Ultimate Guide to Poker

Ultimate

POKER

The

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO

Guide To

WIN MAJOR TOURNAMENTS AND MAKE BIG MONEY FROM CASH GAMES

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CONTENTS

86 GETTING STARTED

008 History of hold’em How poker moved from simple origins to become a multi-million-dollar phenomenon

014 How to play no-limit hold’em Master the game the whole world’s playing: no-limit Texas hold’em

022 Poker’s big winners Introducing the seven poker players who have won more than $10 million from live tournament poker

024 Table manners The five most common breaches of etiquette in the game

028 Poker terminology Talk the talk with a guide to common poker jargon

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

030 Online poker

054 Sit&go quiz

SIT&GOs 036 How to beat sit&gos

TOURNAMENTS 058 How to beat tournaments

The real story of the rise of online poker – and some common myths debunked

Mastering the sit&go format can help you turn a tidy profit – and it’s easier than you think

044 Sit&go strategy

15 steps to take you from sit&go beginner to single-table titan

048 Leader of the stack

Take control of the game once it reaches the heads-up stage courtesy of an unexploitable strategy

052 Sit&go tools

A round-up of the best software to help you master the single-table online tournament

Test your knowledge of sit&go strategy with this tricky quiz

Tips and strategy on how to take down multi-table tournaments

064 JC Tran

The tournament legend on how to develop a consistent tournament game

066 Julian Thew

The British pro on what it takes to excel in live tournament poker

068 Size is everything

How to play short, medium and big stacks all the way to the final table

072 Your move

Creative moves to add to your multi-table tournament arsenal

120 58

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126

106

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074 Chris Moorman

102 How to get paid in full

076 Ruling rebuys

106 Doyle Brunson

080 Beating satellites

108 Moving on up

The online MTT master’s top 10 tips for tournament success The strategy behind mastering rebuy tournaments How to take your shot at the big time via online satellites

CASH GAMES 086 How to beat cash games A crash course in beating low-stakes cash games

094 Pre-flop dangers

The starting hands that can get you into hot water in no-limit cash games

098 Post-flop decisions

A look at some post-flop cash-game dilemmas and winning strategies

Extracting maximum value in no-limit hold’em cash games

Texas Dolly on how he fought his way to the top of the poker tree

A guide to moving up through the limits in cash games

110 Phil Galfond

One of the best online cash players in the game reveals his secrets

112 Cash games quiz

Test your cash game prowess with this challenging quiz

120 How to spot tells

Being able to pick up on your opponents’ body language can give you a huge edge at the poker table

126 How to deal like a pro

A look at how to shuffle up and deal in style, as shown by a professional dealer

130 Poker hand nicknames Know your Big Slick from your Pocket Rockets

116

LIVE POKER 116 House rules!

How to host the ultimate poker home game, from cards to chips to rules


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H T I W GET PKR PKR is more than just a poker room we’re a 3 million strong poker community where players just like you are the star of the show. Play for glory on PKR TV Read Stacked, poker’s hottest magazine Have your say in the Forum Plus a whole lot more… See you there.


Ultimate

POKER

The

Guide To

Editor Alun Bowden Art Editor Spike Additional Design Richard Davis Sub-editors AJ Holden, Scott Skinner

Woods, Alex Martin, Paul Cheung Cheung, David Tuch Tuchman, Shaw, Contributors Dave Woods Co chma man, Phil Shaw Nick Wealthall, Tom Bailey, Aaron Hendrix, Shaun Dean, Nick Wright Photography Danny Bird, Timo Hebditch, Andrew Ridge, Hugh Threlfall Image retouching Jan Cihak, Linda Duong Publisher Russell Blackman Advertising Manager Matthew Balch Digital Production Manager Nicky Baker Bookazine Manager Dharmesh Mistry Production Director Robin Ryan Managing Director of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans Newstrade Director Martin Belson Chief Operating Officer Brett Reynolds Group Finance Director Ian Leggett Chief Executive James Tye Chairman Felix Dennis

The ‘Magbook’ brand is a trademark of Dennis Publishing Ltd. 30 Cleveland St, London W1T 4JD. Company registered in England. All material © Dennis Publishing Ltd, licensed by Felden 2009, and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publishers. The Ultimate Guide to Poker ISBN 1-906372-68-3

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To license this product, please contact Winnie Liesenfeld on +44 (0) 20 7907 6134 or email [email protected]

LIABILITY

While every care was taken during the production of this Magbook, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information or any consequence arising from it. Dennis Publishing takes no responsibility for the companies advertising in this Magbook. The paper used within this Magbook is produced from sustainable fibre, manufactured by mills with a valid chain of custody. Printed at BGP THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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f o y r o t s i The h

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HOLD’EM Find out how poker developed from its simple origins to a multi-million dollar phenomenon, and why the game of no-limit Texas hold’em has become the world’s most popular card game

The legendary match came to a close when Dandolos uttered the immortal line: ‘Mr Moss, I have to let you go’

T

HE ONLY THING EVERYONE CAN agree upon in the history of poker is nobody knows where the game started. Some point to the French game of poque, some say the Persian game of As Nas, but wherever it began there is one place that made poker its spiritual home – the USA. During the American Civil War in the 1850s the game of poker as we know it began to take shape as the game of five-card stud sprung up. The game played with one card dealt face down and the remaining four cards dealt face-up. It led to much more betting action than other forms of poker so quickly caught on as the game of choice. It may seem unthinkable nowadays, but perhaps the most famous battle in the game’s history was played out in a time before no-limit hold’em had really caught on. Two of poker’s all-time greats clashed in a five-month headsup battle that took in a variety of variants, concentrating initially on five-card stud. Legend has it that Nick ‘The Greek’ Dandolos hit Las Vegas with a desire to play some highstakes poker. Benny Binion agreed to provide the action for Dandolos in his Horseshoe casino – and promptly contacted Johnny Moss, who was embroiled in a three-day-long cash game in Texas. Nevertheless, swayed by the promise of an epic high-stakes encounter, Moss booked himself a flight to Vegas. It proved to be a good decision.

From January to May in 1951, the pair locked horns every single day, breaking only briefly for the trifling matter of a few hours’ sleep. Reports of the exact amount of money that changed hands differ, but it’s thought that by the end of the confrontation Moss was anywhere from $2m to $4m up – a large amount of money by today’s standards, but an absolutely astronomical amount back in the 1950s. The legendary match came to a close when Dandolos – 15 years Moss’s senior and physically drained from the months of intense play – uttered the immortal line: ‘Mr Moss, I have to let you go.’ The contest between Moss and Dandolos raised the profile of poker hugely with Binion savvy enough to move the game from the depths of the casino to front and centre where it attracted huge crowds desperate to live the life of a high-roller vicariously, if only for an hour or two. And as poker became more popular, a new variant of the game was starting to come to the fore…

AN EPIC BATTLE

Texas hold’em originated in the Lone Star State and grew in popularity during the 50s and 60s thanks to its complex nature. A group of local poker pros, known as road gamblers, including such legends as Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson took the game to their hearts. Their life was hugely different to the poker pros of the modern

HOLD’EM HISTORY

The timeline of hold’em The story of how hold’em went from the streets of Texas to being the most popular card game in the world. We look at the players and events that changed the face of poker and turned it into a global business worth millions of dollars…

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1950s

Hold’em grows in popularity in its home state of Texas

1967

A group of Texas-based gamblers take no-limit hold’em to Las Vegas

H I S T O R Y

age, travelling from town to town, finding games populated by men with guns who weren’t afraid to use them. It was a high-risk, high-action lifestyle and only the most cunning and careful of road gamblers survived to tell the tale.

H O L D ’ E M

As Las Vegas started to become a popular tourist destination these road gamblers recognised a potentially safer and easier life and travelled west to introduce the game to Sin City. For a number of years the only casino in town to spread hold’em was the Golden Nugget, but the game caught on and by the late 1960s more prominently-placed establishments were spreading the game too. The attraction of hold’em for the local sharks was twofold. First, the fact that this was a new game meant that if they could master it quickly, they’d have a major edge on uneducated tourists. Second, the very nature of the game suited students of the game – with four rounds of betting as opposed to the two employed in draw games, hold’em allowed for more strategic play. Benny Binion was also at the forefront of another defining moment in poker’s history when, along with his son Jack, he acquired the rights to a fledgling gambling convention in 1970. The event provided games of all kinds – and while poker didn’t feature at the outset, by the time the Binions bought the rights, poker tournaments, including hold’em, had been introduced. Following the acquisition, the annual convention was moved to the Horseshoe and the focus shifted entirely to poker, prompting a name change: the World Series of Poker was born. The first WSOP was an invitational affair, with Benny Binion convincing a handful of well-respected players – Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Crandell Addington, Sailor Roberts and Carl Cannon – to sit around a table and do battle over a series of cash games. At the end of the allotted time, the players voted to decide who would be crowned the inaugural world champion. They all voted for themselves so a second ballot was taken and this time Johnny Moss was crowned champion.

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POKERIMAGES.COM, LAS VEGAS SUN.COM

THE BIRTH OF THE WSOP

Stu ‘The Kid’ Ungar celebrates his first of three World Series of Poker main event wins

Benny Binion kick-started the World Series, holding the first one at his Horseshoe casino

THE KID RISES

Moss also emerged victorious the following year when the WSOP main event moved to the now

1970

The first World Series of Poker takes place with Johnny Moss the winner

1971

No-limit hold’em is introduced to the WSOP with the first main event

1978

Seminal poker guide Super/System is first published


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Doyle Brunson was a road gambler who hit Vegas in search of action in the 1960s

1980

10

Stu Ungar becomes the youngest ever main event champ


1981

Ungar wins the main event for the second consecutive year

traditional no-limit hold’em freezeout format. Although it quickly established itself as the premier poker tournament, with a buy-in aimed squarely at attracting true high-rollers, the main event was slow to take off in terms of numbers. Moss’s victory in 1971 saw him pitted against just five other players – and by the time he won it again in 1974 he overcame a field of just 16. It wasn’t until 1982 that the main event drew more than 100 participants, partly prompted by the introduction of the satellite tournaments that are now commonplace, which allowed players with more limited bankrolls to have a shot at the big time. Numbers were also buoyed by the publication of Doyle Brunson’s seminal poker strategy book, Super/System. The strategy book was selfpublished and cost $100, but it was a huge success as it offered readers an insight into the kind of strategic thinking employed by world champions across a number of poker disciplines, including hold’em. Such information had previously been unavailable to the general public, but now it was out there more and more players fancied their chances of taking on the big boys. As well as increased fields, the 1980s brought a whole new generation of poker superstars. The most notable of these was Stu ‘The Kid’ Ungar who burst onto the scene in 1980, becoming the youngest ever main event champion (since superseded by Phil Hellmuth and Peter Eastgate) after a heads-up tussle with past master Doyle Brunson for the first prize of $365,000. Ungar, a noted gin rummy player, would later claim that the 1980 WSOP was the first time he had ever played no-limit hold’em. He proved his win was no fluke, though, when he repeated his main event success the following year. Ungar’s personal life, however, also grabbed the headlines for entirely different reasons. He was a drug and alcohol abuser for many years and everyone thought his poker career was over. However, 16 years after his 1981 victory and following a long battle with drug addiction, the previously down-and-out Ungar became known as ‘The Comeback Kid’. After scraping enough money together to enter the 1997 main event at the last minute, against all the odds Ungar went on to take it down, becoming only the

1982

WSOP main event breaks the 100-entrant barrier

The godfather of poker

Brunson wrote probably the best poker book ever – Super/System

however – the story goes that he was invited to a seven-card stud game on his first day and took his opponents to the cleaners, prompting him to

POKERIMAGES.COM, BRYAN HARAWAY

second person besides Johnny Moss to win the WSOP main event three times.

EUROPE TAKES NOTICE

Another player to make his mark during the 80s was Johnny Chan, who achieved the remarkable feat of winning back-to-back main events - and was only denied an unprecedented three-in-a-row by the emergence of one Phil Hellmuth. Chan navigated a 152-strong field in 1987 to take the title after defeating Frank Henderson heads-up. The following year he and Erik Seidel were the final two of 167 entrants, but Chan emerged victorious. In 1989, the 24-year-old Hellmuth dashed Chan’s dreams of an unlikely ‘threepeat’,

1987

Johnny Chan begins his remarkable run of Main Event final tables

give up his job shortly after to chance his arm as a poker professional. He hooked up with the likes of Amarillo Slim and Sailor Roberts and played the Texas circuit with great success. Brunson and his group of peers began to take regular trips to Las Vegas and he eventually decided the action was too good to turn down, making the decision to move there permanently. The rest, as they say, is history. As well as his success at the tables, Brunson’s notable for his hugely influential poker strategy book, Super/System. Originally published in 1978, the book also included contributions by a host of other top professionals, including David Sklansky, Bobby Baldwin and Chip Reese. An updated version, Super/System 2, came out in 2004 featuring content from the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Johnny Chan. And as if that’s not enough to confirm his legendary status, Brunson has the rare honour of having a starting hand named after him. While 10-2 might not seem like the greatest of hole pairings, they’ve been lucky for Texas Dolly; his 1976 and 1977 main event victories were both clinched with that hand.

H O L D ’ E M

One of the greatest players ever to grace the game, ‘Texas Dolly’ is the very definition of a living legend. Born in August 1933, Brunson has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets to date (just one behind current record-holder Phil Hellmuth along with Johnny Chan) and is reported to be the first player to have earned $1m in poker tournament prize money. As one of a group of Texas gamblers to introduce no-limit hold’em to Las Vegas, Brunson paved the way for the poker boom that followed and has stayed the pace ever since. His back-to-back victories at the 1976 and 1977 WSOP main events puts him in an exclusive club of just three, with Stu Ungar and Johnny Chan the only others to have won the main event in consecutive years. He’s also one of only two players to have won WSOP bracelets for four consecutive years – the other being Bill Boyd. A budding athlete in his youth, Brunson’s dreams of becoming a professional basketball player were dashed when he broke his leg badly in a work-related accident. Following the incident, he focused on his education and wound up landing a job as a salesman. It wasn’t to be,

O F

Doyle Brunson is a true poker legend. With back-to-back WSOP main event wins and 10 bracelets he is one of the best players ever. An integral part of poker for over 50 years, ‘Texas Dolly’ is still a force to be reckoned with

H I S T O R Y

DOYLE BRUNSON

beating his opponent heads-up to earn the first of his record-breaking 11 bracelets – all of which have been won in hold’em events. The 80s also saw the game of no-limit hold’em take off in Europe. Irish bookmakers Terry Rogers and Liam Flood are widely credited with introducing the game to European shores following regular trips to Vegas and the WSOP. Rogers also had an uncanny knack for picking out poker players for the future. He’s thought to have been the only bookmaker to have a strong hunch that Stu Ungar would take down the 1980 main event; the Irishman laid just 20-1 and placed money on Ungar to win with other bookmakers, who were typically offering 100-1.

1988

Chan takes down his second main event in a row

1989

Phil Hellmuth denies Chan to become the youngest main event winner


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Phil Hellmuth still holds the record for most amount of WSOP bracelet wins – 11

For the first time viewers at home could see how the pros played and it sparked a surge of interest in the game

The popularity of no-limit hold’em grew as TV coverage of the WSOP was introduced in the 80s and 90s. But the game would probably have remained a minority interest if it weren’t for the introduction of hole-card cameras in a British TV show called Late Night Poker in the late 90s. For the first time viewers at home could see how the pros played and it sparked a surge of interest in the game. While TV viewers had previously had to guess at whether a particular player had the nuts or was pulling an audacious bluff, they now had the information right in front of them. It allowed those watching to learn from professionals, giving them an opportunity to work out players’ thought processes when making certain situationdependant moves.

MONEYMAKER EFFECT

The show was broadcast in the US on PBS and the concept was taken on board by the producers of the World Poker Tour TV show, which became a huge TV hit in the US. The WPT began in 2002, with its first season offering a $25,000 buy-in

1997

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Ungar becomes ‘The Comeback Kid’ by winning a third main event


1999

Late Night Poker introduces the revolutionary hole-card cams

world championship finale and ten lead-up events with buy-ins ranging from $500 (with rebuys) to $10,000. A roaring success, the WPT is now in its eighth season, playing host to 15 side events as well as the established $25,000 WPT Championship event. Alongside all this was the rise of online poker, which began in 1999 to little general interest. By 2001, though, it was a booming business with thousands of players taking to the game of no-limit hold’em and tournaments in particular. And the internet sites were quick to capitalise on the success of the WPT in the US, advertising on the show and seeing players flock online as a result. The game everyone wanted to play was the adrenaline fuelled no-limit hold’em game. The true turning point for the game came in 2003, when the aptly named Chris Moneymaker, a previously unknown player, won a $39 satellite qualifier for a $10,000 seat at the WSOP main event. He promptly went on to shock everyone by winning the big one for a $2.5m payday. The widely-televised story of an everyday guy turning the kind of cash most people carry around in their wallet, into millions of dollars, through a simple game of cards captured the imagination of millions of players. Online poker sites exploded with sign-ups, as the ‘Moneymaker effect’ kicked in.

STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Lightning struck twice in 2004 when another internet qualifier, Greg Raymer, defeated David Williams to take down the main event for $5m. Raymer had also qualified online, having won his seat in a $160 satellite. Following this an unprecedented number of new players signed up online and tried their hand at not only making a little money as a hobby, but also chasing the dream realised by the likes of Moneymaker and Raymer. WSOP field sizes – both for the main event and side events – ballooned further, with the peak being reached in 2006, when a staggering 8,773 entrants took part in the main event, contributing to a record-breaking $82.5m prize pool. Jamie Gold took down the biggest tournament in World Series history for an eye-watering $12m. Numbers actually fell in 2007, but the drop-off has largely been attributed to law changes in the

2002

The World Poker Tour begins its first season

H I S T O R Y O F

IMPDI FOR THE WSOP

H O L D ’ E M

US that prevented large amounts of players from gambling online. As a result, the number of internet qualifiers for WSOP events dropped off dramatically, having a knock-on effect on the overall field sizes. Nevertheless, online poker remains robust, with hundreds of thousands playing every day. The online game has served as a great learning tool for those first taking up the game. With the option to take part in ‘play money’ games, new players can learn the rules of the game before risking any of their own money. When they do feel confident enough to gamble with their cash, there are games across all levels to suit everyone’s needs. Micro-stakes cash games and tournaments are freely available and for the dedicated player, online poker has presented the opportunity to get on a par with established pros, in terms of hands played, in a fraction of the time.

2003

Chris Moneymaker wins the main event and the online boom begins

No-limit hold’em has taken the global poker community by storm. Wherever you go in the world you can find a game of poker being played

The 2009 Main Event final tablists pose for the money shot

A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

But poker’s success is not just confined to the online game, with live poker also in rude health. Around the world there are major poker tournaments taking place every week from South East Asia to Latin America. And pub poker leagues and home games continue to spring up to keep the game alive for the smaller stakes players. Wherever you go in the world now you can find a game of poker being played. No-limit hold’em has taken the global poker community by storm – long may it continue.

2004

Greg Raymer became the second online qualifier to win the WSOP

2006

Jamie Gold scoops $12m as he wins the largest prize in WSOP history


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t i m i l o n y a l p o t How

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TEXAS HOLD’EM

IMPDI FOR WSOP

From the $10,000 World Championship to crazy $5 games in the pub, no-limit Texas hold’em is the game the whole world is playing. If you’re new to the game it’s time to saddle up and join the action…

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The WSOP main event is poker’s ultimate championship, awarding a $9.1m first prize in 2008. The game? No-limit hold’em, naturally


H O W T O P L A Y T E X A S H O L D ’ E M

Do this

N O - L I M I T

O-LIMIT TEXAS HOLD’EM IS FAR AND away the most popular form of poker played today, and with very good reason. It’s an exciting, fast-paced and finely balanced game, with a perfect blend of simple game mechanics and highly nuanced strategies. It sucks in new players with its fast gameplay and monster bluffs and keeps the veterans hooked with its endlessly shifting dynamics. As the most popular form of poker, nolimit hold’em (often abbreviated to NLH) also has the biggest prizes and tournaments, with millions of dollars to be won if you’re good – or lucky – enough to beat the field. The action comes in every possible shape and size, from beginners’ freerolls to the $10,000 main ousands of event of the World Series of Poker. And because there are thousands players duking it out online 24/7, you’ll never struggle to find a game. If you’re new to hold’em the good news is that it’s a doddle to pick up. Wherever you are and whatever stakes you’re playing the Once yo y format is always the same. You’re dealt two hole cards that only u’ve ma basics, stered t you are allowed to see, which you combine with five community the he a play-m next step is to cards, which everyone can use, to make up a hand of five cards. try oney ga me onli Load up ne. the soft The person who can make the strongest hand – or make w a attache d CD an re in the everyone else fold – wins all the money in the pot. Soundss d pla poker o n PKR fo y 3D e simple? It is. It’s making sure that you’re the one left raking the r free chips in where things get interesting.

GETTING STARTED

Okay, before we get to the nitty gritty of how the game works, there are a few technical terms to get acquainted with. Don’t worry – it will all be second nature soon enough.

THE BUTTON

The action comes in every possible shape and size, from beginners’ freerolls to the $10,000 main event of the World Series of Poker

The button is a small disc or marker that indicates who is the ‘dealer’ in the current hand. It often has ‘dealer’ or ‘D’ written on it and is necessary for two reasons. Firstly, because in poker the deal changes hands after every pot (we’ll see why in a moment). And secondly, because the person who is the nominal ‘dealer’ in a hand may not actually be the one handling the cards, either because you are playing in a casino with a professional dealer, or you’re playing online where the dealing is automatic. Either way, you need some sort of marker to show who the effective dealer is in each hand. So why does the button keep moving round the table? Well, in poker the dealing of the cards and the order of action always runs clockwise from the dealer position. Because of the nature of poker betting, where everyone takes it in turn to act, being the dealer (and hence the last to act) confers a huge advantage. So to counter this the deal moves one seat to the left with every hand. In hold’em, being the dealer is called being ‘on the button’.

THE BLINDS

Blinds are, simply speaking, forced bets that have to be paid at the beginning of every hand. In hold’em there are two THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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T E X A S

blinds: the small blind and the big blind. The small blind is located directly to the left of the dealer button and the big blind is to the left of the small blind. The big blind is usually twice the amount of the small blind. The blinds move round with the button, meaning that in one orbit of the table everyone has to pay both a small blind and big blind. Think of them like a table tax, and just like tax, you’ll often hear people moaning about them. But the fact is that without the blinds the game would never get off the ground. Without something to fight over right from the start, everyone could simply wait for good cards while the game meandered on inexorably. In a hold’em tournament, where there has to be an eventual winner, the blinds rise at steady intervals to force the game towards a conclusion.

HOLE CARDS

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The hole cards are the two cards that everyone gets dealt face down at the start of a hand. No one gets to see your hole cards apart from you – unless the hand goes to a showdown. The best starting hole card combination is two Aces of any suit (‘pocket Aces’), whereas the worst is 7-2 unsuited.

Playing the board In hold’em hold’e you can use one, both or neither of your hole cards to make your best hand. In the latter case, when the cards on the board represent your best possible five-card hand, you are said to be ‘playing the board’. In the example shown, your best hand is two pair with an Ace kicker, meaning neither of your hole cards come into play.

COMMUNITY CARDS

H O W

Hold’em is what’s known as a ‘community card’ game, which means that as well your two hole cards there are cards dealt face up in the middle of the table that everyone gets to use to make their best five-card hand. In a complete hand of hold’em there are five community cards on the table, but we’ll find out more about this below. ker. Right, now we are ready to play some poker.

PLAYING THE GAME

Let’s look at how a hand of hold’em unfolds, from the moment the dealer picks up the cards right through to the final showdown.

THE OPENING DEAL

At the beginning of each hand, every player n (from two players in a heads-up game up to ten in a full-handed game) is dealt two hole cards ove, clockwise from the dealer. As mentioned above, quired the first player to the left of the dealer is required to pay the ‘small blind’, let’s say $1, and the next player to the left has to pay the ‘big blind’ which is twice as much, in this case $2. The level of the blinds depends on what game you decide to play. Remember, the nominated dealer moves one seat to the left after every hand, so you only get stung by the big blind once each round.

HUGH THRELFALL

FOLD, CALL OR RAISE

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After the blinds have been paid and you’ve received your hole cards the first round of betting takes place. The player to the left of the big blind has three options: fold, call or raise. Folding costs nothing so if you don’t like the cards you’ve got you can ditch (or ‘muck’) them and wait for the next deal. If you want to stay in the hand you have to match the big blind, which in our example is $2, or if you’re feeling confident you can raise. Raising is a sign of strength that says, ‘my hole cards are strong and I’m going to THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

Don’t do this

Don’t ac hold’em t out of turn! In the clockwis action proceed s e around th and it’s very bad e table fo rm fold or b to et before th ‘action’ gets to y e ou

H O W T O P L A Y N O - L I M I T T E X A S

How a hand unfolds

The mechanics of a hand of hold’em are simple – two hole cards apiece and five community cards, punctuated by four rounds of betting…

Once the blinds have been posted the deal begins. Each player gets two cards face down, followed by a round of betting.

Assuming more than one player decides to carry on in the hand, the first three community cards are dealt: the ‘flop’.

After another betting round, a fourth community card – the ‘turn’ – is dealt. Once again, there is a round of betting.

A fifth and final card is then dealt: the ‘river’. There’s more betting, and, if more than one player stays involved, a showdown.

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H O L D ’ E M T E X A S

When all the active players have bet the same amount, the first round of betting is over. Three cards are then dealt face up in the centre (collectively referred to as the ‘flop’). The first active player to the left of the dealer then starts the next round of betting which proceeds in the same way as the last. When that’s complete, assuming more than one player has decided to continue in the hand, a further community card (the ‘turn’, aka ‘fourth street’) is dealt. There’s more betting on the turn card and then, once again assuming the hand has not been won yet, there’s one last chance to get your chips in after fth the fifth and final card (the ‘river’, aka ‘fifth street’) is turned over.

H O W

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N O - L I M I T

take the pot right now unless anyone’s brave enough to call me.’ If you raised to $5 then anyone else wanting to play their hand would have to match your $5 bet. If no one calls, you take whatever’s in the pot and the hand is over.

FLOP, TURN, RIVER

SHOWDOWN

this Don’t do

After the river is dealt and all betting is onent’s done and dusted it’s time for the moment ll an opp Don’t ca ver just out of e ri of truth, the showdown, where the best bet on th u may be dying Yo ! y hand wins the pot. Refer to the boxout g it s o curi e bluffin if they’r on page 21 if you’re not sure about poker o n s to know t’ a ut th or not, b hand rankings. Just remember that in r making excuse fo all any given hand there are always two wayss d a ab c d at to win. Firstly, you can have the best hand showdown. Secondly, however, you can make everyone else fold by betting them off the pot. If you bet big and no one is brave enough to call – on any of the four betting rounds – you’ll walk away with the pot and don’t even have to show your cards! In fact, this is how most hands in hold’em are won, which is why they say ‘play the man, not the cards’.

BASIC STRATEGY

Now that you know how the action works, let’s look at some simple strategy concepts to help you start winning.

HAND SELECTION

While it’s important to remember that any two cards can win, when you first start playing hold’em your hole cards are vitally important, because they’re the only thing separating you from the rest of the table. If you look down and see a pair of Aces or Kings staring back at you then you’re in good shape. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be very happy to see the likes of 7;-2: or J:-3Ú sadly gazing your way. Choosing which hole cards to play is central to your hold’em success and setting some startinghand requirements is a good way to kick off your career. Former world champ Phil Hellmuth often quotes his ten starting hands as being pairs of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, tens, nines, eights and sevens, as well as A-K and A-Q. As a novice, you may want to play an even narrower selection than this, as pairs like sevens and eights can be tricky to play. As your experience increases, your range of playable hands can similarly expand.

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Aces, appropriately known as bullets or pocket rockets, are the best hole cards you can have as they are the favourite to win against any other two cards in the deck. Once the flop is dealt, those Aces may no longer be favourite, but in the majority of cases you’ll still be ahead.

BETTING TIPS

So how much should you bet when you get strong hands? In no-limit hold’em, as the name suggests, there is no upper limit on the amount you can bet. On any of the four betting rounds (usually referred to as ‘streets’), you can bet up to and including all your available chips. Betting all your chips is known going ‘all-in’ or simply ‘shoving’. However, this is the ultimate power move and should be reserved for very specific occasions. In most circumstances your bet sizes should be tailored to the size of the pot.

Choosing which hole cards to play is central to your hold’em success. Setting some hand requirements is a good way to kick off your career

T E X A S H O L D ’ E M

Everyone in a game of poker has a certain number of chips to make bets with. In a cash game these represent actual money, while in a tournament they are simply a way of keeping score (the player who accumulates all the chips wins the tournament). In each hand, bets are placed in a central pool referred to as the ‘pot’. If you win a hand you win whatever’s in the pot.

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N O - L I M I T

If you’ve never played a wagering game before the process might be unfamiliar to you. It’s a good idea to watch a game to get the hang of it before you dive in – check out some poker on TV or a website like PKR.tv and all will soon become clear. In the meantime, here’s a quick guide to poker betting…

P L A Y

Sometimes, two or more players will have exactly the same hand at showdown, and the pot will be divided equally between them. In this example, the player with A-Q was winning on the turn with a Broadway (Ace-high) straight, but the AÚ on the river means the player with Q-Q also makes Broadway. As such, it’s a split pot.

T O

Split pot

How does betting work?

H O W

EXTREME BASICS #2

Betting takes place in rounds. When a bet has been made, each player must in turn either match that bet (call), increase the bet (raise) or resign from the hand (fold). A raise must usually be at least as much as the previous bet or raise, so if the current bet is $20 the minimum raise would be to $40. A betting round ends when all players have either called the last bet or folded.

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If all but one player folds on any given betting round, the remaining player collects the pot without having to show his hand. If more than one player remains in the hand after the final betting round, there is a ‘showdown’ in which hands are exposed and the winning hand takes the pot.

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EXTREME BASICS #1 What is poker?

A stupid question? Maybe, but the answer is not as simple as you might think… Poker is not strictly speaking a ‘game’ in the same sense as blackjack or bridge. Rather, it’s a whole family of games, with scores of variations and mutations played in home games and private clubs around the world. So what are the features that define a game as being ‘poker’? Let’s take a look… Poker is based around betting or wagering. Everyone holds cards with a certain value, and players may bet on the strength of their hand relative to their opponents’.

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Hand rankings generally follow the same pattern, which you can find on page 21. Some games reverse the order so that the ‘worst’ hand wins, but almost every poker game retains this same basic hierarchy.

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You use five cards to make your hand. You might have more than five to choose from – in hold’em, for instance, you have seven cards to choose from – but in all but the most eccentric poker variants you’ll only use five cards to make your best possible hand.

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Before a hand starts, there’s usually some sort of forced bet to get the action going. In other words, some or all of the players have to place a bet at the beginning of the first betting round to create a pot to play for. In hold’em the two players to the left of the dealer must place these bets, called the blinds. The action then proceeds to the left.

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H O L D ’ E M T E X A S N O - L I M I T P L A Y T O H O W

Out-kicked!

Don’t feel you have to throw your weight around by pushing loads of chips into the middle. There’s no need to risk more than is necessary 20


Som Sometimes hold’em can be a very cruel game. In this hand, Player 1 has been dealt a pair of sixes while Player 2 has a raggedy 9-3 offsuit. The pair is winning all the way until the river, when a second pair comes on the board, boa which reads A-7-2-A-7. As such, both players hav two pair – Aces and sevens – and the winner is have det determined by the kicker, or highest side card. In this cas Player 2 wins with a 9 kicker, beating the 6 case, kicker kic of Player 1, who is said to be ‘out-kicked’.

On the first (pre-flop) betting round, a good g rule of thumb is to raise to three times the big blind if no one else has entered the pot. If the big blind is $2, a standard raise would see you putting $6 into the pot. And betting is what it’s all about because in poker aggression pays: you not only win the pots where you have a better hand but also the ones where other players are too scared to call you. Just don’t feel you have to throw your weight around by pushing loads of chips into the middle. There’s no need to risk more than necessary if a smaller bet will do the job. On later streets, a pot-sized bet – an amount equal to what has already been bet in total – sends out a message of strength and will force your opponent to think hard about whether they should continue or fold their hand. However, always think carefully about what you want a bet to achieve. Do you want your opponent to fold, call or even go all-in? Ask yourself questions like: ‘How much will this

opponent be willing to call here with a worse hand?’ (if you’re confident you’re ahead); and ‘Can I make this player fold a better hand?’ (if you’re confident you’re behind).

FOLDING

This is something you should do a lot of in no-limit hold’em – especially when you are still learning. If you peek at your cards only to see rags – weak cards that are low, unsuited and have little possibility of improving – you are usually best off tossing them away. Folding bad cards will bring profit by saving you from dribbling your chips away, leaving you with a bigger stack with which to attack other players when you get dealt a monster hand.

BLUFFING

Let’s not forget one of the best and most enjoyable arts of poker – bluffing. There is a big place in poker for bluffing, in no-limit hold’em particularly, but try to pull a fast one on the

H O W

HOLD’EM ESSENTIALS Hand rankings

T O

Before you start playing you have to know what hand beats what! Below is the complete poker hand hierarchy, starting with the highest… ROYAL FLUSH

STRAIGHT FLUSH

GAME OF PEOPLE NOT CARDS

FOUR OF A KIND

Here are some ideas to think about once you’ve got the basic rules in place.

POWER OF POSITION

As you gain more experience, you’ll realise that playing from late position or on the button makes the game so much easier. That’s not to say that you should raise like a madman when you’re on the button, but if three players have limped to you and you have a reasonable hand, just raise a decent amount and see what happens. Chances are you’ll probably take it down there and then, but even if you get called, you have the benefit of seeing what your opponent does first on the flop.

POT ODDS

No one is saying you need to be a maths genius to play poker, but the bottom line is that if you make the mathematically correct play every hand, you will be a winning player. Making such plays each and every time is beyond the realm of most mortals, but all you need to do is get a grounding in the basics. If you can understand and apply the concepts of ‘outs’ and ‘pot odds’, you’re well on your way. See our cash game section for more details

UNDER PRESSURE

Checking and calling certainly have their place in poker, but to be a winning player you’re going to have to take the fight to the other players. Think about how you feel when a player bets and raises you constantly. It’s uncomfortable and you want to avoid them, right? Make sure you’re the one other players stay away from and if they tangle with you, ensure they’re not in for an easy ride. Learn to observe your opponents’ tendencies and try to exploit them, and you’ll be well on your way to being a winning player. Good luck!

Also known as ‘quads’, this is four cards of the same rank. If the quads are dealt on the board, the highest kicker determines the winner.

FULL HOUSE

A combination of a pair and three of a kind. When comparing full houses it’s the three of a kind that counts first, so 3-3-3-2-2 beats 2-2-2-A-A.

H O L D ’ E M

We’d all love to get Aces and Kings every hand but probability is a tough mistress and she’d rather deal you trash most of the time. There are going to be times when you go completely card-dead. Losing players curl up and die in this situation, refusing to play a hand until their luck turns around. Winning players realise that hands are won long before cards even get seen and try to make the most of every opportunity.

T E X A S

MOVING FORWARD

A straight but with all the cards of the same suit. Once again, the suit doesn’t matter (there is no suit hierarchy in hold’em).

N O - L I M I T

The best hand of all: a straight flush from ten through Ace. The suit doesn’t matter, but your odds of getting one are in hold’em are a whopping 30,939-to-1.

P L A Y

wrong person at the wrong time and you’re going to get burnt. Stone-cold bluffs – when you have a bad hand with little chance of improving – should be used only when you are confident you won’t get called. Semi-bluffs – where you have a ‘drawing’ hand that is probably behind right now but could potentially be a winner if the right card comes – are better, but still to be used with caution. In fact, you’re best to eschew bluffing altogether until you’ve got some experience under your belt. To start with, stick to betting strong hands such as the highest pair and two pair until you’ve studied how your opponents play. Take it slowly, get your basic ABC play sorted, and then you can think about being a bit more creative.

FLUSH

Any five non-sequential cards of the same suit. When comparing two competing flushes, it’s the highest card that counts.

STRAIGHT

Five sequential cards not all in the same suit. A Queenhigh straight beats a Jack-high straight, and so on. Ace can be used either high or low when making a straight.

THREE OF A KIND

Also called ‘trips’ or a ‘set’, this is when you have three cards of equal rank.

TWO PAIR

Two pairs of cards of equal rank, for example, two Jacks and two Nines, as shown here.

PAIR

Any two cards of the same rank, in this case two Aces. If two players hold the same pair, the highest kicker is used to determine the winner.

HIGH CARD

If no one has any of the combinations above, the winner comes down to the highest single card, from Ace down to two. In this example, you have Jack-high.


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W I N N E R S B I G P O K E R ’ S

POKER’S $10 MILLION CLUB The seven players in poker history who have won more than $10 million from tournaments (and that’s not counting their cash game millions!)

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DANIEL NEGREANU

Poker’s most likeable and friendly character is also one of its most prolific tournament winners, with a huge number of WPT and WSOP titles to his name. Negreanu began playing cash games in his home of Toronto, but moved to Las Vegas and found the tournament circuit where he made his name with victories in the early days of the World Poker Tour. He has played in the biggest high-stakes cash games for many years, but now focuses more on the live tournament circuit where he continues to take on and beat the best in the world.

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PHIL IVEY

With multiple WPT titles, WSOP bracelets and millions of dollars of cash game winnings to his name, Phil Ivey is arguably the greatest poker player in the world. There isn’t a form of poker Ivey hasn’t mastered and dominated, and he invokes fear and respect throughout the poker world. Ivey is a master of adapting to any situation and has the uncanny ability to get inside his opponent’s head and figure out a way to beat him. His natural home is at the high-stakes cash game tables either in his home in Las Vegas or online. But he’s won more in tournaments than anyone else alive and with 2009’s amazing WSOP success there are few worlds left for him to conquer. A true poker legend.

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MELODIE DEWITT, STEPHANIE DIANI, IMPDI FOR WSOP, TOM MILES, NEIL STODDART

Probably the greatest no-limit hold’em tournament player alive, Phil Hellmuth is the holder of a record 11 WSOP bracelets and over $10 million in tournament winnings. He was the youngest ever winner of the WSOP main event back in 1989 aged just 24. Since then he has become renowned as much for his attitude at the table as his poker. Hellmuth is famed for ranting and berating opponents when he loses a big pot, famously telling one guy he ‘couldn’t even spell p-o-k-e-r.’ Hellmuth divides opinion among poker fans, with many doubting his talents extend beyond beating bad players, and his style is determinedly passive. But his record has few equals and on his day he is a fabulous reader of players, capable of amazing calls and laydowns.

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SCOTTY NGUYEN

The Prince of Poker is one of the most enigmatic players in the game, with a list of accomplishments equal to anyone. He is also responsible for the legendary line ‘You call and it’s all over baby’, which he famously said on the final hand of his 1998 WSOP main event win. The fast-talking man from Vietnam has a past littered with gambling addiction and alcohol-fuelled lows, but he’s now a reformed family man and still a ferocious tournament talent. His big successes continue to be at the WSOP where he won the prestigious $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event in 2008. He’s also the winner of a WPT title with victory in the World Poker Open in 2006.

JAMIE GOLD

The winner of the single biggest prize in poker history is a TV producer from California named Jamie Gold. The talkative and slightly irritating Gold dominated the 2006 WSOP main event, still the richest tournament in history, to take down the $12 million first prize. Since then he’s not really done a great deal in the world of poker apart from playing a few televised cash games and some charity events. He was a hugely controversial world champion, as many viewed him as a poor player who got lucky. But his performance in the 2006 WSOP remains one of the most impressive in history.

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W I N N E R S

PHIL HELLMUTH, JR

The Australian pro burst onto the scene when he won the 2005 WSOP main event, scooping $7.5 million for his troubles. Since then he has proved he was no one-hit wonder with a victory in the WPT North American Poker Classic adding a further $2.2 million to his bank balance. He has been much quieter of late, failing to add another WSOP bracelet to his main event win and only managing an eleventh place finish in the European Poker Tour events he plays regularly. He has become one of the most iconic players in poker, however, and is a household name in his native Australia.

B I G

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JOE HACHEM

P O K E R ’ S

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ALLEN CUNNINGHAM

Allen Cunningham could be the poster boy for ‘getting it quietly’. He’s one of the most unassuming men in poker, but you just can’t stop him winning. He’s won five WSOP bracelets in his career along with a host of other titles. He’s also achieved the incredible feat of winning a WSOP bracelet three years in a row (2005, 2006, 2007). Cunningham is one of the most thoughtful poker pros around and his peers rate him as one of the greatest talents in the game. He shuns the limelight, however, preferring to let his poker do the talking.


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E T I Q U E T T E P O K E R

TABLE MANNERS Poker is a strange world filled with its own quirky rules, regulations and codes of conduct every player should adhere to. Here we reveal five of poker’s most common breaches of etiquette

1 SLOW-ROLLING WHAT IS IT? Nothing gets poker players more vexed than a slow-roll. It is without doubt one of the most irritating things in the game. But what exactly is a slow-roll? It’s the action of deliberately taking a long time to show the winning hand, usually while pretending you are beaten. In the right context they can be very funny, such as announcing two pair with four of a kind in a home game with mates. But, in the wrong context, they can lead to a punch in the mouth. There is something about a slow-roll that makes a poker player’s blood boil. It’s the equivalent of playground bullying, rubbing your opponent’s nose in their defeat. You just beat them in a hand and took their chips – do you really need to make a song and dance about it? Just show your cards and act like a man. IN ACTION At the 2005 WSOP main event, female poker pro Jennifer Harman was the victim of a classic slow-roll when Corey Zeidman made a straight flush to beat her full house. When she puts him all-in he pretends to weigh up the decision and says he can do some sightseeing if he loses before showing the unbeatable hand and asking for applause. Harman should have clapped him round the head. WATCH IT http://tinyurl.com/dnenxs

2 OVER-CELEBRATING WHAT IS IT? In poker there is a lot of luck involved. Even with a hand like pocket Aces you are still going to lose one time out of five to pocket twos when you are all-in pre-flop. We all know this, but it doesn’t make it any less cruel when that miracle two arrives on the flop. Or it doesn’t mean we don’t want to smash the table up when that guy hits two perfect cards to outdraw our full house. It’s like fate decided it hated us. You feel like the world is against you. Like nothing can ever go right. And so the last thing you need is some goon who played badly and got lucky jumping up and down and whooping like a brain-damaged monkey. If it’s you that sucked out then sit down, don’t say a word and quietly stack your chips. IN ACTION Mike Matusow gets caught out when he flops top pair against an unlikely two pair of his opponent at the 2009 WSOP main event. They both get it all-in on the turn and Mike hits a lucky river to take the pot. He then jumps up from his seat and starts celebrating while his opponent sits stoney-faced knowing he’s out of the tournament. To be fair to Mike it’s not the worst bad beat in the world and he does say sorry afterwards, but it’s still out of order. WATCH IT http://tinyurl.com/m6yxxq

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bit. We don’t mean you can’t talk about the weather or something that happened earlier, but if you’re not involved in the current hand you should keep quiet about things going on in it until it’s finished. If you say what you had, you’re giving information that could sway someone’s decision. And if you mention something like, ‘Oh he looks weak there, he didn’t like that Ace,’ you are massively out of line. Poker is a game of limited information, so even if you think you have some you should keep your ego in check and wait until the end of the hand. Nobody cares what you think if you’re not involved in the hand, and you are likely to severely annoy the people still playing if you chime in with unwanted comments. In short, be discreet.

that only happens in cash games – in particular online – and is one of the more subtle breaches of poker etiquette. To ‘hit and run’ is to win all of an opponent’s money and then immediately leave. You see this a lot more when playing online than in live games where it’s not as easy to slide away from the table without causing a row. Some players see nothing wrong with this tactic, and feel they have no duty to allow the other player the opportunity to ‘win his money back’. However, most in the poker world view players that don’t want to continue to play on after winning a big pot as bad winners and bad for the game.

IN ACTION Once again it’s Mike Matusow involved, but this time he’s the injured party. At the 2005 WSOP main event Shawn Sheikhan slams his fist against the table after the flop has been dealt, clearly indicating he had a hand that would have flopped well. In other words making it less likely Mike Matusow did. Matusow understandably explodes and the two players get into a huge row.

E T I Q U E T T E

AND RUN 4 HIT WHAT IS IT? This is something

P O K E R

MID-HAND 3 TALKING WHAT IS IT? Okay, let’s clarify that a

OUR TIP If you win a big pot in a live cash game then don’t immediately leave or make moves to leave. Stay and play a few more orbits of the blinds. You don’t have to play many hands, but give the illusion you are still active in the game. And, who knows, if you tighten up your starting hand selection and only play if you hit a big hand, it could even end up with you finishing even more up.

WATCH IT www.tinyurl.com/mymzsz

5 TRASH-TALKING WHAT IS IT? If you beat a player then celebrating is one thing, but rubbing his nose in it is another. Nobody likes to see a sore loser, but a sore winner is even worse. Many players have made a career out of acting up at the tables and giving players rubdowns when they win, none more so than Tony G. The loudmouth Aussie has crossed so far over the line in poker tournaments he can’t even see it any more. He gets away with it because there is no penalty in poker for being a jerk. But you shouldn’t learn from Tony G about how to conduct yourself at the poker table. Sure, it’s sometimes funny to watch, but try it at the local casino and you may find your laughter quickly stops when the whole table turns against you. IN ACTION The classic Tony G rubdown came against Ralph Perry in a televised tournament. The two have some previous history so when Tony G knocks him out he launches into a tirade telling Perry his career is finished and telling him to get out. Perry sits, dumbfounded for a while, before eventually getting up to leave with Tony G still hollering abuse at him as he exits stage left. WATCH IT www.tinyurl.com/3vkaop

Many players have made a career out of acting up at the tables and giving players rubdowns… none more so than Tony G

KEY POINT When you are not involved in a hand you should keep quiet until the hand is over. Don’t talk about what cards you folded or your opinion of your opponents’ play. It is bad form and likely to annoy your opponents.


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All images taken from actual in-game screenshots.

Club PKR - The most rewarding club in poker Club PKR is a different kind of loyalty programme. For starters our ‘always up, never down’ policy means you never lose points or VIP status just because you want to take a break. Once you reach a level it’s yours - for life. Our levels are also easier to achieve, meaning you’ll find yourself in Silver, Gold and even Platinum status far sooner than you would in other poker rooms. And that’s great news because there is a world of fantastic rewards just waiting for you as you move up the loyalty ladder including free PKR merchandise, big money freerolls every month, VIP access to PKR events and a whole lot more.

Please gamble responsibly. For more information and advice visit www.gambleaware.co.uk Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission

T E R M I N O L O G Y P O K E R

POKER TERMINOLOGY Poker has a rich and constantly growing language. Here are some of the most common terms you will need to know when learning the game

ALL-IN The name given to betting all your chips on any given hand in no-limit hold’em. ANTE An additional forced bet which comes into play later in a tournament. It must be paid by every player every hand and it is usually between one-sixth to one-quarter of the small blind. BAD BEAT To be a favourite in a hand but lose to an opponent who is statistically an underdog when the money goes in. BANKROLL The total amount of ‘poker money’ you have available to you at any one time. Online this would be all the money in your poker account, and should be kept separate from your ‘real’ money. BLINDS Compulsory bets that ensure there are some chips to win every hand. In tournaments they force the action as they rise progressively, and in cash games they promote action. The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the ‘small blind’, and the player to their left posts the ‘big blind’ (usually double the small blind). The blinds also move around the table clockwise on each new hand so that every player takes their turn to pay them. The size of the blinds are dictated by the table stakes or the stage of a tournament. BLUFF To bet and raise when you are likely to have the worst hand in a bid to get an opponent to fold. BOARD The community cards in hold’em are collectively known as the ‘board’. BUBBLE In a tournament this is the last person to be knocked out before the money positions. This person is often called the ‘bubble boy’ or is said to have ‘bubbled’. BUTTON This is the physical marker on the table that indicates which player is the designated dealer and therefore which two players (the two to the left) are in the blinds. The button moves one seat to the left each

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hand, and is often said to be the strongest position because the dealer is the last person to act and therefore has most information.

for example AÚ-JÚ-8Ú-4Ú-2Ú. If they are all connected you can make a very rare – and incredibly strong – straight flush.

BUY-IN The cost of the game that you want to enter. It varies from micro stakes to high stakes. In a tournament it will be a flat fee that everyone pays and which goes towards the total prize pool, while in a cash game it depends on the table stakes. If the game is $1/$2 no-limit hold’em the typical buy-in would be a maximum of $200.

FOLD The action of throwing away your cards and taking no further part in the hand, forfeiting any claim to win the pot.

CALL The action a player makes when they match a bet from another player. CHECK The option to ‘check’ arises if you do not want to bet and there is no bet to match. However, if someone has bet you cannot check – you have to fold, call or raise.

If one or more players goes all-in, a ‘side pot’ is created for other players in the hand who are still betting COMMUNITY CARDS The face-up cards in the middle of the table shared by all players. CONTINUATION BET A bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in betting before the flop. The term is often known as a c-bet. DRAWING DEAD If there are cards to come but your hand cannot improve on that of your opponent(s) you are ‘drawing dead’. FIFTH STREET The fifth community card in hold’em, often called the ‘river’. FLOP This is the set of three face-up community cards that are dealt after the first round of betting. FLUSH A strong hand at showdown consisting of five cards of the same suit,

FOURTH STREET The fourth community card in hold’em, often known as the ‘turn’. FULL HOUSE A five-card hand in which you have a combination of three of a kind and another pair, for example, K-K-K-J-J. HEADS-UP When only two players are in contention for the pot, they’re said to be ‘heads-up’. It’s also used as a term for a form of poker where two players play a one-on-one match either as a tournament or cash game. HOLE CARDS The two face-down cards each player is dealt at the start of every hand. KICKER The term for the card used to break ties between similar hands. So if a hand goes to showdown and two players have the same pair, the player with the bigger ‘kicker’ or side card wins the hand. LAG Abbreviation for a loose-aggressive player, who bets with a wide range of hands. MAIN POT The principal pot of chips that all players are trying to win. If one or more players go all-in, a ‘side pot’ is created for other players in the hand who are not all-in and are still betting. MUCK As a noun, this refers to the pile of folded and discarded cards. As a verb, it means the act of folding. MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENT A type of tournament where the field size dictates that more than one table is needed. As the tournament progresses players get knocked out and the tables reduce, until eventually there is just the final table.

P O K E R T E R M I N O L O G Y

If the community cards create a lot of potential for straights and flushes the board is said to have a ‘wet’ texture

SHOWDOWN This takes place after the final bet where all players show their hands or muck, and the best hand takes the pot. SIDE POT The pot created when a player goes all-in and there are other players in the hand who still have chips and are betting to create a separate side pot only they can win. SINGLE-TABLE TOURNAMENT This term describes a tournament where only one table is used, with typically six or ten players competing. Often referred to as a sit&go. STRAIGHT A fairly strong five-card hand in rank order where suit doesn’t matter – for example, 8;-9:-10…-JÚ-Q…. SUIT There are four ‘suits’ in a 52-card deck – hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades. They are used to make flushes, and in hold’em no suit has a bigger strength than another. TAG Abbreviation for a tight-aggressive player – one who plays a small range of premium hands strongly.

NO-LIMIT A betting structure in which each bet is only limited by the number of chips a player has in their stack.

POT-LIMIT A betting format where each player may bet up to the current amount of chips in the pot after the cost of calling.

TEXTURE A term for the make-up of the board. If the community cards create a lot of potential for straights and flushes the board is said to have a ‘wet’ texture. If it is generally unsuited and has few connecting cards it is said to have a ‘dry’ texture.

OUTS These are cards that can come to potentially give someone a winning hand. For example, nine cards or ‘outs’ when a player flops four cards to a flush.

RAISE The act of betting more than that which was wagered by a prior bettor. It has to be at least double that of the initial bet.

THREE-BET Another term for a re-raise. Pre-flop the big blind is the first bet, a raise the second bet and re-raise a three-bet.

RE-RAISE The name given to a third bet when there has been a bet and a raise.

TILT When a player gets frustrated and angry because of something that happens at the poker table, and starts playing badly.

PLAYING THE BOARD When a player uses all the community cards in hold’em as their best hand. POCKET PAIR A pair ‘in the hole’ (dealt as hole cards), such as 2-2 or A-A. POT The total chips that are available to win in any given hand created by players betting and calling, and any blinds and antes in play.

RIVER The fifth and final community card in hold’em. Also known as ‘fifth street’. ROYAL FLUSH This is the best straight flush, for example 10;-J;-Q;-K;-A;. It is the strongest possible hand ranking. SET Three of a kind using two hole cards and one of the community cards.

TRIPS Another name for three of a kind. TURN A common name given to the fourth community card in hold’em. VALUE BET A bet made when you think you have the best hand and are trying to extract more chips or money from your opponent. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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O N L I N E

P O K E R

ONLINE POKER…story

H I S T O R Y

O F

l a e r e h T

e online game, th t u o b a w o n ploded… u need to k rnet poker ex te Everything yo in t u o b a s e myth and some of th

Y

In 2002 the World Poker Tour made its TV debut, creating huge interest in tournament poker

OU PROBABLY HAVE trainers that are older than the online poker industry. It took its first tentative steps in January 1998, when Planet Poker became the first real-money online poker room. The idea was to try to replicate the land-based casino experience online – and to be honest, nobody really cared that much. The only game available was $3/$6 limit, and just a handful of players could be found sitting in at any one time. It wasn’t until late 1999 when the first real giant of the online poker world was born. Over in Costa Rica, a group of Canadian college friends, who to this day remain nameless, started up Paradise Poker. The site offered Omaha and seven-card stud as well as Texas hold’em. The graphics were slick and ran a lot faster than the sluggish Planet Poker, and the site quickly proved a hit. At the end of 2000 the next of the big names made its debut. UltimateBet was set up jointly by software firm ieLogic (founded by tech geeks Greg Pierson and Jon

Karl) and some secretive highstakes poker players (believed to include a former WSOP main event winner). UB started to gain some ground, but the market was still dominated by Paradise. By the end of 2000 it had introduced no-limit hold’em cash games and the online poker world as we know it started to be defined. But developments in the real world were about to turn everything upside down...

THE GOLD RUSH

Prior to 2001, tournament poker just wasn’t all that interesting to your average online punter. Paradise Poker’s 50,000 players were mostly grinding it out at the limit hold’em tables, and while a few other sites were running sit&gos and occasional freezeout tournaments, online poker was a cash game world. But some newcomers on the scene had other ideas. PartyPoker in particular saw the marketing value of online tournaments. What better way to launch yourself onto the scene than by running a huge series of tournaments culminating in a

$1m main event on a cruise ship? Sound familiar? It sure as hell wasn’t back in 2001 when PartyPoker came up with the PartyPoker.com Million. Just a few months later another poker site made its presence known. PokerStars.com launched in October 2001 with the intention of becoming the home of online tournament play. Its first big promotion was a $50,000 guaranteed tournament with a $215 buy-in. However, there was a third component that took online poker to a new level.

THE BIG BANG

In 2002 the World Poker Tour made its TV debut on the Travel Channel in the US. It not only created huge interest in tournament poker, but also gave poker sites a platform on which to advertise. As a result, those sites offering big-money tournaments started to see a huge uplift in player numbers, which is when the poker boom really started. There was one clear winner in the early skirmishes. PartyPoker went from nowhere to become the largest online poker room in just two years. Paradise Poker meanwhile, which

ONLINE POKER TIMELINE The rise and rise of the online game

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Planet Poker becomes the first proper online poker site and signs up a few early fans


1998

Paradise Poker becomes the first online success attracting thousands of new players

2001

The World Poker Tour launches, changing poker history for good

2002

And the software didn’t stand still either. Almost every game you can imagine is now available around the clock, with slick and easy-to-use interfaces. Poker sites such as PKR have even embraced cutting edge graphics technology, taking poker to a whole new level with stunning 3D visuals. The quality of the online poker experience now is truly spectacular, in many ways equalling the casino experience envisaged in the early days. And we’ve only been going for a decade. Here’s to the next ten years of online poker!

PKR takes online poker to a whole new level with the launch of graphically rich 3D poker

2007

It’s surprisingly easy. Your best bet is to use a debit card such as Maestro or Visa debit, as you can simply put in your details and deposit and withdraw onto the same card. You can also use a credit card, though this is not as convenient as you are usually not able to withdraw to the same card. You can also use online e-wallets such as PayPal to deposit and withdraw on many sites.

HOW SAFE IS MY MONEY?

If you stick to the major sites such as PKR your money is very safe as it is kept in ‘ring-fenced’ accounts, which the sites themselves do not have access to. If in doubt ask the site via email if they use ring-fenced accounts.

HOW ARE THE CARDS DEALT?

Online sites use random number generators (RNGs) to simulate the shuffle of the cards. This is done by using the

RNG to assign numbers to each ‘card’ and then using either the highest or lowest number as the first card and so on. The RNGs use incredibly sophisticated technology to ensure they can’t be ‘cracked’ and are regularly audited by external testing agencies.

WHAT STAKES ARE THERE ONLINE?

You can play for free in freeroll tournaments or play-money games, or play very lowstakes $1 tournaments or $0.01/$0.02 cash games. You can play as high as $1,000 tournaments or $500/$1,000 cash games if you have the bankroll. Any game you want you can find online.

P O K E R

STATE OF THE ART

HOW DO I GET MONEY ON AND OFF A POKER SITE?

O N L I N E

PartyPoker becomes the world’s largest poker site and offers $1m guaranteed tourney

2004

and there was a real sense of uniformity in the poker world. From here on the poker industry boomed, spreading out from the USA to Europe and beyond. Major tournaments in Europe helped grow the scene, fuelled as they were by online satellites. And while growth in America stagnated, the European poker sector continues to grow at a huge rate today. By 2009 poker had become a truly global game played by hundreds of thousands of players across the world every day.

Key info for newcomers

O F

still wasn’t offering multi-table tournaments, saw its market position drop like a stone. In stark contrast, PokerStars was growing fast, thanks to a business model based heavily on tournaments. It was at this point, with the ‘American’ sites showing incredible growth, that Europe sat up and took notice. Ladbrokes launched its online poker site in 2002. It didn’t accept US players, and concentrated on growing the business in the UK and Scandinavian markets. Over in the US though, where more than 80% of the online poker market was, PartyPoker was comprehensively winning the war. And when amateur player Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP main event there was a huge rush to sign up to play online in the US. By 2004 PartyPoker was making over $1m profit a day. A DAY! This wasn’t lost on the rest of the online gaming world. Suddenly every man and his dog was launching a poker room. By the end of 2004, the online poker world as we know it had taken shape. The tournament sites and the cash game sites had stolen the best bits from each other

ONLINE POKER FAQ

H I S T O R Y

By 2009 poker had become a truly global game played by hundreds of thousands of players across the world

WHO AM I PLAYING AGAINST?

Other people like yourself from around the world. The USA, UK, France and Germany provide a large number of players but you can find players from all over the world taking part. The sites simply take a small percentage of each pot as a commission or rake in the same way as a live casino.

ONLINE POKER MYTHS

Don’t believe the hype ‘EVERYONE IS COLLUDING AGAINST ME’

WRONG Collusion (where two or more players team up to gain advantage), is not only rare, but the sites spend a great deal of time and money looking for it. They have sophisticated software that detects collusion and they investigate any complaints or reports from players.

‘THE SOFTWARE IS RIGGED!’

WRONG Poker software uses random number generators and

the results are audited for fairness by outside testing agencies. The myth comes from the fact so many hands are dealt online so you see a month’s worth of bad beats and amazing hands every day.

‘THE SITES LET YOU WIN AT FIRST BUT THEN MAKE YOU LOSE’

WRONG The sites don’t make more money when you lose, they simply take a ‘rake’ or a percentage of the pot whoever wins or loses. It’s not in their interests for any one player to win more than another.


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A D V E R T O R I A L

POKER COMES OF AGE W

The next chapter in online poker’s evolution is the development of fast, realistic and compelling 3D poker. Step forward PKR.com…

HEN POKER FIRST MADE the leap from casino to computer screen, it’s fair to say something was lost in translation. For all its convenience, the online game couldn’t match the excitement, drama and atmosphere of the live game. But PKR.com is the next stage in online poker’s evolution, and the closest you can get to the real world on the internet. Conceived and created by some of the leading lights in the videogames industry, PKR is the slickest and most graphically impressive poker site ever seen, with rich 3D environments and a clever game system that mimics the interactive qualities of live

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poker. As you can see from the in-game screenshots, it looks absolutely stunning, and utterly different from any online poker site you’ve ever seen.

BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE

When you first log in, you’re able to design and create a virtual character or ‘avatar’ to represent you at the poker table. There’s a huge range of options to play with, ensuring that every character in the game is unique. PKR can even render an in-game image that looks exactly like you by mapping your face onto an avatar. You can also express yourself at the table by activating a variety of ‘emotes’ – animations that act out your feelings and

expressions, whether it’s to say ‘nice hand’ or shake your head in disgust. But don’t be confused into thinking this comes at the expense of the gameplay. At PKR you still get a fast, slick game, multi-table options and a huge range of tournaments and cash games. It’s a site for seriously good poker, just with a lot more fun. The graphical wonders also add a new element to the game including the art of picking up tells and faking out opponents. You can use body language, attitude and even the clothes on your back to control the action and win pots! Find out how to bring a whole new dimension to your game on PKR...

A fresh look at online poker

Create a character that’s as unique as you are. Start by selecting a gender, skin tone and body shape, then get to work creating your perfect poker personality. You can even choose from a massive catalogue of clothing items to create your look.

With PKR you can choose from a variety of different views to watch the action. And with 10 lush environments to play in PKR is poker like you’ve never seen it before...

DYNAMIC Be the star of your own poker TV show with a ‘director’ automatically delivering all the best angles and following all the action

At PKR you still get a slick game, multitable options and a huge range of tournaments and cash games

ORBIT Take in the action from almost any angle you choose. Use your mouse to swivel and zoom for the perfect view

POINTS OF THE COMPASS Quickly get the view you need by choosing one of four fixed cameras that cover the table

FIRST PERSON See the action from your character’s point of view. Look around and even make eye contact with your opponents!

OVERVIEW Get on top of the game with a bird’s eye view that takes in all the action and every player at the table

MULTI-TABLE Overview mode allows you to play up to four games at once and increase your profits!

A D V E R T O R I A L

TOP TIPS

WATCH THE ACTION

There are 10 lush environments to play in, ranging from your typical home game to Monte Carlo, Las Vegas and even an Egyptian casino. Immerse yourself in PKR’s poker world. The camera can be tricky to get to grips with, especially if you haven’t played a lot of 3D games before, so spend a bit of time trying it out until you find a view that suits you. If you’re having trouble getting the right angle, the ‘orbit’ camera is the most versatile, allowing panning, tilting and zooming. If any player is getting on your nerves with constant chicken noises and taunts (PKR calls it ‘emote spamming’), there’s an option to block emotes altogether.

PLAY YOUR GAME AT PKR

Find the game that’s right for you… PKR offers tournaments, ring games, sit&gos and much more… MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS PKR’s MTTs rule! Go into the lobby and you’ll find big guaranteed prize pools to play for every day, satellite qualifiers for online and land-based events, a huge range of innovative tournament types, and your chance to be broadcast all over Europe and the UK on PKR.TV.

CASH GAMES PKR’s technology is perfect for ring games where getting to know your opponents is critical. There are a huge range for you to choose from at limits to suit every bankroll. The limits start from very small stakes. Players can play cash games with stakes as low as $0.01/$0.02 and up to $25/$50 no-limit.

SIT&GOS Perfect the art of the sit&go at PKR where two, six and 10-seaters fill up quickly and offer huge variety. Play with a standard clock or go turbo for even more action. And with innovative Double Thru’s, Winner-TakesAll, Phase and Terminator tourneys, there’s always a new way to sharpen your game.


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The ultimate guide to

SIT&GOs


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S T R A T E G Y S I T & G O

t a e b o t How SIT&GOs Sit&gos are a great format in which to build your skills and confidence, and can also yield a very handsome profit. Here we look at how to master the games by moving through the gears and how to swiftly move up the levels

T

HE MOST POPULAR NEW FORMAT to emerge from internet poker is the sit&go, or single-table tournament. Games typically run with ten players, with first place taking 50% of the prizepool, second place 30% and third place 20%. These are the most common games you will find in home games, pubs and online. In short, sit&gos are a game everyone should be able to play and beat. They are the easiest form of poker to master and probably the most profitable way to make money in poker for the average punter – they run constantly and can be played to a formula as many as 12 tables at a time. The best sit&go players at any given level can expect to average a 20% return on investment – so for every $10 game they would make $12, for a profit of $2. If you start off playing $5 games, then good players should average around $1 per game. You can then move up a level providing you have at least 20 times the buy-in. So when you get to $200 you can try the $10 games. Remember that the goal is to play at the level that is most profitable to you at any given time, so if you step up and do well stick with it, and if you take a beating then drop down and recover. If all goes to plan and you consistently acclimatise to and dominate each new level there is no reason why you shouldn’t move up a level every 100 games or so, meaning that from the $5 to $100 level could be done in less that 500 games. Of course, in reality, the path is likely to be more circuitous and contain a few pitfalls and dead ends along the way, but the more you learn and apply yourself the quicker you will progress. Beyond this level there is still plenty of distance to cover, with buy-ins from $200 up to $2,000 currently available. Remember though that if you get this far you will start to encounter many excellent and sophisticated opponents, so beware! Should you be able to outsmart them you will certainly find a pot of gold yours for the taking – playing just at the $200 level with four games on one high-resolution screen a

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HOW TO WIN

SIT&GOs

Become a sit&go master by learning how to effectively move through the gears The early phase dictates a tight hand selection and favours good post-flop players. Your goal is to gain some chips when you get a good hand.

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The middle phase dictates a transition from post-flop play to a pre-flop push/fold strategy. Most players are unaware that this approach is correct and will allow you to collect the blinds. Your goal is to put yourself in a position to win the sit&go.

2

In the late phase of play, both pre-flop and post-flop play can dominate, depending on the blinds and the sizes of the three remaining stacks. Go for the win, and don’t be cautious.

3

good player can rake in around $200-$300 an hour. Happy days! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First we need to learn to beat the low-stakes games, which are full of bad players not playing correct strategy. Unlike most forms of poker, sit&gos are almost a solved game and you need to stick to a fixed game plan to do well. The key to winning is using a formula based on dividing the game into three stages – early, middle and late. It helps to view these three elements as traffic lights – red, amber and green. In the red stage you should play with extreme caution as you are in the danger zone. With amber you should start to move slowly through the gears and play a bit more freely and at green you should put your foot down and hit top gear. Confused? You won’t be.

Playing at the $200 level with four games on one high-resolution screen, a good player can make $200-$300 an hour. Happy days!

S I T & G O S T R A T E G Y

TYPES OF SIT&GO The sit&go format has taken the online world by storm in recent years. This strategy guide focuses on nine and ten-handed games, but there are many other game types out there, including these classic options…

1

TURBOS

These are fast-paced games with the blinds rising much quicker than a standard game. These are the best games if you want to restrict your game to a push/fold strategy as there is not much middle-game play.

2

SIX-HANDED

In these ‘six-max’ games only the top two places are paid. They are usually much more aggressive games where you have to play more hands to survive, and as such they are better suited to the more experienced player.

3

HEADS-UP

These are one-on-one games where you really need to be an experienced player to do well. You play every hand and the skills involved are quite different. Stay away from these if you are a beginner.


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GAME PLAY 1 EARLY In the red-light stage of a sit&go your first,

crucial, task is to play safely and conservatively to avoid getting knocked out early. No all-in calls with pocket Jacks here. The key to successful sit&go play is pacing yourself – start slowly and steadily and go through the gears. The other advantage to this style is that it presents a table image of a tight player, so that when you do start playing with more aggression your opponents are unlikely to call you with anything but a monster hand. The opening levels of a sit&go are often where the games are won or lost. The key is to not waste valuable chips chasing draws. The early phase of a sit&go exists in every structure, no matter if it’s played live or online, and is defined by how many chips you have in relation to the blinds. It ends when the blinds are worth around 1/15th of your starting stack. Generally speaking, super-tight hand selection is the best strategy at the beginning of the early phase. If you squander your chips in the early phase on speculative hands – like when chasing

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STARTING HAND GUIDE EARLY STAGES PLAY 2-2 to J-J, A-K and A-Q RE-RAISE Q-Q, K-K, A-A FOLD All other hands

draws – you will often put yourself at a significant disadvantage. The blinds continually increase, which means the middle phase of play could arrive quicker for you.

KEY POINT In the early phase of a sit&go a tight strategy is best, as conserving your chips for the later stages is paramount. Limit your hand selection to big pairs, A-K and A-Q, and above all, play position

While the middle phase still allows for skilled play, there is more opportunity to use this to your advantage in the early phase. In a cash game you can simply reload if things go poorly, but in a sit&go you must conserve your chips and thereby conserve your equity. Most players do not understand this, and the early phase is dominated by poor play – particularly of the calling station, draw-chasing variety. Obviously, if you have a good hand, you can exploit this by value-betting.

Playing the early levels

S T R A T E G Y

The early stages of a sit&go are all about survival. You don’t need to take big risks when there are still ten players left

S I T & G O

WALKTHROUGH

You get dealt A…-10… on the button at the 10/20 level. While this hand is marginal in early position, in late position you should raise and c-bet most flops, as you will likely have the best hand.

1

The best strategy at this stage is to limit your hand selection to either monsters or hands that can flop easily-played monsters, which is why your hand range should be restricted to pocket pairs, A-Q and A-K. Big pairs, such as Q-Q and above ought to be played aggressively. Lower pairs and the big Aces should be played more cautiously. Ideally, you should only play your lesser hands in late position, though limping or calling a moderate raise in middle position is okay. As the blinds rise and you move towards the middle stage of the sit&go you should continue to play a tight strategy, just a little less tight than the initial super-tight strategy.

TERMINOLOGY EQUITY Your equity is your expected value from a pot or tournament. Say you have a 40% chance to win a pot worth $100, your equity is $40 (0.4 times 100). The term is somewhat perfunctory as you will usually win $100 or $0 but it gives you an idea of how much you can ‘expect’ to win.

You get dealt Q:-J; on the button at the 25/50 blind level and there has been a mid-position raise to 100. While this hand looks pretty it is only going to get you into trouble post-flop so you should wait for a better spot.

2

SHORT STACK A player with less than ten big blinds

KEY POINT You can raise with smaller pairs like 5-5 when in position but don’t play a big pot with this sort of hand unless you flop a monster. Also, continuation bets do not need to be pot-sized. At this stage in the game it’s all about limiting your risk

You pick up A;-J; in mid-position at the 10/20 level. There’s a raise to 80 and a call before it reaches you. You should fold, as unless you hit a flush or your Jack you won’t know where you are in the hand.

3


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MIDDLE GAME 2 THE Unsurprisingly, the tactic of only playing

big hands can’t be used throughout. By the time you get to the middle phase of a sit&go, you are going to have to get more imaginative. The middle phase ends when the bubble bursts and only three players remain. Those three players will each then be guaranteed a portion of the prizepool, and play shifts to the late phase. The best middle phase strategy should gradually transition into more aggressive play. Conventional tournament wisdom states that you should play in two stages. First survive to the payout, then play for first. There is no money for fourth place, hence finishing out of the money represents a waste of your time. Even if you crawl into third place, you make something, and something is better than nothing. As you approach the bubble of a sit&go, you may be tempted to creep into the money and take what you can, but it may be more profitable to go for broke. You may be partial to conventional wisdom, but the aggressive path is more profitable.

KEY POINT The middle phase of a sit&go begins when the blinds are worth around 1/15th or more of your chipstack and ends when the bubble bursts. During this period, you should be changing gears if the blinds total 10% of your stack. So if the blinds are 50/100 and you have a 1,500 stack, it’s time to start widening your range of starting hands

The middle game is where the real poker starts being played. This is when a few players have been knocked out and the blinds have risen to the point where the average stack is around ten big blinds. At this stage you will typically see the short-stacks moving all-in with any hand they deem playable – which is the best tactic if you are down to 10 big blinds or less – while normal-sized raises from larger stacks will often be met by an all-in from someone else.

KNOW YOUR PLACE

The key to this stage is understanding your overall position in the game and where you stand in relation to the other players. Going out in a marginal situation unnecessarily is a disaster, especially if you are one of the big stacks and there are several small stacks. Likewise, if the game is four-handed with equal stacks and two players end up all-in on a coinflip then in effect they are just giving money to the other players who gain simply by watching from the sidelines. What this means in practical terms is that you should play according to your relative stack size. You should attack the smaller stacks, as they are playing for survival. Use frequent raises, re-raises and all-ins as they will need a very big hand to call you. When you are a short-stack, however, you should look to do whatever is necessary to make the money,

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TERMINOLOGY THE BUBBLE The point in a tournament or sit&go where the next person out will not make any money but all remaining players will get paid. So if three players are paid out and four remain, you are said to be ‘on the bubble’, while to go out at this point is known as ‘bubbling’

folding bad and marginal hands when you can afford to in the hope that someone else busts, getting your chips in first unless you have a monster, moving all-in to steal the blinds when you are running out of chips and attacking the big blind of the next shortest stacks whenever possible to lower the deficit. However, stick to the golden rule of cautious aggression. Don’t be reckless. Bet hard only when the cards truly deserve it or if you have less than six to eight times the big blind. Remember, though your ultimate objective is to win the whole shooting match, your first priority is to get a money finish. Take advantage of any opportunities that come your way, and do everything it takes to make the final three. From there you can up the aggression and start gambling on marginal hands, with the safety net of at least doubling your money.

KEY POINT Just because you think you may have a slightly better hand than your opponent doesn’t mean you should always call. Chips are not actually equivalent to their money value, and you should avoid situations where you can be knocked out, allowing others to gain at your expense

Shoving with anything

S T R A T E G Y

In the middle stage of a sit&go there are times when you should play with serious aggression regardless of your cards

S I T & G O

WALKTHROUGH

You are on the bubble in a $10 sit&go where each of the four remaining players have 2,500 chips. The blinds are 200/400 and you are dealt 3-2 offsuit in the small blind.

1

MIDDLE STAGE GAME PLAN

How your stack affects your strategy

Your goal in the middle stage should be to adjust your game to the players in front of you. Your cards are not as important as your relative stack sizes SHORT-STACKED

If you are short-stacked you should be looking to move in with any playable hand, such as pocket pairs, big Aces or two court cards (Queens, Kings, Jacks). Don’t raise pre-flop, simply move all-in.

Only raise all-in if there has been no raise before you if you have an average hand. Re-raise all-in if you have a big hand. Attack fellow short-stacks when they are on the big blind. They will be reluctant to call without a big hand. Avoid calling all-in moves from big-stacks unless you have a big pair or A-Q, A-K.

MEDIUM-STACKED

Attack other medium and short-stacked players. Raise with a wide range of hands

The first two players fold. The big blind is a tight-solid player who views you as the same. You move all-in.

2

and re-raise medium-stacked players who are raising frequently. Avoid the big stacks as much as possible. They are the only players who can knock you out at this stage. Do not be the one calling. Be the one raising. Use your chipstack as a weapon.

BIG-STACKED

Do not make too many hero calls with bad Aces and small pairs. You do not want to get into coinflips and waste your chip lead.

Make frequent raises to try to steal the blinds, but don’t call too easily when players move all-in over the top of you. Bully the other players by making raises and re-raises, as they will need very good hands to call you with.

The big blind folds. This will undoubtedly surprise a few people, but the big blind will call with very few hands here as he understands the value of survival. Your cards are meaningless. You should always push here unless you suspect he is the type to call with substandard hands.

3


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PLAY 3 ENDGAME So you’ve made it to the money – now

what? Well, here is where the gambling begins as there is only 10% difference between second and third but 30% between second and first. You should be playing to accumulate chips and win. Turn everything we have told you so far on its head and be bold and aggressive. But remember to play the players in front of you. By now, after lasting this long, you should have a pretty good read on your opponents. So if you are playing a short-stacked maniac it may not be a great idea to call him all-in with your 6-3 offsuit when you’re on the button. If you make it all the way to heads-up play then the game takes on another complexion. Obviously, you want to win at this point since victory holds the biggest payout. Your opponents also want to win and their play will loosen up, becoming more aggressive. For much of the time there will be no change in the character of play from the middle phase. If the big blind represents a tenth of your or your opponents’ stacks, the correct play will be to push or fold. What changes is that your opponents will be more willing to gamble, and as your goal is to

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TERMINOLOGY COINFLIP A situation in poker where two players are all-in and both have roughly a 50/50 chance of winning the hand. This is most common when one player has a small pair such as pocket sixes and the other has overcards such as K-Q.

win you should be willing to take some chances when three-handed. If you are second in chips with stacks of 6,000, 4,000, 3,500 you should be willing to take a coinflip with the third-placed player, as the 7.5k resulting stack gives you an immense advantage over the other player heads-up.

KEY POINT When three-handed, try to put yourself in a position to move up the ladder rather than looking to simply hang on. The value of winning is worth so much more than just cashing – even if the frequency of doing so is less

HEADS-UP PLAY

If you make it to heads-up play you will generally find yourself in a push/fold game. In other words the only move you should make is all-in or fold. Your opponents are generally unaware that a dramatic change in tactics is needed. They are left puzzled as to why someone with a stack of 6,000 is pushing in just because the blinds are 300/600. Of course, their lack of understanding

S I T & G O S T R A T E G Y

gives you yet another advantage: if you play aggressively, you will quickly whittle their stacks down to nothing, and then it will be almost too late for them. But what happens if the blinds are lower – say 200/400 with a stack size of 6,000? A stack of 15 big blinds gives precious little room, though there is some. If the blinds are due to change in the next few minutes, we would recommend some deliberate play on your part – unless you happen to have a premium hand, such as a pair of Queens. If this is the case, then by all means raise it up and try to win a big pot. Aggression is critical in heads-up play. Most hands miss most flops – so you should be attacking and stealing pots the majority of the time. If you or your opponent creeps down towards the 10 big blind threshold, be prepared to shift gears to the push/fold game. If your opponent raises pre-flop every hand, however, then you will need to make an adjustment. Obviously, it is highly unlikely your opponent has a hand every time. This is a ‘perma-raise’ strategy designed to put immediate pressure on the other player, every hand. There are two options to counter this strategy. You can either look to trap or, be more aggressive.

If you are second in chips with stacks of 6,000, 4,000, 3,500 you should take a coinflip with the third-placed player, as the 7.5k resulting stack gives you an immense advantage heads-up

KEY POINT When you get to heads-up, your strategy – if the blinds and stacks permit – should include a lot of post-flop aggression. If you’re up against a player who raises pre-flop every hand, you should always become more aggressive

The problem with a trapping approach is that you must actually catch a hand. You most likely will not catch one unless you have a lot of time before the blinds increase. The typical result of a trapping approach, then, is that your chipstack will dwindle, as will your chances of winning when the blinds increase and correct play switches to the pre-flop push/fold strategy. Become more aggressive. Many players who use a perma-raise strategy at lower stakes will not follow it up with post-flop aggression. Typically, they will c-bet the flop and then give up if they have failed to make a hand. A simple check-raise on the flop will win you several pots before your opponent considers switching strategies, and -at that point you should have a significant chip lead and can win the vast majority of the time. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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S T R A T E G Y

o t s p e 15 st

S I T & G O

SIT&GO SUCCESS Tailoring your poker game to the sit&go format can be a great low-risk way to build a bankroll. Follow these 15 tips for single-table tournament success

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INGLE-TABLE TOURNAMENTS (STTs) or sit&gos provide the perfect learning ground for players new to the game. They can be very cheap to enter and take you from the early stages of a tournament, past the bubble and into the

money spots – all in 60 minutes or less. They can be a fun and profitable way to get started in poker without risking a lot of money. By playing sit&gos you get to appreciate the shifting nature of hand values and the importance of chipstack sizes, position and aggression. These games are available at all

times when you are playing online but they are also quickly becoming very popular in the live poker rooms. There is certainly money to be made if you can master this tricky game. We’ve learnt the hard way, so you don’t have to. Just follow our 15-step guide and sit&go glory won’t be far away.

STEP 1

KEEP IT TIGHT

In the early stages when the blinds are small in comparison to the chipstacks, keep it tight. There’s nothing to be gained in stealing the tiny blinds with substandard hands. You’ll also set yourself up with a solid table image which will put the fear of God into other players when you crank up the aggression in the later stages. Play big hands strongly and muck your muck.

STEP 2

BIG PAIRS, BIG BETS Play big pairs (A-A, K-K, Q-Q) aggressively. If four players have limped in before you’ve acted with the blinds at 25/50, stick in a pot-size raise to about 400. You’ll now either pick up all that dead money when everyone folds, get the hand down to heads-up where big pairs are most effective, or someone will make a mistake, re-raise and overplay their smaller pair or two ‘big’ cards. If someone has Aces and you have Kings or Queens, well, that’s just bad luck, but you should be looking to exploit opportunities to pick up these sorts of pots, or force others to make mistakes all the time.

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STEP 3

SNEAK IN WITH DANGER HANDS Try and see a lot of cheap multi-way pots early on with hands that have the potential to do damage. Suited connectors, small pairs and A-x suited can all decimate an opponent’s stack if you hit the flop big. However, fold these types of hands to pre-flop raises or if you don’t make a major hand on the flop.

S I T & G O

STEP 4

BE A SURVIVOR

S T R A T E G Y

If you’re the short stack early on, you’ve still got time to hang around. Don’t feel you have to get your chips in straight away with hands like Ace-rag – bide your time. You can come back from just 200 chips if you pick your spots. Be patient for one or two rotations and wait and see how your opponents are playing. There is plenty of time to move through the gears. If you do get a big hand look for a spot to get your chips into the pot for a double-up. Above all, make it hard for other players to get their grubby mitts on your chips.

STEP 5

GET PAID OFF Don’t be afraid to move all-in after the flop with big hands. You’ll find a lot of players think top pair/bad kicker is enough to call an all-in. If the flop has come K-J-5 and you’ve managed to flop two-pair in the big blind with J-5, don’t slow-play it and wait for another King to arrive on the turn – try and get your opponent to make a mistake. A check, followed by a bet from someone else, should see you re-raising heavily or moving all-in. At this point, they’ll either fold and you’ll pick up a nice pot or, as is the case so often, players will call with K-x and will be about a 3-to-1 dog to hit one of their few outs and win the hand.

You’ll see players getting into a flop cheaply and thinking they can steal the pot with a bet of 50 into a pot of 400. Punish those aquatic creatures with a big raise (if you have a hand) or call with drawing hands these require you to push any edge you have and hope your hand holds up. Overpairs, top pair/top kicker and even flush draws (when you’re a big stack) become hands to move all-in with.

STEP 8

KEEP FIRING

STEP 6

PUNISH WEAK BETTING

Continuation-betting is essential in sit&gos. Generally, a pre-flop raise, followed by a bet will take down most pots. If someone plays back and re-raises, you can simply lay down your hand if you’re weak. But essentially a bet of around a half to two-thirds of the pot after the flop will be a profitable play in the long run and allow you to accumulate chips when you don’t have anything more than two cards in front of you.

Forget the minimum betting crap. You’ll see it time and time again online – players getting into a flop reasonably cheaply and thinking they can then steal the pot with a bet of 50 into a pot of 400. Punish those aquatic creatures with a big raise (if you have a hand) or call with drawing or marginal hands. Usually they fold or make bad calls and turn over middle pair or an underpair to the board at the end.

STEP 7

SPEED UP

For the gamblers among you, turbo STTs are great fun, but you have to make moves very quickly. While normal sit&gos require patience,

STEP 9

KEY POINT Continuation-betting is an essential play in sit&gos. A bet of around half to two-thirds pot after the flop is a profitable play in the long run.

KNOW WHEN TO RUN FOR COVER It’s crucial that you know when to back down with marginal hands. Your hand requirements might be less than when playing long large-field tournaments, but even so top pair/bad kicker in the face of a big re-raise usually means it’s time to take cover. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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just because you drop into last place. Use it as an opportunity to become the danger man. As a short-stack you can use the force of the chips that you do have left to prise unopened pots away from your opponents with an all-in push. You’ll either pick up lots of blinds or potentially double-up and head back towards the top of the field.

As a short-stack you can use the force of the chips that you do have left to prise unopened pots away from your opponents with an all-in push STEP 13

BURST THE BUBBLE STEP 10

BE A BULLY If you’ve accumulated a big stack you should put pressure on smaller stacks all the time. Pick the right times and right hands to raise with but as you approach the middle stages of an STT, the short-stacks will be looking to hang on or double through to make the money. Raise their blinds, move them all-in (with hands which you won’t mind being called with), and generally terrorise them into making a mistake.

STEP 11

MONEY MANAGEMENT Observe all the players’ chipstacks fluctuate wildly as the blinds increase. Keep an eye open for the big stacks you don’t want to mess with and make a note of the small-stacks you want to bully. Also, never believe you’re dead and buried

STEP 12

DON’T FADE AWAY If you’re in danger in the latter stages (about seven or fewer big blinds left) you must be prepared to stick your chips in with lesser hands, which can still make something. Look to get your chips into an unopened pot with hands like K-8 suited, J-10, 6-7 suited and small pocket pairs. If you pick up the blinds, fine. If you get one caller, you’re usually not worse than a 2-to-1 underdog. Don’t get blinded down to a stage where you have no fold equity, and don’t put yourself in the position where you won’t get much back if you do double-up.

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On the bubble it’s often correct to get aggressive as play often tightens up when people can smell the money. With a biggish stack try moving all-in a lot and you’ll find you pick up blinds uncontested, or have a good chance to knock someone out. If you’re a short-stack, wait for a big hand and chuck in your chips in the attempt to double-up, or move all-in on the button with any two cards if the pot is yet to be raised.

STEP 14

GET AGGRESSIVE

When short-handed (three or four players) it’s time to get even more aggressive by raising from the button virtually every hand. With escalating blinds, there’s no time to wait for premium hands. Your opponents may be hoping to coast into the money. This is where you can steal the blinds and pick up money from the short-stacks who will fold regularly. Don’t be kamikaze about it but raises and re-raises in position followed by aggressive play after the flop (when you’ve made a hand) are the keys to getting to the heads-up confrontation.

S I T & G O

STEP 15

FINISH HIM!

S T R A T E G Y

When it’s down to two, it’s time to raise, raise, raise. Don’t let the big blind have free flops, realise that most of the time the other player doesn’t have a hand, and you can bully with a big stack. If it’s your big blind being raised every hand then you need to push back. Try a big re-raise and more often than not you’ll pick up the pot and send a message out that you can’t be bullied. Also consider that pot odds can often dictate that it might be correct to call an all-in when you’re an underdog if there’s a good chance to win the tournament. Remember to push every small edge, as top pair on the flop will often be good enough to win the hand. Of course, picking the right spot to exploit your opponent and noticing betting patterns will come with experience, but until then getting your chips in when you think you’re ahead is never bad advice. Good luck, and get winning.

A SAMPLE HAND

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THESE HANDS PRE-FLOP? 2,150 chips

Blinds 25/50

5

Seat 5 As chip leader a bet of three times the big blind is reasonable, although beware of any raises with this decent, but easily beatable hand. 800 chips

Seat 3 It’s notoriously difficult to play small pairs out of position. You’re first to act and decide to call but will fold to any significant betting.

6

7

4 8

Seat 6 The chip leader raised in the previous seat and you have rags. Even if the pot is unopened you’re still out of position with rags. Fold. 1400 chips

3 9

Seat 4 With the shortest chipstack and a junk holding out of position this is an easy fold. Wait to pick up a premium hand to get involved. 1,500 chips

1700 chips

MID POSITION

2

1

EARLY POS. 1,350 chips Seat 2 There’s been far too much action to be calling with this easily dominated hand. Ditch it and let the others scrap it out.

950 chips Seat 1 Usually if you can see a cheap flop in the small blind these suited connectors are worth a call. But there’s been a lot of action. Muck them.

Seat 7 Your chip stack isn’t that healthy, there’s been action from the chip leader and your hand has very little going for it. It’s a clear fold.

10

LATE POS. 2,100 chips Seat 10 A marginal hand at best – and with an early position raise, followed by a late position re-raise this hand is likely to be dominated. Fold.

1,200 chips Seat 9 The chip leader has bet out in Seat 5 but you have a premium hand in position – double or treble his bet to see how good his hand is.

1850 chips Seat 8 Later in the STT in an unopened pot you might think about raising with any two cards here, but early on these cards are instant muck.


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S T R A T E G Y

Do this

H E A D S - U P

As the fi eld of a s it&go dro from fou ps r to thre e to two nature o , the f play an d the va of hands lue changes hugely, s you mus o t adjust your pla to each s y ituation

S I T & G O

Le ader

OF THE STACK

Getting over the finishing line first in a sit&go can make a big difference to your overall profit. Here we look at how to exploit weak players when you get to heads-up

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ETTLING DOWN FOR A BIT of online poker, you fire up a ten-handed turbo sit&go and start off playing a tight, solid game. Gradually you accumulate chips with quality hands, and you make it to the bubble. With four players left, you make some tight folds against the chip leader, but manage to sustain your stack and take advantage of the other three players who fear finishing out of the money. After a long battle, the bubble bursts, and the blinds are high. The very next hand, the other two players clash, leaving you heads-up. Now you might think your work is done, but the next step is incredibly important, because you’ll either eke out a small two buy-in profit for finishing second, or get a huge four buy-in profit for winning. That’s a big difference! Do you know how to handle this situation to maximise your profit?

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WINNER TAKES IT ALL

The heads-up stage of an SNG is a winnertake-all contest. Both players are guaranteed to win at least the second-place money, so it’s the difference between first and second that’s up for grabs. At this stage you should play each hand as though both you and your opponent have the shorter of your two stacks, as that’s the most you can win or lose in one hand. So, if one player has 9,000 chips and the other has 4,500, both players should play as though they have 4,500. This is called the ‘effective stack’ and the biggest concern at this point is how deep the effective stack is in terms of big blinds.

HAND VALUES

Understanding hand values is crucial in the heads-up stage. As you may already know, relative hand values go up as the number of players in a game goes down. Whereas a hand like A-2 offsuit is complete rags at the beginning of a sit&go, it becomes a reasonably big hand when you’re heads-up. If you are used to playing at full-ring tables, some of the hands that are correct to push all-in with heads-up may come as a surprise. But it’s a fact that far too many players do not push enough hands or call often enough. After this lesson, you’ll be able to exploit those tendencies perfectly.

Hand values go up as the number of players in a game goes down. Whereas a hand like A-2 offsuit is complete rags at the beginning of a sit&go, it becomes a big hand heads-up

S I T & G O H E A D S - U P S T R A T E G Y

THE NASH EQUILIBRIUM

The Nash Equilibrium was named after mathematician John Nash, who theorised that some games featured an unexploitable strategy. If however, one player deviates from the strategy, the player who sticks to the Nash Equilibrium strategy stands to benefit. In poker, and in particular high-blind heads-up play, this theory can be applied to optimal push/fold strategy, where it’s possible to play unexploitably. In practice this means that if you are the small blind, you should push your hand if the number on the chart (see right) is greater than the number of big blinds in the effective stack. For example, if the blinds are 200/400 and the stacks are 9,500 and 4,000, effective stacks are 10BBs. Consulting the chart you may correctly push J-3s (10.6), but not 10-7o (9.0). When you are the BB/caller, you should call if the number of big blinds in the effective

HEADS-UP PUSH/FOLD NASH EQUILIBRIUM

SUITED

OFFSUIT

POCKET PAIRS

* 6-3s: 7.1-5.1, 2.3 **5-3s: 12.9-3.8, 2.4 ***4-3s: 10.0-4.9, 2.2

stack is less than that. For example, with the above stacks you could call with J-8s (10.6), but not J-9o (9.5). This calling chart only works if you believe your foe is pushing

according to Nash or wider. Of course, many players don’t play perfectly, so you can adjust the Nash strategy to exploit this. Turn over for three examples of how to do just that. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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S T R A T E G Y

Heads-up strategy

When to push and call, and how to exploit players who don’t know any better

CASE 1

CASE 2

CASE 3

BLINDS 300/600 STACKS 1,800 (HERO) vs 11,700 (Effective stack is 3BBs)

BLINDS 300/600, STACKS 3,000 (HERO) vs 10,500 (Effective stack is 5BBs)

BLINDS 300/600, STACKS 5,400 (HERO) vs 8,100 (Effective stack is 9BBs)

HERO CAN PUSH 76.8% of hands (2-2+, J-x+, 10-2s+, 10-3o+, 9-2s+, 9-5o+, 8-4s+, 8-6o+, 7-4s+, 7-6o, 6-4s+, 5-4s)

HERO CAN PUSH 71.3% of hands (2-2+, Q-x+, J-2s+, J-3o+, 10-2s+, 10-6o+, 9-4s+ 9-7o+, 8-4s+, 8-6o+, 7-4s+, 7-6o, 6-4s+, 5-3s+, 4-3s)

HERO CAN PUSH 59.9% of hands (2-2+, K-x+, Q-2s+, Q-6o+, J-3s+, J-8o+, 10-4s+, 10-7o+, 9-5s+, 9-7o+, 8-5s+, 8-7o, 7-4s+, 7-6o, 6-4s+, 5-3s+, 4-3s)

VILLAIN CAN CALL WITH 92.8% of hands (2-2+, 9-x+, 8-2s+, 8-4o+, 7-2s+, 7-4o+, 6-2s+, 6-3o+, 5-2s+, 5-3o+, 4-2s+, 4-3o, 3-2s)

VILLAIN CAN CALL WITH 60.8% of hands (2-2+, Q-x+, J-2s+, J-5o+, 10-5s+, 10-7o+, 9-6s+, 9-8o, 8-6s+, 7-6s)

VILLAIN CAN CALL WITH 40.6% of hands (2-2+, A-x+, K-2s+, K-4o+, Q-6s+, Q-8o+, J-8s+, J-9o+, 10-8s+)

In this example, the hero has a tiny stack of just 1,800 against the villain’s 11,700, meaning the effective stacks are 3BBs. As such, most villains are likely to call all or almost all of the time. The Nash range assigned to the villain accurately reflects this, so the pushing range given is very wide.

This time the hero has a stack of 5BBs. Most villains realise they’re committed to calling often in this situation, but many inexperienced villains play much tighter than they should. As such it becomes profitable to push any two cards if the villain is calling only 48% of the time or less.

Unlike the first two cases, the villain will call a lot less often here – probably less than 40%. Also, most players won’t push often enough, so a good player will tighten up his calling range to adjust. Inexperienced players, however, don’t call as often as they should. In any event, unless you think the villain is calling as wide as the range given here, you may push more hands than the equilibrium range (60%). If the villain is calling with less than 30% of hands (which is more than likely), you may profitably push any two cards.

S I T & G O

H E A D S - U P

NASH EQUILIBRIUM IN ACTION

As the examples illustrate, it’s frequently correct to push all-in with complete junk when the blinds are high 50


A REMINDE R ROCK BLU

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS

Deep-stack adjustments

H E A D S - U P

If you’re heads-up with deeper stacks, it’s a whole different game

ROCK: The straight forward player

BEST COUNTER-STRATEGY Be paper (over-aggressive). Never fold your small blind and raise often. In fact, raising with any hand works well, because the rock will play against your raise less than 20% of the time, meaning a raise with

two blank cards would be profitable. Even if your opponent calls, he’s likely to give up on the flop to a single continuation bet. Many rocks counter by becoming scissors after a while, and trapping you. An alternative is to raise your good hands, and limp your worst, with the intent to bet any flop that is checked to you. This ‘small-ball’ strategy works because he bets good hands and checks when he misses, giving you a perfect read. Small-ball poker allows for less variance, allowing you to win a greater percentage of games against the rock.

S T R A T E G Y

CHARACTERISTICS Never bluffs, raises with high-quality hands only and folds to raises without a good hand. A rock bets the flop when he hits and check-folds when he misses and faces a bet. Won’t trap and doesn’t chase draws.

PAPER: The over-aggressive player CHARACTERIST CHARACTERISTICS nearl every hand and bets most flops, Raises nearly hit or miss. Always semi-bluffs with any type of draw. BES COUNTER-STRATEGY BEST t Be scissors (play a trapping style). Fold your small blind/button with your worst hands, because limping is futile against an opponent who is going to raise you. Limp-call with Aces and Kings pre-flop

because your opponent will often raise. And limp with the intent to three-bet with your strong and vulnerable hands like 7-7 or A-K. Call his bets when you hit top pair on any board that is not draw-heavy. The flaw in applying this strategy on its own is that you can’t sit and wait for good hands, or you’ll be ground down. To balance this problem, fight paper with paper when you don’t have the goods to trap. Try a check-raise bluff or re-steal. Heads-up is a game that favours aggression, so fight back!

SCISSORS: The habitual trapper CHA CHARACTERISTICS Plays a straightforward heads-up game, li but limps with big hands pre-flop, such as 9-9+ o or A-J+, planning to out-flop and trap C you. Checks and calls a lot with middle-pair typ hands, in the hope that you’ll hang type yourself out to dry with a triple-barrel blu Rarely bets, preferring to play bluff. trap loose-passive style. a trappy

SHOVING WITH ANY TWO

As the examples opposite illustrate, it’s frequently correct to push all-in with complete junk – and often any two cards – when the blinds are high. Nevertheless, many players do not want to put their tournament life on the line with 2-3o, and may be hesitant to shove. For the doubters, here’s the maths comparing a push and a fold in case three: If you fold you have 5,100 chips left. If you were to push 2-3o 100 times, when the villain is calling with a typical range (25% of all hands): 75 times the villain folds, you win the blinds, and your stack, after winning the blinds is 6,000. Total gain is 75 x 900, which is 67,500.

BEST COUNTER-STRATEGY Be a rock. Tighten up pre-flop, play a straightforward game and take all the free cards he gives you. Eventually you’ll outdraw your passive opponent and take him for a lot of chips. Aggression is appropriate, but don’t fire out twice without a premium hand! If he check-calls you must be wary! He’s usually setting a trap when he starts flat-calling multiple streets, so don’t fall for it!

Seven times the villain calls but you get lucky and win the hand! Your stack is 10,800 (+ 5,700). Your total gain is 7 x 5,700, which is 39,900. 18 times the villain calls and you lose (-5,100). Your total loss is 18 x 5,100, which is 91,800. Therefore, over 100 pushes you win 15,600 chips (156 chips per shove) by pushing 2-3o, instead of folding.

ADJUSTMENTS

If you’re lost, your adjustments aren’t working, or you think your opponent has a skill edge, feel free to revert back to the Nash Equilibrium at any time. If you play this way, then, theoretically, the greatest player in the world can only tie with you – at best!

For this article we used the following: The Nash Equilibrium chart – www. holdemresources.net/hr/sngs/hune.html The case study calculations – www.holdem resources.net/hr/sngs/icmcalculator.html

TOP TIP So what if you’re in the BB and the SB limps? This can be a tricky spot, as it could be a trap, or a so-so hand that wants to see a flop. If you shove with Nash Equilibrium ranges you’ll be unexploitable, but an aggressive strategy may be correct against someone who’s unlikely to be trapping. Limping big pairs is only a good tactic if your foe is aggressive and likely to push.


S I T & G O

NTS SCIS SORS PAPER C OVERS R OCK SCISSOR S CUTS PA PER

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S O F T W A R E S I T & G O

5 of the best

SIT&GO TOOLS A round-up of the best software to help you master the single-table tournament game

A

S THE GROWTH OF ONLINE poker continues apace, so does the amount of high-tech tools and toys to help increase your win-rate. And the good news is that most of them are as cheap as chips! When it comes to helpful software, the format of poker best serviced is sit&gos, where maths and hand ranges are a big factor in winning (and losing). It could be argued that the majority of your profits in sit&gos will come from knowing how to play correctly on and around the bubble. That is, how to make and respond to unexploitable shoves in the late game when stack sizes dictate that you only have two moves – to shove all-in or fold. Therefore, it’s no surprise that of the myriad sit&go software tools available most are designed to help you calculate ‘correct’ pushing and folding ranges in a variety of spots. So connect with your inner geek and read on.

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1 INDEPENDENT CHIP MODELLING INDEPENDENT CHIP MODELLING (ICM)

ICM forms the basis of correct sit&go strategy and is a method of calculating the real-money value of tournament chips at any stage of a sit&go based on payout structure, number of players left and individual chipstacks.

KEY FEATURES

It will help you understand what to do in specific situations where cEV (the number of tournament chips you can win or lose) is very different from the $EV (the amount of real money you can win or lose).

Type in the chipstacks and payouts and play about with them to see how the chip and real-money values differ in crucial situations. Use when away from the tables to work out how your equity will change if you make a big call on the bubble or double-up early. www.chillin411.com (among others)

VERDICT

ICM is a simple tool you can use away from the table to analyse common decisions until they become second nature. After that, sit&gos should be a cinch.

3 HEADS-UP TRAINER

SIT&GO END GAME TOOLS (SNGEGT) SNGEGT is an

HEADS-UP TRAINER (HUT) Heads-Up Trainer does

KEY FEATURES

SNGEGT takes calculations made by an ICM spreadsheet as well as considering hand ranges and pot odds, and enables you to analyse situations with little effort. It’s particularly effective as a training tool, as even if you’re not sure about hand ranges you can simply move the slider up and down to find the point at which a certain play is breakeven, and decide based on that. SNGEGT is so effective that the controversial ‘live play’ version has been banned by PokerStars.

exactly what it says on the tin – it helps you improve your heads-up game at the end of an sit&go. It comes with the SNGEGT package. You can download a basic version for free, so there’s no excuse not to get crunching hand ranges. www.sngegt.com

VERDICT

We love messing around with hand ranges in Sit&Go End Game Tools and it’s a great way of learning what factors you need to call or push in some common spots.

KEY POINT

SNGEGT is so powerful it has been banned by some sites

KEY FEATURES

HUT simulates playing heads-up with high blinds against an opponent who is aware of optimal strategy, where your only options are to shove or fold. Combined with use of the jam-or-fold tables published by Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman in The Mathematics of Poker – which give maximum push-or-call values for all hands – this program helps you learn an aggressive endgame strategy that opponents can’t exploit. HUT will see you decimating your opponents by moving all-in with a wide range, while they

4 SITNGO WIZARD

5 SHARKSCOPE

SITNGO WIZARD

SHARKSCOPE

The interface is slightly more complex than SNGEGT and it has a few more options. SitNGo Wizard is able to calculate situations involving multiple all-ins, or what to do when there is a raise in front of you – in fact, almost any situation where there are two or fewer all-ins in front of you. SNG Wiz includes a future play simulator, which helps you make decisions in spots where ICM might be unreliable, such as how to play correctly when under the gun with a short stack, or when the blinds are very high on the bubble.

lose chips waiting for ‘good’ hands. The Heads-Up Trainer should be unexploitable, and once you learn the appropriate strategies, so should you! www.sngegt.com

VERDICT

This heads-up training program is so addictive that if you use it at work you’ll have to uninstall as you won’t get any work done.

SharkScope is a data-mining site that collects and collates information on sit&go tournaments to provide visitors and subscribers with detailed profiles of their opponents.

SitNGo Wizard is a similar program to Sit&Go End Game Tools and has most of the same features, but enables you to make more dynamic ICMbased calculations.

KEY FEATURES

The program should see you decimating your opponents

S O F T W A R E

ICM-based program that can consider situations and tell you whether pushing or folding (or calling or folding) is more profitable.

S I T & G O

2 SIT&GO END GAME TOOLS

Helps with decisions in the spots where ICM is unreliable You can download the software for free on the website, with unrestricted use for 30 days. Unlimited use of the SitNGo Wizard is $99. www.sngwiz.com

VERDICT

An excellent resource that any serious sit&go player would benefit from. And there’s a free, unrestricted trial on the website, so give it a go.

KEY FEATURES

The site provides data on total games played, average buy-in, average ROI%, total profit/loss and so on. The service can be very useful when looking for softer tables or to size up opponents.

SharkScope while its client is open, so you will need to use a different site if you want to look in detail at opponents while playing. www.sharkscope.com

SharkScope is also useful for checking out your own results. A package where you get 150 searches a day (plenty) costs $11.99 a month. You can break down results to your heart’s content using filters such as number of entrants, days of the week and turbo or regular.

SharkScope is an invaluable database of sit-and-go results, best used to find out whether you’re sitting at a table of fish or sharks before you start a game.

Players should note that PokerStars has banned the use of

VERDICT

KEY POINT Some sites are starting to block SharkScopefromusingtheirresults


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Q U I Z S I T & G O

The

1 EARLY GAMBLE?

SIT &GO QUIZ

Players 9 Blinds 10/20 Your stack 1,500 Your hand A…-KÚ

BB Fold

Fold

Fold

180

Fold

ACTION

You’re playing a non-turbo $55 nine-man SNG with starting stacks of 1,500 chips. It’s the very first hand and the player under the gun raises to 60. The action folds to you on the button holding A…-KÚ and

Fold

you raise to 180. Both blinds quickly fold and the under-the-gun player re-raises you all-in. What do you do?

DECISION a) call b) fold

3 BUBBLE TROUBLE

Players 8 Blinds 30/60 Your stack 1,210 Your hand K:-8:

Fold

SB Fold

10

YOU (BTN) 1,320

2 TAKE A STAND

Fold

20

SB Fold

So you think you’re a poker genius huh? Well, now it’s time to prove it. Test your knowledge on sit&gos to find out how much you really know…

YOU (BB) 1,150

UTG All-in 1,500

Players 4 Blinds 200/400 Your stack 1,850 Your hand J:-10:

Fold 5,500

Fold BB 2,750

60

30 Fold

400

200

SB 2,800

150 BUTTON 2,880

ACTION

You’re in an $11 nine-man turbo sit&go and have been playing tight, blinding down to 1,210 chips from a starting stack of 1,500. One player has been eliminated. With blinds at 30/60 the action folds to the loose-aggressive big stack on the button, who

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Fold

Fold

makes a small raise to 150. The small blind folds and you’re in the big blind with K:-8:. What do you do?

DECISION

a) call b) fold c) raise to 450 d) raise all-in

YOU (BTN) 1,850

ACTION

It’s the bubble of a $100 nine-handed turbo sit&go and the big-stack under the gun folds to you. You have J:-10:. The two players in the blinds have similar sized stacks of 3,000 and 3,150 before posting the blinds (200/400). You have 1,850 chips left,

which is just over four big blinds, and the blinds are set to go up in one minute. What do you do?

DECISION

a) call b) fold c) min-raise d) push all-in

ROUND

BB 600

YOU (SB) 5,900

200

100

800

BUTTON 1,400

What would be a solid opening range from early position in the first level of a turbo nine-handed sit&go? a) All pairs, suited connectors and Broadway combinations b) Pairs A-A to 7-7 and all Broadway combinations c) A-Q+ suited, 10-10+

7

ACTION

You’re on the bubble of a $33 six-max turbo sit&go. A tight player on the button raises to 800 from his stack of 2,200. This effectively puts the big blind all-in, as he has only 600 behind after posting his 200 blind. You have a huge stack

of 5,900 chips after posting the small blind, but look down to find absolute rags. What do you do?

DECISION

a) fold b) call c) raise all-in

5 HEADS-UP Players 2 Blinds 300/600 Your stack 8,400 Your hand 10;-8;

In the latter stages of a sit&go when your stack is getting shorter in relation to the blinds, how big should you generally make your opening raises? a) 2x big blind b) 2.5x big blind c) 3x big blind

8

What would be considered a decent return on investment for someone who has played about 2,000 $20 turbo sit&gos? a) 8% b) 12% c) 16%

BB 4,500

9

You hold QÚ-5; in the small blind early on in a sit&go and three players limp in. You’re getting odds of nearly 10-to-1 to call. Should you call too?

600

300

a) Yes b) No

YOU (SB) 8,100

ACTION

You’ve just got to heads-up in a nine-man $20 turbo sit&go against a tight player. You’ve already pushed all-in on his big blind once (which he folded) and he has also folded from the small blind on two occasions.

Blinds are 300/600 and you have a stack of 8,400. You are dealt 10;-8; in the small blind. What do you do?

DECISION

a) move all-in b) call c) fold

10

Generally speaking, at what stage in a sit&go should you start moving all-in or folding, in terms of big blinds in your stack? a) 5 big blinds b) 10 big blinds c) 15 big blinds

Q U I Z

6

Answers (one point for each) 1 b) Fold. Although you have a premium hand you will often be up against a big pair and racing at best. It is terrible for your tournament equity and long-term profits to take these kinds of early gambles. 2 b) Fold. Your hand is probably ahead of the loose player’s range, but if you call you’ll be out of position and he’ll most likely take it down with a continuation bet. Raising all-in is too drastic and putting a third of your stack at risk with a smaller raise against a loose player is too risky. 3 d) Push all-in. You are getting very short-stacked and neither of the mid-size stacks can risk calling you for nearly all their chips with anything other than premium hands. Also, you can’t wait for the blinds to hit you again, and even if called your hand has straight and flush potential. 4 c) Raise all-in. Although folding is fine, the mid stack has made a terrible mistake by raising for 800 as you can just move all-in and, providing the tiny stack in the small blind folds, he will almost certainly have to fold too. Even if you get called and lose, you will still be in a dominant position. 5 a) Move all-in. Your opponent has shown himself to be too tight and will fold too often in this spot. Meanwhile you can add another 600 chips to your stack. Quick-fire round 6 c) You should play very tight at this stage, especially in early position. 7 b) This smaller raise will get the blinds to fold but without expending too many chips if someone pushes and you can’t call. 8 a) 12% would be very good, and 16% exceptional over that sample size. 9 b) Despite the great pot odds, you will get into trouble with weak hands like this when you flop top pair but are dominated by other hands. 10 b) This is flexible, but shoving for 15 big blinds is a bit much, while with five big blinds you may no longer have enough fold equity.

Players 3 Blinds 100/200 Your stack 6,000 Your hand 6Ú-2;

S I T & G O

QUICK-FIRE

4 BULLY TACTICS

SNG SHARK OR FISH?

0-3 SHARK FOOD Hit the books, watch some training videos and read all the sit&go strategy guides. You need serious help, but with dedication you can turn it around. 4-7 TIGER SHARK You’re aware of what makes a winning sit&go player but you still need to make the right moves at the right times to increase your profits. 8-10 GREAT WHITE SHARK You’re a sit&go master, terrorising opponents with expert strategies that make you some decent money. Keep it up and your bankroll will soar.


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All images taken from actual in-game screenshots.

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Please gamble responsibly. For more information and advice visit www.gambleaware.co.uk Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission


TOURNAMENTS


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S T R A T E G Y

t a e b o t w Ho

T O U R N A M E N T

TOURNAMENTS

No-limit hold’em tournaments offer the glamour, excitement and money that attracts most players to poker. But in order to be a success at tournament poker you need discipline, stamina and, above all, the will to win

M

M U L T I - T A B L E

ANY PEOPLE GET INTO playing poker because they have watched it on television and it got them curious about the game. Most televised poker is tournament poker. The action is fast-paced and the capability of being able to risk it all in one hand makes for exciting television. If you’re new to poker and are interested in learning how to play tournaments, it is important to understand the various nuances of tournament poker and the basic concepts that will come into play through the course of a tournament. A major reason that tournament poker is so popular is that there is the potential to win a large sum of money in relation to the amount of the buy-in. Take the World Series of Poker main event as an example. The buy in is $10,000 but if you make the final table, you’ll be guaranteed more than 100 times that amount. It’s like a lottery ticket that you have some control over. Tournament poker, however, is not for everyone. If you are going to be a successful tournament poker player you must have incredible discipline and patience. Tournaments, especially the larger ones, last countless hours and sometimes days. If you’re looking to make a quick buck, try a cash game. Discipline is important because you have to stay alert and focused on what is going on at your table. This might be easy for an hour or two, but when you’ve been playing for 10 hours straight it can become difficult.

IMPDI FOR WSOP

CONTROLLED AGGRESSION

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In addition to discipline and patience, a good tournament player will need to be adept at game theory. This doesn’t mean you need to have a doctorate in game theory in order to succeed, but you need to understand the different dynamics that will exist over the course of a tournament and how to adapt your game to best take advantage of these dynamics. It’s also important to have the ability to be aggressive. While a patient and tight player can often make a good living in cash games, this isn’t necessarily true in a tournament because of the increasing blinds and antes. You can’t sit back and wait for premium hands and expect to win consistently in poker tournaments. You will need to be able to win pots using imagination, creativity, and well-timed aggression. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

Jamie Gold won the 2006 WSOP main event for $12m

TYPES OF TOURNAMENTS

Find your perfect tournament There are numerous types of tournaments that you can play. Here are the most common ones…

SHOOTOUT These are tournaments consisting of a series of single-table satellites where the winner of each table moves on to the next round. The winner of the tournament is the winner of the final table.

HEADS-UP In these tournaments players face off in a series of heads-up matches (one against one) with the winners advancing until there is one player left standing. DEEP-STACK In these tournaments the stacks are relatively high in relation to the blinds or antes because the players start with more chips and the blind levels are often slower. TURBO In contrast to a normal-structured tourney these have either shorter rounds, lower starting chipstacks, or both.

S T R A T E G Y

SATELLITE These tourneys are low-cost options to get into a bigger buy-in event. Unlike a freezeout they do not play to completion but rather until the number of seats into the bigger buy-in event has been reached. For example, 100 players put up $100 for a chance to win a seat into a $1,000 tournament. There are 10 seats available. Once there are only 10 players left the tournament is over.

REBUY In these events, players can rebuy (purchase another stack) an unlimited amount of times if they fall below a certain amount of chips for a certain period of time – usually an hour or first few levels of the tournament. Typically in these tournaments, a player can also add-on at the break to get additional chips.

T O U R N A M E N T

FREEZEOUT This is the most common tourney. Every player starts with the same amount of chips and play continues until one player has them all.


You will need to be able to win pots using imagination, creativity and welltimed aggression

Heads-up tournaments are fast and furious affairs

Rebuys can be wild but also very profitable

STARTING OUT

Basic tournament strategy When you first start out playing, there are a few things you should do until you understand the game better PLAY TIGHT It is always better to play a somewhat solid, predictable game. When you are a beginner, you should be playing big hands only and in position. Don’t get involved with a hand like K-10 in early position or 2-2 when the pot has been raised.

1

USE POSITION Position is probably the biggest advantage you can have in poker. The more information you have available to you, the better the decisions you will make. When you play hands from the blinds or early position you are working at a disadvantage because, post-flop, players will be acting after you and can react to the actions you take. However, when you have position, you are the one who can see what others do first and thus have an advantage.

2

BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR BETTING When starting out in poker, it’s best that you make the same size bets whenever you are betting. The reason is it gives less information to your opponents and makes you harder to read. If you vary your bets, there is a chance a good, experienced player will be able to pick up on your patterns.

3

BET BIG While small-ball poker is the current popular style of play, until you get comfortable playing post-flop you should be making your opponents pay a premium to play pots with you. Make your pre-flop raises larger than your opponents’ typical raise. Make your flop bets big enough to put your opponent to the test. Don’t bet half the pot, instead bet around the size of the pot.

4


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S T R A T E G Y

THE STAGES OF A TOURNAMENT

T O U R N A M E N T

A poker tournament has three distinct stages – early, medium, and late – that require you to apply different tactics based upon a number of factors. These stages and how to play them are as follows…

EARLY STAGE


The early stages of a tournament is the time you should be speculating the most. This is the time to limp in and call raises with a wide range of marginal and speculative hands. The reason is simple: the cost relative to the percentage of your stack is small and the reward (implied value) is high. For example, calling a 3x raise with 7-6 suited early in a tournament will usually only cost you a small percentage of your stack. Later in a tournament, this same call would be a larger percentage. Players like Phil Hellmuth like to avoid the first level or two of play, but this is a prime opportunity to accumulate chips as it is when the really bad players tend to give their chips away. Don’t sit back and let other people get the chips from these bad players. Speculate and see some flops against these players. Make that 300 call with a marginal hand – your goal isn’t to win the initial bet your opponent made, it’s to win the rest of the chips he has in his stack. A great hand to play early on is small and medium pairs. The implied value for flopping a set at this stage is high. A key concept at this stage is to play small pots. There is no reason to commit a large portion of your stack with a marginal hand. If you think you can win the pot, take a stab at it, but if you face a lot of pressure, it’s often better to err on the side of caution. It’s only a small mistake to fold the best hand at this stage because if you’re wrong and lose a big pot, it’s harder to recover.

MIDDLE STAGE

IMPDI FOR THE WSOP

The middle stage is usually when the antes have started in a tournament. What you do during this stage depends on how you did in the early stage. There are typically three categories your middle stage play can fall under…

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SHORT (your stack has less than 20 big blinds) If you are short-stacked you are going to have to look for one of two types of situations. One, a hand where you can double-up with a premium hand. Two, a hand where you can pick up a pot with little risk despite your hand, for example being on the button with two very tight players in the big blinds or moving all-in from late position when some weak or passive players have limped into the pot. MEDIUM (your stack has 20-40 times the big blind) At this level, it is important to use position. It’s probably not a good idea to raise with pocket twos in early position or call raises with K-10. What you want to do is be aggressive THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

Phil Hellmuth is one of the best tournament players in the world and has won a record-breaking 11 WSOP bracelets

TOP TIP Early in a tournament try and speculate as much as possible. This is the time of the tournament when bad players are giving away their chips and you want to be the one trying to get them rather than letting someone else take them. By speculating we mean calling raises or limping in with hands like pocket pairs, suited connectors, suited Aces and Kings.

when you are first to act and re-raise positional raises if you feel that the initial raiser is stealing. Don’t play too tight, just make sure you pick the right spots to make your steals. BIG (your stack is more than 40 times the big blind) At this level it’s still a good idea to use position but now you can take a few more chances. Here it might be fine to raise with pocket twos in early position. You have the chips to cause fear in your opponents, so use them. You should be open-raising liberally with this stack size. This will pay off because not only will your opponents often fold giving you the easy blinds and antes, but eventually they will play back at you and you will win additional chips when you actually pick up a big hand or hit a flop hard.

There’s no reason to commit a big portion of your stack with a marginal hand. If you think you can win the pot, take a stab, but if you face a lot of pressure err on the side of caution

TOP TIP

Use position to grow your stack

Avoid playing big pots early. The only time you should play a big pot early in a tournament is when you feel like you have by far the best hand. Keep the pots small by making small bets and playing a bit more passively with your marginal holdings.

Acting last can be a huge advantage in tournaments…

this Don’t do a short stack

You bet out. If your opponent has a hand like A-Q, A-10 or even 8-8, they will probably have to release their hand now that you have put them to the test.

3

LATE STAGE

Like with the middle stage, what you do here will depend on your stack size.

MEDIUM (your stack is 10-25 times the big blind) This is similar to the middle stage in that you want to use your position and try and avoid race situations with stacks that can bust or cripple you, while embracing races with stacks that are less than half your stack size. You should probably avoid raising if you are planning to fold to an all-in shove from a short-stacked player.

SHORT (your stack is less than10 times the big blind) With this stack size, you cannot afford to sit back and wait. Many poker players advocate moving all-in with any Ace in an unopened pot. While there are times to do so (later position being one of them), generally you will want to BIG (your stack is more than 25 times the big move all-in with a hand that you know will not blind) With a big stack late in the tournament be dominated if called – hands like suited and you should keep at attacking until your opponents o move b connected cards. You still want to start playing back at you. When they do all-in with hands like big Aces, K-Q this, adjust and pick your spots. For d exampl you are in the small blind suited and pairs, but don’t be afraid example, to move all-in with a hand like 7-6 and a player that you know raises When yo u are a b suited. You don’t have enough with a wide range in late position ig stack attack y our oppo chips to fold your way to victory opens for 2.5 times the big blind nents and pick yo so you have to take some chances from tthe cut-off. This is a perfect your sta ur spots. Use ck size to bully in order to maintain your stack time tto use your stack and re-raise opponen ts and p ush all-in. H until you get an opportunity to He will be forced to fold all them off hands but the v double up legitimately. very best hands.

Do this

S T R A T E G Y

The flop comes 5-K-7 and your opponent checks. If you’d been out of position, you wouldn’t have wanted to c-bet that flop and your opponent sed could have called or raised putting you to the test.

2

ve it If you ha k and wa t sit bac e k a T . s don’t jus d ium han for prem order to ances in ck or h c e m o s ta s r u o y maintain le up. doub

T O U R N A M E N T

You have pocket sixes on the button and call a standard 3x raise from a weak-tight player in mid position.

1


THE VALUE OF POSITION

TOP TIP When the antes kick in, start opening up your game and attacking players who are merely thinking about survival. These players are the ones who fold their big blind every time or who muck their hand any time they face pressure. Identify these players early, stealing their blinds and re-raising them in position.

You want to use position and try and avoid race situations with stacks that can bust or cripple you, while embracing races with stacks that are less than half your stack size


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S T R A T E G Y T O U R N A M E N T M U L T I - T A B L E

THE BIGGEST MISTAKES PLAYERS MAKE IN TOURNAMENTS

If you play tournament poker, it’s inevitable that you will make mistakes. But it’s how you learn from these mistakes, and the adjustments that you make, that are the difference between being a winning and losing player. There are hundreds of mistakes that players make on a routine basis, but the following four are among the biggest culprits.

TOP TIP Don’t let yourself get so short that a raise/shove from you has no meaning. Many players make the mistake of blinding/anteing down until they have 3-5 big blinds and then complain about how unlucky they are when their pocket Aces are cracked by 9-7 off when they shoved all-in for just four big blinds and the big stack called their measly little raise.

IN EARLY POSITION 1 RAISING WITH MARGINAL HANDS

This would appear to be a mistake that only e beginners make but you would be ced surprised how many experienced players fall into this trap. How often do you find yourself Observ looking at a hand like A-J opponen e how your ts p under the gun and think to situation lay in different s in orde yourself that this is the first r to money w hen you h make good hand you’ve had in an ave th goods an d lose less e hour and you have to play it. You when yo u don’t ot grab some chips and open the pot rong for a raise. There’s nothing wrong king... with this you’re probably thinking... but you’d be wrong. ion with a good When you are in early position obl but not great hand you will have the problem of reacting to your opponents. If someone re-raises, you’ve basically thrown away the chips you’ve raised with. Think about it – your opponent knows you raised from early position and has to give you credit for a good hand. They have raised you knowing this, which means generally speaking they don’t fear your reaction. They have a great hand and want to play it and you’ll have to muck your marginal hand gifting your opponent much needed chips.

Do this

WATCH AND LEARN

Learn from your foes

What you pick up from your opponents’ play can influence your strategy Observe your opponents carefully. A key aspect of tournament poker is identifying players’ tendencies. When they raise from the button is this a play they make all the time or never? If it’s a common play, they are more than likely stealing and you can make a move on them. If it’s not something they do often, they probably have a big hand and you should fold. Do they only limp in with hands like small pairs and suited connectors but raise with bigger pairs and A-K? Raise their limps since you know their range and can make it difficult for them to call. Call their raises with speculative hands since you know that you can win a big pot if you hit. Being able to identify how players play certain hands can be the single most important thing you do in a tournament.

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There is some seriously big money to be won at the top hold’em tournaments

AWAY INFORMATION 2 GIVING There are poker players who advocate

varying bet size based upon your position, the strength of your hand, and the tendencies of the players left to act. These players say that you should do so randomly so that you don’t give away any information about the strength of your hand. The problem with this is that people have a natural tendency to fall into predictable patterns. You might think that you are raising three times the big blind 75% of the time when you have Jacks in early position, but the reality is that you’re doing it 95% of the time. The most common mistake players make is betting an amount based upon their hand

MAKING PROPER 3 NOT SIZED BETS

S T R A T E G Y

The best bet is the one that accomplishes your objective at the lowest cost (if bluffing) or highest value (if betting for value)

T O U R N A M E N T

This mistake consists of players who either bet too much or too little. The reason someone bets is to either get a player to fold, induce a raise, or call. When we make a bet, we have an intended result. The best bet is the one that accomplishes your objective at the lowest cost (if you’re bluffing) or highest value (if you’re betting for value). Determining these precise amounts will depend on a number of factors. You need to know what your opponents tendencies are. Do they fold when someone bets? If so, you can make a small bet when bluffing. Do they call when on draws and you have a hand like top pair? Then you can make a large bet. There will be times you want to bet an amount that gives your opponent the appearance that you are weak. This too will depend on who you are up against. You need to know how they have reacted to small and large-sized bets in the past. If they think a large bet is weak and you have a strong hand, you should make an oversized bet. Use observation to figure out the betting thresholds of your opponents. This is how you make money when you have the goods and lose less when you don’t.


this Don’t do

strength. These players might bet big g with their good hands to reduce the d size of the field or perhaps bet less frustrate n getting io id it o s v o A p y wanting to get as much money in rl ing in ea t great, and rais o n the pot. There is no problem with t u b , d with goo u are re-raised this if you are consistent. The yo hands. If l be put in a problem occurs when you start to you wil ky spot. vary your betting. If you are the type very tric ea of player who bets less when you have strong hand but raises more when you want to steal the blinds, a player who is paying attention will notice and do one of two things. First, they will re-raise your big bets because they know you are weak. Second, they will call your small bets more often because they know there is implied value, due to you having a big hand.

EVERYONE 4 BLAMING BUT YOURSELF

How many players do you know that have read everything there is to know about poker and insist when they lose it’s because they were unlucky and their opponent was a luckbox? This mindset plagues many players. They believe they are perfect and the only thing stopping them from winning is bad luck. While it is true that luck does play a role in hold’em, more often than not if a player is consistently losing the problems lie much deeper. If you are going to be a successful hold’em player, you need to constantly analyse your play eve and scrutinise everything that you do, both good and bad bad. If you lost a big pot to a donkey, y you need to ask yourself if there was something that you could have hav done to prevent the Assess y o loss. Could Cou you have bet more whether ur own play, you a or prevented pre them from seeing or losing re winning h the flop? fl Rather than placing scrutinis ands. By ing your play you spot blame on the ‘donkey’, look for lea where yo ks and areas reason reasons that you failed to win u can im prove the hand. If you can do this, you will probably probabl find some holes in your game an and understand how to counteract your opponents’ oppon play. Eventually you’ll be complaining less and raking in more and more big pots.

Do this


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M A S T E R S T H E F R O M L E A R N T O U R N A M E N T S :

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

JC TRAN

With a WPT title, two WSOP bracelets and close to $8 million in winnings, JC Tran is one of poker’s powerhouses and a true tournament legend

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN POKER? On my 21st birthday my brother took me to the local card room in Sacramento, California, as he was already playing poker regularly. He introduced me to hold’em, broke down the basics for me, and from there I picked it up through putting in the hours. I started off at small-stakes limit hold’em and grinded my way up. I certainly wasn’t an overnight success – for years I was playing small-stakes where I’d make a few hundred a week. Limit poker tournaments helped build my bankroll and then I played no-limit, realised I had talent and began to focus more on those tournaments. I still play limit but more in cash games. But I definitely consider myself more of a tournament player than a cash game player. AS A TOURNAMENT PLAYER YOU PUT UP INCREDIBLY CONSISTENT RESULTS. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS? I believe my style is very effective. And I think I’m fortunate with my image to get a combination of respect and fear from players. I can also adapt to all styles that my opponents have, which is key because the game changes all the time. Also, I’m careful about my tournament selection. Previously I used to just play every tournament and burn myself out. Now I play less, but make sure I’m more focused in the ones I enter. THE STANDARD OF POKER SEEMS TO BE RISING ALL THE TIME. DO YOU THINK EVEN THE BIG $10,000 BUY-IN TOURNEYS ARE GETTING A LOT TOUGHER? Yes, very much so – especially in the last year or so. There’s not as much dead money in tournaments as there used to be. Most of the players in the $10k events are pros now – even the $2k and $3k events are tough – you recognise nearly everyone in the room. Even if you don’t know them, it’s likely they’re good online players. YOU SEEM TO BE ONE OF THE PROS WHO LIKE TO ‘GET IT QUIETLY’. DO YOU CONSCIOUSLY LIKE TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE? I’ve always been the type of player who comes in, plays my game and then leaves when I’m done. I’m not the type to yell across the room or jump up and down or get in confrontations with other players. I just act myself and I come to play poker. That’s what I’m there for. WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT IN POKER? My World Poker Tour win [in March 2007] was a great feeling because I’d come up short so many times. The same goes for winning my first WSOP bracelet [in 2008] – I’d made final tables before but not gone on to win one.

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ASIAN PLAYERS ARE GENERALLY ASSUMED TO BE CRAZY, LOOSE AND ALWAYS LOOKING TO GAMBLE, YET YOU SEEM FAR REMOVED FROM THAT STEREOTYPE. DOES THAT HELP YOU AGAINST UNKNOWN PLAYERS WHO THINK YOU’RE LOOSER THAN YOU ACTUALLY ARE? Yeah, the majority of players and the public categorise me as an aggressive player, some even as a very aggressive player. The reality is that sometimes I do play aggressively or hyper-aggressively, but only when the table conditions are right. I’m just as comfortable playing very solid. Every day it can change.

TRAN FACTS

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BEST ASSET? Being able to adapt. I think the thing that makes me successful is that I can change gears. Sometimes if I spot that people think I’m playing aggressively then I’ll shut down and play a solid game. This really works because other players don’t think I’m capable of playing a solid game. You need to have a solid side if you want to do well.

Name JC Tran Lives Sacramento, California Live tournament winnings $7,938,169 WSOP bracelets 2008 $1,500 no-limit hold’em 2009 $2,500 pot-limit Omaha Highest main event finish 108th in 2009

ASIA HAS TAKEN A WHILE TO WARM TO POKER BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S PICKING UP NOW, WITH THE ASIAN POKER TOUR AND NEW CARDROOMS SPRINGING UP. DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE POKER’S NEXT HOTSPOT? Asia is definitely the sleeping giant of the poker world. Asians are known to gamble all through their lives and have a ‘natural’ touch when it comes to gambling. There are many low-key Asian poker players who are extremely talented. They are not as well-known due to the fact that they don’t travel the world to play in major tournaments. Once poker is allowed on television in Asia, you will see them make a real presence. YOU TRAVEL WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS ON THE CIRCUIT, INCLUDING FELLOW APT AMBASSADOR NAM LE AND WPT WINNER DAVID ‘CHINO’ RHEEM – IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU? It’s always good to be around friends, and it’s not only important to have their support but to discuss poker. It’s always good to get different people to express their thoughts on how they’d play in a certain situation – getting a perspective other than your own can help you learn. Saying that, if I’m railing someone deep in a really big tournament, I won’t give advice. They’ve been with the players they’re playing with, sometimes for days, so they’re the best judge of the situation. We’ll just be there to support and make sure they don’t go on tilt. We also try to avoid talking about poker over dinner. Often the first person to bring up poker has to pay the bill!

Sometimes I do play hyperaggressively, but only when the table conditions are right. I’m just as comfortable playing very solid. Every day it can change

T O U R N A M E N T S :

L E A R N

F R O M

T H E

M A S T E R S

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M A S T E R S T H E F R O M L E A R N


JULIAN THEW

With close to $2.5m in career tournament winnings, Julian Thew is in the top tier of British poker players. He’s made three EPT final tables, including a win in Baden in 2007, where he took home over 670,000

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER POKER? I had a sporting background, but hit 30 and packed it in. Afterwards I felt that there was a competitive element missing from my life. Then poker came on telly and I became fascinated with it. I started playing home games with friends and that’s how I got the poker bug. I was playing once a week losing about £10 a week for six months. SO WHAT HAPPENED TO CHANGE THINGS FOR YOU? That Christmas I received a poker book, read it, and from then on I began to break even in the home games. The natural progression was to take it a step further and play in a local casino. A casino near where I lived in Dublin had two or three tournaments a week, and after entering the cardroom for the first time I felt at home – all I wanted to do with my free time was play poker. SO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND STRATEGY BOOKS TO BRING YOUR GAME ON? I’ve read a lot of poker books – I really immersed myself in them. I have probably got about 50 books at home now and I’ve read them all. It’s definitely a good way to bring your game on, but there are lots of other things you can do as well. SUCH AS? Well I believe in taking notes – I’m a great note-taker and I’ve got folders full of them at home. I still take notes and keep records, and I always review my performances, as I think you can learn a lot from your mistakes. At the end of every year I like to do a full review – not a financial one but one which looks at the state of my game.When I was learning I was also very prepared to put the miles in. It was always important for me to go to different places and play against as many people as possible. That was a big part of my learning curve. In tournaments you can go a long time without any meaningful results but you can be

learning while losing. Learning from your mistakes is very important. AND DID YOU LEARN OFF FRIENDS YOU MADE ON THE CIRCUIT? When poker started to become a nice top-up to my income, I began picking up bits and pieces from other players. Lucy Rokach and Peter Costa were both big influences on me. I can’t stress enough how incorporating facets from other people’s games was crucial to my improvement. WHEN DID YOU START TO THINK YOU COULD MAKE IT AS A TOURNAMENT PLAYER? Winning didn’t come quickly, in fact I don’t think I won for the first six months I played in casinos. I slowly got better though, made a few final tables, and won a few small comps. In 2004 I decided to cut back hours at work which meant I could play later hours during the week. Getting the right balance between work and poker was a big step forward for me. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TASTE OF SUCCESS? I was scoring fairly consistently in tournaments and then in October 2004 I played the £3,000 EPT event at the Vic. I was chip leader at the end of day one, chip leader with nine left and then finished ninth for £8,000 (Julian’s nickname is ‘Yo-Yo’). I was very disappointed. Then two weeks later at the EPT Dublin I finished seventh. A week later I got a call offering me sponsorship. I thought it was a wind-up!

Once you’re sponsored everything changes. I can now pick and choose the events I enter and it definitely frees up the way you play

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HOW DID SPONSORSHIP CHANGE THINGS FOR YOU? Once you’re sponsored everything changes. You haven’t got the pressure of worrying about money or buy-ins. I can now pick and choose the events I enter and it definitely frees up the way you play. Saying that, even after getting sponsored I stayed in my job for another year and didn’t go full-time until the end of 2006.

THEW FACTS

Name Julian Thew Nickname ‘Yo-Yo’ Lives Nottingham, UK Live tournament winnings $2,444,109 Biggest win EPT Baden Classic, October 2007 – 1st, €670,800

T H E M A S T E R S

Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to be good at all aspects of poker to win tournaments. For instance, I’m terrible at laying a hand down. You’ve just got to try and improve all aspects of your game all the time.

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F R O M

Follow in Julian Thew’s footsteps as he reveals his top ten winning tips…

L E A R N

THEW’S TOP TEN TOURNAMENT TIPS

Always trust your poker instincts, even if you risk looking stupid sometimes.

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Don’t be lazy. There’s usually a right or wrong move and 90% of the time the wrong option is the lazy one – for instance, calling instead of raising, or checking instead of betting.

3

Be aware of table image and how your opponents perceive you and use this to your benefit.

4

Position is so important. You always hear it but it’s true – it’s only very recently that this has really hit home for me. The sooner you understand position the quicker you’ll start winning.

5

Have patience. Poker is often a boring game, but you need to be able to put hands down until you find yourself in a favourable spot.

6

Learn to spot exploitable situations and have the balls to pull the trigger when you do so, such as isolating weak players to get them into heads-up pots.

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8

Don’t get fazed by the opposition.

Try to develop mental toughness. You’ve got to be really tough to deal with the swings in the game. POKERIMAGES.COM

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Remember, the cards you are dealt are just one element of the game. The best players don’t rely on cards to win a tournament.

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S T R A T E G Y

s i e z i S

T O U R N A M E N T

EVERYTHING

Poker might be a game of cards but the way you play any given hand in a tournament should largely be dictated by the size of your stack. We show you how to play short, medium and big stacks all the way to the final table…

TIMO HEBDITCH


W

HEN PLAYING A NO-LIMIT hold’em tournament, your stack is your life. Lose it all and (rebuys notwithstanding) it’s game over. Use it wisely and you’ll see your stack grow to Himalayan proportions. Your ultimate aim, clearly, is to accumulate all the chips in play. However, only in a true dream scenario is your tournament going to be a smooth, steady process of accumulation. Most of the time your chipstack will fluctuate wildly as your fortunes twist and turn, and all the while the blinds will be growing, diminishing the value of your chips and threatening to engulf you completely. As such, knowing how to play different stack sizes effectively is an absolutely crucial tournament skill. Before we look at how to play different stack sizes, however, we need to know what defines a small, medium and big stack. It’s

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important to appreciate that only blinds and antes dictate this, not the stacks of other players around you. Lose a big pot at the start of a tournament, see your stack go from 5,000 to 2,000 chips, and it’s easy to panic. But with low blinds of say 25/50, you’re still playing 40 big blinds. That means you have plenty of time to wait for hands and situations to rebuild your stack. In fact, you shouldn’t consider yourself short-stacked until you’ve got less than 10-12 big blinds left. A medium stack is anywhere between 12 and 25 big blinds. Anything above this and you can hold your head high – you’re officially a big-stack!

SHORT STACKS

If you’re a short-stack your chips are more valuable than at any other time. That’s because if you win the tournament you end up with all the chips, but you don’t get all the

money in the prize pool (sadly). So as your chipstack increases above average, each individual chip is worth less, enabling you to play a little looser. But as a short-stack, the opposite is true. Because your existence in the tournament gives you some equity (as you still have a chance to make money), the smaller your stack gets, the more each individual chip is worth. If you have a genuine short stack, playing it is easy as you only really have one option and that is to move all-in or fold. The only exception to this is if you have a massive hand pre-flop and think you can induce action from other players by making a smaller bet, although this often looks suspicious.

DON’T FEAR THE REAPER

So when should you get your chips in? Most players wait too long, hoping to pick up a big hand before committing all their chips, but the problem with this is your stack can

equity, so you need to tighten up your hand standards. Conversely, if you have tight players behind you, particularly in the blinds, or the tournament is close to the money spots, you can move in with a far wider range of starting hands.

Double or bust… The challenges of playing a short stack alter according to what stage of a tournament you’re at… EARLY STAGES It can be extremely disheartening to lose a lot of chips early on, but make sure you don’t feel like you’re a short-stack straight away. If you still have plenty of chips compared to the blinds, you can still manoeuvre and play good poker to rebuild. If you really are short, try to play an all-in pot with someone playing loose early on, who may give you that courtesy double-up you need.

S T R A T E G Y

MIDDLE STAGES Playing the shortstack in the middle stages is all about being patient and finding the right spots. Remember, you can’t wait too long – don’t get tempted to start hanging on for the money when you entered the tourney to win it. Find spots where the players in the blinds are playing tight and your all-in move has some chance of taking the pot down uncontested.

T O U R N A M E N T

MEDIUM STACKS

Having a medium stack in tournaments is uncomfortable because you’ll often be put in tough spots. You need to accumulate chips to make sure you don’t slip into being short-stacked, and the faster the tournament structure the more pressure there is on you. This should make you more inclined to take on coinflip situations (for example, playing for all your chips with hands like A-Q or 8-8 against an underpair or overcards respectively). In a slower tournament the opposite is true. You may be able to chip away (win some smaller pots to build up) but you can still get away from hands as you will have more time before the blind pressure becomes intolerable. However, the mistake you don’t want to make is to get too comfortable. You should always be looking to accumulate chips by seeking out the right kind of opportunities. You should also be looking to exploit any other medium-stacks, especially if they are feeling too comfortable and playing too tight. Re-raising and re-stealing (raising after someone has made a late-position raise to steal the blinds) are very important weapons to have when you’re playing a medium stack.

SHORT STACK


Most players wait too long before committing all their chips. The problem with this is your stack can become so short that you lose all fold equity

become so short that you lose all fold equity (i.e. your stack is so small you can’t make other players fold). Even worse, if you become very short (five big blinds or less) you can move all-in, win and double-up and still be short-stacked. The thing to remember is that you’re never that far behind if you get called, as long as you have two live cards. Even if you’ve got 7-2 offsuit, and are called by A-K, you still have a 33% chance to win the hand. Pick up a hand like 9-10 in mid position in an unraised pot and you shouldn’t think twice above shoving. You should also be aware that moving your chips into an unraised pot puts you in a far better situation than calling all-in. This is because you have a chance to pick up the pot uncontested, and to force hands that currently have you beaten to fold. Sometimes it’s right to call all-in when short-stacked, but only if you have a strong hand or your stack is so small that it has no fold equity anyway. Remember, if you’re almost certain to be called, either because there are loose players with big stacks behind you, or loose players in the blinds, you lose nearly all your fold

LATE STAGES Being a short-stack near the end is tough. If you’re in the money your tournament life has some value, which escalates as other players are knocked out. However, unless you’re very close to the end of the tourney you should still be trying to grab chips. Look for spots where the blinds are playing too tight, or find some high-card strength and hope a big-stack doubles you up.


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MEDIUM STACK Building plans

Whatever stage you’re at in a tournament make sure you’ve always got a plan for how you’re going to grow your stack EARLY STAGES Vary your play according to the tournament structure. If it’s a slow structure, try to steal your way to a big stack. If the structure is fast, look to get your chips in even when you’re marginally ahead – taking a 50/50 race if necessary, especially if you’re getting better odds on the call. Build that stack for the big blinds to come. MIDDLE STAGES This is where it’s vital not to sit on your medium stack and limp your way to a minimum cash. Use it to make plays and take calculated risks to give yourself a shot at the big prizes. Don’t get complacent or the blinds will turn your medium stack into a small one. LATE STAGES Balance aggression with avoiding unnecessary confrontations. Keep the pressure on your tight opponents who are looking to move up in the money with re-raises and re-steals. Try to avoid playing hands that you’re not willing to commit your entire stack with.

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Both moves can be used to put a lot of pressure on your opponents and maximise your ways to win, by either forcing your foes to fold or by having the winning hand if called. Re-raising pre-flop is generally a better option than calling in no-limit hold’em, and with a medium stack it’s almost always the better option. This is due to a combination of it being better to commit your chips as the aggressor, particularly in a situation where you may well end up committed later in the hand, but also because you’re putting pressure on your opponents to fold. Other medium-stacks will often fold too much in tournaments, giving your re-raises great equity. Re-stealing is valuable for the same reasons, and if you pick the correct spot it greatly increases your equity in the tournament, as you’re winning more chips than your fair share. With more and more players opening pots with marginal hands to steal the blinds it’s vital you have it in your armoury. For example, say you’re in the big blind with blinds of 100/200 and you have 3,000 chips. An aggressive player with 4,000 chips raises to 600 from the button. You should be looking to move in here reasonably often. If he’s a typical player he’ll be opening with a huge number of hands that can’t call your all-in. If they fold you pick up 900 chips, increasing your stack by 30%. If you’re called and double-through you’re well on your way to becoming a big-stack again. Finally you need to watch out for shortstacks that might be willing to make a stand and tighten up your opening and stealing standards. This is where calling an all-in

could be profitable with a wider range of hands as well. If the short-stack is moving in with a substandard hand this can be a great opportunity to get some chips in positive equity situations.

BIG STACKS

Having a big stack in a tournament is a great position to be in. It’s the time when you can be a complete poker player, making moves and using your bets, and the threat of further bets, to put maximum pressure on your opponents. There are two different scenarios where you could be big-stacked. The first is when everyone else is a big-stack (usually at the beginning of a tournament) and the second is when you are big-stacked in relation to the other players. At the start of a relatively deep-stacked event, say with 100 big blinds or more, every player is effectively a big-stack. In this situation there is more emphasis on post-flop rather than pre-flop play, and with both you and your opponents having deep stacks, your implied odds are increased. As such, you can sometimes take the worst of it pre-flop in order to make more money when you hit your hand. This means hands like small pairs and suited connectors become more playable – though you shouldn’t get carried away with such hands, and should avoid playing complete junk. Remember that in order to make up for a pre-flop disadvantage you have to get paid when you hit your hand, so don’t forget to

Post-flop, look to semi-bluff a lot and play big draws. Let’s say you’re in hand against a poor player with predictable starting hand selection with 6-7 suited. The flop comes Q-4-5 and your opponent makes a standard continuation bet. More often than not you should make a large raise here and even push all-in as long as it’s not a massive overbet. If called, you may well need to make your straight to win, but the

Test your opponents Piling the pressure on your opponents is the key to playing and maintaining a big stack EARLY STAGES Put pressure on where you can, but remember that the other players probably have a decent amount of chips compared to the blinds, so they won’t fold as often as they will later in the tourney. MIDDLE STAGES Attack the other players as the blinds rise. Particularly target those trying to hang on in the tournament or to scrape into the money. LATE STAGES Stay on the front foot and put pressure on the weaker players/ smaller stacks, but avoid marginal situations with other big-stacks who can really hurt you.

important point is that your opponent doesn’t need to fold very often to make this sort of move correct. It’s also important to be very aware of your image as a big-stack and how the other players are responding to you. Observe which ones are playing back at you and wait for a big hand to punish them – they often won’t give you credit for having a big hand, thinking you’re just a loose player.


S T R A T E G Y

BULLYING TACTICS

BIG STACK

T O U R N A M E N T

$12 million. This means you can afford to be looser with your chips than if you were an average or small stack, but don’t keep calling bets with substandard hands ‘because you can’. It’s a good way to lose a big stack quickly. If you do want to use the leverage offered by a big chipstack, target the players who appear to be playing too tight and put pressure on them with bets and raises. They’ll be all too aware of the fact your big stack could knock them out of the tourney at any time. If players are folding to you pre-flop because they don’t want to get involved in a confrontation, this is a mistake you should exploit. If your raises are successfully stealing the blinds, do it as much as you can get away with. Against a pre-flop bet, you should consider re-raising a lot and re-raising all-in if the blinds allow.


Being a big-stack is when you can be a complete poker player, making moves and using your bets to put maximum pressure on your opponents

bet when you actually do. As ever, don’t forget to adjust your decisions according to your opponents’ play. If someone is playing more loosely because they have a big stack, you need to isolate that player and be willing to call them down with lesser hands – though that’s not to say with complete rags. Other players may play tighter because it’s a big event or because there are no blinds worth winning, and you can take advantage of this by putting greater pressure on them. The second scenario is when you have a big stack relative to the rest of your table or indeed the tournament, and this is perhaps the most enjoyable situation in poker. Conceptually, it’s important to recognise that the more chips you have relative to the field, the less each individual chip is worth. If this concept doesn’t sit naturally with you, consider that if you win the tournament you don’t get paid the true value of your stack. For instance, Jamie Gold won the 2006 World Series of Poker, which had around 85 million chips in play. He ended up with all the chips but was only (!) paid

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S T R A T E G Y

YOUR MOVE


T O U R N A M E N T

In the cutthroat world of multi-table tournaments you can’t rely on getting dealt Aces and Kings every other hand. Instead, you’ll need some tricky manoeuvres, nerves of steel and perfect timing to see you through to the money. Adding some of these techniques to your MTT arsenal should help you go deep time and time again…

PUSH YOUR DRAWS

You put in a healthy raise with a big suited Ace and pick up a caller. The flop misses you but does give you the nut flush draw which you should be prepared to play fast. Being prepared to go all the way with monster draws is a technique a lot of successful and aggressive tournament players use to build a big stack, and it’s a good play as you have so many ways to win the hand. Your opponent could fold, but if he calls you could still hit your flush. If your overcards are live you are usually a favourite to win the hand, even if you’re behind on the flop.

STOP-AND-GO

The stop-and-go is a great move to make when you’re in the blinds and starting to run low on chips and ideas. It involves you calling a late position raise – hopefully targeting a serial raiser – and moving all-in whatever the flop brings. You’re not making the pre-flop call on the odds the flop will help you, but on the fact that your opponent’s two cards will only connect with the flop a third of the time. If he’s missed, it’s very hard for him to call even if he suspects that you’re trying to pull a move.

TIMO HEBDITCH

RAGGY RAISE

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Everyone knows that a minimum raise from under the gun is often a sign of strength. It’s not likely to be respected in the first few levels when it costs so little to see a flop, but in later levels, when the blinds are larger and most of the weak players have already been knocked out, a minimum raise from under the gun is more

likely to be respected, especially if you’ve got a tight table image. If you pick up a caller you’ll be playing the hand out of position, but you’ll also have a well disguised hand you can represent on the flop. If you meet some resistance, in the form of a big raise, then you know you’re usually up against a genuine hand, in which case you can fold.

SLOW-PLAYING

Slow-playing a monster pre-flop can be a profitable move, but it’s risky and you need the right table conditions. Slow-playing generally won’t work in the early stages of a tournament when the blinds are small enough for lots of people to call without creating a pot big enough for someone to try and steal. And the last thing you want with a hand like pocket Aces is a table full of limpers. Later on in the tournament though, when the blinds are high and you’re on an aggressive table, try limping your Aces or Kings and hope for a raise or a shove. Be warned, if you pick up a few callers you need to be good enough to put the hand down if you meet strong resistance on the flop.

SQUEEZE!

Often, when a player raises in early or mid position he’ll pick up a caller. This caller might induce others to come along for the ride, creating a chain effect which you can take advantage of in late position by making a healthy pot-sized raise. If you can get the original raiser to fold the chances are you’ll get everyone else to muck as well, as if their hands were strong it’s likely they would have re-raised themselves. The only disadvantage to this move is that it’s a bit of an oldie and people are wise

For an effective re-steal, make sure you have a semi-decent hand, and when your stealer strikes, come over the top with an all-in shove


Creative urge: moves like the value shove can add a new dimension to your game


VALUE SHOVE!

The value shove is a relatively modern move that sees you making a massive overbet with a huge hand. Say you’ve got the nut flush

on the river and you want to extract the maximum from your opponent. You’re pretty sure he’s got a hand that’s fairly strong and you know for certain he’ll call a small value bet. That’s the safe option. If you shove all-in, what percentage of the time do you think he’s going to call? It might not be 100% or anywhere near, but it doesn’t need to be for this to be a profitable move. If he calls you one in five times, and you make ten times as many chips, you’ve just made this move your

own. And you’ll be surprised how many people take this shove as a bluff and call you light.

THREE-BETTING

S T R A T E G Y

The game of no-limit hold’em has changed immeasurably in the past few years, and nowhere is this more apparent than pre-flop aggression. A few years ago a re-raise pre-flop meant Aces, Kings, Queens or Ace-King. Now if you watch good players, re-raising before the flop is commonplace, and to survive in the modern game you’ll need to master the skill. It’s called threebetting because you’re literally putting in the third bet after an initial raiser (the second bet) has raised the big blind (the first bet). Look to make your re-raise around pot size, or if the stacks are shallower, you can move all-in. Three-betting gives you the initiative in the hand and puts the pressure on your opponent, but you need to mix your range up to keep your opponents guessing. You can three-bet for value (when you have the best hand), as a semi-bluff (a hand with potential) or as a complete bluff.

T O U R N A M E N T

to it. Saying that, it’s still hard to combat without a genuine hand. If you have a monster yourself, you can play it fast, hope someone pegs it incorrectly as a squeeze play and calls you with a lighter holding.

ATTACKING HIGH-BLIND LIMPERS

This sounds technical but it’s dead easy. Limping in the early stages of a tournament is a decent enough strategy but some people can’t stop limping, even when the blinds are high, with speculative cards. Punish them by making a hefty raise, or moving all-in if you’re short-stacked and they’re going to find it very difficult to call. Make sure the person you’re making the move on is a high-blind limper (i.e. they’ve limped and shown down speculative hands before, or you’ve pegged them as weak) and not a crafty player looking to trap with Aces.

RE-STEALING

If you’ve pegged someone as a serial blind stealer (i.e. they’re consistently raising in late position), it’s time to shut them down. For an effective re-steal, make sure you have a semi-decent hand, and when your stealer strikes, come over the top with an all-in shove. You should send a clear message that you’re not afraid to defend your blinds, but make sure they’re worth defending before you pull the move. If your opponent raises to 60 on the button, you can probably let your 20 chips go! THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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CHRIS MOORMAN

Chris Moorman is one of the hottest online tournament players in the world. Now he shows you how it’s done… EARLY DOORS In the early stages of the tournament identify the weak players at your table and try to get involved with them in a few pots. These are the players you’re going to make most of your chips from. It’s best to avoid calling raises with easily dominated hands like A-J, K-Q and K-J. Small pairs and suited connectors are golden hands early on though, because it’s much easier to know where you’re at in the hand. You can flop massively and make a lot of chips from a weak player who can’t fold a big pair. If you hit a set with a small pair, you know that 95% of the time you have the best hand. You can then go about building the pot the best way you can.

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IT TIGHT 2 KEEP Before the antes kick in there’s no need to go crazy playing too many hands. You can still play hands like 6-7 suited for deception, but you really need to be careful about playing speculative hands. This factor is mainly dependent on your stack size though. NO SET, NO BET Stack sizes are one of the most important aspects of MTTs. For example, a lot of people overvalue pocket pairs with a mid-stack. What people don’t realise with small pairs is that in order to get paid they need to hit their set, still have the best hand and hope their opponent has a hand that they are willing to go to the felt with. Small pairs are a lot better early on in a tournament when pots are more likely to be multi-way, because when you do hit your set someone else is likely to have a strong, but weaker hand.

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RAISE THE RAISER Bubble play isn’t nearly as profitable as it once was because a lot of people are approaching the bubble very aggressively. A great way to attack the bubble is to re-raise other people who are also raising a wide range of hands, or to flat-call in position and mess with them post-flop.

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THE EARLY BIRD When deciding how loose or tight to play at a certain table you should try to play the opposite of your table – tight on a loose table and loose on a tight table. However, other important factors, such as how much early position raises are being respected, should be considered. If you find your early position raises are being respected by the table, you can raise knowing that mostly you will either take the blinds uncontested, or only have to face someone flat-calling you with the possibility of taking it down on the flop.

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QUICK ON THE DRAW Post-flop play is still important in MTTs, even though it’s usually not as important as in deeper-stacked cash games. Try and evaluate flops and put your opponent on a range. From this you can start to think about how likely they are to have hit the flop. This clearly helps aid you in deciding whether to continuation-bet or not. Also, take note of whether a player plays his draws fast or slow. This will enable you to represent when the draw gets there if they just called your flop bet, because you already know they play their draws fast or vice versa.

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LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR The most important people at your table are those to your immediate right and left. That’s because every orbit you’re probably going to have blind and late position battles. If you have a good read on these opponents, you can really start to pick up chips. For example, if you’re on the left of someone who likes to open a lot in late position, but doesn’t re-shove all-in unless they have a premium hand, then you can re-raise them without the goods in position and take down a healthy-sized pot a winning percentage of the time.

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PILE ON THE PRESSURE A strong trait of most winning players is their ability to get inside their opponents’ heads and force them into making big mistakes. In order to do this you need to apply constant pressure. One way to do this is by winning lots of smaller pots from them without the goods. The real trick is to know when they’ve had enough, then pick up a hand and get it to hold… That’s something that can’t be taught!

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SWITCHING GEARS On a final table, if there’s one player whose stack is a lot shorter than the rest, then you can really apply pressure on your opponents. They will all be concerned with moving up a money spot and will wait for the short stack to bust rather than play back at you without the goods. Once the shortstack has been knocked out, players will be more willing to gamble. You should then switch gears and ‘slow down’ because your image will be loose at that point. The best MTT players can switch gears constantly with no difficulty at all.

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PLAY TO WIN Try not to look at the payouts of a tournament as this can affect your decision-making. Always play to win and go with your gut instinct. If your opponents know you are capable of anything it makes you a much trickier opponent.

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MOORMAN FACTS

Name Chris Moorman Age 24 Lives Brighton Online winnings Over $1.5m Online screen name Moorman1

A trait of most winning players is their ability to get inside their opponents’ heads and force them into making big mistakes

L E A R N

F R O M

T H E

M A S T E R S

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T O U R N A M E N T

S T R A T E G Y

RULING REBUYS


Hate busting out of a tournament? Play a rebuy and you can resurrect yourself time and time again – as long as you’ve got deep pockets…

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O YOU MIGHT REMEMBER WE mentioned earlier that the great thing about a tournament is that you know exactly how much money you’re risking up front, and that no matter how badly you play, you can’t lose more than your initial buy-in? Well that’s true for freezeouts, but there is another tournament format that gives you the opportunity to gamble a bit more, and potentially win – or lose – more money. A rebuy tournament effectively gives you extra lives for more money. So, when you bust your initial chipstack – or dip to a pre-agreed amount, say 50% of your stack – you can buy back in for another stack. And another. And another. Some rebuys limit you to two or three stacks, but the most common format is where you’re allowed unlimited rebuys for a set period (generally the aft which you get the first hour) after option to ad add on another set amount of chips regardless of your sstack size, before the e tourna tournament moves into a e mistak th e k a Don’t m uy like a standa standard freezeout mode. b re a g n of treati y during Here, as in a standard rney. Pla l be u to l a wil norm tourna tournament, once you’re y period the rebu , so you must e out, y you’re out for good. s o e super-lo m our ga Starti Starting stacks are adjust y generally smaller for rebuy tournamen – anywhere tournaments a between 1,000 and 2,000 is the norm. This is because as chips are added to the fo t number of chips table in the form of reb rebuys,, the in the tournament will grow quickly, leading to a relatively deep-stacked tournament once the rebuy period is over. With an average player rebuying once and adding on once, the prizepool usually ends up around three times as big as a standard freezeout for the same initial buy-in. That’s all well and good, but rebuys come with a

this Don’t do

completely different set of strategies, and to ensure you maximise the return for a reasonable outlay you need to go in with a plan and stick to it.

TIGHT VS MANIAC

There are several ways to approach rebuy tournaments, depending on your style and how much money you are willing to invest. At the conservative end, you can try to maximise your value by playing tight and taking advantage of players who are looking to gamble with their stacks early on. What this means though is that you’re going to have to wait for big hands and sidestep a number of all-ins, getting lucky until you have enough chips to play standard poker. That’s because a lot of players will be calling you very light, and often with complete trash. These players are using another common rebuy strategy: gambling like crazy in an attempt to build up a big stack early on. Their plan is to ship it in whenever they see an edge or a decent chance to double up, rebuying up to dozens of times if their initial efforts fail. Alternatively, you can take the middle path, loosening up your range but not turning into a complete maniac. This approach often involves trying to see a lot of flops with hands that can improve to monsters. You might normally bin hands like 8-J in the opening stages of a regular tourney, but if you’re on a passive table and there are lots of family pots with excellent implied odds for drawing, it’s worth getting involved. Always keep one eye on your stack though. Starting off with a smaller number of chips gives you far fewer options for calling along and hoping to hit. Whatever you plan, try to peg the ultra-aggressive players early on. This won’t be hard. They will be moving all-in over any raise or group of limpers, and they’ll have no shame gambling with the likes of 8-5. If you’ve got any such players at your table and they’re still to act, the value of limping or trying to get in a pot with a speculative hand is next to nil.

With an average player rebuying once and adding on once, the prizepool usually ends up around three times as big as a standard freezeout

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T O U R N A M E N T

S T R A T E G Y

HUGH THRELFALL

M U L T I - T O U R N A M E N T

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You also need to adjust your game in terms of bluffing. Bluffing in a rebuy period is generally futile, unless you’re facing someone who’s clearly playing tight and looking to eke out a stack. The trouble with playing a conservative game in rebuys is that it’s not a lot of fun. You’ll need to get lucky early on and have your hands hold up. For that reason, most players who enter rebuys to play tight still keep enough money for one or two extra buy-ins and an add-on if required. This gives you a couple of chances in the tournament and although you’ll still need to pick and choose your spots, you’ll have more flexibility to play.

GOING CRAZY

Of course, if you’re just out for a good time, you can join the ranks of crazy gamblers and come armed with enough money to rebuy five, six or more times! This might be a lot of fun, especially if the cards go your way, but we’d advise against it unless you’re a rebuy veteran. That’s because the maths dictate that if you rebuy a lot of times, you’re going to need to finish deep into the tournament, and possibly on the final table, just to break even. Most gambling players in a rebuy are looking to buy a big stack when the freezeout period starts, which they can use to bully their way to the final table and hopefully victory. If you do decide to go the crazy gambling route, remember that you don’t have to play this way through the entire rebuy period. The idea is to accumulate chips, so if you get a stack six or seven times your starting stack you can slow down, start playing tight and reap the rewards from people who still think you’re playing like a maniac. You’ve achieved your goal – to get a big stack – so there’s no point throwing it away. Whichever route you take, remember to keep an eye on the clock, because as the rebuy period comes to an end almost every short stack will be looking to double up or lose their chips, thus enabling them to rebuy. People will be pushing

with almost anything, which means you can choose to either sit tight and preserve the stack you’ve accumulated, or pick off shoves in position with a much wider calling range.

FREEZEOUT

Once the rebuy period is over you can usually elect to add on. Every player can do this regardless of stack size; whether or not you should depends on how many chips you’ve got. It might be tempting to get another 2,000 chips for a minimal outlay, but if you’ve got a stack of 20,000 it’s pointless. We would advise you not to bother if the add-on represents less than a fifth of your stack. Once the freezeout period has started, check your chipstack again. Your aim should be to start the freezeout period with at least three times the chips that you started with, which should give you an average stack to play with. If you’re way under this target you’re going to need to start pushing in while you’ve still got enough chips to knock people off their hands. If you make it with six times the chips then you’re doing well and can now sit and wait for hands and make the odd well-timed bluff or steal (these will now be possible, but pick your moment and player). The great thing about rebuys is that once the freezeout period starts, you’ll find a lot of players who forget to adjust their game. Despite having chips, they will still be operating on an ultraaggressive raise/push strategy, which is entirely unsuited to a freezeout. Try to make sure you’re in position to take their chips – they won’t last long in the tournament. Once they’ve gone, the rest of the tournament to the final table is real poker. Don’t be one of the players who can’t adjust to the change in pace, but do take advantage of the situation if you’ve managed to build up a big stack. Above all take time to make decisions, play a solid game with measured aggression and – bad beats aside – you should make it to the final stages.

TRIPLE TROUBLE

Common rebuy strategies There are three distinct types of player in a rebuy tournament – which one are you?

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THE SKINFLINT >

You want to play for a big prize but you don’t want to put your hand in your pocket. You may be limiting your chances of building a stack for the freezeout period, but you’re willing to be patient and pick your spots, hoping to capitalise on the maniacs. HOW YOU PLAY: You play big pairs and big Aces and you play them very aggressively, committing yourself pre-flop if possible. PROBLEMS: You’ll quickly be pegged as tight and people will be less willing to gamble with you. Plus you’ve only got a limited amount of time to pick up the premium cards you need to get your chips in. ADVISABLE IF: You’re on a really tight budget.

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THE SOLID PLAYER >

You don’t mind taking a few chances but you don’t want to go crazy. You’ll limit yourself to two or three rebuys, and unless you get put on tilt you’ll leave the tournament as soon as you hit your budget. HOW YOU PLAY: You love suited connectors, or indeed any hand with potential where you can see a flop for five big blinds or less. If you hit big on the flop or get a big draw you’re willing to get all your chips in and if you lose you can rebuy. PROBLEMS: You’re still playing a very predictable game and there are no guarantees you’re going to build a big stack despite a willingness to rebuy. ADVISABLE IF: You want to play a sensible game and maximise your investment.

Rebuys are fun tournaments but you need to set a budget in your mind before you start playing and stick to it, even if you get consistently unlucky. If you normally play $20 tournaments, you should consider dropping down to $10 or even $5 rebuys, to give yourself a chance to rebuy chips without playing above your means.

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S T R A T E G Y

KEY POINT

T O U R N A M E N T

If you you’re a maniac, what starts as a cheap rebuy sta eve event can turn rather expensive. In the 2006 World Series of Poker, top pro Daniel Negreanu made a total of 48 rebuys reb in the $1,000 no-limit noevent. He was at attempting to buy himself a big stack to take into the freezeout part of the tournament to give him a good chance of winning a bracelet, but it backfired and ended up costing him nearly $50,000. That meant he needed to finish eighth just to break even, but unfortunately he ended up busting outside of the money!

M U L T I - T O U R N A M E N T

DID YOU KNOW?

THE MANIAC >

You’re willing to gamble with any half-decent hand and capitalise on any sign of weakness. If you get called and lose the hand you’ll just reach deep into your pockets and buy some more chips – that’s why it’s called a rebuy, right? HOW YOU PLAY: Pre-flop you’ll play any pair, any Ace, any paint cards, and you’re willing to get all your chips in if you hit even a tiny piece of the flop. PROBLEMS: It could prove very expensive and you might end up needing to final-table the tournament just to break even. ADVISABLE IF: You are playing for fun at a level you can afford – or you hate money.


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T O U R N A M E N T

You don’t need a big bankroll to play with the biggest pros for millions of dollars – you just need to master the art of satellite tournaments


S T R A T E G Y

BEATING SATELLITES

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ATELLITES ARE TOURNAMENTS which reward a certain number of people with a seat in a bigger buy-in event, and it’s no exaggeration to say they have changed the face of poker forever. Think of them as a sort of pyramid scheme. At the bottom you’ve got the ultra-cheap buy-ins with thousands of people, all paying for a few hundred places one rung up the ladder. Further up you’ve got the more expensive buy-ins, with a much smaller field and direct entry into the big money tourney. Eventually, you’re left with one winner, who cops the lion’s share of everyone’s cash. Satellites give you the opportunity to be that winner, and all for a few dollars initial entry. Unlike standard tournaments, there’s no sliding pay scale. Everyone who ‘wins’ a satellite gets exactly the same prize, so if you’re playing in a 500-man satellite tournament and 50 players win a seat, it doesn’t matter whether you are chip leader or sitting on one chip when the 51st player goes out – you’re still a winner. Tactics in satellites are very different from a standard freezeout tournament, for the simple reason that you’re not playing for first place. There are winner-takes-all satellites, but most of the time there are a number of seats up for grabs and you should adjust your play accordingly.

REGULAR SATELLITES

The most common satellites reward the top 10% of finishers, so if 100 people play, you have to finish in the top ten to win. The key here is to play your normal game. Don’t go risking three-quarters of your stack with A-K. Steal the blinds from the players you can steal from. Play your big pairs aggressively. Race in situations where your opponent’s stack only represents a small percentage of yours. Try to play a lot of small pots and only play big pots when you know you have the best of it. Let’s look at two example scenarios when holding A-K. In each case, there are 100 players left with the top 20 winning seats. You have an above average stack of 50,000 and the blinds are 500/1,000. You are in the big blind.

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SCENARIO 1 A short-stack has moved all-in for 9,000. Everyone else has folded. This is a perfect situation to play with A-K and you should call. SCENARIO 2 An early position player with a 60,000 stack has raised to 3,000. A middle position player has moved all-in for 30,000. In a conventional MTT, you can make a case for playing A-K here. However, in a satellite this is a situation you should probably avoid. While there is a chance you are ahead, the fact that the call is for more than half your stack – as well as the fact that you still have the open-raiser to act behind you – make this a clear fold. Remember that your aim, above all else, is to keep your chip stack around the average. If you manage this then you’ll coast through the bubble. If you

Steal the blinds from the players you can steal from. Play your big pairs aggressively. Try to play a lot of small pots and only play big pots when you know you have the best of it

MONEY MATTERS

Making the most from your money… Don’t just launch yourself into the first satellite you see. Make sure you sort out the practicalities first If you’ve set your mind on qualifying for a big tournament, ask yourself how much money you are willing to spend to try to qualify, given that you might, just might, not succeed the first time? If there are a few satellites between you and the end tournament, can you afford to buy yourself in one rung up to give yourself a better shot of qualifying? It goes without saying that you should always stick to a cut-off budget. There’s no point playing so many satellites that you could have bought yourself into the actual tournament you’re trying to qualify for direct.


T O U R N A M E N T

S T R A T E G Y

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manage to get hold of a big stack by picking up cards then you can tighten up and prey on the weaker players, especially when you get towards the bubble.

LOW BUY-IN AND WINNER-TAKES ALL

There are satellites with only one prize up for grabs, or a relatively small number compared to the field. If you enter one of these you’ll need to play differently again. In both, but especially in winner-takes-all tournaments, it’s critical to build a big stack early on. Don’t be scared to get into confrontations and if you do manage to build a stack you need to use it to bully the other players and keep your momentum going. The good news is that in the low buy-in satellites you’re going to find a bulk of very weak players who are just making up the numbers. These are the players to target and the ones who are hopefully going to build your stack up to a size that will let you play solid poker through to the bubble. The best tactic to adopt at the start of low buy-in satellites is to see as many cheap flops as possible. Weak players are unlikely to be able to drop top-pair hands and will enable you to double through if you manage to flop two pair or better. Winning a satellite like this, where the numbers are against you, is a lot harder than a regular satellite. However, the rewards are much greater and as the buy-in is generally a lot lower you can afford to loosen up and gamble. Be prepared to get your money in with big draws, show people that you’re not going to be pushed around and target weak players who are folding too much. After the first hour a lot of the weaker players will have been knocked out and the blinds will be up to the level where seeing cheap flops isn’t really an option. This is the time to evaluate your stack and push through to the bubble by playing solid poker. An hour of play should also be enough to mark out which players you want to tangle with and which are better left alone.

THE SHARKPOOL!

Satellites can be a tough training ground and you need to watch out for the sharks A lot of people play satellites as a means to an end, for a shot at a much bigger tournament. Others find that their game is just well suited to the particular rigours of satellite play and find satellites much more profitable than regular MTTs. The straight payout of around 10% of the field means that strong players have a much bigger edge and it reduces the variance that regular tournaments and their steep payout structures provide. For that reason, if you cash in a satellite a lot of online sites let you either play the next tournament up, or cash in your ticket for cash to add to your bankroll. The upside of this is that it offers you complete flexibility, but it does mean that a lot of good players circulate in the satellite pool looking to prey on weaker players taking a shot upwards. This won’t happen at the lower level where the prize payouts are relatively small, but

you can expect the fields to get significantly tougher as you move up. Don’t let this put you off taking a shot though. The experience you will gain from playing above your means and with better players is invaluable, and worth much more than the price of the tournament buy-in.

ON THE BUBBLE

The period approaching the bubble is an absolutely critical point of any satellite. You’re not just playing for a small cash if you break the bubble, but a shared first prize. Thankfully, it’s extremely easy to make the right decisions and avoid serious mistakes. Remember that your goal is simple: outlast other players. Let the other players make the mistakes and don’t put your life on the line needlessly. Here’s a good example of something you should never consider doing. It’s folded to

SATELLITE MAN

Satellites were invented back in the 1970s by a man called Eric Drache who was then tournament director of the World Series of Poker. He was looking for a way to increase numbers in the $10,000 buy-in main event, when only the very richest players could afford to enter, and hit on a novel concept. He got ten players to put up $1,000 each and got them to play winner-takes-all for entry into the tournament.

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From these humble beginnings the satellite has become the dream-maker, offering amateur players without a big bankroll the opportunity to play in the world’s biggest tournaments for an initial outlay of a few dollars. This hit home when Chris Moneymaker, an accountant, qualified for the 2003 WSOP main event for $40 online. He went on to defeat old-school player Sammy Farha in an infamous heads-up

confrontation and won the $2.5 million first prize. In 2003, the WSOP main event was contested by 839 players. Just three years later, thanks to Moneymaker and the satellite craze, 8,773 players rolled up to make the 2006 main event the biggest live tournament of all time. Jamie Gold eventually won the staggering first prize of $12 million.

IMPDI FOR WSOP

Meet the man who invented the satellite and made poker the people’s game

BE THE WORLD CHAMP!

Poker is a game where dreams can come true…

S T R A T E G Y

While open-shoving with A-9 on the button with 12 big blinds is often a no-brainer in a conventional tournament, it’s not an option here

T O U R N A M E N T

Some say that satellites have made the World Series of Poker main event too popular. With a field of up to 8,000 players, it’s by far the world’s biggest poker tournament, but it’s still also the tournament that every poker player wants to win, and it guarantees the winner a place in poker history as well as fame and fortune. It’s also the tournament that’s worth playing in just for the experience. Every poker player should harbour an ambition to play in the main event once, so set aside a small chunk of cash and a weekend to try to win yourself a seat to the 2010 WSOP. You never know, this year it might just be you that comes home with the gold bracelet and the millions of dollars in prize money.


the button who has 12 times the big blind. The tournament is three spots from ending and the button has more chips than eight of the remaining players. The blinds have about the same size stack as the button. The button looks down at A-9 and decides to try to pick up the dead money knowing they will fold nine times out of ten. He moves all-in, runs into pocket Kings and is eliminated. Unlike a tournament, chip accumulation during the bubble is not crucial – survival is. While openshoving with A-9 on the button with 12 big blinds is often a no-brainer in a conventional tournament, it’s not an option here. You could even look at a more extreme example. You’re second in chips with 32 players left and 30 get paid. You get Aces in the big blind and the chip leader in the small blind openshoves on you. Yes you’ve got the best hand, but the correct move here is to fold. If you fold you’ll win a seat 99.95% of the time just by folding every hand. Call with Aces and you’ve probably got a 15-25% shot of going out. The key on the bubble is to look at your chip position and compare it to the other players. If you are in a comfortable chip position, there is no need to get involved with all but the best of hands and only against stacks that can’t cripple you. If you have an average stack but are above the threshold needed to win the seat, again there is no reason to get involved, although it’s important to keep an eye on the bubble as the tournament moves on. With blinds very high at this point, and most hands getting decided pre-flop with shoves and folds, the button will move around the table very quickly and you can find yourself being whittled down from a position of relative comfort to being in danger. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself get to the position of playing the short-stack if you can avoid it.

Everyone will be gunning for you and if you let your chips run down too far you’ll find that your small shoves will be called by two, three or four people, in the knowledge that collectively they’ve got a very good chance of knocking you out. The bottom line is that if you are in danger of being eliminated, or moving to a position where you might be eliminated, you can’t be afraid to play hands and getting your chips in first is key. If you aren’t in danger, let other players panic and make the mistakes. Trust us, they will.


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CASH GAMES


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S T R A T E G Y G A M E C A S H

t a e b o t How CASH GAMES Cash games are arguably the most lucrative, exciting and difficult form of poker. So follow this crash course in how to win big in ring games…

KEY POINT Cash games are about playing good hands from good positions and not trying to get too creative all the time. If you can be disciplined and not play too many hands you will beat most low-level games.

TOP TIP If you have a small pair you can usually call a pre-flop raise for anything less than 10% of your opponent’s stack with the hope of hitting a set on the flop. If you don’t make a set you should normally fold.

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P

OKER IS A GAME OF DECEPTION and audacious bluffs. It requires the skilled practitioner to be unpredictable – to outmanoeuvre opponents, set traps and sidestep haz hazards. But these bluffs can often go wrong, and in a tournament this can be frustrating as one mistake can mean you are out. Thankfully there the are also cash games where you can really let your creative nature loose. Cash games are arguably the hardest poker discipline to master because there is no hiding pla place. If you or your opponents go bust you can simply reload and start again. The only time you need to stop is when you run out of money, alt although it’s good common sense to stop a long tim before that. Unlike in a tournament, the time bli blinds remain at fixed stakes throughout the gam meaning there’s always a level playing game, fie field. As such it is frequently a game of waiting for other people to make mistakes.

Once you have a good grounding in them, full-ring (nine or ten-handed) no-limit cash games are considered to be one of the best ways of making a solid living from poker, not least because they are the most prevalent form of poker found in casinos. If you’re an online player, it also makes a lot of sense to play full-ring games as you can play on multiple tables with relative ease and make your decisions based on the action rather than just what cards you have. The nature of cash games, with their fixed blinds and the ability to reload, also makes them the form of poker where luck has the least effect on the long-term result. You can afford to take mathematically-sound risks because you are playing a long-term game. That is what cash games are – one long game that only ends when you want it to. It’s poker at its most pure. But before you can start dreaming about all the fancy plays you’re going to make, it’s crucial that you know the fundamentals of cash game poker.

S T R A T E G Y

The stakes in a poker cash game are determined by the size of the blinds. All levels are catered for at online sites like PKR.com, from play-money and microstakes right up to ‘nosebleed’ stakes

G A M E

Find your level

C A S H

CASH GAMES

This is a low-stakes game where the blinds are $0.05 for the small blind and $0.10 for the big blind. The maximum, and most common buy-in is $10, but you can buy in for as little as $2. It is a great game for beginners to start off with online.

FULL-RING CASH GAMES

Playing nine- and ten-handed Full-ring cash games are characterised by three main traits… They involve either nine or ten players as opposed to short-handed where it’s six or less. There is no schedule to the games – they start as soon as there are enough players in the game. When the tables become full there is usually a waiting list for a seat.

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There is always a minimum and maximum buy-in amount. The minimum is usually around 20 times the big blind, while the

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maximum can be 100 times the big blind. So, at a $0.25/$0.50 table, the minimum buy-in would be $10, while the max would be $50. You can leave whenever you want and you can buy more chips at any time. The only time you are ‘out’ is when you run out of money, although it’s advisable to stick to a stop-loss limit of 3-4 buy-ins. If you’ve stacked off three times it may be a good idea to quit.

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There are five basic concepts that you must know and understand even before you sit down to play.

MANAGEMENT 1 BANKROLL Okay, this might not seem like a very

exciting topic to kick off with but you simply can’t ignore it. Good bankroll management means two things. First, keeping your poker money – aka your ‘bankroll’ – separate from your normal day-to-day money. And second, always playing within your limits at a level that can withstand the natural swings of the game. The bottom line is this: if you’re playing at a higher limit than your bankroll can sustain you stand a good chance of going broke. Even if you’re a good, winning player, bad luck will make you tilt, blow up and generally have a torrid time at the tables. As such, in no-limit hold’em cash games you should never risk more than 5% of your bankroll at any one time. In

Full-ring (nine or ten-handed) no-limit cash games are considered to be one of the best ways of making a solid living from poker

Do this

Only put money in poker ba to your nkroll th at comfort ably affo you can rd to los if you go e bus above yo t. Playing ur limit is a seriously bad idea

The $0.25/$0.50 level is probably the lowest one where the vast majority of players will still be recreational, as opposed to playing poker for a living. You can buy in for anything from $10 to $50. It is also the lowest level cash game you will typically find in a live casino or poker room.

The $1/$2 level is where poker starts to become serious. Here you can buy in for $200 at a time and it’s easy to see how you can quickly win or lose a lot of money. Be warned, online you will find a lot of very skilled players playing at this level!


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other words make sure you have 20 buy-ins for the level you’re playing at. This figure assumes a decent win rate (something like five big blinds per 100 hands) and a normal standard deviation in the game. If your eyes just glazed over, don’t panic. Just understand that minimising your buy-ins to this level will give you the optimal balance between staking enough to grow your bankroll and preventing yourself from going broke. These are relatively conservative guidelines but they will give you good protection against going bust. This system does not mean you will inexorably build your bankroll. If you’re a winning player your edge should yield you a profit in the long-term, but there will always be ups and downs. Crucially, you must be prepared to drop down in limits if you encounter a sustained losing run. This of course takes discipline and requires you to leave your pride at the door, but many a poker player has gone bust because of ego. Downswings are a natural part of the game and some of the best in the world have had to drop down in limits for a time on their way to the top.

You must be prepared to drop down in limits if you encounter a sustained losing run. Of course this takes discipline

KEY POINT The ability to drop down in limits is a vital one. If you have $2,000 and are playing $0.50/$1 no-limit but have a losing run that sees your bankroll fall to just over 10 buy-ins, you should seriously consider dropping down in limits. Your $1,000 will see you adequately rolled for $0.25/$0.50 no-limit.

Avoid calling in the blinds with weak hands just because you’ve already committed some money. It may seem like a cheap way to see a flop, but you’ll have to play the entire hand out of position – and without committing more chips you’ll have little idea as to the strength of your opponents’ cards. Many fortunes have been lost this way.

2 POSITION The power of position in no-limit hold’em

cannot be overstated. It’s hard to quantify the advantage that acting behind an opponent gives you, but to put some perspective on it poker legend Doyle Brunson says, ‘If you give me the button every hand I can beat almost any game blind.’ Normally you should only enter the pot in early position with premium hands – which is essentially big pairs and A-K. Mucking A-Q up front is usually right in a full-ring game. In a deep-stacked game which is relatively passive before the flop, limping with smaller pocket pairs can also be profitable. Get used to mucking a huge amount of hands in the first three spots. As you move around the table you can open up your range far more. The later your position the greater your chance of being able to play the hand in position on future streets. We’ll come to this in more detail later on but for now let’s look at why you should play only premium hands from early and middle position and avoid cold-calling when there are still many players to act after you. The earlier the position you enter the hand from, the more likely it is that you will be stuck out of position for the rest of the hand. That puts you at a huge disadvantage as you’ll be forced to make decisions before your opponents. The closer to the button you are in the hand the later you act on each street and the more information you’ll receive about your opponents’ hands.

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ODDS 3 POT Playing solid poker is not about pulling

this Don’t do ! Limping in

p Don’t lim e blinds calling th (i.e. flat- terrible habit to g ) is a pre-flop or foldin . Raising to in uch m get s y a y alw are nearl options better

off complex multi-street bluffs – it’s about calling when you have the correct odds to do so, folding when you don’t, and getting other players to call when they shouldn’t. It’s important to play a mathematically sound game, and for that you need to understand pot odds. In many marginal spots they are indispensable, such as when you are deciding whether or not to call with a drawing hand. If you do nothing else, learn how to work out rough pot odds and start using them. On the flop, count the number of outs you think you have to make the winning hand and multiply that number by four. This will give you the rough percentage chance of hitting your hand on the turn or river. On the turn, do the same but multiply your outs by two to get the odds. So, for example, if you have 10:-J… on an 8Ú-9:-A; flop you have four sevens and four Queens to make your straight or eight outs. So, multiplying 8 by 4 equals a 32% chance of winning. Some key numbers to keep in mind are nine outs for a flush draw, eight outs for an open-ended straight draw and four outs for a gutshot straight draw.

C A S H G A M E S T R A T E G Y

ODDS 4 IMPLIED Another important concept in cash play is

‘implied odds’. Often in cash games the blinds are tiny compared to players’ stacks. This means you can play a lot of hands pre-flop that stand to win a big pot if you hit. You’re investing a little now for the ‘implied’ value of making a lot later. Specifically this means that suited, connecting hands (such as 8;-7; or A:-10: ) and small pairs often have a lot of value in cash games. You are hoping to hit a straight or flush and get paid off by a player with a big pair. In an unraised pot you should be playing these hands – although don’t get too carried away when you’re out of position. It’s also possible to play these hands in a raised pot. Proceed with caution though – to get the implied odds both you and your opponent(s) must have deep stacks (committing no more than 5% of your stack pre-flop is a good rule of thumb) and it’s best if your foes are tight players.

LESS, WIN MORE 5 BLUFF When you first start playing poker it’s easy

to think the game is about bluffing and spotting tells – after all, that’s what it’s about on TV, right? Wrong. TV highlights tend to focus on the monster pots and audacious bluffs, making it appear that players bluff a lot more than they do. Bluffing should be just one weapon in your arsenal, and when you do bluff you should have a good reason for it. You need to gauge the situation carefully, weighing up factors such as your table image and whether or not your bets tell a believable story.

PRE AND POST-FLOP PLAY

With those basic concepts in place it’s now time to look at some specifics relating to play before and after the flop. The strategic ideas here are very different from those used in tournaments. Concepts such as stealing the blinds, squeezing and protecting your tournament life, for example, have little or no relevance to cash play, while an ability to play every street is crucial.

PRE-FLOP PLAY

Like every other part of a poker game, pre-flop play in a cash game is a situational concept. The correct play will change according to your table, the players in the pot, stack sizes, your table image and so on. With that in mind, when we recommend playing a particular hand bear in mind that this is a ‘standard’ play to give you a starting point in cash games. The most important thing is to grasp the factors that affect whether and how you enter a pot. If someone else has entered the pot before you with a raise you need to play far, far tighter. They’re stating they have a good hand, so you need to have a serious hand to play. But to balance this slightly you do have position over the opening raiser.

KEY POINT The most effective raise pre-flop is either 3x or 4x the big blind. So in a $0.25/$0.50 game you would make your bet between $1.50 and $2 if you had a playable hand and fold otherwise. When raising pre-flop you should always bet the same amount – no matter what cards you hold – to disguise the strength of your hand.

TOP TIP If there have already been several limpers (people calling the big blind) before you and you want to raise, add those bets to your pre-flop bet size. So if there have been three limpers in a $0.10/$0.20 game, rather than bet $0.80 you might raise to $1.40.

HAND SELECTION

You may have read that in poker you should play the man and not the cards. Well, that’s true up to a point, but it doesn’t mean you should start ignoring the strength of your hole cards and get up in arms when ‘some fish’ doesn’t put you on THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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STARTING HAND GUIDE EARLY POSITION

PLAY 10-10, J-J, Q-Q, K-K, A-A, A-K, A-Q FOLD All other hands RE-RAISE Q-Q, K-K, A-A, A-K and A-Q

MID POSITION

PLAY All early position hands plus A-J, K-Q, 9-9, 8-8 and 7-7. A-10, K-J, Q-J, J-10 and 9-10 (suited) FOLD All other hands RE-RAISE J-J, Q-Q, K-K, A-A, A-K and A-Q

CUTOFF SEAT

PLAY All mid position hands plus all pairs FOLD All other hands RE-RAISE 10-10, J-J, Q-Q, K-K, A-A, A-K, A-Q

BUTTON

PLAY All cutoff hands plus K-J, K-10, Q-10, K-9, Q-9, A-x suited and high suited connectors (8…-7…+) FOLD All other hands RE-RAISE 10-10, J-J, Q-Q, K-K, A-A, A-K, A-Q, 10-J, K-Q

KEY POINT How much should you bet post-flop? Well the best idea is to bet the same amount every time you get involved. If nobody has bet before you then you should bet two-thirds of the pot. So if you were playing $0.50/$1 and you got two callers pre-flop, the pot on the flop might be around $9. In this case you should bet around $6.

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the big hand you’re trying to represent. Wouldn’t it be better if you just showed down a big hand instead and still had opponents call down your big bets? You don’t have to go as far as only playing Jacks or better, but if you stick to a solid range of starting hands including pairs, big Aces and the occasional suited connector, you will hit flops, out-kick other players’ bad Aces and take down some juicy pots. At the lower levels this is often all you need to post a regular profit.

PLAYING PAIRS

You should look to re-raise with big pairs most of the time. Bear in mind that there’s a big difference between A-A/K-K and Q-Q. You should almost always re-raise with Aces and Kings, but Queens are a more marginal hand that you should mix up with calls and re-raises. With hands like A-K, A-Q suited, J-J, 10-10 and 9-9, you should usually just call, but an occasional re-raise is good to mix up your play. It’s not simply a matter of what action there’s been but also who has made that action. For example, if a better player than you with a bigger stack than you has entered the pot, that should make you much less inclined to play. Conversely, if a weak player who calls far too much has opened the action, you should loosen your starting hand requirements considerably.

WHY RAISE?

If you’re going to raise pre-flop be clear why you’re doing it. Often you’ll be raising for value – investing money when you think you have the best hand. But that’s not the only reason to do it. Raising to steal the blinds has very little value in a cash game as the blinds are only a tiny fraction

of the stacks. In fact limping in late position or on the button (while not a good habit to get into) is a legitimate play if you’re better than the blinds and want to play a hand with them in position.

BET SIZING

There are two schools of thought regarding how big your pre-flop raises should be. One is to raise the same amount no matter what your hand is, to prevent giving away any information. The second is that you should vary your raise, making bigger raises when you want to build a big pot and keeping it small at other times. We’d recommend that until you have a good understanding of how the various situational factors affect your pre-flop decisions you make a standard open-raise of three or four times the big blind, giving minimal information on your hand. The exceptions are when there are limpers in the pot already, in which case you should raise it up slightly more. If you’re not sure how much to bet, a normal figure is anywhere between half-pot and full-pot.

POST-FLOP PLAY

Once the flop is dealt you are playing real poker. This is where the game becomes a complex battle of assessing your opponents’ holdings. Most players at the lower limits make the mistake of only thinking of their own hand strength, but you should be playing close attention to the flop and how it may have helped other players’ hands. A flop which contains lots of connected cards or cards of the same suit may present dangers to your pocket Jacks. However, if you hold A-K on a AÚ-8;-2… flop you can bet out safe in the

Continuation bets are among of the most important tools at your disposal when learning to play cash games. Continuation-betting is following up a pre-flop raise with a bet on the flop. This continuation of your pre-flop aggression will often be enough to take down a pot if there is just one other player remaining, as the flop will miss most hands. Aim to make less your bets around two-thirds of the pot regardless of whether your hand has improved or not. Aim to continuation-bet around 80% of the time, but be wary of overdoing it in multi-way pots. Always k Someone will have caught a piece of the flop! are tryin now what you

Continuation betting There’s no need to get fancy – basic moves such as continuation betting and using position are simple and effective

S T R A T E G Y

If you have a very good hand such as three of a kind and someone bets, you should re-raise to a number at least two and a half times their bet. So, if they bet $6 you should raise to $15. If they re-raise you back you should usually just go all-in.

G A M E

A CONTINUING THEME

WALKTHROUGH

TOP TIP

C A S H

knowledge you likely have the best hand. What you need to learn to recognise is relative hand strength. How strong is your hand in relation to what the best possible hand is on the flop? From there you can decide if you are betting for value or to make other players fold. You should always have a clear plan in mind post-flop as this is when the betting starts to get much more expensive.

Do this

PLAYING THE PLAYERS

But what if your continuation bet is called, or even raised? At the lower limits, by calling and your bet your opponent is telling you their hand has improved, whether they have made a pair, ed two-pair or just a draw. This is where you need nts to pay attention to what hands your opponents ype have shown down previously. Are they the type to chase their draws? Or will they call with middling pairs? Every player is different and there are no hard and fast rules. Observation is key to being a winning cash game player.

g to ach ieve whe making n a bet or raise. Sa in your h y ead whe th a bluff o r a value er it’s bet and what yo u wan opponen t your t to do

You should always have a clear plan in mind post-flop as this is when the betting starts to get much more expensive

You are in a $0.10/$0.20 cash game on PKR.com and you open the betting action with a raise to $0.80 with K-Q offsuit. You’re called by the big blind, making the pot $1.70.

1

2

The flop comes A-2-3 with two diamonds. The big blind checks to you.

Here you should usually c-bet somewhere between $0.90-$1.40. You’re representing the Ace, and if they don’t have it you’ll often win.

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POST-FLOP ODDS CHART TURN

RIVER

DRAW TYPE

17% 32% 35% 54%

9% 17% 19% 33%

Gutshot straight draw (e.g. J:-10… on a flop of QÚ-8;-7…) Open-ended straight draw (e.g. J:-10… on a flop of QÚ-9;-2…) Flush draw (e.g. A:-10: on a flop of K:-7:-2…) Flush and open-ended straight draw (e.g. K:-Q: on a flop of 10:-J…-4:)


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ASSESSING THE TABLE

You may have heard the saying (in Rounders if nowhere else), ‘If you don’t know who the sucker is at your table, it’s you.’ There is a lot of truth to this and you shouldn’t just blindly sit in the first game you find and start throwing chips around. Your first mission when you join a cash table is to assess the game you’re putting your money at stake in. You need to know what type of table it is, how the individuals are playing and, critically, where your profit is coming from. You need to gather this information as quickly as possible. If you’re waiting to sit down or for the big blind to come round, observe the game carefully, even if you’ve played with the players before. You can’t afford to make assumptions, as they might be playing differently from normal depending on how their session is going.

PLAYER TYPES Your first mission is to assess the game you’re putting your money in. You need to know what type of table it is and where your profit is coming from 92


In order to get a handle on how to vary your play against different opponents we’re going to look at some player ‘types’. Remember, this is to help you make decisions against different players, but you should try not to think in generic groups, rather in terms of the individuals you’re playing. We’ll assess playing types on two different scales: looseness and aggression. It’s important to understand the difference between the two. Looseness is how many hands a player is willing to get involved with – the fewer they play the tighter they are. Aggression is how often they tend to bet and raise rather than check and call. There is no necessary correlation between the two, and often it is how aggressively an opponent plays that is the more important factor.

(TAG) 1 TIGHT-AGGRESSIVE There was a time when a tight-aggressive

style was the way all good players sought to play, and the truth is, for many it’s still the optimal approach. This style involves playing quality hands with a slightly wider range in position. It also involves playing those hands aggressively, looking to have the lead in the hand pre-flop by raising or re-raising, and keeping the lead after the flop by making continuation bets. This style is often employed by players who multi-table and are possibly earning a living from the game. STRENGTHS It is generally tough to exploit a good tight-aggressive player. They continually put pressure on their opponents but play enough quality hands to make it hard to know when you can take them on. WEAKNESSES Sometimes TAG players become predictable and end up playing on autopilot. For example, they tend to continuation-bet too frequently and play poorly when check-raised. Poorer tight-aggressive players sometimes lose their aggression on later streets and fail to extract enough value on the turn and river. COUNTER-STRATEGY TAGs’ biggest weakness is that they can be predictable in terms of which hands they will play in which positions and you can look to exploit this.

(LAG) 2 LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE This type of player will get involved in a lot

of pots and play their hands very aggressively. This style has been extremely popular in poker over the last few years, but when you’re up against a loose-aggressive player it’s crucial to

G A M E S T R A T E G Y

COUNTER-STRATEGY You should be looking to bully this kind of weak opponent. They fold too much and will very rarely make big bluffs or get their stack in the pot with anything less than a premium hand. Make sure you give them every opportunity to make a big fold by representing the monster hand they’re already afraid of.

C A S H

WEAKNESSES Tight-passives usually play in a predictable style and are probably the easiest opponents to put on a hand. For instance, if they raise under the gun they’re highly likely to have a premium hand. If they call a bet on the flop and then make a big check-raise on the turn, they almost always have a strong made hand rather than being on a draw or bluff.

4 LOOSE-PASSIVE (CALLING STATIONS)

discern how competently your opponent is playing this style. The key to figuring this out is how they play the big pots. Are they making reckless bluffs in big pots or trapping people when they have the goods? STRENGTHS Playing against a good looseaggressive player can be extremely tough. They will put huge pressure on you, sometimes betting all three streets with very little and then turning up with a big hand the time you decide to call.

this Don’t do nnoyed with

ta Don’t ge e players. Even ssiv n a p , k a e ck out o w y will su e th re h a g y u e tho , th sionally r as you occa nd butte a d a re b r e your y la gp a winnin

(TIGHT/WEAK) 3 TIGHT-PASSIVE These types of players look to wait for

premium hands, but when they get them don’t play them aggressively enough. When they meet resistance in a hand they often either fold or become defensive, checking and calling instead of betting. This type of player may believe they’re playing tight-aggressive when actually they’re playing in a highly exploitable way. STRENGTHS These opponents are still playing good cards in the main and it’s going to be tough to get them to fold a big pair or top pair when there’s nothing you can credibly represent.

STRENGTHS If one of these players has a run of cards it can be very frustrating as they’re basically playing showdown poker, which means you need to have a hand to beat them. WEAKNESSES This is a losing style, which involves rarely taking the lead in hands and calling far too often with substandard hands. COUNTER STRATEGY Extracting maximum value from these opponents is absolutely vital to playing winning poker. They call too much, so make them pay for their mistakes. Have the discipline to wait for a hand, and then, when you have the goods, bet big and often.

WEAKNESSES The LAG style is extremely difficult to execute well as it involves entering pots with poorer hands and making far more marginal decisions on later streets. COUNTER-STRATEGY It’s vital to widen your calling range when playing against a LAG. They are playing and betting substandard hands, so if you want to fully exploit them it’s important to be prepared to call them with weaker hands than you would an average player.

It’s basically impossible to play winning poker if you play a lot of hands passively, but these guys try. They love to limp and flat-call from all positions pre-flop, then after the flop they will check-fold or check-call, often calling along if they catch any part of the flop. They are classic donkeys and in the long run you will make much of your profit from this type of player. It’s important to adjust your game significantly against calling stations. Time and again, even at the higher levels, it’s possible to witness good players trying to bluff loose-passive players.

HOW TO ASSESS THE GAME Taking stock of your table

There are three main ways to assess the game you’re in… The best piece of information is the cards revealed at showdown. Replay the hand in your head and see if it tells you anything about the players. Are they playing too many hands? Are they missing bets or calling too easily? Are they bluffing and playing very trickily?

1

A good way to assess how well you’re reading players is to try to ‘call’ their hands to yourself before they’re revealed. If you think someone has A-A and he shows 8-3

2

you may have a problem reading that player! You should also quickly get a flavour for how many players are seeing the flop and how much pre-flop raising there is in the game – i.e. how loose and aggressive your opponents are. Take a careful mental note of how much money the players have in front of them. Stack size is a fundamental consideration in most cash game decisions and you must know what you stand to win from (or lose to) each player.

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S T R A T E G Y C A S H

G A M E

With any marginal hand, it’s important not to get caught up in the ‘call because they are suited’ syndrome

PRE-FLOP DANGERS

Some of the most costly mistakes in no-limit cash games are made pre-flop. Here we look at some dangerous hands to watch out for and how to adjust to short-handed play

K-J, K-10, A-10

With these hands you will never know where you stand on the flop unless you hit an absolute monster. Flat-calling with these hands out of position is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. If you call a raise with A-10 or A-9 then hit an Ace-high flop you can be in all sorts of trouble, as you’re often going to find yourself out-kicked and are generally only going to get action from a better hand. The same applies to hitting a King-high flop with the King hands. This concept is known as ‘reverse implied odds’: where a hand stands to win you a small pot when you’re ahead

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but lose you a big pot when you’re behind. In other words, calling a raise with these hands is a losing proposition. You’re far better off holding a hand like 5:-6:, because it’s a lot easier to get away from on the flop. With any marginal hand, it’s important not to get caught up in the ‘call because they are suited’ syndrome. That extra 2-3% isn’t worth the call. You’ll also be in deep trouble if you have the King-high flush and someone has the Ace-high one.

KEY POINT The worst thing you can do is flat-call out of position with these hands. Even if you hit part of your hand, you could easily have kicker problems. Play them with a raise in position, or not at all

A-J

The hand known as ‘Jackass’ should carry a government health warning and it should only be played if you are the aggressor, or you hold position. If you raise with this hand and get re-raised, it is difficult to make the call as you cannot know where

Do this

In cash g ames, alw ays stay aware o f factors in the situational e include re very hand. Thes e lative sta cks, you table im r age, who ’s on tilt and who ’s chasin g losses

TIMO HEBDITCH, LINDA DUONG

H

ANDS LIKE A-J, K-10, J-10 AND small to medium pairs are often referred to as ‘trouble hands’. These are hands that are playable, but can land you in serious trouble if you get too attached to them. It is of course impossible to state in absolute terms how to play any given hand. Doyle Brunson has won two WSOP main event bracelets with 10-2, but that doesn’t mean you should limp with it under the gun! Nevertheless, we will look at general strategies as to how to play certain starting hands that help you stay out of trouble.

J-10 (AND OTHER SUITED CONNECTORS)

J-10 can yield good results as long as you are able to sidestep the dangers it poses. Many players like to limp into pots with this type of hand, hoping to catch a made hand on the flop – or at least a big draw. The only problem with the drawing hand is being able to gauge the strength of your opponent’s hand. You should bet this hand on good flops (for

By all means call a small raise with this hand pre-flop, hoping to make a big hand or draw. However, be careful not to fall in love with your hand when the flop comes Jack-high

S T R A T E G Y

Ace-Jack is one of the toughest hands to play because it seems strong, but is so vulnerable to higher Aces. Essentially it is a one-card hand, as the Jack is the only card you are hoping to hit

KEY POINT

G A M E

KEY POINT

example, 8-9-2), in case you miss on the turn, so you still have the opportunity to bluff the river. What you have to be wary of is the Jack-high flop, which can give you a false sense of security, especially in a multi-way pot. So again, you can only play this type of hand if you are aware of its vulnerabilities and have the ability to lay it down.

C A S H

you stand in the hand. If you decide to call and hit the Ace, you could be drawing almost dead to an Ace with a higher kicker. Hitting the Jack is your best option, but you could still be behind to a higher pair (especially if your opponent raised pre-flop). If your opponent just called pre-flop your best hope is to hit a Jack-high flop, as you are probably ahead in this scenario. Hitting the Ace may get you into trouble and if not, all you will win is the pre-flop bet. Whatever move you make with A-J it’s a risky one, with little chance of reward, but a great chance of haemorrhaging chips. Basically, it’s the equivalent of a one-card hand, as the Jack is your only playable card.

9-9, 10-10 AND J-J

s A standard way to play pocket nines, tens and Jacks is to raise and then probably pass to a re-raise. In position, you should be looking to three-bet with these hands pre-flop, although a lot of players prefer to flat-call and play it from there. But you can get a lot of information from a three-bet that you don’t get by calling. For example, if you just call with J-J and see a flop of 6-7-10 and your opponent bets, what do you do? A re-raise from this position after the flop could easily leave you committed to the hand, whereas a pre-flop re-raise enables you to escape relatively cheaply if your opponent comes back over the top for most of your chips.

KEY POINT A positional re-raise pre-flop with one of these hands can be better than a call because it gives you a lot more information about the true strength of your opponent’s hand

SMALL PAIRS

Playing small pairs (for our purposes, anything up to pocket eights) in no-limit hold’em cash games can be tricky and cost you a lot of money, but there is a simple way to play them that keeps you out of danger. In fact, one of the most profitable moves in deep-stacked cash games is set-mining with small pairs. This means calling a raise (although not a re-raise) with a small pair hoping to hit a set on the flop. This is usually a well-disguised hand and you can often get a lot of value from players with overpairs. Be careful to only go set-mining if the raise amounts to 10% or less of the effective stacks, as you will only hit a set one in every eight times (and some of those times your hand won’t be good). Also be careful not to fall in love with your set on a board where the flush has come.

KEY POINT By all means call small raises with small pairs with the intention of hitting a set. However, if you miss and face a bet you must be prepared to let go


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ADJUSTING TO SIX-HANDED GAMES The first thing students of hold’em usually learn after they’ve grasped the basics is some kind of hand selection chart and positional requirements for entering a pot. While these should not be taken as gospel, they can provide a good foundation for pre-flop play, as well as helping you to read your opponents’ likely holdings. When you make the move to six-handed (aka six-max) cash games, you need to reassess your ranges and adjust to the more aggressive game. Below we’ve outlined some typical hand ranges for six-max no-limit cash, as well as tweaks you can make depending on how your table is playing.

UNDER THE GUN (UTG)

This is the most vulnerable seat from which to enter a pot, as you are out of position and have far less pot control. As you move up through the cash levels, position becomes more and more important. As a result you should only really play your best hands when under the gun, plus the odd bluff to keep up appearances.

SOLID UTG RANGE 7-7+ A-J suited+ K-Q suited+ 7-8 suited+

HAND RANGES

The key to cash success If you want to be a winning cash player, you must stop thinking in terms of specific hands and start thinking in ranges The key to cash games is the ability to put your opponents on a range of possible hands, and, perhaps more difficult, to know what range they’re putting you on. Thinking in these terms can be a leap for novice players, but don’t be daunted – a bit of logic and some basic observational skills are all you need. For instance, if a player moves all-in in mid position and you call with A-K, it’s clear you will often have the best hand. However, this is less important than the underlying logic that states, ‘I believe A-K is ahead of my opponent’s range for pushing all-in.’ That range might be A-J through A-K and 7-7 through A-A if he is a tight player – or far wider if he is loose. What is important is that the average of your equity against all of these hands is positive. On the other hand, calling all-in with 2-2 against the above player would be suicide, as, while you would be a small favourite half the time, the other half you would be a 4-to-1 underdog. You should always be trying to put your foes on a range of hands rather than one specific hand and assessing how your hand plays against that.

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ADJUSTING YOUR UTG RANGE

While that range is definitely profitable at most tables, you can open your starting range up a bit more at a tighter table, including all pairs and K-Q offsuit, plus a few more suited connectors. The reason is that your hands will be fairly easy to play post-flop, as you are showing serious strength by raising UTG and have the initiative in the hand. If you are at a loose table on the other hand (which will include e-bets lling thre If you most $0.50/$1 and $1/$2 tables), Avoid ca s. d n a h l rgina don’t you have to tighten up your range with ma -raised, re t e g d op fl a e and get rid of the more disguised k raise an ta mpted to of J-J or te e b hands like suited connectors. likes with the luff These won’t flop big enough often ur-bet b A-10. Fo o g it enough in multi-way pots to be or let profitable. Stick to high card value, where you will make bigger pairs with better kickers, which should enable you to extract money. Lose the suited connectors and possibly even 7-7/8-8 and replace those hands with the likes of A-10 offsuit and K-Q offsuit.

this Don’t do

MIDDLE POSITION

Mid-position is a little easier to play, but not by a lot. You still want to be playing the top end of your range here and not much more. You should re-raise more hands though. Most players’ UTG raising ranges are tight, and as such you should only be three-betting in mid-position with Q-Q+ and A-K. The problem with J-J and A-Q is that you’re never sure whether you are ahead or crushed.

PLAYING IN THE CUT-OFF

THE BUTTON

CUT-OFF RANGE All your UTG/mid-position range All pairs 5-6 suited+ J-10 offsuit+ A-2 through A-5 suited The Ace-rag hands are really powerful in position as you can put immense pressure on players on some boards and always have good equity.

ADJUSTING YOUR CUT-OFF RANGE

You can add a few more hands to your cut-off range depending on the table, your image and how often you are being played back at from the blinds. Because being in position is so fantastic you can profitably raise the following in most games, unless you’ve just sat down at a random table with no background on the other players.

ADDITIONAL HANDS

Do this

This is the most profitable seat at the table, so you’ll want to play a lot of hands here. All you are really after is to nick the blinds and isolate any weak players limping, so you don’t need to think twice about raising something playable such as Q-8 suited or 3-5 suited on the button. Stealing the blinds is so important that you should be willing to raise almost every unopened button until the blinds adjust. And when they do, simply tone it down a little then hammer them again once they have cooled off.

S T R A T E G Y

In the cut-off you can really start to open up your range. The main point now is that you are often going to have position, and position is ninetenths of the law. Now we can start isolating bad players who limp and re-raising middle-position openers. A standard six-handed raising range in the cut-off looks something like this…

G A M E

every one bluff raise will really keep the pressure on. Even in the cut-off you don’t really want to be three-betting with junk Broadway hands like K-J and Q-10, but you can definitely add more suited connectors. Your value-betting range should now include 9-9+, A-J suited and K-Q suited, as you will have the initiative and position.

C A S H

If your table is relatively lively you can re-raise Q-Q, J-J and even 10-10 for value. But versus a tight player you can’t be sure if you are bluffing or value-raising, which can be confusing on later streets. It is fine to flat-call with these hands.

Steal th eb in full-rin linds! Unlike ADJUSTING YOUR where ste g cash games, aling th BUTTON RANGE e relative blinds is ly u At tighter tables you can probably open short-ha nimportant, in nded ga with any two cards on the button. At mes you need to steal ju looser tables, this simply gets you into stay aflo st to at a lot of spots where you feel compelled to

fire another barrel on the turn. If in doubt, tighten up. If you still get no respect, completely change your range and go back to playing solid ABC poker – it is the logical adjustment.

RE-RAISING ON THE BUTTON

Generally this is where you should bluff-raise the most and where you can get the most out of line. As you will be last to act on every street you can be confident you are getting the best out of the situation a lot of the time.

Suited one-gappers (i.e. hands such as 7:-9: and 8…-10…) High suited two-gappers (hands such as J…-8…+) A-x suited The ability to flop a flush draw plus overcards is a huge advantage. You can put lots of pressure on players with a flush draw and will frequently hit some kind of combo draw as well. You should note, however, that adding a bunch of hands in the cut-off is only useful if you are at a good table. If you are getting played back at a lot by the button and blinds then don’t raise them. Tighten up a bit – at least until your image is repaired.

RE-RAISING IN THE CUT-OFF

To re-raise a mid-position raiser you usually need to maintain a high ratio of value-raises to bluff-raises. Something like four value raises to

At tighter tables you can probably open with any two cards on the button. At looser tables, this simply gets you into a lot of spots where you feel compelled to fire again on the turn THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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G A M E

S T R A T E G Y

POST-FLOP DECISIONS

C A S H

In every cash game you will be faced with many tricky decisions once the flop has been dealt. We look at a some post-flop dilemmas and winning strategies to make you a master of post-flop play

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O, WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY once those all-important first three community cards hit the baize? One of the problems with modern poker is that most no-limit tournaments see a lot of hands decided pre-flop. In cash games, however, you need to know how to play on every street – and with deep stacks the idea of push/fold poker is completely alien. A golden rule to remember is to play big pots with big hands and small pots with marginal hands. This may seem like common sense, but many players get this wrong time after time. Inexperienced cash game players often make small bets when they’re strong because they’re terrified of not getting paid. But then they do precisely the opposite with marginal hands, making big bets because they don’t want to be outdrawn. Don’t make these elementary mistakes. The texture of the flop is pivotal to the strength of your hand and your ability to represent hands

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Once the flop has been dealt you can quickly assess how it has likely helped your opponents

you don’t hold. Obviously if the flop improves your hand that’s great news. Sadly though, the majority of times it won’t. You must be aware of how much a flop has helped you. Top pair is a classic example of this. If you hold A-Q and the flop comes A-9-2 rainbow you’re usually in an extremely strong position. If, however, the flop comes A-9-8 with two hearts and you don’t hold any, your hand is much more vulnerable. Don’t fall into the trap of over-betting your hand and ending up playing a big pot with a marginal hand. To price out most draws you only need to offer your opponents worse odds than 3.5-to-1 on the next card (unless all-ins are involved), and a bet of two-thirds of the pot will comfortably do this.

READING TIME

You should also be able to quickly assess the chances of a flop helping your opponents, too. For example, if you open the pot for a raise and it’s called behind you, your opponent(s) are far

Don’t fall into the trap of over-betting your hand and playing a big pot with a marginal hand

DANNY BIRD

PLEASE CONTINUE…

Continuation-betting is your friend in cash games. By continuation-betting (aka c-betting) we mean that after you have taken the lead by raising pre-flop you should ‘continue’ your action by betting the flop. Normally this bet should be about two-thirds of the pot. A lot of the time your opponents’ hands will not have been helped by the flop and they will fold to a bet. In cash games – even up to mid stakes – you should c-bet a very high percentage of the time. For instance in a $0.50/$1 game you open the pot for $3 with A-K offsuit. You’re called by the big blind, which makes the pot £6.50. The flop comes 10-8-2 with two hearts. If the big blind checks to you, you should almost always bet $4-$5 – you’ll find you very often win the hand there and then. This policy of continuation betting applies unless you’re against perceptive opponents who may check-raise you with nothing – in this case you need to mix up the times when you bet and check. The number of players in the pot should also have a big effect on your actions after the flop. Put simply, the more players involved in the pot the stronger your hand needs to be. For example, we looked at c-betting with A-K against one opponent. Let’s say you raise with A-K offsuit in middle position, but get called by four opponents. The flop comes 10-8-7 with two clubs; against one opponent you should usually bet, but in this situation you would be crazy to. The chances the flop has missed all your opponents is very unlikely. Your hand has not improved and

If you have raised pre-flop you should generally make a bet on the flop, but pay close attention to the flop and the number of players in the hand before you do so

Post-flop play

How to play with top pair on dangerous boards

S T R A T E G Y

Reading the flop is a very important skill. Make sure you take into account the likelihood of there being a hand out there that beats yours before you get carried away with betting

KEY POINT

CASH GAMES

POSITIONAL SENSE

Your position is, of course, vital on the flop. As you play more deep-stacked cash games you’ll start to appreciate just how critical having position is. For example, let’s say you limp in late position with A-4 suited. Five players take the flop of A-9-6. If it’s checked to you, with a reasonable degree of confidence you can bet that you currently hold the best hand. Contrast this with being in early position in the same situation when it’s hard to know if you have the only Ace and checking is probably the best play. One of the reasons you should look to enter more pots in late position is to pick up your fair share on the flop with nothing – make sure you don’t miss these opportunities. When you’ve raised before the flop and been called behind it’s often right to check a lot of your hands. If the player behind you bets out you have a lot of options. If you like your hand or think you can dissuade your opponent from liking their hand you can check-raise. You could also flat-call with the plan to take the pot away on the turn – or muck at minimal cost. Meeting resistance on the flop in a low-stakes cash game is something you should take very seriously. Players at the lower levels rarely make sophisticated plays like calling on the flop with nothing planning to win the pot on the turn. If you’re meeting resistance, either from a call or a raise, it means they have something. Now this something may not necessarily be a made hand, but at the very least it will be a strong draw.

FIRE AT WILL

One of the toughest decisions you’ll face regularly in a cash game is whether or not to fire the second bullet (bet again) when your initial bet on the flop is called. If you don’t hold a strong hand and have had your post-flop continuation bet called, you should often check the turn. For instance, if you hold A-K and haven’t paired your hand you should probably shut down after the flop and try to play the hand as cheaply as possible. You should know that novice and intermediate players very rarely check-raise as a bluff. If you’re check-raised on the flop you should take it seriously and usually only continue with a strong hand or a draw that you will be paid off on if you hit. At lower-level cash games the pattern of calling a bet on the flop and then check-raising the turn is how the majority of players play their strong hands. When you flop a strong hand, such as two-pair or better, you should be calculating how to get money in the pot straight away and on later

G A M E

KEY POINT

your prospects of taking the pot down with a bet now are very slim.

C A S H

less likely to be helped by a flop like 6-4-2 than they are by K-Q-J. It can be very profitable to bet flops that are unlikely to have helped your opponents. For instance, with a flop like Q-5-2 (with no flush draws) you should often bet if no one else has, regardless of your cards, because it’s very hard for an opponent to call without holding a Queen. If you bet these flops two-thirds of the time they only have to succeed half the time to show a profit, which in low-stakes cash games they will. What’s often forgotten is that the flop has implications for your opponents, too. Let’s say a reasonably tight opponent opens the pot from early position and it’s passed round to you in the big blind with 4-4. You decide to call, thinking you have a good idea of his possible hands and hitting a set would make the call worthwhile. The flop comes 7-8-9 (with two clubs). You should strongly consider check-raising the flop. You should realise the board doesn’t help you but it probably petrifies your opponent if they’ve raised with a big pair or two big cards. An alternative play, which may sometimes be more profitable, is calling the flop and then check-raising the turn.

You’re in a $0.10/$0.20 no-limit hold’em cash game. You hold AÚ-K; under the gun and raise to $0.80. Both the cut-off and button call. The pot is now $2.70.

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The flop comes AÚ-9…-10…. You have flopped top pair but the board is very dangerous so you need to bet out to find out where you stand.

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Both players fold, and you win a small pot. It’s vital to bet these flops when out of position, as with so many draws out there you can’t afford to give away free cards, and if you check-call you are playing in the dark. Top pair is rarely the winning hand by the river in cash games so make sure you don’t try to get too clever with hands such as this on very draw-heavy flops. Bet out and see how your opponents react.

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TERMINOLOGY

CONTINUATION BET (OR C-BET) A bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in the pre-flop betting


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Post-flop play

A look at getting value with a big hand against a LAG

C A S H

G A M E

S T R A T E G Y

CASH GAMES

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You are playing in a $0.10/$0.20 no-limit hold’em cash game. You have 10;-10… on the button. The cut-off raises to $0.80. You call.

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The pot is $1.90. The flop comes 10:-5…-4;. The cut-off bets $1.60. He is a loose-agressive player. You have flopped a huge hand, but you should call to allow him to continue to bluff at the pot on the turn.

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The turn comes K… and the cut-off bets out $3. Here you can raise to $7 as you want to start building a pot and you also don’t want to allow your opponent to draw to a backdoor flush or straight. If he has a King it’s likely he will at least call and he may even re-raise you with many hands you crush so don’t be afraid to raise for value.

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TERMINOLOGY CALLING STATION A derogatory term to describe a player who consistently calls bets and rarely (if ever) raises, regardless of the strength of his/her hand

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streets. A lot of your pre-flop decisions are Remember, playing the players is everything predicated on the implied odds available from and the further through the hand you get the the big stacks. If you can’t get paid off when you more important it becomes in your decisionmake strong hands this strategy is flawed. making. You must always be aware of who is in As such, you need to be clear about the best the hand with you. strategy for getting paid off in the game you’re playing. Very often in lower-stakes games this WHEN TO SLOW DOWN will be taking the lead in the betting. Players Let’s say, you are playing in a $3/$6 six-handed tend to call too much in no-limit cash games game. On your right is a very aggressive player and you should be charging them for trying called Phil. He’s by far the worst player at the to outdraw you. table and he likes to gamble. He’s been raising More importantly you’ve got a big hand so any two cards and will call re-raises lightly. You u check pl you want to play a big pot. If you have been playing a patient style waiting n the flop and bet a small amount on to bust him and eventually you pick up the turn trying to ‘sucker him in’ K:-K… on the button. ly Whe Phil raises to $18 you smile it’s extremely hard to get properly When ts be ke your you paid. Remember you want your to yourself and stick in a re-raise, a m e ’t v n Do you ha on to $45 as you don’t want to opponent’s entire stack and but only ll when ly e rs e v too sma n o nd and c et too you’re not going to get that by scare him off. He calls, and the flop a big ha b nic and a p ’t putting in a massive overbet on is Q:-JÚ-8…. After Phil checks you n o ave d h u o y n he the river – massage that pot and lead out for $80 into a $99 pot and much w l hands margina insta get his money in there and then. are instantly re-raised to $160. You ce of Slow-playing does have its place call, making the pot $419. ssive poin you’re in trouble, and let’s course. If you encounter an aggressive At this point opponent or one who’s taking the lead because look at why. For a start, your re-raise pre-flop was air to your set) he has a hand (let’s say an overpair way too small. All yo you are doing there is giving then it may be correct to trap him. Apart from Phil the odds to call with any of his raising range, your desire to build the pot you should also thereby not defining his range at all. Then on the take into account the number of players and flop you make quite a large bet. You’re right to be the texture of the flop; there’s a big difference worried about draws, because even though the between flopping bottom set on a dangerous flop isn’t massively connected you don’t want to 6-7-8 (suited) board than there is on a Q-7-2 give away free cards. But when you are checkraised it’s a tough decision. board. You would almost never want to slow-play on the first board but you’re much less likely to Would he really be check-raising a tight player be beaten or drawn out on with the second, here without a hand that beats top pair? You are where slow-playing becomes a viable option. way behind to Q-J, Q-8, J-8, J-J, Q-Q, A-A, 8-8 and


Do this

Bet your confiden overpairs with ce until faced w a call, a ith raise or a drawheavy b oard. Yo u can th re-evalu en ate whe re you are in th e hand

Bluffing in position Raise in position and take advantage of your opponents’ weaknesses Semi-bluffing is often a strong play – especially when in position. Semi-bluffing is betting when you probably don’t have the best hand at that point but may improve to a winning hand. And by doing it you’re giving yourself two ways to win as you might take the pot right then and there or, if called, you might make your hand on the turn or river. You should look to do this much more from late position because if your opponents have shown weakness you have a better chance of taking the pot. In fact, you should often check your draws from early position on the flop because if you bet an opponent can make a big raise and price you out of your draw.

S T R A T E G Y

LOWER OVERPAIRS

ng What if your overpair is not as strong as K-K? What if you have 10-10 on a lowish, textured board in a multiway pot? Let’s say you make a pre-flop raise in the small blind and get two callers. The flop comes

SEMI-BLUFFING

G A M E

It’s very easy to get caught up in a hand with an overpair and end up screaming at the screen when your K-K is beaten by J-8

C A S H

9-10, all of which are possibilities given Phil’s previous hands. As such, you should have reluctantly folded here as the only range you can assign to Phil where he would possibly check-raise with a worse hand would be A-Q, K-Q and if he was playing really loosely, 10-K, A-K and A-J. Anything else just seems unlikely. The turn is the 8: and Phil bets $200, leaving only $200 behind. You call. The turn isn’t actually a bad card for you as it counterfeits J-Q and also might make Phil think twice. The fact that you called the flop re-raise almost commits you to calling Phil’s turn bet. However, you should be far more inclined to shove all-in than just call on the turn as the call is committing you to the hand anyway. The river is the 10…, making the final board read Q:-JÚ-8…-8:-10…. Phil is all-in for $200 and you reluctantly call, as you are pot-committed by this point. You can be pretty certain you are behind but the odds are simply too good. Phil shows J;-8; and wins a $1,200+ pot. This hand shows how it’s very easy to get caught up in a hand with an overpair and end up screaming at the screen when your K-K is beaten by J-8. Many players will go diving in headfirst with overpairs and not even bother to stop and look at what’s going on.

7:-5:-4Ú and you bet the full pot only to see both players calling. You are left in no man’s land, not knowing what you’re up against. There are very few good turn cards for you, as an Ace, King, Queen and Jack all give overcards and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 all give straight or set possibilities – not to mention the fact that any club could fill a flush. I’m not saying you’re not miles ahead of hands like 9-9 or A-7, but you must be very wary as this is a spot where it’s easy to lose a very big pot by being blind to the reality of the situation. In general, you should be making good money from overpairs. Don’t slow-play them unless you have a good read because you will invariably get caught out and end up trapping yourself. Bet them with confidence until you face a call or a raise by an opponent, or until a really draw-heavy board forces you to stand back and re-evaluate your hand. Finally, never fall into the trap of assuming your hand is the winner. After all, how many big cash game pots do you see being won by a single pair other than all-in pre-flop hands? Not many I’ll bet.

THE DANGER OF DRAWS

Not all drawing hands are equal The value of draws hinges on whether you’ll get paid off if you hit…

Be wary of boards with a lot of straight and flush possibilities

Drawing hands present a big challenge in no-limit hold’em cash games. The worth of your draw is not just based on your cards but also on how often, and to what degree, you can get paid when you make your hand. For this reason – against observant opponents – straight draws often have more value than flush draws as they’re harder to spot and will be paid off more often. Don’t make the mistake of calling with your draws

thinking, ‘I’m not getting the right pot odds but I’ll get his whole stack if I hit.’ Even poor players will often slow down when the flush card comes. Also, be aware that if you call a bet with a draw on the flop and miss on the turn you may face a bigger bet on the turn. You’ll need to build up your experience to know when you can call with incorrect pot odds because you’ll make more chips if you hit.


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S T R A T E G Y

t e g o t w Ho

G A M E

PAID IN FULL

C A S H

Extracting Extr Ex trac tr acti ac ting ti ng m maximum axim ax imum im um valu va value lue lu e is tthe he key key tto o be bein being ing in g a lo long long-term ng-t ng -ter -t erm er m winner winn wi nner nn er iin n no-l no no-limit -lim -l imit im it hold’em hol old’ d’em d’ em c cash ash as h game ga games. mes. me s. Here Her ere e we show sho how w you yo u ho how w to d do o it right the th e ri righ ghtt way gh way

DANNY BIRD, iSTOCK

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XTRACTING MAXIMUM XTRACT XTR ACTING ACT ING MA MAXIM XIMUM XIM UM VALUE VALUE earning means mea ns ear earnin ning nin g as as much much money money as possible from hands where you have a positive expectation. Whenever you win a hand and fail to get the maximum reward possible, you are theoretically losing money. Of course, this is not a precise science, so we have to judge how much money we can squeeze out of our opponent when we have the best hand without chasing him away or, conversely, letting him off too cheaply. A very basic example is flopping top set on a 5-8-J rainbow flop. We could bet the minimum on every street and would very often get three streets of value, but would rarely win a decent pot with a very strong hand unless our opponent raised. We could instead overbet each street, but most often we will see our opponent fold prematurely and only win a small pot. We need to find the middle ground that will extract the maximum value in the long run. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

So, ho how w do do we we go go about abou abou boutt deci d deciding ecidin eci ding din g how how muc much h when? to bet an and d when w hen? hen ? The The following follow fol lowing low ing ar are e some some of the the things we need to consider… HAND STRENGTH COMPARED TO OPPONENT’S RANGE Hand-reading skills are the key to extracting maximum value. Only when we can confidently assign a range of hands to our opponents can we use this information to our advantage and successfully win the maximum amount. By knowing which hands our opponents may have we can decide how much they are willing to pay, even if they are not confident of winning.

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OPPONENT’S HAND STRENGTH COMPARED TO OUR PERCEIVED RANGE We need to work out not only what our opponent has, but also what our opponent is guessing we have. We can then play on his expectations and exploit them. We need to think about what worse

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Hand-reading skills are key. Only when we can confidently assign a range of hands can we successfully win the maximum amount

POSITION It’s obviously much easier to extract value when playing in position as we have the luxury of our opponent acting before us post-flop. Extracting value is not easy though when out of position as we are often playing blind. We may prefer to keep the pot small with more marginal hands that we would be betting for maximum value when in position. In other words, we may want to be playing a stronger range of hands for value when out of position compared to when in position.

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STACK SIZES Sometimes, against short-stackers, it’s easy to let them do your work for you. There’s just no need to think too much about maximum value as hands that progress past the flop will often result in an all-in situation anyway. When playing deep though it’s much tougher to get opponents to commit a lot of chips to the pot with a worse marginal hand. They have much more to lose and this often creates unease in players and makes them play more conservatively.

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SIZE OF POT Not only do we need to base our betting around the size of the current pot, but often we need a plan to get the pot size to where we want it. We may, for example, want to put enough money into the pot on the turn, which if called, will leave a three-quarter pot shove on the river.

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OUR TABLE IMAGE Obviously, the looser our image the easier we will find it to extract value with our winning hands. Conversely, if our image is super-tight, we will find it much more difficult to get paid off. We need to be aware of our image and play in a way that takes advantage of it.

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SCENARIO 1

KEY POINT Once you’re confident you’ve got the best hand you need to form a plan to extract maximum value, taking into account all the factors listed here. Every situation is different, so don’t get complacent

EXTRACTING VALUE

You are playing in a six-handed $1/$2 no-limit hold’em game. Everyone has a full stack. The player in the big blind has been fairly loose post-flop, calling down with marginal hands fairly frequently. You have only shown down legitimate hands so far in the session.

S T R A T E G Y

OPPONENT’S PLAYING STYLE Every playing style has an optimum counter-style. When trying to extract value this may include betting big on every street with a top-pair hand against a bad calling station, or slowing down against a good TAG with a strong hand in order to set up a river bet or in order to induce a bluff. It may be even more specific than this, for example if someone is frequently three-betting then continuation-betting the pot but often folding to a four-bet. Against this player we may want to just flat-call with our A-A and let our opponent bet the flop for us.

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Once everything is considered we can make an informed decision as to how we can play the hand optimally and win the biggest pot possible versus weaker hands. Let’s take a look at three example hands and then discuss some of the thought processes and decisions involved.

G A M E

BOARD TEXTURE This often tells us whether to speed up or slow down when we think we have the best hand. Obviously the way we play top set on an uncoordinated board will be completely different from the way we play top pair on a draw-heavy board. The board texture needs to be taken into account alongside all our other information.

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EXTRACTING VALUE IN PRACTICE

C A S H

hands our opponent could have that he can call with, and how much he would be prepared to call based on the strength of his hand compared to his assumptions about ours.

ith QÚ-10Ú PRE-FLOP You are in the cut-off with dard dar d and open-raise to $7 – a fairly standard ind raise from late position. The big blind calls. We can’t yet assume too much han about our opponent’s hand other than ited over-exc oing that he probably doesn’t have junk. on’t get g

this Don’t do

D ou’re u know y alm and when yo yc ta S pot. lls, to win a timing te ff o g in iv rn tu ll e avoid g w ight as or you m nd face up your ha

FLOP Q:-10;-8: (pot $15). The big blind checks, you bet $12 and he aws calls. The flop contains a lot of draws so slow-playing here is a no-no. His check-call suggests he has caught dentt and den and something but is not overly confident th a marginal marg marg argina inall ina may be trying to play a small pot with also o be be awar a ware war e made hand and/or draw. We should als aware that he might be trapping. TURN Q:-10;-8:-3: (pot $39). The big blind checks, you bet $32 and he calls. We know that any flush draw hit but we can’t check here and give a free card as the board is now extremely draw-heavy. We aren’t pot-committing ourselves here and should be fairly confident that our top two-pair is ahead when our opponent only calls.

RIVER Q:-10;-8:-3:-J… (pot $103). The big blind checks, you bet $50 and he calls. The big blind calls and shows K:-Q; and you win the $203 pot. Even though the river brought a lot of straights, our hand still plays well against his range. Can our villain really have a nine or A-K here? Would he check the river with a straight or a flush? Against this player in this specific spot we feel we still have a positive expectation so make a small value bet. Hands we lose to other than flushes and straights (which we have discounted) are Q-J and J-J. We do, however, beat missed straight draws and other paired hands including K-K and A-A. By betting small on the river we are asking our opponent to make a fairly cheap call with a hand that we judge to have some showdown value. By offering over 3-to-1 pot odds we can induce a call with a worse hand such as A-Q, K-Q, J-10, and one-pair hands with a club such as A:-10…. OVERALL ANALYSIS There were a couple of occasions in the hand where it would have been easy to slow down and try to keep the pot small, when in fact, the safest option and the biggest reward came from betting THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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S T R A T E G Y C A S H

G A M E

all streets for value. We could have Checking back, however, gives our opponent a said, ‘The board is now very scary and chance to hit something. It may also convince we’re happy to win this $100 pot without him that a made weak hand such as 3-3 is good. risking any more money although we think What’s more, he may try to bluff the turn. we’re ahead.’ This is a perfectly acceptable We should normally be betting the turn if it’s line against some opponents, but against checked to us again, hoping our opponent has someone who is happy to call down with picked up a little something. This is a basic poor hands we should be taking advantage play that doesn’t require too much thought or and making him pay. planning but goes to show that bet-bet-bet is Some of the time we will lose the hand and not always the optimal line to take. other times we will be check-raised and forced value lue to fold. But by betting all streets for va make we are forcing our opponent to make oney one y BLUF BL UFFUF FBLUFF-CATCHING tough decisions and put more money One scenario scena sc ena where checking into the pot with what will be can make ma us money is when we most often, in our opinion, a s s e htl specifi spe cifi specifically want our opponent to worse hand. If in the above hand ke thoug Don’t ma river. Always e bluff blu ff because we think it unlikely he we thought our expectation th n r fo g in bets o tt e you’re b would wou ld call a bet with a worse hand. was slightly negative, due to a know if . Don’t as a bluff to a r o e This works w This best in spots where a slightly different read on the lu a v in d n a h ade missed draw is our opponent’s most missed player or just a different ‘feel’ turn a m a t u o h bluff wit on likely holding ho likely and we are out of about the hand, we could instead s good rea positi pos ition. iti on. Let’s look at an example. position. check behind on the river.

this Don’t do

SLOWING IT DOWN

think nk we hav have e Making the most money when we thi the best hand doesn’t necessarily mean we are betting every street expecting to be called by a worse hand. Sometimes slowing down may actually win us more money. There’s no point flopping a monster then betting for value only to see our opponent insta-fold. We have to weigh up our opponent’s range against the texture of the board, our own hand and also against what our opponent thinks we may have. Then we can try to work out which line will bring maximum reward. For instance, let’s say we raise from the button pre-flop with 9-9 and get called by a bad passive player in the big blind. The flop comes 5-5-9 and it’s checked to us. Our opponent’s range is big but doesn’t include too many nines or fives, as five of the eight cards are already accounted for. Betting here will only get value from some pocket pairs and everything else will be folded.

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SCENAR SCENARIO 2

The big big blind has been playing lots PRE-FLOP The hands and seems seems to be a bit tilted. We both of hands have full stacks. In a $1/$2 six-max cash game we open-raise to $7 from the small blind with AÚ-J… and the big blind calls (pot $14). FLOP J:-10:-3Ú. We lead out for $10 and the big blind calls (pot $34). TURN J:-10:-3Ú-5Ú. We lead again for $24 and the big blind calls (pot $82). RIVER J:-10:-3Ú-5Ú-7;. We check, the big blind bets $65, we call. The big blind shows A:-9: and we take down the $212 pot. We were fairly sure that our top pair, top kicker hand was ahead on this draw-heavy board, so we bet the flop and turn for value. The river was fairly safe-looking and our opponent’s hand seems heavily weighted towards missed draws. We could bet here and hope to be called by worse but we hate it if he shoves, and we’ve gained nothing if our read is good and he folds. There are still times where value-betting the river is the correct play, but when we are sure our villain has a busted draw and will bluff, we should check.

HANDS THAT BEAT US We are only losing this hand a small percentage of the time. Two-pair hands aren’t very common in an unraised post-flop pot, although hands like 10-7 and J-10 cannot be ect sets sets and discounted. We would normally expect ge and overpairs to have raised at some stage the non-clubbed 8-9 hands to have folded on the turn. If we check, we should be losing the least money Practise you against better hands as we are not skills! Ev r hand-reading giving our foe a chance to raise. involved en if you’re not

2

Do this

in a h opponen and, guessing ts’

hands an ranges w HANDS WE BEAT d ill impro 3 MADE ve your hand-rea T THAT MAY CALL A RIVER BET ding no end ite As well as K-J and Q-J, there are quite a few hands containing a ten that we asked ked beat that may call a small river bet if as foldi fo lding ldi ng after after to. Often, however, we will see tens folding board. rd. That’s That’ Th at’ss at’ three streets of betting on a scary boa not to say, though, that value-betting the river is incorrect against some opponents if we have sufficient reads and information to tell us that we will likely be called by worse. This is not an exact science and involves a lot of educated guesswork, but the previous example shows it’s difficult for us to get value out of betting the river, and we may sometimes even get bluffed off the best hand. By contrast, checking may induce a bluff from our opponent with over 60% of his range as well as controlling the pot size with what is, after all, only top pair, top kicker. The downside to checking is the value missed when our opponent has a worse made hand and checks back, but this is more than compensated for by the times he bluffs or checks back a better hand.

SPEEDING UP

On occasion, we need to bet for value on all streets. In the previous example we decided our opponent’s most likely holding was a missed draw and we checked the river to induce a bluff. In the next similar hand, on a draw-heavy board, we can spot some subtle differences and change our play accordingly. PRE-FLOP It’s a $1/$2 six-max cash game and effective stacks are $200. The big blind has been playing lots of hands and seems like he overvalues hands. We open-raise to $7 from the small blind with A:-Q… and get a call from the big blind (pot $14).

S T R A T E G Y

WE BEAT 1 DRAWS All A:-x: as well as other flush draws, straight draws and combo draws. These hands make up most of our opponent’s range. There are more than 50 possible hand combinations! We feel our opponent has a missed draw more than 60% of the time in this scenario – betting will get no value from him and may even induce a bluff-shove that would be very difficult for us to call. Checking gives him the option of bluffing.

SCENARIO 3

G A M E

POSSIBLE OPPONENT RANGES

We must assess our opponent’s likely hand strength based on a range of criteria, including board texture, history and feel

C A S H

Ideally, before we try to induce a bluff we want to have fulfilled certain criteria. We want an opponent with a history of bluffing, who is fairly aggressive with made hands (such that he’d tend to raise the flop or turn with hands that beat us), while being fairly passive with drawing hands. We also want our opponent to have more missed-draw possibilities than made-hand possibilities. Let’s look at some possible hands our opponent can hold in this spot.

FLOP Q:-J:-3Ú. We lead out for $10 and the big blind calls (pot $34). TURN Q:-J:-3Ú-8Ú. We lead again for $24 and the big bind calls (pot $82). RIVER Q:-J:-3Ú-8Ú-7;.

POSSIBLE OPPONENT RANGES

DRAWS WE BEAT This time, our opponent has far fewer draws in his range. We have the A:, so many of his likely flush draws are gone. There are also fewer open-ended straight-draw possibilities on this flop. That leaves us hands like K-10, K-9 suited, and some suited club connectors and K:-x: type hands that are drawing.

1

HANDS THAT BEAT US These include 10-9, two-pair hands and sometimes overpairs or sets, although, as in the previous example, we would expect our opponent to take a different line with these.

2

MADE HANDS WE BEAT THAT MAY CALL A RIVER BET These are all one-pair hands (K-Q, Q-10, Q-9) – a total of 24 possible combinations – and we would expect to be called most of the time. A-J, K-J, J-10, J-9, 10-10, 9-9 equate to more than 50 combinations, but we would expect to be called less frequently, depending on our bet sizing. In this example, our opponent’s range is much more heavily weighted to a made hand rather than a draw. Here, it would be better to put in a value bet on the river and hope to be called by a worse hand. As such, we bet $52 into $82, get called by Q-10 and win the $186 pot.

3

OVERALL ANALYSIS As we are working with imperfect information, we must assess our opponent’s likely hand strength based on a range of criteria, including board texture, history, notes, table dynamics and feel. When looking for maximum value, handreading is an important skill that should be practised whenever possible. Only with good understanding of our opponent’s range can we decide just how much money he is willing to part with, and whether he’s willing to bet or call. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

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M A S T E R S T H E F R O M L E A R N G A M E S : C A S H


DOYLE BRUNSON

King of the old-school cash game grinders, Doyle Brunson explains how he fought off the bad guys of Vegas to find himself at the top of the tree

F

OR DOYLE BRUNSON – HIMSELF A WINNER of back-to-back main event crowns in 1976 and 1977 – the glory of tournament success has always come secondary to money. In Brunson’s world, the game is at its best at the cash game tables, where survival demands the instincts of a poker genius and the guts and brawn of a road gambler. ‘I’ve always played poker for a living,’ he says, his Texan drawl not quite as deep as you may expect. ‘If you didn’t win, you didn’t eat. The guys who play in tournaments today are good. But stick them in the big cash games, and they wouldn’t survive. Cash game players are better players. It’s a totally different environment.’ After a promising basketball career was ended with a horrific leg injury, Brunson discovered poker and found he could make more money from playing in one day than he could from a whole month’s salary. At first, poker was simply a way of making money but he quickly developed a skill-set that defined his life’s path. ‘It was obvious from an early age that I was better at poker than most,’ says Brunson. ‘I could just see things and remember them. People ask me how I remember so many hands; I remember thousands of hands against thousands of players. Early on, I would remember how people would act, what they did in certain situations. I’d think back, work on what was the best course of action and act accordingly. It’s like a sixth sense – something I’ve always had.’

MR TOUGH GUY

On the outside, Doyle Brunson’s persona is a difficult one to gauge. He offers all the pleasantries you’d expect from a gentleman of his stature. But there’s also an edge to his character. For years, his gambling appetite took him into poker’s most dangerous waters in a world far removed from today’s Hollywood high-rollers. It was an education earned the hard way, playing in games run by organised crime groups across America’s south throughout the late 1950s and 60s. Poker was always about winning, but it was never a time for careless minds. ‘I travelled to all the games across the south,’ says Brunson, his look becoming more piercing as if to add effect. ‘It was a dangerous time. There was always trouble and there were always bad people around you. It was never a safe environment to be in. But that was how we earned our money.’ It’s this fearless approach to gambling that has taken Brunson to where he sits today. The wide stetson sits on one of the toughest nuts in poker: a hard-nosed gambler from the old school, a man who realises the importance

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of risk-taking, always willing to put his neck on the line and ready to rely on that gut feeling. ‘I take risks when I have to,’ he says. ‘I have the urge to gamble and I’m convinced all the top cash game players are compulsive gamblers – because we all have to do it.’ He admits getting married in 1962 helped to ‘settle him down’. But the earning potential of poker was too great an incentive to ignore. And, when he moved to Vegas in the 1970s, the dangers on the Strip would never temper his hunger for cash games where the action involved anyone from hotel owners to drug dealers. ‘Vegas was a dishonest place when I first arrived,’ he recalls. ‘Pretty much everything that went on was illegal. But poker was probably the most honest part of gambling. And cash games back when I first arrived were easier than they are now. Trust me, nothing gave me more satisfaction than taking money off a drug dealer. When the boys from the south brought Texas hold’em out here, it was always going to take time for other players to acquire the skills needed. It was a good time, I can tell ya.’

EYE FOR A WINNER

Despite his love of the cash game environment and his determination to be recognised as a master in that field first, Brunson remains proud of his tournament record. Ten WSOP bracelets are testament to his pre-eminence over many of the luckbox winners the Series has thrown up over the years. But he still clearly places most value on his double main event success some 30 years ago, as his victories came against the ‘best players in the world’. ‘There were no weak players back then. Tournaments today have brought a new breed of player. Back when I won, everywhere you looked there were strong players. Today you can play the main event and not even come across a good player in days.’ With over 50 years of poker behind him, Big Papa is well-placed to assess the standards of poker today. Poker has certainly been good to Brunson, despite the dangers the game has brought to his life. He has treated poker as an earner of money rather than an earner of fame – although one has complemented the other. And, his success is down to more than risk-taking. Brunson remains a student of the game with an unrivalled passion for it. Even at his age, the craving for action stems from a deep commitment to success. ‘I believe my passion has played a part in making me who I am. I was always determined. I love the game. Hell, I plan on playing poker for another 20 years.’

BRUNSON FACTS

Name Doyle Brunson Lives Las Vegas Live tournament winnings $5,819,350 WSOP bracelets 10 Highest main event finish Back-to-back main event wins in 1976 and 1977

Back when I won, everywhere you looked there were strong players. Today, you can play the main event and not even come across a good player in days

C A S H

G A M E S :

L E A R N

F R O M

T H E

M A S T E R S

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S T R A T E G Y

To make poker work for you over the long-term you need to ensure you are always learning and progressing – playing at the correct level to your ability and growing your bankroll. To aid this progress we present a guide to moving up through the limits in cash games

T

HE REAL CHALLENGE OF POKER is being a consistently winning player over a lifetime, and that means nurturing a bankroll and moving up through the cash limits. Sure, it takes time and effort. But as compensation you’ll know you’re a complete poker player, you’ll have beaten every level, and you’ll have a stack of cash so you can buy your own massive cheque and write it to yourself. Many of today’s high-stakes regulars worked their way up through the levels – now it’s your turn to join them!

C A S H

G A M E

MOVING ON UP

MICRO-STAKES

LIMIT: $0.05/$0.10 BANKROLL GUIDELINE: 20 buy-ins – $200 Welcome to no-fold’em hold’em. You’re on the nursery slopes and things are sticky – and by ‘things’ I mean the cards to the players’ hands. Here you make money by almost never bluffing and betting your big hands strongly; the players here want to go to value town and you’re the driver. You’ll sometimes hear players say they hate playing against bad players, quoting the eternal line, ‘If they don’t know what they’re doing how can I know?’ know? This is absolute rubbish – if you can’t win here you won’t win at the higher limits. At e up mov at this limit y you’ll see a barrel load of t ’ n u do e th mistakes but the critical ones are re yo n. Ensur ing u s e Mak l too soo rly beat e that your opponents will play too e la h a lev are regu d have t many hands, hand they will overvalue n e a h t e you am ake those hands han and call too much. the g roll to m . bank step up They will also overvalue their draws and, again, call too much. Finally, they won’t bet their hands well for value. In short, they’ll t call too much when behind and not bet often enough when ahead.

this o d t ’ Don

IN ORDER TO BEAT THIS T LIMIT YOU NEED: To shut away your aggro self and play solid poker, bluffing infrequently and playing your hands for value.

TERMINOLOGY CHECK-CALL A check followed by a call of any bet by your opponent

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Make sure you really squeeze loose players for every penny. For example, if opponents are calling a lot pre-flop, consider making raises of five or six times the big blind – after all, whenever the call you with worse they’re they mak making a mistake. Extend the same logic to your post-flop pla – when you have a play strong hand consider ove overbetting the pot,

particularly if you can move all-in without it being ridiculous. Very often you’re facing players whose only thought is whether to call or not, and not about considering the size of the bet. A classic situation in these games is holding A-K, pairing your Ace and out-kicking your opponent’s A-x. In these spots it’s essential you get every cent. You will find some maniacs at these limits who don’t care because the money is small. Don’t let this faze you – quickly identify them and just call them down with a wider range than you would a normal opponent. You’ll also be playing a lot of multi-way pots – it’s not uncommon to find tables at these stakes with 35% or more of players in a full ring game seeing the flop. Compare this to a $1/$2 game where it’s rare for this number to go above 25%. The key is to not get involved in the limp-fest too often, although if you do, remember that hands like 8-7 suited go up in value – while hands like A-J offsuit are danger hands that play very poorly in multi-way pots. Finally, the most important thing is to learn as much about playing no-limit cash as you can at this level. Start as you mean to go on, so buy tracking software, analyse your results, use learning materials to improve and play with focus. You’ll be able to beat the games without doing all this, but it’s all about getting yourself ready for the higher games.

KEY POINT Play solid poker Bet your big hands strongly Bluff very infrequently

DANNY BIRD

Look to exploit those who play predictably Isolate the weaker players at the table Focus on improving hand-reading skills

S T R A T E G Y

KEY POINT

LIMIT: $1/$2 BANKROLL GUIDELINE: 30 buy-ins – $6,000 Make no mistake, these days $1/$2 is a tough poker game to beat. These players don’t make the big mistakes of lower limit players and aren’t afraid to commit their stack on a big call, semi-bluff or total bluff if the moment is right. The good news is there are still fish, and the better news is you can develop the game to beat regulars with hard work and application. You won’t be able to avoid the regulars completely, but there are still ‘bad’ regulars that you can exploit. These are players who have run good and don’t belong at this limit or are good enough to beat the fish but still have big leaks. Observe players and try to spot the mistakes they make or patterns they repeat. Some multi-tablers fall into predictable habits – for example, some will continuation-bet almost every flop, making it very profitable to check-raise bluff them a lot. The big difference, as you start moving into mid-stakes, is the level of aggression you’ll face, particularly from regulars. You’ll sometimes need to fight fire with fire, increasing your aggression and sometimes use these players’ aggression against them by inducing bluffs and mistakes. At this limit you really need to start being a complete, flexible player, dealing with situations as they come up rather than to a preset formula. For example, if you have 7:-5: in the cut-off with aggressive players on the button and in the small blind, it may be a fold. But with the same hand under the gun, a good table image and a fish in the big blind, you might want to raise it.

You’ll sometimes need to fight fire with fire by increasing your own aggression and using opponents’ aggression against them by inducing bluffs and mistakes

G A M E

LIMIT: $0.25/$0.50 BANKROLL GUIDELINE: 25 BUY-INS – $1,250 A couple of years ago, most of what you’ve just read about $0.05/$0.10 applied to this limit too, but things have changed in online poker. As wrong as it may seem, there are now people at $0.25/$0.50 actually trying hard to win! This limit has therefore become a transitional one – still full of fish but also of players like you aspiring to get better. The good news is that it’s not difficult to spot who’s who, and the even better news is that even the regular players at this limit have big weaknesses you can exploit. Let’s focus on the players at this limit who are trying to play well. Typically, they have two key weaknesses. The first is that they play very predictably. They have often learnt to play with starting hand charts and, when they raise under the gun you can put them on a very specific range of hands. Second, they often play weak-tight after the flop. This means they go into check-call mode when worried about their hand and make far too many folds in spots where they should commit. In contrast to $0.05/$0.10 there will be fewer limped pots and far more raised pots, either heads-up or three-way. Look to isolate weaker players and play in position. Make sure you open up a bit and push your comfort zone further at each limit to really improve your game. Having got the basics at the lower limits – enough to make you profitable by the way – you should really start focusing on your hand-reading skills. Put your opponents on a range, understand what they’ll do with that range and adjust your play accordingly. This is the skill that will slowly develop for years as you move up the ranks.

MID-STAKES

C A S H

LOW-STAKES

KEY POINT Game selection is key Games will be much more aggressive Be flexible – play the situations not the cards


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PHIL GALFOND

One of the leaders of the new school of online pros, Phil Galfond explains his amazing rise to the top and how money hasn’t changed him

Phil Galfond is a 24-year-old high-stakes online pro from Wisconsin. He regularly plays the best players in the world in cash games ranging from $50/$100 to $500/$1,000. He is very well known in the online world with his alias, ‘OMGClayAiken’, attracting legions of online railbirds. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE POKER AND WHAT SKILLS HAVE ALLOWED YOU TO EXCEL AT IT? I was a college student studying philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, though I dropped out after five semesters. I’ve always excelled at maths and logic. I think those two areas are very important to being a good poker player. Psychology is the third that I’d consider most important, which I also feel strong in. WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR SCREEN NAME? ‘OMGClayAiken’ was just a funny name I thought up. [Clay Aiken was the runner-up on season two of American Idol]. Most people like to have toughsounding screen names and I think that’s stupid. HOW DID YOU GET TO THE TOP? I didn’t play hold’em until I was 19. I started with sit&gos on PartyPoker and played them for a while, grinding my way up from $10 to $100 tourneys in the first year of my career. Then I moved up to the $200 ones and took shots at the new $1,000 sit&gos. After that I switched to $5/$10 no-limit cash games, which was probably a bit high, but I picked it up very quickly and never had to drop down in stakes. I grinded up to $10/$20, then took shots at $25/$50 and $50/$100 on other sites when the games were good and ran very badly. So, I dropped down to $5/$10 and grinded back. I rebuilt my roll and eventually tried the bigger games again. I haven’t really looked back since. WHAT BANKROLL APPROACH DID YOU TAKE TO MOVE UP SO FAST AND WOULD YOU RECOMMEND OTHERS TO FOLLOW IT? I’ve taken some gambles with my roll, but have never been in danger of losing it all. I take shots in good games when I can afford to and I know that I can move back down if need be. Some people take a shot and then can’t move back down if they lose. They end up losing everything. I think that most people should be conservative with their bankroll because a big loss can

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be damaging psychologically and end up costing them a lot more money. I’ve found that I’m fairly mentally strong when it comes to dealing with losses. WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS YOU APART AS A PLAYER? Frankly, I think I’m smarter than most other players. I certainly don’t study or work as hard as some of the other greats, although I do think about the game a lot. I think I handle different player types better than most people. I adjust well when my opponent likes to bluff, or when they are a bit of a calling station. Many good players just play a style and don’t alter it enough for different opponents. I’m also well-known for making big calls. I find spots where players aren’t representing any real hand better than most people. Some players with bottom pair will fold to a big bet on the river without bothering to think about what their opponent might have. WHAT IS YOUR DAY TO DAY LIFE LIKE? I have a lot of great friends within poker, but most of my friends in Madison have no poker experience. I like it that way. I have no schedule at all. I often wake up at a completely different hour every day. When I’m not playing poker I like to hang out with friends. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU’VE MADE FROM POKER AND WHAT YOU’VE DONE WITH IT? I’d rather not be specific about my lifetime winnings. I do okay but I’m not a baller. I’ve never bought anything over $5,000 aside from my apartment. I don’t own a car. I don’t really see the point in showing off. THE HIGH-STAKES GAMES SEEM INSANELY AGGRESSIVE. IS THIS A REFLECTION OF THE POWER OF AGGRESSION IN NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM? Aggression is a very powerful tool. Many people fight aggression with aggression. That isn’t the only way to do it, but it’s probably the easiest. This results in the hyper-aggro games that you see. As far as strategy adjustments go, this means calling down with weak hands, pushing back and thinking on very high levels. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS’ TIME? I would like to think I’ll be retired with a family and only playing poker casually. A lot depends on how successful I am in the near future and what non-poker opportunities show up.

GALFOND FACTS

Name Phil Galfond Nickname OMGClayAiken Jman Lives New York Live tournament winnings $939,384 Biggest live win $5,000 pot-limit Omaha in 2008 for $817,781

1

AGGRESSION ISN’T EVERYTHING

M A S T E R S

2

T H E

Aggression is important, but you don’t need to be aggro to win. Nothing can replace pure intelligence and the ability to think on the fly. Beginners should focus on handreading. Always try to figure out why your opponent is playing his hand the way he is. It mostly comes down to deductive logic with a hint of maths knowledge.

F R O M

The cash game genius has some tips for the top

L E A R N

GALFOND’S TOP TIPS

KEEP IT SIMPLE IN TOURNAMENTS

In tournaments, you will usually face weaker players. You don’t have to be as tricky and you don’t have to think on as high a level. The pot size on the flop is usually so big in tournaments that the best line involves taking it down as soon as possible.

3

MIX IT UP IN CASH GAMES

4

BE CAREFUL ON THE TURN

5

CATCH THE RIVER BLUFFS

In cash games, it’s more important to balance your range, making your hands harder to read. Also, stacks are generally much deeper in cash games. That leaves more room for creativity and the ability to play more hands pre-flop.

TOM MILES

The turn is probably the street that is the toughest to play. Pre-flop and the river are easy, although the river is important and misplayed by many. Most people don’t check-raise bluff enough on the turn. A lot of people bluff too often on the turn with no outs, or with a lot of outs, but not enough to call a raise.

It comes down to putting players on a range of hands and knowing your opponent. Try to pay attention to what hands had a lot of outs and missed. They’re likely to fire three barrels. Also, if scare cards hit, like an Ace or King on the river when the flop is 10-high, some players are very likely to try to represent them. However, there will be times when they hit those cards. You just have to decide how likely they are to bluff at the scare card and weigh that against how likely it was to hit their hand.


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Q U I Z G A M E S C A S H

The

1 CONTINUATION BETTING

CASH GAMES QUIZ

Cash games are where the big money and best players are, but thanks to online poker you can start out playing for pennies. Get a headstart on your education by taking our cash game quiz!

2 BARREL THE TURN?

BB $9.20

ACTION

Let’s assume that in question 1 you made a continuation bet and your opponent in the big blind called. The turn now brings the K… and the pot size is $1.65. What do you do?

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FOLD

Pot: $0.65

YOU (BTN) $9.70

FOLD

ACTION

FOLD

is 10;-7;-5: and he checks. The pot is now $0.65 – what do you do?

You’re playing a 0.05/$0.10 six-max cash game and make an open-raise for three times the big blind on the button with QÚ-J:. The small blind folds and the big blind calls. You both have $10 stacks. The flop

DECISION

a) check b) bet $0.30 c) bet $0.50 d) bet $1

Players 6 Blinds $0.05/$0.10 Your stack $10 Your hand QÚ-J:

FOLD

DECISION

a) check b) bet $0.50 c) bet $1.20 d) bet $3

BB $8

SB FOLD

FOLD

Pot: $1.65

YOU (BTN) $9.20

BB $9.70

SB FOLD

3 RIVER DECISION


SB FOLD


FOLD

Pot: $4.05

FOLD

YOU (BTN) $8

ACTION

FOLD

Let’s assume that in Q2 you bet the turn and got called again by the big blind; the river now brings the J;, making the final board 10;-7;-5:-K…-J;. The pot stands at $4.05 and your opponent checks again. What do you do?

DECISION

FOLD

a) check b) bet $1 c) bet $3 d) bet all-in for about $8

6

YOU (UTG) $86

SB FOLD

FOLD

$10

$35

$10

UTG+2 $86

FOLD

Pot: $68.50

a) 2-3 times the big blind b) 3-4 times the big blind c) 4-5 times the big blind d) 5-6 times the big blind

7

BTN $61

FOLD FOLD

ACTION

first player calls, the second folds, and then the third raises to $35. What now?

You’re in a $0.50/$1 full-ring game. You raise to $4 under the gun with Q;-QÚ and get three callers; all four of you have $100 stacks. The flop comes 4…-7…-8: and you bet $10 into the $13.50 pot. The

DECISION

a) fold b) call c) move all-in

5 HEADS-UP PLAY Players 2 Blinds $0.25/$0.50 Your stack $50 Your hand A:-J…

BB $37 $8

Pot: $18

YOU (BTN) $45

ACTION

Early in a $0.25/$0.50 heads-up match against a decent aggressive player you raise to $1.50 on the button from your $50 stack. He re-raises to $5 and you defend with A:-J…. The flop comes J-6-2 rainbow and he bets $8. What do you do?

DECISION

a) call, planning to get it all-in on the turn b) call, planning to fold to further aggression c) raise to $16, planning to fold to a shove d) raise to $16, planning to call a shove e) move all-in

A good three-bet size is usually… a) 2-3 times the initial raise b) 3-4 times the initial raise c) 4-5 times the initial raise d) 5-6 times the initial raise

8

A good four-bet size is usually…

a) 2-3 times the re-raise b) 3-4 times the re-raise c) 4-5 times the re-raise d) 5-6 times the re-raise

9

A good opening range under the gun in six-max cash games is… a) 10-10+, A-Q+ b) 6-6+, A-8+ suited, A-J+ offsuit c) A-2+ suited, A-10+ suited, 2-2+ and good suited connectors d) Any Ace or pair; most suited/ connected cards

10

A good opening range on the button in six-max play is… a) 10-10+, A-Q+ b) 6-6+, A-8+ suited, A-J+ offsuit c) A-2+ suited, A-10+ offsuit, 2-2+ and good suited connectors d) Any Ace or pair; most suited/ connected cards

Q U I Z

BB FOLD

A good open-raise size is usually…

Answers (one point for each) 1 c) You need to c-bet the majority of the time to take pots down when you have nothing and build them when you do, and this is a good bet to show you are serious without risking too much. 2 c) The King gives you straight outs and your opponent’s hand now looks weak if he has a small or medium pair. A solid bet will often take the pot down with the worst hand, and if you do hit a straight on the river you may win an even bigger pot. 3 a) The river card has given you decent showdown value, but betting would be pointless as you will rarely get called by worse and your opponent may be trapping with a flush. Check it down and expect to win the pot a good percentage of the time. 4 a) Although you started with a good hand you’ve run into a nightmare flop and a lot of action. Facing a call and a raise you’re likely to be either even money against a draw or a long way behind a set, straight or two pair. 5 a) You’ve hit one of the best flops for your hand but are unlikely to accomplish much by raising unless your opponent thinks you’re likely to bluff. By calling your opponent may bluff on the turn or commit himself with a hand like Q-J that he might fold to a raise on the flop. Quick-fire round 6 b) This is large enough to start building a pot when you have a strong hand, but not so cheap the blinds will call you too often. 7 b) Again this is a good size to charge opponents to see a flop and build a pot when you have a good hand, but without making it too cheap when you have a bluff or too expensive when you have a big hand. 8 a) With stacks of 100 big blinds you want to four-bet quite small to avoid committing yourself to an all-in, and 2.5 times the re-raise is ideal in most spots. 9 c) You have three players behind you so you don’t want to play too many dominated hands, but all of these should show a profit unless the game is very tough. 10 d) Now you are guaranteed the best position you can play a very wide range, as you will make a hand or be able to outplay your opponents often enough.

ROUND

G A M E S

Players 9 Blinds $0.50/$1 Your stack $100 Your hand Q;-QÚ

C A S H

QUICK-FIRE

4 FULL RING ACTION

SHARK OR FISH?

0-3 SHARK FOOD Don’t despair – sign up to a training site and learn the basics from scratch. 4-7 TIGER SHARK You’re on the right track. With a little more effort you should be a big winner. 8-10 GREAT WHITE SHARK You’ve built your bankroll dominating low stakes – now it’s time to move up.


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LIVE POKER


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G A M E S

HOUSE

H O M E

RULES!

Running a home game isn’t as easy as you think. We show you how to be the perfect host and avoid a first-time flop

S

O YOU’VE PLAYED POKER ONLINE or watched it on TV and now you’re thinking about running a game for you and your mates. Easy, you might think, but there’s actually more to running a successful home game than a crate of beer, a pack of cards and a few chips. Not to worry, we’re here to act as your guide and mentor. Over the next few pages we’ll take you through the mechanics of a successful home tournament and show you how to be the perfect home game host. Do it properly and you’ll win the respect of your friends and, more importantly, they’ll come back the next time you invite them. Get it wrong and your social life is over.

CHIPS

They’re everywhere at the moment – clothes shops, DIY stores, you name it. And you pretty much get what you pay for, so be careful about ‘genuine casino’ bargains. You can get sampler packs from most retailers so you can try before you buy. It seems 11.5g clay-filled chips have become the standard, but one thing to watch out for – which always separates cheap chips from the top-of-the-line ones the professionals use – is how slippery they are. Towards the end of a tourney you’re going to end up with big piles of chips. Those dramatic all-in pushes aren’t going to look so good when your stack spills all over the table. How many you need is going to depend on the size of your game but

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a basic breakdown for a 10-player tournament is… 150 red (worth 5) 150 green (worth 25) 100 black (worth 100) 100 purple/orange/other (worth 500 or 1,000) Don’t worry about the colour conventions but we recommend you stick with these denominations. There’s little point having ‘1’, ‘10’ or ’50’ value chips. No tournament blind structure will use the ‘1’ value chip and if you have a cash game you can make your denominations real money value; 100 = £1; 25 = 25p. Your 500-piece chipset will then have a monetary value of £645, which should be enough to cover your average cash game. Think of

poker chips like currency. The idea is to use the fewest denominations to make the required sum and for chip counts to be possible at a glance. The blind structure and chips here is based around a long five-hour game – adjust to suit the time you have. Example blinds SB 5 10 20 25 50 100 150 250 400 500 1000 *Colour up

BB 10 20 40 50 100 200 300 500 800 1000 2000

Round length 30mins 30 mins 30 mins 30mins* 30 mins 30 mins 30 mins 30 mins 30 mins* 30 mins

CARDS

First of all you need cards. It’s a card game after all. The best cards are 100% plastic. Play a full game with ordinary paper or plasticcoated cards and they’ll be bent up and marked. If standard cards is all you have get online and order some Copags or Kems. We particularly like the Kem Arrows, which you can get online for around £14.

Do this

Poker has hundreds of variations. For your first game stick to the most simple and popular form of the game – no-limit Texas hold’em. Hold’em is divided into two different styles: tournaments and cash (ring) games. For your first home game stick with sit&gos (tournaments). Tourneys, as you probably know, have become the most popular format of the game – and the ones you usually see on TV. They’re the best for home games because they give you clear winners, have a set time-frame and limit the amount of money anyone can lose in the one night. With a tourney everyone buys in for a set amount and the money is pooled together in a prize fund.

It’s up to you how the prizes are distributed and this little detail will make a considerable difference to your game. With a table of eight to 10 players a prize distribution of 60%, 30%, 10% will give a balanced payout. First place should get the lion’s share; second should get a nice little payout and third should get their buy-in back, or similar. If you’ve got six players or less, you might want to consider only paying first and second 70/30. Another option is to play winner takes all. This is fine if you’re all experienced players with a good chance of winning, but stick to places if you have novices playing. They’re likely to get disheartened by an early exit and not return.

TABLE

Preferably you’ll have a soft surface at your disposal as it makes the cards easier to deal, pick up and look at – not to mention the ability for experienced players to riffle chips on a nice soft baize. A polished tabletop is no good, and while a dedicated poker table doesn’t cost as much as you might think it’s not a practical solution for all. For a cheap alternative pick up a few metres of artificial baize or felt from a fabric shop, stretch it tight over your table and find a way of holding it in place. Cheap ‘poker’ tabletops aren’t great but are useable if you’re desperate. But if you’ve got cash to splash, you can find numerous websites selling poker tables from £100-£1000.


G A M E S

THE SET-UP

Freezeouts are much simpler to run. Everyone pays a set amount and you all play for it. You know how much money is in the pot, the payouts and how many chips are on the table. They’re a bit more challenging to play, as people tend to play tighter and big bets and bold bluffs tend to be respected. The tension builds and big pots are both rarer and more exciting. On the downside, once you’re out, you’re out! Rebuys allow players low on chips to pay again and reload their chips. If the buy-in was £10 for 1,000 chips then the rebuy will be another £10 for another 1,000 chips (available if down to less than 50% of starting stack). The rebuy chips are usually issued as a single 1,000 chip or two 500 chips, which are then changed up for smaller chips with the biggest stack. d is normally The rebuy period limited to the first couple of ey or the hours of the tourney inds. After first four or five blinds. nds, the the rebuy period ends, game becomes a freezeout. ption of Everyone has the option ‘adding on’, which is a rebuy available to s everyone regardless of stack size. If you’re down to 50% of your stack at the freezeout you are entitled to rebuy and add-on. This can take you from ck death’s door to back in the game. Also all dd-ons these rebuys and add-ons will swell the prize pooll handsomely. This is a good moment for everyone to take a short break, for you to ‘colour up’ the small denomination chips, to count the prize pool and let everyone know what the payouts are going to be. After the end of the rebuy period it becomes a freezeout. One other option is the double chance. Here you get your starting chips for a single buy-in and have the option at any time in the first two hours to ‘add on’. You can even start the game with your extra chips. This means that no-one need go out too early, there are plenty of chances for action and those who can only afford a single buy-in are not as disadvantaged as with a normal rebuy. The choice is yours.

H O M E

The right way

FREEZEOUT OR REBUY?

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G A M E S H O M E

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BUY-IN

This is the entrance fee, which everyone pays and forms the prize pool. But obviously the amount everyone is willing and able to put in to a card game will vary. Newer players are unlikely to stump up £100 to sit down with veterans of the game! When you have some novice players, it’s best to make the buy-in (taking into account rebuys) about the same as a night out down the pub. No-one is going to mind spending that for a night’s entertainment, and the total prize pool is going to be a tidy sum. For your first freezeout, make the buy-in £10-£50 depending on how flush you are and how many new players you have. A £20 freezeout with 10 players could give payouts of £110, £60 and £30. It’ll be a serious game, but for the same sort of money you’d spend on a night at the pub, a kebab and a cab home. For a rebuy you want to make the cost about half to a third of a freezeout. So if players are normally happy to play a £30 freezeout then a £10 rebuy is fine. If you play a £20 freezeout a £10 rebuy might work out a little more expensive if everyone takes into account a possible rebuy plus an add-on. A £10 double chance is a very affordable home game, which, between 10 players and five or six add-ons, can still build a decent pot. For most tourneys you can start everyone off with 1,000 in chips – 10 times ‘5’, 10 times ‘25’ and 7 times ‘100’ will give everyone a satisfying little stack to fiddle with. If you’re playing a rebuy then give the players rebuying 2 x ‘500’. They can change them up at the table. If everyone’s feeling a bit flush and wants to stick in twice as much then it’s fine to start off with double the normal chip amounts. This doesn’t normally prolong the game too much – perhaps an extra level of the blinds further than normal. A rule of thumb is that tourneys normally end when the big blind is equal to the buy-in.


BLINDS

If you have a solid blind structure it will make for a well-paced and exciting game. Make the blinds too low and not frequent enough and the tourney will drag on for what seems an eternity. However, setting them too high will often result in the game being little more than a crapshoot with little opportunity for skill – not to mention your poker night being over by 9:30pm. The levels the blinds are set at will dictate the length of your home game (along with rebuys and add-ons), but it should last anywhere between 90 minutes and five hours, depending on your preference. One thing to think about is that if you host a freezeout which goes on for five hours, some poor sod may end up twiddling their thumbs for three hours or so. Which could discourage them from turning up again. To keep things running on time get a stopwatch or cooking timer. Or, if you have a laptop, download one of the many free poker timers to run in the background. Once you’ve set your blinds, be strict with them. If the blind level goes up during a hand (after dealing has started) then enforce the new level for the next hand. If short stacks grumble that they are being blinded to death then tough! As the blinds rise the lowest value chips on the table (the fives) will become redundant. When this happens you need to remove them from the game by exchanging them for twenty fives. This will make things much tidier and will make ‘all-in’ count-ups simpler. After you have run a game you might consider adjusting the blinds for the next game if the pace seemed too fast or slow, either by changing the length of rounds or by adding or removing rounds. However, there is no structure that is going to stop players grumbling about their bad beats or how unlucky they are!

BOOZE

Having a drink at a home game is one of the great pleasures of life and we would never suggest cutting it out, but you’d be advised to keep it within reason. Players will tend to play worse, go on tilt easier and get angry much quicker when drunk. They may well not hear declarations and will accidentally expose cards and misdeal. The most important rule is to never start a game when you’re all pissed – it’ll all end in tears. To avoid arguments every player needs to be clear on the rules, how much money you’re playing for and the payout structure.

STRING BETTING

In almost every film or TV drama which features a poker game you’ll hear something like, ‘I’ll see your 50 (pause, camera close up on anxious faces) and raise you 200.’ This is a string bet and would not be allowed in any casino or card room in the world. Raises must be announced first: ‘Raise’, and then either the amount of the raise declared or the chips put into the pot in one motion. The rule is designed to prevent people making one declaration, waiting for a reaction, then altering their play. Best practice is to declare ‘Raise’, count out your chips and put them in the pot in one motion. Or you can say, ‘Raise 200’, and then add your chips in as you like until you’ve put the 200 in the pot.

G A M E S

Players must not disclose what cards they have until the showdown. This rule applies to players who have folded. The board shows K-K-K-A-6 and you raise all-in. Your opponent looks at his A-J and wonders if you have been slowplaying the King all this time. You stare each other down, then some muppet says, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have folded that King’. Talking about hands you’re not playing in is not only bad form but is distracting and annoying and will prejudice the chances of those playing. Likewise, showing your cards to anyone before the showdown, even if they are no longer in the hand, is poor form. Poker is about patience – just wait two minutes until the end of the hand.

H O M E

The wrong way

TABLE TALK

HOUSE RULES

Enforce these basic poker rules. They minimise arguments and make the game flow smoothly.

MINIMUM BETS AND RAISES

The big blind is the minimum amount you can bet. If the blinds are 25-50 then any bet after the flop must be at least 50. Raises also have rules. Any raise must be the same size or greater than the previous raise or bet.

SOFT PLAYING

AVOIDING PITFALLS

Ever played one of those games of Monopoly with your family where, by the end of the night, no-one is talking to each other? Well, if you don’t manage it right, your poker night could end up just like that, too. It’s a game where you are trying to stitch each other up for real money. It’s not only important to get the mechanics of the game right, but vital to consider the human equation. So try not to get too serious or taunt others about their play or luck.

PERSONALITY CLASHES

Take a moment to consider who you’re inviting to play. And the first question to ask yourself is, can they afford it? If they can’t afford to lose, they can’t afford to play. You aren’t in it to take someone’s last £20 and the atmosphere can really sour if someone goes genuinely broke at the table. Likewi if you were thinking of Likewise, inviti ‘that bloke from down inviting pu who once got barred for the pub’ puttin his fist through the fruit putting machin perhaps you might want machine, to recons reconsider. fac it’s probably a good idea In fact, to stick to a group of people who all know each other so there’s less potential for a blow-up when player e X takes everyone’s money.

ACTING OUT OF TURN

Novice players will act out of turn fairly frequently. Of course, it’s annoying for the rest of the table but you’ll have to be a bit sympathetic and explain the rules. Folding out of turn is binding. Players are not allowed to fish their cards out of the muck. Players who are either calling or raising out of turn, or both, clearly aren’t paying enough attention and after a few warnings the rule should be that they will be obliged to call any raise before them. Being so desperate to get your chips into the pot is usually an obvious sign that you’re holding monster cards. Laugh at the culprit and watch everyone fold round the table. They won’t make that mistake again!

Don’t go easy on friends, family and spouses. It’s collusion and against the spirit of an honest poker game. If you get in a pot with them you should try and take their chips off them with the same determination as you would anyone else.

RABBIT HUNTING

Most pots are won uncontested. You don’t get to see the river, the turn, or sometimes even the flop. ‘Can we see what the turn and river would have been? I want to know if my J-4 suited would have caught a miracle full house.’ No we can’t. It’s called rabbit hunting. It’s pointless and annoying and slows the game down. Good luck with your first game – above all enjoy yourself and don’t worry if you lose.


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T E L L S P O K E R

t o p s o t w o H

POKER TELLS

Reading tells may not be as enigmatic a skill as the movies would have us believe, but we can glean a vast amount of information from a player’s face and body language. Deciphering these tells will give you a huge edge

TOM MILES

A

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TELL, IN POKER PARLANCE, is any behaviour that betrays something about your play or the strength of your hand. It’s a common device in poker films, where a tell usually takes the form of a chronic physical tic or a bizarre tendency to bleed from the eyeballs. In reality tells are a bit more subtle than this, but they do exist and they can reveal a great deal about a foe’s state of mind. Over the next six pages we’re going to lead you through the complex world of physical behaviour and explain how to spot tells that convey either high or low confidence. Given that the human body is so complex you could literally write reams on the THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO POKER

physiological and psychological reasons for the way we act. However, for our purposes there are three main principles to keep in mind when it comes to physical tells. Firstly, all the tells we’re looking at are governed by the ‘limbic’ system – the part of the brain that governs involuntary behaviour. Although this doesn’t mean that tells can’t be faked, it does mean that a player’s initial reaction – however quick or subtle – is truthful because they have no control over it. The second principle is that reliable tell-reading can only take place if you have established baseline behaviour. In other words, what does that person normally do and how do they tend to deviate from this pattern? Lastly, remember

that high confidence doesn’t necessarily mean a player has the nuts, or even a hand that beats you – simply that they are happy with their holding. As a warning, note that each of the low confidence tells may not mean too much individually. However, when they appear in clusters it is a good indication that someone is lying. Note, too, that the most honest part of the body, and the place you’ll get the most accurate information from, is the feet. This can pose a problem at the poker table as it’s not often easy to see your opponents’ feet. The least honest parts of the body include the mouth, eyes and face. So tread carefully and try to catch the tells as early as possible.

HIGH CONFIDENCE TELLS

One of the most accepted gestures indicating high confidence and power is the ‘steeple’. Watch politicians like Hillary Clinton and they can steeple dozens of times during the course of a speech. In the gesture, the fingertips of each hand touch the corresponding digits of the other hand while pointing upwards. Although it seems like a fairly obvious physical manifestation, a poker player may only steeple momentarily, so you need a keen eye to see it. Don’t confuse le upwards steepling with a steeple that is directed forward. This has a very different meaning and acts like a defensive barrier between the player doing it and whoever else is present.

Whenever we’re comfortable or interested in a particular situation, we tend to tilt our heads. Physiologically we are exposing the vulnerable carotid art artery, thereby conveying the idea that we are very comfortable. In courtship, the tilt of the head is a flirtatious gesture exp expressing an interest in someone. Don’t con confuse it with alternately tilting the head fro side to side à la Gus Hansen. This is from mor an expression of uncertainty. more

T E L L S

2 TILTED HEAD

P O K E R

1 STEEPLING G

Research suggests that women indulge in more head-tilting at the table than men.

Watch tinyurl.com/tells1 for the perfect example of dam Levy and Phil il Hellmuth Hellmu Hel lmuth th at the 2008 2008 a steeple. The hand involves Adam WSOP main event. Levy has the nuts when Hellmuth bets on the river and as he decides what to do next, he does a split-second steeple before clasping his hands (possibly in an attempt to cover it up).

3 SMILING

4 LEANING FORWARDS

A smile is one of our most natural and indicative forms of communication and if you catch someone smiling you can usually assume they are pretty happy with their hand/flop. However, it’s crucial to be able to differentiate between a real and a fake smile. A genuine smile involves the orbicularis oculi muscle, which raises the cheeks and causes crow’s feet to appear around our eyes. Research suggests we do not contract this muscle when smiling as a deliberate gesture – such a reaction is only triggered by genuine spontaneous emotions.

It may seem like the most obvious gesture in the world, but when we have a positive ing interest in something we try to get closer by leaning in towards it. Some players try to disguise this gesture by pretending they are re-adjusting their sea seating position, but this usually only serves to highlight it.

Test your ability to spot a fake smile at tinyurl.com/tells2.

In this notorious us half-a-million dollar hand between Gus Hansen and Daniel iel Negreanu on High Neg Sta Stakes Poker (tinyurl. com com/tells3), watch Kid Pok lean forward when Poker thi use he thinks his full house goo on the turn. is good


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HIGH CONFIDENCE TELLS

T E L L S P O K E R

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5 EYEBROW ARCHING

6 PUPIL DILATION

When we’re attracted to someone or happy to see the person in front of us, our reaction is to arch our eyebrows, even before we’ve spoken a word. Transposed to the poker table, this gesture is definitive proof that a player likes, for example, his hole cards or how the flop has turned out (unless there’s some serious flirting going on at the table). The reason why this movement is so foolproof as a high confidence tell is that it happens automatically. The downside is that because it lasts barely a fifth of a second, trying to pick up on it is very difficult.

When our pupils ‘dilate’ it is usually a response to a light change or because we are attracted to someone or something. Although spotting it is not the easiest task, if you do you can be sure that the player involved likes his cards. Pupil dilation is an involuntary response caused by the iris dilator muscle and impossible to control.

According to studies, the eyebrow arch, or eyebrow flash, is the most instantly recognisable non-verbal greeting that humans use. Check out this hand from Poker After Dark (see tinyurl.com/tells4) and look out for the moment when Howard Lederer gives away the strength of his hand with a split-second eyebrow raise. Watch his eyebrows carefully after the KÚ hits the river. Lederer also feigns disinterest (see tell number 8 below) by animatedly g tto the other players player about boxing. ng. talking

Natural pupil size varies from person to person so keep in mind the person’s base level.

7H HAPPYY FEET Although you will see most mo physical tells in the face, o body of a neck or player the most pla player, ‘hones area is ‘ho ‘honest’ actual act actually the feet. ‘Happy ‘Ha ‘Happy’ bouncing feet a fee are a reliable indica ind indicator of a player feeling pla excite exc excited about a situat sit d. situation or a hand. You do ee the fe feet et the themselves as the movement will don’t even have to see transm tra ing shoulders, hands or torso. If the bouncing suddenly transmit to moving stops, it may be a ‘freezing’ response, indicating that they are bluffing. sto Some people have a disposition to ‘happy’ feet, so make sure you establish their baseline behaviour first.

8 FEIGNING DISINTEREST One of the themes explored in Mike Caro’s seminal Caro’s Book of Poker Tells was that ‘weak means strong and strong means weak’. Tells expert Caro argues that feigned disinterest is an attempt to appear as non-threatening as possible when a player has a big hand. Annie Duke has previously commented


that overacting, or ‘Hollywooding’, is one of the key traits of the inexperienced player. If the player’s head is turned away but the rest of his body seems to be involved in the hand, he is probably feigning disinterest

10 BETTER POSTURE If a player is in a slouched position, looks at his hole cards, then suddenly sits up… watch out! He’s probably not too unhappy with his holding. No doubt a reflex borne of all those no-nonsense primary school teachers barking at us to sit up straight, assuming an upright posture is one of the most obvious ways of showing we are attentive and interested. However, given the is universality of this gesture and the ease with which it can be mimicked, it’s one mon of the most common to be used as a reverse tell. Watch this hand from the 2004 WSOP lls5) 5) (tinyurl.com/tells5) ke and note how Mike re Matusow’s posture changes after he moves all-in.

LOW CONFIDENCE TELLS

Psychologists who have studied handshakes recommend extending the hand with a thumb ‘up’ to convey confidence.

This indicator falls into the category of self-touching. Often if you see players put their finger to their mouth, scratch their neck or touch their face they’re doing this to ease anxiety as they need some self-comforting. At a poker table if you see these signs, which again will usually come in clusters, it’s not too much of a stretch to determine that your opponent is anxious about their holding and deciding whether to carry on in the hand or not. Even if they do decide to continue at this point, your opponent will likely fold to continued pressure.

T E L L S

According to former FBI agent Joe Navarro, one of the most prevalent signs of high confidence is the ‘thumb display’. Thumbs up denote that the player is confident about his hand. Navarro says the thumbs can go up and down during the course of a hand, reflecting exactly how the player is feeling about his hand. Like many high confidence tells, the thumbs may only go up for a second or two – the action is involuntary.

1 NECK MASSAGE

P O K E R

9 THUMB DISPLAY

This tell is particularly strong if your opponent deliberates delibe del iberat rates for a long time over any given decision.

2 NOSE SCRATCHING Blood rushes to the nose when people lie, and this extra blood may make the nose itchy. The result is that people who stretch the truth tend to either scratch their nose or touch it more often. Beware though – this is one of nd the more well-known and e obvious low confidence tells. Savvy opponents who start scratching their nose may be trying to reverse ak. If it is the only low confidence the tell to appear weak. tell they’re giving off be very cautious. When a person is lying the nose may swell in size and also become redder.


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LOW CONFIDENCE TELLS

T E L L S P O K E R

3 FREEZING

4 LIP-LICKING

This is a natural human response to danger and ons something we’ve done for millions of years to ensure survival from ves. predators stronger than ourselves. At a poker table this freeze response usually happens when nt someone is bluffing. An opponent who is bluffing will attempt to stay as still as possible because they don’t want to do anything that may bring attention to themselves. It is very important to note a player’s response immediately after they make their bet as the initial (limbic) response will be to freeze but after a few seconds the thinking part of the brain kicks in and informs them that they should act strong. In this case many players will freeze and then er, become more animated. However, e – for instance, Gus Hansen and nd Annette Annett Ann ette e Obre O bresta bre stad sta d baseline behaviour is crucial here Obrestad are two pros who tend to ‘freeze’ after every action they take.

Lying takes more effort than telling the truth and causes stress. Lip-licking and com compression is another sign of stress and lia liars usually tighten their lips or frequently lic lick their lips. As Joe Navarro states in Read ’Em and Reap, ‘If, after glancing at her hole car cards, a player does a quick lip press, you can be sure that something is not good… thus it is probably fair to assume the player has a wea weak hand.’ So if you catch a player doing a mom momentary lip press and they come in for a rai raise, three-bet them with impunity. Watch Sammy Farha’s face at the 30-second mark in this High Stakes Pok clip: tinyurl.com/tells7. Poker

Check out this hand from the 2008 WSOP main event final table (see clip at tinyurl.com/tells6). Notice how still Ivan Demidov is after moving all-in against Dennis Phillips, knowing he probably has the worst hand.

5 TALKING FEET

6 FLIGHT

Ever noticed how you stand if you get talking to someone you don’t really want to? Your feet point away, your heels elevate and you put more weight on your toes. This is a sprinting stance and means you are ready to make a sharp exit. At the table you’ll notice a similar phenomenon. If someone is bluffing or not happy with their holding, they will find it difficult to plant their feet and their toes may point away.

The classic example e of y flight is leaning away from the table. In life our reaction to something we don’t like is wishing to escape or get away from it. one Think about when someone says something that cuts a bit close to the bone – you recoil in disgust and lea away. At a poker lean tab when we’re facing table som something we don’t like our reaction is the same. Hav you ever faced a Have tou decision and leant tough bac to contemplate? Or back clo closed your eyes while cli clicking the call or all-in but button online? We’re try trying to put distance bet ourselve lves. between the decision and ourselves.

Remember, the feet are considered the most honest part of the body.

In this clip Scotty Nguyen runs a big bluff on Humberto Brenes and has to get up from the table as Brenes contemplates his act action. Watch it at: tinyurl.com/tells8.

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7 COVERING THE MOUTH ing mouths every hand, mindful of giving off information – Phil Hellmuth and Brian Townsend are good examples.

T E L L S

Think back to when you were a kid and you did something naughty. Your natural reaction was to cover your mouth almost to prevent the lie escaping. The same is true at the poker table. You’ll often see a player fleetingly cover their mouth, although some players have taken to covering their

In this hand from the Million Dollar Cash Game, watch Brian Townsend from about the 1 minute 55 mark (tinyurl.com/tells9).

8 HOLDING BREATH AND SWALLOWING

9 STARING NG DOWN YOUR OPPONENT The human response to danger som sometimes manifests itself in the shape of aggression. A player will often aggre act aggressively as a deterrent to stop someon someone from taking an action they dislike. For instance, after making a move they m may stare you down to intimidate you and an deter you from entering the pot – a classic ‘strong means weak’ tell. Verbal aggres aggression is also a weapon used at the table. Look for a discrepancy between a play player’s expression and words, for instan instance frowning while saying ‘I’ve got th the best hand.’

This is an extension of the freezing low confidence tell. A foe who is lying will try to stay as anonymous as possible and as well as making themselves as le will often hold their breath. breat br eath. h. If you small as possible give someone a good stare-down this should become noticeable, as they can’t hold their breath forever! Also it’s the opposite of a high confidence tell, as often when holding a good hand a player’s heart rate will increase and they’ll breathe more heavily. Animals in the wild also hold their breath to reduce their chances of being observed by a predator/their prey.

In this hand from High Stakes Poker, Hellmuth bluffs Matusow off pocket Kings Kin while holding 7-2. Hellmuth, who for most of the hand, suddenly is silent sil talks on the river and asks Mike how tal much he has left: tinyurl.com/tells10. muc

10 BLINKING ‘We don’t blink at random,’ says Dr Gifford-Jones, a Canadian medical practitioner. ‘We blink at times that are psychologically important. You have listened to a question, you understand it, now you take time out for a blink. Blinks are punctuation marks. Their timing is what’s going on in your head.’ When liars are searching for an answer to an awkward question, their thought processes speed up. In this situation, lying is frequently associated with blinking and our rate of blinking seems to correlate to the amount of mental stress we are under, so it stands to inking ink ing will will increase. inc Re reason that if someone is bluffing their rate of blink blinking Remember though, cause they’ve moved all-in with a good but not an opponent may be blinking excessively because great hand and don’t want a call, not because they’re out-and-out bluffing. According to studies, a human’s normal rate of blinking is about 20 blinks per minute, but it can increase to four or five times that figure when we feel under pressure.


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LIKE A PRO

Ever wanted to impress your mates at a home game or earn money dealing at your local club? Read on…

E

VERYONE KNOWS HOW PAINFUL it can be waiting and watching as the cack-handed beginner at your table takes ages to gather the cards together, before spilling the deck and exposing cards when it’s their turn to deal. But even the home game veteran or regular club-goer in self-dealt tourneys can get it horribly wrong too. Forget what you think you know about correct practice in the field of shuffling and dealing – we enlisted the help of Nikki Letran, who has dealt at World Poker Tour final tables and in high-stakes cash games, to explain the fine art of dealing. So grab a deck of cards – well, several decks – clear the doilies off the dining table, lay some felt and get ready to learn how to shuffle, pitch, burn and turn until you are dealing like a pro. And when your mates turn up at your next home game, they’ll look at you with a new-found respect. Shuffle up and deal…

TOM MILES

D E A L

l a e d o t w o H

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WASH AND GO

1

2

L I K E

At the start of your game spread the deck out on the baize as shown on the left so players can verify all cards are there, then do the same face down. This is to check the deck is all the same colour and there are no marked cards. To spread hold the left side of the deck with your thumb, place your index finger on top and your other fingers on the right side. Put the deck on the baize and swiftly spread out in a semi-circle, releasing cards with your thumb as you go. It’ll take a bit of practise and won’t work on hard slippy surfaces.

A

3

P R O

1

D E A L

A

Scramble all the cards to perform the ‘wash’. Do this after every hand.

Collect all the cards in and show them face out to the players. Tap the deck on the table and run your fingers over the top to ‘box’ it.

2-3

4

Hold the deck as shown in (3) and split the deck in half, by simply sliding two sections apart.

4

1

2

C

STRIP AND CUT

After shuffling, you must then strip the deck. So by holding the cards in one hand, take small sections off the top with your other hand to lay on top of each other on the table. Then repeat the shuffle.

1

Now you need to cut the cards.With the boxed deck in front of you, simply cut the deck away from you and put the other half on top to finish off.

2-3

3

4

1

2

B

THE SHUFFLE

Hold the two halves of the deck close together as shown above and lift the corners with both thumbs so the cards bend slightly in preparation for the shuffle.

1

2-3

In a swift, smooth motion let the cards filter over each thumb; the corners of the

cards should interlace over the top of each other. It should take no more than a second or two for the process to be complete.

3

Holding the cards in place, push the two halves of the deck together to ‘box’ the cards. Repeat the whole process.

4


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D

THE DEAL

Hold the deck in your palm with your index finger wrapped around the bottom edge to protect the deck from falling. You should also hold it so that it’s tilting downwards towards the table so when the cards are pitched it will reduce the chance of exposing a card. Now with the hand you’re holding the deck use your thumb to slide the top card off and grab the top corner with your other hand. Hold it with thumb and index finger as shown in the picture and instead of just tossing the card out use your middle finger, which is sitting just behind the card, to flick the card out. The moment your middle finger flicks the card, release with your other two fingers and the cards should glide, rather than flop, through the air onto the baize.

1

1

2

This will take a lot of practise, so sit at a table with a baize or felt surface and make sure there’s a rail of some description to stop the cards spilling all over the floor. Now grab a deck of quality plastic cards (Copags, Kems) and pitch, pitch, pitch. When you’ve mastered doing one or two at a time, build up a rhythm and get that middle finger flicking the cards out in a low arc over and over again. Also, try pitching into a hat, to get used to dealing at the right trajectory and at the same spot.

2

3 3

Once you’re adept at the pitch, start dealing to several positions at the table and build up speed. The cards should land right in front of each player’s chips.

3

E

PUSH-OFF

As an alternative to pitching, one type of deal you will see in a lot of UK cardrooms, is the push-and-drag off the top of the deck. Hold the deck firmly and using two or three fingers of the other hand simply push down and drag a card from the top of the deck.

1

Slide the cards out to each player. This is easy on a small round table, where you can reach everyone, but if you’re playing on a proper poker table where it’s hard to reach seats three and eight there’s a chance the card will catch air and be exposed.

2

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1

1

2

FLOP IT

1

Finally, after betting is complete, burn and turn the river card in the same way. The board is now complete and once the last betting round is over the hand is finished. Now sweep the board up in a tidy way, mix with all the mucked cards and burn cards and start the ‘wash’ process all over again.

P R O

Place the second burn card at a slight angle on top of the first and expose the turn card to the right of the flop. The dealer taps the table with one hand before the flop, turn and river to indicate the pot is correct and that they’re about to expose a card. This is the players’ last chance to say the pot is wrong.

3

2

Mark Briggs has been involved in the gaming industry since 1996 and is now manager of Dial a Dealer (www.dialadealer.com). Briggs says, ‘As a casino trainee, you’ll receive your education in-house for about six weeks, usually in Roulette, Blackjack and Stud poker. These disciplines will get you used to handling chips, getting to knowing the right techniques, and making sure the bets are correct. It takes about 10-12 months to feel really comfortable and confident at dealing at pace and as you gain more experience you can then progress to other games that the casino runs, like the cardroom…’ Mark says that during training stages the pay is usually minimum wage, but increases when you qualify and as you gain experience. As a full-time trainee you might expect an annual salary of about £12,000, depending on the casino and area.

A

Using your thumb gently flip the cards over and, with your other fingers, spread the cards out to the right so they stay in line and are evenly spaced out. You’ll need to try doing this a few times to look like a pro and it requires a baize or felt surface to work properly, otherwise the cards will slide around.

The most common route into becoming a dealer is through casinos, of which there are now several big chains in the UK. Gala, Grosvenor and Stanley casinos from time to time offer jobs for trainee and experienced dealers

L I K E

Finally make cash from poker

After shuffling and dealing every player two cards, and pre-flop betting is complete, it’s time to see the flop. Holding the deck in one hand, burn one card to the left, then take three cards off the top one at a time and place face down on top of each other in a tidy fashion, so that only one card is visible.

1

2

BECOME A DEALER

D E A L

F

GOING CLUBBING

3

4

4

So what happens if you don’t want to work in a casino, and just want to deal poker in clubs? Roy Houghton, owner of London poker club Loose Cannon and one of the most experienced dealers in the UK, says, ‘With the amount of poker tournaments being run at the moment, there always seems to be a shortage of dealers – I’d be interested in running a training school for people interested in learning how to deal, shuffle and push cards around the table.’ Houghton admits, though, that there aren’t many full-time positions in private clubs, but offers this advice: ‘If I was to go into it now I’d learn how to deal but have another job, and then fit it in on a casual basis.’ So on a part-time basis what could dealers expect to make for a shift? Houghton says, ‘A tournament dealer could earn anywhere between £100-£150 a night [a shift is typically 8pm-2am]. Cash game dealers in clubs can earn very good money. If you were doing it on a full-time basis [several nights a week, 8-12 hour shifts] you could earn maybe £500-£800 a week.’ And that’s before tips..

TRAINING

Before you commence work you will need to gain a licence from the Gambling Commission. This is usually awarded once you have completed ‘on the job’ training. Training can last six-to-eight weeks and can be in-house at a casino or at a training facility. To check for UK vacancies you should contact the British Casino Association. Of course, you could teach yourself by reading our guide and then offer to deal in cash games at your local club. For more information on job and training opportunities check out www.dialadealer.com, www.loosecannonpoker. com and www.thefullhouse.co.uk. Other useful links: www.grosvenor-casinos.com, www.galacasinos.co.uk, www.stanleycasinos.co.uk.


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NICKNAMES Poker is awash with names, phrases and strange terms. And poker starting hands in particular have been given a whole range of pseudonyms. If you’re new to the game here’s your chance to learn some of the parlance…

Pocket Rockets; American Airlines; Bullets Big Slick Little Slick; Big Chick Dead Man’s Hand (the hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead) A-3 Ashtray; Baskin Robbins (31 flavours) K-K Cowboys; King Kong K-Qos Mixed Marriage K-Qs Marriage K-J Kojak K-9 Canine; Fido Q-Q Siegfried & Roy; Ladies Q-J Maverick Q-7 Computer Hand (from claims that this, on average, is the median of all hold’em starting hands) Q-3 Gay Waiter, San Francisco Waiter (Queen with a tray) J-J Knaves; Hooks; Fishhooks; Jay Birds J-A Jackass; Ajax J-5 Motown; Jackson Five J-4 Flat Tyres (as in what’s a Jack for?) 10-10 Dimes 10-5 Woolworth’s (because it was traditionally a chain of 5- and 10-cent stores); Five & Dime 10-4 Over And Out; Roger That; Convoy; Good Buddy 10-2 Doyle Brunson (because he became world champion twice with the hand) 9-8 Oldsmobile 9-9 Popeyes; Phil Hellmuth 9-5 Dolly Parton 9-2 Montana Banana (as in it’s more likely bananas will grow in chilly Montana than this hand will make money) 8-8 Snowmen; Two Fat Ladies; Doggie Balls 7-7 Sunset Strip; Mullets; Saturn; Hockey Sticks 7-8 RPM 7-6 Union Oil

7-2 6-6 5-5 4-4 4-5 3-9 3-8 3-3 2-2

Beer Hand (if you’re playing poker’s worst hand, it’s time to head for the bar...) Route 66; Kicks Speed Limit; Presto Magnum Jesse James; Colt 45 Jack Benny (refers to a running gag about the late comic’s age) Raquel Welch (said to refer to the size of the One Million Years B.C. actress’s most impressive assets) Crabs (looks like two crustaceans on their sides) Ducks; Pocket Swans

iSTOCK

A-A A-K A-Q A-8

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Ultimate

POKER

The The

Guide To Guide To

No-limit Texas hold’em offers you the chance to win millions on the turn of a card, take down big-money tournaments, or just scoop bragging rights from your mates in a home game. And whatever you want from the game you’ll find all the advice you need in The Ultimate Guide to Poker. With expert articles, tips and strategies from professional players, and step-by-step guides to beating cash games and tournaments, The Ultimate Guide to Poker will turn you into a poker shark! Spot tells: learn to read players like a book Beat cash games: expert strategies to help you win Win tournaments: take down the big prize pools Learn from the masters: top pros reveal their secrets

Ultimate Guide to Poker

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