 with two spades. You are concerned about the possibility of a spade flush draw being out against you. The probability of that person hitting a flush is about 20% (one in five times) on the turn card. Make sure you bet more than 1/5th of what somebody could win from you if he hits his flush on the turn. 6. Conversely, don't call with a draw unless you can get the right pot odds. Suppose there are 100 chips in the pot on the flop. You and your opponent each have 800 chips. If he bets 400 chips on the flop and all you have is a flush draw, you can't call - you're not getting the right price. 7. It is almost always better to be the bettor or raiser than the caller. Particularly in all-in situations, you would much prefer to have "fold equity" - that is, your opponent folds and you don't have to have a showdown. So in general, you need a much stronger hand to call all-in than you do to bet (or raise) all-in. 8. If you're going to make a bet or raise, and you will be "committed" to the pot after that bet or raise, then go ahead and put all of your chips in. That is, suppose you and your opponent have 1000 chips each. If you bet 900 before the flop and he calls, there will be (at least) 1800 chips in the pot after he calls. There is virtually no flop that would make it correct to fold for your last 100 chips. So go ahead and bet all 1000 right now. The only time this might be correct is if your opponent will make the analogous mistake. That is, he won't call all 1000 chips right now. But he will call 800 chips now, and then feel obliged to call his last 200 after the flop. If he's that kind of player, it might be a correct play with a huge hand like AA. 9. As you get near the cash, and particularly on the bubble (one more player to bust out before everybody is in the money), many players will become extremely tight and play very conservatively, unwilling to be the last one to bust out before the money. Take advantage of this - you should be able to steal blinds frequently. This will set you up with a good stack once you've gotten into the money.
b. Raise a large amount that will really commit your opponent to the pot after the flop. For instance a raise to 400-500. When the flop comes down, if there's no dreaded ace, then move the rest of your chips in.
c. Raise all-in right there. If somebody wants to call you with AJ or QQ, fine. 4. When betting after the flop, your bet must be some reasonable fraction (perhaps not less than 1/3 or 1/2) of the pot. Otherwise, you are giving drawing hands the correct pot odds to call. If they hit their draw, they can now put you all-in. Unless you have an unbeatable monster (for instance, you flopped a full house), it's rarely correct to "suck people in." You want them out. 5. When you make a bet with what you believe to be the best hand, bet enough so that an opponent with the most obvious draw would be making a mistake to call. For instance, suppose you have QQ, and the flop is J-7-3 with two spades. You are concerned about the possibility of a spade flush draw being out against you. The probability of that person hitting a flush is about 20% (one in five times) on the turn card. Make sure you bet more than 1/5th of what somebody could win from you if he hits his flush on the turn. 6. Conversely, don't call with a draw unless you can get the right pot odds. Suppose there are 100 chips in the pot on the flop. You and your opponent each have 800 chips. If he bets 400 chips on the flop and all you have is a flush draw, you can't call - you're not getting the right price. 7. It is almost always better to be the bettor or raiser than the caller. Particularly in all-in situations, you would much prefer to have "fold equity" - that is, your opponent folds and you don't have to have a showdown. So in general, you need a much stronger hand to call all-in than you do to bet (or raise) all-in. 8. If you're going to make a bet or raise, and you will be "committed" to the pot after that bet or raise, then go ahead and put all of your chips in. That is, suppose you and your opponent have 1000 chips each. If you bet 900 before the flop and he calls, there will be (at least) 1800 chips in the pot after he calls. There is virtually no flop that would make it correct to fold for your last 100 chips. So go ahead and bet all 1000 right now. The only time this might be correct is if your opponent will make the analogous mistake. That is, he won't call all 1000 chips right now. But he will call 800 chips now, and then feel obliged to call his last 200 after the flop. If he's that kind of player, it might be a correct play with a huge hand like AA. 9. As you get near the cash, and particularly on the bubble (one more player to bust out before everybody is in the money), many players will become extremely tight and play very conservatively, unwilling to be the last one to bust out before the money. Take advantage of this - you should be able to steal blinds frequently. This will set you up with a good stack once you've gotten into the money.
SNG Made Easy
The Sit N Go (SNG) is online poker's great gift to the aspiring tournament player. Prior to the SNG, final table experience was hard to come by. You could enter a dozen multi-table tournaments and never find yourself at a final table. Or you could make one or two, only to get knocked out in 8th or 9th place. Adapting to an ever-diminishing number of players at a single table is a crucial skill in tournament poker, and it's a hard experience to find offline without investing a lot of time and money. Online, this experience is a mouse-click away. The SNG's advantages are many. For starters, it's low-cost, or even free. It's also fun, and convenient: You don't need to schedule it -- a SNG starts every time the table fills up -- and it's usually over in less than an hour. It is the flight simulator of Final Table play, and mastering it should be considered mandatory homework for the serious student. Now that you know why you should play, let's look at how: The most obvious difference between a SNG and a multi-table tournament is that when someone goes broke in a SNG, there isn't someone waiting to fill their spot. Multi-table play consists mostly of full-table, ring game poker. But as players get eliminated from a SNG, the table gets shorter- and shorter-handed. This reduction in players basically serves to artificially raise the antes. For instance, say you are playing five-handed and the blinds are 100-200: You are paying 300 in blinds for every five hands, or 60 per hand. As soon as someone gets knocked out, you're four-handed. Now you're paying 75 per hand -- a 25% increase -- despite the fact that the blinds have remained the same. Accordingly, you're forced to gamble more, or risk getting blinded out. Since the size of the blinds relative to your stack size should always play a major role in you hand selection, I recommend starting out with pretty conservative starting hand requirements. This serves two functions: First, the blinds dictate that you play fairly tight early; the blinds are small and you are nine-handed, so they don't come around as often. Second, this helps you establish a tight image, which you hope will pay off later when the blinds are high and you might really need a timely ante steal. But there is another not-so-obvious reason to play tighter earlier and looser later: The payout structure rewards tight play. Most SNG's pay 50% to first, 30% to second, and 20% to third. This payout structure dictates that you play for third. Why? Looking at the payout structure another way might help. Basically, the payout means that 60% gets awarded once you are down to three players, 20% gets awarded when you get down to two players, and the final 20% gets awarded to the winner. If you can just get to third, you get at least one-third of 60% of the prize pool, or 20%. You've locked up a profit, and you have a chance to win up to 30% more. It's only now that you're in the top three that your strategy should take an abrupt turn. Now it pays to gamble for the win. Let's look at the numbers again: 60% of the prize pool is off the table, and moving up one spot is worth only another 10%. But move up just one more spot and it's worth a whopping 30% extra -- that's three times more for first than it is for second. And with the blinds going up, gambling for the win is even more clearly the correct play. I see many players employ a nearly opposite strategy. They figure they have nothing to lose, so they go for the quick double-up early. They take chances too soon when, in their view, there's "nothing on the line". Then, once they're in the money, they tighten up, thinking about that extra payout for moving up a spot. If you start to rethink your SNG approach and adopt a "slow early, fast late" strategy, you will see an almost immediate improvement in your results.
Bankroll
we believe the game should be about fun. That stated, we believe that you should never, ever lose your own money. This article is written to help you get all of the free money by presenting multiple free money offers near at the bottom, and explaining how to keep that money by playing within your bankroll and skill level.
Bankroll Needed
On most sites, it is suggested that you keep 30 buy-ins for sit and gos. This is a good amount for beginners and those still on the move upward. Once you have established yourself as a good player at a certain level, I would suggest dropping you bankroll requirements to 20 buy-ins.
You should drop a level when your bankroll reaches 20 buy-ins at the next lowest level. For instance, if you begin with $220 playing $11 sit and gos and lose down to $110, it is time to drop to the $5.50 sit and go level.
For an average player, you have almost no chance of going broke with 20 buy-ins. Of course, you may occasionally have to drop down if you lose 9 or so games in a row, but this is not likely. If you lose 9 in a row, you probably need to stop and examine your play. You are not playing optimally in sit and gos.
Personally, I only keep 15 buy-ins. I’ve done this for over a year, and I have only had to drop down once. This may be a good suggestion for players who have found their optimal level and are consistent. If you play at loose tables (like Party), this may be a bad idea. Loose tables are a variance nightmare and I would suggest keeping the 20 buy-in level or even going up to 30.
Moving Up
Moving up in levels is something that most a lot of sit and go players are constantly trying accomplish, but you should stop moving up when it begins to affect your play. No matter how big your bankroll gets, there will be a level where the money gets to you. That is the first thing that you should consider. If you are playing at a $55 dollar table and are thinking, ”Wow, I can’t believe I am playing at the $55 level” then the level is too high for you.
Also, when you are so focused on winning that you are no longer having fun and become extremely angry at losing, you are playing at a level beyond your means. No one can tell you how much is too much, but you will know when you hit it.
In terms of a strategy, I would suggest moving up as soon as you get the appropriate bankroll. Don’t play one game, lose, and quit. Commit to the level and play there until your bankroll has fallen until it dictates that you drop down. While I don’t believe the levels of play are extremely different from one jump to the next, you will have to adjust your game.
I do not suggest multi-tabling as you move up. Play a few games single table just to get the flow of the game. Once you’ve had some success at the level, begin to implement your multi-tabling strategy.
Free Money Sites
If you are a beginner and have never played poker before, don’t ever start playing with your own money. The sites listed below will give you money to play. I have used them all, and I certify that they work.
If you get and lose all of this free money, you should evaluate whether or not you should be playing online poker. Seriously, this is well over $200, and you need to realize that the losing trend will likely continue from your pocket.
Bankroll Needed
On most sites, it is suggested that you keep 30 buy-ins for sit and gos. This is a good amount for beginners and those still on the move upward. Once you have established yourself as a good player at a certain level, I would suggest dropping you bankroll requirements to 20 buy-ins.
You should drop a level when your bankroll reaches 20 buy-ins at the next lowest level. For instance, if you begin with $220 playing $11 sit and gos and lose down to $110, it is time to drop to the $5.50 sit and go level.
For an average player, you have almost no chance of going broke with 20 buy-ins. Of course, you may occasionally have to drop down if you lose 9 or so games in a row, but this is not likely. If you lose 9 in a row, you probably need to stop and examine your play. You are not playing optimally in sit and gos.
Personally, I only keep 15 buy-ins. I’ve done this for over a year, and I have only had to drop down once. This may be a good suggestion for players who have found their optimal level and are consistent. If you play at loose tables (like Party), this may be a bad idea. Loose tables are a variance nightmare and I would suggest keeping the 20 buy-in level or even going up to 30.
Moving Up
Moving up in levels is something that most a lot of sit and go players are constantly trying accomplish, but you should stop moving up when it begins to affect your play. No matter how big your bankroll gets, there will be a level where the money gets to you. That is the first thing that you should consider. If you are playing at a $55 dollar table and are thinking, ”Wow, I can’t believe I am playing at the $55 level” then the level is too high for you.
Also, when you are so focused on winning that you are no longer having fun and become extremely angry at losing, you are playing at a level beyond your means. No one can tell you how much is too much, but you will know when you hit it.
In terms of a strategy, I would suggest moving up as soon as you get the appropriate bankroll. Don’t play one game, lose, and quit. Commit to the level and play there until your bankroll has fallen until it dictates that you drop down. While I don’t believe the levels of play are extremely different from one jump to the next, you will have to adjust your game.
I do not suggest multi-tabling as you move up. Play a few games single table just to get the flow of the game. Once you’ve had some success at the level, begin to implement your multi-tabling strategy.
Free Money Sites
If you are a beginner and have never played poker before, don’t ever start playing with your own money. The sites listed below will give you money to play. I have used them all, and I certify that they work.
If you get and lose all of this free money, you should evaluate whether or not you should be playing online poker. Seriously, this is well over $200, and you need to realize that the losing trend will likely continue from your pocket.
heads up strategy
If you read poker newsgroups or discussion forums on the internet you will likely see several different approaches to heads up play. Like many aspects of the game, people tend to develop their own styles and mine has been born from trial and error followed by some more error with a hefty side dish of error. So while I’m not the world’s authority on heads up play, here is what I think:General Strategies:Aggression. Thank you, good night.Seriously, if I had to use one word to describe my strategy, aggression would be the word. But since there are varying degrees of aggression, lets discuss some specifics. The most important factor heads up is the chip count. If you play Pokerstars one-table SNG’s, there will be 13,500 chips between you and your heads up opponent. Your initial strategy will depend heavily on how many of those chips you have. If you have 12,000 and your opponent has 1,500 it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that his only move against you is all-in and you can afford to call his all-in with just about any two cards. He’s going to have to double up and double up again without losing anything in between just to start to pull even with you. If you have a massive chip lead the one thing you don’t want to do is just fold your SB, fold to a small raise he makes, in fact, folding *period* should be rare. Pressure him at every opportunity; which means every hand. But I’m getting ahead. Lets back up to differences between heads up and multi opponent action. Heads up hand selection should be radically loosened up. You will play hands heads up that you would never consider playing any other time. This is one of the most difficult adjustments I see from newer players. They get to heads up and start folding their SB. Then they fold their BB when the SB makes a small raise. Then they fold their SB again. That would be fine if you had 10,000 in chips and the blinds were 10/20. You could fold all night with those limits and would be no worse for it. However, you will likely have anywhere from 3K to 6K (sometimes more sometimes less but usually you’ll be in that range) and the blinds will probably be in the 300/600 range (if you play turbo SNG’s) or maybe in the 200/400 range in a regular SNG. Its easy to see that folding a couple of SB’s and a couple of BB’s will pretty much cripple you. So be prepared to play just about any two cards. For example, I will raise out of the SB with any ace, king or queen, suited or not, and any pocket pair or suited connector. In other words, I’ll raise just about everything. Once you get heads up, you should have some idea about your opponents style. Is he the aggressive type, always coming in for raises or was he passive and waited for good hands before getting involved in a pot? You should know that much about his play at the bare minimum. If he’s aggressive, be prepared for a fast and furious conclusion to the contest. He’s defiantly going to remain aggressive and probably raise every single hand (I like him already!) and if you don’t do something to slow him down at the outset, he’s going to take half your stack before you know what hit you. After that, you’ll be left to going all-in with something less than great and just like that its over. So when he raises the first heads up hand between you, consider re-raising him huge. Notice I didn’t say to look at your hand, and if its a good hand, re-raise him huge. Your hand doesn’t matter (remember, this is just *my* opinion), what matters is that you are going to set the tone right from the outset that you are not going to be pushed off your blind. It also tells him you’re ready to gamble just as much as he is and may slow him down. But understand that this is a risky play because he may just re-re-raise you all-in and then you have a tough decision (depending on the quality of your hand, of course). If you’ve read any of my strategies you probably have the idea that I don’t mind taking risks. I take many risks in SNG’s because that’s the style that has been most effective for me. I don’t play with scared money so I’m not afraid to risk busting out of the tourney (especially heads up where I’m guaranteed at least 2nd place money) so if I playback at my aggressive opponent and he actually has a hand at that moment, so be it. But in my experience, that’s rare.If he’s passive, get ready to have some fun. If all through the SNG he’s just been limping and been lucky enough to catch hands and the reason he’s heads up with you is because the AA, KK, AKs, QQ and TT he had on five consecutive hands all held up, he may be very easy to play heads up. You’ll know right away. If he limps or folds his first couple of SB’s, get ready to start running him over. Raise his blinds and raise your BB if he just limps out of the SB. Notice again I’m not talking about what cards you get, I’m talking about playing the man. If he’s showing you that he’s happy to fold his SB, help him along by pressuring his BB and any limps he makes. After about 2 minutes, you’ll have a massive chip lead and he’ll finally make a stand with something. If he happens to win, just start over attacking him. I think you will find that the passive players are just a real treat to play heads up. They are not adjusting their starting hand requirements and if they don’t happen to get some real good cards real fast, you’ll take them down.Which brings me to how to handle a heads up opponent who catches hands. Its easy, you take second place and start another SNG – lol. Seriously, because of the size of the blinds, if your opponent catches a run of cards for three or four hands, say goodnight Gracie. There just isn’t much you can do if your opponent gets run over by the deck. I guess you could avoid it by folding every hand but that’s just going to leave you short-stacked or crippled and even if you finally get what you consider a good hand to play, you’ve got no chips to move around. Maybe that style can work for you but it doesn’t for me. When I win a SNG I’m delivering the knock-out punch and when I finish second, I prefer to go down swinging, not folding until I have 500 chips left and then going all-in with pocket threes. In other words, I don’t fear losing and consequently I’m aggressive from the outset, especially against a passive player.You may have noticed that I haven’t discussed post-flop play. The reason for that is that my style heads up is not to see a lot of flops. But if I do see a flop I will be very aggressive if I catch any piece of it. And that includes good draws. If I flop bottom pair and am first to act, I’m betting. If I flop four to a flush or straight, I’m betting. If I flop nothing and my opponent is a passive player, I’m betting. Sensing a theme here? If I flop a full house, well, then I’ll check. But mostly I’m looking to bet. Its been my experience that most players get uncomfortable when you’re just firing at them relentlessly and that’s what I’m looking for. I want to be the aggressor and I want my opponent on the defensive. If my opponent is skilled (a rare thing) then I’ll adjust my aggression and look to trap him if I catch on the flop. So again, my opponents style is critical to my strategy. All of the above brings me to this - one thing you must understand about SNG’s is that the structure of the game is built for speed and because of that the limits rise very fast which turns heads up until a bit of a crapshoot. If you and your opponent are about equal in skill and chip count, luck is going to play a large role in the outcome. That’s just the way it is. Which ever one of you catches the first decent hand while the other one catches something less decent will likely determine the contest. Because of that its my opinion that your best chance of winning a SNG doesn’t lie in your heads up strategy. It lies in your mid-game strategy. My goal is not to just squeak into the money (although circumstance sometimes makes that a reality), my goal is to build my stack to an overwhelming advantage so that by the time it gets heads up, my opponent is going to have to get very very lucky to beat me. If I’ve got 10K when we get heads up, for example, I’m going to finish 1st nine times out of ten, regardless of my opponents skill level. So I play the middle rounds of the SNG with that in mind. I’ll take risks and try to bust people out because I know that having an overwhelming chip lead is my best chance of winning. If it doesn’t work out that way in the middle rounds, and I have an average or below average stack come heads up, then see the above. And all the above can really be summed up with one word – I leave it to you to figure out which word.
SNG Strategy
The online Sit & Go ( SNG ) games are a popular choice for many cyber poker players. Let's take a look at a strategy for the typical No Limit game with the common three places paid payout structure. In our game we'll assume that 1st place pays 50% of the buy in, 2nd place pays out 30%, and 3rd pays 20%. This payout structure leads us to our first strategy decision. That is, are we going to be playing to finish in the money or are we playing to win? Some will argue that we must play for first place. They would argue that only the larger payoffs will enable us to be a net winning player. The buy in includes a steep rake for the house they argue and only by playing to win can we overcome this charge. For example in a $10 SNG the poker room may charge you $10+1 with the house keeping the dollar. This is over 9% that goes to the house. Larger SNGs usually have slightly smaller charges but they are still significant. In our example a first place finish pays two and a half times more than a third place finish. That justifys taking some risks. Playing for first early means playing more aggressively. It means taking chances early in an attempt to build up a large chip stack. With the large stack you can control the action. You can push people around and put them all-in. Sometimes things will go your way and you'll find yourself sitting on top of a pile of chips. Other times this more risky strategy will leave you crippled or out of the tournament early. Proponents of the play to win strategy don't mind busting out of a SNG early. They figure that it's better to go out early and just get into another game than to lose out on the bubble wasting all that time and effort. Other players play to get in the money. If they make it to the cash, they reason; then they can try to move up. These player will tend to lay low and avoid the action early in the tourney. They want to avoid the aggressive action that can break out at the beginning of the SNG. The finish-in-the-money player is seeking to shorten her odds by letting the other players take each other out. She reasons that if one or two players make a quick exit that significantly helps her chances. Furthermore, one of the players eliminated early might be a powerful player who just suffered a bad beat. A player using this strategy tries to cultivate a tight table image that they can later exploit. So the mantra of a finish in the money strategy could be, "Don't gamble early." So which strategy should you adopt? Like most decisions in poker the answer is, "It depends". Online SNGs are unique in that we don't have much of an opportunity to engage in table selection. Typically when a table opens up for registration there is a 'land rush' for any available seat. We don't get the luxury of observing a table for a round or so like we do at a normal ring game. We have to figure out our opponents on the fly. If you play regularly, your notes can be a great help. But usually the first few hands will be a learning experience. Who are the aggressors and who are the maniacs? Who is sitting out the early action? Is this an aggressive table or is everyone playing tight? What's my position relative to the aggressors? If you find yourself in a crazy game where several players are going all-in in a suicde pact, that's great. Sit back for awhile and let them chew each other up. You are hoping that several of these guys make a quick exit. The blinds should still be relatively low and you'll have plenty of time to pick your spots. Your chances of finishing in the money are good. If you find yourself at the other extreme and no one is stepping out of line, seek to take charge of this type of game. Look for opportunities to play your opponent more so than the cards. You're going for the gold in this type of game. Most games will require tactics that mix the two basic strategies. As an example, last night I was in a SNG that was very aggressive at first. Four players were strongly contesting each pot. I chose to sit back and really picked my spots. I managed to stay pretty much even lurking around third or fourth place. After about 25 minutes, the character of the game changed. Two of the aggressive players were eliminated. The other two had accumulated large chip stacks. At this point it seemed none of the remaining 8 players wanted to play aggressively. The two high stacks seemed content. The other six of us were slow to recognize the new situation. Finally, I picked up on the new situation and started picking up some easy pots. As with most games, the character of that game changed several times. Each time it was important to recognize the change and adapt. The default strategy that I feel most comfortable with is to play conservatively early. Don't gamble and play very tightly. Wait for the field to thin. As you near the bubble use your tight table image to play aggressively and steal a few pots. Your opponents may be reluctant to contest a pot and risk busting out on the bubble. But recognize that this strategy is a strategy now widely espoused by the better SNG players. You may need to take your tactical thinking to another level if someone else is aware of what you are up to. So, while I'll enter the game with a basic thumbnail strategy; I think the important point is to not get wedded to either SNG objective. A good businessman will ask himself everyday, "What business am I in today?" He knows that conditions and opportunity are ever changing. He must adapt in order to survive and to thrive. Perhaps sit & go players should ask themselves a similar question, "What type of game am I in right now?" Asking this question on an ongoing basis will point us in the right direction. Play for the win when conditions are right to do so. Play to place in the money when that's the best choice. By being flexible and adjusting our objective when needed we can enhance our SNG play and boost our win rate.
Bankroll Requirements
No Limit Holdem SnG Strategy
Bankroll Requirements
Steve Badger is fond of saying that if you're a losing player, you need an infinite bankroll. If you follow the no limit Texas holdem SnG strategy in this article, it's unlikely you'll be a losing player. But you still need enough of a bankroll to avoid what they call risk of ruin, which is the chance that you'll catch a losing streak that will wipe out your bankroll before you can win enough to catch back up to your positive expectation.
The standard guidelines I've seen on discussions in various places on the internet is that you need between 20 and 30 buy-in's at whatever level of sit and go you're playing in. So here are the bankroll requirements at the various levels of play. (We recommend avoiding the $5 + $1 because the house rake is twice as much at that level, and the play at the $10 + $1 level isn't enough to warrant paying the extra vig on the entry fee.)
Buy-In
Bankroll Needed
$10 + $1=$220 - $330
$20 + $2=$440 - $660
$30 + $3=$660 - $990
$50 + $5=$1100 - $1650
$100 + $9=$2180 - $3270
$200 + $15=$4300 - $6450
The above amounts are just guidelines. If you're a good player, you're okay at the lower end of the ranges provided, and at the higher levels, you should work toward the higher ends of the ranges, because the competition stiffens considerably.
Jackpot Sit and Go tournaments
If you intend on playing the Sit and Go's, probably the best bet out there are the Jackpot tourneys from Titan. In these games, if you string together a winning streak, you can win a jackpot bonus. Bonuses range from $2,000 for four wins at the $2.40 buy-in level, to $100,000 for six wins at the $58 buy-in level.
Strategy for Early in the Tournaments
The blinds are what drives the action in poker, and in the early stages of a sit and go, the blinds are small. (I'm talking mostly about levels 1 - 3, or maybe 1-4 here.) At this point in the tournament, my recommendation is to play very tight and reasonably aggressively. Don't get involved with a raiser preflop unless you have a big hand (like jacks or better). Your play will vary a little bit preflop based on position too, and there's a little bit of room for style differences too.
Early Position - Preflop
There are only 2 positions at this stage of the tournament - early position and late. If you're in what many would consider middle position, consider yourself in early position. My recommendation in early position is that you don't play anything but AK or a pair of 99's or better. Raise 3 or 4 big blinds with QQ's or better, and limp in with JJ's or lower. Reraise all-in with QQ's or better if you're reraised preflop, and fold if you're raised with JJ's or lower.
About half the time I raise 100 or 200 chips instead of 3 or 4 big blinds just to mix up my play. I don't want my opponents to be able to put me on a hand, and I'm just as likely to put 200 chips in the pot with pocket 99's as I am to put 60 chips in their with pocket QQ's.
Late Position - Preflop
If you're in position and no one has raised, then raise 3 or 4 big blinds with any pair of 77's or better. You can also limp in from this position with any suited connectors that are 10 or higher.
A Quick Comment About Middle Pairs
Middle pairs are 77's and 88's and 99's (maybe even 66's too, although to me, 66's are a LOT weaker.) Chris Moneymaker suggests that it's okay to call preflop with middle pair if it's going to cost you less than 1/15 of your chips. So if you have 800 chips in front of you, it's okay to call with a middle pair if it's only 50 chips or so. If it's more than that, stay away from it. What you're hoping to do is flop a set or an overpair - it's easy to get away from the hand if you don't it hit it in this case.
On the Flop
This is fit or fold time. If the flop fits your hand, play it aggressively. If it doesn't, then get away from the hand. Hands that fit the flop include top pairs or overpairs, two pairs, trips, four to a flush when your hole cards are big, four to a straight when your hole cards are big and there's not a potential flush out there. You should be raising or folding here, unless you've got a huge monster that just couldn't possibly get cracked, in which case you can try to trap your opponents and get some chips from them. You want to avoid getting drawn out on here.
When you raise on the flop, you should be betting at least the size of the pot. You don't want to give opponents with drawing hands odds to draw out on you. If they draw out on you, then let it be a mistake on their part.
You won't be playing many hands early in the tournament, but you'll be picking up blinds when you do, and you should have a decent stack by the middle of the tournament, about level 4 or 5.
SnG Strategy for the Middle of the Tournament
Around level 4 or 5, you have to start playing a little looser and a more aggressively. The blinds are too large now to just be giving them up, and you'll wind up weak and short-stacked if you don't seize some initiative at this point.
Raise preflop with any pair of 77's or better, and raise with any suited connectors higher than 10. Add AQ to your playable hands too, even if they're not suited. Don't cold-call a raise with these hands necessarily, unless they're monsters (QQ's or better). Think about your opponent and make a decision about reraising them or folding them based on how strong or weak you suspect they are. If you have no idea, you're probably better off folding.
If you're in late position, consider limping in with suited connectors that are 78suited or better, but only if the pot didn't get raised before you.
On the flop at this point, you're going to do one of two things depending on what kind of chip stack you have.
If you're short-stacked, you're going all-in, or you're folding. Fit or fold, just like the strategy in the early stage of the tournament. You're short-stacked when you have so few chips that betting the pot will take up about half your stack or a little less.
If you have a strong stack, then play it like you played it early in the tournament - bet the pot if you have a strong hand, or fold if your hand stinks.
On the Bubble in a Sit and Go No Limit Tournament
"The bubble" in a tournament is when you're right on the edge of landing in the money. In a SnG, that's the final four players.
There are two approaches to playing when you're in the bubble (down to the final four players).
The first approach says that you should play EXTREMELY tight, so that you increase your chances of landing in the money. You can then gamble after you're in 3rd place and hope to get lucky.
The other approach is to play very aggressively and steal as many blinds as you can, because the other players on the bubble are probably also playing very tight at this point.
Strategy on the Turn and on the River
The big decisions in no limit Texas holdem SnG's are almost all made preflop and on the flop. Just concentrate on playing smart on the turn and the river, and you'll be fine. I don't offer any advice for river and turn play because all your decisions have been more or less made at that point because of the limited number of chips you have.
A Couple More Notes and Thoughts
Top pair with a good kicker is not the strongest hand in the world, but you don't have a lot of chips to play around with in those Party Poker tournaments with 800 chips. If you're playing at another cardroom where you have more chips to start, play that hand with a little more caution on the flop.
Middle pairs should be played aggressively on the turn if you detect weakness from your opponents on the flop. You should be able to pick up a pot or two with these.
Don't get discouraged if you get short-stacked. Wait for a playable hand and go all-in preflop with it. I've won many a SnG tournament after coming back from 15 or 30 chips.
Finally, don't buy into all the smack talk at the table, especially if you're multi-tabling. It wouldn't hurt you to turn the chat off in fact. A SnG takes about an hour to complete, and you could make a pretty profitable day of it playing 3 or 4 tables at a time at the $30 + $3 buy-in level. If you see a 15% ROI on that level, which is reasonable if you're patient and play smart, then you could theoretically make $15 or so per hour playing the $30 + $3 SnG's 3 tabling at a time, and $20 per hour if you're playing 4 SnG's at a time.
The ROI will go down a little bit as you increase in buy-in though, because play improves, but since you're playing higher stakes, the actual dollar amount won could actually be higher. I think at the $100 + $9 buy-in, you should be able to anticipate about a 10% ROI, so if you can 3 table at that level, you can earn $30 per hour. These are all estimates though, and risk of ruin and streaks can be discouraging and nerve-wracking.
Take it slow, master sit and go strategy, deviate from the above recommendations when you think it's appropriate. You're not a robot, and poker isn't a one-size-fits-all game anyway. But consider the strategy above to be training wheels of a sort that should be pretty handy.
Bankroll Requirements
Steve Badger is fond of saying that if you're a losing player, you need an infinite bankroll. If you follow the no limit Texas holdem SnG strategy in this article, it's unlikely you'll be a losing player. But you still need enough of a bankroll to avoid what they call risk of ruin, which is the chance that you'll catch a losing streak that will wipe out your bankroll before you can win enough to catch back up to your positive expectation.
The standard guidelines I've seen on discussions in various places on the internet is that you need between 20 and 30 buy-in's at whatever level of sit and go you're playing in. So here are the bankroll requirements at the various levels of play. (We recommend avoiding the $5 + $1 because the house rake is twice as much at that level, and the play at the $10 + $1 level isn't enough to warrant paying the extra vig on the entry fee.)
Buy-In
Bankroll Needed
$10 + $1=$220 - $330
$20 + $2=$440 - $660
$30 + $3=$660 - $990
$50 + $5=$1100 - $1650
$100 + $9=$2180 - $3270
$200 + $15=$4300 - $6450
The above amounts are just guidelines. If you're a good player, you're okay at the lower end of the ranges provided, and at the higher levels, you should work toward the higher ends of the ranges, because the competition stiffens considerably.
Jackpot Sit and Go tournaments
If you intend on playing the Sit and Go's, probably the best bet out there are the Jackpot tourneys from Titan. In these games, if you string together a winning streak, you can win a jackpot bonus. Bonuses range from $2,000 for four wins at the $2.40 buy-in level, to $100,000 for six wins at the $58 buy-in level.
Strategy for Early in the Tournaments
The blinds are what drives the action in poker, and in the early stages of a sit and go, the blinds are small. (I'm talking mostly about levels 1 - 3, or maybe 1-4 here.) At this point in the tournament, my recommendation is to play very tight and reasonably aggressively. Don't get involved with a raiser preflop unless you have a big hand (like jacks or better). Your play will vary a little bit preflop based on position too, and there's a little bit of room for style differences too.
Early Position - Preflop
There are only 2 positions at this stage of the tournament - early position and late. If you're in what many would consider middle position, consider yourself in early position. My recommendation in early position is that you don't play anything but AK or a pair of 99's or better. Raise 3 or 4 big blinds with QQ's or better, and limp in with JJ's or lower. Reraise all-in with QQ's or better if you're reraised preflop, and fold if you're raised with JJ's or lower.
About half the time I raise 100 or 200 chips instead of 3 or 4 big blinds just to mix up my play. I don't want my opponents to be able to put me on a hand, and I'm just as likely to put 200 chips in the pot with pocket 99's as I am to put 60 chips in their with pocket QQ's.
Late Position - Preflop
If you're in position and no one has raised, then raise 3 or 4 big blinds with any pair of 77's or better. You can also limp in from this position with any suited connectors that are 10 or higher.
A Quick Comment About Middle Pairs
Middle pairs are 77's and 88's and 99's (maybe even 66's too, although to me, 66's are a LOT weaker.) Chris Moneymaker suggests that it's okay to call preflop with middle pair if it's going to cost you less than 1/15 of your chips. So if you have 800 chips in front of you, it's okay to call with a middle pair if it's only 50 chips or so. If it's more than that, stay away from it. What you're hoping to do is flop a set or an overpair - it's easy to get away from the hand if you don't it hit it in this case.
On the Flop
This is fit or fold time. If the flop fits your hand, play it aggressively. If it doesn't, then get away from the hand. Hands that fit the flop include top pairs or overpairs, two pairs, trips, four to a flush when your hole cards are big, four to a straight when your hole cards are big and there's not a potential flush out there. You should be raising or folding here, unless you've got a huge monster that just couldn't possibly get cracked, in which case you can try to trap your opponents and get some chips from them. You want to avoid getting drawn out on here.
When you raise on the flop, you should be betting at least the size of the pot. You don't want to give opponents with drawing hands odds to draw out on you. If they draw out on you, then let it be a mistake on their part.
You won't be playing many hands early in the tournament, but you'll be picking up blinds when you do, and you should have a decent stack by the middle of the tournament, about level 4 or 5.
SnG Strategy for the Middle of the Tournament
Around level 4 or 5, you have to start playing a little looser and a more aggressively. The blinds are too large now to just be giving them up, and you'll wind up weak and short-stacked if you don't seize some initiative at this point.
Raise preflop with any pair of 77's or better, and raise with any suited connectors higher than 10. Add AQ to your playable hands too, even if they're not suited. Don't cold-call a raise with these hands necessarily, unless they're monsters (QQ's or better). Think about your opponent and make a decision about reraising them or folding them based on how strong or weak you suspect they are. If you have no idea, you're probably better off folding.
If you're in late position, consider limping in with suited connectors that are 78suited or better, but only if the pot didn't get raised before you.
On the flop at this point, you're going to do one of two things depending on what kind of chip stack you have.
If you're short-stacked, you're going all-in, or you're folding. Fit or fold, just like the strategy in the early stage of the tournament. You're short-stacked when you have so few chips that betting the pot will take up about half your stack or a little less.
If you have a strong stack, then play it like you played it early in the tournament - bet the pot if you have a strong hand, or fold if your hand stinks.
On the Bubble in a Sit and Go No Limit Tournament
"The bubble" in a tournament is when you're right on the edge of landing in the money. In a SnG, that's the final four players.
There are two approaches to playing when you're in the bubble (down to the final four players).
The first approach says that you should play EXTREMELY tight, so that you increase your chances of landing in the money. You can then gamble after you're in 3rd place and hope to get lucky.
The other approach is to play very aggressively and steal as many blinds as you can, because the other players on the bubble are probably also playing very tight at this point.
Strategy on the Turn and on the River
The big decisions in no limit Texas holdem SnG's are almost all made preflop and on the flop. Just concentrate on playing smart on the turn and the river, and you'll be fine. I don't offer any advice for river and turn play because all your decisions have been more or less made at that point because of the limited number of chips you have.
A Couple More Notes and Thoughts
Top pair with a good kicker is not the strongest hand in the world, but you don't have a lot of chips to play around with in those Party Poker tournaments with 800 chips. If you're playing at another cardroom where you have more chips to start, play that hand with a little more caution on the flop.
Middle pairs should be played aggressively on the turn if you detect weakness from your opponents on the flop. You should be able to pick up a pot or two with these.
Don't get discouraged if you get short-stacked. Wait for a playable hand and go all-in preflop with it. I've won many a SnG tournament after coming back from 15 or 30 chips.
Finally, don't buy into all the smack talk at the table, especially if you're multi-tabling. It wouldn't hurt you to turn the chat off in fact. A SnG takes about an hour to complete, and you could make a pretty profitable day of it playing 3 or 4 tables at a time at the $30 + $3 buy-in level. If you see a 15% ROI on that level, which is reasonable if you're patient and play smart, then you could theoretically make $15 or so per hour playing the $30 + $3 SnG's 3 tabling at a time, and $20 per hour if you're playing 4 SnG's at a time.
The ROI will go down a little bit as you increase in buy-in though, because play improves, but since you're playing higher stakes, the actual dollar amount won could actually be higher. I think at the $100 + $9 buy-in, you should be able to anticipate about a 10% ROI, so if you can 3 table at that level, you can earn $30 per hour. These are all estimates though, and risk of ruin and streaks can be discouraging and nerve-wracking.
Take it slow, master sit and go strategy, deviate from the above recommendations when you think it's appropriate. You're not a robot, and poker isn't a one-size-fits-all game anyway. But consider the strategy above to be training wheels of a sort that should be pretty handy.
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