When Queens meet Aces, things don't always turn out how you'd expect them to. Sure, Aces are the HUGE pre-flop favourite, at something like 85% to take the pot, but what happens when those aces see a Q on the flop? What happens is me not being able to exit the hand. My stack was smaller than the rather large pot, and, having put my opponent on either Kings or Queens pre-flop, I prayed to whoever was listening that he had pocket kings as I said "I call". My read was right, he had a set of queens - turn and river were both blanks. Sigh.
Anyhow, one of the first lessons I learned years and years ago was to never get sidetracked by hands that play themselves, no matter how much money is lost to 'em. So I took some time off and am heading back tomorrow to get back to work. I don't really have any tips this week, other than to not get too disheartened when you lose a crap-tonne of money, just take the beating, take some time off, and get back on that horse. I'll write a bit more tomorrow, but for now, goodluck!
Nick
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Bluffing - A "How To"
So, I know it's been a while since my last post, but I've been having a mediocre week with hold'em. I only took home about 1/2 of what I normally make weekly, and it kinda frustrated me, but so be it, that's poker. One notable hand was my AA verses pocket 4s. I shoved when the flop came 6 2 J (rainbow) with one pre-flop all-in already in the pot. I had the guy with pocket 4s covered, and I put him on a small pocket pair, yet he for some reason called me (He looked a little frustrated, so he may have been having a bad day, who knows). I turned over my aces, he said "okay so I need a four" and started calling for one loudly. turn was a blank and guess what the river was? The case 4 (someone else said that they had folded a 4 pre-flop). Anyhow, at least I'm not down for the week, right?
One thing I forgot to mention about asking "How much do you have behind?" is what people called "Implied Odds". For a full definition, check out the poker glossary linked on the left hand side of the page, but in brief it's basically an "okay, how much money can I potentially get from you, or how much money can I potentially lose if I hit air the whole way?" The glossary will probably be able to define it absolutely perfectly for you, so I'd recommend looking there for more info.
Okay, so the title of this post is a little misleading. I'm not going to teach you how to bluff, or even really talk about strategies on HOW to bluff, I'm just going to refer you to a player named Tom "Durrr" Dwan. He's young, about my age, but the difference between he and I is that he made 38m (Yea, that m stands for million) dollars last year playing Poker, whereas I... well I didn't make 38 million dollars. Anyhow, I've been watching a lot of High Stakes Poker lately, online, and it's sorta changed my opinion of this guy. I used to really think he was just a showboating kid that played too much online poker - well, okay, he is - but he can sure as hell back it up. Check out some of the bluffs, semi bluffs, and traps he performs here: http://tv.gsn.com/shows/highstakespoker/ . At the end of one of the episodes (I can't remember which one, but it was fairly recent) he bluffs at a 628k pot with 9 high and TAKES IT!. I give a lot of credit to Phil Ivey, though, another player I really don't like (and is considered the world's best overall poker player - this includes all forms of poker, not just Texas Hold'em), who actually considered calling with a pair of sixes. Check it out if you're interested. It's a really long hand, but the final result is spectacular. Anyhow, that's it for now. Goodluck at the tables.
Nick
One thing I forgot to mention about asking "How much do you have behind?" is what people called "Implied Odds". For a full definition, check out the poker glossary linked on the left hand side of the page, but in brief it's basically an "okay, how much money can I potentially get from you, or how much money can I potentially lose if I hit air the whole way?" The glossary will probably be able to define it absolutely perfectly for you, so I'd recommend looking there for more info.
Okay, so the title of this post is a little misleading. I'm not going to teach you how to bluff, or even really talk about strategies on HOW to bluff, I'm just going to refer you to a player named Tom "Durrr" Dwan. He's young, about my age, but the difference between he and I is that he made 38m (Yea, that m stands for million) dollars last year playing Poker, whereas I... well I didn't make 38 million dollars. Anyhow, I've been watching a lot of High Stakes Poker lately, online, and it's sorta changed my opinion of this guy. I used to really think he was just a showboating kid that played too much online poker - well, okay, he is - but he can sure as hell back it up. Check out some of the bluffs, semi bluffs, and traps he performs here: http://tv.gsn.com/shows/highstakespoker/ . At the end of one of the episodes (I can't remember which one, but it was fairly recent) he bluffs at a 628k pot with 9 high and TAKES IT!. I give a lot of credit to Phil Ivey, though, another player I really don't like (and is considered the world's best overall poker player - this includes all forms of poker, not just Texas Hold'em), who actually considered calling with a pair of sixes. Check it out if you're interested. It's a really long hand, but the final result is spectacular. Anyhow, that's it for now. Goodluck at the tables.
Nick
Thursday, April 8, 2010
PLAY SUITED CONNECTORS!
So after a very long day playing hold'em, including an arguement with a very unnecessarily rude waitress, I've decided to write about the importance of playing suited connectors and gapped suited connectors. This includes hands like 5 6 suited, 8 9 suited, 3 5 suited, 6 8 suited, etc. I'd also like to talk about the importance of calling a large bet with 3 or 4 callers in position (being last to act) with a low hand (3 5 suited, etc.)
Anyhow, play suited connectors. Not only do they potentially give you draws to a straight, but they also allow you to make your flushes, or, if you're lucky, straight flushes. Anyhow, an example from a hand I played yesterday; I had 7 8 of diamonds pre-flop, with decent position (there were 2 or 3 people behind me, but I sensed weakness and thought they might fold to a big bet on the flop, which they eventually did). I was faced with a medium sized raise from the small blind, which I called, as did one person in front of me and one behind. The flop came 5-9-K with two diamonds, giving me a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw (needing the 6 for a straight). The initial raiser checked the flop, as did the other person in front of me. I bet half the pot, and the person behind me folded, giving me position on the turn. The small blind (the initial raiser) called the bet, and the other player folded. On the turn came a 6, giving me the nut straight. The small blind, to my surprise, bet the pot, and I smoothcalled after some "thought". The river was irrelevant, as the small blind bet the pot again. I "thought" for a minute, and went all in. After some deliberation, I was called and I won the rather healthy pot. Playing connectors makes it harder for your opponents to put you on straights, as you have two cards needed to make the hand, instead of just one in the middle, for example. They're a tricky hand to play sometimes, but I say give them a try, you'll probably find them very useful.
Even though I actually LOST money yesterday, playing throughout the day/night reinforced a few valuable lessons I had learned in the past, which I thought I'd share with those of you that read my blog.
Lesson 1: just because you flop a set with two Queens on the board, doesn't mean you have the nuts. Someone can have a Q with a higher kicker, or a boat with the 3rd flop card making them a set. Don't be blinded by what you think is the nuts, evaluate the situation before making reckless calls. Sometimes your set won't be the best hand.
Lesson 2: When a player in early position makes a big three bet raise (raises three times the initial bet or, in the case of preflop action, the pot), and two or three people call behind him, evaluate what sorts of hands they'd be calling with. Chances are they're all calling with BIG hands, like A K, A Q, K Q, etc. This means that if you have a hand like 3 5 suited, there are more cards in the deck that you can catch to win, seeing as they all have each other's outs, and no one has yours. So me, with position called with 3 5 suited, and got lucky with a flop of 3 3 K. It was checked to me, so I decided I'd try to set a little trap and checked as well. On the turn came a 7, again, everyone checked. The river came yet ANOTHER 3, giving me quads. To my surprise, it was checked all the way down to me, so I decided to bet the pot, making it look like I was trying to steal. Everyone folded save for one person, who looked at me curiously and called with pockets Qs (which was a little bit of justice for me as I had lost two or three all-ins earlier in the day with pocket Qs). I turned over my tiny 3 5 suited and won the pot. So next time you're in a similar situation pre-flop, consider what all of your opponents are calling a big bet with, your small hand might actually be a favourite.
Nick
Anyhow, play suited connectors. Not only do they potentially give you draws to a straight, but they also allow you to make your flushes, or, if you're lucky, straight flushes. Anyhow, an example from a hand I played yesterday; I had 7 8 of diamonds pre-flop, with decent position (there were 2 or 3 people behind me, but I sensed weakness and thought they might fold to a big bet on the flop, which they eventually did). I was faced with a medium sized raise from the small blind, which I called, as did one person in front of me and one behind. The flop came 5-9-K with two diamonds, giving me a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw (needing the 6 for a straight). The initial raiser checked the flop, as did the other person in front of me. I bet half the pot, and the person behind me folded, giving me position on the turn. The small blind (the initial raiser) called the bet, and the other player folded. On the turn came a 6, giving me the nut straight. The small blind, to my surprise, bet the pot, and I smoothcalled after some "thought". The river was irrelevant, as the small blind bet the pot again. I "thought" for a minute, and went all in. After some deliberation, I was called and I won the rather healthy pot. Playing connectors makes it harder for your opponents to put you on straights, as you have two cards needed to make the hand, instead of just one in the middle, for example. They're a tricky hand to play sometimes, but I say give them a try, you'll probably find them very useful.
Even though I actually LOST money yesterday, playing throughout the day/night reinforced a few valuable lessons I had learned in the past, which I thought I'd share with those of you that read my blog.
Lesson 1: just because you flop a set with two Queens on the board, doesn't mean you have the nuts. Someone can have a Q with a higher kicker, or a boat with the 3rd flop card making them a set. Don't be blinded by what you think is the nuts, evaluate the situation before making reckless calls. Sometimes your set won't be the best hand.
Lesson 2: When a player in early position makes a big three bet raise (raises three times the initial bet or, in the case of preflop action, the pot), and two or three people call behind him, evaluate what sorts of hands they'd be calling with. Chances are they're all calling with BIG hands, like A K, A Q, K Q, etc. This means that if you have a hand like 3 5 suited, there are more cards in the deck that you can catch to win, seeing as they all have each other's outs, and no one has yours. So me, with position called with 3 5 suited, and got lucky with a flop of 3 3 K. It was checked to me, so I decided I'd try to set a little trap and checked as well. On the turn came a 7, again, everyone checked. The river came yet ANOTHER 3, giving me quads. To my surprise, it was checked all the way down to me, so I decided to bet the pot, making it look like I was trying to steal. Everyone folded save for one person, who looked at me curiously and called with pockets Qs (which was a little bit of justice for me as I had lost two or three all-ins earlier in the day with pocket Qs). I turned over my tiny 3 5 suited and won the pot. So next time you're in a similar situation pre-flop, consider what all of your opponents are calling a big bet with, your small hand might actually be a favourite.
Nick
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
"How much do you have behind?"
Boy I love flopping quad kings on someone with aces. Prime example of the proper use of the check call - I had KK in the small blind, and was prepared to chop the pot, until, that is, the button raised. I said "out of sheer disrespect for that raise, I min raise you", and I did. the BB, jokingly says "out of a GREATER disrespect for the button raise, I call". The initial raiser also called. The flop came K-K-Q, with 2 clubs on board. I checked, the Big blind min raised, the button reraised, I smoothcalled. Needless to say, the other 2 cards were irrelevant (to me, anyhow). I ended up taking the button's entire stack, the big blind having checked out on the turn. Sometimes representing a big hand isn't always the way to go (when you actually have one). If you know your opponent has a big pocket pair, and you have a set, or quads in this case, make them bet. Smooth call down till the river, when you nervously say "all-in" after some "thought". Make them believe you were drawing to a flush that never came and you're trying to bluff them off their hand.
Anyhow, as per request, I'll write a little about what it means to ask, or be asked "How much do you have behind?". When you're faced with a big raise preflop, sometimes it's a good idea to ask a player how much they have in their stack for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include knowing how pot committed a player is, how much of their stack they're willing to throw away, getting a read on them when they answer you (IF they answer you), seeing if they're willing to talk or just lay their chips out for you to count, etc. Many players believe that actually counting out your chips and telling the inquirer the amount is a sign of weakness. It's like saying "I have $2500 left behind, after raising $1200 into an $800 pot, please don't call I'm trying to steal". More often than not, people actually telling you the amount will either count it out nervously, or count it out with confidence, so you can use that as a strength indicator. I, personally, will tell my opponent the amount 9/10 times, but then again I don't really get visibly nervous at the tables so I'm not worried about them getting a read on me that way. A good way to prevent people from reading you is to just lay your chips out (try not to let your hands shake, as this can be a sign that you're either very strong or very weak) in stacks for your opponent to count, if you know you're not confident enough to casually say "I've got about.... $5000 behind" without giving anything away. If your opponent senses weakness and they've got position (making them last to act) with no other callers, they might attempt an all-in move, potentially causing the raiser (bluffer) to fold.
Another reason I mentioned is them wanting to know how pot committed you are. If you've just raised more than half your stack, chances are you'll call pretty much any re raise they make. Other times a player will ask how much you have behind in order to know how much they can take from you, or even to see how much of their OWN stack they'll need to risk in the hand. If the player has just bet $400 of his $2800 stack, chances are they'd be likely to call a big bet on the flop, but might consider folding. They have enough invested in the hand, but could still get away from it if need be.
To sum it up, it's all about gauging strength and potential risk. A player with a strong hand might want to put your big bet to the test preflop by putting you all-in. A player with a marginal hand might fold once they know how big your stack is. I hope this answered the posed question, and I'll be back to write more about tells and the like sometime soon.
Nick
Anyhow, as per request, I'll write a little about what it means to ask, or be asked "How much do you have behind?". When you're faced with a big raise preflop, sometimes it's a good idea to ask a player how much they have in their stack for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include knowing how pot committed a player is, how much of their stack they're willing to throw away, getting a read on them when they answer you (IF they answer you), seeing if they're willing to talk or just lay their chips out for you to count, etc. Many players believe that actually counting out your chips and telling the inquirer the amount is a sign of weakness. It's like saying "I have $2500 left behind, after raising $1200 into an $800 pot, please don't call I'm trying to steal". More often than not, people actually telling you the amount will either count it out nervously, or count it out with confidence, so you can use that as a strength indicator. I, personally, will tell my opponent the amount 9/10 times, but then again I don't really get visibly nervous at the tables so I'm not worried about them getting a read on me that way. A good way to prevent people from reading you is to just lay your chips out (try not to let your hands shake, as this can be a sign that you're either very strong or very weak) in stacks for your opponent to count, if you know you're not confident enough to casually say "I've got about.... $5000 behind" without giving anything away. If your opponent senses weakness and they've got position (making them last to act) with no other callers, they might attempt an all-in move, potentially causing the raiser (bluffer) to fold.
Another reason I mentioned is them wanting to know how pot committed you are. If you've just raised more than half your stack, chances are you'll call pretty much any re raise they make. Other times a player will ask how much you have behind in order to know how much they can take from you, or even to see how much of their OWN stack they'll need to risk in the hand. If the player has just bet $400 of his $2800 stack, chances are they'd be likely to call a big bet on the flop, but might consider folding. They have enough invested in the hand, but could still get away from it if need be.
To sum it up, it's all about gauging strength and potential risk. A player with a strong hand might want to put your big bet to the test preflop by putting you all-in. A player with a marginal hand might fold once they know how big your stack is. I hope this answered the posed question, and I'll be back to write more about tells and the like sometime soon.
Nick
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A Telling Digression
So, I know I said I'd post a few more tells, and I will, but in... a paragraph or so.
I decided to go to a casino I used to play at when I first started out with poker, a few days ago. The reason I stopped going there was the table atmosphere - people are really stuck up and not fun to talk to. Anyhow, what I had FORGOTTEN about said players is that they're pretty much all donkeys. I made $350 in 3 hands in 45 minutes at a 2/5NL HE table. I thought about the hands afterwards and realized that these people called my all-in bets, or my large, pot sized bets, with absolutely nothing other than a draw (if that). Anyhow, I'm going to go back there soon, easy money is easy.
Anyhow, here's another tell that'll help you out; watch the player's carotid artery (for those of you that don't know where that is, check out this wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_carotid_artery ) Anyhow, when a player is excited about something, or nervous about something, more blood pumps through their veins, and at a faster rate. When the artery is throbbing heavily, and noticeably, chances are the player is bluffing. When a player's artery is fairly unnoticeable or pumping slowly, they most likely have a hand. This has come in handy at least once every three hands for me, it's a guaranteed stack-saver.
More to come soon, I've got my hands full with a cat my girlfriend and I are fostering for about a week or so. She's really sweet, but loves attention (and needs lots of it!)
Nick
I decided to go to a casino I used to play at when I first started out with poker, a few days ago. The reason I stopped going there was the table atmosphere - people are really stuck up and not fun to talk to. Anyhow, what I had FORGOTTEN about said players is that they're pretty much all donkeys. I made $350 in 3 hands in 45 minutes at a 2/5NL HE table. I thought about the hands afterwards and realized that these people called my all-in bets, or my large, pot sized bets, with absolutely nothing other than a draw (if that). Anyhow, I'm going to go back there soon, easy money is easy.
Anyhow, here's another tell that'll help you out; watch the player's carotid artery (for those of you that don't know where that is, check out this wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_carotid_artery ) Anyhow, when a player is excited about something, or nervous about something, more blood pumps through their veins, and at a faster rate. When the artery is throbbing heavily, and noticeably, chances are the player is bluffing. When a player's artery is fairly unnoticeable or pumping slowly, they most likely have a hand. This has come in handy at least once every three hands for me, it's a guaranteed stack-saver.
More to come soon, I've got my hands full with a cat my girlfriend and I are fostering for about a week or so. She's really sweet, but loves attention (and needs lots of it!)
Nick
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Basic Tells
Okay, so I've decided to give away a few of the tells I've discovered frequently pop up at the tables. Some of these are pretty obvious, and most of you may know them already, but for those of you that don't... well here they are. In order to get a good read on someone, many people believe that you first have to see said player show their hand at a showdown; this isn't always the case. Having them show their holdings is a good way to be SURE of a tell you may have discovered, but often times your gut instinct is right - go with it. If someone looks weak, they probably are... that being said if they look REALLY weak, they're probably putting on an act and are in fact really strong. The same can be said for the opposite - if they're acting strong, tough, and talking a lot, chances are they're bluffing (which is a characteristic of a donkey, mentioned in my 1st and 2nd posts). Anyhow, here's a short/basic list of tells that work well when you're first starting out.
1. Watch a player look at their cards. Often times, when they're rather happy or excited about a potentially big hand (AA, KK, AK, AQ, etc.) they, subconsciously, lift their left hand and touch the left side of their head (their neck, the back or their head, etc.) This can be a scratching motion, pushing their hair back, whatever.
2. If you're unsure of your whether an opponent has you beat or not, ask them if they'll show you their cards if you fold to them. If they instantly respond "yes", chances are they're on a bluff. If they say no, they usually have a good hand. If they don't respond, chances are, again, that they're bluffing. This can be tricky with more experienced players, as many of them will either try to disguise their hand by getting into a discussion, or by not speaking - either of which can mean any number of things about their hands. Use this one at your own discretion.
3. Watch your opponents when the flop, turn, and river come down. If they lean in, ever so slightly, chances are they flopped, turned, or rivered some sort of draw. When a player is looking for another card to come down, they're drawing. Getting them off their hands can be tricky, because many players seem to like chasing their draws nowadays, but it can be done with the correct level of aggression.
Okay, I went on for a bit longer than I had expected to, so I'll continue this post next time. More tells/tips to come!
Nick
1. Watch a player look at their cards. Often times, when they're rather happy or excited about a potentially big hand (AA, KK, AK, AQ, etc.) they, subconsciously, lift their left hand and touch the left side of their head (their neck, the back or their head, etc.) This can be a scratching motion, pushing their hair back, whatever.
2. If you're unsure of your whether an opponent has you beat or not, ask them if they'll show you their cards if you fold to them. If they instantly respond "yes", chances are they're on a bluff. If they say no, they usually have a good hand. If they don't respond, chances are, again, that they're bluffing. This can be tricky with more experienced players, as many of them will either try to disguise their hand by getting into a discussion, or by not speaking - either of which can mean any number of things about their hands. Use this one at your own discretion.
3. Watch your opponents when the flop, turn, and river come down. If they lean in, ever so slightly, chances are they flopped, turned, or rivered some sort of draw. When a player is looking for another card to come down, they're drawing. Getting them off their hands can be tricky, because many players seem to like chasing their draws nowadays, but it can be done with the correct level of aggression.
Okay, I went on for a bit longer than I had expected to, so I'll continue this post next time. More tells/tips to come!
Nick
Monday, March 22, 2010
Combating Various Playing Styles
Okay, so a few days later here's my second post.
Here are a few ways to combat the playing styles mentioned in my last post. They're fairly broad, but tailoring them to your own purposes will help your chip stack grow, as opposed to dwindle.
1. Combating Tight Players - Essentially, what you need to do to combat a tight player is play more loosely than you normally do. Chances are, if you've identified a player as tight, and they've raised preflop, they have a big hand. If there's no paint on the flop, and the player has checked, throw out a 3/4 pot sized feeler bet. If the player calls, they may have hit a piece of the flop (possibly top pair with top kicker, if there's a 8 or 10 on the board). At this point you might decide that they're trying to slow play a big pocket pair, or they're just calling in hopes of hitting their A or K. Your next move is up to you, but depending on their body language, and your previous study of the player, betting again on the turn will most likely get them off their hand (unless the turn is an A, K, Q or J). Use discretion, but playing more loosely against players like this, and being more aggressive, will usually do the trick.
2. Combating Loose Players - Biggest tip I can give you for combating a loose player is to not let them see flops. I, personally, LOVE to see flops, and those that let me usually get into a lot of trouble when I do. If you have a good hand, bet it. If you have garbage, fold. Loose players will call small bets to see the turn and river, so playing aggressively is a must if you want to get them off their hands.
3. Donkeys - In my last post, I mentioned that figuring out if a player is a donkey is the first step to felting them; and my combative method (including calling with bottom pair if their story doesn't add up from preflop to river) should be utilized against players like these.
4. By-the-book Players - The best way to beat these types of players is to figure out their formula. Even if you haven't read any of the books, chances are you'll be able to figure out how they play after seeing them in action a few times. Messing with their formula is the best way to get them off a hand; if you think you know they're going to bet the pot to try and get you off your hand, ship your stack, they'll probably fold. If you think you know they're going to check behind you to see another card for free, don't let them. Figure out their formula, whether it be textbook Super System, or anything else, and mess with their heads.
Try to see if you can utilize some of methods and link them with the various player types I mentioned in Post 1. Good luck at the tables!
Nick
Here are a few ways to combat the playing styles mentioned in my last post. They're fairly broad, but tailoring them to your own purposes will help your chip stack grow, as opposed to dwindle.
1. Combating Tight Players - Essentially, what you need to do to combat a tight player is play more loosely than you normally do. Chances are, if you've identified a player as tight, and they've raised preflop, they have a big hand. If there's no paint on the flop, and the player has checked, throw out a 3/4 pot sized feeler bet. If the player calls, they may have hit a piece of the flop (possibly top pair with top kicker, if there's a 8 or 10 on the board). At this point you might decide that they're trying to slow play a big pocket pair, or they're just calling in hopes of hitting their A or K. Your next move is up to you, but depending on their body language, and your previous study of the player, betting again on the turn will most likely get them off their hand (unless the turn is an A, K, Q or J). Use discretion, but playing more loosely against players like this, and being more aggressive, will usually do the trick.
2. Combating Loose Players - Biggest tip I can give you for combating a loose player is to not let them see flops. I, personally, LOVE to see flops, and those that let me usually get into a lot of trouble when I do. If you have a good hand, bet it. If you have garbage, fold. Loose players will call small bets to see the turn and river, so playing aggressively is a must if you want to get them off their hands.
3. Donkeys - In my last post, I mentioned that figuring out if a player is a donkey is the first step to felting them; and my combative method (including calling with bottom pair if their story doesn't add up from preflop to river) should be utilized against players like these.
4. By-the-book Players - The best way to beat these types of players is to figure out their formula. Even if you haven't read any of the books, chances are you'll be able to figure out how they play after seeing them in action a few times. Messing with their formula is the best way to get them off a hand; if you think you know they're going to bet the pot to try and get you off your hand, ship your stack, they'll probably fold. If you think you know they're going to check behind you to see another card for free, don't let them. Figure out their formula, whether it be textbook Super System, or anything else, and mess with their heads.
Try to see if you can utilize some of methods and link them with the various player types I mentioned in Post 1. Good luck at the tables!
Nick
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