HOW TO WIN AT

ONLINE POKER Expert strategies for mastering the world’s hottest game

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 INTRODUCTION EDITOR’S LETTER

Dennis Publishing,
30 Cleveland Street,
London W1T 4JD
Tel 020 7907 6000
Fax 020 7907 6282

EDITORIAL
EDITOR Anthony Holden
GROUP ART EDITOR Spike McCormack
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Peter Walker
DEPUTY ART EDITOR Claire Hayter
FREELANCE DESIGNERS
Russell Clark , Sarah-Jane Mortimer, Mike Newson
FREELANCE SUB-EDITOR Justine Harkness

CONTRIBUTORS
Roy Brindley, Rick Dacey, Nolan Dalla,
Roland De Wolfe, Andrew NS Glazer,
Phil Shaw, Professor Leighton Vaughan
Williams, Dave Woods

PUBLISHING & MARKETING

PUBLISHER
Richard Downey 020 7907 6488

COMMERCIAL MANAGER
Emily Ford 020 7907 6349

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Martin Belson 020 7907 6150

DENNIS PUBLISHING LIMITED

MANAGING DIRECTOR Bruce Sandell
CHIEF EXECUTIVE James Tye
CHAIRMAN Felix Dennis

Printed by BG Print
Distribution by Seymour Distribution
020 7396 8000

Published by Dennis Publishing Ltd, a

company registered in England number
1138891

Entire contents © Dennis Publishing Ltd

licensed by Felden.

All email addresses are first name_surname@

dennis.co.uk

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 EDITOR’S LETTER INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the poker revolution.

Right now, tens of thousands of
people are playing Texas hold’em
through the magic of the Internet,
and if you’ve sampled the world’s
hottest game you’ll know why.
The ‘Cadillac of poker’ is the most compelling and
exhilarating game on the planet. It’s as intellectual
as chess and as visceral as manhandling a snake,
and comes with the added bonus of huge
cash rewards if you play it right.
Of course, the fact that zillions of
people are playing it means that
zillions are practising too, which
makes it more important than ever to
have a firm grasp of poker skills and
strategies before you venture into the
world of competitive real-money play.
Remember, this isn’t blackjack.
Whatever anyone tells
you, poker is first and
foremost a game of skill
– how else could the
best players in the
It’s as world keep winning
intellectual year-in, year-out?
as chess
In these pages we
and as
visceral as aim to give you all the tools and knowledge you
manhandling need to become a consistently winning player,
a snake, whether it’s in cash games, tournaments or even
and offers just play-money games with your mates.
the added To make it as easy as possible, we’ve divided
bonus of our expert tips and advice into three colour-coded
huge cash sections: pink for beginners, blue for intermediate
rewards and black for advanced. Starting with the very
basic rules and structures of Texas hold’em, we
cover every key aspect of the game, from position
PORTRAIT: JAMIE McGOVERN

play and bluffing right through to the intricate

details of poker maths and psychology.
Enjoy the book, learn its lessons well and above
all have fun. That, after all, is what it’s all about.

Anthony Holden
Editor

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 BEGINNER
STRATEGY
Want to learn how to play poker with the best of them and make
yourself a nice profit into the bargain? You’ve come to the right place…

Welcome to the first of our three colour-
coded strategy sections. Here we’ll teach
you the very basics of the game and give
you all the skills you need to make the
move to competitive real-money play.
First off you’ll learn the rules of Texas
hold’em, as well as some basic strategies
for beating it. From there, we’ll take you
through the most popular betting variants –
limit, pot limit and no limit – and give you
an insight into some key concepts such
as position and hand selection.
By the way, online play is usually in dollars,
so it’s this currency that features throughout
this book. Read on and some of them could
soon be coming your way…

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 BEGINNER STRATEGY BASIC HOLD’EM TIPS

1.Buttons and blinds

In poker, dealing is far from a drag…

‘Position is key!’ hand. It determines It’s universally

It’s a statement where the betting accepted that
you’ll hear over or ‘action’ starts, as you’re in the best
and over during well as who must position when
TV tournaments, pay the blinds (two you’re on the
but it’s very rarely compulsory bets button, as you
explained. that are posted have the benefit
‘Position’ refers before the deal to of seeing everyone
to your proximity instigate action). else’s decisions
to the button, a You can find prior to making
circular marker these – small and your own: to check,
which represents big blinds – to the bet, raise or fold.
the nominal dealer. left of the button. You’re also ideally
Online, dealing is The players on situated to try to
done automatically, the blinds are the ‘steal’ the blinds,
but the button is last to act during by raising and
there to show who the first round of pushing the
would otherwise betting, but are blinds to fold.
be dealing, and the first to act in See page 35 for
moves one place to all subsequent more information
the left with every betting rounds. on blinds.

BASIC
HOLD’EM TIPS

Basic
strategy
Playing poker’s more fun when you’re winning, so take heed of these
simple strategies and you’ll be hearing the rattle of chips before you know it
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PLAY WINNING
poker? Patience and the ability to outwit
your opponents are key attributes, but
above all else, poker’s a game of skill. It’s
the reason the same names win big year
after year. Luck has nothing to do with it.
When you’re just coming to terms with
the game, it’s simple to split players roughly
into two camps: those who have the above
attributes – patience, cunning and statistical
strategy – and are lured back through the
thrill of victory and financial gain; and the
less successful players – invariably losers in
the long run – who play for fun and in the
vain hope of getting lucky. Get together a
mixed table of the two and you’ve got a
recipe for a fine game of cards.
Obviously you want to make sure you’re
in the winning group. And, while you can’t
completely remove the element of luck,
you can maxim ise your chances by playing
winning strategies.
Here we’ll take you through six specific
elements that will improve your all-round
game, starting with the basics of Texas
hold’em. Also over the page are the poker
hand rankings, as well as a bit of peace of
mind when it comes to playing online.
If this all seems a bit daunting at this stage,
turn to page 22, where we’ll go through
the rules of hold’em in more simple terms,
starting with the easiest format. Otherwise,
follow these six basic guidelines and you’ll
be on the road to poker success.

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 BASIC HOLD’EM TIPS BEGINNER STRATEGY

2.Playing position
Whether you’re the first or the last to act, there are a few simple rules to know…

When considering which hands to play Similarly, a hand such as AÚ-10Ú

and which to fold, the decision-making
process invariably involves position.
Basically, the later your position the more
likely it is that none of the remaining
(yet-to-act) players have a sizeable hand.
Likewise, if you’re one of the first to
act – in an early position – there’s a
greater possibility of a powerful hand
being among the players who have yet
to be offered their option of folding,
calling or raising.
Considering this, you should only call
in an early position with a powerful hand.
The likes of 9-10 suited are nice cards
to limp into a multi-way pot with in late
position for example, but doing so in an
early position is unwise and invariably
costly. All it takes is one big raise from
the players behind you and you’ve
effectively just given them free chips.
can be used to raise with in a late
position as it offers a lot of value
against one or possibly two
opponents. If you’re a more
aggressive player you might even
see them as worth a raise in middle
positions. But the hard and fast
rule is that if you want to win you’d
muck the cards at the early stages
of a tournament as one of the first
players to act.
Obviously these rules vary
depending on how many players
are left in. If you’re under the gun
with only two other opponents you
can call and raise with a lot less
than when you’re staring down the
barrel of a full ten-man table.
For a more detailed analysis on
position play, turn to page 32.

3.Raising big
What sort of hands do you need to get aggressive?

So, what’s a pocket Aces have good hand while his chips to on a
powerful hand? an 80% chance of also increasing flop that shows You’ve been warned!
It’s always good to prevailing against the possibility of promise. Big raises Don’t get too attached to the following
see a pocket pair 6Ú-9Ú. However, heads-up action. will often be called hands – they’re trouble
but you need to throw in a J:-Q: The latter point is by the likes of
play them properly. and this drops to vital if you want pocket Jacks, who Any Ace: Next time you hold
We can’t stress 62%. Stick two to avoid getting will love the look A-5, A-6, A-7 et al, stop to
enough that it’s more random busted out. of an 8-high flop, consider what the only people
folly not to raise cards into the mix You want to go or Q-K who will who will contest a raise will be
when holding a and the Aces are against a good relish a Queen or holding. It’s simple: those with
big pocket pair. now favourite to hand as your raise King-high flop. In an Ace and a better kicker, and
Pocket Aces are lose. It’s ironic, will create a pot either scenario you those holding a pair higher than your
a favourite over but raising with worth fighting could see all the kicker. You’re a huge underdog and if
any other single Aces ramps up over and one that chips going in with an Ace doesn’t come along you’ll be
hand, but consider the chances of a player with a your opponent reduced to bluffing to win the pot, and
the following you taking on a strong hand may needing a miracle the chances of that working are not good.
percentages: player holding a well commit all to survive.
‘They were suited!’ Way too
much emphasis is placed on
suited hole cards. Consider this:
A…-Q; against 10…-10: is a
43.1% underdog whereas A…-Q…
against 10…-10: has only a 2.6%
better chance of prevailing. A lot
of players think the added edge of
suited cards is something like 20%.
Playing the likes of Q-4 because it’s
suited is simply bad poker.

Never fall in love with a hand

Forget the time you won a big pot
with a certain starting hand –
such foolhardy superstition
is absolutely guaranteed to
cost you a lot of chips and
even competitions in the long
run. If that’s your style stick
to three-card brag.

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 BEGINNER STRATEGY BASIC HOLD’EM TIPS

Is it safe to 4.Tripping up
play online? How to avoid inadvertently helping your opponents
Don’t believe the hype
– Internet poker is Most players try to limp into a pot when will never believe the strength you
carefully monitored holding a small pocket pair. That’s a fair have. They are likely to be attracted
enough play providing the blinds are by the amount of chips now in the pot,
Yes, it is safe, so small enough to get in cheaply. However, prompting a re-raise or an all-in move,
relax. Every major virtually every player will then check if especially by someone holding the likes
operator uses an they hit three-of-a-kind (commonly of A-J on a J-3-8 flop… lovely jubbly
independent auditor known as ‘trips’) on the flop. when you’re clutching pocket 8s!
to review its software Indeed, ‘trips’ is a big hand and The best piece of advice is to mix up If not
and check the trapping should get you paid off, but your play so that your opponent can’t for your
randomness of the you have to bear in mind that by giving ever put you on a certain hand. If you pessimism,
cards dealt. Some someone a free card you’re giving them always check and re-raise, or always things
operators also allow the chance to draw to a winning hand. bet big when you’ve got a made hand would
you to set daily Conversely, when betting a well- you’re going to be easy to read and, have gone
deposit limits for disguised huge hand your opponents as a result, easy to beat.
differently
a 24-hour period,
so you can’t come
and you
home drunk and could have
max out your doubled up
credit cards.
Collusion (where
you team up with
a mate and dump
chips on him)
is theoretically
possible, but in
practise you’re not
going to last more
than a couple of
hands. Sophisticated
software analyses
your play history
and instantly alerts
the operator to
any suspicious
activity. By tracking
betting patterns,
card history, player
combinations and
final hands, collusion
just isn’t going to
happen and if you try
it you’ll be banned
from the site for life.
So, online poker.
Safer than a long row
of big churches. In
fact you can have a
guarantee from us
that if you lose
money it’s 6.Concentrate
either your Pay attention – it will save you a packet down the track
fault, or the
fault of a Now, you might not like this last bit but information that could win or lose you
really bad it’s true. If you enjoy doing other things the game later on.
beat. And while you’re playing you’re going to lose. The good news is that most players,
that’s poker. That’s because if you’re happy chatting especially on the lower-stakes tables
or being distracted by Match of the Day online, are remarkably consistent in
you’re not concentrating on what’s going move-making and basic play. The best
on around the table. players note down every characteristic
Poker can be a long-haul game and and tell and that’s why they win
you need to have patience and be able consistently. Make basic notes when
to sit through hands you’re not playing, you’re playing and look out for the
while still maintaining your focus same players again. It’s easy to identify
on what’s going on around you. people’s mannerisms but you need to
Drift off and you’ll miss vital bits of be constantly vigilant.

20

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 BASIC HOLD’EM TIPS BEGINNER STRATEGY

5.Serendipity now! The concise rules of Texas hold’em

How to make a fortune... accidentally Don’t know them? Here’s a lightning-quick guide to the world’s best game…
Texas hold’em couldn’t be any easier. up their final five-card hand. There’s
What? Good Here’s a basic you’ll pass to any The two players to the left of the dealer another round of betting, starting to the
fortune? But poker example. You’re bet. Naturally, the post the small and big blinds to get the left of the dealer (or button), before the
isn’t a game of luck! holding pocket bet will have come betting started. (Blinds are compulsory turn card, and another before the river
Let’s explain. Bad Queens and an from your opponent bets you have to make to stay at the and final round of betting. If there’s still
beats, for example, aggressive player who missed with table, otherwise everyone would fold more than one player left in, the cards
create a sense of raises into you. his A-J but sensed until they were sitting on a monster.) are revealed and the pot awarded to
pessimism. You’re You know this your weakness and Then everyone gets dealt two cards face the highest five-card hand based on the
going to get a opponent is the lack of desire to get down (known as the hole cards). From standard poker hand-rankings. More
period of play, no type who will have involved in a big here, the first round of betting takes often than not though, rounds of hold’em
matter who you some kind of strong confrontation and place, purely on the strength of these are won without cards being shown.
are, when your hand and will not successfully preyed two cards, starting to the left of the big
opponents seem relinquish it should on it. If not for the blind and continuing clockwise until Split pot
to continuously hit you move all-in. pessimism, things everyone has matched the bet (currently In the case of more than one player
miracle cards to With abundant would have gone the big blind but this can go up with a holding the same hand, the kicker (or
win pots that were confidence you’ll entirely differently raise) or folded their cards. higher card) comes into play. Unlike other
yours for the taking. put a gun to your and instead of poker variants, you don’t have to play
Consequently opponent’s head losing chips, you Community cards either of your hole cards, which means
your game is and move all-in. could well have Then a card’s burnt (to avoid anyone that if both kickers are lower than those
affected as your However, if you’re doubled up. cheating by playing with a marked deck) on the board, the pot is split. Likewise,
confidence dips. on a bad run Don’t get and you get what’s known as the flop, if a Royal flush is dealt as the five
Conversely when where you seem to despondent when the first three community cards, dealt community cards, everyone who’s left
everything’s going continuously come things aren’t going face-up, that everyone can use to make in shares the pot.
well – winning out second best, well. Unless you’re
your coin-toss
Hand rankings – from the coveted Royal flush down to nothing at all
you’re likely to just a natural born loser,
hands and filling call and look for a luck will even out Royal flush Straight
your flush draws flop with no Ace in the end and you The daddy Five cards
– the optimism or King on it. With don’t need to put of all hands, in sequence
such good fortune the way things are yourself on tilt to try this is the but not suited
induces leads to going, the flop will, and reverse it – it’s best possible
a totally different of course, come a sure way of losing straight flush
playing style. King-high and even more money.

Straight flush Three of a kind

A straight Also called
but with all trips or a set
five cards in
the same suit

Four of a kind Two pair

Fairly self- Two lots of
explanatory two, obviously
– four cards of
the same rank

Full house One pair

A pair and Any two cards of
three of a the same rank, the
kind best being Aces

Flush High card

Five non- When no
sequential one has a
cards of the pair or better,
same suit the highest
single card
wins

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 BEGINNER STRATEGY INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM

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Deal me in!
A beginner’s guide to
limit Texas hold’em
Want to play poker but don’t know where to start? Top poker expert Nolan Dalla’s
guide to the easiest format – limit Texas hold’em – will put you on the right path
SITTING DOWN TO A POKER GAME FOR
the very first time can be a confusing,
intimidating, even scary, experience. I’ve
played over half a million poker hands
during my lifetime, and while I’ve forgotten
playing almost all of them, the one hand
that’s still crystal clear is my first live
poker hand dealt in a casino.
The year was 1983. Two months after
my 21st birthday, I sat down in a $1/$4
seven-card stud game at the Flamingo
Hilton in Las Vegas. The line-up at my
table appeared mighty tough. The men
with faces of stone looked like they’d been
playing poker since WWII. The women,
mostly grandmothers living on retirement
cheques, were just as intimidating. I was
the youngest player in the game by at least
a quarter of a century. It was a textbook
case of the Las Vegas locals (them)
feasting on a tourist (me). Shark bait.
I anted up 25 cents. The exact cards
that were dealt were irrelevant, but I recall
how one of the chain-smoking old-timers
made it $4 to call, which was the maximum
bet allowed at the table. I reached into
my stack and, without any hesitation
whatsoever, flung four $1 chips into the
pot. They weren’t going to push me
around. I’d show them!
‘Sir, don’t splash the pot,’ the dealer
insisted. Splash the pot? What in the hell
was he talking about? ‘Sir, place the chips
in front if you intend to call, and I’ll rake
them into the pot,’ the dealer instructed.
Sure – I knew that. Right. ‘No problem,’ I
said, hoping that my first infringement of
poker etiquette would go unnoticed.
I might as well have fired off a flare gun.
My opponent kept on betting on each
022_PKR_limit holdm_7_HR.indd 23
INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM BEGINNER STRATEGY
INTRODUCTION
TO LIMIT HOLD’EM
round and by sixth street I’d seen enough.
I folded, careful not to allow anyone to see
my cards and the fact I had no business in
the hand in the first place. I’d played one
hand and was already stuck $17.25.
Around 30 minutes later, I was broke and
stormed out, furious. Such was my first
poker experience at a casino. What did I
do wrong? Well, as you’ll find out over the
next few pages, just about everything.
Your first ‘play money’ game
When I first started playing poker, the
Internet didn’t exist. If anyone wished to
Go ahead
learn how to play poker in a casino, the and try a
beginner had to jump into the fire and get few things;
burned. But that’s no longer the case. watch the
Now, with easy access to the Net and betting and
multiple poker websites to choose from, how players
it’s much simpler to learn the rules and are forced
nuances of poker for absolutely nothing.
to act in turn
Here’s what you can do right now:
download the free software on www.
pkr.com and play for fun. Since you’re not
playing for real money here, there’s really
no such thing as making a mistake.
Go ahead and try a few crazy things,
see what it’s like to fold, call, bet and raise.
Watch the betting action and notice how
players are forced to act in turn. Notice
that in limit games, the bets conform to a
certain size on each round of betting.
I strongly suggest before you even think
of playing poker for real, an apprenticeship
in online play-money poker should be
mandatory. There’s really no better way to
build up your confidence. When you play
online, no one knows who you are.
There’s no reason to feel any pressure or
be intimidated – everyone was a beginner
23
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 BEGINNER STRATEGY INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM
once. What’s more, most players at the play-
money tables are beginners and, best of all,
you can play in the comfort of your own
home without it costing a cent.
Your first ‘real-money’ hand
Remember the story of my first poker hand?
Back then, I didn’t know the rules. I made
the mistake of playing the first hand I was
dealt. And I went bust after half an hour.
When you graduate from play-money to
cash-games, you will find people play a little
differently. At the low-limits most might still
be having fun, but as you get better and play
bigger, the opposition will take things more
seriously. So if you want to join those who
are aiming to make a profit, you’d better
start out right. Here’s what I’d recommend
for your game plan in your first session:
Take your seat and wait for the blinds to
come to you. Don’t post a blind in advance.
Wait patiently and watch the game.
Make a commitment that the first hand
you play will be a very strong hand. Fold all
The basics: A crash course in limit Texas hold’em
Texas hold’em is a deceptively simple game to learn, but difficult to master.
It’s surpassed all other forms of poker in popularity, leaving five-card draw,
five-card stud and seven-card stud in the dust. The basic rules are as follows:
Before the hand begins
The first thing to observe is the location
of the dealer button, which means that
player will act last on all betting rounds
except the first. The player on the
immediate left of the dealer button is
called the small blind. This player posts
a small forced blind bet in advance of
the hand being dealt. In most limit
hold’em games, this amount is one-half
the size of the big blind.
The big blind sits to the immediate left
of the small blind, and is exactly two
seats to the left of the dealer. The big
blind places a full-sized bet in advance.
The remaining players do not ante, nor
are they forced to place a bet before
the deal begins. These players get to
see a hand for free. After each hand,
the dealer button rotates one spot to
the left, thus assuring that every player
plays one set of blinds during each
orbit around the table.
How the cards are dealt
Each player is dealt two cards, both
face down. These are called hole cards.
They should never be disclosed to
opponents, so protect your hand at all
times. These are the only cards you will
be dealt. Therefore, the most important
decision you make in every hand is
whether or not to play – which means
either folding, calling, or raising.
The first round of betting
After you receive two hole cards, there
is an initial round of betting. Now you
must decide if you want to play the
24
022_PKR_limit holdm_6_ch.indd 24
hands which raise any doubt. This means
that you will only play a big pair or A-K.
Throw everything else away.
Since you have already dedicated yourself
to winning the first hand you play and are
following the strictest starting-hand rules,
odds are you should have the best hand
when you finally do decide to play.
If you lose that first hand for any reason,
continue to practise the strictest starting-
hand selection. Wait for a premium hand.
Trust me, it will come. Eventually.
If you are fortunate enough to win that first
hand (not counting the blinds), go ahead and
play more hands as you become more
comfortable. Gradually, you will see what is
happening at the table and will be able to
pick spots where you can play more hands,
and even make some raises.
Finally, don’t be influenced by what you
see from your opponents. Quite frequently
they will show so-called trash-cards and
win big pots. Fact is, they got lucky. That
happens in poker. But in the long run,
hand. The size of the bet is always a fixed
amount. This means betting increments
on these early rounds are the same as the
amount of the big blind. For example, if
you are playing in a casino game where
the big blind is $2, it will cost $2 to
continue playing the hand.
The other options are to fold (which
costs you nothing) or to raise. If you
decide to raise, it must be exactly
double the amount of the big blind. If
there has already been a raise, and you
have a very strong hand, you may want to
re-raise. This means you will bet three
times the size of the big blind.
If you are the small blind, you have the
option of completing the bet to stay in
the hand (costing you just one-half a bet
if there’s been no raise). If you’re in the
big blind, you’re not required to place any
more money into the pot on this round
(unless someone has raised). A good
poker player does not bet or raise very
often – they are patient and wait, and
throw most of their weak hands away.
The flop
After the first round of betting, all the
chips are pooled in the center of the
table by the dealer. This is called the pot.
Only players who still have hole cards
compete for the pot. Next, the dealer
turns three community (shared) cards
face up in the middle of the table. These
three cards constitute the flop.
Now, you have a five-card poker hand –
two hole cards and three flop cards. After
the flop, there’s another round of betting.
The first active player to the left of the
In a casino or online
game, the house
provides a dealer…
button will act, and the betting
progresses in a clockwise direction.
The turn
After the second round of betting, a
fourth card is dealt and placed in the
center of the table. This is called the turn
card, or ‘Fourth Street’. The turn card
means there are now six cards from
which to make the best five-card hand.
A good Now the stakes double in size from the
poker previous round. For example, in a $2/$4
player does game, the initial bet on this round will
not bet or be $4. Again, the active player to the left
raise very of the dealer button is first to act, and
often. They the betting progresses around the table
throw most in clockwise fashion.
of their
The river
weak hands After the third round of betting, a fifth
away card is dealt and placed in the center of
the table. This is the final card of the
hand, called the river card, aka ‘Fifth
Street’. The river card makes seven cards
from which to construct the best five-
card poker hand. The stakes remain the
same as in the previous round. So, in the
previously mentioned $2/$4 game, the
betting amount on this round will be $4.
Again, the active player to the left of the
button is first to act, and betting
progresses clockwise.
The showdown
After the final round of betting, the best
five-card poker hand wins the pot. If
you’re in this long, you should be fairly
confident you have the best hand.
Otherwise, why would you still be in?
8/6/06 14:41:30
 INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM BEGINNER STRATEGY

in the pot and the personality traits of all

the other players at your table.
How a hand unfolds
Position Most low-limit hold’em players You’re holding a very playable Q…-QÚ for your two hole
and beginners fail to grasp the importance cards. Do you fold, call or raise? Should you be jumping
of where they’re seated at the poker table. for joy or sweating bullets as the flop, turn and river
Other than the two cards you are dealt, come down? Let’s see…
it’s the single most important factor in your
decision of whether or not to play a hand.
In general, the later you act on each round The first round
of betting, the bigger your advantage. So, It’s time to raise
if you’re the dealer, you see what everyone and get some
does before you act. Conversely, if you’re chips in this pot!
in early position, you’re at a distinct Pocket Queens
disadvantage. You must act first without is among the best
knowing how your opponent(s) will react. hands you can
Turn to page 30 for an in-depth guide to hold before the
position, but for now we’ll take a brief look at flop, so you want
the impact of position in limit hold’em and to see some
what each category means to you: betting action and
multiple callers.
The blinds The small blind and big blind
constitute a compulsory bet by the next two
player to the left of the dealer. After the flop,
these two players are the first to act. They’re
in the worst position, since they have no The flop
…so a dealer button idea what their opponents may have or do. Nice. No over-
is used to indicate the However, the blinds get to play more hands cards (cards higher
player in last position as they’ve already posted a bet and so will than your Queens)
see many flops for free or one more bet. means you’re
probably in good
players who play inferior cards will lose. Early position The player to the shape. Keep
Count on it. Better yet, sit in on their games. immediate left of the big blind is considered betting, or check-
Love them. Just don’t be one of them. to be ‘under the gun’. This player has a gun raise if you can –
to his head, since he is the first player to unless you think
When to hold ’em and when to fold ’em decide whether or not to play the hand. someone already
Imagine that two runners are to compete, Both this player and the player on his left has you beat (eg,
and the first is given a significant advantage. are considered to be in early position. It’s with J-J or A-A).
Of course, that first runner recommended to play only
would win a lot of the time. the very best starting hands
Why? Because he enjoyed an Most from early position in limit
edge during the entire length of low-limit hold’em, such as A-A, K-K, The turn
the race the other didn’t have.
hold’em Q-Q or A-K. Oh dear, the Ace
Now, let’s think of this in poker is a scare card, as
terms. For example, if the first
players and Middle position In a full game it gives anyone
poker player begins with a beginners of nine or ten players (which is with a pocket Ace
powerful hand and plays an fail to grasp fairly standard for most hold’em a higher pair (and
entire hand from start to finish the real games), players who are fifth, remember, hands
against a second poker player importance sixth and seventh in the betting like A-Q and A-J
who has a much weaker hand, of position rotation are in middle position. are very playable).
which player will win most of the at the table While players here can play most Bet again if you
time? Naturally, the first player of the hands listed earlier, they want to show
will win – in the long run. must also remember there are at strength, but fold
This is why, obvious as it may least three more players to act to heavy betting.
sound, it’s critical to start off behind them. Play tight in this
each hand with good cards. In hold’em, the spot. Get more aggressive when you are
best starting hands are as follows: A-A, K-K, sure you have the advantage.
Q-Q and A-K (suited). The river
You should almost always play and raise Late position This normally refers to the You’ve hit trips!
(and re-raise) with these four powerhouse last two or three players to act on each Beware though –
hands from any position. Unfortunately, round of betting. In a ten-handed hold’em anyone with 9-10
these premium hands don’t come very often game, the eighth and ninth players in the has hit a straight
– usually about once every 60 hands or so. rotation are in late position. These players and there’s a heart
You can also play the following hands, but enjoy an edge over players who act before flush possible too.
they’re not always worth a raise: J-J, 10-10, them because they get the added benefit of Drawing hands
9-9, 8-8, 7-7, A-Q (suited), A-K (unsuited). knowing what the other players have done, like 9-10 should
The remaining two-card starting-hand before being forced to make a decision. have folded long
combinations are open to question. Whether Players in late position are also less fearful ago – but what
to fold, call or raise with hands other than of being raised, since most of the other about A-A? Bet it
these depends on several factors, such as players have already acted. Late position hard and pray…
your position, the number of players already players are able to play a much wider range

25

022_PKR_limit holdm_7_HR.indd 25 9/6/06 13:52:37

 BEGINNER STRATEGY INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM

of starting hands (unless the pot has already

been raised), including any pair, any suited
Ace, any two face cards, and most suited
connectors (hands such as 6-7 of the same
suit, or 10-J of the same suit are playable in
late position without a raise because they
have both straight and flush potential).

Dealer This is the strongest position in any

hand. Even an unskilled poker player enjoys
some intrinsic advantages by virtue of his
position at the table when he is the dealer.
In essence, this is much like being the last
bidder at an auction. Imagine having the
ability to know everyone’s bid in advance
before making your own. The dealer gets to
see how every player acts on each round of
betting and can then decide to fold, bet,
raise or re-raise. More bluffing is done from
the dealer position than any other.
So there you have it – enough of an edge,
we hope, to ensure you don’t end up as
shark bait the minute you test the water in
the limit hold’em pond. But once you’ve
caught the poker bug and have practised on
the play-money tables at PKR, tested your
nerve in live games, and generally become
more confident about which hands are
winning hands, you’re going to want to raise
your game to the next level. Make sure
you’re comfortable with all the basic material
we’ve covered so far. Because from now on
you have bigger fish to fry…
The evolution of (gambling) man
Just as evolution pertains to nature,
becoming a winning poker player is normally
a slow, arduous process. There’s no way to
turn a losing poker player into a winning
poker player in a single day. There are no
magic formulas or secret potions. Even if
you read some of the highly acclaimed
books on poker strategy on the market,
implementing their ideas takes time, not
to mention hours and hours of practice.
Nevertheless, there are some
fundamental precepts, which – if followed –
can accelerate the evolutionary process from
poker loser to winner. Elaborating on the
basic concepts we’ve already covered, here
are three quick tips for intermediate hold’em
players that will instantly help your game:
Exercise better game selection The
most important decision you make when
playing poker is the very first one – deciding
which game to play. Finding the best
possible game for your bankroll and comfort
level should be your top priority, instead of
getting to the action as quickly as possible.
All strategic decisions that follow derive from
the initial decision of whether the game is
good or bad. A skilful player playing against
equally skilful players will break even in the
long run, while an average player playing
against bad players will probably turn a
profit. So even though the skilful player in
this example is better than the average
player, his earning potential isn’t as high due
to poor game-selection practices. We’ve
seen poker players spend more time
pondering what to eat at the dinner buffet
than scouting the room for the best game.
Adapt to the table Make decisions based
on the type of game you’re in and the
tendencies of your opponents, not your own
mood or frame of mind. It’s common to see
players in mid-sized games come to the
table with a certain mindset – to play tight,
or be aggressive, or whatever their
temperament happens to be for that
session. Maximising earning potential
requires you to first determine how others
play and think, and then adapt to their style.
Very tight games may demand more bluffing
The most and aggression, whereas wild games might
important call for simpler, more straightforward play.
decision you Essentially, you should always be flexible and
make is the adapt your style to the game at hand.
very first
one – which Never forget position Recognise that as
poker game you move up in limit, position becomes
much more important. In many small-stakes
to play
games, multiple callers routinely see every
flop. This makes position less important than
it is in games that are normally played with
just a few players or heads-up after the flop.
Acting last is a decisive advantage in mid-
sized games because you see what actions
your opponents take before you have to
make a decision. By contrast, acting first in
these more challenging games is always a
disadvantage, as most skilled players
constantly keep the pressure on opponents
who are out of position.
Advanced thoughts
If you’ve made it up to the mid-sized games
and you’re a break-even player, then
congratulations! You might not realise it,
but you’re in the top 20% of poker players
in this range. The fact that you managed to
transform yourself from a losing to a break-
even player shouldn’t be taken lightly: if
you’re a break-even player, you’ve obviously
developed some useful skills and are in a
position to advance even further.
As you advance, you must learn to think
outside the box. This means experimenting
with different strategies beyond just the
fundamentals, such as starting-hand
selection, tight-aggressive play, and other
proven winning methods normally applied to
small-stakes games. Conventional play isn’t
good enough to beat most of the tougher
games, so you have to go beyond a simple,
straightforward approach.
One unconventional act is to scrutinise
your opponents. To be successful, you must
try to get into their heads and try to pick up
patterns, tells and tendencies so you can
predict what an opponent might do in a
given situation. In short-handed play, the
cards sometimes hardly matter at all, as the
psychological battles between players can
reach extreme levels.
For this reason, intimidation and table
image are far more important in mid-sized
games. Tough players who are winning chips
are disastrous to play against. Bad players,
whether they’re winning or losing, are always
good to play against and must be harvested.
Mid-sized hold’em games are the
continental divide of the poker world,
economically speaking, as more players
tend to play beyond their means. By
comparison, small-stakes games rarely
affect the financial status of the players in
them. However, in a significant number of
mid-sized games played at casinos, people

26

022_PKR_limit holdm_6_ch.indd 26 8/6/06 14:43:29


are playing beyond their means. This has
dramatic consequences on the games in
terms of players’ diversity of backgrounds,
experiences, playing styles and skills.
The survival of the fittest
As you move up, recognise that the skill
differences between the players become
increasingly negligible. At the top levels,
they’re so small that most outsiders can’t
really discern them. For instance, there’s a
wide skill gap between the best and worst
small-stakes players. At mid-sized games,
these differences are less apparent. In big
games with skilled players, though, table
decisions are even closer (mathematically
speaking) and more psychologically
advanced. In the biggest games, the elite
players ascend to a level of thinking akin to
chess masters studying a board, always
thinking several moves ahead.
Finally, if you’re really determined to win big
money by playing poker, be a positive force
in the game. It’s a good idea to make your
opponents feel comfortable – by chatting,
for example. No one likes to lose money, but
if your opponent has a bad night but enjoys
the game and playing with regulars, he’s still
likely to return.
It’s a wonderful paradox that players who
are outclassed and losing big will often
remain in games for a long period as long as
they’re having a good time. Far too many
pros forget this and lose out on potentially
bigger earnings because they drive away
inferior opponents with rude manners.
Sure, Darwin talked about the survival of
the fittest, but we don’t need to behave like
Neanderthals – so always play poker like a
gentleman, not a caveman. Good luck!
022_PKR_limit holdm_6_ch.indd 27
INTRO TO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Top tips for limit Texas hold’em
We’ve got yet more advice on improving your limit hold’em play so you can
become a true poker ace! Follow these tips and you can’t go far wrong
Fold lousy hands!
It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Why,
then, do so many players get involved
in pots with bad cards? Many otherwise
decent players get attached to so-
called trap hands, which end up costing
them stacks of chips. About ten years
ago, I tracked every single poker hand I
played for 18 straight months, and then
tabulated my results. I found that I lost
more money with J-K off-suit than any
other hold’em hand. When I think of a
lousy hand, I think of J-K.
In general, either raise or fold
This strategy works – try it. If you’re not
comfortable raising in many situations
where you would normally just call, then
don’t call. Perhaps you shouldn’t be in
the hand if you aren’t confident enough
to make a raise. Obviously, there are
exceptions to this guidance, such as
calling with drawing hands in multi-way
pots, but the raise-or-fold
strategy makes you an
Assessing your extremely troublesome
opponents and their person to play against
playing styles is top – exactly what you want!
priority when you join
a new poker game
Respect kickers
In limit hold’em, more pots
are lost at the showdown
because of kicker-trouble
than any other clash of
hands. This is especially
true with Aces. An Ace
with a small side-card is
very tough to get away
from when an Ace flops.
If you bet and get called
in any spot, you can’t
feel confident about your
hand. Big cards with weak
kickers are the proverbial
ball and chain of limit hold’em. Unless
you’re in the blinds in an unraised pot,
or you’re acting very late and might
steal the blinds with a pre-flop raise,
don’t play high cards with weak kickers.
Blinds are a table toll, not an
excuse to play more hands
If you were to calculate the wins and
losses from every single seat you’ve
played in your hold’em career, you’d
see that you have lost more chips in the
blinds than in any other spot. Here’s a
hint: don’t add to the losses. Blinds are
the worst possible position to play from,
and, against aggressive players, you’re
at a huge disadvantage. If you can’t
get in cheaply or re-raise with a strong
hand, don’t get involved. Calling liberally
from the blinds should only be done in
short-handed games and against very
BEGINNER STRATEGY
weak-tight opponents who may be
susceptible to a bluff after the flop.
Bluffing is vastly overrated,
especially in limit games
Bluffing can be effective in tight games
or against timid opponents. However,
it should only be used selectively.
Once you get tagged as a bluffer, you
can’t do much more with it. One thing
to consider is that players remember
bluffers. We all recall when we were
bluffed out of a big pot. You probably
remember the person who bluffed
you. You don’t want to get tagged with
this tactical albatross, because then
you have to start playing showdown
poker (that is, showing the best hand
to win the pot), which means you have
effectively become card-dependent.
Moreover, it’s rarely wise to try to bluff
more than one player, especially when
you’re playing limit games.
Be a Zen Master
What’s a Zen Master, you ask? Zen is a
Buddhist philosophy that encourages
emotional tranquillity and acceptance of
what has already transpired. Remember
that bad beats happen to every single
poker player. And, interestingly enough,
bad beats happen more often to good
players than to bad players. This is
because the good players usually have
the advantage – until fate intervenes,
that is. The best poker players learn to
accept tough beats as part of the game.
They recognise that losing control, or
going on tilt, as it’s otherwise known,
causes more losses at middle-limit
games than anything else. Zen and the
Art of Poker by Larry W. Phillips is an
excellent read for all poker players who
are struggling to balance out the bad
times with the good.
27
8/6/06 14:44:06
 BEGINNER STRATEGY NO LIMIT VS POT LIMIT

NO LIMIT VS
POT LIMIT

Texas hold’em:
No limit or Pot limit?
Different playing styles and strategies are required for pot-limit and no-limit poker.
We show you how – and when – to put your money where your mouth is…

28

028_PKR_Pot Limit_5_ch.indd 28 8/6/06 12:31:32


IF YOU WANT TO PLAY POKER WELL
enough to beat your average grandmother,
you need to get to know the differences
between the pot-limit and no-limit
versions of the game.
No limit is very exciting to watch and easy
to describe to new players. In fact, it is self
explanatory: there is no limit to the amount
you can raise. Pot limit, on the other hand,
is slightly more esoteric.
The maximum raise in pot limit is the total
amount bet by all players after you have
matched the amount required to call.
So, if the blinds are $1 and $2 and
nobody has bet yet, you can bet a
maximum of $7 ($2 to call plus the total
$5 on the table, made up of $3 in blinds
and your $2 call, which is counted as
part of the pot).
There are several other important
differences between pot-limit and no-limit
poker, not least the context in which they
are played. No-limit Texas hold’em, variously
referred to as ‘the Cadillac of poker’ and ‘the
crack cocaine of poker’, owes its popularity
almost solely to tournaments, the oldest and
most prestigious of which is the $10,000
World Series of Poker Main Event.
When hold’em was first played in
the United States, no-limit cash
games were common, but they
dried up quickly, as the top players
soon took all the money. Basically,
the pot-limit format was introduced to
slow things down! Today, no-limit cash
games are making a comeback on the
Internet, although pot limit remains popular
both in tournaments and cash games, and is
often preferred by more experienced players.
If you’re playing either pot limit or no limit in
a cash game or at the start of a tournament,
there’s no reason for hasty action, as the
blinds are low in relation to the total number
of chips in play. You need to be playing
mainly either hands that are very strong –
such as A-A, K-K, A-K and Q-Q – or hands
that can catch out less well-advised players,
like small pairs that draw to three of a kind,
and suited connectors (7:-8:, for instance)
that draw both to straights and flushes.
Just how big the big hands need to be
depends on the level of game you play in.
In a small game, other players may not
even understand the importance of kickers,
giving you a big advantage. In contrast, in
the first few hours of the WSOP Main Event,
the blinds start so small and the skill level
is so high that many players would only risk
all their chips pre-flop if they were holding
pocket Aces.
If you’ve got a strong hand, use it!
The classic beginner’s mistake in big-bet
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
games is to play strong hands too weakly
before the flop, then put all the money in
on the next (more expensive) rounds after
someone else has made a better hand. Aces
is the prime example here, as K-K and Q-Q
can look weak when an over-card, such as
an Ace, flops. Some players seem to think
A-A is invincible, whereas it’s often a one-
028_PKR_Pot Limit_5_ch.indd 29
way ticket to a disappointingly small win or
a murderously big loss.
Pairs generally play strongly providing no
over-cards or obvious draws come on the
flop (for example, if you have Q-Q on a
broken flop of 2:, 5Ú, 10…), but you will
need to bear in mind that anyone with a
smaller pair has a 15/2 chance of hitting
three of a kind, and since poker is based on
such odds, ensure you are not giving others
an incentive to draw out on you. The way
to do this is to raise by a sizeable amount
in the first place.
In no limit, you can bet what
you want, so the standard
raise of three times the big
blind or the pot could be a
disaster if the blinds are still
small and you run into the
above situation against 2-2,
5-5 or 10-10. To avoid this,
you might bet 10-15% of your
chips – or more. In this way you
maximise the action and minimise the risk.
Pot limit, by contrast, is still in many ways
a drawing game where raises are restricted.
So if the blinds are small you might not be
able to raise enough to protect A-A or K-K.
In this instance, good players sometimes go
for a check-raise in order to get more chips
in, and play big hands slowly if they can’t
get a lot of money in pre-flop.
The other strong hands in big-bet
hold’em are of the A-K and A-Q
variety. In tough games, A-Q has
been called a trouble hand as
strong, tight players only play or
represent the very big pairs and
A-K if they are not drawing, but if
playing in loose, low-stakes, high-
blind or late-position situations, it is
playable, as are A-J, A-10, K-Q and K-J.
As with big pairs, you should raise enough
in no limit to shut out draws if you feel your
hand is initially the best. In pot limit you must
bear in mind the ratio of a pot-sized raise
to your stack size, so you don’t lose a lot
of money to a draw. A-K needs to connect
with an Ace or a King on the flop to be bet
strongly, but you can still bluff if you think
the other players are weak, tight or respect
you for strong hands.
As the blinds go up in tournaments, the
value of the weaker Aces and face cards
rises and the value of drawing hands falls, so
with few bets left, A-Q and A-J are certainly
hands you can raise or move all-in with, as
are big and medium pairs. The key here is
that with weaker hands you want to be the
one raising to steal the blinds and make
others fold, and you want to do this before
anyone else has made a bet. When raising
in the late stages of a pot-limit tournament
with a medium hand, you also need to be
aware of how much of your stack you can
get in the middle with a single bet.
Show me the money
In pot-limit and no-limit cash games, since
the blinds stay the same, money tends to
change hands only when players make
NO LIMIT VS POT LIMIT BEGINNER STRATEGY
Know what you’re
talking about
Get to grips with these basic poker
terms before you play the game
■ Texas hold’em
A poker game where each player
receives two cards face down and
must make the best five-card
hand using them and/or the five
community cards. Betting occurs
after each of four rounds of dealing:
1 ‘Hole’ cards: A player’s two hidden
cards that only they can use.
2 The flop: The first three community
The classic cards, dealt in quick succession.
beginner’s 3 The turn: The fourth community
mistake card, aka Fourth Street.
in big-bet 4 The river: The fifth and final
games is to community card, aka Fifth Street.
play strong The winner is the last person
hands too remaining in the hand (if everyone
else folds) or the person with the
weakly
best five-card hand at showdown.
before
the flop ■ Pot limit/no limit
In pot limit, you can bet anything up
to the exact amount in the pot; in no
limit you can bet anything up to your
total number of chips. Beginners
should also note that you can ‘check’
(meaning not to bet), providing
nobody else has already bet on that
round, and call, meaning to match
the previous bet but not raise or fold.
■ Table stakes
This rule, almost universally applied
in modern poker games, dictates that
a player cannot be bet off the table.
If a bet exceeds the amount a player
has, that player is simply declared
‘all-in’ and entitled to see the hand
through to the end. If he wins, each
player involved in the hand will pay
him up to (but no more than) the
amount he has put in the pot.
■ Blinds
Compulsory bets that get the action
going. In poker, the cards are dealt
and decisions are made in clockwise
fashion from the dealer button. The
person to the left of the dealer button
posts the small blind and the next
person the big blind (usually double
the small blind). These blinds reflect
the size of the game and form the
foundation of each pot. After the first
two cards are dealt, the person to
the left of the big blind acts first; in
subsequent rounds the person to the
left of the button is first to act. In a
cash game the blinds remain fixed.
In a tournament they are periodically
raised according to a pre-determined
structure to ensure the tournament
plays down to one player.
29
8/6/06 12:32:23
 BEGINNER STRATEGY NO LIMIT VS POT LIMIT
mistakes. Cash games can be played
pot limit (favoured in casinos) or no limit
(favoured online), and can be played with a
lot of money on the table in relation to the
size of the blinds (typical of casinos) or,
conversely, can be played with relatively little
(online). Basically, you need to adapt to the
style of game you’re playing in.
Deep-stack, pot-limit games naturally tend
to attract skilful players eager to exploit the
novices who raise the pot to $7 from their
$200 stack with Aces before the flop and
proceed to put in the other $193 on the next
rounds when they have fallen behind to a
pair that made trips, or are in considerable
danger from a number of draws.
No-limit games tend to be wilder and
more volatile, with people raising and
moving all-in frequently, which presents
more opportunities to make quick money
from bad players, but also loosens the
constraints that stop you from playing
drawing hands.
The standard of the game also has a
massive bearing on the quality of hands you
need in order to win big pots. For example,
in a fast, loose, no-limit game you might
tempt a short-stacked, inexperienced player
to push all his chips in with a weak Ace
against your A-K before the flop, whereas in
a skilful, deep-stacked game it is common
to only see money changing hands because
of a powerful bluff and/or excellent call, or
a clash of massive hands such as two
players both making a full house.
The key to both pot-limit and no-limit
hold’em is rooted in understanding the
other players, the odds and how the
amounts on the table relate to what you
can bet at any given stage. The principal
difference you should remember is the
restriction on betting in the
early rounds in pot limit,
making it a more draw-
based game, whereas
in no limit you’re
usually in a position
to bet a draw out
of existence.
To be a successful
hold’em player, you should really try
your hand at both formats to see
which you prefer (starting out
with play-money games at
www.pkr.com). By playing
pot limit you’ll learn the
importance of drawing
hands, which can, in
turn, help you learn
how to protect a big
hand in no limit. Both
games require a lot of skill
and self control because any
decision can be extremely costly.
If you can become a strong,
disciplined player there’s limitless
money waiting out there to be
won – and a lot of fun
to be had too.
30
028_PKR_Pot Limit_5_ch.indd 30
Decisions, decisions
The Some examples of how to bet in each betting format
standard
of the game CASH
also has Your hand: A-K (suited)
Game style: Any
a massive
Position: Middle
bearing on Blinds: Any
the quality
of hands ■ What do you do?
you need to One player limps (flat calls), you make
win big pots a raise and both the blinds and the
limper call. The flop comes down A…,
K;, 6;, and again you bet after the
limper checks. Now the small blind
calls, the big blind raises and the initial
limper re-raises! What should you do?
A lot depends on how wild the other
players are. Consider this as a deep-
stack, casino pot-limit hand and you
have one set of options, while as a
short-stacked, online no-limit hand
you have a host of others.
■ Pot limit
Against good opposition, you might
actually have to throw your hand
away. The most likely hand for the
limper is 6-6, as he called, then called
again after you made a raise that was
restricted to the size of the pot and
two others came in. That player would
then naturally check the flop, letting
someone else bet the Ace or King and
re-raising for a massive amount.
It’s likely the small blind has a weaker
hand, as in late position he would raise
with something very strong to protect
the hand, and the big blind could have
started with almost anything as he
already had money invested and was
getting very good odds to catch a
well-disguised hand. The fact that he
called could mean he has something
along the lines of A-x of hearts.
■ No limit
In a short-stacked, no-limit game, the
format and mobility of your stack
means you can raise 10-15% pre-flop
should you wish to, so long as you
think other loose players will call. You
would hope to give a hand like 6-6
bad odds to call, so even if this
loose player catches you, in the
long run he will lose it back by calling
with small pairs that fail to improve.
People often play hands like weak
Aces and could call with any kind of
flush draw. In a wild, short-stacked,
no-limit game, you would often raise
all-in to block out draws as far as
possible and snare the second-best
hands. Even if you end up losing,
you have successfully protected your
hand pre-flop. If the other players are
so loose that they put money in with
inferior hands, you should end up
the winner in the long term.
TOURNAMENT
Your hand: A-A
Game style: Loose
Position: First
Blinds: 25 and 50
■ What do you do?
Here, the format is of less importance.
Your primary concern is how the
players behind you are going to
respond to your play. Some of that
can be determined by how much is at
stake. Generally speaking, the smaller
the buy-in, the looser the play will be,
with more players willing to go all-in.
■ Pot limit
If you check and nobody raises you,
the Aces are in serious jeopardy, as
you’ve let drawing hands in and you
can still only bet the pot. If you check-
raise successfully, you may force
players to fold, and also make them
play more cautiously in future.
However, if you bet the pot, you are
still letting people call with drawing
hands for a reasonable sum, and if the
maniacs only call, it’s likely more
people will come in as the action
moves around the table, since there
are so many chips up for grabs.
■ No limit
Here your problems are similar to the
ones you faced in the pot-limit game,
but if you can make a big raise of say
$250 to $400, you may shut out any
draws and suck in the players who
call big raises. However, you also run
the risk of everyone folding.
The answer here has little to do with
the betting format and centres around
how you play the Aces. You should
play them in the same manner as
other hands in order not to arouse
suspicion. Pot limit is great for this, as
making a pot-sized raise can mean a
wide variety of hands. In no limit, you
will need to be careful to bet similar
amounts most of
the time so as
not to give away
If the other the strength of
players put your hand.
money in Remember
with inferior that if you have
bet out strongly
hands, you
pre-flop, you
should be can carry on
the winner betting strongly
in the long afterwards; but
term if you try for a
check-raise and
fail, you will need
to proceed with
caution!
8/6/06 12:33:01

The button
gets to
see what
everyone
else does
before
making a
decision
Know your place
Positions in relation to the button: a brief guide…
In poker, the important seat placings
and positions each have names. The
more specific the name a seat has,
the more easily the player’s hand can
be defined according to position. But
remember, positions will change after
every round of betting and after every
hand as well. Wait your turn!
032_PKR_Position_5_ch.indd 33
HOW TO PLAY POSITION
ANYONE WHO HAS EVER WATCHED
televised poker will know the dealer
button is the point from which the cards
are dealt clockwise, starting with the
player on the button’s immediate left.
Obviously, this is where the dealer would
be sitting in a self-dealt game. What, though,
are the implications of this system and what
does position actually amount to in poker?
Well first you need to understand the
mechanics of the game. In flop games such
as hold’em it’s relatively simple: the button
always moves in a clockwise direction and
the two players immediately to its left post
the blinds, which are compulsory pre-flop
bets that determine the minimum call or
raise and guarantee there are always
some chips in the pot to win.
Blind man’s bluff
Hold’em almost always has two blinds – the
small blind and the big blind – with the small
blind being immediately to the left of the
dealer button and usually half the size of the
big one. In a cash game these will be fixed
(for example, $1 or $2), and in a tournament
structure they’ll rise at fixed intervals so
that players are forced to act and the game
reaches a conclusion. Whatever the format,
the player to the left of the big blind (the
‘under the gun’ player) acts first pre-flop,
and then the small blind acts first in the three
subsequent betting rounds.
As such, the player on the button has the
best position of all, as he’s the last to act of
those who have not had to bet compulsorily
pre-flop, and last outright on all subsequent
rounds. In effect, then, the button gets to
see what everyone else does before making
a decision, which is a key advantage.
This means if you’re the button you have
a number of options of which everyone else
should be wary, and such an advantage can
be just as important as the cards you’re
holding. Particularly in no-limit or pot-limit
games, it means you’re in prime position for
bluffing, since if no
one else gets
involved in the
hand, you can
attack the blinds,
1 Small blind or re-raise players
2 Big blind who appear weak.
3 Under the gun In poker, it’s
3-4 Early position important to
5-7 Middle position remember that
8-10 Late position you need a better
9 Cut-off seat hand to call with
10 Button than to raise with,
and on the button
you can often
force others to fold pre-flop, particularly
since they know you have this last option
on three more betting rounds, by the end of
which the pot could be huge. Moreover,
when they do call, you need to bear in mind
that a player who checks will often be weak,
so you don’t even have to have a pair to try
to move them off the hand.
At the other end of the scale, being under
the gun is the worst position, as you have to
BEGINNER STRATEGY
act first pre-flop when your opponents are
trying to spot how strong you are, and then
early on in subsequent rounds if you continue
in the hand. If you raise with anything less
than a great hand, someone might re-raise or
call and try to trap you. If you just call, you
have lots of players behind who might raise
and make it more expensive.
The best policy in this position is always to
accept your limitations and pass anything
that doesn’t look rock-solid against a full
table. What this translates to depends on
the game and the other players. In tough
limit games, for example, a first-position
raise might only mean A-A, K-K or A-K, and
A-J or 8-8 might be hands to throw away,
whereas in no limit, your implied odds and
the element of deception mean you might
raise with 8-9 or A-Q and call with a variety
of hands. This last option depends on how
aggressive your opponents are, whether
you’re likely to see some cheap flops, and
whether they’re going to make you pay a
high price for being out of position later on.
Straight down the middle
In middle position, you have a mixture of
factors working for and against you, and
pragmatism is often the most sensible path
to follow. If no one acts first, you might raise
in order to isolate the blinds, and continue
playing aggressively if you ‘win the button’
by forcing everyone before it to fold so you
are only up against one or both blinds (who
may call simply because they already have
some money in the hand).
Alternatively, if early-position players raise
or those behind you call or re-raise, you
might want to fold pre-flop, or at least play
more cautiously afterwards. Anyone can get
dealt a great hand, and your main advantage
with position is being one step ahead in
guessing what your opponents have and
being able to exert pressure if they show
weakness. If you don’t like the information
you’re getting before the action comes to
you, or if an opponent seems unconcerned
by the pressure you’re trying to apply, it’s
usually best to back off a little and even
consider folding to a bet. You shouldn’t get
carried away if you find yourself pushing
against a brick wall. What follows are some
scenarios using our ten-handed paradigm:
Scenarios
1 A basic steal?
A no-limit hold’em (NLH) tournament, mid
stages. Everyone folds around to the button
who raises, as usual, to three times the big
blind. Both blinds, who are tight and passive
players respectively, fold. Did the big blind
have a hand? Maybe, but on the other hand
maybe not… This is a classic late-position
play to use to keep yourself afloat mid-
tournament, especially if there are antes in
place. However, be prepared to beat a hasty
retreat if someone re-raises you.
2 Get out of the way!
NLH tournament, early stages. A tight player
raises under the gun to three times the big
33
8/6/06 22:32:47
 BEGINNER STRATEGY HOW TO PLAY POSITION
blind (BB). All pass around to the small blind
who re-raises to 10 times the BB. Then
the big blind goes all-in. Forget position –
everyone here has been dealt great cards,
but who has the Aces?
3 Youthful cunning or mere exuberance?
Pot-limit hold’em tournament, mid to late
stages. Under the gun calls, a mid-position
player raises the pot and another player
calls. All fold back to under the gun, who
now re-raises the pot. What should the other
players do with good but not great hands
here? Traditionally, most players would only
check-raise in early position with Aces in
order to get some money in the pot or trap
someone. Nowadays, though, the new
breed of aggressive player – and a few
inexperienced ones – are lowering the bar
and either trying to make this super-strength
play with lesser hands (maybe A-K or J-J)
to get it all-in or force others to fold. Or they
decide that if they can’t see a cheap flop,
they’d rather lump it all-in with a hand such
as 9-9 than face a tricky one out of position.
A few enthusiastic souls have been seen
making extravagant versions of this play
with holdings such as 7-3 off-suit.
4 Critical mass or playing for laughs?
Limit hold’em, cash-game. All pass to the
cut-off seat, who raises and is called only
by the BB. The BB checks the flop and the
cut-off player bets. What have you learned
about their hands? Well, this depends on
the stakes and the players, but in many
instances you’ll have gleaned nothing,
although you’ve learned a valuable lesson
in positional limit hold’em play.
A late-position player will often raise with a
variety of hands to steal or isolate, and the
big blind who is getting 7/2 on his money will
often call to look at the flop. If the big blind
then checks it, the other player will bet nine
times out of ten, as he might win the pot
34
032_PKR_Position_5_ch.indd 34
there or at least make the big blind check
the turn, offering the aggressor the chance
of a free card on the more expensive round
of betting. Because of the nondescript
nature of the betting amounts, the raiser
could have Aces or junk, and you’d have
little to go on in the big blind. As such, the
scare factor is particularly high, as you could
get drawn into calling a series of bets.
Generally speaking, in low-limit games
(under $5 or $10), play is much looser and
softer, so players might bet, call and bluff
here with anything. In mid-limit games (up to
$50/$100), players may be much tighter
and tougher and continue less. In high-
limit games, where each bet is massive, the
players often employ an ultra-aggressive
strategy to confuse their opponents.
5 The turn check-raise
NLH tournament, early stages. A mid-
position, solid-aggressive player makes a
standard raise, which is called by the button
and the big blind. On a flop of Q, J, 7, the
blind checks, the aggressive player bets as
might be expected, the button folds and the
blind calls. The turn produces a blank and,
once again, it goes check/bet, but then the
blind re-raises all-in, after which the
aggressive player thinks for a while and
folds, while grumbling about his bad luck.
What did they have? Almost certainly, the
blind had a good hand, maybe 7-7 or J-Q,
or had read the other guy for nothing, and
the raiser might have had anything from A-Q
to a bluff and either surrendered the bluff or
made a big lay-down, feeling trapped. The
turn check-raise has this power, as it usually
gets chips in the pot and doesn’t often mean
a draw. As such, the odds of actually making
a hand drop massively from flop to turn.
6 A flop story…
Pot-limit hold’em cash game. Most live cash
games in the UK and many on the Internet
are played pot limit and with deep stacks,
meaning several rounds of betting. As such,
positional play is key, since your opponents
can put all of your money in jeopardy by the
end of the hand or make tricky check-raises.
With blinds of $2/$4, one player (let’s call him
Tony) raises to $14 under the gun and gets
three callers before the blinds, of whom the
big blind calls the extra $10. This isn’t
unusual: even if Tony has Aces, the others
already have enough money on the table to
call in late position and try to trap him.
The flop comes 7;, 6;, 2Ú, the big blind
checks and Tony bets out $60 into the $72
pot, suggesting strength but not offering the
others an open invitation to call or fold. Seat
Most five folds, Ben in seat six calls, then David in
players seat seven raises the pot to the maximum of
would only $252. The big blind folds. Tony calls the
check-raise extra, as does Ben. The turn is the 9: and
in early Tony checks as does Ben, then David bets
position all-in $500 into a pot of $1,008. Tony thinks
with Aces to and raises all-in and Ben calls all-in another
$460. The river is a blank and Tony shakes
increase the
his head, preparing to muck, and flashes Q-
pot or trap Q to his neighbour. David reveals 7-7 and
someone Ben turns over 8;-10; for the nuts.
Tony had decided to bet out with a good
hand in early position and try to force it
through against a possible flush draw and
slightly lower pair, only to find position his
ever-increasing enemy. Ben had called pre-
flop and on the flop, as he was getting
decent odds with the suited connectors, and
then the flush and straight draw against
what looked like over-pairs or trips. David
had 7-7 and tried to hit his set (as he did)
and use position to drive the others out on a
dangerous flop, where he had the best
It’s important to hand. Ultimately, though, he fell victim to the
remember you need monster he had helped create. So Ben won
a better hand to call
a huge pot with an off-beat hand in the
than to raise with,
and on the button middle of two second-best hands that both
you can force others thought they were ahead because of their
to fold pre-flop position at the table.
8/6/06 22:33:00
 HOW TO PLAY THE BLINDS
HOW TO PLAY
THE BLINDS
Blind
ambition
Giving away your money for nothing might seem rough, but you’ve got to know
when to defend your blinds and when to avoid wasting chips on a losing battle
BLINDS IN HOLD’EM SERVE A PURPOSE
similar to antes in stud games: they create
Most an incentive for a player to invest and/or
players attack. Without any compulsory starting
defend their money, there would be little incentive for
blinds far an intelligent player to make the first bet,
too often. even with a very good hand. If everyone
else folds, he’s won nothing. Without
They fail
blinds or antes, the first bet is merely a
to think
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
target, and the other players could safely
the hand fold without an unbeatable hand.
all the way By forcing the player to the dealer’s left
through to post a small blind (SB) and the player
to his left to pay a big blind (BB – usually
double the small blind), hold’em becomes
much more interesting and fraught with
action. Each hand begins as a battle for the
blinds, and once that battle begins the pot
035_Blinds_6_ch.indd 35
BEGINNER STRATEGY
starts growing – and the reasons to play
grow with it. Low-stakes games rarely end
with the first raise; in high-stakes games,
especially no-limit tournament final tables,
the first raise often does end the hand.
Even though blinds serve a purpose similar
to antes, they function quite differently. Antes
are dead money. Anteing merely entitles you
to receive cards; you still must make a bet to
engage in the action. If you post one of the
blinds, however, your chips count as a bet
(it’s live). If you post the BB, and no one else
plays, you win the hand. You won’t have
won much – only the SB (which is usually
half the size of the BB, although it can vary
from one-third to two-thirds of its size).
While any win helps, of course, more often
the fact that your blind counts as a bet will
35
9/6/06 15:14:27
 BEGINNER STRATEGY HOW TO PLAY THE BLINDS
make getting involved in many other hands
easier, because you’re getting to play for a
discount price.
Making the best of a bad situation
When, why and how you should play when
you’re getting that discount is a widely
misunderstood subject. Let’s start with a key
principle behind correct blind play. Some
situations are natural money losers, and the
hands when you post the blinds fall into that
category. If you had to post the BB on every
hand, you’d get slaughtered: you’re in early
position (bad), and investing chips before
you see your cards (also bad).
Over the long haul, you will lose money on
your blind hands – not every time, of course,
but on balance. The key is to lose as little as
possible, so you can make money overall by
taking advantage of your premium situations,
like when you sit in late position.
Let’s start with an elementary blind-play
decision. You’ve posted the $30 BB in a
no-limit hold’em game; your neighbour to
the right has posted the $15 SB. Everyone
folds around to the button, who decides to
raise it to a total of $90 (a $60 raise). The
small blind folds, so it’s up to you. Does this
hand continue, or does the button win $45?
Understand the risks
Assuming that you have a plausible
starting hand (more on that in a
moment), you have to then
assess your risk/reward ratio,
and to do that, you have to
decide whether you’re
going to try to win the pot
by calling and then winning
on the flop, or by raising
Over the
and trying to win right away.
long haul, Say you’re playing in a
you will lose casino and raising will cost you
money on $60 plus the amount you raise.
your blind Let’s say you raise an additional $180,
hands. The a total bet of $240. The tricky part is to
key is to understand what you’re trying to win with
lose as little your raise: you’re trying to claim only $135.
Some people mistakenly think that after their
money as
call, their raise is giving them a shot at a
possible $195 pot (in other words, thinking that their
$180 raise might buy them $195). They’re
wrong: the pot only becomes $195 after
they call. The $240 bet is a shot at money
already in the pot, and that was only $135
when the move toward it was made!
There’s a mighty big difference between
risking $180 to win $195 and risking $240 to
win $135. The first play doesn’t even have to
succeed half the time to be profitable. The
second has to work 64% of the time just to
break even (actually a bit more than that
when you take into account the rake).
The maths changes when you try to win
by calling and then making a decision on
the flop. Your $60 call cannot win the pot.
All calling does is give you the right to make
a play later in the hand, and that will
necessarily mean risking more money then.
If the flop is favourable enough, it might not
be much of a risk; if the flop is unfavourable,
36
035_Blinds_6_ch.indd 36
your money may be gone and your only
remaining chance will be an opportunity
to lose more.
Your $60 call creates a $195 pot. If you
assume that you will only make a move at
the pot when the flop is favourable (good
players’ actions are more complex than
that), you can call – in a purely mathematical
sense – if the flop will be favourable 30.8%
of the time (60 divided by 195). Whether
hitting a flop is easier or more difficult than
that depends to some extent on your hand,
and to some extent on how easy or hard it is
to outplay your opponents on the flop. How
well you think you can get paid off when you
hit your hand also makes a huge difference,
and, remember, it’s much harder to get paid
off handsomely when you’re acting out of
position – and that’s exactly what you’re
doing when playing from the blind.
Defending blinds
ain’t easy – no
matter what
the game
In a limit poker
game, it initially
seems easier to
defend the blinds
because the
investment odds are
usually better. The
player on the button can’t
raise as much as he can in a
no-limit tournament, so you don’t
face as much immediate pressure.
The problems in analysing limit poker
defense don’t end there, though. It’s much
harder to win the pot with a re-raise,
because the amount you’re re-raising isn’t
enough to knock out someone who had
raised from the button; even if he was
stealing, he’ll usually call and look at the flop.
Similarly, when you get a favourable flop,
you can’t usually win it with one bet. You’ll
have to risk seeing a turn card also, and
make a second bet. In limit poker, the raiser
can’t put as much pressure on you, but you
can’t put as much pressure on him. You’ll
probably have to attack him twice, and be
out of position each time.
That’s why even though the relative
cheapness makes it first appear easier to and now where are you? Should you call a
defend the blinds in limit poker, before the re-raise? The problem will become even
hand is over, it winds up being probably just more troublesome on the turn. You bet the
as hard as in no-limit or pot-limit. You face flop, but your opponent didn’t go away.
a different collection of problems. Playing Assuming the turn card doesn’t help you,
the hand out of position on the flop, turn, where do you go? Do you bet again, hoping
and (if you get that far) the river is a huge to scare your opponent off? Do you show
disadvantage. Each betting round, you’re weakness by checking? To win the hand
going to have to act first. Your opponent will playing out of position is far harder than
have more information than you when it’s his most people realise. Worse still, when you
turn to act, and that’s very bad news. do win, you usually win much less than you
could have won if you had been the final
Position is all-important player to act, rather than the first.
Suppose you call and you do hit the flop. Do Because of the position problem, most
you bet? If you do, your opponent still has players defend their blinds far too often.
most of the power and options. If his hand They see they already have some money
missed the flop, he might concede, and invested, and are getting a discount on their
you’ll only win the money that was in the pot call, but fail to think the hand all the way
to start. If he hit the flop too he can raise, through. They may be getting a discount,
8/6/06 15:42:14
 HOW TO PLAY THE BLINDS BEGINNER STRATEGY

guideline like, ‘You should defend your blind
31% of the time,’ but alas no such rule
exists, because how much defending
you need to do is a factor of how
much attacking the other
players do.
Some defendable hands
are obvious, however. If
you get dealt a big pair or
A-K or A-Q suited, your
hand practically plays itself.
If you won’t re-raise with
those hands, then you’re
probably too timid to play
winning poker full stop.
Unfortunately, you won’t be dealt these
strong hands as often as you need to defend
your blind, so you’ll need to select some
other hands to defend with. Choosing the
right hands is very important, and many
players instinctively make the wrong choice.
Even though A-4 is a better heads-up
hand than J-10, you’re much better off
defending with the J-10. Why? On
many occasions when a late-position
player attacks, if he has an Ace, it’s
a big Ace. That means that if you
get the seemingly good flop of A, 9,
5, you might wind up losing a fortune
to someone who was raising with A-
K. Even though Aces and Kings look
like excellent defending cards, unless
you have a strong kicker, you run too
much risk of finding yourself in a
dominated hand position.
A hand like J-10 is less likely to contain
the same key cards as your attacker’s hand.
If an Ace hits the flop, you can get away
from your hand. If the flop comes 10, 4, 2,
the player who raised you with A-Q has
nothing – and it’s far more likely that a late-
position raise will come from someone
holding two big cards than from someone
holding a big pair.
As a result, unpredictable but potentially
useful hands like J-10 or even 5-6 are
probably better defending hands than
something like A-2 or K-3. If you play A-2
and an Ace flops, you’ll only get action
when your hand is in big trouble. If you play
something unpredictable like 7-8, you might
wind up crushing someone who raised from
late position with A-K when the flop comes
A, 7, 8. You can also win pots from A-K
raisers who are afraid to slow down when
the flop comes 8, 3, 2. You’ll pay dearly if
the raiser held K-K, but again remember
that late-position raises are more likely to
come from players holding two big cards
than from a big pair. Naturally, if the raiser
held K-K and the flop comes 8, 8, 3, your
call with 7-8 puts you in position to win a
huge pot from players who don’t expect
you to be holding an eight.
How many are lining up to hit you?
The next important point to consider when
defending your blind is in a sense a variation
on the pot-odds question: how many people
have attacked so far?
If you’re playing a limit game and a mid-
position player raises to $60, and three
players flat-call that raise, the first thing
you should do is realise you’ve found a
good game, because flat-calling two bets
is usually a weak play. If your hand is strong
enough to call two bets, it’s likely that it
is strong enough to take the initiative to
make it three bets.
Let’s leave the juicy game issue aside,
though, and realise that the multi-player
situation changes your pot odds
considerably. With four players in for $60
and a folded $15 small blind, the pot
contains $285 when you ponder putting
in the extra $30. These pot odds are so
wonderful that you can call with almost any
hand; you could even call with something as
woeful as 3-2 (but not 7-2 – against multi-
player fields you definitely want hands that
can make straights or flushes).
Most of the time, your weak hand will be
worthless on the flop, but when you do hit
it, the rich pot tends to get richer: players
will stay in with you, chasing for the size of
the pot, and instead of $285, you’ll probably
win $500 or $600 in a limit game.
In a pot-limit or no-limit game, your
speculative holding can easily bust
someone who makes the mistake of
forgetting that Texas hold’em is not a two-
card game, but a seven-card game.

but they’re getting a discount on damaged

goods. Efforts to show you can’t be pushed
around in the blind can be very costly. Most
players would win much more (or lose much
less) if they defended their blinds less.
Because good poker advice is rarely black
and white, you shouldn’t turn into an easy
target every time you hold the blind. If you
don’t defend at least occasionally, you can
be certain you will be attacked every time,
and that will cost you more money. The
occasional call, or better still the occasional
re-raise, will alert the late-position players
that your blind is not free for the taking.
Picking your spots
Given that you must defend sometimes,
what sort of hands should you defend with?
It would be nice to give you a simple
Golden rules for playing from the blinds
It doesn’t have to be the blind leading the blind. Here’s why…
Most players defend their blinds
too often, but you must defend often
enough to ward off automatic attacks.
It’s easier to defend your blind in
a limit game or in a multi-way pot,
because you are receiving much better
pot odds, but that still doesn’t make
playing the blinds a winning position.
Most players fail to recognise the
huge inherent weaknesses involved
when playing the remainder of the hand
out of position; a decision to defend
involves consideration of what will
happen on all future betting rounds.
Defending doesn’t just mean calling
– and attack is often the best form
of defense. It is more often than
not correct to defend with a raise,
especially against weaker opponents.
When selecting hands to defend,
be wary of hands that are likely to be
dominated, like Aces or Kings with
bad kickers. Look more favourably on
connected middle cards or small pairs.

37

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 BEGINNER STRATEGY SIT-AND-GOS

SIT-AND-GO
STRATEGY

The need
for speed
They offer good odds of making money and are so fast you’re
in and out within the hour. Sit-and-go tournaments are all the
rage online, so here’s a quick primer on how to beat them
SIT-AND-GOS, OR MINI-TOURNAMENTS,
have become one of the most popular
online poker formats. To join in, all you
have to do is sign up at the level of your
choosing (anything from $1 up to $1,000),
and then wait for the other seats to fill
up (that’s the ‘sit’ part) and you’re off!
It’s a fast and fun format, and plays almost
identically to the poker you might have seen
on television. Shows like Late Night Poker
The game sport six people, with equal chips in and
isn’t going blinds that rise at regular intervals. The
to last game’s the same online, although most
hours, sit-and-gos start with ten players, which
which is requires a slightly different tactical approach.
perfect if
you’ve got
a job and/
or nagging
partner
Sit-and-gos are popular for good reason.
For starters, you know that the game isn’t
going to last for hours, which makes it
perfect if you’ve got a job and/or a nagging
partner. Make it to the end of a ten-man
sit-and-go and you’re looking at around
an hour, maybe more if you’re sitting with
tight players, but often less if you get sucked
into a loose game where chips are flying
everywhere from the off.
In the money
With prizes allocated to the top three
finishers (typically 50% of the prize money
for the winner, 30% for second and 20%
1. Early Doors
Sit tight in the early stages and only get involved if you’ve got the nuts
The last thing you want to do is start
off hell-bent on playing every hand and
acting like a maniac. You often see people
going all-in (and hence all-out) in the
first few hands of the game, when the
blinds are low and not worth stealing.
Take it easy and hope that you run into
that maniac. If you do, the best idea is
to let him steal the small amounts at the
start and wait for the chance to win
your money back and more when the
blinds go up. By then, you’ll have lulled
him and the rest of the table into a false
PHOTOLIBRARY.COM
for third), you’ve got a good chance of
finishing in the money if you play a solid
game. Compare this to the vast multi-table
tournaments where the returns are much
higher but where it’s feasible to go on a
winless run for months.
They’re also a safe way to play your poker.
In ring games you can haemorrhage cash in
a hurry. With a sit-and-go you know exactly
how much you’re risking in a single session.
More importantly, though, a lot of poker
players simply have a style that’s ideal for the
sit-and-go format and can reach prize-paying
positions with remarkable consistency.
Follow these tips and it could be you.
sense of security with your tight play.
What sort of hands should you play
at this stage? A lot of people argue you
should get in with hands like suited
connectors, hoping to fi ll a big, even
nut, hand that’s disguised enough to
pay handsomely. However, when you
get action with your 8-9 suited you
could find yourself in trouble. Ultimately,
there’s no reason to make moves at this
point and play too many hands. Instead,
play tight and avoid big confrontations
unless you’ve got a made hand.

38

038_PKR_Sit and gos_9_ch.indd 38 8/6/06 22:37:39

 SIT-AND-GOS BEGINNER STRATEGY

Got no
time?
Try out shorter
sit-and-go variants
but approach
these with
caution…
Short-handed
If you fancy a
quicker, more
aggressive game
you have the option
of playing short-
handed sit-and-gos
with as few as five
or six players. You’ll
need to modify
your strategy in
such games, as
you’re effectively
plunged straight
into the middle
stages of a
standard sit-and-
go, but with small
blinds. With fewer
players, hands
increase markedly
in value, which
means there’s
going to be a lot
more betting and
raising with weaker
hands. Be prepared
to get involved in
more pots and be
more aggressive –
or stick to the ten-
2. Middle Stages man tables.
With a few players eliminated, it’s time to start changing gears
Turbo tables
All being well, after a few levels of play If, on the other hand, your stack is You’ve got about
the bad players will either have been below average, it’s time to change gears 15 minutes to
eliminated or taken out better players and employ some aggression. Naturally, spare and you’re
and ended up with a sizeable chip stack. you need to control this. Turn it on when desperate for a
Either scenario is good for you. The you’re in position to attack the blinds, game of poker.
latter is ideal, as the big stacks are now as they should now be worth stealing. Instead of facing
the fish that will pay you off in the long Before long, you should get back into the fact that you’re
run. By now, you should have been the comfort zone. in need of help,
identified as a tight player who only Never forget the basics of tournament you tackle a turbo
commits chips when holding a premium poker though. Play big hands as well as table, where blinds
hand. And if you’ve hit a few hands and poor ones and be aware of the power of increase rapidly
been paid off, there’s no reason to your chips in relation to the average chip and you’re only
change your style at this point. stack and the size of the blinds. given a few
seconds to make
your decisions.
Far be it from us
to put you off
playing cards
but you should
remember that
these conditions
aren’t conducive to
skilful playmaking
and it’s skill that
gives you an edge.
Spend your 15
minutes re-reading
this piece instead!

39

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 BEGINNER STRATEGY SIT-AND-GOS

3. End Game
With just four or five players left it’s time to go on the attack!
At this point in the tournament you’re If you can identify a player who’s
tantalisingly close to the cash, and two nursing his chips with a desire to simply
big factors come into play. Firstly, hand make the money, start religiously raising
values increase dramatically. Hands like his big blind. Similarly, the big stacks
A-10 are now huge. Secondly, you can probably won’t mind losing some blinds
prey on your opponents’ desire to make while the smaller stacks battle it out, so
the prize-paying positions, as nobody this is another potential victim to exploit.
wants to go out on the bubble. The only ill-advised play is ‘fearless CHECKLIST
At this stage, it’s extremely hard for calling’, which is never a good idea.
anyone to call an all-in with no hand. You’ve probably got the message by 1 Avoid playing
And since the ‘no hand’ scenario is now: the later in the game, the more marginal hands
going to apply to most players most of aggression you should show. You’re not in the very
the time, pre-flop exploitation is now by going to get paid off by waiting for big early stages
far the best way to accumulate chips. hands now, so get those chips in!
2 Avoid
confrontations
over minuscule
pots as these
can escalate
into major pots
with relatively
small hands to
back up your
investment

3 Always try to
maintain a stack
that is healthy
in relation to
the blinds

Raising
the stakes
Because bigger fish swim at
the higher stakes tables too
You can play sit-and-gos at whatever
level you’re comfortable with, but
when should you make the move to a
higher level? Are you better off playing
two $10 sit-and-gos, or one with a $20
buy-in? Or should you gamble on your
ability to win a $10 table and use the
proceeds to play a single $50 table?
There’s a general misconception that
the standard of poker play increases
in direct correlation to the cost of the
game but, in a lot of cases, the exact
opposite is true. Players tend to
gamble within their means, so those
on low-stakes tables are often unable
to lose much, and thus play very well/
tight. Conversely, you often find rich
folk at high-stakes tables who simply
want the buzz of a big game.
It’s worth a trawl around to test the
theory but, clearly, the one thing you
do not want to do is go broke, so don’t
up the stakes until you’re happy your
bankroll can sustain an unwelcome
losing run. It happens to everyone.
4 Raise your
game during the
middle part of
the competition
when the action
speeds up
Short-stack
and big-stack play 5 Avoid flat-
calling in the
We all know what happened when
latter stages of
David met Goliath…
the game and
Big stacks are always preferable to small show some
stacks, but they have far less influence aggression
in a sit-and-go, where blinds rise quickly
and come around frequently as players 6 Never break
are eliminated. Big stacks can soon any of the
diminish and short stacks can quickly above rules!
get themselves back into contention.
Somewhere in that mess you have to
improvise and strategise. For example,
if the blinds are $400/$800 and you’re
down to $1,350, you have to realise
that the big blind is invariably not going
to fold to your all-in and will call with
almost any two cards regardless of his
stack because of the pot odds he’s
getting and the chance of knocking you
out. Conversely, as chip leader you need
to remember that anyone with a very
short stack is almost impossible to bully
as they need to double up.
Therefore, strategy is key and move-
making has to be selective. As a rule,
it’s best to target players with similar-
sized stacks to you, as they have just
as much to lose.

40

038_PKR_Sit and gos_9_ch.indd 40 8/6/06 22:38:15

 BEGINNER STRATEGY ONLINE STRATEGY 101
BASIC TIPS FOR
ONLINE PLAY
Online
strategy 101
Need some help getting to grips with online play? Follow our expert
tips and we’ll transform you into a cold-blooded poker killer – and
all from the comfort of your own armchair…
IT SCARCELY NEEDS TO BE SAID, BUT
online poker is a very different business
from live play. It requires a different attitude,
a different level of awareness and a different
set of weapons if you want to dominate it.
These are dangerous waters, and many
an unwary minnow has entered them
unprepared, only to be chewed up and spat
out by the various sharks lying in ambush.
To help you avoid this fate, we’ve set out
some simple tips and pointers for success
in the virtual world – so you too can start
working your way up the poker food chain.
Play for free first
It may gall you to hear that a sharp cookie
like yourself won’t be ready to dominate the
game just by showing up and flashing your
brilliance, but the fact remains. As we’ve
established, Internet poker plays radically
differently from the real-world version, and
even seasoned casino players may find
themselves at a loss. The pace of play is
faster – as much as ten times faster. Visual
tells are absent (though sites such as PKR
are attempting to remedy that). The whole
mechanism for sizing bets and moving chips
into the pot is different. And that’s to say
nothing of learning to take all of your poker
information from your computer screen as
opposed to a cardroom or casino.
As a result, it’s imperative to clock up
plenty of hours on the free-play option of
your chosen site until it becomes second
nature. We know what you’re thinking –
42
042_PKR_OnlineStrat1_5_ch.indd 42
Always
follow the
double/half
bankroll
rule – when
you double
your initial
stake, cash
in 50% of
your profit
what’s the point of playing for free? Since
nothing’s at stake, no one plays properly and
I won’t learn anything but bad habits. Not
true. Loads of people are doing what you’re
doing – playing for free for the purpose of
learning. And beyond this, you’re not even
dealing with strategy yet. At this point, you’re
just trying to master the look and feel of it all.
So play your best, and don’t be surprised
if you go ‘broke’ and have to reload your free
money many times until you find your feet.
Surely it’s better to lose fake money than
real money any day.
Play small, play smart
Once you’re comfortable with an online
poker site and have mastered its mechanics,
you’re ready to play for real cash and to
embrace the main rule of online poker:
DON’T GO BROKE! Ideally, money should
flow from the online poker site into your
bank account. If it’s going the other way,
even in small amounts, you’re doing
something wrong and you need to adjust.
To preserve your bankroll, never put more
than 10% of it into play at any one time. That
may sound unreasonable, but it’s the only
way to go. If you’ve only got $100 in your
account, then sorry, you need to find a game
or a tournament small enough for $10 to be
adequate funding. One bad session, even
one bad hand, can destroy an over-
deployed bankroll. Safeguard yours by
following the double/half rule – whenever
you double your initial stake, move 50% of
your profit back to your bank account. This
is a good way to make sure that you get
something more out of your online playing
experience than just a lot of killed time.
Stick to the plan
Because online poker is always there, it’s
easy to fall into the habit of just playing a
few hands whenever you have a few spare
moments. The real problem with this habit is
that it has no ‘exit strategy’. You can easily
fall prey to ‘One More Hand Syndrome’,
where a few hands turn into a few hundred
and, if you should happen to have a bad run,
a short session can turn into a protracted
and catastrophic game of catch-up.
Many players sensibly deal with this
problem by playing only scheduled
tournaments or sit-and-gos, and using the
end of the tournament as a cue to end their
session. Whether you choose tournaments or
cash games, every time you sit down to play,
you should know what game you’re going to
play, at what level and for how long. If this
means setting an alarm, set an alarm. Above
all, when you’re running bad, run away! If you
find yourself jumping from table to table or
site to site in search of that one ‘get well’
game, you’re probably heading downhill fast.
Switch off the telly
Your plan for online play must include
eliminating all distractions. With so little
information coming at you from the small
screen, it’s easy to lose focus and let your
mind wander to the television, the radio or
that tasty single malt you’ve been saving.
Of course, your efforts to maintain focus
may get you so tuned into the game that
you play too many hands – this is a common
consequence of online play. Further, since
you’re ‘only’ playing for numbers on a
computer screen and not for real chips that
you can touch and hold, it’s easy to feel no
pain when you lose. Compound all this with
the accelerated pace of play and you’re
looking at online poker’s biggest pitfall,
expressed as maths: distraction + alcohol –
discipline x pace of play = disaster.
The only way to avert this pitfall is to treat
the ‘game’ of online poker with unwavering
seriousness every time you play. Anything
less is a recipe for poverty.
Don’t double-dip
What many players love about online play
is the ability to play more than one game at
once. They even justify this by saying their
hourly win rate goes up by seeing more
hands. This may be true for some (usually
full-time pros), but not for most.
Making simultaneous decisions in multiple
situations against different line-ups when
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
time is of the essence can only lead to
lapses in judgment, ill-considered actions
and mistakes.
Most people who double-dip say they’re
doing it to maximise their profit. They’re
really just doing it because they’re action
junkies. Ask yourself: Isn’t 100 hands-an-
hour enough for you? And wouldn’t you be
8/6/06 12:09:42
 ONLINE STRATEGY 101 BEGINNER STRATEGY

Playing on a site like PKR

can be great fun, but you
still need to approach it
with discipline

CHECKLIST
Follow these
six simple rules
and you’ll be an
online champ
in no time

1 Eliminate all
distractions
and focus on
beating the
game

2 Protect your
bankroll by
never putting
People who more than
10% of it in
play more
play at once
than one
table say 3 Protect your
they’re profit by
maximising cashing out
profits, 50% of your
but they’re winnings when
really action your bankroll
doubles
junkies
better off playing one game the game. Get out before the 4 Play just one
perfectly than two or more situation spirals out of control. game at a time,
games carelessly? because even
Don’t go into financial freefall a second game
Beware short-handed play When playing online it’s easier to lose fast can be a
The same need for action that leads to than to win fast – and it’s easy to see why. distraction
double-dipping also leads many players to Big wins require a rare combination of luck, from the first
short-handed play, where the wait between skill and loose play from your opponents,
hands is brief or – in the case of heads-up whereas explosive losses require only a 5 Don’t play for
play – non-existent. Trouble is, sharks abound moronic convergence of your own bad more than
in these shallow waters. If a superior foe has focus, bad discipline and bad attitude. In live recreational
you in his sights and has you in a short- games, the languid pace slows everything sums until your
handed situation, you’re asking for trouble. down, including tilt or flawed judgement. The track record
There are a few things you can do to solve online pace of play can rip open a tiny leak in absolutely
this problem. One is to shore up your short- your game and turn it into a torrent in an proves you’re
handed skills so that you can hold your own instant. Internet poker, then, requires that a winning
in this situation. The other is to keep good you always be self-aware and disciplined online player
written records (we call this a book) on all enough to get out of your own way! If you
your foes so that you’ll know if you’re facing can’t do this, your bankroll will be punished. 6 Always quit
a shark short-handed. Above all, if you find Take the game seriously and eradicate self- when you’re
yourself out-classed, out-gunned or out- indulgence on the other hand, and online losing
thought, don’t let pride or ego keep you in poker will prove a highly profitable venture.

43

042_PKR_OnlineStrat1_5_ch.indd 43 8/6/06 12:11:19

 INTERMEDIATE
STRATEGY
Now that you’ve got some basic skills under your belt, it’s time to go
one step deeper. Here’s where we separate the Aces from the jokers…

CONGRATULATIONS! BY THIS STAGE the game, such as correct hand selection,

you should have a good grasp on the
rudiments of Texas hold’em – position
play, blinds, betting structures and more.
Here’s where it really gets interesting.
You’re now ready to delve into some of the
more complex and esoteric skills involved in
bluffing and calculating odds. We’ll also
look at various strategies for cash and
tournament play, and explore the concept
of online tells (yes, they do exist).
Your path to poker mastery lies before you,
so read on and all will be revealed.

45

045_PKR_Inter intro_5_ch.indd 45 9/6/06 11:47:29

 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY BLUFFING

Each player
is a riddle
waiting to
be solved
in order to
come up
with the
right plan
of attack

Clockwise from
above: 6-2 in the
hole but you play it
like it’s K-K… and
take it down without
a fight. Pure class…

46

046_PKR_Bluffing_7_ch.indd 46 8/6/06 22:46:50


bluff
THE ART OF
BLUFFING
In the
Clever bluffers can leave you feeling naked – like they’ve seen right through you.
Pay attention as we show you how to avoid being caught with your trousers down
THE MOST FAMOUS ASPECT OF POKER
– but also the most misunderstood – is
bluffing. From the glamour of Hollywood
films to the many myths surrounding
famous players, bluffing is a key element
invoked to describe poker – a romantic
fantasy of getting something for nothing,
living off your wits, infallibly reading an
opponent’s tells, and, of course, winning
in situations where you have exactly the
same chance as your opponent if the
cards were all face up.
Of course, this isn’t quite the case. As
in physics, where every action has an equal
and opposite reaction, there’s a whole flip
side to bluffing that poker players must
understand, whether they’re calling a bluff
and winning with next to nothing, or inducing
an opponent into thinking he can steal the
pot with a big raise and a garbage hand.
As we’ll see, these are the essential
dynamics of poker. They’re also what makes
it exciting to play, as the momentum swings
back and forth and players strive to push
things in their favour, all the while knowing
they can overdo it at any time and end up
having the opposite effect.
Horses for courses…
Poker is a game of people as well as
probabilities, and each player is a different
riddle waiting to be solved in order to come
up with the right plan of attack. Since
bluffing is one of your main weapons, it’s
crucial to know not only the different types
of bluffs at your disposal (see the ‘Know
Your Bluffs’ box over the page), but also
how, when and if to use them against
different types of players.
As explained in Alan Schoonmaker’s
seminal book The Psychology Of Poker,
most players can be characterised in general
terms along sliding scales of loose to tight
and passive to aggressive, which gives four
generally identified player types, plus other
‘special’ categories. Whether you’re playing
in a live poker game or online, you need to
watch your opponents’ betting patterns and
behaviour to identify the type of player they
are so you can play them effectively. You
also have to be prepared to constantly revise
046_PKR_Bluffing_7_ch.indd 47
BLUFFING INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
your opinions and watch out for those clever
souls who want to mislead you into pegging
them incorrectly. With that in mind, let’s get
some traits down on paper:
1 Loose-Passive
The proverbial calling station, this type of
player hardly ever raises or takes control in a
hand, and will blindly call regardless of his
cards without even a basic understanding of
hand selection. Often, embarrassingly
unobservant players try to force them to fold
only to find themselves losing to a pair of
deuces. Over the long haul, calling stations
never win, and all you need to do to beat
them is bet your good hands, throw away
the bad ones and avoid looking like an idiot
by trying to get fancy against them.
2 Tight-Passive
Known as a ‘rock’, this type of player will
have the entire table folding as soon as he
reaches for his chips. These cautious guys
play so few hands and raise so infrequently
that the idea of them having anything less
than a monster hand is inconceivable. A
rock is your ideal candidate for bluffing, as
he’ll usually muck his cards if you so much
as cough at the pot. Of course, you must
bluff subtly and with some randomness or
risk being discovered and losing a pile. Even
A ‘rock’ is
worse, you may encourage him into a your ideal
different pattern of play – one less conducive candidate
to being fleeced. If you manage this for bluffing
balancing act, all you have to do is fold at his – steal as
smallest sign of strength and steal as much much as
as possible the rest of the time. possible
unless they
3 Loose-Aggressive
The maniac who raises and re-raises every
show some
pot is the embodiment of this category. This strength
type of player seems intent on creating as
much action as possible and views a bet or
raise like a bull views a red rag, irrespective
of whether it ultimately leads to his own
downfall of not.
Loose-aggressive players can cause
carnage in a tournament if enough
opponents employ the wrong tactics and the
maniac ends up with a nice chip stack. You
must bide your time and wait for good
47
8/6/06 22:49:12
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY BLUFFING

hands – you can lower your hand standards

Know your bluffs a little when playing against these types and
Bluffing is the act of making a bet with the worst hand, and hopefully forcing play speculative holdings in the knowledge
an opponent to fold a better one. Easy enough in principle, but when it that you’re likely to win chips. Don’t go too
comes to Texas hold’em, you need to know the various ways you can do this far though, as even the maniacs get good
successfully. So here are some basic bluffs, as well as a few counter-tactics cards, and if you read a situation wrongly
they can cost you loads of chips. See page
Semi-bluff at the next opportunity, it frequently 83 for more tips on playing maniacs.
This is when you haven’t made your means they were stealing. Moreover,
hand yet, but you’re betting with a if you either called and missed a draw 4 Tight-Aggressive
reasonable number of outs. So if you or called with nothing just to bluff Most of the best players fall under this
do get called, you still have ways to later, you’ve found a great low-risk banner. By playing select hands, they earn
win, such as betting a flush draw opportunity to do so. respect from other players, but also
knowing that you may win there maximise their wins by betting draws,
and then with your bluff or if you get Positional bluff check-raising, trapping and using any other
called, you can still make the flush. A positional bluff is using good table strategies they see fit. Considered a tricky
This tactic is used frequently by the position to exert pressure on the player, the tight-aggressive type usually has
pros and all good players, and is opposition. You may be raising to steal a sophisticated understanding of the game.
often the deadliest, as it means your the blinds in late position, or betting They mix all of the various elements of
opponents will find it difficult to know one of the subsequent rounds in the success and can vary them to create a
if you have a strong hand or just a draw hope that you can make a player pass a smoke screen or false image.
any time you put chips into the pot. better hand when they know you will be For example, a tight-aggressive player
acting after them throughout, and could might play loose-aggressive when he thinks
Naked bluff put them to some tough decisions. the time is right, or feign an element of
A naked bluff is when you’re betting Forcing opponents out of their comfort passivity in the knowledge that he can
with no outs, aware that the only way zones can be a bountiful tactic. eventually use this to fool players who have
you can win is if you make branded him tight-passive. Needless to say,
the other player fold. Check-raise bluff Having a feel for your tight-aggressive is the style you should be
Daring and audacious, Checking to let your opponent’s playing trying to play. Additionally, you want to
this is a very high-risk Daring and opponent bet after you with
style – and stack
size – is vital when
avoid going up against tight-aggressive
option that requires a audacious, position, and then re-raising is considering a bluff masters in iffy situations.
precise read on your the naked called a check-raise bluff. This
opponent and a lot of bluff is a is both high risk and a very 5 Special Categories
Some players seem to defy definition, and
guts. John Duthie put on
high-risk powerful move, as the check-
a master class of naked raise almost always signifies when they’re good, they fall clearly outside
bluffs to win $1.7 million
option that strength, meaning you might of the tight-aggressive box. For example,
at Britain’s inaugural requires a force a nervous opponent to one recognisable type is the good loose-
Poker Million in 2001. precise fold. Equally, though, if they aggressive player. This guy plays many
However, one reason he read on call or re-raise, then you’ve hands with devastating force, but always
got away with his bluffs is your foe created a big pot out of has an acute idea of where he’s at in any
that he never had to position and are left with the given situation, and he can just as easily
show any of them, and equally tough choices of make staggering bluffs or fold if things turn
the other players didn’t giving up or making an even ugly. And all the while he’s plotting to take
have a clue until afterwards – when bigger and potentially fatal bluff on the all your chips as soon as he does pick up
the tournament aired on British TV. next betting round. a monster hand.
Recently, ‘Gambling’ Gus Hansen has
Re-bluff Trap emerged as the embodiment of this style –
Sensing that someone else is making A trap is feigning weakness with a he will raise with any two cards since he’s so
a move on a pot and fighting back very strong hand in the hope that an busy playing the person that what he has in
to try to beat them at their own opponent will make an ill-timed bluff. his hand hardly matters – but there’s a long
game is known as a re-bluff. Often This might be through slow-play, in tradition of truly great players of this type,
characterised as the strongest move which you check and call other players’ including Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’ Brunson, Stu
in poker, this is an ultra-high-risk bets, or make a small bet that is ‘The Kid’ Ungar and Ted Forrest.
sophisticated play made by many top designed to communicate weakness
players generally against other good and could induce a raise or a bluff A game of situations and players
players, all of whom understand from an opponent. Now that we’ve looked at the basics of
intimately the levels-inside-levels bluffing, including broad player categories,
approach that defines high-stakes Check-call types of bluffs and some counter strategies,
poker strategy. An antidote to very aggressive players it’s time to get a bit more complex and think
and a way of minimising your damage about the specific circumstances that might
Delayed bluff if you fear you’ve walked into a hand allow you to make a successful bluff or catch
A less spectacular version of the re- rather than a bluff, check-calling means an unconvincing one. We’ll also look at
bluff, the delayed bluff consists of simply calling down an opponent when some player types in more detail and figure
calling a bet with nothing against a you think they have nothing. If you’re out what makes them tick (see page 51).
seemingly weak opponent, with the right, then the other player has There are many questions to ask in doing
intention of taking the pot away on a effectively given a lot of free chips to this, and success often involves making a
later betting round. This often works you, and if you’re wrong, at least you split-second appraisal of all the information
best with position; if you call a bet on found out as cheaply as possible (as and deciding on a course of action, which is
the flop or turn last and then the other well as gaining a valuable insight into why poker is so much fun. The following are
player fails to follow through with a bet your opponent’s playing style). some of the most important questions to
ponder in any poker game…

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 BLUFFING INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY

What does your opponent have and

what does he think you have?
Estimating your opponent’s hand and
thought processes is the closest you’ll get to
knowing what’s going on without carefully
placed mirrors. If you’ve successfully
identified his betting pattern, you’ll have a
rough idea on his hand, and subsequently
what you need to let him think you have.
These are skills that are honed over time,
and each decision depends on how much
information you have accrued, the timing,
chip stacks, position, pot size and so on.

What type of game is it and how

many players are there?
The fewer players there are in a game or
hand, the more bluffing becomes an option.
Similarly, bluffing is most likely to succeed in
no-limit games, where gargantuan bets can
be made. If you want to get a real feel for
this aspect of the game, sites like PKR.com
have no-limit hold’em practise tournaments.
You’ll soon find that having your chips eaten
away by the blinds is no fun while waiting for
a great hand, whereas raising, bluffing or

He can
make
staggering
bluffs or
fold if
things turn
ugly, all
the while
plotting to
take your
chips

49

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 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY BLUFFING

calling with almost any two cards is a great

way of sharpening your instincts as well as
providing a real thrill.

Where’s the dealer button?

This aspect of play is covered in greater
detail on page 32, but if you’re in position
(on or near the button), bluffing is a potent
weapon, as you’ve seen a full round of
betting before it’s your turn. If you’re not in
position, your play should be more defensive
unless you have a premium hand.

What’s your table image?

While you’ve been assessing the other
players, it’s likely they’ve been doing the
same. So if you have a tight-cautious image,
you’re much more likely to bluff successfully
(and be the target of bluffs), whereas if
you’ve been playing fast and loose, or have You’ve got to ask
been caught bluffing, the opposite is true. yourself, is he the
kind of guy who
views his losses
Is the bluff convincing? as the price of a
Against weak, tentative opponents, you good night out?
probably won’t have to bet much to bluff
them out of the pot. However, against good
players, who are often fearless, you need to
make a bluff convincing and think it out
incisively, representing a specific hand and
playing exactly as you would if you actually
held it. This could mean sticking your neck
out with a large all-in or facing a hand you
suspect might be a bluff for big money, so
there really is little margin for error.
What it often boils down to is whether
you actually believe your opponent or not.
If not, do you have the courage to follow
your instincts and make a great call?

Am I getting in too deep?

What you think could be a great move
may actually land you in someone else’s
trap. Always consider how much damage
Always
you stand to sustain if you get it wrong or consider
choke and make your actions transparent. how much
For this reason, check-raising with marginal damage you
hands, making big bluffs on the end and so can sustain
on are not recommended for inexperienced if you get
players. Similarly, you should be trying to it wrong or
condition your opponents to get out of line
choke and
in these ways when you do have a hand.
become
How big is the bet? transparent
Whether bluffing or facing a potential bluff,
this is one of the key pieces of information to
consider. If you bet too little in relation to the
size of the pot, you’re normally more likely
to get called, while if you over-bet, the
opposition’s odds are so slight they’re likely
to fold all but the best hands. However,
skilful players know this and reverse or
randomise their bet size to confuse things,
and many great players are capable of
putting in enormous bets and being equally
likely to have the nuts or nothing.

What are the stack sizes?

Stack sizes are important in a tournament
when considering a bluff. As such, big
stacks can bluff and call bluffs easily but
short stacks can’t, and you should play

50

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Know your enemies
If you’re going to bluff, re-bluff and trap with the best of them, you’d better have a good idea of who you’re up against.
Here, we look at some of the more specific types of players and how you can deal with them to ensure success…
Rank amateur
This player knows so little that he’s
barely speaking the same language
as you in poker terms. In the words of
Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott: ‘If they don’t
know what they’re doing, how can
you?’ Proceed with care and beware of
playing big pots when you don’t have
a big hand. Over time, you’re sure to
figure out a way to beat this sort of
weakling, but you might get a nasty
surprise on any given hand!
Bully
An extension of the loose-aggressive
player, this guy looks for those who are
weak, and often doesn’t care whether
the outcome for themselves is a
triumph or disaster. The bully could be
a top player if he would only channel
his aggression and employ good
judgement (after all, having control
of the whole table is a great way of
accumulating chips). At the very least,
he could be mediocre by opting out of
settling personal scores from previous
hands, or demonstrating his willingness
to blow off a big stack just to prove a
point. Decide which type of bully you
have and act accordingly.
A-Z game player
Many reputedly great players who
have earned their reputations through
CREDIT IN HERE IF REQUIRED
dazzling displays of talent are also
prone to being temperamental, for
whatever reason. For example, try to
work out which well-known pro not
only has a B game, but also a C, D, E,
F and G game. Here’s a hint: when he’s
playing badly, that same person really
does stink, making awful, amateurish
046_PKR_Bluffing_7_ch.indd 51
accordingly. Remember that short-stacked
players may call out of desperation, and if
you have a lot of chips in reserve and aren’t
afraid to use them, you can still bully your
way to winning a lot of pots.
What’s the texture of the board?
It’s sometimes difficult to bluff when there
are lots of draw cards on the flop or when
you raise pre-flop and the flop comes all
small cards. In the first instance, you might
get called by a draw or a made hand; in the
second, your opponent might stay with you
unless he’s convinced you have a big pair.
By contrast, the exposure of a scare card
can provide a great chance to bluff – if your
opponent seems to really hate the Ace that
came on the flop, the chances are that you
can successfully represent it, and the same
is true if the turn or river card looks to have
completed a flush or straight draw. As
always, watch out for these exact same
decisions. We don’t want to embarrass
the guilty party here, but the moral of
the story is to know when a player is
performing below par and to look for
the right way to take advantage of it.
On-tilt player
Rather than just playing poorly, this
guy is visibly off the rails, whether
from alcohol, a bad beat or fear of
the high stakes. The point is that he’s
temporarily incapable of making good
decisions, so when you have a hand,
give him as many decisions as possible
to contend with and hope it pays off.
Remember: this game is about finding
and exploiting weaknesses, so show
no mercy.
ABC player
This is a player who clearly plays by
the book, more commonly found in
limit games where imagination is less
valuable than solid mathematics. In
these situations, this type of player is
likely to be highly predictable. Respect
the seemingly obvious plays they make
and look for ways to exploit them by
thinking and playing outside the box.
Instinctive/mathematical player
Often split between the no-limit and
limit camps, this player clearly values
one approach over another. The
instinctive player thinks he can make
almost psychic assessments of his
opponents’ cards and actions, while
the mathematical player believes
everything can be solved through
complex analysis. If you recognise
that a player relies on one of these
approaches, exploit his blind side.
BLUFFING INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
thought processes in your opponents
and estimate their motivations (and card
holdings) accordingly.
Is it a bluff or a value bet?
This is particularly important on the river,
when there are no more cards to come. It’s
essential you learn to get a high percentage
of these calls correct, and make the right
decision if you have the option to bet. Again,
there’s no easy way of doing this other than
by experience, but this is a great aspect of
your game on which to work, as you’ll
always be considering the play of a
complete hand and have all the info that
goes with it, as well as being able to rule
out the possibility of semi-bluffs.
At all times, remember this vital point:
poker is a game of situations and players, as
well as one of cards and mathematics.
Study these factors and you’ll be well on
your way to becoming a bluffing master.
Young gun
It’s often been said that as poker
players grow old, they slow down a
bit in terms of aggression, so in a live
game bear the age of your opponent in
mind when deciding whether to bluff or
trap. For example, many of the young
Scandinavian players are now famous
for a hyper-aggressive, relentless style.
Possessing this sort of information can
save you a few early bets.
Gambler
The action-player is different from the
bully or the loose-aggressive type in
that he’s really just there for the thrill of
gambling. Exercise patience and you will
almost certainly win this player’s chips.
Recreational player
Encounter this player in a live game,
and you will see someone who views his
losses as payment for entertainment.
Treat this guy with respect and make
him feel like he’s part of the game. That
way he’ll continue to play.
Chameleon
The chameleon is the ultimate opponent,
with no definable characteristics or
patterns other than constantly adapting
to circumstances – along with a deep
and rounded knowledge of the game.
If you know that an opponent might
be playing any number of styles at any
given moment, how can you formulate a
strategy to defeat him? It’s very difficult,
and for this reason you too should aspire
to play like a chameleon. Observe them,
learn from them, but above all avoid
tangling with them unless it absolutely
can’t be helped.
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 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY STARTING HAND SELECTION

SUNNY OUTLOOK
33

36

35

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052_PKR-PreFlops_6_ah.indd 52 8/6/06 22:34:37


PRE-FLOP
STRATEGY
Weather to
play or to pass
Choosing which starting hands to play is one of the most important aspects of Texas hold’em strategy.
Make the right decision rain, hail or shine with our innovative ‘calendar’ hand-grouping system…
PLAYING POKER IS FUN, BUT SO ARE
a lot of other things in life. What makes
poker special is that you can win money
at the same time. Poker also possesses
the same sort of mystical attraction that
draws so many to tank driving – the idea
of going to war sitting down.
Well, that’s the theory anyway. In reality it’s
not that easy. As any tank driver will tell you,
the best laid plans can easily go awry in the
fog of battle. Similarly, you can know all you
like about poker statistics, but theory can
take you only so far in the real hurly-burly of
live competition.
What’s just as critical is an understanding
of what’s important in the game, being able
to utilise that understanding, and being able
to make the right decisions under pressure,
time and time again.
We’re not saying that an understanding of
the finer details of poker probability theory
isn’t a real advantage – it undeniably is. But
what we are saying is that a long-term
winning strategy requires more than a little of
‘something else’. Indeed, we have come to
believe that this particular element is actually
a lot more important than either a ready
acquaintance with almanacs of poker
probabilities or access to streams of
statistical software. In this article, we’ll
introduce you to one such ‘something else’
– a certain something that we’ve named
‘calendar’ strategy. You’ll soon see why.
The heat of the moment
The first key idea is to determine what’s
really important to a winning poker strategy,
and the second is to formulate this in a way
that can actually be turned into a practical
methodology. The system we will outline
ILLUSTRATIONS: RUSSELL CLARK
below is actually based on a lot of statistical
analysis, only it’s presented in a way that can
be of best use to those without the slightest
interest in statistics or probabilities.
It’s meant to serve as an alternative to
the conventional approaches to pre-flop
strategy available in most books on this
subject, which generally make what should
be a relatively simple decision seem very
complicated indeed, with advice that’s
052_PKR-PreFlops_6_ah.indd 53
extremely difficult to retain or recall, let alone
understand in the first place. This system is
simpler and more accessible.
As you know, in Texas hold’em each player
is dealt two cards and must make a decision
whether to fold the cards without playing, to
call someone else’s bet or to raise the bet.
Because this decision has to be made
before any other cards are dealt, the key
issue is gauging the likely strength of your
hand compared to your opponents’ hands.
The problem, of course, is that you have
no idea what cards your opponents are
holding. What you can know, however, is
that a particular hand is generally worth
playing more strongly than another. For
example, if experience suggests that raising
with A-Q suited is a good strategy, what
should you do if you’re handed a pair of
tens? If calling with a pair of sixes late in the
betting round is a good strategy, what does
that tell you if you’re last to play and are
looking down at a J-10 off-suit?
Strength in numbers
Indeed, an understanding of the pecking
order of possible hands is the foundation
of basic pre-flop strategy. With the benefit
of this understanding and based also on
your table position and previous calls and/or
raises, it’s possible to devise a solid ground-
plan for playing the entire game.
First, however, you need to be confident in
the order of strength of pre-flop hands, and
second, you have to be able to access this
information and the core strategy derived
from it under pressure in real time. Which is
where our calendar strategy comes in – it’s
designed so you can apply it before the flop
whatever your hand is.
It works like this. The system ranks each
possible pre-flop hand, and selects 52 as
playable in normal circumstances,
depending on where you are seated relative
to the dealer and who’s played what before
your turn comes. The best hands are called
January hands, the worst playable hands are
called December hands. The first week of
January corresponds to the strongest hand
possible – a pair of Aces, the second week
STARTING HAND SELECTION INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
You need to to the second strongest hand – a pair of
be confident Kings, and so on.
in the order Any hands not on the calendar at all
should probably be folded. There may
of strength be exceptions if you’re a particularly
of pre-flop adventurous or experienced player, where
hands – and there may be a case for occasionally playing
to access off-calendar, as we term it. Really, though,
this info this is the poker equivalent of skiing off-piste
when under – only for the bold, the ultra confident and
pressure those who really know what they’re doing.
Because there are 12 months in a year
but 52 weeks, some months are allocated
five weeks for these purposes and some
four. Months of cards are then grouped
into seasons – January, February, March
and April cards are known (somewhat
optimistically) as spring cards, and should
be considered in early position and later.
May, June, July and August cards are
known as summer cards, and should be
considered in middle position and later,
while September, October, November and
December cards are autumn cards, and
should be considered in late position only.
A simple guide to position in a ten-handed
game is to consider late position as the
dealer button and one seat to the right of
that, the next three seats to the right as
middle position, and the next three to the
right as early position. This can, of course,
quite easily be adapted for games with
fewer players.
Let me check my diary...
To summarise the general principle, the best
hand, a pair of Aces (A-A), is the first week
of January while, conversely, the weakest
playable hand, a three and a two of the
same suit (3-2 suited), represents the last
week of December. January’s cards are: A-
A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K (suited) while
December’s are: 6-5 (suited), 5-4 (suited), 4-
3 (suited), 3-2 (suited). Whether you call or
raise or re-raise depends also on how early/
late in the season your cards fall.
The big advantage of this calendar system
is that most people should find it a fairly easy
way to memorise the relative strength of
hands, and how to play them. Just as
53
8/6/06 22:35:33
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY STARTING HAND SELECTION

FROSTY OUTLOOK
8
10

Seasonal system
Take the guesswork out of pre-flop strategy with our easy-to-use calendar

SPRING HANDS (PLAYED IN ALL POSITIONS)

January February March April
A-A 10-10 A-10 (suited) K-10 (suited)
K-K A-Q (suited) K-J (suited) 8-8
Q-Q A-J (suited) A-Q (off-suit) Q-10 (suited)
J-J A-K (off-suit) 9-9 A-9 (suited)
A-K (suited) K-Q (suited) Q-J (suited) A-J (off-suit)

SUMMER HANDS (PLAYED IN MIDDLE/LATE POSITIONS)

May June July August
J-10 (suited) 10-9 (suited) A-7 (suited) A-3 (suited)
Most people K-Q (off-suit) 9-8 (suited) A-6 (suited) A-2 (suited)
should find 7-7 8-7 (suited) A-5 (suited) K-J (off-suit)
this system J-9 (suited) A-8 (suited) A-4 (suited) Q-J (off-suit)
an easy way
to memorise AUTUMN HANDS (PLAYED IN LATE POSITION)
the relative September October November December
strength J-10 (off-suit) 3-3 Q-10 (off-suit) 6-5 (suited)
6-6 2-2 K-9 (suited) 5-4 (suited)
of hands,
5-5 A-10 (off-suit) J-8 (suited) 4-3 (suited)
and how to 4-4 K-10 (off-suit) 7-6 (suited) 3-2 (suited)
play them
OFF-CALENDAR HANDS (FOR EXPERIENCED PLAYERS ONLY)
10-8 (suited) K-2 (suited) K-3 (suited) Q-5 (suited)
9-7 (suited) K-8 (suited) Q-3 (suited) Q-4 (suited)
8-6 (suited) K-7 (suited) Q-9 (suited) Q-2 (suited)
7-5 (suited) K-6 (suited) Q-8 (suited)
6-4 (suited) K-5 (suited) Q-7 (suited)
5-3 (suited) K-4 (suited) Q-6 (suited)

importantly, though, it uses what is, in our
view, the best available analysis to work out
which hands are superior to which.
Utilising this analysis can be a great help
when it comes to honing your skills. Start
by familiarising yourself with the complete
calendar, shown in the table above, right.
Putting it into practice
Once you’ve mastered the calendar, the next
step is to learn the optimal plays for hands
associated with the different times of year –
ie, whether to raise, call or fold. As a guide,
we suggest the following, but you can revise
and adapt based on your own experience
and your knowledge of your opponents as
you become more familiar with the system.
Err more on the side of caution the later in
the month or the season the hand falls.
SPRING CARDS
January: Raise (even if raised) in
all positions
February: Raise (call if already raised)
in all positions
March: Call in early position; raise (call if
already raised) in middle or late position
April: Call in early or middle position; raise
(call if already raised) in late position
SUMMER CARDS
May, June, July and August:
Call in middle or late position (fold
if already raised)
AUTUMN CARDS
September, October and
November, December:
Call in late position (fold if already raised)
More generally, the looser you consider the
game (ie, the weaker the hands you think
your opponents are playing), the later in the
calendar you might consider playing instead
of folding. Beware of players preceding you
who have indicated strength by raising.
Ultimately, of course, there’s no definitive
system for playing any given hand in a game
of hold’em. If there was, we’d all be winning
millions and there’d be no call for books like
this one. There are, however, better and
worse strategies, and a convenient way to
access the relative strength of hands is
important in determining which is which.
Remember though, your aim in any poker
game is to remain unpredictable, so any
system can only be used as a loose guide.
Hopefully this calendar system will prove
to be one of the more enjoyable!

54

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 ASSESSING THE FLOP INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY

ASSESSING
THE FLOP

Set your
sıghts
TEXAS HOLD’EM IS ONE OF THE MOST
cunningly devised games ever invented,
allowing casual players to win just often
enough to keep them interested while

flop
also allowing more skilful players to win
often enough to keep them playing this
particular form of poker. In other words,

on the
it combines the fun of the roulette table
with the hard strategy of the chess board,
allowing every type of player to participate
and enjoy at their own level along the way.
As you should know by now, the defining
moment of any hand of Texas hold’em is
the flop, when the number of cards
available to you leaps from two to five.
It’s no good gunning for a pot if you can’t tell where you stand after the flop. At this moment, the value of your starting
Here, we extend the innovative ‘calendar’ system to take in post-flop play – hand will often change dramatically, calling
so you’ll always know when to pull the trigger and when to hold your fire for a radical reassessment of your position.

55

055_PKR-Calender_8_ch.indd 55 8/6/06 22:40:04

 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY ASSESSING THE FLOP

If you’re holding Q-Q for example, and

the flop comes down A-K-8, your previously
magnificent ladies are left looking very
exposed indeed.
In the previous piece (starting on page
52), we introduced the ‘calendar’ hand-
grouping strategy to help you with pre-flop
strategy and starting hand selection. The
basic idea was to use the seasons, as well
as the month and position at the table, as an
accessible and statistically-tested guide to
playing the first couple of cards.
SPRING HANDS January
With any pair, a fourth card on the flop of the
Bet and raise hands same rank (making quads) is a dream hand
by any player’s standards and you should bet
and raise in all circumstances. You are virtually
unbeatable, and the only reason you wouldn’t
bet out aggressively would be to risk a check-
raise or let drawing hands improve. Either way,
you want to see as much action as possible.

Memorise this Example

Here, we’ve extended the calendar system
You are dealt Flop
to make it easier to recall how you should
play in those hands where you have decided
to continue with the action, ie, post-flop play.
To do this we will use the same seasonal
division as earlier, so cards after the flop fall HOT SHOTS
into ‘spring’, ‘summer’ and ‘autumn’ hands. You won’t get better shots at the pot Advice
As before, spring hands are the best, than post-flop hands such as these Bet and raise in all circumstances
playable in most circumstances, summer
hands are playable in some circumstances
and autumn hands are playable in only the
most conducive
circumstances.
Note that as
There’s no
SUMMER CARDS May
With an Ace and a card of another rank in the
before there are
definitive Worth betting and raising… hole, a card on the flop giving you top pair with
no ‘winter’ hands – the other card in your hand is a big chance
because of course system up to a point (usually referred to as ‘top pair, top kicker’).
it is never winter in which In this position, you may attract a lot of betting
the wonderful applies from players with lesser hands. Betting and
world of poker. in each raising is normally the best strategy here, but
The earlier in the and every consider your position if raised.
season your hand
situation –
falls, the more Example
aggressively in
that would
be too easy You are dealt Flop
general you should
play. There are
occasions when
you might wish to
play other hands AIM CAREFULLY
(we have termed these ‘off-calendar’ hands), You have a good chance of taking down Advice
but as with pre-flop calendar strategy this is pots if you play these cards right It’s usually worth betting and raising
the poker equivalent of skiing off-piste – only
for the bold and ultra confident (and, of
course, the just plain daft). If you don’t have
any of the calendar hands, or else it is

AUTUMN CARDS
obvious you are down after the flop and September
don’t have a big draw for a straight or a If, once you have seen the flop, you find yourself
flush, you should consider folding very
seriously indeed.
Consider your options with a draw for a flush and a straight (especially
if open-ended), consider betting and raising. If,
however, you make neither on the turn, slam on
Exceptional circumstances the brakes before the river. Check or call a small
Be warned, though, these are guidelines bet, but fold if put under pressure.
only. In combination with the calendar
system for playing poker before the flop, Example
these categories are designed to offer you You are dealt Flop
that vital edge which divides winners from
losers. Ultimately, though, as explained in the
pre-flop lesson, there really is no definitive
system that applies in every situation. That
would make life just a little too easy.
Knowing how to play each hand of Advice
poker to the best possible effect requires a POKER SHARP-SHOOTING Consider betting and even raising. Check or
multitude of skills and knowledge, some of Tougher prospects, but all the more satisfying call should you fail to make the flush or the
which may take years to develop. Add this when you bag these longer-shots straight on the turn
system to your poker arsenal, however, and
you’ll be that much better prepared next
time you face a difficult betting decision.

56

055_PKR-Calender_8_ch.indd 56 9/6/06 15:37:20


February
If you are holding an Ace and another card of
the same suit, and then the flop deals you a
second Ace and two lower-ranked cards of
the same suit, you are looking at drawing for
the nut flush as well as already holding top
pair. If the flush doesn’t come off your hand
is vulnerable, but in this round of betting you
should be looking to play aggressively.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Bet and raise in almost all circumstances
June
If you have a high-ranking pair in the hole,
beware of a flop that sets up the possibility
of a flush or a straight, two pair or trips
for one or more opponent. Usually think
seriously about betting if there are no over-
cards to your pair on the flop, but think about
laying this hand down if you are raised.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Consider betting if there are no over-cards
to your pair, but retreat if necessary
October
If you have a pocket pair or hit a pair on the
flop, beware any sort of pair of on the board,
as it may spell trips, full houses or even
quads. It is certainly worth considering a bet
or even a raise, particularly if your pair is of
high rank. However, alarm bells should ring if
you are raised (and especially check-raised).
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
It is worth betting and even raising, but think
seriously about folding if raised
055_PKR-Calender_8_ch.indd 57
March
With any pair, a third card on the flop of the
same rank (making trips) is good enough to
indicate a raise. Your opponent/s may have
a draw to beat you, but it’s probably a good
strategy to make them pay to find out. Bet/
raise unless you have a very good reason
not to (eg. there are strong flush and straight
possibilities and betting is heavy).
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Bet and raise in almost all circumstances
July
It is frequently a good move to bet and
raise if you find yourself with a high-ranking
top pair after the flop, even if the best of
your other cards is relatively weak (in other
words, you have top pair but a weak kicker).
However, you should seriously consider
folding if you are raised.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Betting is often worthwhile but think again
if you are raised
November
If you have a pocket pair, beware of any
over-card on the flop (eg, a 10 to your 9-9).
You might still consider betting against a
very small number of opponents, or calling
against more, but you are probably behind
in this case and will need to improve. Fold at
any sign of strength from your opponents.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
You might bet against one or two
opponents if neither has raised
ASSESSING THE FLOP INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
April
Bet and raise if you hold a high-ranking pair
(10-10 or better) which is an over-pair (no
higher cards on the board) after the flop
– eg. you hold Q-Q against a Jack on the
flop. You’re likely to get plenty of play from
anyone holding a card of equal rank to that
on the flop, especially if they have a high-
card kicker (say an Ace) to go with it.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Bet and raise – but beware June flops
August
If you’ve got a medium-ranked over-pair on
the flop (ie, 7-7 to 9-9), you’re very vulnerable
to over-cards. With so many low-ranked
cards on the board, the chances of a straight
are also higher. Play aggressively to drive out
drawing hands, especially when you’ve got a
chance of a straight.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Often worth betting and raising but maybe
fold if raised, and beware of over-cards later
December
If you find yourself with a small pair (say 6-6
or worse), and there are one or more over-
cards on the flop, you should generally fold
if raised, unless you have a chance to draw
both ends to make a straight (eg, you have
4-5-6), in which case you can consider
calling, depending on the pot odds.
Example
You are dealt Flop
Advice
Fold if raised but possibly call if you have
an open-ended draw for a straight
57
9/6/06 15:37:37
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY INTRODUCTION TO ODDS

Hmm, four nines are...

take eight... pot size was...
damn! I should have folded.
Note to self: buy calculator

Okay, I’ve run out of fingers,

so the odds must be good,
plus I’m wearing my lucky
shirt. Let’s go hard!

58

058_PKR_CalcOdds_7_ch.indd 58 8/6/06 13:07:11

 INTRODUCTION TO ODDS
INTRODUCTION
TO ODDS
Know
the
odds
Poker may be a game of situations and psychology, but if you do
your maths homework you’ll leave a lot less to chance. Never fear
though – our simple approach will give you all the numbers you
need and help maximise your chances when it counts…
Omit the EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A DECISION
guesswork or respond to what another player does
from your in poker you are taking and laying odds.
game and let
the maths do While a game like no-limit hold’em often
the talking comes down to a ‘do they or don’t they
have it?’ scenario, there are many games
and situations in poker where the odds
alone that you are getting on a hand will
I’ve got a 12% chance of
completely dictate your actions.
trips here, but I’m feeling For example, in a game like limit hold’em
Big Slick or worse on my or Omaha, many of the decisions you make
right. To call or not to call? will be highly mathematical ones based on
the pot odds, and in some situations there
might even be no point trying to bluff a
player because of the odds, whereas in
others you could virtually call blind.
It’s therefore important to have a strong
idea of the odds of making or defending
your hand in any given situation, and the
ability to quickly compare them to the pot
odds you are getting or giving.
Tournament poker, in particular, is one
area where all good players know the
odds of their hand winning an all-in against
other hands inside-out, because these
confrontations come up so frequently.
Most of them don’t like playing all-ins that
are close to even money, and some will even
fold as a decent favourite rather than risk a
big all-in early on, because they expect to
have a better chance of outplaying
amateurs in smaller pots. But even for
the greats there comes a point in a
tournament when playing an all-in is
necessary, and – needless to say –
you should always aim to be a clear
favourite when this happens.
Poker odds can be examined in
a variety of ways, and we have
split them into sections below to
simplify the process, as well as
058_PKR_CalcOdds_7_ch.indd 59
INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
listing some common confrontations with
percentages for you to learn and remember.
We’ve omitted odds from flop to turn,
and on the turn, as these can simply be
calculated by counting the outs for or
against you out of the remaining cards.
(For a concise table of pot odds on the turn
and river, turn to page 64.)
Basic odds
In hold’em there are 1,326 possible two-
card combinations for your starting hand,
and 1,225 for any one of your opponents
after you look at your cards. If you play a
hand through, there are then 19,600
possible flops and 2,118,760 total full-board
combinations. This means that you could
play for a lifetime and not see exactly the
same thing happen twice!
With these parameters the chances of
getting a pocket pair are 16/1, and of
making it into trips or quads on the flop
is 12 percent. The chances of getting Aces
are 220/1 and A-K about 1.2 percent, and
if you don’t have a pair, you will make one
on the flop about one-third of the time and
about 49 percent of the time by the river.
With suited cards, you will make a flush 8.4
percent of the time by the river, but only flop
a flush 0.84 percent of the time, and flop a
flush draw nearly 11 percent of the time, of
which it will be completed with a frequency
of 38.3 percent. (Still with us? There’s more.)
If you flop an open-ended straight draw, it
will complete 34 percent of the time. The
flop will be all of one suit some 5 percent of
the time, two suited cards 55 percent and
rainbow 40 percent.
All of this is interesting to know, and there
are many other interesting facts in poker, but
often such information is of limited use, since
your equity in a situation also depends on
what cards your opponents are holding in
any given situation. Because of this, in some
games (especially Omaha) you may ignore
‘redraws’ if only looking at one side of the
equation and overestimate your chances.
On the other hand, you may be in a better
position than you think. For example, in
hold’em the chances of completing your
flush draw after the flop are low, but if you
also have a live Ace (see 9…-9; vs A:-3…
in the Heads-up Hands table over the page)
they are much better.
So basic odds are certainly important
because they give you a framework to
think within, however you mustn’t forget
that poker is all about situations and
psychology as well as mathematics – so
although the chances of any given player
having Aces pre-flop in hold’em may be
220/1 against, unless they raise blind every
hand, when they do raise the true odds are
going to be a whole lot shorter.
Pre-flop, all-in hand match-ups
The key here is to spot hands that are likely
to dominate, and those that are likely to be
dominated. This is mainly useful for the
purposes of tournament all-ins because
a bad hand may be getting the odds to
59
8/6/06 13:07:59
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY INTRODUCTION TO ODDS

outdraw a good one on the flop and

Terminology
Get to grips with the basics – or you’ll never be able to tell your
good hands from your bad ones…
Basic Odds
The odds of an occurrence based on
just your cards or your hand played to
completion. For example, the chances
of getting dealt A-A pre-flop, or making
your flush, or four of a kind on the board.
Pot Odds
The amount a pot is laying you compared
to the relative strength of your hand.
So if a short-stacked tournament player
moves all-in for $1,100 in when the
blinds are $500 and $1,000 and you’re
the only opponent on the big blind, you
needn’t even look at your cards before
calling as you are getting 26/1 for your
chips, which is a magnificent price even
if you’ve got 2-7 off-suit.
It’s more complex if the sums are
closer to even. Let’s say, for instance,
you’re getting exactly 7/2 pot odds on
the board pairing on the river when you
have trips against what you’re sure is a
completed flush or straight (making you
a 3.4/1 underdog), and the other player
is all-in. Here you would call in a cash
game, as mathematically it’s a profitable
play. But in a tournament or satellite you
may fold, as the small edge you have
may not be worth risking a lot of chips –
unless you want to gamble.
Implied Odds
The money you expect to get from an
opponent if you make your hand and
betting continues. For example, a good
player might think, ‘I’m getting slightly
less than the necessary pot odds to
draw at the straight here, but I know
Tom is likely to pay me off afterwards if
I make it, so it’s worth my calling.’
To estimate this accurately you
need a good sense of your
opponent and his hand, as well as how
the hand you make and your position
are likely to affect the situation. For
example, in hold’em if you called with a
belly-buster straight draw, another
player would be unlikely to recognise
that you made it. Conversely, in Omaha,
as soon as the board pairs or a three-
flush comes it’s highly likely someone
has made the nuts or something close.
Reverse Pot Odds/Implied Odds
The amount it will cost you and what
you stand to lose afterwards by drawing
and making a second-best hand. For
example, drawing to a straight when
someone else already has a made flush,
or either of these on a paired board
where someone already has a full house.
Redraws
When estimating odds, consider the
chances of making your draw but still
being beaten when another hand
improves, such as drawing to a
straight, making it and losing to a
newly-made flush or full house.
Very important in Omaha, where
the nuts can change on every
street, and you often play on a
street-by-street basis rather than
trying to get all the money in early.
For example, any decent Omaha
player knows that a made
straight on the flop is
destined to lose
when sandwiched
between trips and
a flush draw and
should therefore
be junked.
thereafter, but your equity in a pre-flop
all-in is fixed and not affected by whatever
the board throws up. If you’re considering a
call, compare this information with the pot
odds you’re getting and decide if the risk is
worth it with a marginal hand – and whether
you’re likely to be pot-committed if raising or
facing a re-raise all-in.
Everyone is familiar with the concept of
situations in hold’em where a pair takes on
two over-cards, and because these are
unavoidable you
should always be
So you’re telling me it’s in looking to get
my favour to call this all-in the money in
with my 7-4 off-suit? What during situations
about my blood pressure? where you can
be evens or
better. For
example, A-K
may run up against A-Q as well as 8-8 and
therefore be a good all-in investment,
whereas the best 2-2 can hope for is over-
cards and a bigger pair would be a 9/2
disaster. You can raise all-in but you can’t
call an all-in bet with it.
Notice from the odds listed that the
emphasis is therefore on drawing to live
cards in a showdown – such as with A-6 vs
7-7. Only the A is a live out and in A-7 vs A-
K only the 7 is live, putting both hands in
very bad shape. When there are no pairs
or duplications, things are much closer, with
middle connectors like 8-9 suited vs A-4
being virtually even shots.
On the flop
These odds demonstrate
popular confrontations when all
the money goes in on the flop
and illustrates the importance
of not risking a situation
where you are a massive
underdog. In order to do
this you will need a good

idea of what you are up against, which

Know Your Heads-up Hands means protecting your hand pre-flop and
Check out this selection of hands and their percentages of landing you the pot in heads-up play understanding just how big a draw you have
on the flop, as well as how your opponents
PRE-FLOP ON THE FLOP play certain hands.
Hands Win% Lose% Draw% Hands Flop Win% Lose% Draw% For example, if you have a combination
A:-AÚ vs K:-K… 81.5 18 0.5 A;-A: vs 9:-9Ú 7…, 3Ú, 2; 91.5 8.5 – hand like a live Ace and flush draw against
A:-AÚ vs Q…-J… 80 19.5 0.5 A;-A: vs 9:-9Ú 9…, 3Ú, 2; 10 90 – a pair, a straight and flush draw, or a pair
A;-AÚ vs K:-10; 86 13.5 0.5 A;-A… vs 7:-8: 9:, 6:, 2… 56.5 43.5 – and a draw, you’re likely to be in reasonable
A:-K: vs A…-7; 72.5 23 4.5 A;-K; vs 9…-9Ú 7;, 3Ú, 2; 45 55 – shape, unless of course you run into a
A…-6Ú vs A…-2: 38 28 34 A;-3; vs 9…-9Ú 7;, 3Ú, 2; 47.5 52.5 – monster, whereas the wrong end of a
straight draw or a second-best flush could
A:-K: vs 2;-2: 50 49.5 0.5 A…-J: vs K…-J; JÚ, 4…, 3; 86.5 12 1.5
obviously cost you dearly. Similarly, running
A:-K… vs Q…-Q: 43.5 56 0.5 A;-A: vs 9…-7… 6;, 8:, 2Ú 66 34 – a big pair into trips or going up against
A;-K: vs 8;-9; 61 38.5 0.5 A;-A: vs 9…-7… 9:, 8…, 6… 33.5 64.5 2 someone who holds two pair or an even
A:-J; vs Q…-9… 58.5 41 0.5 A;-A: vs 9…-7… K…, 2…, 4Ú 63.5 36.5 – better pair than yours is likely to spell
A:-6… vs 9;-10; 51.5 48 0.5 9…-9; vs A:-3… A;, 7…, 4Ú 9 91 – disaster for your chip stack.

60

058_PKR_CalcOdds_7_ch.indd 60 8/6/06 13:08:30

 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY CASH GAMES
CASH GAME
STRATEGY
Cash in hand
Sit-and-gos are a safer option, but if you want to grow your bankroll in a hurry you need to step
up to the cash tables. Follow our simple guide and you’ll be well on your way to table dominance
YOU’VE ALREADY ABSORBED THE KEY
strategies needed to win sit-and-gos in
our piece on page 38 – now it’s time to
learn the tactics needed to crack cash
games. You might think the style of play
and betting is similar, but you couldn’t
be further from the truth. Successful
tournament tactics don’t translate to
the cash game because of fundamental
differences in the two formats. So, how
do the two situations contrast?
First and foremost, in tournament play
you’re risking a one-time investment –
the entry fee. Once you’ve paid that you
don’t have to think about money again,
with a big stack of chips to throw around
and bully people. In a cash game every
chip you bet is real money. Sure, you
can play tight and record minor profits
62
062_PKR_Cash Games_10_ah.indd 62
and losses for a time, but if you’re not
careful you’ll get dragged into bankroll-
threatening situations. When this happens
you need to make sure you’re on the
right side of things.
What’s your game?
Game selection is always important, but
never more so than in a cash game. Never
try to crack a game if you’re unsure what’s
being played. It’s easy to surmise that
Omaha is similar to hold’em, but you’ll
quickly see your account bleed out if you
enter a game that you’re unfamiliar with,
acting like you know it all.
Similarly, hi-lo games are very different
from high-only games. Just like the time
you started playing poker, you need to
ease yourself in gently when learning new
9/6/06 15:31:58

If you like to
accumulate
chips via
ballsy moves
before
tightening
up your
play, a small
buy-in might
be suitable
games not throw yourself in at the deep
end. Thankfully, while Texas hold’em hasn’t
traditionally been a popular cash game,
it’s making up for lost time. In fact, it’s now
moved ahead of the old favourites like
draw, stud and Omaha.
Of the variants, no-limit hold’em is the
one to watch. It’s fraught with danger and
you can find yourself getting into pots that
involve your entire bankroll – and could
wipe you out with the turn of a single card.
Limit games are the safest option but,
despite fixed betting, you’re still risking
real money and bad play will always be
punished with the loss of hard-earned
dough. Pot-limit cash games probably
remain the most popular, especially in a
live casino setting as they invariably offer
the ability to get a confrontation down
062_PKR_Cash Games_10_ah.indd 63
CASH GAMES
to a head-to-head scenario pre-flop,
while removing the vulnerability of putting
all your chips in jeopardy.
If the shoe fits…
Almost all players fit into boxes and it’s
essential to get your opponents marked
as soon as possible. If you can identify
the ‘nuts players’, the ‘draw chasers’, the
‘limp-along merchants’, the ‘aggressive
big-pot players’ and the like, you’re going
to be able to modify your play accordingly
and start cashing out consistently. The
exceptions to this are the successful
cash game players, who quickly adapt
to the play and players around them and
may be considered ‘tight’ on some tables
and ‘loose’ on others. However, players
that do the sums and stick by them are
those who will see the money over a
period of time.
The sums you need to know are the
probability/possibility (of winning) against
the return on investment (ROI). If you’re
holding a draw that makes you slightly
better than 50/50 to make the nuts, you
shouldn’t hesitate calling an all-in against
just one other player because, blinds and
other dead-pot money included, your ROI
will be better than even money. Equally, if
you’ve got a 40% chance of prevailing in
a three-way pot, you should see this as
another automatic play.
Start as you mean to go on
Common sense counts for a lot so you
should begin by identifying a starting
stack that suits both your playing style
and the game you’re about to tackle. If
you’re a tight player who doesn’t gamble
recklessly you shouldn’t fear putting a
large sum of money on the table, namely
a stack that matches the chip leaders.
On the other hand, if you’re a chancer
and like to accumulate chips through
some ballsy move-making before
tightening up your play, a small buy-in
might be more suitable.
The logic behind this is simple. Say
you’re playing in a pot-limit hold’em
game and you have a playable hand (like
Q-J suited). You call for $10. Then the
pot is raised to $50 and you’ll probably
find yourself calling again. But then the
shortest stack at the table moves all-in
for $110, followed by another person
going all-in for $300. Suddenly you have
a tough decision: to call for $250 more
or say goodbye to your $50.
Now, should you only have a small
stack, say $100, you’re getting terrific
value to shove all your money in,
considering all the dead money put in by
the $10 and $50 callers who would now
fold to the all-in raises. You could find
yourself getting something like 9-for-2
for your money in a three-way pot.
However, if you’re sitting there with
$250+ you know you’re going to have
INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
Busted!
Tear up that double-mortgage
application! Follow these tips and
you’ll avoid it happening to you…
Tilt trauma
As even the most placid of players
knows, you can go on tilt in any game
at any time. But if you do it in a cash
game, especially one that’s no-limit,
you can lose your entire bankroll
very quickly. Try to stay calm and
focused at all times and if you catch
a particularly bad run of cards and
feel like you’re losing your patience,
click the sit-out button, take a walk,
a few deep breaths and only go back
into the game when you feel like you’re
back in control of your emotions.
Remember that poker is a game of
patience, and nowhere is this truer
than at a limit cash game, where
bluffing is almost nonexistent and it’s
premium hands that’ll pay off.
Know your limit
Selecting a tournament to play in is
pretty straightforward. You know
exactly how much you’re staking at
the start when you’re levelheaded and
fresh. In contrast, working out what
table to play on in a cash game
requires you to think a bit more. $1-$2
might sound like low stakes but the
pots can mount very quickly. The rule
of thumb is that you should sit down
with a minimum of approximately 50
times the big blind, which would make
your $1-$2 table a meaty $100 game.
In addition, the difference between
limit, pot limit and no limit is vast and
you should move up the ladder with
extreme caution.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Look for tables that are occupied with
people who are playing with a similar-
sized stack as you. Never get involved
in personal battles with someone else.
You may well lose a big pot to an
annoying character who lucks out on
a draw, but don’t feel that you’ve got
to reclaim your cash back from him,
as that’s a sure way to lose
the rest of your
money. Once
you’ve lost a
pot consider
the money as
gone and
start again with
the next hand.
63
8/6/06 14:31:11
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY CASH GAMES

to put a lot of money in jeopardy for a
hand that’s going to need a lot of help
to win. Therefore you pass and forfeit a
largish amount of money by protecting
your stack.
Essentially though, it’s all a matter of
feelings – a mental formula that involves
other factors such as your bankroll, your
ability to pull up more cash if you need
it, the volatility of the game and the
amount of money you want to win.
The latter – a staking plan – is
something that very few cash game
players employ, but it’s a good idea
and something gamblers in other fields
see as religion.
Stick to the game plan
Consider this – sit in with $50 and try
to cash out with no less than $150. If that
fails, buy in for another $50 and intend
to stop when you hit $250. Finally, if that
goes wrong and you’re in for $100, pull
up another $100 and try to turn that into
$400. The bottom line is you should
make a plan and stick to it. If you hit
your target you should leave the table –
or run the risk of losing the lot.
Making big calls because of pot odds
may sound like a very cavalier attitude
rule in cash
game poker
but it’s a scientific – and winning –
formula. However, the golden rule in cash
game poker is that every chip you put in
the pot is real money from your pocket.
Should you have a limited bankroll, a run
of losing pot-odds calls could soon wipe
you out. As a result a ‘tight but aggressive’
style would suit your resources best.
Likewise, repeated move-making is a
short-term way of making small profits but
a guaranteed loss-maker in the long run.
This is because, while you will pick up
your fair share of blinds and small pots,
when the big pots call your bluffs you will
only be taking on a player with a premium,
sometimes even made, nut hand.
Before you start though, a quick word
of warning – if you like the thrill of making
the big bluff, you might be better off
sticking to tournaments and sit-and-gos.
Playing cards aggressively when you’ve
got the goods and understanding value
calls is the formula for successful and
consistent cash game poker.
Value for money
Pot odds is a well-known mathematical
system and one that, in the long run, will
help you cash out if you’ve got the patience
to play it right. And the good news is it’s
The golden
extremely easy to pick up. Here are the
is that basics, but see page 58 for more info…
every chip Pot odds is a method of counting ‘outs’
you put in and assessing the value of making a call.
the pot is For example, if you’ve got an open-ended
real money straight draw, there are eight outs – or
from your cards – that will make your straight.
Making an exact conversion of ‘outs’ is
pocket
a complex business, but fortunately
there’s a simple formula. When there are
two cards to come (turn and river), each
out has an approximate 4% chance of
arriving (for the first ten ‘outs’; each one
thereafter equates to an additional 3%).
With just one card to come, each out has
an approximate 2.2% chance of arrival.
The table below shows a pretty accurate
probability of the chances of hitting your
outs. So if your mental arithmetic isn’t too
hot, photocopy this and keep it with you.
Back to our example, and the chance of
you making the straight post-flop on
either the turn or river is approximately
32%, or on the river, around 18%. Now, if
the pot is $150 and it’s only $15 to call the
turn, it makes a lot of business sense to
get your money into the pot. Essentially,
you’re getting 10/1 odds for a 4/1 bet.
Play cash games in this way and over
time the odds will make you a winner.

Pot odds
Call, raise or fold?
If you know your outs, the decision’s
pretty much made for you. For a quick
formula to work out your chance of
hitting on the next card, multiply your
outs by two and add two. To work out
your chances of hitting after the flop
on either the turn or river, multiply by
four. It’s not an exact scientific method
but for our purposes it’s close enough.

Number Two cards One card

of outs to come to come
1 4% 2.2%
2 8% 4.3%
3 12% 6.5%
4 16% 8.7%
5 20% 10.9%
6 24% 13.0%
7 28% 15.2%
8 32% 17.4%
9 35% 19.6%
10 38% 21.7%
11 42% 23.9%
12 45% 26.1%
13 48% 28.3%
14 51% 30.4%
15 54% 32.6%
16 57% 34.8%

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 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS

MULTI-TABLE
TOURNAMENTS

Playing
you see regularly on the leaderboards – have
a definite plan, including strategies not just
for the playing of individual hands but for
exploiting predictable opportunities and

field
evading inevitable traps that occur and recur
throughout a full-field tournament. Let’s
shine a light on those strategies, shall we?

the
Learn the key strategies for smashing up those monster multi-table
Early phase: Dead money
A certain percentage of online players come
into full-field tournaments wildly ill-equipped.
Maybe they don’t have the smarts or the
tournaments – and taking home the monster money experience or the game plan. Maybe they’re
just there to learn or to have fun. That’s fine.
THE PATH TO GLORY IN TODAY’S ONLINE famously called ‘f you’ money (because They’re free to do what they want with their
wonderland doesn’t lie in cash games, it lets you tell the boss where to go) – you’re money and time. But what this means for us
and it doesn’t go through sit-and-gos. probably going to need to get involved in is there’s a lot of loose money – dead money
Sure, you can win some money with these the massive full-field online tournaments – floating around, and in the early stages of a
activities – enough to sustain your poker where, if you win, you could trouser a truly tournament it’s your job to do this one thing:
cravings and maybe even draw enough life-changing chunk of money. Grab all that the dead money before
extra income for that 42-inch plasma Of course, nobody just wanders into these someone else does.
screen the wife wants. But for real money, things and stumbles blindly to victory. The If that dead money finds its way into the
life-changing money – what James Clavell best online tournament players – the names hands of more dangerous, skilful foes, it’s

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 MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY

Blind survival
Compare your stack to the blinds
and adjust your play accordingly…
# OF ORBITS STATE OF STRATEGIC
YOU CAN YOUR STANCE
SURVIVE STACK

<5 Imperilled Highly

selective.
Look for a
favourable
spot to
move all-in

5-10 Adequate Standard

selective/
aggressive.
Look for
hands you
can drive

11+ Strong Loose/

aggressive.
Try to take
control of
the table

going to be much harder for you to carve
it away later. Best to attack it while it’s
poorly defended. Make aggressive raises
and re-raises. Force your weaker-minded
opponents to make tough choices. Among
other things, they lack the experience or
savvy to make tough choices correctly. The
more hard decisions you put to them, the
more likely they are to err on the side of
dumping their chips to you.
You won’t be the only one using this
strategy of course; other sharks swim in
these waters. But if you use simple common
sense to discern which players should be
attacked and which should be avoided, you
won’t be under too much pressure and can
focus on putting pressure on those least
equipped to handle it. In other words:
Don’t challenge strong players,
challenge weak ones. That’s what
they’re there for.
If you do this one thing right – duck the good
players and pummel the bad ones – you
should be sufficiently well-heeled to compete
in the tournament’s middle phase.
Middle phase: Things not to do
Surviving the middle rounds of a full-field
tournament – when the blinds have risen a
few levels and a good proportion of the field
has dropped away – is less about making
the right moves than about avoiding the
wrong ones. Remember, at this point most
of the weaker players have been sucked
dry and kicked to the curb. Therefore, the
general level of expertise is higher. You
can’t count on your remaining foes making
careless mistakes, nor can you afford to
make a single one yourself.
Here then are some common errors to
avoid in the middle round play:
Don’t forget your overall place
in the tournament
The amount of chips you hold, relative to the
size of the blinds, tells you whether you’re in
great shape, fair shape or short-stacked and
imperilled. The ‘Blind survival’ table (above)
illustrates the number of orbits you can
survive until the antes and blinds would
bust you completely.
It’s easy to see that when you have
a strong stack you can be much more
loose, aggressive and creative in the
playing choices you make. But, and this is
important, you need to keep firmly in mind
where you’re at. If you’re in a great chip
position but see yourself as only average
or, worse, imperilled, you won’t be able to
leverage the advantage that a big stack
brings. You’ll be making a mistake.
There’s a Monitor your opponents’ stacks
lot of loose In the middle stages of the tournament,
money some stacks are short and vulnerable.
floating Others are large and formidable. Most are
around, and of average size. And all these stacks should
it’s your respond to raises differently. If you don’t pay
job to grab close attention to the size of your intended
targets’ stacks, you can land in a world
it before
of hurt. Suppose you hold 8 -7 in early
someone position. Some players call this a ‘package
else does hand’, a holding they add to their package
of raising hands for the sake of deception.
It’s not a bad idea to have such package
hands, but they must be used correctly. If
you see that your one potential caller is fairly
short-stacked, you don’t want to push with
your package hand, because you know
you’ll only get a call from semi-strong to a
strong hand, a ‘good enough to make my
last stand’ hand. A hand, in other words,
likely to dominate your 8-7 suited.
Aim that package-hand raise instead at
someone who has about the same number
of chips as you. This foe still has enough
chips to remain patient, and will therefore
fold a lot of the marginal A-7, K-J, Q-10
sort of holdings that an imperilled player
would play. You have a much greater chance
of getting him to lay down, thus winning
his chips without a fight.

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 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS

Don’t blow your lead by picking
unnecessary fights
This is a common flaw in people’s play.
Whenever you become chip leader, you get
it into your head that it’s the chip leader’s
right, by god, to tyrannise all the smaller
stacks. That’s true… to a point. But if you
try to do too much with your big stack,
you’ll find it an average one – and then an
imperilled one – in a short space of time.
Say your bullying behaviour has caused
a procession of timid folds from your foes,
but then someone with about two-thirds
your stack size re-raises you, putting
themselves all-in. Should you call? You’re
already in a dominant position. How much
more dominant do you need to be? And
what does it mean when someone with a fair
amount of chips is willing to go to war with
the chip leader? It means they’re not afraid.
Maybe they’re just a great bluffer; more
likely, they’ve got a hand worth taking into
battle. Don’t get carried away. Let someone
else be the bully. You’re still chip leader, so
why squander it away so carelessly?
Final phase: The squeeze is on ‘I want something to show for my efforts’
As the money bubble approaches in full field CHECKLIST If you just want a payday, and you’ll settle
online tournaments, players sort themselves Tournament for a small one, then your task is simple:
into two groups. First there are those who triumph is all measure your stack against the rising blinds
are desperate to get past the bubble and about timing and see how far you can go if you just do
earn themselves a payday – any payday. and strategy, nothing at all. If the numbers suggest that
This may be their first tournament and they so remember… you can make the money without playing
want ‘something to show for it’. Or they a single hand, by all means follow that
may have gotten into the tournament via a 1 Attack weak path. You won’t get much money for your
satellite, so the ratio between what they’ve money early. troubles, but you’ll get something and that’s
paid to get in and what they stand to win is Make sure you better than nothing.
really quite attractive to them. Other players get your fair ‘I want to move up by measured steps’
however, are ‘in it to win it’, and consider share of the If you’re aiming for a cautious climb up the
a low money finish to be equivalent to a dead money pay table, with a backdoor chance at the top
first-round bust-out. They’re looking for the spot, you want to pick your spots with care.
big-money payouts and know that these 2 Always avoid Yes, you’ll be involved in hands – it’s the only
numbers sit in the top three spots. unnecessary way to collect chips – but you’ll make it your
Plus, to some, glory and bragging rights confrontations practice to avoid large stacks and engage
are even more important than winnings. with big stacks short ones, especially the shortest and most
So the final phase finds a field of players or better players imperilled ones. If you’re lucky enough to
with wildly different goals, attitudes and have at least a little something in hand, by
plans – not to mention stack sizes. When 3 Know where you all means put the squeeze on those who are
you find yourself in this situation, ask are at all times on the brink of extinction. You have little to
yourself two questions: Which goal do I in relation to the lose (since their stacks are too small to bust
have? And how will I achieve it? blinds, antes you out) and plenty to gain – every player
and other eliminated now moves you one place higher
stack sizes up in the money.
To work this strategy effectively, keep a
4 If you get ahead, wary eye out for the bigger stacks around
preserve your you. They may not be content just to let you
prosperity. Just pick on the small stacks unmolested. As
because you can soon as you attack a small stack, you might
play the bully find yourself under attack from a much larger
doesn’t mean stack. Then you must decide whether to
you have to stand or run.
‘I’m in it to win it!’
5 In the later If you want to take out the top prize, you
stages, try to really don’t want to let anyone else get a bet
identify who just in edgewise. Use the combined forces of
wants a money your big stack and your big moves to send
finish and who’s everyone else fleeing from your path. Use
in it to win it. big bets and raises to reinforce the belief
Bully the former, that you’re going to win this thing, full stop.
evade the latter, In short, get on top, stay on top, and hurl
and pick your bets down at everyone who tries to climb
spots with care so high. There are pitfalls, though. Your
pocket Kings may run into pocket Aces and
6 Be fearlessly in knock you back into the pack. In the main
it to win it. You though, if you back up your big stack with
absolutely never strong moves and bully behaviour (always
win these things within reason, of course), you’ll put yourself
if you’re afraid in in position to win the top prize, the bragging
any way shape rights, and the famous ‘f you’ money.
or form Drinks on you, then!

Don’t step on these landmines

Preparations for a big multi-table tournament is not a simple case of logging on and going
for it with a set strategy. Take these into account and it’ll be a much smoother ride…
FATIGUE DISTRACTIONS QUIT-ITIS
Online tournaments take hours of Other people in your life may want Too many players turn a tournament
intense concentration. Make sure other things. The wife might want the setback into outright surrender. They
you’re well rested going in and you lawn mowed. The dog may be on fire. sustain a crushing beat and then throw
have the full amount of time you need Whatever the problem is, it will have away the rest of their chips. Don’t
to see the thing through. You don’t to wait! (Okay, maybe not the dog…) let this happen to you. There are too
want to be glancing at the clock every If you can’t play with a clear head and many stories of ‘a chip and a chair’
five seconds or pushing for a quick the support of people around you, you comebacks for you to lose all heart
and often disastrous resolution. shouldn’t play at all. just because you’ve lost some chips.

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 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY STACK MANAGEMENT
Stack
management
When it comes to your stack, bigger is better. But what can you do when you’re not
so well endowed (with chips)? Here we reveal the best strategies for tournament
hold’em – how to get out of a hole, and how to dominate when chip heavy
THERE ARE CERTAIN PLAYERS YOU
can destroy at a poker table but you’ll
never have more chips than them. Oil
magnates, self-made billionaires, poker
writers... If you play cash games with
these types, you might be able to
decimate their stack but they will re-buy
in an instant without a second thought.
Even in a cash game at your local casino
there will be players with huge bankrolls in
relation to the size of the game. While this
may be good for your bank balance, you’ll
never be in a position where your stack
dominates them.
Tournament play, however, is a different
kettle of fish. In tournaments, the worth of
a man’s play can truly be measured by the
size of his stack. But, while big is certainly
best, it’s not necessarily the size of your
stack that matters, but what you do with it.
In tournaments, players will find themselves
in situations to which they are unaccustomed.
Sometimes, you will find yourself the chip
70
070_PKR_StkManage_5_ch.indd 70
TOURNAMENT
STACK STRATEGY
leader, on other occasions you will be chip
dog. In these two situations, the same hand
must often be played very differently.
Big Stack
When you have a big stack, people take
notice. Opponents are much less likely to
steal your blind or raise into you. That’s
because in tournaments, once you lose
your chips, you are history. One of the most
basic rules is not to get involved with the
chip leader unless you have to.
Much of what you do, as ever in hold’em,
will be dictated by position. When you are in
early position (for instance, first, second or
third to act in a nine-handed game) you
need a genuine hand to raise. Even if you
are a massive chip leader, you don’t want to
risk losing your chips to people behind you.
If you are on a slow clock (the blinds only go
up infrequently), much of the play will take
place at the final table and although your
chip lead is important, you will not win the
tournament when there is more than one
table left. So from an early position you must
have a premium hand.
You should avoid regularly playing medium
suited connectors, such as 6Ú-7Ú or 9;-
10;. The reason for this is that in no limit or
pot limit, after a couple of hours of play, the
blinds will be big enough that you will be
unable to call a significant-sized raise. If you
do look down to find A-K, Q-Q, K-K or A-A,
then it is better to raise. It’s unlikely you’ll get
re-raised if you’re the big stack. Therefore,
you’re likely to face two or three players and
will be an underdog to win the pot, whereas
if you only have one caller, you’ll be the
favourite, unless he has a higher pair.
In mid-position you can be slightly bolder. If
you are sixth to act, you may think about
stealing the two blinds. This is an advantage
of having the big stack. As in late position, it
depends who is to act after you. If they’re
rocks who will fold if anyone raises and they
don’t have a premium hand, then it’s worth
exploiting with a passable hand.
You would not want to raise with 9-4 off-
suit, but you could with A-9 suited or J-10
Big is best, suited because – unless you run into a
but it’s not monster hand like Kings or Aces – you will
necessarily see a flop and have a chance of a draw at
the size least. You can try and see more flops in mid-
of your position when you have a big stack. Even if
stack that it’s just the big blind and yourself who see the
matters, flop, it may be worth a bet if your hand has
not improved. Even if the big blind has
but what
bottom or middle pair they may not call a
you do raise and risk a war with the big stack.
with it Conversely, if you do have a premium
hand, you may only want to call a raise or
make a small bet into an unraised pot. If you
8/6/06 11:40:48

On the
button you
should try
and steal
the blinds,
irrespective
of your
cards – don’t
even look
at them!
have Aces, your big stack will certainly scare
off A-10 or A-J with a re-raise. It may be
better for them in this instance to hit their 10
or A and think they have the best of it, thus
enabling you to extract more chips.
Leave it until late
It is in late position that being the biggest
stack is most advantageous. Playing on the
button at all but the most aggressive players,
you should try to steal their blinds,
irrespective of your cards. You should not
even have to look at your cards!
Your opponents will really
need to have a hand to enter
a flop with the chip leader. If
they have a monster, they will
re-raise and you can put it
down, but if they have a fair
hand such as A-10 or 9-9 and
don’t hit their flop, you can find this
out with one bet and may well take a larger
pot than if you had not raised. You can also
do this from one off the button or in the small
and big blind. The exception is when facing a
small stack as they may be forced to call to
avoid being blinded away.
Don’t be one-dimensional
Even when you’re more heavily stacked than
Dolly Parton, it’s important to vary your play.
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
If you keep raising, all but the weakest
players will twig and start playing back at
you. You want to take your fair share of
blinds from late position, but don’t want to
be in every pot. Even in late position it is not
advisable to continually call with A-Q or Q-J
suited or any hand where if you hit you can
still do your dough. You also don’t need to
070_PKR_StkManage_5_ch.indd 71
be in the 50/50 pots. Avoid calling when you
think you are facing two over-cards to your
smaller pair or vice versa. You can raise with
these hands, but you don’t need to call as
you don’t need be in these gambling hands
when you’re chip leader. Be aggressive but
don’t be wild or have a laissez-faire attitude
to your chips. You may be doing well, very
well even, but the real money in most
tournaments does not start until the final
table, so you are not moving up the money
ladder by gaining chips at this stage, just
gaining a stronger foothold on it.
Work on your reputation. If you have
become chip leader by playing solid, then
loosen up – people will respect your raises.
If you have got there through loose play and
playing non-premium starting hands then
tighten up; only play when you are favourite.
Short Stack
The people with the most chips know that
ultimately their main obstacles to the big
stack will be the fellow chip monsters first at
their table and then in the tournament as a
whole. Often, though, the big stacks will try
and delay confrontation with each other.
Instead, they gang up on the smaller-
stacked players to try and eliminate them
and move themselves closer to the money.
The best way to play the small stack often
depends on how small you are. If you are
really small and can’t survive more than
one more round of blinds then, when you
get a passable hand, you have to go all-in,
whatever position you’re playing. If you find
yourself in the big blind and the compulsory
posting is half your stack, then you are pot
committed and have to go all-in. Even if you
do double up, you will only be in the same
position again one round later. Tournaments
are about survival, but there is no point
being blinded away. Whatever two cards you
have are unlikely to be that much of an
underdog against any other two cards.
Under different circumstances you may
have mucked the hand you go all-in
with but remember that 8-5 is less
than a 2/1 underdog against A-K.
Short but not that short
If your stack is short but not dire then
you have far more options. Playing in
Size matters
Your tactics should change according to your stack size…
This is a table of situations where you should play differently
depending on the size of your stack. They’re not definitive
plays but are the ones that should be used most frequently.
HAND POSITION POT SHORT BIG
STACK STACK
A-K os Early Unraised Call Raise
A-8 s Mid Unraised Fold Call
Q-Q Mid Raised Re-raise Call
Q-9 s Late Unraised Call/raise Raise
8-7 s Late Raised Fold Call
(os = off-suit; s = suited)
INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
early position, you have to be even more
careful what you raise with as big stacks will
be more likely to call you. If there are two of
them on your table then they may put you all
in and then not bet against each other, to try
and eliminate you. If you have Aces or Kings
then you will probably be happy to take
your chances, but if you are holding A-K or
Q-Q, you may want to see a flop before
committing all your chips.
In mid-position and facing only one big
stack, you may want to raise with any Ace
with Jack kicker or better, or a pair of Jacks
or higher. If you are unlucky enough to run
into something higher then you will need an
outdraw, but you may be getting your hand
in with the best of it in a two-way pot or win
the hand uncontested.
In late position, you will need a lot less to
raise the pot. It is not advisable to try and
steal the blinds from someone who is
chipped up. They may call with less as they
can afford to see a flop and may have the
added bonus of decimating your stack and
knocking you out. If you do want to nick the
blinds, it is not worth doing so from a fellow
short stack as they too are unlikely to pass
even a hand as weak as one high card or
anything suited.
It is the medium-sized stacks whose blinds
are up for grabs. They will probably give you
more respect if you are short stacked as
they will reckon you have a lot to lose and
would not want to risk tournament exit.
Again, whether you want to attempt to take
the blinds from the button or one off the
button may depend on whether you think
you will be called. If the blinds are rocks it
may be worth trying to steal, but if they are
loose or have been prone to defending their
blind, it may be unwise, unless you are sure
you will call a re-raise.
Some players may try to hang in there
for as long as possible, but this is only the
best strategy if you are near (or in) the
tournament prize money and there are
other short-stacked players. Being short
stacked not only makes you a target for
others, it bars you from many important
aspects of a successful game such as
seeing flops, playing drawing hands and
picking up the blinds. It is vital to get out of
the position as soon as possible.
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8/6/06 11:43:06

Online tells
and how to use them
Online poker may be different from live play, but look closely and the psychology is
still there. Here we identify the tells you can see online and how best to exploit them
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM DICTATES
that there are no such t hings as online
tells. How could there be when you can’t
see a foe’s face, hear the timbre of his
voice or watch his hands shake as he
pushes chips into the pot? Even the
way he swigs his beer (or, as famously
portrayed in Rounders, cracks his Oreo
cookie) can tell you whether he’s on a
monster hand or a stone cold bluff. But
how can you check out his cookies, his
beady eyes and his other body language
when all you can see is a screen?
Even on the new generation of 3D sites
such as PKR (check out our special section
starting on page 103), all you’re looking
at is a virtual representation of a player,
performing actions that are entirely voluntary
– ie, someone has to actually click a button
on the PKR interface to make them happen.
Well, conventional wisdom isn’t always
right – and in fact reliable tells abound in
Internet poker. You just have to recognise
072.PKR_Onlinestrat 2_4_ch.indd 73
them for what they are. Here we’ll take
a look at some of the top Internet tells
– including a few that are unique to 3D
sites such as PKR – and how best to use
them against your foes.
The timing tell
You’re playing no-limit hold’em against
some slackjaw from Canada, screen name
SassCatchYou_Anne, who has shown
herself to be a typically bad Internet player:
she calls too much, raises too little and
chases too far. You raise under the gun with
pocket Jacks and everyone except Anne
folds. The flop is 9;-7;-6:. You bet half
the pot. She thinks and thinks and thinks
– almost times herself out – and finally
calls. The turn is the 2;. You bet the pot
and she instantly raises you all-in.
What do you think? Does she have
the flush? Of course she has the flush!
Her hesitation on the flop was because
she was wondering: ‘Do I have odds to
ONLINE TELLS INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY
ONLINE TELLS
EXPLAINED
call?’ Her instant raise on the turn was
that of a straightforward player making a
straightforward play. And you know this.
You know it so well that you do one of two
things: either you fold and get out of her
way or, knowing full well that you’re beaten,
you ‘call to keep her honest’.
A lot of people will call, which just proves
the difference between picking up a tell and
acting correctly on what you see. But that’s
another story – for now, just recognise the
timing tell and do these two things:
Be on the lookout for players whose
oscillating pace of play betrays information
about their hand or their thinking.
Never oscillate yourself. Always take the
same amount of time to act. Don’t let your
hesitation give you away.
Online poker All very well and good, you say, but what
happens so if they’re faking? What if it’s a false stall
fast that designed to make me think they’ve got
it’s often a tough choice when really they’ve got a
easier to monster? Certainly, that’s a possibility, but
uncover unless you’ve seen the player do something
patterns similar before, why assume they’re doing it
now? It’s a better idea to treat online tells as
than it
genuine until proven otherwise.
would be in
a live game Pattern tells
Online poker happens so fast that it’s often
easier to uncover patterns of play than it
is in a real-life game. In a live cardroom,
for instance, you might notice that the
player two seats to your right seems to be
attacking your big blind from the button with
alarming frequency. You wonder if he’s got a
real hand or if he just loves the button raise.
In the real world, you might get a look
at how he handles the button three or
four times an hour. Online, though, that
button comes spinning through his hands
every few minutes. It won’t take you long
to see a pattern in his play. If he raises
from the button more than half the time
73
8/6/06 16:01:01
 INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY ONLINE TELLS

you can assume he doesn’t need much
in the way of a hand to feel comfy about
popping in a raise. That’s a tell – and it’s one
that’s only revealed through the particular
circumstances of online play.
Because so many common poker
situations recur so quickly online, the
density of information is high, and pattern
tells emerge easily and reliably.
As a result, you can swiftly figure out
who makes button raises only with quality
hands and who will attack your blind with
anything. Against the former, you fold;
against the latter, you play back.
In PKR there is even more information
to pick up on, in the form of emotes, chips
tricks and the various other actions you
can perform through your avatar.
As mentioned, this is not the same
sort of information you get in live play,
because it’s all consciously triggered;
however, even in such deliberate actions,
The subconscious patterns can easily emerge.
density of For example, you might find that a player
information finds it very amusing and clever to use the
available ‘Oh my god!’ emote to pretend they’ve hit
helps pick a great hand on the flop, only to routinely
up patterns fold at the next available opportunity. If you
and – even
better –
spread mis-
information
observe this a few times you might have
picked up a small behavioural tic, which
could easily turn into an exploitable tell.
Next time they use that particular emote
when a flop comes down, raise into them
and see what happens.
Reverse pattern tells
While the density of information available in
online play is good for picking up patterns,
it’s even better for spreading misinformation.
If you know what to do with it, you can use
it to train small-minded foes to see the tells
you want them to see and make the moves
you want them to make.
Suppose it’s you who’s making those
raises on the button. The first time you
raise, the blinds fold because they can’t
be sure whether you have a real hand or
not. The second time you raise, mere
minutes later, the blinds fold again,
because they still can’t be sure – but
they sure are getting suspicious.
If you were playing on PKR, you could
even punctuate your action each time
with a suitable emote, just to reinforce
the behaviour in their minds. Now they’ll
be on the lookout. They’ve seen you
PKR and the card peek
On PKR, interactive features and ‘involuntary’ actions throw up a
totally new kind of tell that doesn’t exist on other sites…

When you play on PKR your hole cards
are not visible at all times like they are on
other poker sites. Instead, you have to
click on your cards or a button to view
them, but whenever you do so, your in-
game avatar actually peels back the hole
cards for a peek as well.
So, just as in live poker, you can now
pick up tells based on when, how often
and for how long other players view their
hole cards. Try watching the other players
when the flop comes down. Some,
especially those who play exclusively
online and are uncomfortable with the
idea of not being able to see their cards,
will already have their cards peeled back
in readiness – which you can do by
holding down the ‘look at cards’ button
(see page 106). However, if you move the
mouse to one of the action buttons (call,
raise, fold, etc), your avatar puts the
cards back down.
As such, you can now observe the
other players’ reactions to the flop just
as in a live game. Do they keep staring
at their cards, hoping a hand will
magically appear, or put them down
immediately? The former is usually a sign
they haven’t hit anything, but the latter,
in the context of PKR, could mean one
of two things. Either they like the flop,
and have looked away quickly to feign
disinterest, or they have made an instant
poker decision and have moved to click
on the relevant action button.
Which of these it is may be unclear
unless the player has to act before you,
and it may require a bit of observation
before a pattern becomes apparent.
But if the player instantly lowers their
cards when the flop comes and then bets
in turn, you might want to consider your
options. If the decision to bet was that
easy, they may well have hit their hand –
and even if they just check they may be
trying to draw you in for a check-raise.

Reverse card peek tell

Equally, a possible reverse tell is to wait
until the action is on you and then pause
so that everyone looks at you impatiently.
Once you think you have their attention,
glance at your hole cards (as if for the
first time), then immediately place a large
bet or raise. Hopefully, they will assume
you were distracted or away from your
PC, then when you came back you found
a monster lying in wait.

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 ONLINE TELLS INTERMEDIATE STRATEGY

CHECKLIST
Stick to these
rules and you’ll
master your
opponents in
no time

1 Pay attention to
patterns – they
will tell you
what specific
tells cannot

2 Use information
density to train
your foes into
doing what you
want them to do

make a specific play twice and they won’t
let that happen again. So the name for
our next tell is exactly what they’re thinking
right now…
Third time’s the adjustment
Show a typical player a button raise (or
other move) one time and he’ll form a
hypothesis. Show it to him a second time
and his hypothesis is confirmed. The third
time you show it to him, he’s ready to
counter-attack. He’s made an adjustment.
But you see this coming. Like a fighter
pilot getting inside his enemy’s turning circle
in a dogfight, you anticipate your enemy’s
tactic and plan your response in advance.
In the case of the blind steal, it’s simply a
matter of not taking that third stab at the
blinds unless you happen to have a big
hand. In other words...
Steal twice, real once
Yeah, fine, you say, but don’t you have to
get lucky to pick up a real hand just when
they’re making a ‘third time’ adjustment?
Yes, you have to get lucky, but it’s a special
kind of luck, called situational luck, and
this kind of luck works for you no matter
how the cards may fall.
If you get the cards you need when
you need them, great – execute Plan A.
Thanks to the misinformation you’ve been
spreading, your foes won’t put you on a
big hand and you’ll have them trapped. If a
poor hand comes, go to Plan B and decline
the steal opportunity. This not only thwarts
and frustrates your foes, it also makes them
doubt that you’re the rascally blind stealer
they thought you were.
The beauty of their doubt is it lets you start
the whole sequence over later, stealing once
or twice before they get up the gumption to
take a stand – when, if you’re situationally
lucky – you’ll have a decent hand.
Chat tells
Every Internet site has a chat feature, which
is great if you like the social side of the game,
but every now and then you’ll encounter a
rude player who uses the chatbox to mouth
off. When you outplay them they think you’re
just lucky, and end up typing sweet nothings
like, ‘I hate you, I hope you die!’ While it’s at
your discretion whether or not to report them
to the relevant customer services, you should
also ask what this tells you about their state
of mind – ie, they’re angry, on tilt and ready
to dump all their chips.
Can a player fake rage? Absolutely, but
most people who vent spleen into the chat
box do so because they’ve just suffered at
your hands and yelling at you makes them
feel better. That’s a massive tell about their
entire (flawed) state of mind. If your moral
compass permits, your best tactic is to push
them even further into tilt and fleece them
of their money. In PKR, emotes such as the
‘chicken’ and ‘bring it on’ can be infuriating,
and certain to push a tilting player into some
ill-advised playmaking.
Buy-in tells
Any time you see someone buy into any
game for less than an adequate amount
($100, say, in a $1-$2 no-limit game) you
should assume that he’s timid, scared,
running really bad or unwilling to put an
adequate amount of money into play.
Push him. Punish him for his weakness
until he shows some backbone.
Buzz tells
If playing in a poker game is a buzz, then
playing in two must be twice the buzz.
3 Always try to
Double-dippers, then, or even triple-dippers, stay one step
are telling us that they’re more interested in ahead in your
stimulation than win rate. If you scour the thinking
sign-up lists and find that you’re playing
against someone who’s playing on several 4 Lookout for
other tables too, you can guess that he’s not short buy-
fully committed to playing his best. ins, action
To exploit this tell just wait until you see junkies and
him involved in a big confrontation in one other obvious
of his other games. At that point, you can behavioural
steal chips from him in your game because flaws
he’ll be totally distracted by more pressing
matters elsewhere. 5 Be blandly
consistent in
Pre-action buttons your betting and
As you know, every site offers you the timing so as
option of planning your moves in advance. not to give too
If someone has no interest in their hand, much away
they can click ‘Check/Fold Any’, grab a
drink or go for a toilet break. If they have a 6 Tilt is the single
monster, they can ‘Bet/Raise Any’ and go biggest tell of
to war with guns blazing. These pre-action all. Find tilty
buttons, of course, cause their actions to players. Push
appear on-screen instantaneously when them deeper
their turn comes around. into tilt. Strip
You, who are paying careful attention, will their wallets
quickly note which actions are thought out and enjoy
in the moment and which are planned in their money!
advance. This tells you much. An instant
raise, for instance, says they have a hand so
big they don’t care who does what in front
of them. A raise with hesitation might betray
a drop in confidence based on all the raises
that preceded their intended one. Again, for
this there is a two-point plan:
Use pre-action button information as a
reliable indicator of how confident your
foes are about their hands.
Don’t ever use the pre-action buttons
yourself; information is power and you
should never give it away for free.

75

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 ADVANCED
STRATEGY
By this stage you should be well on your way to online poker mastery,
so it’s time to get serious, with top-level strategies for winning play

BY NOW, YOU KNOW TEXAS HOLD’EM
inside-out. You know all about pre- and
post-flop strategy, tournament play and
pot odds. You know how to spot a bluff
and how to exploit a variety of online tells.
In fact, you have many of the attributes
of a successful Internet player.
However, you shouldn’t content yourself
with a merely adequate understanding of the
game. In this section we will look at more
advanced skills such as poker maths and
the specifics of heads-up play, as well as
introducing you to the mysteries of Omaha.
Glory and fortune await, so read on!

77

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY HEADS-UP MASTERCLASS
HEADS-UP
MASTERCLASS
Face-off
When you get down to two players in a tournament, it’s time to forget your manners.
To win in this environment you’re going to need all the aggression you can muster…
PLAYING HEADS-UP IS THE CLOSEST
you’ll get to playing Russian roulette with
Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter.
There may not be a gun pointed at your
head, but going toe-to-toe at a poker
match is a high-pressure situation.
If you can’t conquer this aspect of the
game you’ve got no chance of becoming a
successful player. It’s much like a game of
chicken – you don’t need the fastest car or,
in this case, the best hand. The nerve to
stay on target once the pedal has hit the
metal is a far more important quality.
This kamikaze spirit could get you into
trouble if you crash your Route 66 racer
into a King Kong pick-up truck, but without
it you may as well walk away from the
table before you even post your first blind.
The most important thing to remember is
that you don’t need the best hand to win; it
doesn’t matter what cards you get dealt if
78
078_PKR_Heads Up_9_ch.indd 78
the other person folds. If they toss in their
10-8 and you’re sitting there with an 8-6 you
still pick up the chips. In heads-up you can
justifiably contest any pot with a single court
card and almost any pair is worth pumping.
Show some aggression
Forget the time that mother told you to
play nicely with the other children – be
a monster, be aggressive. Once you’re
the chip leader, bully the other player off
the blinds and use your position to pile
the pressure on their dwindling stack.
If your normal game is a tight long-haul
style then be prepared to change gear
rapidly. You can’t expect to play a checking
and folding game and still win. Not only
will you get more blinds stolen than if Ikea
left its Liverpool warehouse unlocked
overnight, you’ll be that much easier to
read when a Big Slick slides your way.
If you attack the other hand, you force
your nemesis to make the decision to call,
fold or raise, and it should allow you more
time to spot tells and expose bluffs. The
majority of the time neither hand will
have a great deal of ballast to it. If your
opponent checks, you have to bet. If a
re-raise comes your way then you can
always fold, but giving free cards towards
a potential straight or flush draw is not
an avenue you want to pursue.
If you’re the small blind you should attack
the big blind like a rabid dog. Salivate, bark
and get on all fours if you think it will help,
but you have to raise that big blind more
often than not. If your opponent only calls
you down a third of the time, you’ll still be
in profit – and you may hit something on
the flop anyway.
Flog the flop
When a bets is called and the flop hits the
baize you can’t afford to look at the cards
in the same way as you would during
normal play. If you hit a middle pair with a
decent kicker during a standard hold’em
hand you’d probably be quite happy about
it. In heads-up this puts you in a very
strong position. As a rule of thumb, if
you’re on the button never just call –
always raise to ensure you get a payout
when you get dealt a decent hand.
8/6/06 14:24:04

If you don’t know your foe, you may not
get many chances to get an insight into
their heads-up technique. Watch the pre-
flop raises to get an understanding of what
they will bet as a bluff and what is a solid
move aimed at pulling you towards a heavy
loss. When you get to see cards on their
backs make sure you remember the betting
practice of that hand. If a similar rhythm
emerges later, it’s odds-on they’ll be
holding the same or similar hole cards.
Against an inexperienced, passive player
it’s best to raise as often as possible and
lay as many bets on the flop without
making your loose and wild play too
obvious. It’s good to remember that the
chance of starting with a pair is around
16/1, so a single court card is worth a punt.
If the newcomer folds in the face of heavy
raises and continues to look cowed, pile on
the pressure until they show the first sign of
strength. If they meet you head-on after
folding their first couple of hands, chances
are they’ll actually have a hand – then it’s
time to assess how good your hole cards
are and consider backing off.
However, it’s paramount to sustain the
assault on your opponent’s chips. If the
stacks get tipped over 3/1 in your favour it
makes the likelihood of a comeback very
remote indeed. Take them to the cleaners
and start calling them all-in.
078_PKR_Heads Up_9_ch.indd 79
HEADS-UP MASTERCLASS
Of course, this advice is all well and good
but it does assume that you have the
larger clay army in front of you. What if
you’re the lowly peasant fighting against
heavy artillery? It’s a tricky decision
whether to wage a war of attrition and call
their bluffs or opt for the ambush, waiting
until you get a decent hand to wreak heavy
damage. However, you need to strike a
balance to ensure that your stack isn’t
simply whittled away by blinds.
If you’re the ‘Bouncebackability’
small blind, You know the big stack is looking to bet
attack the you all-in and they’ll be likely to play you
big blind like on most hands just to pile on the pressure.
a rabid dog. The best chance you have when you’re
Salivate, very short stacked is to act like a down-
bark and on-your-luck street urchin. Go all-in with a
half-decent hand and you’ll either double
get on
through, steal the blind or get caught trying
all fours to pick pockets. But if you’re continually
getting your blinds stolen your chances of
getting back on level terms slip further
away with every hand.
Ultimately, you’ll find heads-up play
embraces two of the purest aspects of
poker: the ability to disguise your own hand
and to figure out what your opponent has.
But if you want tournament success then
it’s vital to master the heads-up. Unless, of
course, you’re happy coming second.
ADVANCED STRATEGY
WSOP 2005:
Hachem’s call
In heads-up, any two cards can win
Starting hands are far less important in
heads-up play, especially when you’re
allowed to see a flop cheaply. In the
final hand of the 2005 WSOP Main
Event, Joe Hachem won with one of
the worst hands in poker, 7-3 off-suit,
against Steve Dannenmann’s unsuited
A-3. Dannenmann had raised to $700K
pre-flop against Hachem’s $300K big
blind. As chip leader Hachem only had
to double his blind to play – a cheap
price for the chance to pick up a killer
flop that filled his straight. When the
Ace came on the turn, Dannenmann
was completely trapped.
Joe Hachem Steve Dannenmann
FLOP TURN RIVER
Chip leader Joe Hachem was let in
cheaply to pick up a killer hand
79
9/6/06 16:16:01
 ADVANCED STRATEGY POCKET PAIRS
HOW TO PLAY
POCKET PAIRS
Is that a pair
in your pocket?
… or are you just pleased to see us? From pocket ducks to pocket rockets, we show you some
extremely sound – and sobering – playing strategies for every pair you’ll ever have in Texas hold’em
POCKET PAIRS RANK AMONG THE
most valuable hands in hold’em, but
because they are so often misplayed
– usually overplayed, sometimes
underplayed – they don’t add as much
to your winnings as they should.
Here, we examine the nature of pocket
pairs, focusing primarily on their use in
no-limit tournaments. There are also some
crucial notes for low-limit money players,
so don’t run away if you tend to only play
small-limit or pot-limit games.
Let’s start with The Worst Play In Poker
– and it’s quite astonishing how many
players get this one wrong. Yes, you
guessed it, it’s calling an all-in bet with
a small pair.
If you call all-in rather than betting or
raising all-in, you only have one way to
win: holding the best hand. It’s far better
to have two ways to win when you make
a bet; either with your bet or with your
hand. Suppose you knew that your hand
was a 3/2 underdog to win – that you only
had a 40% chance of winning. Suppose,
moreover, you knew that if you bet all-in,
your opponent would fold 50% of the time.
It would be correct to bet, even though
you knew you had the inferior hand. In
100 confrontations, you would win 50
without a fight, and of the other 50, you
would win 20. You wind up winning 70 of
the 100 confrontations. While you can’t
know the odds this precisely at the table,
this example shows how having two
ways to win often turns an inferior hand
into a winning one.
However, if you call all-in, you’re going to
find yourself in one of two situations: either
you’ll be roughly even money (against
two over-cards) or you’ll be roughly a 9/2
80
080_PKR_PocketPairs_11_ch.indd 80
underdog (small pair against larger pair).
Do you really want to put all your chips
into the pot when it’s impossible for your
opponent to fold and you’re either a small
favourite or a huge underdog?
It’s a ridiculous play if you look at it
realistically, and yet you’ll see players
again and again making huge calls with
hands like pocket fours.
The ‘coin flip’ myth
Whenever you watch televised poker
and you see someone with a pocket pair
going up against someone with two over-
cards (such as Q-Q vs A-K or 7-7 vs 8-9),
you almost always hear the commentators
say one of two things: either the hand is a
coin flip (meaning that it’s a 50/50 chance)
or that it’s roughly 11/10 in favour of the
pair. Listen for it – it’s practically universal.
The only problem is, it’s almost always
universally wrong.
Different pocket pairs are different-sized
favourites against different over-cards.
In fact, they’re not always favourites.
Believe it or not, J-10 suited is a favourite
over every single pair from 2s through to
7s if the pair doesn’t contain one of the
suited cards – and usually even if it does.
You need to reach pocket 8s before the
pair becomes the favourite, and that’s by
a tiny amount. On the other hand, if you
take your pocket 7s – or even your pocket
deuces, for that matter – up against A-K,
you’re the favourite. Can you guess why
the J-10 hands do so well?
Smaller pairs
There are four main ways in which
over-cards can defeat a pocket pair:
To hit one (or more) of the over-cards.
For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final
board is 5, K, 7, J, 2.
To make a straight (a single card from
a pair can also help make a straight, but
two connected cards stand a much better
chance). For example, 7-7 vs J-10, with
the final board coming 8, 9, Q, 7, 2 (notice
that even making a set of 7s on the turn
didn’t save the pocket pair).
To make a flush (very similar to the
straight analysis). For example, 8:-8Ú
vs Q;-J; with the final board coming
10Ú, 9;, A;, 3…, 8;. Notice the same river
Believe it or card that made a seemingly lucky set of
not, J-10 8s also created the flush: remember such
suited is a possibilities when calculating your outs.
favourite To get counterfeited – one of the biggest
over every problems with diddly pairs. For example,
3-3 vs A-9, and the final board comes
single pair 5, 5, 6, 10, 6. The owner of the 3s must
from 2s play the board, while the opponent can
through use his Ace. Any time you own a small pair
to 7s. Just and a larger pair flops, be very careful.
don’t start
ranking it Because J-10 makes more high straights
too highly than any other hand, if you owned a pair
of 4s, you would actually much prefer to
be up against the powerful-looking A-K,
which makes far fewer straights, than
against J-10.
If you own Q-Q and are up against A-K,
you are lucky enough to be in the single
most favourable pair versus over-cards
situation. Express it however you like:
4/3, or 1.33/1, or a 57.2% advantage. No
matter which way you describe it, you are
quite far away from coin-flip territory.
You own this significant edge because
your two Queens reduce the A-K’s
chances of winning with a straight. A-K’s
owner will need a Queen to hit the board
8/6/06 12:58:55
 POCKET PAIRS ADVANCED STRATEGY
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY POCKET PAIRS

to make a straight, and you have two of

them tucked safely away. Don’t get too
excited by this though. Many players,
upon learning that J-10 makes more high
straights than any other hand, start to
rank J-10 far too highly.

Smaller pairs
You can split pocket pairs into several
distinct value groups. Let’s start at the
bottom and work our way up…
Low pairs (2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5).
Although these hands stand a reasonably
good chance of winning a heads-up
confrontation against over-cards, they
have several vulnerabilities. In a game
where three or more players see the flop,
they usually need to make a set to win.
Small pairs are also the most vulnerable
to being counterfeited. The good news is
their unimproved post-flop weakness is so
obvious that even bad players are willing
to throw them away – something that
can’t be said of…
Middle pairs (6-6, 7-7 and 8-8). For
the most part, these hands play like small
pairs. The biggest difference is that they
don’t get counterfeited nearly as often, and
occasionally in heads-up confrontations
you will find yourself facing only one
over-card instead of two. Otherwise,
these hands can be more troublesome
than small pairs, especially if the board
comes low – 10, 4, 2, for instance. A player
holding pocket 8s will often think ‘only one
over-card hit, I might be leading’, and bet
aggressively, not realising he is up against
someone who has that ten or someone
who is tentatively calling with a hand like
9-9. Normally, unless you flop a set or a
good straight draw (that is, the board is 4,
5, 6 and you have 7-7), you should get out.
Danger pairs (9-9, 10-10). These are
much like middle pairs, but occasionally
will hold up against an opponent who
has hit part of his hand (like, for example,
someone playing A-8 suited who hits the
8). They should be played like middle pairs,
but you will very rarely get counterfeited.
Some call them danger pairs because
players tend to push them too hard.
Beware and don’t make the same mistake.
Royal couples
J-J: The single trickiest hand in no-limit.
It wins just enough without improvement to
give its owner confidence, yet is extremely
vulnerable in multi-way situations. If you
are facing all three over-cards, you are a
significant underdog. Just how big varies:
you’re better off being up against A-K and
K-Q (winning about 43%) than against A-K
and Q-10 (winning about 37%), because
of the lack of duplication. One trick to
avoid trouble is to pretend it’s 8-8. You’ll
only play it hard in favourable post-flop
situations, and won’t try to beat the world
with it, pre-flop.
Q-Q: The third-best starting hand in
hold’em should be played aggressively.
The problem in low-limit games is you
Unless you
flop a set
or an open
straight
draw,
troublesome won’t just be up against one player holding
middle pairs A-K: you’ll be up against K-10 here and
A-9 there, and that’s much less favourable
should be
than facing a solitary A-K. In no-limit, what
abandoned sort of hands will you face heavy action
as soon as with? Bluffs, the odd person overplaying
possible a small pair or A-Q, A-K and K-K or A-A,
where you’re a 9/2 underdog. It’s often
best to make a significant, but not full,
commitment raise and wait to see if the
flop contains an Ace or King. If you’re
in a tournament and someone raises up
front, someone else moves in on him, and
someone else calls the all-in bet, unless
at least one of the all-in players was short
stacked, your Queens belong in the muck.
Ditto, when someone seems unafraid of
multiple opponents.
K-K: Paired cowboys make for a terrific
hand that’s worth playing quite strongly.
Just remember even rookies playing A-3
have a 30% chance to beat you with their
over-card. In a low-limit, multi-way pot,
if an Ace flops, your Kings are doomed.
Perilous plays
How good is that pocket pair? Only a flop will tell you to hold or fold…
Pocket pairs are normally the best
hand before the flop, but remember
your hand is usually defined by the flop.
One of the biggest mistakes players
make with pocket pairs is getting
stubborn with them once the flop
makes it probable they’re no longer
leading. Remember, hold’em is a seven-
card game, not a two-card game.
Because low pocket pairs almost
always have to flop a set to be worth
continued play, it’s vitally important to
Only in high-limit games – where players
will fold hands like A-9 – do you have a
chance. Try to avoid going on tilt when
your Kings get beaten, because players
hold singleton Aces a lot and 30%
chances are not insignificant.
Aces in the hole
A-A: Beloved pocket rockets don’t have
over-card worries. The key is in knowing
when to fold them. In low-limit, multi-
way games, you should figure that two
red Aces are toast when the flop comes
9:, 10:, J…; so beware of extremely
coordinated flops. Don’t get stubborn.
A lot of no-limit players like to limp with
Aces, hoping someone else will raise, so
they can re-raise. But if five people wind
up limping, you have no idea where you
are after the flop. Why not raise and hope
you get re-raised? If everyone folds and
you just win the blinds, that’s still not as
bad as losing your whole stack because
you let someone in too cheaply.
keep position in mind when playing. If
you happen to be the first player to act
and hold a small pair, there’s a strong
chance you’ll face one or more raises
by the time the action gets back to you
– and by then the price to see the flop
isn’t right. You’ll only flop a set one time
in eight tries, so do your best to get in
there as cheaply as you can, and try to
get in against those opponents who
have enough money to pay you off
handsomely if you get lucky.

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 DEALING WITH MANIACS ADVANCED STRATEGY

He’s an
eccentric,
a gambler,
a freak, a
risk-taker,
an oddball
– and a
godsend to
any poker
game…

DEALING WITH
POKER MANIACS

Jokers in
wouldn’t be unusual but for one crucial
detail: he never looks at his cards.
The man is an eccentric, a gambler,
a freak, a risk-taker, an oddball – and a
godsend to any poker game. He is the

the Pack
quintessential maniac, playing without
any fear of losing and seemingly lacking
any regard for money.
Incredibly, he wins a few hands early on
and busts two players at the table before
meeting his inevitable destiny. The $25,000
Don’t be intimidated by the aggressive play of a poker maniac. Follow our expert lasts 20 minutes. His fate sealed, the man
advice and you can tame these wild cards – and turn a tidy profit in the bargain toddles out of the casino, never to be
seen or heard of again.
PICTURE THIS: A MAN BRINGS A The date is winter 1996, the place While this was an extreme example of
big brown grocery sack to a game of Resorts International, Atlantic City, the what a maniac does to a poker game, it
poker, takes a seat and then dumps the game pot-limit Texas hold’em. The man epitomises the grave risk and tremendous
entire contents of the bag – $25,000 – on posts his $5 blind and is dealt a hand. upside potential of having a maniac
to the poker table into one big pile. What happens next defies the imagination. sitting at the poker table. The maniac is
Bundles of hundred-dollar bills tumble on The man becomes an instant legend in certainly capable of breaking his opponent
to the green felt. The man has everyone in poker circles, as he proceeds to raise on with a combination of good hands and
the game covered at least five times over. each successive round of betting. This reckless aggression. However, in the long

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY DEALING WITH MANIACS
run, the maniac always meets his doom
when confronted with the appropriate
counter-strategy – specifically designed
to neutralise the nutter’s hyper-aggressive
tendencies. Carefully crafting a counter-
strategy to deal with such maniacs does
not have to be as tedious or frustrating
as you might think.
Major impacts of having a maniac
in your game:
A maniac presents a unique set of
challenges for any poker player. In
actual fact, the maniac is not always at
a disadvantage. For instance, a maniac
might fare well in heads-up play against a
passive opponent. In short-handed games
with multiple passive opponents the
maniac likely enjoys a significant edge.
The maniac’s demise usually comes in
full-ring games (with at least eight players),
where he is up against just one or two
opponents in each hand – at least one
of which (or even both) holds a stronger
hand. Against such blatant aggression,
what happens is that all the players
become more disciplined and tend to
Dealing with a maniac
How to exploit a maniac’s weaknesses,
whatever type of game you’re in…
In tight games (two- or three-way
action in most hands)
Play very tight in early position
Play tight-aggressive in late position
Check and call and/or check-raise
more often, since the maniac will
usually bet when checked to
Induce bluffs and call more often. Call
down the maniac’s bets and raises,
even when holding a marginal hand
Don’t attempt to bluff
In standard games (four- or five-way
action in hands)
Play tight in early
position
Play aggressively
in late position
Re-raise more
often – attempt to
isolate the maniac
and get heads-up
Call the maniac’s
bets/raises more
often, even with a
marginal hand
Don’t bluff
In wild games (six-
way action or more in most hands)
Play suited-connectors, pairs, and
Ace-suited hands more often
Check and call when pot odds dictate
there is value
Throw away marginal hands when
other players have raised or re-raised
Don’t attempt any isolation moves
Don’t attempt to bluff
84
83_PKR_Maniac_6_ch.indd 84
play technically-correct poker. They wait
for strong starting hands with which to
confront the freak.
Hence, the maniac often faces the one
or two best hands at the table, and is
frequently at a disadvantage. Because
opponents see that he plays many hands
and will pay the bets off with a flurry of
raises, all that is necessary is to patiently
wait for strong cards and let the odds
work against the maniac.
Unfortunately, this poses a serious
problem if you fail to get good starting
hands. Some undisciplined players see
chips flying around the table and can’t
contain themselves. They begin relaxing
their own starting-hand requirements.
These undisciplined players see the maniac
occasionally win with garbage, and react
by betting or raising with marginal cards.
This plays right into the maniac’s intent
– to generate action, put opponents on tilt
and create a wild poker game with multiple
players in every hand with huge pots.
Most games with a maniac usually
fall into one of two categories – they
are either very tight (two- or three-way
action in most pots) or very wild (multiple
opponents calling raises in every hand).
The maniac’s behaviour causes every
single player at the table to adjust his
strategy and playing style.
Basic strategy for playing
against a maniac
Keep in mind that in poker, seating
position is absolutely critical. It is almost
always advantageous to sit to a maniac’s
immediate left. The worst seat at the
table is usually to the maniac’s immediate
right. So, in such a situation your first goal
should be to select a favourable seat.
Request a seat-change if possible.
With a maniac in the game, the ultimate
objective is to get in with the best hand,
anticipating that the maniac will pay off
on all bets and raises. In tight games, a
tight-aggressive play is usually the optimal
strategy. In other words, in hold’em enter
a pot with premium starting hands (pairs
higher than 7-7 and non-pairs like A-K
and A-Q), and bet them aggressively. The
maniac will often try to intimidate you into
folding by raising and re-raising. But since
you are playing good cards more often
than not, you will end up with the best
hand and win more pots.
In wild games, a very different strategy is
necessary. Since the maniac has created
multi-way action and big pots, drawing
hands increase significantly in value. Pre-
flop hands, like suited-connectors, small
pairs and Ace-suited, are often playable
cards. If you have two suited cards and
flop two cards to your suit, a raise by the
maniac actually increases your expected
value in the hand, since you will win a
much bigger pot when you make the flush
(which happens about 37% of the time
when you flop a flush draw).
Check out our ‘Dealing With A Maniac’
box (left) for more basic strategic concepts
when playing against a maniac.
Differences between limit and no-limit
games with a maniac at the table
So far, most of the strategic concepts
discussed relate to limit hold’em games.
However, pot-limit and no-limit games
present their own unique circumstances.
It’s important to note that maniacs can
dominate a big-money game, especially
when stoked with big bankrolls against
timid opponents. Players who are afraid
to lose their chips fall victim to the
maniac’s hyper-aggressive tendencies.
8/6/06 22:29:59

In a sense, they get run over. Once the
maniac discovers this weakness, he
simply launches raise after raise at his
helpless opponent, and more often than
not will win pot after pot – even though
he likely doesn’t have the best hand.
Such dynamics are simply not possible
in limit hold’em games, since the amount
of betting is fixed on each round and
opponents are less likely to be intimidated
by the size of the wager.
This concept is important because it’s
essential to accept the reality that bankroll
swings in pot-limit and no-limit hold’em
will be much more severe with a maniac at
the table. In high-limit games it is far more
difficult to ‘find out where you’re at’ – to
use a common poker expression – with a
bet or raise when facing a maniac.
For example, with a strong but vulnerable
hand such as Q-Q, it is probably best to
throw your hand away when you bet out
and are raised by an opponent after an
Ace flops. In a conventional game, the
opponent is likely to have an Ace, which
means you are beat. But when a maniac
raises in this situation, you are forced to
play a guessing game, which is not a good
position to be in. The long and the short of
it is that it’s tough to play against maniacs
in pot-limit and no-limit games when
contrasted with fixed-limit games.
Keep the maniac happy while
you slowly fleece him
Poker is just as much a game of
psychology as it is of card values.
83_PKR_Maniac_6_ch.indd 85
DEALING WITH MANIACS
Don’t let him get to
you! Sit back, relax
and take him out
with a good’un
Players who
are afraid
to lose their
chips will
fall victim
to the
maniac’s
hyper-
aggressive
tendencies
Accordingly, there are several specific
tactics that can be used to keep a
gambling fruitcake sitting in the game for
longer, and therefore steadily contributing
to your profits at the table (if you are
following our advice that is).
Most maniacs are losing poker players.
Over the long run there’s no way that this
insanely aggressive behaviour can bring
in a decent profit. No amount of talent or
experience can overcome playing way too
many hands and putting one’s money into
the pot repeatedly with the worst hand.
So, it’s important to try and understand
why the dimwit plays so recklessly.
Does he simply like to gamble? Is he a
wealthy eccentric playing for insignificant
stakes? Or does the attention he receives
at the table stroke his ego? There are a
myriad of reasons for maniacal behaviour,
and identifying the underlying cause of
such behaviour is the first step towards
exploiting it for profit.
ADVANCED STRATEGY
What is a maniac?
General poker theory suggests there
are four basic types of poker player:
1 Weak-tight players play very few
hands and surrender pots too easily
2 Tight-aggressive players play few
hands but bet strongly when involved
3 Loose-aggressive players play many
hands and bet strongly
4 Loose-passive players play many
hands but surrender pots too often.
But I would add another group of
players: the maniacs. They deserve a
special category all to themselves.
What separates maniacs from loose-
aggressive players is that maniacs play
even more hands and tend to bet, raise
and re-raise to the point where the
game is played for significantly higher
stakes. Therefore, the dynamics of an
ordinary poker game are altered
radically because of the presence of
the maniac. In short, a maniac usually
displays the following characteristics
and tendencies:
He has more than an average
number of chips on the table
He often posts a live straddle
(when permitted to do so)
He plays far more hands than normal
He raises and re-raises far more
often than normal
He bluffs far more often than normal
Whatever the root causes may be, most
maniacs – indeed, most poker players
– want to enjoy themselves at the table. It’s
human nature. Disparaging remarks and
negative comments made by so-called
pros towards these players are incredibly
detrimental to both the short- and long-
term winnings that might be gained from
having these madmen in the game. It’s an
important point to remember.
It might sound dubious, but believe us,
the ultimate counter-strategy when you’re
playing with a maniac is to let the player
think he can dominate a game, and that
you – his opponent – can be manipulated
at the table. Letting the maniac think he
can run over you and bully you into losing,
while you are actually prepared to confront
his aggressiveness with proper counter-
strategies, effectively sets the perfect trap.
In essence, the maniac has committed the
very worst error of poker – underestimating
his opponent.
85
9/6/06 15:54:32
 ADVANCED STRATEGY REBUYS

REBUY
TOURNAMENTS

To rebuy
or not to
rebuy?
Playing like a maniac and going all-in regularly
means certain death in normal poker. Not so
with rebuys. Here we show how buying
back in when your stack is low can
keep you out of the poker cemetery

IN MANY WAYS, TOURNAMENT POKER

revolutionised the game when it first came
to prominence in the 1970s. It quickly
proved a more exciting way to play the
game, adding a sense of urgency and
drama to the already potent wagering
action. It’s one of the main reasons poker
has become so popular today, and many
casual players dream of one day entering
the $10,000 Main Event at the World
Series of Poker. This, and most of the
tournaments played on the Internet, are
‘freezeouts’ – that is, you’re eliminated as
soon as you lose your chips (even if this
happens on the very first hand). However
there’s another, very different, type of
tournament on offer at most venues, and
that’s the ‘rebuy’.
In these events, there’s a designated
‘rebuy period’ (usually the first hour),
during which you can buy more chips if
you go broke. Depending on the specific

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rules, you can do this as many times as
you want when you have chips but fall
below a certain level (or even straight
away). Sometimes you can also take
an ‘add-on’ at the end of the rebuy period,
in which you can buy even more chips
irrespective of how many you have
actually accumulated.
Because of this, strategy during this part
of a tournament is radically different from
the freezeout stage of the event – that is,
when the rebuy period is over – or a
straight freezeout. In short, you need
to have a few rebuys in your pocket, a
good gambling attitude and the ability
to see exactly who is playing what game
during this stage, as well as how their
game alters afterwards.
So rebuy events sound right up your
street, eh? Great, but hang on a second,
as there are a few things you need to take
into consideration before you even play a
hand if you want to make them profitable.
Get stacked
First, you need to check the rules and
structures to ensure your pockets are deep
enough and to determine your overall
strategy. For example, in a $10 online
rebuy event, you might need to budget
around $50, as some sites not only offer
add-ons, but allow you to rebuy before the
first hand – basically, whenever you have
the usual amount of starting chips or less.
Moreover, with often huge fields online, it’s
normally a good idea to buy more chips
whenever you’re given the opportunity so
you can build a stack and have an
advantage over players who don’t.
You may also go broke at some stage
and need to rebuy a ‘double stack’,
although doing so more than once
probably isn’t advisable. With two double
buy-ins of $20 and an add-on of $10, $50
is a good ballpark figure to keep in mind.
However, if only single buy-ins are allowed,
$30 would be pretty reasonable.
This strategy usually holds true, but you
also need to check on how many chips
you get at which stages for your money.
For example, buy-ins and rebuys are
usually the same amount of chips, but
some events might give more for the
add-on as an extra incentive to take it.
This can represent a significant
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
difference. For example, if a site offers
double buy-ins where you get 1,500 chips
for $10 (so 3,000 for $20 to start with) and
an add-on of 2,000 chips for $10, you
should probably just play as normal and
gamble it up. Conversely, if you’re only
allowed single buy-ins of 1,000 chips for
$10, but an add-on where you get 2,000
chips for another $10, it’s probably more
086_PKR_ReBuys_v7_ah.indd 87
correct to play extremely tight and ensure
you don’t need to take unnecessary rebuys
where you only get the 1,000 chips. For
the purposes of this article, though, we’ll
assume the latter isn’t the case, as all you
need to do there is fold – unless you find
a monster or flop a big hand cheaply!
Unlike in a freezeout, where people
usually play very tight in the early levels
while trying to figure each other out, it’s
common to see several people go all-in on
the first hand of a small buy-in rebuy event
and turn over hands such as 4-4, K-7 and
A-2! This is great news if you’re on their
table, as you’ve found some real gamblers
and, if you play it right, you could be sitting
on a mountain of chips by the end of the
rebuy period for only a small outlay.
Just ask yourself this: if one table has 40
rebuys on it and another has only ten, then
which table is more likely to produce the
eventual winner? For this reason, you need
to do as much as possible to encourage
the gambling spirit while keeping things
as cheap as possible for yourself.
This might mean talking it up with the
maniacs and making a few inexpensive
raises or bluffs (which, of course, you can
show to loosen everyone up), going all-in
a few times, or just generally giving the
impression that you’re there to gamble.
Of course, this isn’t exactly the case, as
there’s no point ending up with 20,000 in
chips if that’s what they would have cost
you if you were able to buy them. Rather,
you want to create the illusion of being a
maniac – as poker legend Doyle Brunson
wrote: ‘You have to give action to get
action.’ And this is particularly true in
rebuy events, as people are far less likely
to gamble with a rock.
This is easy enough to do. Most rebuy
events are pot limit or no limit and the
sizes of bets tend to get exponentially
bigger through the betting rounds, so
you can make a lot of ‘advertising’ raises
and bluffs before the flop or on it without
denting your stack. However, because of
this, people will frequently mis-categorise
you and pay you off when you have a hand
and make big bets on the turn and river, or
go all-in before the flop with a big hand.
Success or disaster?
If there’s one certainty about this approach
it’s that the volatility of your results in the
rebuy period can go through the roof as
you’re gambling so much and often playing
far more hands than you would normally.
As things progress, you’re probably either
going to end up accumulating a big stack
or going broke, and when this happens
you need to consider whether it’s time to
reconsider your strategy.
REBUYS ADVANCED STRATEGY
For example, if you sit down and more
than double your starting chips in the first
half of the rebuy period, you might want to
tighten up a bit, as your plan has been
successful and you don’t really want to get
low again. Besides, if you do make this
decision, the chances are the other players
won’t notice for a while anyway, and so if
you do pick up some big hands, you’re just
as likely to get paid with them.
However, if you go broke and decide to
take a rebuy, you need to start thinking
about how much you’re prepared to
spend, or if you want to continue at all.
For example, if you find yourself bereft of
chips very early in the game and the table
is a good one, you might be happy to go
over budget in order to take advantage of
the fast and loose gambling on offer.
On the other hand, if you’re at a poor
or tough table or the rebuy period is nearly
over, you might just decide to tighten up
and wait for the freezeout stage, or even
give up and leave if you go broke again.
After all, if others have a massive stack
You want already, you’re going to be at a huge
to create disadvantage anyway.
the illusion
of being The big freeze(out)...
a maniac The freezeout stages of a rebuy event
throw up a few special circumstances.
– you have
Most importantly, you need to observe
to give how people’s styles change in comparison
action to to how they played during the rebuy
get action period. For example, have they noticed
that a change of strategy is needed at all?
Have they taken add-ons or extra rebuys
if these were available to them? And how
many chips do they now have compared
to the blinds and average stacks (both at
your table and overall)?
Consider these points as you enter the
freezeout stage of the tournament (and
mentally compare them to other events
you’ve played) and you’ll be well on the
way to the final table.
87
8/6/06 12:22:46
 ADVANCED STRATEGY POKER MATHS
POKER MATHS
maths
MASTERCLASS
Do the
Struggling to make those tough poker decisions? It could all be a matter of getting your sums in order.
Ready your calculator then, as we show you how to put your times tables to use at the poker table…
ON THE FACE OF IT, TEXAS HOLD’EM
seems to be a pretty straightforward
game played with up to ten players and
52 cards. But the mathematics underlying
it are extremely complex. Players are
generally split into four groups when it
comes to this topic: the bleary-eyed
amateurs who chase inside straights and
flush draws even when the odds don’t
compute; the old-timers who’ve learnt
everything by rote but can’t tell you that
2-2 vs 9-10 suited is a dog whereas 10-10
vs A-K is a 4/3 favourite; the maths literate
who can calculate odds and conceptualise
poker situations with the help of a
calculator or notepad; and the crackpot
geniuses with degrees in game theory
who can rave on for hours about stuff
no one else understands.
Calculator Fun
That’s right, fun! Well, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank when you apply
this simple calculation to your game – mathematics never felt so good
Ever wondered how you too can be a
fountain of poker knowledge and maths
wizardry? All you need is a calculator
with a ‘combinations’ button (something
along the lines of ‘nCr’ or similar), a pen
and a notepad.
Now imagine that the (c) stands for
‘choose’ and that you’ll be putting in
numbers either side and hitting the
88
088_PKR_maths_7_ch.indd 88
Although fitting a Bachelor of Statistics
and Maths Science course into a four-page
article is beyond even our talents, we want
to start out by getting your poker brain at
least up to the third stage of maths
mastery. You’ll be able to easily calculate
odds, think about the game for yourself
and analyse various situations – then we’ll
start branching out into more advanced
areas. So, what are the magic numbers
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
you need to start drilling into your head?
Counting cards
Well, 52 cards means you can be dealt
1,326 possible two-card starting hands
(assuming you count A;-KÚ as different
from A;-K:), of which 78 will be pairs
(1 in 17), 312 will be suited and the other
936 will be unsuited. Each pair can occur
combinations button in the middle.
So, to calculate the number of possible
starting hands enter ‘52 (c) 2’ and, voilà,
the answer is 1,326.
Want to know how many ways you can
be dealt Aces? There are four Aces in
the deck, so enter ‘4 (c) 2’, which is 6.
And the chances of being dealt a pair of
them? Well 1,326 divided by 6 is 220/1.
Not very good, unfortunately.
8/6/06 17:10:43
 POKER MATHS ADVANCED STRATEGY

Of 1,326
possible two-
card starting
hands, 78 will
be pairs, 312
suited and
936 unsuited
– this is the
terrain on
which you’re
going to war

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY POKER MATHS

six different ways and each unpaired hand

16 ways, of which it will be suited a quarter
of the time (to learn how to calculate these
numbers see Calculator Fun on the
previous page). Of course, all this might
seem as interesting as watching paint dry,
but these numbers define everything that
can happen to you in a poker hand – this is
the terrain on which you’re going to war, so
it’s a good idea to get a feel for them.

Dog or dominant
For example, if you’re in a tournament and
find yourself sitting to the right of a maniac
drinking double kamikazes and raising
every second hand before looking at his
cards, you can figure out where your pair
of Jacks stands when you raise and he
inevitably re-raises all-in. There are six
ways he can have A-A, K-K or Q-Q, which
are the only hands that dominate you, and
16 ways he can have A-K, A-Q or K-Q,
against which you’re a marginal favourite.
So, assuming you’re happy to risk the
coin-flip, the 18 in 1,225 chance that
you’re losing is a fantastic proposition –
and good news for the barmaid when the
maniac retreats to drown his sorrows.
But what if the same thing happened
close to the bubble and the drunk had
been replaced by a solid player you know
would only re-raise with a bigger pair
or A-K? Well now you might not be so
happy, as of the 34 possible hands you
In fact,
put him on, 18 have you dominated and
two-thirds 16 are virtual coin-flips, meaning you’re
of the time actually a favourite to be the dog. This is a
an unpaired time to think very carefully about pot odds
hand will fail and relative chip standings.
to make a
pair on the Making a hand
flop, and a Moving on to the flop, you are now
confronted by a plethora of possibilities
pair will only
(19,600 to be precise). But aside from the
turn into numbers, the key factor to remember is
trips one in pretty obvious – that the proportion of the
eight times hand that you’ve seen just increased from
2/7 to 5/7 (you’ve now got five of the seven
cards that will comprise your potential best
poker hand). This makes the flop the
defining moment in every hand of Texas
hold’em. And if you’re playing no-limit or
pot-limit hold’em, this is where it’s going
to start getting expensive.
So what are the possibilities? Well, the
good news (assuming you’re an aggressive
player) is that most hands miss most flops.
In actual fact, two-thirds of the time an
unpaired hand will fail to make a pair on
the flop and a pair will only turn into trips
one in eight or so times.
So, assuming you raised pre-flop and
therefore have the momentum on the flop,
a routine bet of around half the pot can
be a very profitable venture. Even if your
opponent only folds 50% of the time and
calls or raises the rest (because he’s
holding a pair, he’s on a draw or he figures
you’re bluffing), you’re still playing winning
poker. And of course, some of the time
you’ll actually have a decent hand as well.

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This then is part of the beauty of poker –
you can bend the rules in as many directions
as you want, as nothing is concrete except
the numbers behind the cards. Learn them
well and winning and losing will eventually
pale into insignificance, as playing poker
becomes more like running a business –
some days you sell a showroom full of
Ferraris and others you’re just paying the
bills, but at the end of the month the sums
still add up to a healthy profit and you’re
left smiling all the way to the bank.
The next level
We’ve now armed you with the key facts
and figures that serve as the foundation
of poker, and we’ve shown how you can
use mathematics to handle the many
possibilities that might unfold. You may
not think it’s important to know that there
are 1,326 possible starting hands and
19,600 flops in Texas hold’em, but without
that knowledge you’re making decisions
blind and – even worse – not maximising
your chances of winning.
One thing is certain: playing position and
acting aggressively is a mathematically
proven route to success. Raise before the
flop and you might steal the blinds, even
if you’re not holding the best hand. If you
get called you’ve got the momentum and
should carry on betting.
But in the spirit of getting you to
understand the numbers, how can this be
demonstrated? With a little help from that
calculator mentioned on the previous page
– the one with the ‘combinations’ button
(nCr). Use it, understand the real value of
your hand, and you can talk yourself into
getting more chips into the pot (or decide
that folding is actually a better option).
For example, say you raise with a
random hand in late position, and your
passive opponent calls with A-K in the big
blind. What are the chances he will miss
(and will therefore check and fold to your
bet)? Assuming you have any two cards
below A-K, like 7-3 off-suit or 5-5, the
‘But they were suited!’
Famous last words, eh? Don’t get dazzled by non-connecting suiters.
The odds are against you – and here’s the proof…
Starting-hand requirements are one of
the cornerstones of successful poker
and one of the traps beginners often
fall into is playing hands like Q;-5; or
J…-3… just because ‘they’re suited’. Well,
put the mechanics of poker maths into
action and you will soon see why this is
a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
Forgetting for a second that you might
win by pairing your hole cards (or lose a
lot on your kicker), what are the chances
of actually making the flush? Say you
hold two hearts – the chances of
actually flopping it is ‘11 (c) 3’ (you need
three of the 11 hearts remaining in the
088_PKR_maths_7_ch.indd 91
answer is ‘42 (c) 3’ (the remaining
combinations of three cards below A-K)
divided by ‘48 (c) 3’ (the total combinations
possible), which is 66.37%. This means
that whatever you’re holding, you’ll win
the pot two-thirds of the time through
aggression alone.
The numbers game
You can use the same theory to make
calls in almost any situation that you
might encounter. Say you’re playing in
a tournament and you’re short-stacked.
You’ve got less than 10 big blinds left, so
you decide that on the next decent hand
you’re going to make an all-in move while
you’ve still got enough chips to push
people off the pot and make drawing
hands pay to stay. Here your decisions
are determined pretty easily by a few
calculations. Say you’ve got an Ace with a
weak kicker – a five, for example. Now you
might automatically assume that any Ace
is a clear-cut favourite, but is this correct?
Let’s start with you in the small blind when
everyone’s folded around to you. You have
$9,500 and the blinds are $500/$1,000.
Once you’ve posted your small blind of
$500 you have $9,000 left and can win
$1,500 by moving all-in – this means you’re
getting odds of 1/6 on your money, which
isn’t great on the surface. To make it
worthwhile you should be looking at being
at least that big a favourite to win the pot.
There are 1,225 potential hands that the
big blind could have, but how many will he
call that will beat your A-5? This, of course,
depends on many factors: stack sizes,
what sort of player he is and so on. But for
argument’s sake, let’s imagine the big blind
is a tight player who will call with any pair
of sevens or higher, and A-8 through A-K.
There are six combinations for each pair
‘4 (c) 2’ except A-A – there are only three
of those ‘3 (c) 2’ as you hold an Ace – and
12 combinations for each A-x hand (three
Aces combined with four Kings, Queens,
Jacks and so on). In total then, there are
deck) divided by ‘50 (c) 3’ (the total
combinations possible from the cards
you haven’t seen), which is 0.84%. Eek!
As you can see, those flushes on the
flop come along less than one in 100
times. So, what if you’re only looking for
a flush draw on the flop? Now you want
two hearts and one card of another suit
to turn up. The equation here is ‘11 (c) 2’
(two of the remaining hearts) multiplied
by ‘39 (c) 1’ (any of the remaining cards
that aren’t hearts) divided by 19,600,
which is still only 10.94%.
Consider these numbers and you can
see why playing hole cards ‘because
they’re suited’ is a very bad idea.
POKER MATHS ADVANCED STRATEGY
117 combinations beating you, or less than
10% of the hands he can be dealt, making
An Ace with moving in a profitable play for you.
a small kicker
isn’t as good What are the chances?
a hand as it Now what if you were on the button with
$9,000 and two other players left? Well,
might appear
assuming all the details are the same, each
for making of the two players will call with 117 out of
your stand the remaining 1,225 (9.55%) combinations
when short and fold the other 1,108 (90.45%) hands.
stacked And by multiplying together the chance of
each of them folding (90.45 x 90.45
divided by 100) you realise that they will
both fold 81.8% of the time. This means
you’ll win the blinds about nine hands out
of 11, which isn’t ideal when you’re only
getting about 1/6 on your money. But you
have to factor in the chance that if you’re
called you can double or even triple your
stack while holding the worst hand.
A quick visit to an online odds calculator
reveals that against a bigger Ace you’re
about a 3/1 dog and against pairs lower
than Aces you’re about a 7/3 dog.
For the sake of simplicity and because
you’re more or less screwed if both players
call or one finds Aces, let’s round these
numbers up and say that when called
you’re always a 3/1 dog. Now you can say
that nine times out of 11 you will win the
blinds ($1,500) and two times out of 11
you will lose 75% of the time (a loss of
$9,000) and win 25% of the time (an
average of $9,750 depending on which
stack calls). So when you’re called your
net result is $9,750 x 0.25 minus $9,000 x
0.75, which equals $-4312.25.
Now, to see whether this is a profitable
play or not, the odds need to be factored
in. Going on the information you have,
you’ll win $1,500 in chips nine times and
lose $4,312.25 twice.
So the net result on the play each time
you make it is $1,500 x 9 minus $4,312.25
x 2 divided by 11, which is $443.22. This
makes it a profitable play, but not by much.
In fact, you might want to think again
before putting all your chips on the line.
What’s it add up to?
The moral of the story is that an Ace with
a small kicker isn’t as good a hand as it
might appear for making your stand. And
now that you understand why, you can
apply the numbers to your overall game.
Admittedly, we’ve used one very specific
example here, but the general concepts
can be used in any given situation.
Having said all that, we don’t want to
scare you away from poker with too many
facts and figures. Poker is meant to be fun
and we’re not suggesting you turn it into
some sort of academic study. Play the
game as you feel it, not strictly by the
numbers. The maths just makes poker
more transparent, which will give you an
edge when the going gets tough.
And ultimately, there’s not a person on
the planet who will dispute that poker is
more fun when you’re winning.
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 ADVANCED STRATEGY OMAHA
Let go
of hold’em
and head
for Omaha
Many Texas hold’em players are trying their hands at Omaha, but their
assumption that they can make the leap easily is often their undoing.
So how do you avoid looking like a tenderfoot when you make the switch?
AT FIRST GLANCE, TAKING UP OMAHA
when you already understand hold’em
seems easy – just a case of moving from
a five-community-card game with two
hole cards to a five-community-card
game with four hole cards.
Yet just as first glances at members
of the opposite sex have led most of us
into trouble at one time or another, so
too have the Texas hold’em player’s first
lustful glances at Omaha. Remember –
appearances can be deceiving! The value
of hands, the role of position and the
nature of betting are all very different
in Omaha, so don’t get lulled into a
false sense of security.
Learn the game well, however, and you
could turn all this to your favour. The
mechanics of Omaha are similar enough
to hold’em to ensure that it attracts a lot
of curious ‘tourists’, leaving plenty of
room for canny players to clean up.
Omaha is played in both high-only and
high-low (or hi-lo) versions (see page 98
for more on this variation). For reasons
that will become clear after you’ve
mastered the game, no-limit Omaha
has never really caught on – the value
of hole cards simply changes too much
throughout the course of a hand.
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092_PKR_Omaha_8_ch.indd 92
HOW TO
PLAY OMAHA
As such, pot-limit Omaha, the game
with the unfortunate initials PLO, is
the most popular form of high-stakes
Omaha, while Omaha hi-lo (8-or-better)
is probably the most popular form of
low-stakes Omaha.
The differences between PLO and limit
Omaha are huge – much more so than
the differences between limit hold’em
and pot-limit hold’em – so here we will
examine both forms and (with any luck)
set you on the path to victory.
Let’s start by looking at the key
differences between Omaha and hold’em,
starting with the most important:
1 The ‘must use two’ rule
In Texas hold’em, a player can use one,
two or none of his hole cards to create
his final hand – if there’s a royal flush on
the board, every player in the pot at the
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY BIRD
end will ‘play the board’ and receive an
equal share of the pot.
But in Omaha you must use two –
and only two – of your four hole cards in
forming your final five-card poker hand.
This rule leads to all kinds of curious
situations. In hold’em, you would love to
look at your two hole cards and see two
Aces. In Omaha, if your four hole cards
8/6/06 16:13:20
 OMAHA ADVANCED STRATEGY

In Omaha
you must
use two
– and only
two – of
your four
hold cards
in forming
your final
five-card
poker hand

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY OMAHA
The law of the draw
Omaha is a game of draws and redraws. Ideally, you
only want to play well-connected starting hands and
always have multiple ways of improving. Of course, with
the random turn of the cards, anything can happen…
Beware! High pairs are not that powerful in Omaha, and J-J
is almost worthless unless it makes a full house or quads.
The JÚ-7Ú can make a flush, but non-nut flushes are also
dangerous in this game. Let’s limp in and see what happens.
Boom! Somehow, you’ve managed to flop the nut straight,
4 through 8. It goes to show, just about any random hand
has a chance of winning in this game. Bet big to drive out
drawing hands though, as this game ain’t over till it’s over.
Crash! The turn brings no change but the river is a disaster.
The big bad Ace of spades completes a potential flush, and
in Omaha you have to assume someone’s hit it. That’ll teach
you for playing mediocre starting hands now, won’t it…
94
092_PKR_Omaha_8_ch.indd 94
In Omaha,
position is
less relevant.
You could
say that
hold’em is
a game of
position,
while Omaha
is a game
of card
combinations
are the four Aces (or any four of a kind),
you essentially have a ‘must fold’ hand
(unless, perhaps, you are playing heads-
up), because you have a pair of Aces and
no way whatsoever of improving them.
You can’t make a flush or a straight – you
must use two of those Aces – and clearly
another Ace can’t hit the board.
Indeed, most hands that contain just
three of a kind are completely unplayable,
although in a high-only game you might
consider limping in with A…-A;-AÚ-KÚ
(a pair of aces and one nut-flush draw)
from the small blind in a multi-way pot,
and in hi-lo you could also play A…-A;-
AÚ-2Ú because you would almost
certainly hold the only A-2 (you’d also
have one nut flush draw, and while your
pair of Aces doesn’t add much to your
equity, you would be the only player who
could hold a pair of Aces).
Novice players often get bamboozled
by this rule. Say the final board shows
K;-QÚ-10:-K…-Q;. You hold A-J-x-x,
completing an Ace-high straight, while
your opponent shows A-K-9-9. If you
were playing hold’em, you’d toss your
hand in the muck as soon as you saw that
King turn up, as this would make a full
house, Kings full of Queens. However,
because your opponent has to play two
of his cards (no more, no less) his best
five-card hand is actually three Kings with
an Ace kicker – a hand smashed to bits
by your nut straight.
This is why it’s vitally important to
‘table’ your hand (place all four cards face
up on the table) in any situation where
you’re not completely sure what you hold.
Once you table your hand, other players
and the dealer are entitled to help you
read it. There’s nothing to be ashamed
of – we’ve seen players at the final table
of a WSOP event staring at the same
Omaha hand, all trying to figure out what
the hand’s owner has!
The ‘must two’ rule means:
You cannot ‘play the board’. You can
only play three-fifths of it
You cannot play just a single card from
your hand, nor can you play three or four
8/6/06 16:14:35

Just because there are four suited cards
on the board and multiple players in the
hand, it isn’t a ‘lock’ that someone has
a flush, because ‘someone’ will have to
hold two cards in suit, not just one.
You must get accustomed to thinking of
your Omaha hole cards not as individual
cards, but as groups of two. With four
cards in your hand, you hold six possible
two-card combinations. A strong Omaha
hand gets equity or value from as many of
these six combinations as possible –
ideally, significant value from all six.
2 Position is less important
Good hold’em players know that position –
playing on or as near to the button as
possible – is vitally important to winning
play, so much so that many hands worth a
raise in late position are not even worth a
call in early position. In Omaha, position isn’t
irrelevant, but it pales in comparison to hand
values. It would be fair to say that hold’em is
a game of position, while Omaha is a game
of card combinations. Why? It’s because…
092_PKR_Omaha_8_ch.indd 95
3 Winning hands tend to be stronger
Even though every once in a while the
‘must two’ rule will devalue a hand, as in
the example given earlier, over the long
haul, the typical winning hand is much
stronger in Omaha than it is in hold’em.
The reason is obvious: instead of only one
two-card combination that can be used
together with the board, the player has
six such combinations possible. Someone
playing A;-K;-JÚ-9… and staring at a
flop of Q;-8;-2… may be focused almost
entirely on his nut heart-flush draw, but if
a 10 hits the board, the player has made
a straight with his J-9 combination.
Good Omaha players don’t focus entirely
on one part of their hand. They examine all
the little bits and pieces of equity that each
of the combinations represent. This is one
of the reasons why you may have heard
the expression, ‘Don’t play Omaha hands
containing a dangler.’ A dangler is one
card that doesn’t work well with the other
three cards in your hand.
For example, if you hold K-Q-J-10, your
cards all work well together. The six
combinations will give you a straight with
almost any combination of high cards on
the board. If instead you held K-Q-J-2,
the deuce is a dangler. While it could help
(if, say, the flop comes 2-2-4, which is still
a pretty vulnerable hand), it’s far less
valuable than a card that adds to the
straight possibilities, because Omaha
tends to be a game of straights, flushes,
and full houses.
Hold’em players are accustomed to hands
like top pair, top kicker being strong (for
Because
example, holding A-Q and getting a flop of random
Q, 5, 4). In Omaha, top pair, top kicker is hands do
practically useless, unless you’re only have a
sitting with one, two or – at a push – three reasonable
other players. Even then, you shouldn’t be chance of
raising or even calling big bets with it. winning,
Indeed, in games where many people see
many bad or
the flop, a good rule of thumb is to assume
that if a hand is possible, someone either
tilted Omaha
has it or is drawing to it. With six people in players get
a hand, for example, players are trying to sucked into
match 24 cards up with the flop (36 two- playing
card combinations). Good Omaha players, bad hands
in multi-way pots, only play hands that are more often
the nuts or a draw to the nuts.
4 Once you’ve made your hand, you still
often need to improve to win
Omaha is said to be a game of draws and
redraws. Whether you’re playing PLO or
straight limit, your work isn’t done when
you’ve flopped a good hand – it’s usually
important to have some kind of draw to
something better. You may not need to
improve, but it’s the equity you get from
these redraws that can turn a losing
session into a winner.
Suppose, for example, that you hold
K;-Q;-10…-10:, and you get a great flop:
10;, 5;, 4;. You’ve flopped a flush,
although you need to beware, because it’s
not the nut flush. You’ve also flopped top
set. Although three 10s isn’t as strong a
OMAHA ADVANCED STRATEGY
hand as your King-high flush, the set
gives you a redraw to a full house.
Should a 4 land on the turn, you now
have the top full house, and only need to
worry about someone who has quad 4s
(quads occur much more frequently in
Omaha) or someone who held either
the 7;-6; or the 3;-2; (giving him a
straight flush draw).
Even though they do appear more often
in Omaha than in hold’em, you can’t live
in fear of quads and straight flushes. If
you make the top full house, you should
bet it strongly, and only if your pot-sized
re-raise gets re-raised by a strong player
should you slow down and consider that
you might be up against four of a kind
(in limit poker, you should probably put in
four raises before you decide just to call).
5 It’s easier to get sucked into
playing weak hands
Hold’em players will often get exasperated
during a losing stretch and start playing
garbage cards, chanting the Loser’s
Lament: ‘Any two cards can win,’ but
most players of any ability won’t continue
to play hands like J;-2; for very long.
In Omaha, the saying, ‘Any four cards
can win’ comes much closer to the truth.
It may seem hard to believe, but in a
heads-up situation, there are very few
Omaha starting hands that are even 2/1
favourites over a random opponent hand.
Naturally, you can construct scenarios
where one starting hand is a much
bigger favourite than that: if you give
your opponent 2-2-2-2 he isn’t going to
win very often. But if you assume your
opponent has a random and weak-looking
collection of cards like J…-8:-5…-3;, even
a magnificent starting hand like AÚ-A:-
JÚ-10: is only about 2/1 favourite. Your
opponent can make various straights
and flushes that you cannot, can make
numerous two-pair combinations that you
cannot, and is going to get five community
cards to try to make something out of his
mess of a hand.
Because the random hands do have a
reasonable chance of winning, many bad
or tilted Omaha players get sucked into
playing bad hands more often than their
hold’em counterparts. While the results
on any given Omaha hand are going to be
better, over the long-term, the negative
effect on one’s bankroll is just as certain.
You don’t even have to start playing
garbage hands like J…-8:-5…-3; to get
into trouble. Just playing hands with
danglers is bad enough. Play A…-K…-
QÚ-6… often enough, and that almost
completely useless 6 will send you home
a loser against people who play hands
where all the cards work together, even
if their first three aren’t as impressive as
your first three.
You could argue all day about the best
Omaha starting hands, but AÚ-A:-JÚ-10:
is a good example of a magnificent hand.
Some people have other favourites – and
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8/6/06 16:15:10
 ADVANCED STRATEGY OMAHA

right there you see a significant difference

Four cards good
Omaha is a slightly more computational
and less visceral game than Texas
hold’em, so keep your wits about you
in the games, because no one debates A-
A’s value as the best hold’em starting hand.
A strong Omaha high hand will include
the following elements:
High cards
Cards that connect up well for straight
purposes
Cards that give you nut-flush draws
Cards that give you the chance to make
full houses or quads

AÚ-A:-JÚ-10: gives you a pair that can

You must use two and only two of your
hole cards to make your hand. In this
case, you haven’t hit your spade flush
yet – in fact, you’ve only got a pair of 3s!
You should make sure all your hole cards
work together. Here, the A… is supported
by the 8…, which could be used to make
a nut flush, but overall it’s a dog’s dinner.
In Omaha, you must know the nuts at
every street. Here, a flop of 3, 5, 6 meant it
was 4-7, but by the river that’s beaten by
3-3, 6-6 or A-A, while 5-5 is the stone nuts.
make the best full house or quads, two
nut-flush draws, multiple combinations for
high straights, and the single two-card
combination (J-10) that makes more high
straights than any other two-card
combination. Some people argue for
hands like AÚ-A:-KÚ-Q: (sacrificing a few
straights for a few more high pairs), but
it’s one of those pleasant choices that isn’t
going to make or break your day, because
you’ll play them both the same: very hard
before the flop and not at all after the flop,
unless they connect well with it.
6 Know your outs
We’ve already mentioned that position
is far less important in Omaha than in
hold’em, due to the comparative strength
of the hands. This means your ability to
calculate pot odds and possible outs
(cards that can improve your hand over
your opponents’) are deadly weapons in
the Omaha player’s arsenal. In fact, your
mental arithmetic will need to be top-
notch if you want to become a killer
Omaha player.
If, like most people, you’re playing
Omaha online, you’re also going to be
short of tells and useful information (even
on the likes of PKR), so your maths skills
become even more important.
Say, for example, that you start with
A…-K…-7;-6; and the flop comes J…, 4…,
5Ú. At the moment, your hand is worthless
and a pot-sized raise probably indicates
someone holding three Jacks, the current
nuts. However, there are lots of ways you
can improve, so you need to be able to
calculate your outs. To start with, any
spade will give you the nut flush, so that
gives you a total of nine outs (there are 13
cards in a suit, two are on the board and
you hold two, so there are up to nine
remaining in the deck). Then any 3 or any
8 will give you the nut straight. This means
another six outs (there are four 3s and four
8s available, but one of each of these will
be spades so you can’t double-count
them). As a result, on this flop you have
a total of 15 outs.
As a rule of thumb, each out equates
to about a 4% chance to improve, so you
have a 60% chance of improving your
hand. Good odds you might think, and
well worth calling – but don’t forget that
your opponent, who is probably sitting
on trip Jacks, will have outs to improve
as well. He can hit any pair to make a
full house (that’s six outs or a Jack to
make quads, another out). As such, you
need to subtract his seven outs from
your 15 and you have the right odds for
playing a pot and winning it uncontested.
Suddenly you only have a one-in-four
chance of winning this pot with the best
hand. Whether you call will depend on the
size of the bet you have to call and what’s
in the pot that you can win.
You also need to work through the same
exercise on the turn. If the turn draws a
relative blank – 10Ú, say – then you need
to re-calculate. You would now have
another three outs (any Queen except Q…)
to make the nut straight. If your opponent’s
hand is J:-JÚ-9Ú-Q:, then this turn card
will have greatly improved her hand too.
This may seem laborious and complex,
but the ability to calculate odds and outs
on the fly is what separates winning
Omaha players from mediocre ones.
7 Bet it hard
With draws being so key to Omaha, it’s
critical that you don’t let other players
make draws cheaply or for free. If you
have top trips or the nut flush, make sure
you make pot-sized bets and re-raises
where you can. This applies to both the
flop and especially to the turn, where you
can really make other players pay just to
see the remaining card. Pot-limit games
also benefit you here, as the pot will be at
least three times the size by the turn (if
you make a max raise followed by a call).
Don’t lose your bottle if you still hold the
nuts on the turn, as it’s always painful to
see the board pair when you’re holding

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the nuts or see a potential flush made
when you’re holding trips. In short, bet
your hands as hard and aggressively as
your opponent will allow.
Our advice is never to slow-play a hand
in Omaha, except when you have an
absolute monster. Monsters include quads
(where you hope someone else will make
the nut full house by waiting) or straight or
royal flushes.
The only other situation where you don’t
want to overbet your hand is with a nut
straight and no chance of improving. As a
rule of thumb, two out of three straights
will be overturned in an average game of
Omaha. For instance, you hold J…-10…-4:-
3Ú and the flop is 7:, 8:, 9;. You currently
have the nuts so make an early-position
pot raise. Another player raises and then a
further player re-raises! You have the nuts!
However, there’s every chance another
player does, too, but has a hand that could
improve – for example, 10;-J;-A:-Q:.
They have the upside of the straight and a
nut-flush draw; or perhaps J;-J:-10:-
10;. They have a full-house draw and a
092_PKR_Omaha_8_ch.indd 97
mid-flush draw. Either way, you want to get
out of the hand. Even if your straight does
hold up, you’ll probably end up sharing the
pot anyway. Painful as it may seem, with
two other players in the pot, this is one
nut-hand you should choose to fold.
8 Know where you stand
When your mind is spinning with pot odds,
outs and redraws, you can sometimes
miss the obvious. This means missing
what you actually have in your hand and
what draws you can make. Make sure you
know what the nuts is at every stage. It
can be all too easy to bet the nut straight
hard, missing that the river delivered the
third suit necessary for a flush.
9 You need the nuts
The classic hold’em player’s mistake in
Omaha is to over-value hands; dynamite
hands in hold’em can be little more than
damp squibs in Omaha.
The worst of these is a weaker full house
(sometimes called the underhouse), as
these can be extremely costly. If you flop
two pairs, especially if they’re mid-pairs,
your hand is next to useless if you have
more than one player left in the hand.
Even if you make your full house, it’s
likely to be beaten. The same goes for mid
and low pairs. If you hold 8;-8…-7;-6Ú
and the flop comes K:, K…, 8Ú, you
currently have a pretty strong full house.
Anyone holding a King will probably call a
pot raise and then the turn comes a
Queen, and suddenly you could easily be
losing (even someone left in with Q-Q will
now beat you). Remember that Kings full
of anything will beat you. Play mid pairs
with extreme caution.
As an aside, small pairs (5-5 suited
and below) can be very profitable starting
hands if you can limp in with them
cheaply. This is because if they quad up,
you can make some massive pots from
players with A-A and K-K who hold what
they think are unbeatable full houses. At
the same time, their obvious weakness
means there’s never any temptation to
overplay them.
It goes without saying that non-nut
flushes – even King high – aren’t much
use in Omaha, despite being mighty in
hold’em. Furthermore, bottom straights are
worth very little – if you own the ignorant
end of a straight you should call only the
smallest of bets on the river, if at all.
10 Bluff with extreme caution
Since most good players are playing
with or drawing to the nuts, making a
successful bluff in Omaha needs the right
sort of board and a good instinct for the
betting pattern.
Most bluffs are best played on the turn
when the board pairs and your opponent’s
betting pattern indicates a straight or a
flush (in which case you’re representing
quads or a full house). Just remember that
a bluff will have to be a large or pot-sized
OMAHA ADVANCED STRATEGY
bet to push someone off their hand, so
bluffing in Omaha isn’t for the faint-hearted.
The flipside of this is that big raises in
Omaha are very rarely bluffs, so it’s best
to respect them: you’ll be facing the nuts
nine times out of ten.
11 Omaha is a numbers game
Okay, so we know that maths and pot-
odds rule the roost in Omaha. This means
that Omaha is a far less ‘lucky’ game than
hold’em and that, although miracle outs
will always hit, beginners will get eaten
alive by experienced players.
This fact probably explains why Omaha
will never be as popular as hold’em. With
a few good cards, a complete novice can
break a professional hold’em player and
carry on winning for quite some time. In
Omaha, however, gamblers who draw to
non-nut hands or look for case cards and
gutshot draws will quickly be bankrupted.
Omaha isn’t – at least superficially – a
more skilful game than hold’em, but you
do need different skills to be a winner.
12 It’s harder to hold your cards!
This might seem silly, but it’s true. Almost
anyone can squeeze two hold’em cards
and keep them hidden from his neighbour,
but it’s not as easy with four cards.
If you’re going to play in live games, you
actually need to practise holding your
cards such that you can see them and
your opponents can’t. Omaha players are
quite accustomed to getting free looks at
their neighbours’ cards, simply because
they hold them up like a five-card draw
hand to look at them.
Furthermore, you need to develop a
good memory for suits, as you don’t
want to keep looking back at your cards
every time a flush-draw hits the board.
Committing four cards to memory is
harder than two, but if you don’t it could
turn into a massive tell.
One thing The final word
that will Learning to play Omaha to a high standard
help speed takes a long time, just like any form of
poker, although playing it passably is easier
you along in
these days, thanks to all the books, Internet
your study resources and freerolls available today.
of Omaha is One thing that will help speed you along
a willingness in your study of Omaha is a willingness to
to let go let go of most of the lessons you’ve learned
of most of as a hold’em player. Even if you don’t muck
the lessons your cards incorrectly when you’ve actually
you’ve got the nuts, sooner or later your hold’em
background will jump up and bite you –
learned as
unless you stay vigilant.
a hold’em Omaha is named after a city in Nebraska,
player USA, a state that borders with Texas.
But while the two states may be close
geographically, they might as well be
separated by half a world, because there
truly is a giant gulf between the two games.
The sooner you recognise that, and
stop applying Texas hold’em principles
to Omaha, the sooner you’re going to
start winning.
97
8/6/06 16:16:34
 ADVANCED STRATEGY OMAHA HI-LO
OMAHA HI-LO
EXPLAINED
Omaha hi-lo
Following on from our Omaha masterclass, find out why this version of poker is the world’s second most popular format
after Texas hold’em. It’s only complicated if you don’t know the rules and you’re guaranteed plenty of action…
THINK YOU’VE GOT THE HANG OF
bog-standard Omaha? Okay, well it’s time
to introduce a twist in the form of Omaha
hi-lo, a variation that allows two winning
hands to share the pot – the best high
hand and the best low hand.
High hands were explained on the
previous pages, but for a hand to qualify
for the low, it must consist of five unpaired
cards with the highest being no greater
than an 8 (the game is also referred to
as Omaha 8-or-better, or O8B).
As with Omaha (high) you have to use
two of your hole cards and three from the
board, so for a low to qualify there must
be three different cards 8 or below on
the board. If not, there’s no low and the
winning high hand scoops the whole pot.
The best low hand, the ‘nut low’, is
A-2-3-4-5 (referred to as ‘the wheel’ or
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098_PKR_OmahaHiLo_4_ah.indd 98
‘bicycle’). Straights and flushes don’t
count against low hands, but this hand
does count as a straight for the high pot.
So, A-2-3-4-6 of hearts would be a 6-4
low and a flush for the high. Remember
too, that players can use different cards to
form their high hand and their low hand (or
the same ones) and that you should always
be aiming to win both of them.
For this reason, correctly assessing the
strength of all your hole cards is key so you
maximise the chances of making the best
hands both ways. The best starting hand is
therefore A-A-2-3 double-suited (see panel,
above right) and you should push this to the
max before the flop. But any low hand with
potential high strengths is acceptable.
With a board of 2-3-5-6-8, the best
possible low hand is if you have A-4, giving
you the wheel. The second best is A-2,
The best
starting
hand is remembering that you have to use two of
A-A-2-3 your hole cards, so you ignore the 2 on the
double- board and use yours instead.
suited and Omaha hi-lo tends to generate a lot of
you should action, as everyone involved in a pot tends
to hit some sort of hand, but you shouldn’t
be pushing
escalate the betting without outs in both
this to directions. Players often make the mistake
the max of thinking their A-2 is going to win them
before half the pot, but other players will often
the flop have the same low, meaning that you’ll get
‘quartered’ (and this can amount to less
than you’ve put in to play).
It might sound like hard work, but hi-lo
is a great game once you get the hang
of it. It’s a lot more difficult to learn than
hold’em (hence its lower profile), and the
best playing strategies are widely debated,
but with big pots and lots of action there
are plenty of reasons to get involved.
8/6/06 22:08:00
 OMAHA HI-LO ADVANCED STRATEGY

Why play Omaha

Premium hi-lo hands hi-lo? Big pot alert!
By using your head
Five of the best O8B starting hands you can cash in on
– as always, double-suited is better slow-thinkers

A-A-2-3
When double-suited as
shown, this is the don
of hi-lo hands, closely
followed by its less-
coordinated variants

A-A-2-x
Any hand containing
the best possible pair
and a 2 is extremely
powerful, from A-A-2-4
right down to A-A-2-K

A-A-3-x
Some pros insist they
This hand is also very
only play hands that
powerful, combining contain A-2, which
top pair with the gives the best chance
second-best low of making the nut low
combination, A-3

A-2-3-4
While not as good a
high hand, this combo
has the low covered
beautifully. Any A-2-3-x
is also a great hand

A-2-K-K
A very powerful high
hand, with the all-
important A-2 pairing
for the low. Any A-2-x-x
hand is very playable,
from A-2-Q-Q on down

Brain strain
Omaha hi-lo is a complicated affair, especially compared to the simplicity of hold’em, but it’s much easier to understand
in practice. The example below shows the importance of having both high and low outs in your starting hand

PLAYER ONE PLAYER TWO PLAYER THREE

PRE-FLOP

The daddy of all Omaha hi-lo
hands, bet big to make a pot.
Hi 37%, Lo 15%, Lo split 34%
FLOP Top trips and nut low draw – bet
big and make others pay to draw.
Hi 44%, Lo 55%, Lo split 3%
CREDIT IN HERE IF REQUIRED
A bit raggedy but with high and
low possibilities – call and see the
flop. Hi 24%, Lo 8%, Lo split 34%
Nut flush draw and most of a low
– fold or call if you’re optimistic.
Hi 35%, Lo 19%, Lo split 3%
Great high hand and very playable,
but no low so exercise caution.
Hi 39%, Lo 0%, Lo split 0%
Only a wrap at the top end, so fold
or call if you’re feeling optimistic.
Hi 21%, Lo 0%, Lo split 0%

TURN Bingo! The nut low to go with the Only 2-3 beats your low now and The low came so only half the pot
new nut high straight. Bet big. you have straight and flush outs. on offer; flush outs for high. Fold.
Hi 39%, Lo 92%, Lo split 8% Call. Hi 31%, Lo 0%, Lo split 8% Hi 31%, Lo 0%, Lo split 0%

RIVER Ugh, that card completed both Somehow, you’ve hit the nut flush You played a high-only hand in
the flush and a higher straight, so and the second nut low so a large hi-lo and got in trouble. Fold or
check and pray. Hi 0%, Lo 100% bet is in order. Hi 100%, Lo 0% check next time. Hi 0%, Lo 0%

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 ADVANCED STRATEGY FIXING LEAKS
FIXING LEAKS
IN YOUR GAME
Plugging the leaks
If you want to be a consistently winning poker player you need to identify and repair any
weaknesses in your game – and online hand histories give you the perfect opportunity
YOU WOULDN’T IGNORE A LEAK IN
your house. You know that over time it
would deteriorate and become a massive
and costly problem. It’s the same with
leaks in your poker game. Everyone has
them – some worse than others – but if
ignored them they could end up ruining
your game and obliterating your bankroll. It’s no good
Put simply, a poker leak is a mistake winning
that you repeat on a regular basis. It might the odd
not be large – in fact the larger it is the monster pot
more likely you are to notice it and correct if you lose
your play – but even the smallest leak can
hundreds of
be a costly one. It’s no good winning the
odd monster pot if you lose hundreds of small ones
small ones to get there. to get there
The best way to eliminate leaks from your
game is to go back over every hand of
poker you’ve played and analyse the
results. This is next to impossible if you’re
playing live, but online is different. When
you play on sites such as PKR.com you
can get hold of hand histories for every
game you play, and this effectively gives
you the complete DNA of your game. And
it’s the mistakes that you want to isolate
and make sure they never happen again.
You need to remember that looking at
hand histories is far more valid in cash
games. In tournaments you have to play
hands according to the blinds, your chip
stack and those of your opponents. In
cash games each hand is a separate entity,
which means you should be playing each
hand to an optimal strategy. What that
strategy is depends on you as an
individual. You might be a conservative
Automate it
Because life’s too short to do the hard work yourself
Your hand histories contain all the clues you need to tighten up
your game, but sifting through them by hand is time-consuming
and extremely hard work. And to be honest, we’d imagine
you’ve got better things to do with your life – like playing poker.
That’s where software like Poker Tracker comes in. Poker
Tracker enables you to import your hand histories as a text file
(if you play on PKR, your hand history is stored on your hard
disk in c:/program files/pkr/handhistories), instantly delivering
the core information and statistics you’re after. You can
download a free trial version from www.pokertracker.com that
enables you to import up to 1,000 hands. If you like what you
see you can purchase the full version for $55 (£30).
100
100_PKR_OnlineStgy3_5_ah.indd 100
player or an ultra-aggressive ‘raise every
pot’ player, but using your hand histories
you can successfully plug leaks and
preserve and swell your bankroll.
What should you be looking for?
It’s all well and good having access to the
data, but if you don’t know what you’re
looking for you might as well be studying
the human genome. Take the following
steps as your starting point but you
should also consider investing in a piece
of software (see ‘Automate it’ boxout) that
will sift through the data and do the hard
work for you.
How many times are you paying
to see a flop?
Playing too many hands is one of the most
common leaks in poker. You’re here to play
cards and it can be extremely boring
folding hand after hand. But there’s no
point in playing too many hands pre-flop –
it’s one of the surest ways of losing money.
If you want to play winning poker you need
to know when to fold ’em, and looking at
your hand history and seeing a ‘see-flop’
ratio of 50% or more is a sure sign you’re
playing way too much.
Are you losing with marginal hands?
If you’re calling re-raises with marginal
hands such as K-Q, then you can bank
on this being one of your biggest leaks.
Look for the hands that you’re losing
most money on and try to only play
them in position, if at all.
What effect is position having on you
winning or losing hands?
You should know that position is one of the
key elements of most games of poker, but
there’s nothing better to reinforce this than
a run of losses from under the gun in black
and white.
How much are you playing from the
small blind with a weak hand because
you think it’s a value call?
You might think it’s worth it with your
Q-3 off-suit, but checking back over your
hand history will probably convince you
otherwise. Remember that small amounts
of money mount up over time and that
the money you’ve already invested in
the pot as your small blind is gone – this
is one of the costs of playing the game
not an investment that you need to
protect at all costs.
Do you like to play suited cards?
Suited cards with straight potential have
been getting a lot of press recently and
they’re extremely tempting to get into a
flop with. They’re also correct to play if the
pot or implied odds are favourable, but
how often is that the case? And what sort
of suited cards are you losing with? If
you’re going in with 10-6 because it’s
suited you’re probably getting yourself into
a whole lot of trouble. Check the gaps
and check the rank of suited cards you’re
winning more with – 2-6 suited isn’t going
to pay off in the long run.
How much are you losing by bluffing?
You probably know that to be effective you
can’t bluff too much. How much is too
much? That depends on the game and
the people you’re playing with, but you
should be able to work out if bluffing is a
profitable venture for you. Better yet, try
to find which opponents you’re having
success over and which ones appear to
see straight through you.
Hunt the fish
You’re not playing poker to make friends
so you should compile a list of people that
you’re making the most money off across
the whole game and avoid the people
you’re losing to. That’s simple economics.
Big pairs
Are you losing more than you should with
big pairs like Aces and Kings? It might be
that you’re letting too many people into the
pot, by limping in or making small raises.
Aces are a favourite against any other
hand but let too many people into the
flop and you’re suddenly in danger of
GETTY IMAGES
losing a lot of chips.
Small and medium pairs
Unless they improve they’re often not
going to be the winning hand. And seeing
8/6/06 11:53:33
 FIXING LEAKS ADVANCED STRATEGY

as the odds of a pair flopping

a set are 7.5/1, this isn’t
something you can bank on.
Should you raise pre-flop to
try and take the pot there and
then? The fact is you
can do that with any
two cards. Should you
try and see a flop and
hope to hit the magic
set? That depends on
how much it’s going to
cost you to get in.

Are you playing draws

without the odds?
This is a very common leak
and one you really shouldn’t be
making. Make sure you know
the concept of pot odds and
implied odds inside out and
apply it to your game. It
will save you a lot
of money.

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