127 - Danny Ashman - Secrets of Short-Handed No Limit Holdem PDF

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Secrets of Professional Poker, volume 1 Advanced Limit-Holdem Strategy Secrets of Sitngos

by Rolf Slotboom by Barry Tanenbaum by Phil Shaw
978-1-904468-40-0, 256pp, $24.95 / 14.99 978-1-904468-36-3, 256pp, $24.95 / 14.99 978-1-904468-43-1, 224pp, $24.95 / 14.99
How Good is Your Limit Hold em? How Good is Your Pot-Limit Omaha? How Good is Your Pot-Limit Holdem?
by Byron Jacobs with Jim Brier by Stewart Reuben by Stewart Reuben
978-1-904468-15-8, 192pp, $23.95 / 13.99 978-1-904468-07-3, 192pp, $19.95 / 12.99 978-1-904468-08-0, 208pp, $19.95 / 12.99
Holdem on the Come Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha Limit Holdem: Winning short-handed strategies
by Rolf Slotboom and Drew Mason by Rolf Slotboom by Terry Borer and Lawrence Mak with Barry Tannenbaum
978-1-904468-23-3 , 272pp, $19.95 / 12.99 978-1-904468-30-6, 240pp, $24.95 / 14.99 978-1-904468-37-0, 352pp, $24.95 / 14.99
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Firstpublishedin2009byD&BPublishing
Reprinted2009

Copyright2009DannyAshman

TherightofDannyAshmantobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhas
beenassertedinaccordancewiththeCopyrights,DesignsandPatentsAct
1988.

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin
aretrievalsystemortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
electrostatic,magnetictape,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,without
priorpermissionofthepublisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.

ISBN:9781904468417

AllsalesenquiriesshouldbedirectedtoD&BPublishing:
Tel:01273711443,email:info@dandbpoker.com,
Website:www.dandbpoker.com

CoverdesignbyHoratioMonteverde.
PrintedandboundintheUS.
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Contents
Introduction 8
Pokerisanewgame 8
Becauseitsnewpeopledontunderstandit 9
Thereisalotofmoneyinpoker 10
Whythisbookwillmakeyoumoney 11
Aboutthisbook 12

1 Approaching the game 14
Thekeystowinningpoker 14
Passionforthegame 14
Whypokerishardtolearn 15
Confidenceandhonesty 18
Whycontinuallearningisimportant 20
Selfchecking 22
Intelligence 24
2 Mental discipline 26
Generalguidelines 26
Winningpoker 28
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Tilt 29
Thesevendeadlysins 30
Theimportanceofnottilting 33
Howtoavoidtilting 34
Empoweringyourself 36
3 Strategic considerations 37
Shorthandedvs.fulltable 37
Livevs.online 38
Gameselection 38
Bankrollmanagement 42
Multitabling 45
4 Poker math 46
Expectedvalue 46
Basicprobability 46
Handcombinations 47
EVcalculations 48
Puttingitalltogether 50
5 Pre-Flop 54
Evaluatingyouropponents 54
Skilllevel 55
Loosevs.tight 58
Aggressivevs.passive 58
Makingadjustments 58
Startinghands 60
Handreading 61
Examplehands 64
6 The Flop 69
Planningahand 69
Beingaggressive 72
Protectingyourhand 73
Determiningthebestline 73
Potodds 75
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Impliedodds 77
Examplehands 79
7 The Turn and River 89

Sophisticatedplay 89
Consideringfuturecards 90
Ev+vs.Ev+++ 94
Betsizing 99
Instincts 100
Strategicconsiderations 102
Metagame 104
Examplehands 106
8 Other concepts and hand histories 111

Valuebetting 111
Bluffing 118
Semibluffing 131
Trapping 138
Foldingstronghands 145
Betcallandcheckcalllineswithweakhands 149
Changinggears 155
Miscellaneous 157
Headsupmatches 160

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Introduction
Poker is a still new game

In1998internetpokerbeganwiththelaunchofthesitePlanetPoker.
Notmanypeoplehadheardof,orindeedplayedon,PlanetPoker
butitonlytookonemoreyearuntil1999whenthemuchbiggerand
successfulParadisePokeropenedupforbusiness.In2001Party
Pokerstartedandthiswouldlaterbecomethebiggestsiteforonline
poker(beforethegovernmentpassedantigamblinglegislationin
2006).In2003Partysrevenuewasslightlyover$100million,butby
2005ithadpeakedatwellover$800million.Eventhoughitwasbig
in2003,itwasntuntilasrecentlyas2005thatitreallytookoff.
Thesamephenomenonofveryrecentgrowthhasoccurredinthe
arenaoflivepoker.TheWorldSeriesofPokerstartedin1971witha
numberofentriesyoucouldcountonyourfingers.By2003ithad
grownto839entriesafairamountofgrowth,butthatwasasnoth
ingcomparedtothenextperiodofexpansionwhereby2006there
were8,773entries,whichamountedtoafirstplaceprizeof
$12,000,000whenJamieGoldhappenedtowin.
MeanwhiletheWorldPokerTourscheduledafulltwenty$10,000
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Introduction
tournamentsforitsseasonsixscheduleof2007.Alloftheselive
tournamentsgooutonTVwiththerecentadditionsofpokershows
suchasHighStakesPoker,CelebrityPoker,theProfessionalPokerTour
andsoon.Thenumbersdonotlieandthefactscitedaboveillustrate
thatthoughpokerhasexistedforalongtime,ithasnotexistedinits
currentformwhereitisordersofmagnitudemorepopularanda
partofpopularcultureuntilveryrecently.

Because its new people dont understand it

Allofthisisofmorethanacademicinterest.Becausepokerissucha
newgame,thegenerallevelofunderstandingisquitelow.Couple
thiswiththefollowingfacts:alotofpeopleplaypokerandpeople
playforalotofmoney.Maybethebestwordtodescribethesitua
tionthatexistsisopportunityorperhapstwowordsthatdescribe
itevenbetteraretremendousopportunity.
Thispopularityhasledtotheincreasinginclusionofpokerinpopu
larcultureforinstancea$10,000,000pokertournamentwasused
asthesettingfortheJamesBondmovieCasinoRoyale.Inthisfilm,
BondsarchenemyLeChiffredeclares,Allin.Ihavetwopairand
youhavea17.4%chanceofmakingyourstraight,asifhehasmade
asupposedlygoodplay.Accordingtoconventionalwisdom,thisis
apparentlythemathinvolvedinthegamethetypeofskillre
quiredtoplayinatenmilliondollartournament.Naturally,there
alityissomewhatdifferent.
PerhapsanevenbetterexamplefromCasinoRoyaleiswhereLeChif
fresays,YouchangedyourshirtMr.Bond.Ihopeourlittlegame
isntcausingyoutoperspire.BondrepliesAlittle.ButIwont
considermyselftobeintroubleuntilIstartweepingblood.Bond
hasapparentlypicksupatellonLeChiffrethatwhenhecries
blooditgivesawayinformationabouthishand.However,theun
derlyingideaisthatthekeytopsychologyinpokerislookingata
personsfaceandfiguringoutwhattheyhave.Again,therealityis
somewhatdifferent.
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Secrets of Short-handed No Limit Holdem
Forexample,inabaseballmovieifsomeonesaid,OkaySlugger,
youhavebigmusclesonyourarms.Usethosetohitthatballfar,
realfarandthenwecanwinthegame,thiswouldbeanalogousto
theCasinoRoyaledialogueaboutpoker.Thedifferenceisthatpeople
taketheCasinoRoyaledialoguemoreseriouslybutwouldrealisethat
thecomparablebaseballdialogueisnonsensebecausebaseballhas
beeninpopularcultureforacomparativelylongtime.
IftheskillscitedbyBondandLeChiffrewerethetrueskillsneeded
tomasterpoker,theyaresobasicthateveryonecouldbeapoker
expertinacoupleofweeks.Itistruethatthetwokeystonestopoker
arepsychologyandmathbutthosetwotermsactuallymeansome
thingmuchmoreprofoundthanmostpeoplethink.Thiswillbeex
plainedingreatdetailinthisbook.

There is a lot of money in poker

Beforepeoplecouldplaypokeronline,theyplayedincasinos.The
bestpokerroominLasVegasistheBellagioandtheyhaveoneroom
whichseatsamaximumoftenplayers.Itshouldthereforebeobvious
thatcomparedtotheactiontheycangetbydealingblackjackor
roulettepokerwasnotanattractivepropositionforthecasinos.This
ispartofthereasonwhypokerhasnotbeenmorepopularinthe
pastitisnotveryprofitableforthecasinos.However,nowadays,
thankstotheonlinerevolution,alotofpeopleplaypoker.
Goingbackintimeafewyears,$2/$4NoLimitHoldem(NLHE)
wasconsideredhighstakesandtherewasnotmuchactionavail
ableonlineanyhigher.Slowly,andwithsomereluctance,sites
addednewerandhigherstakesgamesthat,atthetime,causedgreat
excitementamongtheplayers.Theavailabilityof$5/$10NLHE
gameswasabigdeal,andthenlaterwhen$10/$20NLHEwas
addedthatwasabigdealtoo.
AslateasDecemberof2005IemailedPokerStarsCardroomman
agerLeeJonesmakingthecaseforadding$25/$50NLHEgames.He
responded,No,Imafraidwerenotgoingtodeploybiggerno
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Introduction
limitholdemgamesanytimesoonthatsnotcarvedinstone
(nothinginthisbusinessis)butunlessIseeamajorshiftthatImnot
expecting,wewontbedoingit.Howeversincethentheyhave
added$25/$50andtheneven$100/$200and$200/$400NLHEinad
dition.
ThesecondmostpopularpokersiteisFullTiltPoker.Whatmakes
themspecialisthattheyhavethehigheststakespokergamesavail
able.Theyhost$1,000/$2,000mixedlimitgames,$1,000/$2,000LHE,
alongwith$300/$600PotLimitOmaha(PLO)and$500/1,000NLHE.
Clearlythereforethereisahugeamountofmoneyinvolvedandit
willpaymassivedividendsifyoucanlearntoplayitwell.

Why this book will make you money

Thisbookisidealforsomeonewhotrulywantstounderstandpoker.
ThereasonthisisthecaseisbecauseIamapokerprofessionalandI
haveputalotoftimeandenergyintoputtingeverythingIknow
intoit.Manybooksarewrittenbycharlatanswhohavenorightto
bewritinginstructionalmaterialonpoker(Icallthemcharlatansbe
causetheyaremediocreplayers).Mostpeoplewhocouldwrite
worthwhilethingsaboutpokerdontbother.Mostpeoplewhoare
qualifiedtowriteaboutpokeranddoarelazy.Thisbooktookalot
ofworkbecauseitisatextbookonanewareaofpokerthathas
neverbeenthoroughlyexamined.
FirstandforemostIamaprofessionalpokerplayer.Istartedout
with$1,500tomynameandbuiltthatupbyconsistentlyratcheting
upmywinrate.Mywinscomefromconsistentsuccessesincash
gamesIhavenevermadeabigtournamentscore.Tournaments
requirealotoflucktosucceed(grantedskilltoo,butrelativetocash
gamesmuchless).Itwouldntbetruthfultosaythatanyoldfool
couldwinatournamentbutjustaboutanyoldfoolcan.Winningone
tournamentproveslittleabouttheskillofaplayer.Havingnumer
oustournamentsuccessesdoesshowsomethingaboutaplayers
skill.However,whatshowsthemostabouttheskilllevelofapoker
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playeriswinningalotoveralongperiodoftimeinthehighest
stakescashgames.ThiswisdomisshownbythefactthatIhave
nevercomeclosetogoingbrokeincontrasttomanypokerplayers.
Ihavemademostofmymoneyplaying$25/$50NLHEheadsup
which,whenIwasplayingpokermostseriously,wasjustaboutthe
biggestgameoffered.However,alongthewayIhaveplayedasig
nificantamountathigherstakes,upto$200/$400NLHEandPLO,
andalsoLHEuptothestakes$200/$400.Ihaveplayedallthese
gamesliveandonline,shorthanded,headsup(HU)andinfulltable
formats.Ihavealsoplayedafairamountoflive$10,000tourna
ments,althoughadmittedlywithoutmuchsuccess.Ivesatwith
over$100,000infrontofmeplayingpokerwithbillionares,fools
andmoreskilledpokerplayersthanme.Asaresultofallthat,I
knowalotaboutpoker,andeverythingIknowisinthisbook.

About this book

MymaingameishighstakesNLHE,shorthandedandheadsup.As
Igothroughtopicsliketilt,bankrollmanagementandexample
handstheyarealldrawnfromthatcontext.However,becauseall
variantsofpokeraresimilar,thetypeofthinkingandmanyofthe
conceptsbehindNLHEareverytransferrableandhelpfulforall
playersfrommicrostakesNLHEplayerstoHULHEplayers,
tournamentandevenPLOplayers.
Thisbookwillnottellyoupreciselyhowtoplaypoker.Insteadit
describeshowIplaypokerandhowI(andothertopplayers)think
whenplaying.ThereasonIhavetakenthisapproachisbecauseitis
impossibletocreatesetrulesonhowtoplayortogivejudgmentson
specificsituations.Indeed,someofthedecisions,andevensomeofthe
logicIusedcouldbewrong.Whatisimportantaretheconceptsand
ideasusedtothinkthroughthepoker.Pokerisalwayssituational,
butonceyouunderstandthetypesofconsiderationsthatareimpor
tantindecisions,comingtoadecisionitselfbecomeseasierandonly
amatterofgainingexperience.
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Introduction
Thisbookiswrittenforpokerplayerswithsomeexperienceofthe
game,notbeginners.Assuchtherewillbenoelementaryexplana
tions.Basicideassuchaspotoddswillbeexplainedquicklyand
throughexamples,andwherethisbookdifferentiatesfromothersis
thatthebulkofthebookwillconsistoftakingthosebasicconcepts
andusingtheminadvancedways,asthisiswhathighstakesNLHE
isallabout.Emphasisisplacedonpsychologyandhandreading.
Handreadingandmentaldisciplinearethetwomostimportant
elementsofpoker.Theyarethefocusofthisbookwhereasmost
otherbooksfocusonwhatlinetotake(inotherwordsthedeci
sionofwhethertoraise,foldorcall)aftertheassumptionismade
thatourhandreadingiscorrect.Thewhatlinetotakedecisionis
trivialandamatterofbasicmathwhenweknowwhatouroppo
nentshandrangeis,sothisbookwillfocusprimarilyonthehand
readingelement.
Forthemostpartthisbookisnotabstractessaysonconceptsin
pokerbutinsteadacompilationofhandsthatactuallyhappened.
Thetypeofthinkingrequiredtoplaythehandcorrectlyandthe
ideasandconceptsbehindwhathappenedareexplainedveryspe
cificallyandingreatdetail.Theideasandcomplexitypresentin
pokerarenotdumbeddownintheleast.Pokerisamuchbetter
gamethatway.

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Chapter One
Approaching the Game
The keys to winning poker

Pokerisverycompetitive.Mostofthetraitsneededtosucceedin
pokerarederivedfromthisfactandare,forthemostpart,similarto
whatisneededtosucceedinothercompetitiveendeavors(e.g.chess,
soccer,racing).Agoodwaytolearnhowtolearnpokeristostudy
howwinnersactandthinkreadbiographiesofwinners.Inthis
sectionthequalitiesneededtowinareexaminedastheyrelatespe
cificallytopoker.

Passion for the game

Themostimportantpartofbecomingagoodpokerplayerishavinga
passionforthegame.Mozartsaid,Neitheraloftydegreeofintelli
gencenorimaginationnorbothtogethergotothemakingofgenius.
Love,love,love,thatisthesoulofgenius.Youhavetocareabout
whatyouredoingtogetreallygoodatit.Theconceptofpassionis
slightlyabstract,soletstryandmakeitmoremeaningfulforapoker
player.Sincepokeris,byitsnature,verycompetitive,apassionfor
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thegamealsomeansadesiretobethebestplayer.Orputanother
way,itnecessarilymeansadesiretobeateveryoneyouplay.When
youareactuallyplayingarealpersonthiswilltranslateintoadesire
tocrushyouropponent.Incidentally,oneofthebestwaystogainor
regainthispassionistowatchplayersbetterthanyourselfandsee
themmakereallyskillfulplaysthiscanbeinspiring.
Thequestionis,howdoessomeoneachievethathighskilllevel
wheretheyarebetterthaneveryoneelseintheirimmediateenvi
ronment?Theansweriseasyitsthesameanswerapersonwould
getthataskedthesamequestionregardingskillinanydiscipline
throughhardworkandstudy.Buthardlyanyoneactuallydoesthat,
insteadtheyplaypokerandassumetheyllgetbetterasaresult.
Theymaydo,buttheprocesswillbeslowanderratic.Insteadof
playingpokerandhopingthatthesideeffectwillbeagradualim
provement,itsmuchbettertoactonourmaingoalandgearour
planspecificallytowardsattainingthisimprovement.
Ifsomeonewantstobeadoctortheydontjuststartdoingsurgery.
Theygotouniversityforsixyearsandinternforanothertwoto
studytheprofession.IfsomeonewantstoplaysoccerinthePremier
Leagueittakesmanyyearsofpractice,practiceandthensomemore
practice.Theystudytheirdisciplinewithprofessionalism.Tosuc
ceedasapokerplayerisnodifferent,thisprofessionalismisneeded.

Why poker is hard to learn

Thedifferencebetweenpokerandothersportsorprofessionsisthat,
aspreviouslydiscussed,itsarelativelynewthing.Thereareno
pokerschoolsandthereisntmuchpokerliterature.Thereisnoes
tablishedroadmapforwhatittakestobecomegood.Everyone
needstosomeextenttogoaboutreinventingthewheel.Andits
notjustlearninghowtoplaygoodpoker,itsaboutlearninghowto
learnhowtoplaypoker.Andbeyondthatproblemthereareafew
reasonsuniquetothedisciplineofpokerthatmakeitanespecially
hardgametomaster.
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Onereasonisthatformostofitshistory,pokerhasbeenplayed
livewithrealcards.Peopledidntrealizeituntiltheinventionof
internetpoker,butlivepokerwasactuallyaveryslowgame.People
getdealtmaybethirtyhandsanhourinliveplay.Comparethisto
aninternetplayerplayingtwotablesandgettingonehundred
handsanhourpertable.Theonlineplayerisgettingalmostseven
timesasmanyhandsastheliveplayer.Thisresultsinalotmoreex
periencegainedveryquickly,sothisplayerlearnsalotfaster.It
takesalongtimeforaliveplayertolearnthegamesinceittakesso
longtogainexperience.
Thenthereisthefactthatthebestplayersdontteach,theyplay.The
sayingthosethatcan,do.Andthosethatcant,teachholdsan
elementoftruth.Itisespeciallytrueinpokerbecausethebestpoker
playerscanmakealotofmoney.Asaresultthepeoplewhocan
makehugeamountsofmoneylogicallydecidetodojustthat.They
concentratetheireffortsonplayingratherthanteachingpoker.
Thosewhodontmakehugeamountsofmoneyplayingpokerteach
alotmore,becausetheiropportunitycostisntashigh.Whenthey
areteachinginsteadofplayingpokertheyarentlosingalotbecause
theydontmakemuchmoneyfrompokerinthefirstplace.
Pokercanalsobeverytryingemotionallysinceitissodirectlycom
petitiveandbecausemoneyissuchanintegralpartofthegame.So
ifaplayerwantstolearnandimprove,theyshoulddisregardtheir
emotionsanduseananalyticalmind.However,itisactuallyquite
hardtoignoreyouremotions.Forexampleifaplayerwinsabigpot,
theyshouldbecalmingtheirmindtoanalyzethehandandtryingto
understandiftheyplayeditcorrectly.Whentheydothistheymay
realizethatinfacttheywereoutplayedandjustgotlucky.This
wouldbeanimportantpartofthelearningexperience.However,
maybetheamountofmoneytheywonwassubstantialand,natu
rally,thismakesthemhappy.Sonowtheyrecelebratinganddoing
alittledancearoundthechairinsteadofthinkingabouttheimpor
tantthings.
Converselyifaplayermakesabadplayandthentheopponentcapi
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talizesonit,maybethepersonwillbecometoodepressedandbeat
themselvesupwiththoughtsofdamnImsobadatpoker.Imjust
sobadatpoker,whydidIdothat?Ijustlost$5,000.Imsobad.
Thentheykeeprepeatingthisoverandoverintheirhead.Instead
whattheyshouldbedoingisgettingridofthesenegativeemotions
andquietlythinkingoverwhatwentwrong,andhowspecifically
thehandcouldhavebeenplayedbetter.Butitsquitehardtosepa
ratetheemotionalaspectofpokerfromthelogicalaspectwhich,in
evitably,makesithardforpeopletolearntoplaythegameatahigh
level.
Thatbringsustothebiggestreasonpokerisahardgametolearn.
Whenlearningtakesplace,apersonwilldosomething,andthenhe
willreceivefeedback.Thefeedbackwhethergoodorbadiswhat
peopleusetolearn.Forinstanceastudentcandoamathproblem,
butthekeyiswhentheteachermarksitasincorrectsothestudent
willknowtochangehowheapproachesthatproblem.Orateacher
couldmarkitascorrect,sothestudentwillknowtokeepdoingit
thesameway.Thatfeedbackishowastudentadaptshisbehaviorto
bebetter.
Studyingpokerisalittlelikelearningwithacrazymathteacher.A
teacherwhomarksproblemsrightorwrongwithnocorrelationto
whetherwedidtheproblemcorrectlyornot.Forastudentofpoker,
thefeedbackisverydifficulttointerpret.Forexample,aplayer
couldplayverybadly,butwinalotofmoney.Sothefeedbackisthe
exactoppositeofwhatitshouldbe.Heretheexperiencemerelyrein
forcesthebadhabits.Oraplayercouldmakeareallygoodplayand
getunluckyandthenthinkthegoodplaywasactuallybadandnot
doitanymore.Againthefeedbackisallwrong.
Therearemanydifferentwaysthiscouldhappenforinstancea
playercouldmakeagoodplayandgetallthemoneyinasafavorite
andgetoutdrawn.Thefeedbackistheoppositeofwhatitshouldbe,
butitsprettystraightforwardtounderstandthattheplaywasgood
iftheopponenthitsatwoouter.However,whatiftheplayermade
whatwasinprincipleagoodplaybutgotcalledbyabetterhand
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andendeduplosingthepotasanunderdog?Nowthefeedbackis
muchmoredifficulttointerpret.
Maybeonewouldnormallyexpecttheopponenttohaveaworse
handormaybethenormaloutcomewouldbethattheopponent
wouldfoldthebetterhandanditwasjustunluckyhecalledthis
particulartime.Ortherecanbeotherpossibilitiesmaybetheop
ponentshouldnthavehadthathandinthatsituationandwaslucky
tohaveitthere.Itsquitedifficulttoselfchecktheanswerand
evaluateonesplayinpokerbecausethefeedbackissounreliable.
Couplethatwiththeemotionalissuesofplayingthegameandthe
lackofqualityinstructionalmaterialonpoker,anditexplainswhy
mostpeoplefacealotofproblemsbecomingskilledatthegame.
Inreality,however,pokerisactuallyamuchsimplerdisciplineto
masterthanmanyothers.Forexample,ittakesalifetimeofgood
worktoachievetoplevelskillsasanactor,anartist,asoccerplayer,
orperhapsasawriter.Forapokerplayeritmanyonlytakeayearor
twotoachieveahighlevelofskill.Althoughitisacomplicated
game,itsnotnearlyascomplicatedasotherskills.Itactuallycanbe
aloteasiertolearnthanpeoplethinkbutwhenitisntthereasonis
usuallybecauseoftheseissuesinlearning.

Confidence and honesty

Confidenceisfundamentalinpoker,asitisinallendeavors.Itsalso
notjustimportantforlearningthegame,butimportantforplaying
qualitypoker(thisisdiscussedinthementaldisciplinesection).A
bigpartofthelearningprocesstakesplaceawayfromthetable.This
involvesvisualizationandanticipatingeventsthatcanoccur.Imag
inewhatwouldhappenifyouwantedtolearnpokerandsoyou
thoughtaboutpokerawayfromthetableandvisualizedsituations
thatmighthappenandhowyouwouldreacttothem,butthenyou
lacktheingredientofconfidence?Youmightbevisualizingyourself
gettingintosituationsinthefutureandthenplayingthempoorly.
Thisisnotwhatyouwant.
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Howcanyoubepassionateaboutpursuingpokerandbecomingthe
bestifyoudontbelieveyouarecapableofdoingit?Itisnonsensical.
Withconfidencethatyouhavetheabilitytoimprovecoupledwith
thedesiretoimproveyouwillaskyourselftherightquestions.
Thiswillhappeninspecificgamesituations.Letssayyougotout
playedinapotbuthaveconfidenceinyourselfandyourcapabilities.
ThelogicalquestionforyoutoaskisOkayIgotoutplayedinthat
hand.LetsseehowIcanplayinasimilarsituationinthefutureto
getbetter.Notethatwithconfidenceyouwillfeelsecureandbe
abletobemorehonestwithyourselfandadmitwhensomeoneout
playedyouandsoallowimprovementtohappen.However,ifyou
donothavetheconfidencethatyoucanbeatthisopponentthenit
makesnosensetotrybecause,quitesimply,youdontbelieveyou
canbeathiminthefuture.
Alsobecauseofthedifficultiesdiscussedaboveinlearningpokerit
iscrucialthatyouarehonestwithyourself.Notonlywilllackof
selfhonestyhugelyinhibitlearning,butitwillpreventaccurateas
sessmentsofyourownskillrelativetothatofyouropponents.This
willresultinbadgameselection.Thereasonhonestyissoimportant
isbecause,aswehaveseen,inpokerfeedbackissotrickytointer
pret.Itsnotlikemorestraightforwardpursuitswheretheresultsare
clearcutandthereisnowaytohidefromthem;inpokeronehasto
activelysearchforthetruth.
Akeytogettingbetteratpokerisbrutalselfhonesty.Donotallow
yourselftimetobesatisfiedwithyourplay.Ifyoulostapot,see
whatyoudidwrong.Anddontjustlookforabetterline,lookfor
thebestline.Dontjustconsiderwhetheryoumadeabadrivercall,
considerwhethertheturncallwasokay,considerwhetherpreflop
wasokay,considerifyourbetsizewasokayontheflop,considerif
youshouldhavebet10%more.Considereverything.
Ifyouwonapotbecauseyougotlucky,thatsreallythesameaslos
inginthelongrun,sostudythathand.Ifyouwonapotbecause
yououtplayedtheopponentthatisnotgoodenoughconsiderhow
youcouldhaveoutplayedhimevenmore.Considerifitjustlooks
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likeyououtplayedtheopponentandinactualityyouplayedit
badly.Oftenplayersdontevenknowwhathandstostudybecause
theythinktheyplayedwellwhentheyactuallyplayedbadly.
Forthisreasonyoushouldstudyalotmorehandsthanyouthink
youshould.Aplayeroftendoesntrealizewhentheyaremaking
badplays,ortheysimplywouldntmakethem.Evenifyouareon
thebiggestupswingofyourlife,youstillneedtostudyalotof
handsjustasyouwouldifthereverseweretrue.Itpaystobetough
onyourselfandfindasmanymistakesinyourplayasyoucan.
Youllbetheonetobenefitinthelongrun.Thebestplaniscriticism
ofyourownplay,exposingthemistakesyoumakeandthenfixing
them.Downthelinethiswillpayoffwhenyouhaveimprovedby
muchmorethaneveryoneelsebecausetheyhavebeencomplacent.

Why continual learning is important

Asapokerplayeryouareselfemployed.Thereisnobosstodecide
whenyougetaraise.Theonlythingthatdecideswhenyougeta
raiseisyourskilllevelandthetypesofpayraisesyoucangetare
massive.Thereishugeupwardmobilityinpoker.Winratesmight
startoutat1centanhourbutthebestplayerscanmakesomething
like$5,000anhour.Onlyafewpeopleintheworldarerewardedon
thatscale,althoughtherearemanyplayerswhocanearninthe
rangeof$1,000anhour.
Becauseofthishugepotentialreward,itpaystofocusextrahardon
learninginpoker.Thebestplayersputasmuchenergyintolearning
astheycanandtheirwholefocusisonthefuture.Thefollowing
sayingisusuallyattributedtoAbrahamLincoln,IfIhadseven
hourstochopatree,Idspendthefirstfoursharpeningmyaxe.It
mightappearasifsomeplayerswhohavehadgreatsuccessare
naturallytalentedanddidnotneedtostudytogetbetter.Thisisab
solutelyuntrue.Iguaranteethatifyouaskedthemyouwillfind
theystudiedthegameonewayoranother.Maybetheydidnthave
acoach,orpostonaninternetforum,ordoequityequations,but
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theydidsomething.Whetherthatwastalkingtoafriendabout
handsorevensomethingassimpleasthinkingoverpokerintheir
headsintheirowntime.Thereisnoshortcutalotofhardworkis
requiredtogetgoodatpoker.
Thereareacoupleofwaystoapproachpoker.Oneistoplaythe
gametomakemoney.Theotheristoplaytolearn.Itjustsohappens
thatifyourapproachinvolveslearningtoplaybetterthen,asare
sult,youjusthappentomakeevenmoremoneythanifyourgoal
whensittingwastomakemoney.Andthedifferencewillbesignifi
cantyouwillmakealotmoremoney.
Itmakessenseinpokertotakeadvantageofanyresourcethatmight
helpyourgame.Thisisbecauseifyoulearnsomethingnewyou
dontgeta$10onetimebonus,insteadyoumightmake$10more
anhourforeveryhourofpokeryouplay.Themathisthereforethat
ifyouhavetopay$100forapokerlesson,andthecoachteachesyou
justonelittlething,thenthatisokay.Maybethatonelittlelesson
onlymakesyourexpectedwinratejumpby$2anhour.Theninthat
caseyouneedtoplay50hoursforittopayoff,andsinceyouarea
pokerprofessionalandpokeriswhatyoudoyouwillplay50more
hoursquitequickly.Everythingafterthatisprofit.
WhenIstartedplayingpokerIreadliterallyeverythingIcouldget
myhandsonaboutthegame.Iboughtaprinterforthesolepurpose
ofprintingoutfiveyearoldarchivesfromapokerforum.Iprinted
outoverathousandpagesandreadthemall,andreadallofthenew
contentfromtheforumaswell.Imadefriendswitheverypoker
playerIcouldandaskedasmanyquestionsastheywouldletme.I
readeverybookthatwasavailable.WhenIplayedasessionof
pokerIsavedthehandsandthenafterthesessionwentoverevery
handthinkingitthrough,decidingwhetherIgotluckyorunlucky
andifIplayeditwellandhowtoplayitbetter.Ididequityequa
tionsonthehandsandthenwhenIwasgoingtosleepthoughtover
thosesamehands.Irememberthataftermyinitialintroductionto
pokerwhenIobsessedoveritforafewmonthsIthentooka
break.However,towardstheendofthatbreakacoupleofhands
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startedpoppingintomyheadthatIwouldcontinuetoanalyzeand
consider.Itpaystocompletelyimmerseyourselfinpoker.
Anotherreasonitpaystogetreallygoodatpokerinsteadofjusta
littlebitgoodisbecausethegameissostressfulandbecauseofthe
variance.Becauseitssostressfulitishardtodoasafulltimejobas
wellandthisisnotrecommendedunlessyouplayreallywell.Lets
consideraplayerwhoisquitegoodandmakes$75anhour.For
somereasontheystartplayingworsethannormalandsuddenly
theyareonlymaking$35anhour.
Whatwilltheydothen?Iftheytryplayingmorehourstomakeup
forthelostwinratetheymayendupjustplayingevenworse,self
destructingandlosingmoney.Furthermore,sincethisplayerisjust
goodandnotgreat,theydonthavealotofmoneysavedupinthe
bankandtheygetworried.Sotheyplayevenmore,gettiredand
keeplosing.Nowtheycanrunintotrouble.However,thisismuch
lessofaproblemifthisplayerisverygoodandmakes$500anhour.
Iftheystartlosing,theyhaveflexibility.Theycandropdownand
stillmake$200or$300anhourandcontinuelivingverycomforta
bly.Theyhavemoreflexibilityandthuslessstress.Thebottomline
is,thebetteryouarethegreateryourflexibility.

Self-checking
Sincepokerishardtothinkaboutobjectivelyagoodtechniqueto
useistoaskyourselfquestions.Thiswillhelpyourlearningprocess
immensely.Whenplayingpokerthefirstthingtodoafterasession
istoexaminethehandsanddecidewhoarethegoodplayersand
whoaretheweakerones.Dontconsiderwhetheryouwonorlost
moneyconsiderwhetheryouplayedwellorbadly.
Ifyouwinahandaskyourselfifitwasduetoskillorluck.What
wouldhavehappenedinthehandifthecardswerereversed?Say
youhadhishandandhehadyours,wouldhehavewonasmuch
moneyasyouactuallydid?Wouldyouhavelostasmuchashedid?
Ifyouwouldhaveimproveduponhowheplayedandnotlostas
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much,thatshowsyououtplayedhimandyourskillwasrewarded.
Inrealityitisrathermorecomplicatedthanthisbecauseplayers
dontallplaythesamestyleofpokeratdifferentskilllevels.People
playindifferentstylesandwitheachdifferentstylecomedifferent
waysofmakingmoney.So,ifyoudothethoughtexperimentand
switchplaceswithyouropponenttofindoutifyouwouldhave
faredbetterintheirsituationyouneedtobecarefulthatitsnotjust
becauseyourplayingstylesaredifferent.Maybehisstyleofplayal
lowshimtoloseabitmoreinaspotwhereyouwouldnthavelost
somuchbecauseheendsupmakingitbackinotherspotslateron.
Anotherquestiontoaskafterthehandisoveriswhendidmostof
themoneygoin?Diditgoinwhenyouwerethefavoriteorthe
underdog?Howbigafavoriteorunderdogwereyou?Saysome
moneywentinwhenyouwereafavorite,butthensomewentin
whenyouwereanunderdog.Thenitisamathquestionhow
muchwentinwhenyouwereafavoriteandhowmuchwereyoua
favoriteby;andhowmuchwentinwhenyouwereanunderdog
andhowmuchofanunderdogwereyou?Whatwouldhavehap
penedifyourhandhadremainedgoodallthewaywouldtheop
ponenthavekeptcommittingmoneylikehedidintheactualhand,
orwouldhehavestoppedputtingmoneyintothepotifhehadnt
hithishand?
Forexample,letssayyouwinahandbecauseyoucalledaturnbet
withtheplanofcallingariverbluff,thentherivercardcameand
youcalledtheriverbetandwonandthatwasagoodplay.Then
letssaywedidsomebasicanalysisandfiguredoutitwasaprofit
ableplaywhenthatrivercardcame,butyouneedtogobackand
figureoutwhatwouldhavehappenedifotherrivercardshadcome
andfigureoutiftheplaystillworksoutprofitable.Maybeyourplay
waspoorandtheopponentwastheunluckyonewhojustdidntget
agoodrivercard.Maybehisplaywouldnormallyhaveworked.If
youlostahandthesametypeofanalysisapplies.
Naturally,analyzingahandinthiskindofdepthcantbedonedur
ingplay.Infact,whenfacingatoughdecisionatthepokertableyou
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probablywontbeabletofigureitoutinthe30secondsorseveral
minutesyoumighthaveunderpressure.Youjustmakethebestde
cisionyoucanfromexperience.Thereallearningwilltakeplaceaf
terwardswhenyouhavehourstothinkitover.Then,whenasimi
larsituationarisesinthefuture,youwillhavedonethehomework
andbepreparedtomaketherightdecision.Similarly,youcantdo
equityequationsatthetable,butithelpsenormouslytodothem
awayfromthetable.Playaroundwiththenumbersandseehow
importantitiswhenyouchangecertainfactorsandhowitchanges
theplayofthehand.Then,althoughyouwontbeabletodothis
mathatthetableforfuturehandsyouwillbesubconsciously
estimatingthismathallthetimeandwillfindthatyourstudyaway
fromthetablehashelpedyouenormously.

Intelligence
Asyoumightimagine,intelligenceisimportantinpokersinceitis
morecompetitivethanmostactivitiesbecausepeoplearentjusttry
ingtowinforthesakeofwinningthereistheadditionalelement
ofmoney.Moneyispresentinmanymentalactivities,suchasa
prizeinachesstournament.However,therelationshipisnotasdi
rectasinpoker.Inpokerthesolepurposeistowinmoney.Theonly
tooltoaccomplishthisisbyusingyourbrainitsagainsttherules
topunchsomeone.Andunlikemanyotheractivitiesthereisno
combinationofmindandbody,inpokeritsjustyourmind.
Thereisananalogyherewithsportingactivitiesifwereplacethe
useofbrainforbody.Takeracingforexample.Thereisalittlebitof
intelligenceusedtorunagoodrace,butitisprimarilyabouthaving
agoodbody.Inpokerthebodyisoflittleimportanceinsteadhav
ingagoodmindisparamount.Ofcourseskillandexperienceare
alsonecessary.Therearealsoactivities,suchasbowling,whereex
perienceisthekeyfactor.Havingagoodbodycomesintoplaybut
comparedtoothersportsnotsomuch.Techniqueiswhatisim
portant.
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Itshardtosaywhereexactlypokerfallsonthiscontinuumbutitis
probablyclosetoagamelikesoccer,sincebothskillandexperience
andagoodmindaresignificant.Inpokeritisimportanttobecon
stantlythinkingandusingyourbrainasmuchasyoucan.Itispos
sibletoplaybyshuttingthebrainoffandgoingmainlyoninstinct
(althoughthisisstillbasedonpastexperience).However,yourre
sultswillbepoor.Useyourheadasmuchasyoucaninapoker
game.
So,ifthatmeansyouneedtoexerciseormeditatebeforeplaying
thendoso.Usinginstinctforgenericsituationsisokaybutinshort
handedandHUplayitwillnotbegoodenoughbecausepeople
quicklystartadjustingtoeachother.Formakingadjustmentsto
specificopponentsandchangesinthegamethatoccur,conscious
thinkingthroughofthecurrentsituationisimperative.
However,thisisnotaboutmathematicalintelligence,despitewhat
manypeoplethink.Themathelementinpokerisnothowitisusu
allyperceived.Itisdeepandunderliesallpokerhands,butthemath
isnotadvanceditissimplealgebraandstatistics.Clearthinkingis
neededforthatbutitisnotjustthemaththatisimportantaspsy
chologyisnecessaryalso.Youneedtooutwityouropponentandto
understandwhatheisthinking.Experienceplaysapartherefor
surebuteveryopponentisdifferentso,oneachoccasion,youwill
havetothinkthingsthroughandcometoanunderstandingofwhat
youropponentisthinking,orhowheisplaying.

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Chapter Two
Mental Discipline
General guidelines
Wehaveseenthathavingapassiontoimproveisvital.Similarly,
havingastrongbodyand/ormindisalsoimportant.Butmentaldis
ciplineisperhapstheimportanttraitinpokersincewhensomeone
losestheyactuallylosetheirownmoney.Thisisquiteasevere
shockincontrasttowhathappensinotherpursuitswhensomeone
fails.Inanathleticorsportingeventifsomeonemessesuptheylose,
butthelossesarentpenalized.Thatisthekeyinmostothercom
petitivepursuitstheloserisnotactuallypenalized,insteadtheper
sonsskilllevelstagnatesintheiractivity.
Butinpokerwhenyoumessupyouloseyourmoney.Thisisnot
stagnating,butgoingbackwards,anditisaverybadresult.This
tendstoaffectthemindevenmoreandtheconsequencecanbefur
therlosses,whichcananddobreakpeopleemotionallyandfinan
cially.Thingsaredifferentin,say,soccer.Ifanaspiringcollegeath
letedoesbadlyhedoesntgobrokeandhisbodywontselfdestruct.
Hemaybedisappointedbuthewontgocrazy.Hellstayinthe
samespotandnotloseanything.Helllatereitherresumehismarch
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Mental Discipline
forwardorquitthesport.
Inpoker,playersoftenmakeinformalrulestoprotectthemselves
fromthesenegativepenaltiestomakeitmoreofasafeactivitylike
soccersotheycantreallylosetoomuch.Withtheserulestheycan
thenfacethenormalswingsofvariance,butthoseswingsbecome
expected.Theymightappearnegativeontheoutside,butsomeone
whounderstandswillrealizethattheyarenttoobadandarejust
partofthegame.Absorbingthesenormalswingsinvarianceises
sentialinordertogaininthelongruninpoker.Inmanyactivities
consistentnegativeresultswouldmakeitobviousthataperson
shouldconcentratetheireffortselsewhere.However,inpokeritis
muchmoreconfusingbecauseofunreliablefeedback.Thisiswhy
therearerulespeoplemakeuptoprotectthemselves.
Whenapersonlosesmoneyfollowingtheserules(andeveryonesets
uptheirownbasedonwhateverworksbestforthem),theyarere
gardedasnormalbusinesslossesthatareexpectedandnotaprob
lem.Forinstanceifsomeonehasabankrollof$100,000andtries
playing$25/$50NLHE,thatiscompletelyreasonableprovidingthat
iftheylose$15,000theythendropbackdowntotheirregulargame
of$10/$25.OrifIamplayinganopponentandhebustsmefora
buyinandIrealizeheisbetterthanmeandstopthatisalsofine(of
courseitisbetterifIrealizethatsoonerandquit).Thosearenormal
unavoidableexpensesofdoingthingsliketryingtoimprovein
pokerandmakemoremoney.
Whatisunacceptablethoughiswhensomeonehas$20,000totheir
name,theironlyjobispokerandtheyareplaying$25/$50NLHE.
Thatisridiculouslyunprofessionalandsuchapersonhaslittle
chanceofsuccessastheyhavenomentaldiscipline.Theyprobably
knowtheyshouldntplaythatgamebutmostlikelytheywerelos
ingearlieronandbeganchasingtheirlosses.Youneedtobeableto
controlyourhead,howyouthinkandwhatyoudowhenyouplay
pokeroryouwillgobackwardandmaybeevenenduponthestreet.
Therulesthatmostpeoplefollowarediscussedbelowandrelateto
issuesofmovingupinstakes,bankrollmanagementandsoon.But
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fornowjustknowthatyouneedthementaldisciplinetofollowthe
guidelinesyousetforyourself,inordertoallowyourselftoplaythe
bestpokeryoucanforaslongyoucan.

Winning poker
Playingwinningpokerisaboutacoupleofthings.Firstlyitsabout
playingyourbest,orasgoodasyoucan,foraslongasyoucanplay.
Anditsalsoaboutplayingyourworstasinfrequentlyasyoucan.It
isabitmisleadingtousethewordtiltasiftherearetwolevelsto
playpokeronnormalpokerandtiltpoker.Infact,thereisahuge
varietyinwhatpokergamepeoplebringtothetable.Mostpeople
veryrarelybringa100%efforttothetable.Mostpeopleplayaver
age,middlingpokerformostofthetimewithlittleperiodsofrela
tivebrillianceandstupiditythrownin.
Whenyoustartplayingyoushouldcomeintothegamewiththe
mindsetthatyouwanttocrushyouropponents.Ifyoustartout
sloppyandlosefromtheoutsetyouwillspendyourentiresession
tryingtogetevenandyourplaywillsuffer.Startoutbyplaying
precise,winningpokerandtrytocontinueinthatmindsetthrough
outthegame.
Aswehavealreadysaid,toplaythebestpokeryoucan,havinga
passionforthegameisessential.Onethingthatcouldhelpisto
watchbetterpeopleplay,remindyourselfwhatyouarestrivingto
achieve,howmuchyouwantachieveit,seehowgreattheyplayand
rememberyouwanttoachievethesame.Andremembertodowhat
theydo,andwhatyouneedtodo,whichistoplayasbestyoucan
forashighapercentageofthetimeasyoucan.
Playingyourbestpokerisalsoconstructiveintermsoflearningand
gettingbetter.Whenyourmindisfocused100%ontryingtoplay
yourbestandthinkingeverythingoveryouwilllearnalotmore
thanwhenyouplayaveragepoker(thisworksinthereversetoo).
Whenyourmainfocusinpokerislearningandgettingbetterit
forcesyoutoputinmaximumeffortatthetable,whichwillhelp
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Mental Discipline
youlearnandasasideeffectyoullplaybetterandwinmoremoney.
Inpokeryoushouldalwayskeepthemindsetthatyouareattheta
bleplayingpokertolearn,tobecomeevenbetterandtomoveupin
stakesthisiscruciallyimportant.

Tilt
Pokercanbedifficultonthepsycheattimes.Sometimesyouwillbe
playinggoodpokerandyouwillstilllose.Dontcompoundthese
situationsbytiltingandplayingworse,andasaresultlosingmore
money.Whenyoutiltbecauseofbadluckitusuallymeansthatthe
moneyyouareplayingformeanstoomuchtoyou.Thereareacou
pleofexplanationsforthis.Oneisthatyouonlythinkaboutpoker
asajobandintermsofthemoneyyoumake.Youmightbecon
stantlyworriedabouthowmuchmoneyyouhavewonorlostina
session,alwayscountingyourchipsorcheckingyourbankroll.This
isabadhabitthatshouldbestopped.Lookatpokerasagamethat
youcantrytomaster,notasameanstomakemoney.Whenyouare
lessconcernedwithwinsandlossesandmoreconcernedwithplay
ingwell,youwillbelessinclinedtotilt.
Anotherexplanationforwhythemoneymeanstoomuchtoyouisif
youareplayinghigherstakesthanyouareusedto.Higherstakes
willincreasethestressofplayingbecausethepotentialwinorloss
willbegreaterthanyouareusedto.Ifyouareaplayerwhohas
troubleplayingunderstressfulconditionsthenitmightnotbea
goodideatotakeshotsathigherstakes.But,ifyoupracticemental
disciplinethentakingshotscanhelpyourgameandyourbankroll.
Anotherfactorthatmaycauseyoutotiltiswhenyoumakeabad
play.Pokerisalongjourneythatwillneverbecompletedyouwill
alwaysbechangingyourgameandimproving.Also,youwillmake
manymistakesalongtheway,asallplayersdo.Soifyoulose
moneybymakingamistakeyouneedtorealizethatinthegrand
schemeofthingsitdoesntmatter.Youareconstantlylearningtoget
betterandoneofthewaystolearnisbyevaluatingyourmistakes.If
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youseethereasonyoumadeamistakeandcorrectittheninthefu
turethanyourgamewillbenefit.Dontmakethemistakeworseby
tiltingafterwards.

The seven deadly sins

Peopletiltbecauseofemotions,andsomeofthesevendeadlysins
comeintoplayhere.Infacttheyalldo,togreaterandlesserex
tentstheleastimportantbeinglustwhichcanforallpracticalpur
posesbeexcludedunlessaprettyladyiswatchinganditcompels
youtomakeanimpressiveplaytoshowheryourskills.Similarly
gluttonydoesntplaymuchofapartinapokerplayersdownfall
eitherundernormalcircumstances.
Angerisaninterestingemotioninthatunlikealltheothersithasa
goodchanceofactuallyhelpingaplayerifitisdirectedatyourop
ponents.Ifyouwinitsagainstaplayeryouhate,andifyouloseits
againstaplayeryouhate,sothiswillfocusyoureffortsinabigway
tomakeyoudoeverythingyoucantowin.
Prideandvanitycomeintoplayalsoandarerelatedtotheideaof
honestywhich,asdiscussedalready,isveryimportant.Ifaplayeris
nothonestwiththemselvestheygiveintovanityandprideand
thinkthemselvesbetterthantheyreallyare.Thiscanleadthemtosit
ingamestheyshouldntbeplaying.Thesearegameswhereaplayer
oftheimaginedskilllevelmightbeexpectedtoearnmoremoney,
butinactualityourmisguidedherowillbeexpectedtolose.
Envycanalsoleadaplayertoplaystakeshigherthantheyshouldto
mimicandtrytoobtainwhatotherplayershave.Ontheotherhand
itcouldserveasadrivingforcetomakeaplayerimprove.Perhaps
thiscouldwork,butevenStarWarsmadethepointthatifthepow
ersacquiredbyconvertingtotheDarkSidearestrong,theyarenot
worthgivinginto.Sousenegativeemotionsatyourownrisk.
Slothisaseriousproblemforpokerplayerstoo.Lazinesswillslowa
playerslearninggreatly(aswellastheirwinrate).Learningslowly
takesalittlehardwork,andlearningfasttakesalotofhardwork.If
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apersonputsinnohardworkatalltheywillexperiencenolearning.
Again,learningisthekeytosuccessinpokersoyouhavetobevig
orousandenergeticinitspursuit.
Theotherproblemwithlazinessisthatitwillverydirectlymake
youwinlessmoneyatthetable.Inalmostalljobspeoplegetlazy
andeveniftheirbosscatchesthemtheconsequencesmightjustbe
somesharpwords.However,inaway,pokerhaslessluckinvolved
thanotherprofessionsthecardsdonotlieanditisjustsimple
maththatrewardsgoodplayandpunishesbadplayovertime.If
youarelazyalittlebityouwillbepunishedalittleovertime,andif
youarelazyalotyouwillbepunishedalot.Thechoiceisyours.
Theworstproblematthetableisgreed.Mostpeoplewantmoney,
andalotofmoneyasfastastheycangetit.Butthatsnottheway
thingsworkinpokeractingonyouremotionsanddesireswont
help.Justbecauseatagivenmomentyouareimpatienttogetmore
moneyorgetitfasterthanyounormallydo,thisdoesntmeanyou
canactonthisandgetit.Greedneedstobepushedasideandig
noredwhenplayingpoker.
Formanypeoplepokerissimplyajob.Butunlikeotherjobsthepay
isntsteady.Inotherjobsapersonknowsthatforanhourworked,
hewillgainanexpectedamountinhispaycheck.Pokerisdifferent
andpeoplecangoonlosingstreaksforlongperiodsoftime.This
personmightthenthinkwellthissucks,Imnotplayingpokerfor
myhealthIwantmymoneynow.Thisisgreedsincetheywant
moneyimmediately.Butthatsnotthewaypokerworksbecause
thatemotionwillmakethemplayworseandlosemoney.Thisisa
goodopportunitytogainanedgeoveryouropponentsbecause
mostpeopleareveryseriouslyaffectedbyalongtermdownswing,
soifyoucanbenotaffectedmuchthatwillbeahugedifferenceand
thusahugeedgeoveryouropponents.
Similarly,afteraplayerhaslostagooddealofmoneyinasession
sometimeshebecomesfocusedonwinningitbackratherthanplay
inggoodpoker.Whenthishappensaplayerbecomesconcentrated
onwinningabigpotandasaresultplaysbadpoker.Thisisacriti
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calmistakeandwillcauseyoutolosealotofmoney.
Forexample,letssayyouhaveQJ,raisepreflopandgetcalled.
Thenyoufloptoppairandbettheflopandgetcalledandthenan
inconsequentialcardcomesontheturn.Nownormallyyoudcheck
heretokeepthepotmediumsizedwithamodesthandsuchastop
pair,mediumkicker.Butbecauseyouredownabuyinandyou
wanttowinitbackyoubettheturn.Ifbettingtheturnherewascor
rect,youwoulddoitallthetime.Butitisntbecauseyourhandisnt
goodenoughtogoallinwithandifyouropponentraisesyoumust
foldandhewontcallwithaworsehand.Insteadofwinningyour
moneyback,youwilllosemore.
Whenyouareonlyfocusedonwinningbigpotsyouneglectsmall
pots.Inshorthandedplaymarginalsituationsarisefrequentlyin
smallpots.Itisacostlyerrortoforfeitallthesmallpotsbecauseyou
areonlyconcernedwithwinningabigpot.Mostofthetimebigpots
arejusttheresultofluck,likepocketacesrunningintopocketkings.
Thesekindsofhandswillevenoutinthelongrun,soyouradvan
tageisoutplayingyouropponentsinthesmallerpots,whichwill
addupquickly.Alsoplayingeveryhandandallthesmallpotswell
iscrucialtofrustratingtheopposition.Ifyouropponentshavean
easytimeinthesmallpotstheywillfeelrelaxedandbeplayingwell
whenthebigpotsarise.However,ifyouarereallyoutplayingthem
andmakingthemfeelbadineverysinglehandtheywillbecome
frustratedandplaythebigpotspoorly.Thislastpointiscritical.
Thereareafewothertraitsthatdontfitintothesevendeadlysins
thatareworthdiscussing.Curiosityispresentatthetablealotif
youareplayinggoodpokerandtryingtofigureoutwhatyourop
ponentshave.Butwhenyoureachtheriverandyouropponentbets
andyouarecuriouswhathehasbutyouareprettysurehehasyou
beatthatfirstreasonshouldbeignored.Anotherproblemthatcan
ariseisboredom.Boredomwillleadtoalackoffocusandalackof
thinkingthatwillmakeyouplayworse.Itcouldalsoleadtoforcing
theactiontomakethingsmoreexciting
Thelastoftheproblemsthatwillbediscussedhereisdesperation,
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oralackofconfidence.Maybetherehasbeenabadrunofcardsand
forawhileyousimplycannotwin.Inpsychologythisiscalled
learnedhopelessnessanditleadstopeopledoingreallystupid
thingsevenwhenhistoryhastaughtthemtheycannotwin.How
everinpokerweknowthatunreliablefeedbackcansometimes
teachyoutodothewrongthings.Onlongdownswings,youshould
notgiveintodesperationorstopmakingplaysthatarenormally
goodplaysbecauseinarecentunluckystreaktheyhaveappearedto
bebad.

The importance of not tilting

Aswehaveseen,tiltisamajorfactorinpoker,andifyoulearnnot
totiltyouwillbeabletoprogressasaplayeratamuchfasterrate.
Ofcourse,ifyouplay$1/$2NLHandeliminatetiltfromyourgame
youwontbeabletojumprightupto$5/$10.But,youwonthaveto
spendhoursandhoursgrindingawaytotrytomakeupformoney
youloseontiltandyouwillprogressfaster.
Manypeopleunderestimatejusthowhighawinrateispossible,
andhowmuchtiltingcanimpactthis.Whenplayingheadsup
onlineyoucanplay100to400handsperhour,comparedtofullring
liveplaywhereyouarefortunatetoget20to30handsperhour.
Yougetsomanymorehandsonlinethatifyoutiltforashorttime
youcouldcostyourselfagreatdealofmoney.Conversely,when
youareplayingwellyourwinratewillbemagnifiedbecauseyou
areplayingmorehands.
Ifyouaretiltingandhappentoloseabuyin,thinkabouthowlong
itwilltakeyoutomakeitback.Ifyoumaketenbigblindsanhour
onaverage,itmighttakeyoutenhoursofplayingtomakeitup.
Also,whenyoucalculateyourwinrateoftenbigblindsperhour
thataccountsforallthetimesyoutiltawaymoney.Soifyouplay
yourbestpokerallthetimeyourwinratewouldbesignificantly
higher.
Itisimpossibletofullyeradicatetilt.Evensomeofthebestplayers
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intheworldhavemassivetiltproblems.Theymayhavehugewin
rates,butsometimestiltawayfive$10,000dollarbuyinsinasession.
Ifyoucanlearntoplaypokeraswellassomeofthetopplayersbut
nottiltimaginewhatkindofmoneyyoucouldbemaking!
Whenplayingheadsupeverythingisalsomagnifiedbothyour
skillandtiltproblems.Sometimesyoumaynotbeontiltperse,but
youmaybenotplayingaswellasnormal.Maybeyourenotcon
centratingsufficiently,arealittleoffyourgame,orplayinglistlessly
becauseofboredom.Butthesemistakeswillwreaksimilarhavocto
tilt.Whenyouareplayingpoorlyortiltingitmightbeagoodidea
toquitthegame.
Thisisaninterestingpoint,becauseitswhatmostpeopleadvocate
whenyouaretilting.Howeverthedecisionisalittlemorecompli
catedinthemomentanditdependshowgoodyourmentaldisci
plineis.Ifyouhavegoodmentaldisciplineitcanpayoffbigtimeto
stayinthegameassumingyouhaveagoodedge.Thereasonisthat
ifyouhavebeentiltingandmakingcrazyplays,youropponentwill
havenoticedthisandyouwillbeinagoodpositiontochange
gearsandstartplayingsolidpokertotakeadvantageofagreatta
bleimage.

How to avoid tilting

Tobeasuccessfulplayeritisclearlyimperativethatyouminimize
tilt.Yourwinningscomefromyouropponentsandthismightbebe
causeyouareanamazingplayer,oranamazinglydisciplinedplayer.
Ofcoursethebestthingtobeisboth;however,ifyouhadtochoose
onethecorrectanswerwouldbedisciplined.Youwonthavetodeal
withtheenormousvarianceassociatedwithhugewinsandhuge
losseswhichwillmakepokermuchlessstressful.
Takeastepbackandlookwherethemoneyyouaretiltingawayis
going.Itdoesntjustdisappear,itdoesntgotohelpafriend,buya
product,ortoadeservingcharity.Itgoestoyouropponenttheen
emy,thevillainofthehandsyouplay,thepersonyouneedtobeat
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tobesuccessful.Whenyouthinkaboutlossesinthiswayitmight
helpyouavoidtilt.Andwhenyougettheurgetomakeabadplay
becauseyouarefrustratedorbored,thinkabouthowunhappyit
willmakeyoulateron.Thereisnoneedtorushimportantdeci
sionstakeyourtimeandreallythinkitthrough.Bemethodical
aboutplayingpoker.
Anotherwaytoavoidtiltondownswingsisnottogethungupon
yourcurrentstackorbankrollandnotworryabouthowmuchbig
gertheywerepreviously.Thistrainofthoughtwillforceyoutoplay
tooaggressivelyinhopesofregainingwhatyouoncehad.Some
timesyourbankrollorstackwillfluctuatedownwardbutyoumust
avoidgivingintogreedwhenyouareinoneofthesedownswings
sinceforcingtheactionwilllikelycauseyoutolosemoremoney.
Thejourneyoflearningtoplaypokercanoftenseemtotakeyou
twostepsforwardandonestepback,buteveryonewhoplaysthe
gamegoesthroughlongperiodsoflosingatsomepoint.Thisisof
tenacombinationofbadluckandbadplay,sincewhenpeoplestart
losingtheyinvariablybegintoplayworse.However,itisimportant
totrytoavoidlongtermtiltinordertominimizeyourlosses.
Sometimeswhenyouareonabadstreakofcardsyoustartmaking
thinnervaluebetsandmorebluffsinanattempttorecoupyour
losses.Othertimesyouropponentsmightbeonagoodrunofcards
andwhenyouplayaggressivelytheykeepshowingupwithbig
handsandthiscausesyoutoplayscared.Longlosingstreaksare
likefoginthedistancetheycauseyoutoloseyourwayonthe
journey.
Therearegenerallytworemediesforlongtermtilt.Forsome
players,takinganextendedbreakfromthegamemightbeagood
idea.Afterlongbreaksthefogwillsubsideandyourmindwill
becomeclearer.Pokerisntasteadyclimbupwardsthereare
frequentlyvalleysandplateausencounteredontheway.
Forotherplayersabetterremedymightbetojustrefocusyouref
fortsandforceyourselftoplayyourbestpoker.Thiswillworkbet
terforplayerswithstrongerwillpower.Ifyouareplayinggood
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pokeryouwilleventuallywin,sojustrideoutthelosingstreaksas
therearegreenerpasturesahead.
Converselythereexiststheproblemofplayingbelowyournormal
skilllevel,andnotethatsuchissuescancompoundthemselves.
Whenyouplaywell,youwillcontinuetoplaybetterandbetterand
youropponentmayplayworseandworse.Butwhenyouplaybad
theopponentwillplaybetterandyouwillplayworseyourself.This
iswhywhenyoustartplayingbadlyandtiltingitshardtoreverse
thetrendanditisusuallybettertojustquit.

Empowering yourself
Manydifferentthingshavebeenbroughtupsofarthatcontributeto
howwellorbadlyaplayerwilldoingeneralinpoker.However,
ratherthanbeingoverwhelmedbythemyoushouldviewthepossi
bilitiesasempowering.Alloftheseelementsareinyourhandstodo
withasyouchoose.Theyareallveryconcretewaystoimproveyour
pokergameandgainanedgeonyouropponents.Thefactthatthere
aresomanydifferentaspectstopokerandvaryingdegreesofskill
meansthatthedifferencesinwinratesbetweenplayerswillbe
hugeand,assumingyouarepreparedtoworkhard,thisisavery
goodthingasitmeansupwardmobilityandthepotentialforyouto
makealotofmoney.However,thesearejustsomeofthe
underlyingfactorsthatwillcontributetoyoursuccess,anditisnow
timetomoveontodiscussthemoreconcretefactorsinvolvedin
winningathighstakesnolimitholdem.

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Chapter Three
Strategic Considerations
Shorthanded vs. full table

Anolimitholdemgamecanbeplayedwithanywherefromtwoto
tenplayers.Thechangefromatwohandedtoafullringgameis
gradualandcontinuous.Withmoreplayersinthegame,patiencebe
comesahugevirtue.Becausemoreplayersareinvolved,morehands
aredealtsothewinninghandsarehigherinquality,andtherefore
yousimplyhavetowaitforagoodhandtoplay.Asthegamegets
moreshorthandedthehandstrengthsgodownsoitslessaboutwait
ingforagoodhandandmoreaboutoutplayingyouropponents.
Obviously,inatenhandedgameallotherthingsbeingequalyou
willwinoneintenhands,butinaheadsupgameyouwillwinonein
two.Thusyouarecompetingovermorepots.Andbecauseyouare
fightingovermorepotsmanymoredecisionsariseandpeoplewillbe
fightingforpotsusingmorethanjustthevalueoftheirhands.Simi
larly,themorepeopleatatablethemoreimportantitistoplay
straightforwardpokerbecauseitwilltakealongtimebeforeyour
opponentsadjusttoyourplay,whereasthefewerpeopleareatthe
tablethemoreyouneedtomixitupandconstantlyadjustyourplay.
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Live vs. online

Livepokerandonlinepokerareverydifferentgames.Inlivepoker
becauseeveryoneisonlyplayingonetableatatime,andbecauseat
thatonetablehandscomemuchslower,individualhandshavea
greaterimportance.Onlinepokerismoreaboutdevelopingasystem
ofplaythatworksandnotworryingaboutindividualhandsas
much.Livepokerisaboutfocusingoneveryhandandtryingtowin
asmanypotsaspossible.Seeingliveplayersfightingforbigpots
withmarginalhandsdemonstrateshowrarebighandsactuallyare.
Also,liveplayshowsthatconcentratingonplayingeveryhandop
timallyleadstoobtainingmaximumvalue.Online,peopleoftenget
boggeddownintheirsystemandlosesomevaluebynotconcen
tratingoneveryhandandseeingthespecificaspects.
Forexample,onlineapersonplayingfivetablesmightseeasitua
tionasIhavetoppairwithamediocrekicker,thatisnotgood
enoughtoplayfor100bigblinds(BB)soIfold.Thatisplayingon
autopilotanditmissesalotofthespecificsofahand.Inliveplay
becausethereisonlyonetableandlimiteddistractionspeopleare
abletoconcentratebetter,whichleadsthemtohandreadbetterand
developabetterunderstandingoftheiropponents.Thisallowsthem
tomakemoreoptimalplays,thinnervaluebetsandthinnerbluffs.It
canalsoopenupanonlineplayerseyestothepossibilitiesformak
ingmoneybyutilizingsomeoftheseplaysonline.

Game Selection
Gameselectionisveryimportantinpokerandthisisespeciallytrue
asthenumberofplayersdecreasesatatable.Atafulltableifthere
isonereallybadplayerthebenefitsofhislackofskillwillbeshared
bytheentiretable.Attheotherendofthespectrumisheadsupplay
where100%oftheequityanopponentgivesupwillgostraightto
you.
Additionally,atafulltableitwilltakemoretimetoreapthebenefits
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ofplayingagainstabadplayerbecauseeveryoneplayssomany
fewerhandswithmorepeopleatatable,andthustherearefewer
occasionswhenyouandthebadplayerareinthepottogether
whereyouareearningmoneybecauseofhismistakes.Ofcourse,
theoppositeistrueandifyouaretheinferiorplayerinaheadsup
matchyouwillloseyourmoneyfaster.Therefore,especiallyin
headsupplay,itisimportanttofindthegoodtablesandtoleave
thebadonesalone.
Justhowimportantthisis,isobscuredbytheideaofwinrates.Take
theamountofmoneywonanddividebyhoursplayedandthisis
yourhourlyrate.Itishelpfulinformationbutitisanaggregateof
otherinformation,andthusmisrepresentswhatreallyhappened.It
canbeusedproductively,butmustalsobeusedcarefully.Thisis
becausethenotionofhourlyratemakesitlooklikeforeveryhour
playedtheexpectedvaluewasthestatedamount,andthatforany
givenhourinthefuturethesameexpectedwinrateholdstrue.
Howevermanyfactorsaffectexpectedwinrateindifferentsitua
tions.Maybeyouropponentswereworsethanaverageincertain
games,ormaybeyouropponentswerealotbetterthannormal.
Maybeyouropponentswereaveragebutyouwereplayingparticu
larlygoodpokerormaybetheywentontiltforfifteenminutes.All
ofthesefactorsareveryimportanttoconsidersincewhenplaying
pokervaguethinkingisakiller.Inthemiddleofasession,being
mindfulofyouropponentswillpaydividends.Constantlyevaluate
thegameyouarein.AskyourselfquestionssuchasDoesthisop
ponenthaveatendencytogoontilt?andAmIalotbetterthan
himorjustalittlebetter?.AndthenperhapssayIfImjustalittle
bettermaybeitsnotworthittoplayhimbecauseIcansimply
chooseadifferentgameversusanevenworseopponent,andsoon.
Partofgameselectioncannotbecontrolled.Forinstance,without
sittinginagameitsoftenhardtotellwhethersomeoneisplaying
verypoorly,whethersomeoneistilting,orwhetheranewplayer
youareunfamiliarwithisbadorgood.Alsoasfarastiltgoes,ina
HUmatchpeoplegenerallydontstartoutontilt.Ittakessometime
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untilsomethinghappensthatwillsetthemoffandyoucantcontrol
thatitjusthappensandyouhavetowaitforit.Whatcanbecon
trollediswhatlevelofeffortyouputintoevaluatinghowgoodthe
gameisforyou.Themoreeffortyouputinthesooneryoucande
cidewhetheritsagoodgameorbadgame,andbywhatdegree
andthenyoucanmakegoodgameselectiondecisionsanddoany
numberofthings,suchaschangetables,playalongersessionthan
normalorleaveimmediately.Theseareallopportunitiestoexercise
goodgameselection,andconsequentlyincreaseyourwinrate.
Puttingnumbersonthiswillillustratejusthowimportantgood
gameselectionis.Playingatableof$5/$10NLHEmightyieldPlayer
X$200anhouronaverage.However,ifhehasatiltproblemand
everynowandthentiltsinaveryseriouswayfor10minutes,dur
ingthattimeperiodhemightaverage$2,500anhour.Also,some
timesheplaysheadsupbutonlyversusplayersheknowsarebad
andhereheaverages$1,000anhour.
Thesenumbersaremadeupbuttheyareplausible,sincethereisa
hugerangeinwhatispossibleforindividualwinrates,whichwill
averageoutovertimetoanhourlyrate.Thekeyistomaketheaver
ageturnoutashighaspossiblebyactingontheinformationseenin
theindividualwinrates.WhatPlayerXneedstodoisstoptilting,
butifhecantheneedstoexercisegoodgameselectionandjust
leaveatablewhenheistilting.Notethat$2,500anhourcomesout
to$416.66forevery10minutes.Ifnormallyhetiltsfor10minutes,
maybehecouldraisehislevelofdisciplineandawarenesssothat
after5minutesherealizeswhatishappening,andatthatpointex
ercisesgoodgameselectionandleaves.Thatwouldsavehim
$208.33,whichisafullhourofworkforhimaccordingtohishourly
rate.Bydoingthatlittlethinghesaveshimselfafullhourofworkin
thefuturethatishowimportantgameselectionis.
AnotheroptionsuggestedbythisinformationisthatplayerXonly
playsHUmatchessinceheearnssomuchmoreinthemcompared
tohisnormal$200anhouryield.UnlesstheHUgamesarebothrare
andhereallyneedsallthemoneyhecangethishandsonand/orhe
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enjoysplayinghisnormalgamethatearns$200anhour,itmakesa
lotmoresensetojustwaitforHUmatches,sinceheonlyneedsto
playonehourofagoodHUmatchtomakewhatwouldhavetaken
fivehoursofthenormalgame.
Anotheradvantageofgoodgameselectionisthatitreducestheim
portanceofvariance.SayPlayerXplayssomeoneatawinrateof
$1,000anhour,someoneelseatawinrateof$0anhour,andathird
playeratawinrateof$1,000anhour.Duringfivehoursofplayvs.
eachofthosepeoplePlayerXgetsveryunluckyandloses$4,000in
expectedvaluevs.thefirstplayer,whichmeans$5,000$4,000=
$1,000won.Versusthesecondplayeritis$0won,so$4,000=$4,000
lost.Andfinallyvs.thelastopponentPlayerXlost$5,000inexpected
valueandthenanother$4,000,whichcomesouttoa$9,000loss.
Notethatthevariancewasthesameineachofthesematches.How
ever,evenwhenPlayerXgotunluckyversusthebadplayerhestill
wonoverall.Totheoutsidespectatorthiscanbeconfusing.IfPlayer
Xonlyplaysbadpeoplehewillalwayswin(unlessheeithergets
especiallyunlucky,orasthetimeperiodgetsshorteneditbecomes
moreandmorelikelyforPlayerXtolose).Totheoutsideritappears
asifPlayerXisreallylucky,butthatsnotthecaseheexperiences
thesamevarianceaseveryonebutissomuchbetterthanhisoppo
nentthathestillmanagestowinevenwhenunlucky.Notealsohow
beingareallygoodplayerandexercisinggoodgameselectionare
effectivelythesamething,sinceskillinpokerisalwaysrelative.
Versusthebetterplayerthesessionwasadisaster.Evenifthevari
ancehadbeencompletelyreversedsoitwasinPlayerXsfavorand
hewon$4,000morethanheshouldhavehestillwouldlose$5,000
accordingtohiswinrateandcomeoutdown$1,000.WhatPlayerX
shouldhavedoneisplayforasmanyhoursaspossibleversusthe
badplayer,andquitversustheothertwoplayersassoonashehad
playedenoughhandstoevaluatethemasskilledopponents.
Thispointaboutrelativityinpokerisveryimportantandtheonly
thingthatmattersishowsomeonematchesupagainstyou.Aplayer
couldbegood,butrelativetoyou(sinceyouareaverygoodplayer)
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youwouldconsiderthembad.Similarly,inthemanyhandexam
plesthatfollowinthisbookaconstantrefrainwhendescribingthe
opponentisheisbadorheiseasytoread.Theseopponents
reallyarentthatbad,andiftheysimplyplayedagainstadifferent
opponentatthesamestakestheycouldbefavorites,orifthey
moveddowninstakesthenonceagaintheywouldprobablydofine.
Theyarenotbadopponentspersesimplyworsethanme.Mostof
thehandsareexamplesofgoodgameselectionbymeandbadgame
selectionbymyopponents,andforthemostpartmyopponentssuf
ferforit.
Gameselectionisalsorelevantintermsofyourgeneralpoker
schedule.Somepeopleliketologacertainamountoftimeperday
andquit.Otherswillplayandthenquittolockupawin,orifthey
losekeepplayinguntiltheygeteven.Otherswilldotheopposite
andiftheyarewinningkeepplayingandiflosingstop.Theright
courseofactioniscertainlytoplaylongerwhenyouarewinning
andquitearlierwhenyouarelosingratherthansetspecifictimes
foryourselftoplay,whichmakesyouinflexible.Ifyouarewinning
thisincreasesthechancesthatthegameisgoodsoyoushouldkeep
playing.Ifyouarelosingitincreasesthechancesthatthegameis
badandyoushouldquit.Similarly,ifyouarewinningitprobably
meansyouareplayingwellandnowyourconfidenceisespecially
highsoyoushouldkeepplaying,andifyouarelosingyouare
probablyplayingbadlyandnowyourconfidenceislowsoyou
shouldquit.

Bankroll management
Duringyourprogressionasapokerplayertherewillbetimeswhen
youhavetomakethedecisionwhetherornottomoveupinstakes.
Todothisyouhavetobeintunewithyourselfandbeawareofyour
goalsinpoker.Beintrospectiveandaskyourselfimportantques
tionslikeAmIcommittedtoputtingalotoftimeintopokerforthe
longhaulornot?orDoIwanttoplayforaliving?
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Thesignificanceofthesequestionsisthatmovingupinstakesis
normallyaninvestment.Itisrarethatwhensomeonemovesupin
stakestheyareimmediatewinnersthemorelikelyoutcomeisan
initialstruggletomakeitthere.Itwilltakesignificantinvestments
oftimetolearntoadjustandimprovetowinatthenewstakes.
However,thatinvestmentwillpayoffinthelongrunbecausemov
ingupinstakesisawaytoincreaseyourwinrate,andinpokerwin
ratescanimprovewithhugeleapsorevenexponentially.Theques
tionisareyougoingtoputinthetimeandthinkingrequired?
Youmayalsoaskyourself,DoIhaveafamilytosupport?Oneof
themostcommonwaysforapersontotiltiswhentheyareplaying
formoneythatisimportanttothem.Ifyouliveoffyourmoney,or
needittosupportafamilythenthemoneyyouareplayingwithand
moneyyouareplayingtowinbecomeevenmoreimportanttoyou.
Losingwillcausealotofstress,whichisbadforlivingahealthylife
andforplayinggoodpoker.
ThenyoumayaskDoItilteasily?Thepreviousparagraphgave
reasonswhyapersonmighttilteasilybutevenignoringthata
personmighttiltmoreeasilythanmostpeoplejustbecauseitisin
theirpersonality.Behonestwithyourself.Ifyouhavebettermental
disciplinethanmostthenyoucanmoveupinstakesfaster,andif
youloseitsnotasbadasformostpeoplebecauseyouwontcom
poundtheproblembygoingontiltandlosingevenmore.Ifhow
everyoudotiltrelativelyeasily,youhavetobemoreconservative
withbankrollmanagementandmovingupinstakes.
FinallyyoumustaskHowgoodamI?Thisisastraightforward
questionand,obviously,thebetteraplayeris,thelessvariancewill
affectthembecausetheycouldbesogoodrelativetotheiroppo
nentsthattheywinevenwhenexperiencingnegativevariance.Thus
ifvarianceisntasmuchofanissue,asmallerbankrollisneededto
sustainlossesduetovarianceandthebetteraplayeris,theless
moneytheyneedtotrymovingupinstakes.
Keepinmindthatwhenyoumoveupitwilltakesometimetoad
justtonewandbetterplayers.Youmightwanttotryplayingacou
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pleoftablesatyourcurrentlevelandaddingonetableofahigher
stakesgame.Thatway,ifyouloseatthehigherstakesgamewhile
youareadjusting,youwillbebankrollingyourlossesbyplaying
twotablesofthegameyouarecomfortablewith.Thinkofthisad
justmentperiodasaninvestmentandsoonyouwilllearnandadjust
tobeabletoplayhigherstakessuccessfullyandmakemoremoney.
Anadditionaladvantagetomovingupinstakesisthatyouare
forcedtorefocusyourgameandimproveyourplay.Forexample,
whenIstartedoutinpokerImovedupinstakesveryaggressively.
IfIhadtenbuyinstomynameIconsideredthatenoughtoplayata
givenlevel.OrifforsomereasonIdidnthavealotofmoneyonline
andhadtostartoutatstakesextralowformeIdgivethestakesa
goatfivebuyins(althoughgrantedIdidhavemoremoneyinthe
bank)becausemyskilladvantagewassohugeoverlowerstakes
players.ThereasonthisworkedformeisIhadgoodmentaldisci
plineIhadnoexpensesorresponsibilitiesandIwasverycommit
tedtothelongtermandrampingupmywinrateashighasIcould.
SoevenifIlostmoneyIcouldjustifyittomyselfasaninvestmentin
thefutureandnotbebotheredtoomuch.AlsoIhadalotofflexible
freetimesoifIjumpedupinstakesandlostIwasabletoplaymore
hoursthannormalatlowerstakestowinitbackandthengivethe
higherstakesanothergo.
Nowfiveyearslaterthingsareverydifferentforme.Alotofmy
moneyisinvestedandpokerisaparttimejob.Iamnotinterestedin
makingitthecenterpointofmylife,andamnotinterestedinstudy
ingthegameasintenselyasisneededtoimproveandmoveupin
stakesfurther.NecessarilybecauseofpokersplaceinmylifeIplay
worsenowthanIusedtoeitheryouaremovinguptheladderor
down,itshardtostayinthesameplace.NowalthoughIhave
muchmoremoneytomynamethenIusedtoIactuallyplaylower
stakes.

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Multitabling
Itsworthtalkingalittleabouthowtoapproachonlinepokerand
theabilitythatcomeswithittoplayasmanytablesasyoulike.
Thereareacoupleofdifferentissueshere.Oneisthatplayingmore
thanonetableisgoodbecausethenyouplaymorehandsoverall,
facemoredecisionsandthusgainexperiencefaster.Ontheother
handifyouplaytoomanytablesthisadvantageisnegatedbecause
theactionwillmovetoofastforyoutothinkabouthandsandactu
allylearnfromthem.
Itsbesttostartoutwithoneortwotableswhennewtoonlinepoker
tojustbecomeaccustomedwiththegame.Withmoreexperienceits
importanttoaddmoretablesnotonlyforthesimplereasonthatit
createsahigherwinratebutalsoforthereasonsmentionedabove.
However,evenifyourhighestwinratemightbeachievedwithten
tables,youshouldrejectthisoption.Intheshortrunitmightmake
youmoremoney,butthefactisitwillslowyourlearningdownand
soyouwillimprovelessandmoveupinstakesmoreslowly.The
keyistofindagoodbalancebutifindoubtthefocusshouldal
waysbeonlearningandgettingbetterforthefuture.

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Chapter Four
Poker Math
Expected Value (EV)

Inpoker,expectedvalue(EV)isafrequentlyusedterm.Itmeans
howmuchyouareexpectedtowininacertainsituationonaverage.
AnEVcalculationissimplyanactualmathcalculationtofigureout
moreexactlywhatsomeones$EV(theirrealmoneyexpectation)is
inapot.EVcalculationsaregoodpractice,andarewellworthcarry
ingouttoincreaseyourlearning.However,theyareimportantfora
betterreasontheyareamathematicalwayofwritingoutwhatis
reallyhappeningineveryhandofpoker,whetheritsthoughtabout
inthesetermsornot.

Basic probability
Letsstartwithsomebasicmathforexampletheoddsofhittinga
flushdraw.Thereare52cardsinadeck,fiveofwhicharevisibleaf
tertheflopthethreeontheboardandthetwoinyourhand.There
areeithertwoflushcardsinyourhandandtwoontheboard,or
threeontheboardandoneonyourhand.Thatmeanstherearenine
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Poker Math
flushcardsleftinthedeckoutof47unseencards.Theoddsofone
comingontheturnissimply9/47.Theoddsoftwoflushcardscom
ingconsecutivelyis9/47*8/46.Theoddsofoneflushcardcoming
andonenonflushcardis9/47*38/46.Theoddsofnoflushcard
comingtwiceis38/47*37/46.
Wecantdosuchmultiplicationsinrealtimesoagoodwaytocalcu
latetheoddsifweareconsideringatwostreetscenarioistoesti
matebasedonafewfacts.Withsixoutsandtwocardstocome(e.g.
atwoovercarddraw)theoddsofithittingareslightlyworsethan3
1,i.e.itwillhappen1/4times.Theoddsofanineoutercoming(e.g.
aflushdraw)isalittlebetterthan21or1/3times.Andtheoddsofa
12outerhitting(e.g.aflushdrawandovercard)isalmosteven
money.Thesenumberscanbeusedasapointofreference,soifthe
numberofoutsissomewherenearthesenumbers,theprobability
canbeestimatedbyraisingorloweringoneofthesememorizedex
amplesasneeded.
Whencountingouts,runnerrunnerflushdrawsandstraightdraws
arealsoworthconsidering.Saytheboardis569andIhave
A-2,theoddsthattheflushcomesare10/47*9/46=0.042,which
addsabout4%tothechancesofwinning(whichisroughlyequiva
lenttoanadditionalout).Aswillbeseenlateron,simplypickingup
theflushdrawontheturn(regardlessofwhetherithitsontheriver)
canbeaverypowerfulweapon,allowingustobluffandbeaggres
sive.Similarlywithastraight,iftheboardis3410andIhaveKQo,
Ineedajacktocomeandtheneithera9oranacesothatis4/47*
8/46*2=0.03orabout3%.

Hand Combinations
Anotherimportantbasiccomponentofpokermathishandcombi
nations,i.e.howmanydifferentwaystherearetomakeupahand.
Forexample,withAKtheansweris16astherearefouracesand
fourkingsthatcaneachmatchup.Butifanacecomesontheflop
therearenowonly12,andsoon.Pocketpairsaredifferentsince
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theyaretwocardsofthesamerank.Ifyouwriteoutthefourdiffer
entcolorsforanygivencard,anddrawlinesbetweenthemrepre
sentingallthecombinations,youwillseetherearesixcombinations.
Howaboutasuitedconnector?Therearefourwaystomakeany
givensuitedconnector(oneofeachsuit).

EV Calculations
Nowwehavecoveredsomeofthebasicsitistimetoattemptasim
pleEVcalculationtoseehowthemathofpokeractuallyworksin
practice.Forexample,considerthefollowing:

(8/46)($350 + $1,000) + (38/46)($350) = $54

Thisisaquickwayofsayingthat8outof46timesoneeventwill
happen,andwhenitdoeswegain$350+$1,000,butwhentheother
eventhappens(whichis38outof46times)weareexpectedtolose
350andthenthattheoverallexpectedvalueofthissituationisap
proximatelyminus$54.
Thisisarepresentationofwhentheopponentgoesallinontheturn
for$350more,andthepotisalready$1,000andwehaveanopen
endedstraightdrawexactlyeightoutsthatweknowaregoodand
nomore.OneimportantthingEVcalculationsshowisthatpoker
decisionsareclose.Itmightfeellikeyouaremakingacallfor$350
towina$1,350pothere;however,inactualitythedecisionisclose
andwhetheryoucallorfold,orwinorlosethepot,theexpected
valueofthedifferentplaysisnowherenearthepotsize.
Forinstanceintheabovesituation,itisbadtocalloverthelonghaul
asacallwillcostusmoneyandthe$54lossisrelativelylarge.Play
aroundwiththenumbersintheequationandyouwillseethatthe
potwouldneedtobe$300biggertomakethecallaboutbreakeven
and$600biggerbeforethereisarounda$50expectedvaluegain.
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Poker Math
Pokerisallaboutthesedecisionsnotmakingdecisionstowin
$1,500potsbutmakingdecisionstogainasmallamountinexpected
value.
TheideaofanEVcalculationistoconsidereverypossibleactionwe
cantakeandfigureoutwhichearnsusthemostexpectedvalue.
Heretheoptionsaretoeithercallorfold.Ifwefoldourexpected
valueis0wecantloseanymoremoneybecausewearentrisking
anymorebyputtingitinthepotandwealsocannotgainanymoney
becausewearefoldingsothereisnowaytowinthepot.Thehand
endsrightthereandourexpectedvalueis0.Sowecanthencon
siderwhatotheroptionswehaveandseeiftheyarebetterthanthat
(i.e.iftheexpectedvalueishigherthan0).Acoupleofwaystoset
uptheequationare:

(x/46)($350 + $1,000) + (46 x)/46)($350) = 0

Here,solvingtheequationforx,and46x(wherexisthenumberof
outsweneedtohavetomakeourcall)willrevealwherethebreak
evenpointis.Soifwehavethatmanyoutsormorethenourex
pectedvalueishigherthanzeroanditsabetterplaythanfolding.
Anotherwaytosetuptheequationistokeepthenumberofoutsthe
sameandchangethepotsizetoseewhatpotsizeisrequiredforus
tomakeitaprofitablecall:

(8/46)($350 + x) + (38/46)($350) = 0

Andonefinalwaytosetitupistochangehowmuchtheopponent
goesallinforontheriverinordertoseehowmuchthatneedstobe
forittobecomeaprofitableplay:

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(8/46)(x + $1,000) + (38/46)(x) = 0

BytakingsituationsthatcomeupandturningthemintoEVequa
tionsyoucanlearnalot.Byplayingaroundwiththenumbersand
equationsitwillshowwhattheimportantfactorsareinahand,and
howmuchtheyneedtochangeonewayortheothertomakeplays
profitableorunprofitable.Itwillshowwhensomeplaysarentas
importantasyouthoughttheywerebecausetheEVisntmuch
aboveorbelow0,andhelpyoudecidewhetheryouhavemadea
goodorbaddecisionintheplayofanactualhand,sothatyouwill
beawareofitinthefuture.

Putting it all together

Nowletsconsiderareallifeexample.Saythatouropponentraises
to$30andIreraiseto$90with55andhegoesallinfor$1,000.This
isaclassicwaybehindorevensituationanditsclearafoldin
mostsituations.Herethenisasimplemathconceptputintowords
thatshowswhatthemathobviouslyproves.Butletssayhewould
dothisonlywithAK,KK,orAAandconsidertheEVcalculations
involved.AAandKKareeffectivelythesameifwegoallinvs.55
soinsteadofanalyzingthemindividuallywecanputthehandsinto
differentgroupsAKandtheoverpairgroups.Ifwethinkhehas
AK50%ofthetimeandahighpocketpair50%ofthetimetheEV
equationis:

(1/2)(1/2($1,090) (1/2)($910)) + (1/2)((4/5)($910) +
(1/5)($1,090)) = $210
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Poker Math
Thisequationisslightlymorecomplicatedthanthepreviousoneas
itssplitupintotwosections.Thefirstsideisarepresentationof
whathappensthe50%ofthetimetheopponenthasAK,andthe
secondsidearepresentationofwhenhehasAAorKK.Whenhe
doeshaveAKvs.our55wewillwinroughly50%ofthetime,so
wewin$1,090andtheother50%ofthetimewelosesothatmeans
welose$910.
Thenontheothersideoftheequationwhenthe55goesallinvs.a
higherpocketpairwewillloseroughly4/5ofthetime,andlosethe
$910weputintothepottocall.Andtheother1/5thetimewewin
the$1,090inthepot.Addallofthosetogetherandtheresultisan
expectedvalueofaround$210whichisverysignificant(although
stillsurprisinglylow).Thefactthatwearerisking$910towin$1,090
makesalittledifference,andalsothefactthatwecanoutdrawabig
pairwiththe55helps.Alsoobviouslythefactthathalfthetimewe
areevenmoneymakesahugedifference.So,ifwecomparecalling
withthe55toouralternativeplays,herethereisonlyonemore
whichisfolding.TheEVofthatplayis0,andtheEVofcallingis
$210,sowesaveourselves$210byexercisingdisciplineandfolding.
Nowletsmakethisrepresentationevenmoreaccurate.Inareal
situationheisntgoingtohaveAAorKKhalfthetimeandAK
theotherhalfthetime.TherearemorewaystomakeAKthanthere
areAAandKKcombinedthereare16combinationsofAKand
12ofAAandKKintotal.SotheoddshehasAKwillbe16/28vs.
thechanceshehasAAorKK,whichwillbe12/28.Sotheequation
becomes:

(16/28)(1/2($1,090)-(1/2)($910)) +
(12/28)((4/5)(-$910)+(1/5)($1,090)) = -$167

Soherethingsstarttocomebackinourfavouralittle.Butnowlets
saythatalthoughhewillgetAAandKK42%ofthetimeversus
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the58%ofthetimehegetsAK,hemightnotalwaysplaythisway
withAAorKKandalwaysplaythiswaywithAK.Anopponent
mightmakethisplay7/8timeswithAKbecausehejustwantsto
getallininsteadofplayingpostflop,whereasplayingAAorKK
iseasierpostflopbecausetheyarealreadystronghands,sohe
mightwanttotrapasmuchas50%ofthetime.Inthiscasetheequa
tionchangesdramaticallyandnowwemustweightthehand
combinationsandthenputthemintheEVequation:

0.5 * 12 = 6 ways hell play A-A or K-K this way
0.875 * 16 = 14 ways hell play A-K this way.

Sonowthereisa6/20chancehehasAAorKKanda14/20chance
hehasAK,whichmakestheequation:

(14/20)(1/2($1,090) (1/2)($910)) +
(6/20)((4/5)($910) + (1/5)($1,090)) = $90

Soclearlyunlessthecircumstanceschangedramaticallythiswillal
waysbea$EVplay.However,therearestillalotoffactorsthatcan
bechangedinthisorothermodels.Forinstance,maybetheoppo
nentscouldhaveanunderpairandthentherewillbethreegroups
ofhands.Againthesewouldneedweightingasitsunlikelyeach
groupwouldhaveaprobabilityof1/3itsprobablya50%chance
hehasovercards,10%chanceunderpair,and40%overpair.
Oraswehavealreadyseenyoucanchangehisstacksize(andhence
hisbetsize),oraddinmorehandcombinationslikeQQorJJin
whichcaseanoverpairbecomesalotmorelikelyandacallalot
worse.OrmaybehedoesthiswithjustAKorAQandJJbecause
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Poker Math
helikestotrapwithhisreallybighands,andjustgoesallinpreflop
withhandsheisafraidtoplaypostflop.AKandAQhaveatotal
of32combinationsvs.6possibilitiesforJJsoifhealwaysplays
thosethreehandsinexactlythismanneritweightsheavilytowards
acall.
Thisistheunderlyingmathinvolvedinthegameandittakesplace
ineverysinglehand.Thisisarelativelysimpleproblemtofigure
outbecausetheopponenthasgoneallin,therearenofuturestreets
andnomoreactionjusttrydoinganEVcalculationontheflop
withmiddlepairandaddingallthepossiblescenariossuchasthe
possibilityyouareahead,behind,thetimeshebluffsyouwhenyou
areahead,thetimeshegivesyouafreecardwhenyouarebehind
andyouhaveimpliedoddsandsoon.Itsimpossible.
Thatswhyinsteadofdoingthematheverytimeweuseconcepts
toguideusthroughthesesituations.Forinstanceifweareeither
waybehindorevenmoneythatisanexcellentreasontofold.But
thereareotherconceptstoothatcanbeimportantsoherevery
goodpotoddswouldcounterthefirstconcept.Itsusefultodothe
equationsyourself,simplifieddowntothebasicconceptsinvolved
inahand,andthentoplayaroundwiththenumberstoseewhich
conceptsoutweighothersandsoon.

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Chapter Five
Pre-Flop
Evaluating your opponents

Ifwesitinapokergamewithnopriorknowledgeofouropponents
andarefirsttoactwecanbasedecisionsonourhandstrengthalone.
Howevertheveryfirstactionanopponentmakesisinformationthat
needstobeusedinbuildingupaprofile.Ifitsthefirsthandandhe
raiseshisbutton,Idassumeheslooseandaggressiveuntilshown
otherwise.IfhefoldshisfirstbuttonIdsayheistight.Ifheraised
hisfirstbuttonandthenfoldedhissecondbuttonIwouldthenre
versemyopinionofhimtothinkingheistightbecauseitscorrect
generallytoplaymorethan50%ofhandsonthebuttonandherehe
hasplayedtighterthanthat.
Everythingdependsonhowyouropponentplays,includingyour
preflophandselection.Thefirststepistolearnaboutyouroppo
nentandtodothatwelluselabelsandcategoriestoputpeopleinto.
Butbecarefulbecausethoughhelpful,categorizingopponentsisin
accurateeveryopponentisdifferentandtheydontfitintoneat
tidycategories.Someplayersareaggressivepreflopandthenim
mediatelyslowdown,orothersmightbeskilledtoughplayersex
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ceptforprefloptheyplayverypoorly.Makeyourreadsonplayers
asdetailedandaccurateaspossible.Whenevaluatingaplayerthe
mainthingstoassessarelevelsofskill,aggressionandtightness.
Playingtightorlooseisnotinherentlybadorgood.Thereareskilled
playerswhowinalotofmoneybyplayingtight,andthosewhowin
alotofmoneybyplayingloose.Thereareadvantagesanddisad
vantagestobothstyles.Playingtightwilllowerthequantityandse
verityofyourswingsinpoker.Butplayingtightwontgetyouas
muchactionaspeopleliketogiveactiontoopponentswhowill
gamble,notnits.Playingloosemeansgettingintomoretoughsitua
tions,andthoseextrasituationsmeanthepossibilityofmaking
gooddecisionsandmakingmoremoney,buttheycanalsomean
gettingoutplayedandlosingmoremoney.Becausepokerisacom
petitivegame,beingaggressiveisadvantageous.However,itispos
sibletobeagoodplayerandwinalotofmoneyplayingmorepas
sivelythanmost.Anditispossibleandnotanuncommonproblem
toplaytooaggressively.
Therearemanythingstoconsiderwhenlearningaboutanopponent,
althoughtheaboveonesaretheprimaryfactors.Youmightalso
considerifwhenhehasaverybigstackhebecomeslooseandcare
lessorwhetherhetightensuptoprotectit.Ifhelosesapotdoeshe
tiltandtrytowinitback?Ordoesherefocushiseffortsandstart
playingsolidpoker?Ishesuspiciouswhenyoubetordoeshetake
youatyourword?Ifthepotisbigontheriverandhefacesabigbet
willhethinkalongthelinesofIcantcallifIdonthavethenuts,I
dontwanttogobustorifhegetsagoodhanddoesherefusetobe
pushedoffofit?Andsoon.

Skill level
Onewaytolearntheanswertothesequestionswouldbetoplay
HUforacoupleofhours.This,however,isnotoptimalpokerisa
gameofadjustmentsandthefasteryouadjustthebetter.Mostpeo
pleadjustquiteslowly,sothisisagoodwaytogainabigedgeover
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youropponents.Anotherwaytofigureoutifaplayerisgoodisto
playhimandthenseeifyoufeelyoucanbeathim.Thisiswhat
mostpeopledobutagainitisnotoptimal.Theissueisthatemotions
areinvolvedherepeoplehaveegosanddontliketoadmitdefeat.
Ifheisbetterthanyou,itwilltakeafairamountofdamagedoneto
youforhimtoproveitandforyourconsciousmindtoacceptthe
fact.
Thewaytogetareliableansweronanemotionalandtrickyques
tionlikethisistoaskyourselfquestionsindirectquestionsthat
willsuggestananswer.Sincetheyareindirectandstraightforward
questionstheanswerswontbetaintedbyyourego.Andsincethey
arequestionsyouareaskingyourself,itforcesyoutoconsciously
thinkaboutthesituationandlearnandadjustagoodstrategyif
yourgoalistomakemoney!Questionsyoumightaskinclude:Am
IhappywhenIgetintoapotwithhim?Thereasonyoushouldbe
happyisbecauseyouarecomfortableandatease.Theopponent
isntmakingplaysthatputyououtofyourcomfortzoneandput
youtotoughdecisionswherewhatyoushoulddoisunclear.The
conversetobeinghappywhenyouenterapotwithhimisbeing
afraidandintimidated.Thereasonyouwouldfeelthoseemotionsis
becausebasedonyourpastexperiencetogetherhehasputyouto
toughdecisionsandoutplayedyou,anditislogicaltoassumethis
willcontinueintothefuture.
Doesitfeellikeheisalwaysgettinggoodhands?Thoughitispos
sibleforpeopletogetagoodrunsofcards,itisunlikely.Mostofthe
timepeopledontgetluckyanddontgetparticularlygoodcards.
Thusthereisadiscrepancybetweenthecardsyouthinkhehasbeen
gettingandreality,andthediscrepancyhastobeexplained
somehow.Whatishappeningistheopponentistrickingyouand
outplayingyou.Youcannotsatisfactorilyhandreadagainsthim.If
youthinkhehasonlybeengettinggoodhandsthatmeanshehasnt
shownyouanyofhisbadhands,whichmeansheiswinningpots
withhisbadhandsbybluffingyououtofthepotorfoldingthem
earlyonandonlyincurringsmalllosses.
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Pre-Flop
CanIreadhimorisitaguessinggame?Ifyoucannotgetintohis
headpsychologicallyandarejustplayinganeducatedguessing
gamebasedoffofthemathyouareinbadshape.Heisoutthinking
yousowhyplayhim?
IshemakingbadplaysthatIwouldnevermake?Youshouldbe
lookingatallthehandsaftertheyareplayedinrealtimeandasking
whatwouldhavehappenedifIhadhishandandhehadmine?
Thereshouldbecleartimeswhenhemadebigerrorsyouwouldnot
havemade.Clearlywhatyouwantareopponentswhoarejustob
viouslyworsethanyou,notanopponentyouthinkmightbemar
ginallyworsebutwhomayinfactbebetter.
Isheagoodhandreader?Ifheisagoodhandreaderthatwill
makethingsalottougherforyou.Thepointisthatmostpeople
dontbotherhandreading,theyjustgoonhowtheyfeel,whichisnt
veryaccurate.Thedifferencebetweenahandreaderandsomeone
whodoesnthandreadcanbeseenwhenfacingapotsizedbeton
theriverwithaweakmadehand.Apersonwhodoesnthandread
willseeabigbetandfold.However,ahandreaderwillthinkokay
heknowsIamweak,sowhyishebettingintomesobig?Hemust
expectandwantmetofold.Hewillthentakehisweakhandand
call.Itsstillquitepossibletobeatthisplayernowyoujustneedto
thinkokayIwillbetasmallamountsinceheknowsIknowheis
weak,thenhewillthinkImexpectingacall.
Somepeopleplayweakpokerandothersplaystrongpoker.A
strongplayerishardtopushoffofahandandaweakplayergets
scaredeasilyandfoldshandstoomuch.Thedifferenceisinhand
readingskillsastrongplayerwillhandreadtheopponentand
thenplaythehandbasedonhisread,whereasaweakplayerwont
botherhandreading.InHUandshorthandedpoker,goodhands
comealongveryrarely,sowhencardscomeontheturnandriver
theyaregenerallynothelpingtheopponentsomuchasputting
scarecardsoutthere.Toastrongplayerwhohandreadsandputs
theopponentonspecifichands,justbecauseascarycardcomes
doesntmeanithitstheopponent,andsomeonehandreadingwell
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willrealizethatandplayaccordingly.Aweakplayerwillseeascare
cardandbescaredinsteadofactuallyhandreadingtoseeifhe
shouldbescared.

Loose vs. tight

Nextthereisthedifferencebetweenlooseandtightplayers.Aloose
playerisapersonthatputsmoneyintothepottoomuchandatight
personissomeonewhoputsmoneyintothepottoolittle(with
solidbeingsomewhereinthemiddle).Againthistraitwillvary
greatlyfromstreettostreetandindegreessoyouwillneeddetails
toplayHUandknowthatyouropponentissimplytightor
looseisfarfromsufficient.Therearenotrickstogettingthean
swerherethebestthingtodoisdirectlyobserve.Whenheisfaced
withadecision,doesheputmoneyintothepot(witheitheraraise
oracall)ordoeshefold?

Aggressive vs. passive

Finallythereisthedifferencebetweenaplayerwhoisaggressive
andonewhoispassive.Whentheopponentdoesdecidetoput
moneyintothepot,ishedoingitwitharaiseoracall?Beingtoo
aggressiveortoopassivearebothleaks.Howeverincompetitive
gamesbeingaggressiveisalmostalwaysfavored.Adviceinchess,
soccer,orracingisgenerallytoplayaggressively.Itjusthappensto
workoutbetterifyouareputtingpressureontheopponent,show
ingconfidence,goingforthewinyourselfandtakingtheinitiative.

Making adjustments
Beforetalkingaboutadjustmentstotakeadvantageandexploitthe
specifictendenciesofopponents,considerhowyoushouldplay
pokerinavoidmathematicallycorrectpoker.Therightwayis
straightforward,justplayingyourstronghandsstronglyandweak
handsweakly.Ifyouhaveastronghandbetandraise,ifyouhavea
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weakhandfoldorcall.Fromthere,asyouropponentseeshowyou
play,adjust.Furthermoreasyouseehowyouropponentplays
youshouldadjust.
Asyoudiscoverinformationaboutyouropponent,consciouslyask
yourselfhowyoushouldadjust.Ifheisaskilledplayerthemainad
justmenttomakeistogivehimrespect.Youcannotplayagainst
himinmarginalsituationsbecausethedecisionswillbetoughand
hecantrickyouintomakingthewrongchoices.Agoodplayerwill
justplaytoowell,soalotofspotsthatwereprofitableversuspoor
opponentswillchangefrombeingprofitabletocostingmoney.So
themainadjustmenttomakeistotightenup.
Additionally,versusaskilledplayeryouwillhavetoplaymoreag
gressively.Versusabadplayeritcanbeadvantageoustoplaymore
passivelysomeofthetime.Thebasisforthisisthatyoucanoutplay
abadplayerandwantasmanyopportunitiestodosoaspossibleon
asmanystreetsaspossible.Soitwouldbeokaytoplaymorepas
sivelyversusabadplayertodrawoutthehandandgetasmany
chancesaspossibletooutplayhim.Ifyoudothisversusagood
playeritistheoppositeofwhatyouwantasnowhelloutplayyou.
Ifyouropponentistightpreflopthenyoushouldadjustbyraising
alot.Butthenwhenhecallsyouknowhishandrangeissmalland
strong,sobelessinclinedtoblufftheflop.Butifaplayerisloose
preflopthenyoushouldbemoreinclinedtobettheflopbecause
theirhandrangeiswideandweaksoonthefloptheyprobably
donthaveanything.
Onedifferenceisthatwithapassiveplayeryoudonthavetoforce
theactionyoucantakeyourtimeandslowlygrindawaysothere
isnovariance.Butversusanaggressiveplayeryouhavetogamble
withyourstack(thisbecomesmoretruethebettertheplayeris)and
maybethemathofjusthowmanytimeshehasbluffedinthepast
saysyouhavetodosomethingotherthanfold.
Similarly,ifhefoldsalotontherivertobigbets,thenmakemore
riverbluffsthanyounormallywould(andadditionallyfeelfreeto
putyourselfinthosepositionsmoreoftenwithmoreliberalturn
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betsandraises)andconverselyifyouhaveastronghandbetsmall
ontheriver.
Whenbettingtheflopconsiderhowoftentheopponentcallspre
flop.Iftheopponentfoldsalotprefloprealizethatthisiswhere
yourprofitcomesfrom.Againstthatopponentyoucanautoraise
preflopandthenjustkeeptakinghisblindsandmakeahandy
profit.Whenhecalls(whichwillberelativelyrarely)hellhavea
goodhandsodontusuallyblufftheflopagainsthimasheisnow
morelikelytohavesomethingdecent.Butagainstaplayerwhocalls
toomuchpreflopyouarenotgoingtowinmoneybystealingthe
blinds.Youaregoingtowinmoneybyvaluebettingyourbetter
handsand/orbluffingtheflopagainsthim.Sincehecallssomuch
preflop,hisholdingswillbefairlyweak,thusyoucanbluffhimoff
hishandontheflopmoreoften.

Starting Hands
Thereisalotofflexibilityinplayinghandspreflop.Alotofpeople
agonizeovertheirpreflophandselectionanddebateendlesslythe
meritsofreraisingsomeonewith1010.Thereisnorightorwrong
answeritdependsonthesituation.Butmoreimportantlytheright
andwronganswersdonotdifferbymuchintermsofEVsoitisnot
importantwhichyouchooseasbothplaysarevalid.Thestageis
onlysetforahandwhentheflopcomesanditisthosethreecards
thatcanchangesomuchforyouandtheopponent.
Becauseofthisifyouwanttocreatealoose,aggressiveimagetoget
paidoffwhenyouhitbighands,itsfinetomakeloose/aggressive
playspreflopandthenslowdownpostflop.Playingcrazypre
floplooksalotworsethanitreallyis.Otherpeoplethinkyouare
nuts,butyourealizethatifyoureraisesomeonepreflopalotof
thingscanhappenyoucanwinitthere,youcanbluffatsome
pointinthehand,youcanhitahandandwinthepotevenifyou
startoutbehindpreflop,andsoon.
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Hand Reading
Handreadingisoneofthemostimportantskillsinpoker.That
mightsoundlikeanobviouscommentbuttheimportanceofhand
readingisstillunderrated.Firstyouuseyourhandreadingskillsto
figureoutwhathandstheopponentcouldhaveandhowlikelyeach
typeofhandisforhim.Thenyouusebasiclogictoconsider
differentscenariosthatcouldplayoutversushisdifferenthands
andweighthecostsandbenefitsofeachofthemandchoosethebest
linetotake.Allthewhilementaldisciplineisusedtoimplementthe
previousskillstothebestofourability.
Handreadingisacombinationofmathandpsychology.Themathis
derivedfromknowingaboutaplayersstylehowlooseortight,
passiveoraggressivetheyare.Sayingapersonistightisanother
wayofsayingthatthepercentageofhandsapersonplaysissmaller
thannormal.Sincethispersonwillalwaysplaytheirbesthands,
whenapersonlowersthepercentageofhandstheyplaythehands
theyarenolongerplayingarethepoorestqualityones.Sothe
tighterapersonplays,thebettertheiraveragehandis.Andtosaya
personisplayingloosemeanstheyplayahigherpercentageof
handsthanisnormal.Thusthismakestheiraveragehandweaker.If
apersonisplayingaggressivelythatmeanstheratiooftimeshe
raisesorbetsversuscallingishigh.
Andwhenapersonispassiveitmeanstheratiooftimeshecallsor
checksversusthetimeshebetsorraisesishigh.Thisinformationis
abithardertointerpretasfarasgivingusinformationaboutwhat
handapersonhascomparedtoinformationaboutapersonbeing
tightorloose.Thisisbecausewhenapersonistightheisalways
playinghisbesthands.However,whenapersonisplayingaggres
sivelytheymixitupsomearemorelikelytobeaggressivewith
theirstronghands,andsomepeoplearemorelikelytobeaggressive
withtheirdrawsorbluffs.Ontheotherhand,apersonwontbe
tightandmixitupbyfoldingstronghandsandplayingweak
ones.
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Thenthereistheelementofpsychology.Youneedtoknowhowthe
opponentthinks.Lookattheirbetsandfigureoutwhattheyare
thinking,orwhattheyaretryingtoaccomplishwiththeirbet(or
check).Iftheyaregood,yourthinkingneedstogetmoreadvanced
totakemoreintoaccount,likehowdoestheopponentviewme?
WhatdoeshethinkIhave?Whatdoeshethink,Ithinkhehas?and
soon.However,assumingyouareawinningplayer,mostofyour
opponentswillbebad(relativetoyou)andthinkingonabasiclevel.
Againstthemdonotovercomplicatethings,thinkonthesamelevel
asthem.Playinabasicmanneruntilyouseeevidenceheisathink
ingplayer,thenadjust.
Sayyouropponentisnotreraisingyoualotandthenhedoesforthe
firsttimeinawhileyoumightthinkheisraisingwithonly
stronghands,andheknowsIknowit.SosurelyifIreraisehewill
knowImextremelystrong.Thatsnotthewayitworksthoughas
nowyouareconfusingthesituation.Themathsayshewillhavea
stronghandandpeopleplaystrongwithstronghands,sohellsim
plycallyourraiseorgoallin.Startthinkingonthesimplestlevel
andthenadjustfromthere.Startplayinganopponentbyplaying
thestrengthofyourhandandthenveryquicklyadapt,startthink
ingabouthowgoodyouropponentshandis,andifitmattersthink
ofwhatyouropponentthinksofyourhand.Buteaseyourselfinto
themoreadvancedthinkingasyouseewhatlevelyouropponentis
thinkingon.
Bluffwhentheyareweakanddontbluffwhentheyarestrong.A
lotofpeoplemakethemistakeofbluffraisingtheturn,butnot
bluffbettingtheturnwhencheckedto.Theybelievethatbecause
theopponentbettheturnitmakestheirbluffmoreconvincingbe
causeofhowmuchstrengththeycanshowbyraisinginsteadofjust
betting,andbyraisingalot.Butthereisareasontheopponentbet
theturntheyprobablywanttobuildabigpotwithabighandas
opposedtowhentheyarecheckingtheturn,wheretheyprobably
wanttokeepthepotsmallsincetheirhandisntthatgood.Take
thingsatfacevalueandplaystraightforwardly,thenasyoustartto
getinsideanopponentsheadadjust.Noreadshouldequalnobluff.
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Thisgetsbacktotheideaofstartingoutbysimplyplayingyour
handstrengthandonlyafteryouseehowyouropponentisthinking
playingyouropponentshand,whichthenallowsyoutobluff.
Mathcomesintoplayinpokerallthetimebehindthescenes.But
thereismoremaththanjusttheoddsofhittingaflushdraw.Ina
HUsituationsomeonecanraisefromthebutton50%ofthetime,or
maybeeven90%ofthetime.Ifheraisesthebutton90%ofthetime
thinkofallthepossiblepokerhandsthathisrangeconsistsofal
mosteverythingincludingQ4oorJ2o.Herethereisnopsychology
involved,itsstraightforwardmaththatyoucanreraisehimpreflop
andheprobablycannotcallyoubecausetheoddsarehishandwill
bequiteweak.Ormaybeheautomaticallycallsyourreraise,then
themathsaysyoucanautobettheflopandmostofthetimehewill
havetrashthatcantcallyourbet.Orifheisinthehabitofcontinu
ingonthefloptooandisamaniacthefirstgoodhandyougetyou
canmakealotofmoneyoffofhimandyoumustjustbepatient.
Ifhecallsyourflopbetalotthenheisgoingtohaveaweakerrange.
Butifheisverytightpreflopandthencallsyourflopbetheproba
blyhasahandeverytimebecausehehasalreadyfilteredouthisbad
handspreflop.Maybeyoucantgetinsidehishead,butthismath
tellsyoualot.
Ifanopponentraisespreflopandbetstheflopandyoucall,thenhe
oftenbetstheturn,youcanpunishhimbyreraising.Ifhedoesit
seldomthenhedoesntmakealotofmoneybybluffingyououton
theturnsolethimtakedownthepotandwinmoneyfromhimin
otherways,likepickingupalotofsmallerpotsalongthewaythat
hedoesntcontest.Bluffwhentheyareweak,anddontbluffwhen
theyarestrong.
Whensomeoneistooloose,loosenupbutnotasmuchasthem.
Whensomeoneistootight,tightenupbutnotasmuchasthem.
Sayingplaytightwhentheyareloose,andloosewhentheyare
tightmakesnosense.Itssymmetricalsohowcanoneplayergain
anedgeonadvicethatissimilartobothplayers?Pictureaspectrum
withtootightontheleft,correctinthemiddle,andtoolooseonthe
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rightside.Ifsomeoneisplayingtooloosethenyouwanttoadjust
bylooseningupandmovingtotherightabit,butnotasfarasthem.
Ifsomeoneistootightyouwanttotightenuptoadjustbutnotas
muchasthemjuststayclosertothecorrectpointthanthem.
Someofthetimetheelementsofmathandpsychologybehindpoker
willcoincide.Forexample,saytheopponentisplayingveryLAG
(loose/aggressive)sothemathsayshehasnothing,andthen
psychologicallyonagivenhandyouhaveafeelingthathehas
nothinganditturnsoutyoureright.Inthiscaseyouareoutplaying
youropponent.Ontheotherhandsometimesanopponentwillplay
LAG,soyoufigureheprobablydoesnthaveahandandcallhim
down,buthedoes.OrheisplayingTAG(tight/aggressive)soyou
figurehedoeshaveahandandfold,andhedoesnt.Inthese
situationstheopponentisconfusingandoutplayingyou.Whenyou
noticethishappeningalotversusanopponentitmeanstheyare
betterthanyou,oratleastmatchupwellvs.yousostayaway
fromthem!

Example hands

Example 1
$5/$10,fivehanded,effectivestacksizesare$1,000.OpponentinCO
raisesto$35,heisagoodplayer.Buttonfolds,anditstomeinthe
SBwith66andIfold.Thevalueinalowpocketpairisgenerally
hittingasetandbuildingabigpot.Theopponent,however,willnot
gethisstackallinwithmejustbecausehehitsamediocremade
hand.SoIwillhavetooutplayhimandtrickhiminsomewayand
IdratherwaittotryanddothatwhenIhavepositiononhimanda
handthatwillhittheflopmoreoftenthenthe81ofhittingaset.66
alsohasshowdownvaluebutvs.askilledopponent,hewillnotlet
mewinwithalowpocketpairoutofposition(OOP)ifhehasking
highoracehigh,asopposedtoabadplayerwhocouldverywell
allowthattohappen.
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Example 2
$1/$2,sixhanded,effectivestacksof$200,friendraisesto$7second
toactandthenthecutoff(CO)makesit$29togo.Friendhasaces
butwhatarethecriteriafordecidingwhetherornottoreraise?Start
withthemostbasicthinkingwhichiswhatdoyouhave?Agood
hand,soyouwanttogetmoneyintothepot.Thentakeittothesec
ondstepwhatdoeshehave?Ifheisraisingalotthenhehasa
widehandrangeandifheisraisingalittlethenhehasasmallhand
range.Awidehandrangemeansitslikelyhehasaweakishhand
thatwillnotcallareraiseandwillfold.Asmallhandrangemeans
hehasagoodhandthatwillcallareraiseandmayjustpushallin
becausehewillbepracticallypotcommittedfromcallingareraise.
Anotherconsiderationishowaggressivetheopponentisifheis
aggressivenowisagoodtimetotakeadvantageofthatandjustcall
becauseontheflophewillplayaggressivelikehenormallydoes
andtraphimself.Theaceswillalmostcertainlyremainthebest
handontheflop,sothatsexactlywhatyouwanthimtobeput
tingmoremoneyinontheflop.However,ifheisntaggressivethen
justcallingpreflopwontservetotraphimverywellbecausehis
styleofplaymeanshewonttraphimself.

Example 3
$25/$50,sixhanded,78sUTG.Iraiseto$175.Thisdecisionispretty
straightforward,themaincriteriahereishowgoodIamrelativeto
myopponents.IfIamgoodandwanttoplaypotswiththemthenI
willtakemarginalsituationspreflopandgowiththem.Iftheyare
betterthanmethenIwillfoldinmarginalsituations.InthiscaseI
ambettersoraised.

Example 4
$25/$50,K9o,secondtoactsixhanded.Theopponentsareverybad,
Iraiseto$175.
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Example 5
$25/$50KJo,secondtoactsixhanded.Theopponentsareskilled,I
fold.

Example 6
$25/$50,A5oHU.Theopponentisskilledandtightandopensto
$150onthebutton,Ifold.ThenexthandIhave95oonthebutton
andraiseto$150totakeadvantageofhistightness.Hefolds.

Example 7
$25/$50,sixhanded,UTGopensto$175,heisslightlybadandloose.
IhaveA8snexttoact.Itstemptingtocallhereandabigfactoris
howaggressivetheplayersbehindyouare.Iftheyreraisefrequently
usingtheirpositionitsverybadtocoldcallhere,soifthatisapos
sibilityitweighsstronglyonthesideoffolding.Butifthatdoesnt
happenoftenthenacallisreasonable,thoughstillmarginal.

Example 8
$25/$50,sixhanded,UTGopensto$175,theCOandbuttoncalland
IhaveA8sintheBB.Inanabsolutesensealltheotherplayershave
positiononme,i.e.theywillallactaftermeoneverystreet.But
whatisalsoimportanthereisrelativeposition.Thepreflopraiser
hasagoodchanceofbettingtheflopagainbecausehewasaggres
sivepreflop,sotheresadecentchancehecontinuesbeingaggres
sive.InwhichcasemypositionisactuallybetterthantheCOand
button.TheywillhavetorespondanUTGflopbetandIgettoact
aftereveryoneelseontheflop.Relativepositionisanimportantfac
tortoconsideralongwithabsoluteposition.A8sisacallhere.

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Example 9
$10/$25HU,opponenthas$1,300.Wehaventplayedmuchbuthe
hasreraisedmealotsofar,andrecentlyheshoweddownQ6safter
reraisingsoitisveryobviousheisreraisinguslightnow.IraiseA
10oonthebuttonandhereraisesme.Thisisnormallyabadspotto
reraisebecauseofstacksizessincewewillbepotcommittedfora
bigoverbetofthepotandA10oisamediumstrengthhandsohe
couldcallwithbetterhandsandfoldworseones.Also,heissobad
thatitmightbebettertowaitandjustgrindhimdownwithlower
variancepostflopthangetitallinpreflop(evenwithasmallEV
edge)andgamble.However,ontheotherhandheissobadandhis
rangeissowidethatinthefinalanalysisareraiseisagoodplay.
Alsoheisbadaggressiveandnotbadpassive,whichmeanshe
wontbethateasytoplayagainstanyway,andhecoulddefinitely
chipmedownifIdontfightback.Ireraisedhimallinandhecalled
withQ7s.

Example 10
$10/$25HU,webothhave$2,200.IhaveQQandraiseto$75onthe
buttonandhereraisesto$225.Nowthereisadecisionastowhether
toreraisehimagainortojustcallandtrap.Itwasclose,butthere
wasonedecidingfactorthatmadetherightplayclear.Hewasplay
ingstraightforwardanddecentlypreflop.However,postflophe
wasjustaterribleplayer.SoIwantedtomakesurewegottopost
flopplaywherehewillplaybadly.Asthehandturnedout,theflop
was554,hebets$300,andIcalled.AgainheplaysbadsoI
wantedtolethimkeepgoingandgivehimasmuchropeaspossible
soIjustcalled.Theturnisthe2;hebets$775andIraisedhimhis
last$900,andhecalledwith66.

Example 11
$5/$10,threehanded,opponentopensto$30intheSB,Iaminthe
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BB.Hehasraisedto$30intheSBalot.Thismeanshishandusually
isntverygood.IhaveQ9andreraiseto$90.Thisisagoodspotto
reraiseforacombinationofreasons.Firstofall,Imnotscaredofa
fourbetfromhimbecausehehasopenedalotandIhaventreraised
himyetsoitlookslikeIhaveahand,andsincehehasopenedalot
heprobablydoesnthaveahand.Andifhedoesreraisemehe
probablyhasagoodhandandQ9oisntthatgoodofahandany
waysoImnotlosingalotofvaluebynotseeingaflop.Alsoifhe
foldsthenformetagamereasonsitwillmakemyimagelooserand
crazierandnexttimeIreraisehimpreflophewontknowwhatI
have.Mystyleofplayistoraiseandreraisealotpreflopandhope
thattricksmyopponentintothinkingIhavealooseandcrazyim
age,butfromthereItightenupalotandinbigpotsIamverytight
andhaveagoodhandoften.Thisisagoodlowvariancestylebe
causeinthebeginningwhenthepotissmallIamplayingcrazy,
butwhenthepotisbigandweplayaroundwithbiggerbetsIplay
conservativelysowhenIdoplayabigpotIgenerallywin.Andin
thebeginningwhenIamplayingcrazyIamreallynotgivingaway
alot,assumingImthebetterplayer.

Example 12
$25/$50HU.Ilimponthebuttonwith35oandheraisesmepotto
$150ashehasdoneeverytimeIhavelimped,soIcall.Theflopis
69Qandheleads$300ashehasdoneeverytimesoIpotitto
$1,200.Sincehehasbeenmakingthisplayregularlytheoddsare
goodthathedoesnthaveanypieceoftheboard,andevenifhe
doessincehebetseverytimeitcouldbesomethinglike67,which
hecantcallmewithanyway.

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The Flop
Planning a hand
Havingaplanforhowtoplayahandinpokerisanecessityandthe
timetomakethisplanistheflop(notpreflopbecausetherethe
situationisstilltoocomplicated).Theplanshouldbeadecision
aboutwhatpotsizewillbeoptimalinthesituationandalsohowto
achievethatpotsize.Thereisabigdifferencebetweenbettingallin
yourselfforinstance,asopposedtocheckcallinganallin.Some
situationscallforthefirstone,somecallforthesecondone.The
moreinformationandconsiderationstakenintoaccountwhenmak
ingaplan,thebettertheplanwillbe,andthemoremoneyyoucan
expecttomakeonthehand.Moreprecisely,themoreaccuratein
formationandrelevantconsiderationsaretakenintoaccountthe
betteraplanwillbe.
Forexample,someonemighthavethewrongreadonanopponent
andapplythattoaplanobviouslythatplanwillnotfareverywell
(andifitdoes,itwillbeaccidental).Orifapersonbelievesonecon
ceptisveryimportantinasituationbutinfactitmaynotberelevant,
thenagaintheplanisapoorone.Theonlywaytobecomegoodat
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pokeristomakealotofplansandstudy,andthenyouwillimprove
andyourplanswillbemoreprecise.
Inpokeritisabsolutelykeytothinkinspecifictermsandnotallow
vagueandhazythinkingtogetintheway.Whenconsideringaplay,
thinkaboutwhatspecificthingsitwillaccomplish.Andwhenwe
sayaccomplish,ourgoalistowinmoney.Socallingbecausewe
arecurioustoseetheopponentshanddoesaccomplishsomething
itsatisfiesourcuriosity,butitdoesnotsatisfyourmaingoal,which
istowinmoney.
Inthischapterwellstartintroducingtheconsiderationsthatneedto
betakenintoaccountwhenmakingaplan.Thenwellmakeplans
forhandsbasedoffthoseconsiderations.Theconsiderationsorrea
sonsthatwouldhaveapersonmakeaplaythatweregoingtotalk
aboutareasfollows:gainingvalueforahand;makingtheopponent
foldabetterhand;preventingabluff;protectingyourhand;pot
odds;stacksize;position;beingaggressive;andbettingforinforma
tion.Butnotethattoomanypeopleovervalueprotectingyourhand,
beingaggressive,preventingabluff,andbettingforinformation
thosearebyfartheleastimportantreasonstomakeaplay.
Continuationbetsonthefloparealsoabigleakforalotofpeople.
Thiscanbecorrectedintwoways.First,simplyplaythestrengthof
yourhand.Ifyouraisepreflopandgetcalledandyouhaveagood
hand,betagain,andifyoudonthaveagoodhandcheck.From
thereyoucanmixupyourplaysforspecificreasons.Secondly,
avoidhazythinking.Itisthehazythinkingthatleadspeopleto
thinkthattheyneedtobettheflopbecausetheywanttobeaggres
sive,ortoshownoweakness.Thesearesuchvaguereasonsfor
anactionthattheyarenotrealreasonsatall.ItslikesayingIbeta
lotbecauseIwanttowin.
Realreasonsmightbeitsgoodtobeaggressiveagainstthisplayer
becauseheisweakandwillfold(anotherwayofsayingmakea
betterhandfold)orIdontraisemuchpreflopsowhenIcon
tinuationbettheflopitsconsistentandcrediblyrepresentsastrong
hand(again,anotherwayofsayingmakeabetterhandfold),or
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itsgoodtobeaggressivebecausethenitgiveshimachancetocall
mewithaworsthand(valuebetting).Rememberyourgoal
whenplayingpokeristomakemoney.Itsobvioushowmakinga
betterhandfoldwillallowustowintheentirepot,andhowthat
helpsustowinmoney.Itsnotatallclearhowseizingtheinitia
tivewillleadtomakingmoney.Beingaggressiveisnotanendin
itselfitsawayofplayingthatinsomesituationswontworkwell
andinotherswillworkwellforspecificreasons.Thekeyistobe
morespecificandtofindoutforwhatspecificreasonsbeingaggres
siveworks,andthentodirectlyconsiderthosefactors.
DoyleBrunsonadvocatesautomaticallybettingtheflopafterraising
preflopinSuperSystem,buttodaywhenplayingheadsupor
shorthandedthisstrategywillgetyoueatenup.Instead,takepoker
streetbystreetthemistakealotofbeginnersmakeiscommittinga
lotoftheirmoneytoahandonanearlystreet.Forinstance,abegin
nercantcheckraiseblufftheflopbecausehellautomaticallygoall
inontheturntocontinuetheblufftoooften.Theexpertreevaluates
ontheturnheseesifanygoodcardshavecometocontinuethe
bluffandsomeofthetimehellsimplygiveup.Similarly,agood
playerwillraisepreflop,andthentheflopisanotherstreethe
wontautomaticallybetit,hellconsiderhisoptionsatthatpoint
andmaybebetandmaybenotbet.
Averygoodactionthatwillhelpuswinmoneyisgainingvaluefor
agoodhand,i.e.gettingmoneyintothepotwithagoodhandver
susaworsthand.Thisdoesntneedalotofexplanationbuttherea
sonitissuchapowerfulwaytogainvalueisthatwhenyouarebet
tingtoppairandtheopponenthastoppairwithaworsekicker(or
middlepair)andcallsyou,heonlyhasthreeorfiveouts.Hell
rarelyoutdrawyou,andyouhavealotofequityinthepotcom
paredtohim.Wheneveryoumakeabetandhecalls,yougainal
mosthisentirebetinexpectedvalue.

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Aggression
Peopleusuallywanttobeaggressivetotakecontrolofthehand
orseizetheinitiative;however,aswehavesaidthesearenotends
inthemselves,justexamplesofhazythinking.Takingcontrolofthe
handismeaningless;itsalmostsynonymouswithacoupleofle
gitimatereasons,whicharebettingnowtopreventablufflateron
andbettingforinformation.TheseideasaremoreLimitpoker
ideasthanNLHEones.InNLHEsincethebetsizesarenotsmall
fractionsofthepotbutratherclosetopotsizemostofthetime,they
aresignificantandcantbethrownaround.Bettingforinformation
istooexpensive,infactitdoesntreallyaccomplishmuchexceptfor
sometimesmakingahandeasiertoplay.
Butmakingahandeasytoplayisnotthesameasmakingitmore
profitable.InNLHEinsteadofbettingforinformationitsbetterto
justcheck,andthenyouwonthavetheinformationbutyoualso
wonthavethrownoutasizeablebet,andwithouttheinformation
youlljusthavetomakeaneducatedguessandcometothebestde
cisionyoucan.Similarly,insteadofbettingtopreventabluff,just
check.Andthenifhebets,nowyouhaveadecisiontomake.Ifyou
areafraidhesbluffingyoualotthensimplystartcallinghimdown
withweakerhands.
Beingaggressiveisoktoaccomplishcertainthingswhenyouare
aggressiveandbettingorraisingitcouldbetogainvalueortobluff
theopponent.Asshownabovethatgainsrealmoney,butjustbe
ingaggressivedoesnotgainanythinginitselfunlessitisusedasa
tooltogainsomething.Sobespecificandfigureoutwhatexactly
youaretryingtogainandwhatthethingyouaretryingtogainis
worth.
Anotherimportantfactortoconsideristheskillofyouropponent
forexamplewhethertheywilloutplayyouontheriver.Ifyoucheck
theturnandtheyareabadplayer,youcanmaybepickoffabluffon
theriverwhenthedrawmisses,andfoldwhenithits.Butiftheyre
betterthanyou,maybetheylloutplayyouontheriverwithabluff
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andyouwilllosethewholepotsonowyoumightwanttobetto
protectyourselfagainstgettingbluffedlaterinthehand.

Protecting your hand

TheconventionalwisdomthatsaysprotectingyourhandsinNLHE
isamustisoneofthebiggestmisconceptionsoutthere.NLHEisnot
likelimitholdeminthatregardyoudonotbettoprotectyour
hand.InNLHEprofitscomefromvaluebettingagainstworsehands
orbybluffingoutbetterhands.Themathshowswhythisistrue.
Saythepotis$1,500andyoubet$1,500intoittoprotectyourtop
pairfrombeingdrawnouton.Maybetheyhavetoppairwitha
lowerkicker,aflushdraworsecondpair.Incaseonetheyhave
threeouts,incasetwotheyhavenineouts,andincasethreethey
havefiveouts,soinallcasestheirequityisbelow1/4ofthepot.So
basicallyyouarebetting$1,500toprotect1/4ofthepot,or$375.
Anotherfactorpeoplethinkisimportantisbettingtoprotectsbluffs
inthefuture.Thisisrelatedtotheideaofbettingforinformation
anditsjusttooexpensivetodoinNLHE.Instead,ifyouthinkthe
opponentisthetypetobluffalot,justchecktheflopandtheneither
makeaweakcalldownorrebluffraisehim.Thatishowtoprofit
fromsomeonewhobluffsalotnotbystoppinghimfrombluffing
withacostlybet,butbyspottingitandtakingadvantageofitby
callinghimlight.

Determining the best line

Themainfactorindeterminingwhatisthebestlinetotakeisseeing
ifwhenyoubetaworsthandwillcallorifabetterhandwillfold.
Considerforexampleifat$5/$10HUIopenonthebuttonto$35
withA10andtheopponentcalls.Theflopis1074.Nowthereason
Iwouldbethereforthemostpartistogainvalueratherthanprotect
myhand.IfhehastwoovercardslikeQJorQKhehassixouts,if
hehasapairoftenswithaworstkickerjustthreeouts,andevenif
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hehas87thathasonlyeightouts.
Sowedontgainmuchvaluebyforcinghimtofoldbutthereis
valueifhellraiseusandwerepreparedtocallthenalotof
moneycangointothepotwithusasbigfavorites.Thathowever
isntreallyprotectingourhand,itsstillbettingforvalue.Andifhe
hasapairoftenswithaworsekickerhellcertainlyputmoneyin
andhavelittlechanceofoutdrawingusandthatiswherethemain
valuecomesfrom.
Stacksizeswillaffecttheplanyoucomeupwithforahandand
whatmattersiseffectivestacksize,whichmeansthemoneythatcan
bewonorlostbasedonthesmalleststack.Wecanlookatstacksizes
inrelationtothenumberofbigblinds,andalsowhatpercentageof
wentinpreflopandfromthisdecidewhattypeofhandwillbe
playedoutpostflop.Thegeneralruleisthatthebiggertheeffective
stacksare,themoreflexibilitythereisinhowahandisplayed,and
themoremoneythatgoesinpreflopthelessconcernthereisthata
playerwillhitabighandifaplayerputsin10%oftheirstackpre
flop,thenwerenotreallyafraidofhimhittingflushesortwopairs.
Positionisabigadvantage,whichyouwanttomakesureyouutil
izetothefullestextentpostflop.Thewaytoutilizeitisbyplaying
asmanystreetsaspossibleinpositiontoputthedisadvantageon
theopponentasoftenaspossible.Ifjustonestreetisplayedthenthe
opponenthastodealwiththedisadvantageofbeingoutofposition,
butjustonetime.Withmorestreetsapersoninpositiongainsmore
information,astheygettoseemorecardsandhowtheopponent
reactsthewholeway.Thewaytoplaymorestreetsistoplaymore
passivelyinposition.Conversely,ifapersonisplayingoutofposi
tion,theyneedtoneutralizethedisadvantagebytryingtoendthe
bettingactiononahandassoonaspossiblebyeitherfoldingorrais
ing,andingeneralapersonwillneedtoplaymoreaggressiveoutof
positioniftheyenterapot.

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Pot Odds
Potoddsaretheoddsyouaregettingtocallabettowinthepot.If
thebetissmallinrelationtothepot,thenyouaregettinggoodpot
odds.Ingeneral,ontheflopandturnpeoplebetaroundthepotsize,
whichgivesaperson2:1potodds.DrawsinNLHEarenotthat
strong(almostnodrawsaregoingtohit1/3timesgettingonecard)
soforthemostpartpeopledontmakethosecallbecauseofpot
odds.InsteadNLHEplayersthinkmoreintermsofimpliedodds
thechancesofhittingahandandwinningadditionalmoneyafter
makingit.
Potoddsarethereforemostimportantontheriverwheretheoppo
nentmakesabetandthereisnofutureaction.However,potodds
arestillrelativelynotthatimportanteventhen,asmakingthecor
rectriverdecisionismainlyamatterofhandreading,andthenifthe
decisionisclosetheideaofpotoddscanbefactoredintoswayit
onewayortheother.
Hereisasimplehandtotryanequitycalculationwith.EPmin
raisesto$100at$25/50andLPcallswithashortstackof$3,000.I
haveAQoonthebutton.Theminraisetomesaysthathehasa
mediocrehandthathedoesntwanttoputalotofmoneyinwith,
anddoesntwanttobuildapotwithhejustwantstoseeaflop
cheaply.SoIraiseto$500,EPfoldsandLPcalls.Theflopcomes
AJ6withthreespades,hechecks,Ibet$800andhegoesallinfor
$1,700more.
Sonowthereisapproximately$1,100inthepotfrompreflop,then
$1,600morefrommybetandhiscall,whichmakes$2,700,andhe
raises$1,700moresoIwouldputup$1,700towin$4,400so44:17
oralmost5:2.IfhehasAJ,aset,oraflushthenIhaveverylittle
chanceofwinning.IfhehasapairandaflushdrawlikeKJwitha
spade,ormaybe1010withaspadethatgiveshimfiveortwo
pair/setoutsandnineflushouts,so12onaverage.12outstwiceis
aboutevenmoneytowinthepot.Sotheequationis:

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x($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (1-x)($1,700) = 0
$1,350x $1,700 + $1,700x = 0
$3,035x = $1,700
x = 0.56

Itsimportanttounderstandhowthisequationworks.Xisequalto
thepercentageoftimesAQhastobeaheadversusasemiblufffor
ourequitytobebreakeveninthepotwhencalling.About50%of
thetime1010willwinsowelllosethe$1,700weusedtocallhisbet,
andtheother50%ofthetimewewintheentirepotof$4,400.(1x)is
alltheothertimeswhenhedoesNOThaveasemibluffitisthe
timesImdrawingdeadandthenIlosethe$1,700call.Notethat(1
x)addedtoxisequalto1,i.e.xand(1x)accountfortwodifferent
scenarios,whichtogetherhappen100%ofthetime.Therearetwo
factorsbattlingeachotherherethefirstisthatourpotoddsareso
good,butsecondisthathehasalotofequityevenwhenhesbehind.
Sofromtheequationwecanseethatifourhandisgood56%ofthe
timethencallingisabreakevenproposition.Letssayourhand
readingisoffanditsgoodonly30%ofthetime.Nowwecanplug
thosevaluesinandseehowmuchourmistakecostus:

0.3($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (0.7)($1,700) = $788

Orletssayitsgood70%ofthetimethenitbecomes:

0.7($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (0.3)($1,700) = $435
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Basedonthecalculationsaboveifwecallwhenweareahead70%of
thetimethenwewin$435fromouropponentsinExpectedValue,
andifwecallwhenourhandisonlygood30%ofthetimewelose
ourselvesalmost$800inEV.Youcanseethatbycallingorfolding
wedontmakedecisionsthatcostus$1,700orwinus$4,400they
actuallywinorloseasmallfractionofthatdependingonhowgood
orbadourhandreadingwas.

NowletssayheeitherhasA10ooroneofhishugehandsthentry
runningitagain:

x($4,400) (1-x)($1,700) = 0
$4,400x $1,700 + $1,700x = 0
$6,100x = $1,700
x = 0.27

Soifwereeitheraheadhugeorbehindhuge(andthereisnore
drawing)thenweonlyhavetobegood27%ofthetimebecauseour
potoddsaresogood.Notethatthisequationisjustalonghand
wayofwritingoutpotodds,whichare4,400:1,700or1,700/(4,400+
1,700)=0.27.

Implied Odds
Impliedoddsareanothertooltoaddtothepokerarsenal.Whena
personstartsoutplayingpokertheyhaverelativelyfewtoolsto
useforinstancemaybethereisjustpotodds,whichasseenabove
donotallowforalotofflexibility,asbasedonthemalonemany
handswouldhavetobefolded.Asmoreandmoreideasgetadded
intothethinkingandplanningofahand,therearemorepossibilities
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andmorewaystomixitupandeithercall,raiseorbetasopposed
tofoldingorcheckinganditwillbeunderstandablewhythoseplays
areprofitable.
Impliedoddscomeintoplaybasedonhowmuchmoneyyouthink
youcanmakeifyouhitthatdrawinghandonfuturestreets.Your
impliedoddsdependheavilyonearlierfactorssuchashandreading
andthestyleofanopponent.Tofigureoutifyouhavegoodimplied
oddsfirstconsiderthehandrangesofyouropponentandhowthey
willreacttothecardscomingontheboardthathityourhand.Then
alsoconsiderthestyleofpokeryouropponentplays(skilled?ag
gressive?loose?)andhowthatwillfitintothepicture.Impliedodds
canalsobecombinedwithpotoddstofindmore+EVcallingsitua
tions.
Hereisastraightforwardexample.Eighthanded$5/10,UTGlimps,
UTG+1limps,IlimponthebuttonwithKQandtheBBchecks.
Normallythishandisgoodforaraiseitsagoodhandandwe
haveposition;however,thereasonIdidntthistimeisbecauseUTG
hadastackofjust$250,whichmakesiteasyforhimtolimpreraise
meallinwhichisnotsomethingIwant.TheflopcomesA32,
BBandUTGcheck,nexttoactbetspotof$45.HereclearlyIdonot
havepotoddsbutifIgetpaidoffifaflushcomesthenIcancall.
Theturnisa7andhebets$135leavinghimselfwith$500.Aflush
cardwillcomeabout1/5times,andpotoddssayIneedtowin1/3
times,soIneedtomakeupforthatdifferencesomehowtocall.The
answeriswithimpliedodds,orinotherwords,thetimeaflushcard
comesandhepaysmeoff:

0.8(-$135) + 0.2($405 + x) = 0

Thismeansthat80%ofthetimewewonthittheflushandwont
winthepot(notethisneglectsthetimeswhenourhandisalready
goodandwecanwinasinashowdown,andthetimeswecanbluff
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himwhenaflushcarddoesntcomewhicharesignificantfactors).
And20%ofthetimewewinthe$405inthepotandthenx,wherex
istheamountofmoneytheopponentwillpayusonaveragewhen
wehit,whichinthiscaseis$135.Notehowaturncallisworsethan
aflopcalleventhoughwestillhavea1/5chanceofhittingthenext
cardandimmediatepotoddsof2:1.Thisisbecauseonstraightpot
oddswecannotcallgetting2:1ona4:1shottohit;however,ifhe
givesusafreeturncardthenourchanceofhittingaflushbecomes
about2:1overall.Hewillchecktheturnsomeofthetime(when
playingyouneedtomakeamentalestimate)sopotoddswontjus
tifythecallentirely.However,impliedoddsarebetterontheflop
thantheturnbecausethenthemathis

0.8(-$45) + 0.2($135 + x) = 0

Itisalotmorelikelywithtwostreetsofactiontogothatwegetthe
valueofx,whichisonly$45here.

Example hands

Example 1
$25/50HU,Iraiseonthebuttonto$150withA10andopponent
calls.Theflopis479o.Imightcheckthisflopbecausetheopponent
ispassiveandifmyacehighisgoodhewillbepassiveenoughto
allowmetocheckitdownandwin.Ontheotherhandifmyhandis
K10Iwouldbemoreinclinedtobetbecausekinghighismuch
worsethanacehighinashowdown.SaymyhandisA7thenId
asksomequestionslikehowaggressiveismyopponent?.Some
opponentswilleitherfoldorraiseandnotcallinthatcasebetting
willonlyservetoprotectmyhand,itwontfoldoutbetterhandsor
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gainvalue.Hereitisntneededtopreventversusabluffbecausemy
handisstrongenoughtocallafuturebetsoitdeprivesmeofafu
turebluff.IfontheotherhandtheopponentispassivethenIdgo
forabetforvalueandtoprotectmyhand.

Example 2
$25/$50HU,IraisedpreflopwithA9andhecalled.Theboardwas
934o.NowIdbemoreinclinedtobettheflopbecausemyhandis
bettersoitismorepossibleforhimtocallwithaworsehand(gain
ingvalueforme).

Example 3
$25/$50HU,Iraisedpreflopwith59,hecalledandtheboardis
934o.HereIdbealotmorelikelytochecktheflopbecauseits
harderfortheopponenttocallwithaworsehandforhimtohave
hitapairmeanshehastoppairwithabetterkicker,orapairof
threesoffours,butsincethethreeandfouraresuchlowcards,its
hardforhimtocallpreflopwithathreeorfourinhishandveryof
ten.

Example 4
$25/$50HU,IraisepreflopwithK5oandhecalls.TheflopisKJ8.
Heretheboardisverycoordinated,andeventhoughmykickeris
baditsquitepossibletheopponenthitasecondbesthandandIcan
getvaluewithaflopbet.Oneconsiderationwhenyouhitahand
andwanttogainvalueishowaggressiveistheopponent?Ifhes
aggressiveIdratherchecktobetrickyandtrytocatchabluffonthe
turnand/orriver.Italsodependsonhowhappyyoudbetocalla
raiseandbuildabigpotwithyourhandifyouarehappytodo
thatthentherecouldbehugevalueinbettingandcallinghimdown
ifheisaggressiveandraises.
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Example 5
$25/$50HU,Iraiseto$150onthebuttonwith69o,opponentcalls.
Theflopis236.Ifmyopponentistightandpassive,eventhough
wehavetoppairtherearentalotofwaystogainmoneyfromthis
situationbecauseifIcheckbehindhewontbluff,hewontcallwith
asecondbesthand,andwecertainlycanttryandmakehimfolda
betterhandwithaflopbet.Sothemainconsiderationsarenotrele
vantandweresorttosecondaryconsiderationslikeprotectingyour
hand.Hereprotectingyourhanddoesntgainyoumuchvalue,but
thenagainneitherdoescheckingsoitsbestjusttobetandtakethe
potdown.

Example 6
$5/$10HU,opponentislooseandbad,effectivestacksizeis$825,I
have1010.Heopensto$30andbecauseishelooseandbadthereis
alotofvaluetobehadinreraisingwithahandasgoodastens.I
reraiseto$90andhecalls.TheflopisA78.IfIcheckandhe
betsIwillbeconfusedaboutwhattodoversusthisopponent.That
isnotenoughofareasonalonetobetout;however,inthissituation
theopponentisbadenoughthathecouldcallwithaworsehand,so
mybetservesasavaluebetandalsoprotectsmyhandfromgetting
outdrawn.Allthosereasonsontheirownaresmall,butaddedto
getheritmakesbettingthemostattractiveoptionhere.Asthehand
turnedout,Ibet$130withtheaimofachievingallthosegoalsand
hecalled.TheturnwasJwechecked.Theriverwasthe6,Icheck
andhebets,andtheveryfactthathebetsmakesmethinkImbeat,
butheonlybet$80intoamuchbiggerpotsobasedonpotoddsI
calledandhehadK8.

Example 7
$25/$50,effectivestacksof$5,000,fourhanded.Opponentopens
underthegunto$175andIcallintheBBwithAJo.Theflopis
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1010K,Icheckandhebets$300.Eventhoughnotmuchhas
happened,duetotheboardtexturewecanalreadydosomehand
reading.Wouldhebetlikethatifhehadateninhishand?Mostcer
tainly,hecouldraisewithitpreflopandthenheddefinitelybetthe
floptobuildapotandgetvalueforhisstronghand.Wouldhebeta
kinglikethat?Thisisthecruxhemayorhemaynot.Forhimto
betthekingheneedstobeabletoputmeonworsehandsthatcould
callhim,anditshardtodothatbecauseoftheboardifIhitthe
boardIhiteithertriptensofapairofkings.Somaybehehasapair
ofkingswithastrongkickerandhopesIhaveapairofkingswitha
weakerkicker.Howevereventhenhemightchecktheflop,because
heisntgoingtotryandbettheflop,turnandriver,sothereisno
rushtobet.Ifhewantstogetoneortwobetsfrommehecandothat
ontheturnorrivermoreeffectively.Soitpolarizeshishandrange
suchthatheprobablyhaseitheraverystronghand(thetriptens)or
aweakhand(notapairofkings),andstronghandsarerare.
Basedonthat,itsagoodspottoraise,andIdidsoto$1,000.Pot
oddsareonewayoflookingatthiswearerisking$1,000towin
$650sohehastofoldabout2/3ofthetimewhichIthinkhewill.
However,impliedoddscomeintoplayheretoobecausewedohave
agutshotdrawwhichwillprobablygiveusthebesthand.Also
thereisachancetheaceisanout.Alsopositionisimportanthereso
wewanttoplayaggressivelytoneutralizeourdisadvantagesoif
weregoingtomakeaplayforthepotweneedtoraiseandtryand
endthehandnow.Stacksizesarealsofavorableforthisplayifthe
opponentwasshortstacked,itmakesitmorelikelyhellbettheflop
withapairofkingsorevenaweakerhandheiswillingtogetallin
with(becausehedoesntneedtoworryaboutpotcontrol).Asitis,
whenwebet$1,000ifhewantstoreraiseushellhavetoreraisealot
more,andifhecallshellhavetofacetheprospectofabigturnbet,
sothestacksizesgiveuspowerhere.Inthehandhefolded.

Example 8
$5/$10threeway,Iraiseonthebuttonto$35withAKo,theBBcalls
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andtheflopisAJ4o,hechecksandIbet$60.Myhandisquite
strong,Imwillingtogetalotofmoneyintothepotandevengetall
themoneyinhere(wehave$1,000each).Soabigpartoftheplan
hereishowwewantthemoneytogoin.Thehandsthataremost
likelytoputmoneyintothepotherethatareworsethanusarepairs
ofaceslikeAQorA10.Thosearethesortofhandsfromhisper
spectivethatarelikelytojustcallwhenIbet.Theydontneedto
raisebecausetheyarentafraidofgettingoutdraw(therearent
drawsontheboard),worsthandswontcalltheraiseandjustcall
ingallowsmetokeepbluffing.
Thusifheraisesmeheusuallyhasabluff,twopairoraset(ora
pairofacesthatheisplayingbadly).IfIbettheflopfor$50andhe
checkraisesto$150andIcallthentheturnisathreeandhebetsout
for$350afoldshouldbeconsidered.Herehishandrangeisvery
differentwhenhedoesthisasopposedtoifhecheckcallstwiceand
thencheckstherivertome,whereIdbetasmuchasIthought
couldgetcalledbecausehishandrangeisverydifferent.

Example 9
$5/10,sixhanded,secondtoactopensto$35,hehas$455andI
cover,IamtheonlyonetocallwithA-J.TheflopcomesA48,
Icheckandhebets$50.Asfarashandreadinggoes,thereisnt
muchinformationtosaywhathehas.Hecouldbebluffing,orbet
tingwithanyaceoraflushdraw.AtthispointIneedtomakeade
cisionifImhappytogetmyhandallinversushishand,andifso
whetherraisingisthesuperiorplaybecausebycallingIallowhim
tobetthehandshewantsontheturn(thehandsthatbeatme),and
checkthehandsthatIwantmoneytogoallinagainst.Imnottoo
afraidoffreecardsherebecauseIhavetoppairandnoovercards
cancome.Hecouldhaveaflushdrawbutflushdrawsdontcome
alongalltoooften.Themainreasonforaraisehereistogainvalue
fromweakeracesthathemighthave.

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Example 10
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$1,600,heopensto$150andIcallwith
89o.Theflopcomes8810,Icheckandhebets$150.Herethe
mainconcernishowtogetinthemostmoneyandtogainvaluefor
thehand.Forhimtooutdrawmewithastraightdrawis48outs
andtohitahigherfullhouseistwoouts.Sothosearentconcerns,
itsjustfiguringouthowtogetthemostmoneyin.Basedonhisflop
betitseemedlikehehadapairoftensorsomesortofhandsoI
raisedtheretogainvaluefromit.Hewentallinaftermyraiseto
$600withA10andlost.

Example 11
$5/$10,itsfoldedtotheSBwholimpsin,andyoucheckintheBB
withQ8o.TheflopcomesAK5,andhechecks.Herethereisnot
muchvalueinbettingbecauseaworsehandwontcallandabetter
handwontfold(withtheexceptionofQ9,Q10andQJ).Sohereis
theequitycalculationofchecking.Letssayhehas10980%ofthe
timeandtheother20%ofthetimehecheckedtheflopasatrapwith
amadehandthatwillcall.Andthenthe109outdrawsusabout1/4
thetime:

1/5($15) + 4/5($20) = $13
1/4(0) + (3/4)($20) = $15

HereitshowsthatourEVisgoodineithercase,butitsslightly
higherinthecasewherewedontbotherbettingtheflop.Theequa
tionshowswedontgainmuchvaluebytakingcontrolandtaking
itdownimmediately.Weriskalotthatcostsusthefewtimeshe
trappedusanddontgainmuchequitybecausehewontoutdraw
usveryoften.However,letschangeitalittletosaythatifwecheck
thereisa20%chancehewillbluffus:
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1/4(0) + 1/4(0) + 1/2($20) = 10

Becauseofthesmallbutsignificantchanceofhimbluffingusbetting
theflopismarginallybetterthancheckingbehind.Notehowallthe
decisionsareclose,butifyoukeepaddinginfactorsandmakingthe
decisionmoreandmorepreciseabetterdecisionisarrivedat.This
equationwillchangefromplayertoplayersomepeopletrapon
theflopalotwhichmakescheckingbehindmorecorrect,andsome
bluffalotwhichmakesbettingmorecorrecttostopthemfromdo
ingit(althoughiftheydoveryoftenthenmaybethebestwayto
capitalizeistobluffraisetheturn).

Example 12
$25/50sixhanded,IopenUTGwithK10oto$175andamcalledby
theBB.Asfarashandreadinggoes,theBBneedsaweakerhand
thanotherpositionstocallbecausehealreadyhas$50committedto
thepotsohehastocallasmallerbet,andalsonooneelseistoactso
noonecanreraisehimoutofthepot.AlsoIraisedUTGsoheviews
meashavingastronghand.Theflopis66Qandhechecks.
Hereisagoodspottobetbecauseofthefactorsjustmentionedand
themaingoalistobluffhimoffabetterhand.Hefolded.

Example 13
$25/50HU,opponentlimpsonthebuttonandIcheckwithJ8o.The
flopisQQ9,Icheckandhebets$100.Therehadbeenoneother
handwherehelimpedpreflopandbettheflopinashortspanof
playingsobasedonthatitmakeshishandrangeherewiderand
weakerthannormal.Alsoevenifhedoeshaveamadehandlikea
pairofnineswhichisalotmorelikelythantripqueens,Iwillhave
outs.SohereIcheckraisebluffedandhefolded.
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Example 14
$5/$10HU,Iraiseto$30with109oandtheopponentcalls.Theflop
isJ57,hechecksandIcheck.Theopponenthasbeenplaying
slightlytight(thoughnotparticularlypreflop)andaggressive.The
factthatheplaystightandaggressive,andthefactthattheboardis
coordinated,makeacheckraisetoolikelyhereforustotryabluff.
Wealsohaveoutsintheshapeofagutshotdrawtothenutsand
alsosomepairoutsthatmightbegood,butwemightnotgetthe
opportunitytohitvs.anaggressiveopponentifwebettheflop(and
getraised).Theturncamea3andhebet$30andIfolded.

Example 15
$50/$100,opponentlimpsonthebuttonandIcheckwith85o.The
flopcomesAQ7o,Icheckandhebets$50.Intermsofhandread
ingIthinkpreflopifhehadahandwithanaceinithewouldraise,
soIdontthinkhehasapairofaces.Withapairofqueensorsevens
hemightbetbuthemightchecktotryandtrapmeforasmallbet
lateron.Alsoifhedoeshavethosehandshemightfoldtomy
checkraise,butmostlikelyhehasnothing.SoIcheckraisedhereto
$250asabluffandhefolded.

Example 16
$5/$10fivehanded,IbuttonraisewithJ9o,SBcallsandtheflop
comesA104,thenhechecks.Peopleliketocallwithpocketpairs
prefloptohitasetandthentrytogetmoneyin.Withlowconnec
torspeoplewilljustcallbecausetheyareweakhands(especiallyout
ofposition).Withhighcardslikestrongacestheywillsemibluff
raiseandiftheygetcalledtryandpairup.Sohereinthissituation
thereisntmuchinformationtogoonbutanaceisatthebottomof
hishandrangeandwecandefinitelyhaveanaceonthebutton,plus
ourjackhighhasnoshowdownvaluesothisisagoodspottocon
tinuationbet.
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Example 17
$10/$25HU,opponenthas$500andIcover.IhaveJ-4andraiseto
$75onthebutton,opponentcalls.Flopis273,hechecksandI
check.PleasenotethatingeneralthemoreIraisepreflop(andI
raisealot,almostautomaticallyascanbeseenbymyraiseherewith
J4o)themoreIllhavetochecktheflopandshowdiscretion.Thisis
becauseifIraisepreflopandthenbettheflopeverytimeIobviously
canthavehittheflopeverytimeandhecantakeadvantageofiteas
ilybybluffingme.
Theturnisthe4,hechecksanditstome.Hereisaperfectexample
ofatimenottotryandprotectmyhandwithabet.IfhecallsmeI
havenooutsandifheraisesmeIcannotcall.IfhebeatsmeImbeat,
andifheraisesmeitcouldverywellbeasemibluffbutIcantdo
anythingaboutitbecauseeitherhehasalotofoutsorImdead.
Thesereasonsareprettysimpleandoverwhelmingbutmostpeople
letthethoughtoflookatallthosecardsthatcanhurtme,Iwantto
justtakethepotdownnowmakethembet.Theproblemistheun
derlyingmathwhichmakesitaclearfold.Basically,Istandtolosea
lotmorethanIwinbyattemptingtoprotectmyhand.Themathis
Ieitherwinamediumtosmallpercentofthepotbyforcinghimto
foldahandthathasamediumtosmallnumberofoutsorIlosethe
valueofthewholepotwithmypotsizedbetwhenhesimplycalls
mewithbetterhands,andIlosethesamewhenheraisesmewith
betterhandsorasabluff.Alsosincewehaveamadehandbut
checkedtwiceitsalittletrickyandmaybewecangainalittlevalue
ontheriver.Inthehandtheriverwasthe2andheledout$25.
Thatlookslikeawackybetwithsomethingweirdlikeacehigh,soI
minraisedhimto$50andhecalledwithQ10.

Example 18
$25/$50HU,stacksof$5,000,opponentlimpsonthebuttonandI
raiseto$160intheBBwithJJ;hecalls.TheflopisA93.Betting
toprotectmyhandisabadideahere.Saytheopponenthas910,
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orsayhehasK2,orsomethingevenasweakasQ-2;ifIbethe
iscertainlynotfolding.Andhisequityisroughlyequaltomineon
theflopsoImnotgaininganything.InsteadImbuildingapotout
ofpositioninaveryprecariousspot.Hecouldalsoeasilytakea
handlikethatandjustbluffmeoutofthepot,whichisobviously
bad.Bettingtomakeaworsehandcalldoesntmakesensebecause
hishandrangeisverynarrowforhandslikethathedneedto
have9xwithnodiamondandeventhenhemightjustfoldthehand.
Afterbettinghewillneverfoldoutabetterhand,andagaincon
siderspecificallywhathands.Themostlikelyhandthatisbetter
thanoursisapairofacesandhewouldntfoldthat.Wecheckand
theturnistheA.Nowifhehasadiamondinhishandhisequity
hasgonedownsignificantly,andthesecondaceontheboardalso
makesitlesslikelythathehasone(andalsolesslikelythatwehave
onesohewillbetemptedtocallusdownwithaweakerhand).Also
hecheckedtheflopsuggestingthathedoesnthaveastronghandso
nowwecanbetforvalueandtoprotectourhand.

88
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Chapter Seven
The Turn and River
Sophisticated play
Theabovepokerisbasicpoker,andappliedalongwithstrong
mentaldisciplinewillyieldverysolidresults.ButtoplayHUand
takepokertothenextlevelsomenewideasneedtobeadded.They
stillrevolvearoundplayingwellthoughtoutpoker,havingaplan,
controllingthepotsizeandgettingthemoneyinwell.Itsjustthat
withinthatframeworksomenuancesneedtobeadded.
Thebestplayersplaywithprecision.Iftheymakeacallitsbecause
theythinktheyarebest,notbecausetheythinktheyhavetogiven
theirhandstrength(theyfollowtheirinstincts).Someofthetimes
youmighthaveaprettygoodhandandcallaflopbet,butforsome
reasonyouareprettysureyouropponentisgoingtobettheturn
again,andyourhandisntgoodenoughtocallthatbet.Thisis
knownasaweakflopcall.Itcanalsohappenontheturn.Makea
decisionaboutthehand(thisismoreapplicabletotheturncallthen
theflop),makeareadaboutwhetheryouregoodornotandacton
it.Theworstthingtodoisgetconfused,saydamnitandcall,then
hebetsonthenextstreetlikeyouthoughthewouldandyousay
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damnit!(youarequiteabitangriernow)andquicklymuck.This
isterribleplayandyouwilllosealotofmoneyonit.
Conventionalwisdomsays,Everytimeyoucalltheturnwitha
madehand,andthedrawmissesontheriver,youshouldbecalling
theopponentspotsizedbet.Thisisnottrue.Playpreciselyif
younowthinkyouarebeatyoucanfold.Sometimesagainstagood
playeryoucallaturnbet,thedrawmissesandtheybettheriver,so
youdonthaveanynewinformationandareunsureofhowtopro
ceed.Thisisbecausetheyareplayinggoodpokerandyoucant
handreadthem.Inthiscaseyoushouldmakeadecisionontheturn
becauseyoudontgainanythingbywaitinguntiltheriver.Against
abadplayer,oraplayerwhoyoucanreadwell,youmightmake
callsontheturnandthenaftergainingmoreinformationfoldwhen
theybetontheriver.Thesearebadplayersandyoucanoutplay
them.Ontheturnyouthinkyouareahead,buthisriveractionwill
tellyouotherwisesoyoucalltheturnandreservejudgmentuntil
yougainmoreinformation.
Whateverthepotsize,itsveryimportanttoplayprecisepoker
dontgiveanythingawayanddontplayweak.Ifyouregoingto
play,fightforthepot,mixitupandraisehimlateron,callhim
down,orreevaluateyourdecisionandfold.But,donotmake
sloppycallsandslowlyhemorrhagemoneyawaytoanaggressive
playerthisisoneoftheworstpokersins.

Considering future cards

Whencomingupwithaplan,themorefuturethingsthatcould
happenthatyouconsiderthebettertheplan.Abeginnerwillstart
outwiththemostbasicplan,onlyforeseeingwhatwillhappenin
thecaseofafewcardscoming.Forinstanceifhehasaflushdrawhe
willconsidertwodifferentcaseswhentheflushcardcomesand
whenitdoesnt.However,theadvancedplayerwillseemanydif
ferentcases.Takeforinstancethissituation.Theboardis1093,
andtheexperthas87o.Hedoesntjustseeeightcardsthatcome
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thathitastraightandeightthatdont.Heseesthreecardsthatgive
himthenutstraightwithouthittingaflush,acardthatgiveshimthe
nonnutstraightandhitstheflushandfourcardsthatgivehimthe
nutstraightoneofwhichhitsaflush.Healsoseesalltheflush
cardsthatcancome,andalsononflushovercards.Soforinstance
saytheopponentbets,andtheexpertdoesnthavetheoddstocall
onstraightforwardconsiderationslikejusthowoftenthestraight
comes.Maybeheputstheopponentonapairoftens,andthen
maybehecanwinabigpotifthestraighthits,orbluffiftheright
cardscomes(likeaflushcardorscaryovercards).
Anotherwaytoconsiderfuturecardsthatcancomeisnotjustif
theycanbeusedtobluffbyyou,butifyouropponentcanusethem
tobluffyououtofthepot.Thisismoreofaconsiderationthemore
aggressiveandskilledyouropponentis.Anotherconsiderationis
thatwhenyouareontheflopandhaveabighandmostofthetime
youarentconcernedwithcardscomingthatallowyouropponent
tooutdrawyousomuchascardscomingthatarescaryforyourop
ponentandruintheaction.
Forexample,playing$10/$25HUifwebothhave$2,500andmy
opponentisplayingstandard.Iraiseto$75withA-7,hecalls,the
flopis1086,hechecksandIbet$125andhecalls.Iftheturnis
theKthisisagreatcardtocontinuethesemibluffon.Hejust
calledtheflopanddidntraisesohishandisprobablyweak.The
turnisscaryforhimandIcouldhavehadagoodhandalready,orI
couldhavehitthekingoraflushandmaybeevenmoreimportantly
heknowshewillfaceahardriverdecision.Ifhecalls,Imostlikely
havealotofoutsandeveniftheyarentoutstheywillbescary
cardsforhimthatIcanbluffon.Thatisthepowerofsemibluffing
evenifheknowsImightbesemibluffingthereisntmuchhecando
aboutit.Anotherreasonthisisagoodtimetocontinuewiththe
bluffisthatthereisnovaluehereincheckingbehindontheturn,
tryingtohitthedrawandgettingmoremoneyinontheriver.My
drawsmightmakemethebesthandbutarentstrongenoughtoex
tractalotofvalueontheriversoitsnotasmuchofaproblemifhe
checkraisesmeoffthehand.
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Nowletsconsideranotherhandinevenmoredetail.Supposewe
areplaying$25/$50HU,wehave$5,000stacks,Iraiseonbuttonto
$150with78oandhecalls.Theflopis56Q,hechecks,Ibet
$225andheraisesto$600andIcall.Theturnisthe10andhebets
outpotof$1,500.Imgoingtohitastraight8/46times,sobasedon
potoddsIcannotcall.Andsincetwoofthosestraightcardsalso
bringtheflushheprobablywontpaymeoffonthosebecausehell
beafraid,soIhaveimpliedoddsforsixofthecardstocome.Sothe
mathisasfollows:

38/46($1,500) + 2/46($3,000) + 6/46($6,000) = $326

Thepreviousequationissaying38/46timesanonstraightcard
comessowelosethe$1,500wecallwithontheturn,2/46timesa
straightcardwillcomethatisalsoaflushcardsotheopponentwill
bescaredandnotpayusoffforariverbetsowejustwinthe$3,000
inthepotontheturn,andfinally6/46timesanonscarystraight
cardwillcomeandwecangetpaidoffforapotsizedbetonriverso
wewinatotalof$6,000,andthiscomesouttoanexpectedvalueof
$326.Thisishelpfulanalysistodo,butdoesnttellthewholestory.
Considernotjustthetimesstraightcardsandnonstraightcards
comebutseparatethecardsintomorecategoriesstraightcards,
flushcards,andnoneoftheabove.Letssayonaflushcardtheop
ponentwillbescaredandwecanusetheflushcardstostealthepot
withabluff.Thenthemathisasfollows:

9/46($3,000) + 6/46($6,000) + 31/46(-$1,500) = $359

Thismeansthe9/46timesaflushcardwillcomeandtheopponent
willfoldwhenyoublufftheriversoyouwinthe$3,000inthepot
ontheturn.6/46timesanonflushstraightcardwillcomeandthe
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opponentwillpayyouoff,and31/46timestheopponentshandwill
remaingoodandwellbeunabletobluffhimoutsowelose$1,500.
Suddenlywiththismoreaccurateplanacallcanbecomegood.But
eventhisisstillabigsimplification,asconsiderthatsomeofthe
timetheopponentwillmakeabigcalldownwhentheflushcomes,
orthathemightevenhavetheflushdrawhimself.Oreventhe
timesthathedoesntpayusoffwhenanonflushstraightcard
comes,orthetimesheisbluffingandifwepairupthe8or7inour
handthenwewin.Sothesituationmightbeclosertothis:

9/46(0.8*$3,000 + 0.2*-$4,500) + 6/46(0.8*$6,000 + 0.2*$3,000)

+ 6/46(0.9*-$1,500 + 0.1*$3,000) + 25/46(-$1,500) = $46

Thismathisanevenmoreaccuratemodelofwhatisreallygoingon
inthissituation.Itissayingthat9/46timesaflushcardwillcome,
andthenwhenthathappens,80%ofthetimewecansuccessfully
blufftheopponentandwinthe$3,000potand20%ofthetimehe
willcallusdownandthenwelose$4,500(the$1,500fortheturncall
and$3,000forriverbluff);6/46timeswellhitanonflushstraight,
and80%ofthetimehellpayusofffortheriverbetandwewin
$6,000but20%ofthetimehellfindafoldandweonlywin$3,000;
6/46timeswepairuptheeightsorsevensinanonflush,ofwhich
90%ofthetimethishasnorelevanceandhellcontinuebettingand
welllose,orhellcheckandhavethebesthandinashowdown,but
maybeasmallpercentageofthetimesay10%hellcheckwitha
bluffandwecanwinthepot;andfinallywhentheother25/46other
cardscancomeandwelllosethe$1,500.
Thisallcomesouttoaprofitof$46.Itsinterestingtoseehowwhen
wearecallingwith$1,500ontheturnandplanningon$3,000bets
ontheriver,theedgeinthehandcameouttobesosmall.Bylook
ingatthemathitbecomesclearwhatisimportant.Forinstance,it
needstobeveryclearthattheopponentwillfoldwhentheflush
cardcomesandwecansuccessfullybluffthatcardifnottheplay
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losesalotofvalue.Notethatthebetteraplayeris,themoreintothe
futuretheycanseeandplanfor,andareallygoodplayersplan
wouldincludecontingenciesforevenmorethanwhatistalked
aboutabove.Forinstanceontheturn,agoodplayerwouldknow
thereareothercardsthatalsobringupinterestingsituationslike
nonflushaces,jacksorkings,whichmightbegoodcardstobluffon.
Ormaybewithintheflushcardsthatcouldcometherewillbesome
thatcanbebluffedandsomethatcannotbebluffed.

Ev+ vs. Ev+++

Youshouldalwaystrytofindthebestlineineverysituationwith
outsettlingtooeasilyonamerelymediocreorstandardline.There
areafewtraitstobattleherefear,greedandlaziness.Fearcomes
intoplaybecausethelinethatmakesthemostamountofmoneyfor
youmightbeatrickylinethatrequirestoughdecisionsonlater
streets.Oritcouldbefearthatyouwilllooksillyandfoolishfor
playingahandinadifferentway.Greedcomesintoplaybecause
youcouldquicklyseealinethatwillmakemoneyandwanttojump
onitrightaway.Thisgreedwillonlypreventyoufromrationally
thinkingaboutthehandinprogressandactuallymakingevenmore
money.Andfinallythereissimplementallazinessnotthinking
aboutthebestlineandjustplayingstandardpokerandthatcostsa
lotofmoneytoo.
Ifyoumakeaniceplayandwinapotdontbetoohappywithyour
selfanalyzethehandandseeifyoucouldhaveplayeditevenbet
ter.Forexample,maybeina$25/50livegameaquietkidwhoisnot
uptomuchopensinEPwith$125andIlookdownandseeanytwo
cardsandraiseto$450.Betsizestellalot,andinthissituationittells
methatthekidwantstoseeaflopcheaplywithamediocreholding.
Withhis$125bethestryingtoblockpeopleup.SoIhave5-8and
raiseto$450expectingtotakeitdown.IfhecallsIwillusemyposi
tionandsuperiorplayingskillstobeathim.Ireraisedpreflopso
therearealotofhighcardslikeaces,kingsorqueensIcanuseto
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bluffhimout.TheonlydifficultyisifhehasthehandIamrepre
senting,butnonethelessIwillusemypositiontofeelhimout,figure
whathehasandbluffhimifIcanonthescarecards.IfIhitmyhand
isquitedisguised.Asalwaysthishasthebenefitofguaranteeingac
tionwhenIdogetabighand.
SoanywayhemakesanunexpectedcallandtheflopisKQ8.
Hechecks.Itsunclearatthispointwherehesat.IfIbetandhe
raisesweregoingallinandprobablyrunningsomesortof50/50
situation,orhecouldfoldstraightaway.SoifIbetthetwowaysthe
handcouldgoarethatwegambleinabigpotwhereIdonthavea
bigedgeorhefoldsontheflopbecauseheisweakandItakedown
thesmallpot.Note,ifheisweakandfoldstomyflopbet,myhand
isprobablygoodasitis,sothereisnoneedtoevenbetontheflop
andgethimoutofthepot.
Theotheroptionistoplaydeceptivelyandcheckbehindontheflop
andtryandwaituntilIhitabighandandgetallthemoneyinat
thatpoint.SosinceIhavepositiononhim,Icheckandtheturnis
the9.Hebetsout$700,andifIraisehesgoingtohaveahardtime
puttingmeonarealhand.Acesbettheflop,andkingsandqueens
thataresetsbetthefloptoobecausetherearesomanycardstocome
offandslowtheaction.Plusifmyopponenthasadrawhemight
putinaraiseanditsbesttogetthemoneyinontheflop.AlsoifI
bettheflopandheflatcalled,andtheturncomesaflushcardandI
betbigagain,itsaloteasiertoputmeonaflushsincemostpeople
willsemiblufftheflushdrawontheflop.
SohereIaminareraisedpotlookingatawonderfullydisguised
handandraiseto$2,400.Itseemslikesomeofmymostlikelyhands
areanyhandwithoneclubinitthatissemibluffing(e.g.A-Joor
10J)ormaybetoppair.SometimesIllgettrickywithKJoforin
stanceonthatflopbecausemyhandisntthatstrong,soweaker
handsarentgoingtocallmuchunlessIadddeceptionbychecking.
SomaybeIhavethatKJoandamraisingtheturntofreezehimup,
valuebetvs.anyweakerhandshehaswithadrawandtakeafree
showdownthatswhatmymediumsizedraisewasintendedto
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representanyway.OntheotherhandIwantedtomakemyraisebig
enoughtocommithimforabigriverbet.Hecalls,therivercomesa
rag,andhechecks.SoIbet$4,500,justpickingthebiggestnumberI
thinkIcangetcalled.Hemullsoveritalongtimeandeventually
callsandloseswithhissetofeights.
Nowletslookatanotherhand.Thegameis$10/$25threehanded;I
raisewithAQoonthebuttonto$85andtheBBcalls.Wehave
$2,500each.TheflopisA53andhecheckcallsa$165bet.Theturn
comesa5,andhecheckssoIcheckbehind.Thisisaboutpotcon
trolIthinkIamaheadhereandIthinkthatthereisagoodchance
Icangetmorevalueoutofhim,butonlyonebetnottwo.Myhand
isntstrongenough(i.e.hecanthaveastrongenoughbutworse
hand)tocallaturnbetandariverbet.Thestrengthofourhands
makesitsoitspossibletogetmaybeonebetoutofhim,andits
morelikelyIwillgetthatbetontherivernottheturn.Bettingonthe
rivernottheturnismoresuspicioustohimandalsohegetstosee
mycardsimmediatelyontheturnhehastoworryaboutafuture
riverbet.Alsoitsaverydryboardsogettingoutdrawnisnta
worrysoallthosefactorsmakeitaperfectsituationtocheckthe
turnandtryandgetvalueontheriver.
TherivercomesaK,andheleadsoutfor$200.WhatIdidhereand
whatIexpectmostpokerplayerswhoarevastlyinferiortome
woulddohereisbealittleupset,maybealittlehopefulthattheyre
stillgoingtowinandjustquicklycall.However,thatsmissingabig
opportunity.Letsdosomehandreadingtoseewhyfirst,thepre
flopactionactuallytellsusquiteabit.Heputmoneyintothepotso
hethinkshishandisgood.Thehigherthecardsareinahand,the
betterthehandis,andthemorelikelyitistheplayerwillplayapot
withthem.Whichmeansthatthemostlikelycardforhimtohavein
hishandisanace,thesecondmostlikelyaking,andsoon.
Hisbetsizeontheriveralsoshowshedoesnthaveafiveinhis
handbecauseifhedidhewouldwantmorevalue,whichmeans
bettingbiggerorgoingforacheckraise.Afinalreasonheprobably
doesnthaveafiveinhishandisbecausenowthereisnotjustone
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fiveontheboardbuttwofives,whichmeanstherearenowonly
twofivesinthedeckforhimtohaveandnotthree.Heclearlyis
telegraphingapairofaces,andhereanacesuphandisntaworry
hecantAKashewouldreraisepreflop.Soweareverysurehere
ourhandiseitherbestormorelikelytied.
Thewinningplayhereistoraisebigandmakeitscaryforhimand
trytomakehimfoldtoscoop100%ofthepot,not50%ofthepot
withalmostnorisktous.InthehandIcalledandgotshownA10.
Maybehedcallmybigscaryraisebecausehessmartandreasoned
itout,butmaybehewouldnt.Andevenifhedoesitsgoodforus
andourimage,makinguslookscaryandunpredictableandletting
himknowwedontneedtohavethenutstoraisebig.
Onenoteonthemetagamethere.FormeitsgoodthathethinksI
dontneedthenutstoraisebigbecausemypersonalstrategyin
poker(althoughthiscanchangedependingontheopponent)isto
normallyhaveabighandwhenIraisebig,soIwanthimtothink
theoppositeofme.However,thereisnothinginherentlygoodabout
thatforsomepeoplemaybetheywouldwanttocultivatetheop
positeimageofbeingtightandonlyraisingbigwhentheyhavea
goodhandandthenplaytheoppositeandtakeadvantageofthatby
bluffing.
Itdependsonwhatstyleyouliketoplay,anditalsodependsonthe
naturalstyleoftheopponent.Forinstanceiftheopponentisnatu
rallyaloosecrazyplayerthenhealreadymakestheerrorofplaying
toomanybigpots.Itwouldbealotofworktomakethisplayerre
versehistendenciescompletelyandtryandmakemoneyfromhim
bydevelopingatightimageandbluffinghim.Itmakesalotmore
sensetotakeadvantageofhisnaturalweaknessanddevelopawild
bluffingimage,andtheninrealityplaytightandsolidandmake
moneywhenhecallsandyouhaveagoodhand.Inpokeritsim
portantnotjusttofindaplaythatmakesusmoney.Thekeyisal
waystocompareallthedifferentoptionsandfindwhichhasthe
highestEV.SoevenifoneplayhasanEVof$200,dontimmediately
makethatplayconsiderifanotheroptionyieldsahigher$EV.
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Brunsonalsosaidthattheflopiswherehemakesallhisdecisions
onthehandbutthisisalsonotanoptimalstrategy.Thebasicideais
thathewasaggressiveandthatwashissystem.Thismightwork
sometimesforinstanceifplaying$50/$100anopponentraisesto
$350,Icallwith8-9anditsHU.TheflopisA84,andheleads
out$750.NowIcouldgoallinfor$9,000moreandmaybetakeit
downandwinthe$1,500inthepotorraceitvs.AK.OrIcouldcall
andtrytooutplayhimonthefollowingstreets.Againstagood
playeryoucantoutplaythemsobemoreaggressive,butwhen
playingabadplayerwhereyoucanplayasmanystreetsasyoucan,
getasmuchinformationasyoucan,andgiveyourselfasmany
chancesasyoucantooutplaythem.
SoIcalled,theturncamethe2andhequicklyledoutfor$2,500,
whichindicatesastronghandforhim.Sowithoutthinkingmuch
aboutitIfiguredheprobablyhasastrongacelikeAK.Thisisa
closedecisionbutImgetting2:1potoddswithprobably13outs
from44cardsandthenIalsohaveimpliedodds.Heisaplayerwho
callsalotsoIthinkhedprobablycallanallinwithAK.Remember,
justbecauseyouhaveastrongdrawdoesntmeanyouneedto
raiseastrongdrawisstillalotweakerthanAK.Itsstrengthlies
inthefactthatitisneverdominated,whereasAKcaneasilybe
dominated.However,iftheopponentcallsalotdrawsarentworth
much,sowaittohitthemandwaitforstrongmadehands.
SoIcalled,therivercamethe10andhethoughtforasecondand
ledoutallin,Icalled,andhehad44.Inretrospectthisplayerisso
badthathisinstantpotbetontheturnmightnotevenhavebeen
AKtheresadecentchanceitsAA,88,44,A8,orA4.Outof
positionevenagainstabadopponentitmighthavebeencorrectto
foldhere.SinceIhavepositionthough,thingsbecomemuchharder
forhim,especiallysinceIvebeenfloatingwithalotofhandsto
stealitlater.Asitis,thewayIplayeditturnedouttobeprettygood.
EventhoughhehadasetontheturnIhad9/44outs,or4:1,Imget
ting2:1immediatepotoddsandhehasanother$5,500behindsoIm
gettingabout4:1withimpliedoddswhichisevenmoney.Thenif
eitheroftheeightscomeIcantfoldandlosemystack.Ifa9comes
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andhechecksIobviouslygoallin,andifhebetsallinitsatough
foldthatImaynotmakeinthegamebutifIhadachancetothinkit
throughIprobablywouldsincehesabadplayerandImightbe
abletoreadwhathehassincewhenhebetsstronghenormallyhas
somethingbig.

Bet Sizing
Betsizesgiveoffinformation,andyoucanusetheinformation
givenoffbythesizeofsomeonesbettohelpreadtheirhand.Say
someoneminraisesprefloptoopenupthebetting.Whatdoestheir
betsizemean?Itmeanstheyhaveahandthattheywanttoseea
flopwithbutitsnotgoodenoughtoraisealargeamountorplaya
bigpotpreflopwith.Theydontlimpbecausetheydontwantto
havetocallaraisebehindthem.Basicallywhatitmeansistheyare
tryingtoseetheflopascheaplyaspossible.Thiscanbeagoodspot
toautoraisewithanytwocards(thiscantbedoneeverytime
thoughoryouropponentwillknowsomethingisupandplayback
atyou).Ittakestimeandexperienceanditsacontinualprocessof
refininghowtochangegearsandhowoftentheseplayscanbedone.
ForexampleconsiderahandofHU$2/4wheretheopponentraises
onthebuttonandIcallwith67s.TheflopisKQ6,Icheckandhe
checks.TheturnisaQo,Icheckandhebets$12.Ifhehadakinghe
wouldhavebetthefloporprobablycheckedtheturnagaintotrap.
Orhewouldbetmoreontheturnbecausehiskingshouldgethim
morevaluethanhalfthepotandmorevaluewillprobablybeob
tainedbybettingfullpotorbycheckingbehindtobetricky.Ifitsa
queenhewouldwanttobuildabigpotsohedbetmoremoney.
Asitis,itlookslikehehasamediocretoweakhandorisbluffing.
Thequestioniswhethertocallorraise?Agoodthinkingopponent
whohassay99couldcallacheckraisebecausetheyknowtheyin
duceditbyactingweakanditisdifficulttoputmeonahand.And
wouldakingcheck/raisetheturnlikethat?Akingwouldprobably
leadtheturnorcheckcall,sincecheckraisingisastronglineforit.
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OfcourseIddefinitelyplayaqueenlikethatbuttripsarehardto
comebyanditseithertripsorasemibluffofsomesort.However
thisopponentwasweakandifIcallthenIfacethedisadvantagesof
lettinghimhaveachancetooutdrawme,orhecouldbevaluebet
tingwith77JJ.Acoupleofreasonstocallhereareiftheoppo
nentistoughandwillcalldownlightoriftheopponentwillbluff
againifIcall,butnoneofthoseappliedheresoIraisedthepotand
hequicklyfolded

Instincts
Itisoldadvicebutgoodadvicethatbearsrepeatingtrustyourin
stincts.Donotentirelyplayonyourinstinctsthough,trustthembut
alsologicallyandconsciouslythinkthroughhands.Alotofthetime
inahandyouwillnothavethetimeorthewherewithaltologically
andconsciouslythinkthroughit.Instinctsareyoursubconscious
tellingyouwhattodoinagivensituationgivenallyouvealready
learnedinpoker.Trynottogetflusteredinahandcalmdown,
thinkthroughthehandasbestyoucantoconsciouslyreason
throughthebestplay,balancethatwithwhatyourinstinctstellyou
todo,andthenact.Afterthepokersessionisoverrunthroughthe
handsinyourheadandfullyfigureouthowyoushouldhave
playedthem.
Forexample,playing$25/$50liveattheBellagio,UTGwhoisabad
playerstraddlesto$100,IraiseinEPto$300with88,andthenext
playertoactisLeeMarcaultwhocallsandsodoesUTG(whowill
almostalwayscallthere).Thisisagoodspottobettheflopevery
timewithnothing(andifyourhandisbigenough,dothecon
versecheckandtrap).Thereasonisthestraddleinflatesthepotso
itisbigandmyflopbetwillbebig.AdditionallyIminEPsoIget
morecreditforabighand.AndfinallyImbettingintoathreeway
potwhichisstrongerthanacontinuationbetintoaheadsuppot.
Oratleastthatswhatitlookslikeatfirstglance.However,inactu
alityIknowUTGcalledpreflopsohesweakandfoldingtheflop
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almostallthetime.Soaddthesefactorstogetherandaflopbettakes
itdownmostofthetime.Sincethatistrue,ifthissituationaroseand
Ihadastronghandontheflop,thoughthespecificsoftheflopand
myhandwouldbethedecidingfactor,Idstronglyconsidercheck
ingandtrapping.
Thentheflopwasdealt,774.Withahandlike88itsnotstrong
enoughtoinducebluffshereforafewreasons.Leeisagoodplayer
soIdontwanttobeplayingwithfireandgettingintomarginalpots
outofpositionvs.him.IfIcheckandhebetstheresagoodchance
hejusthasmebeatwithahigherpocketpair,andifhedoesnthave
mebeatnowheandUTGcanhavealotofovercardstooutdrawme.
SoIbetout$700intothe$975pot.LeecallsandUTGfolds.Theturn
comesa7.NowLeesagoodplayer,soImgoingtotreadcautiously
andgivehimrespectbecausehehaspositionandhascalledtwo
betsofminealready.Heisnotloose,passiveorweak,soifIbetthe
turnheisnotgoingtocallmeandthenletmewinthepotwitha
marginalhandlike88hewillbluffraiseme,raisemewithabet
terhand,orjustfoldsoabetdoesntgainmuchformehere(unless
Impreparedtobetandcallaraise).SoIcheckandhechecks.The
riverisanacenotagoodcardforme,obviously.Icheckandhe
bets$1,500.MyinstinctstellmeifIcallImgoingtobeshippingmy
cardsintothemuck.Itrytoreasonitthroughthoughandcomeup
withrationalizationstocalllikemaybeheismakingthebetwitha
lowerpocketpairlike2266andtryingtousetheaceasascare
cardtobluffmeoffmyhigherpocketpair.Alsothereareonlyafew
acehighflushdrawshecouldhave.
SoIcallandgetshownA-10.Afterreasoningitoutmorefully
(again,itshardtodothisduringahand)itisaclearfold.Firstofall,
takingamadeweakhandlike2266andusingtheaceonthe
rivertobluffisafairlyadvancedplay.Mostpeoplewilljusttake
thatfreeshowdown.ItmeansLeeneedstohaveareallygoodread
onme,namelythatIhaveexactly88KK.Alsothisbringsupan
otherpointmyplayistotallyconsistentwithA10AK.With
A10AKIcouldhavebettheflopasasemiblufftonotletmyself
getbluffedout,givenupontheturn,andthenontheriverifIhitan
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aceIdbeprettysurehesnotcallingandmyonlychanceistoin
duceabluff.Sobasicallyhesgoingtohaveahardertimerepresent
ingthatpairofacesiftheresadecentchanceIinfacthavetheaces
myself.Furthermorewith2266Leeisactuallyprobablygoingto
befoldingontheflopbecauseofallthereasonsIlistedaboveabout
howstrongIlook.ItistrueLeecouldhaveaflushdrawwithoutan
acesomyplayisnottotallywithoutvaluebutinthiscaseIshould
havetrustedmyinstinctsandnotletfaultyrationalizationsand
quickthinkingletmegettrappedfora$1,500bet.
Partofmystyleofplayistochecktheflopmorethanmostpeople.
Thisslowstheactiondownandextendsitsomorestreetsareplayed,
morecardsareshown,andIgettoseemoreofmyopponentsaction.
Acommonresponsetothisadviceisbutthencanthejustbetinto
youontheturnwithanything?.Ofcoursehecan,andifhedoes
thatIcanadjustbycallingtheturnweakerthannormal,orbybluff
raisingit.ThatisthewholepointIfeelconfidentinmyplaysoI
dontneedtoplayitsafeandstandardontheflopandalwaysbetto
makethehandeasytoplay.Illmakethehandhardertoplaylater
onbecauseImconfidentinmyabilities.Andbecausetherewillbe
harderdecisionstomakelateroninthehandthantherewouldbeif
Isimplybettheflopeverytimewhichwillgivememoreopportuni
tiestooutplaymyopponent,whichiswhatIwantsinceIfancymy
selfabetterplayerthanhim.IfhedoesstartoutplayingmeafterI
checktoomuchthenIwillhavetoadjustandreverttoplayinga
morestandardaggressivestyleofbettingtheflopmore.
Whenplayingheadsuptheadjustmentsandstrategyyouuse
againstyouropponentarecruciallyimportant.Consciouslythink
abouthowyouaregoingtomakemoneyagainstyouropponent.Is
itbybeingaggressiveandpushinghimaround?Ishegoingtoforce
youtogambleinmarginalspotsorcanyouwaitforbighands?Here
isanexampleofatimewhereIshouldhavethoughtmorecarefully
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aboutthecorrectstrategyagainstacertainplayer.Myopponentat
$10/$25wasplayingverypoorlyandlikehewasonconstanttilt.He
had$1,300infrontofhimandIcovered.Ilimpedwith107onthe
buttonandheraisedto$75,andIcalled.Ididntraisesincehewas
callingeveryraisepreflopandIdontwanttoputmuchmoneyin
with107preflop,butIwantedtoplaythehandinpositionsoI
calledhisraise.Theflopis722andheleadswithapotsizedbet.
ThereisaverygoodchanceIamaheadagainstthisopponentbut
thestacksizesareawkwardbecauseifIraiseandhemovesallinI
willhavetocallbutIwontbeveryhappyaboutmyhand.AlsoifI
raiseandhehasnothinghecanfoldeasily.Ishouldhavejustcalled
giventhestacksizesandthewaymyopponenthadbeenplaying.
Sincehewasplayingsobad,itwouldbealmostinevitablethathe
wouldgobroke.Ididntneedtoriskmymoneyhere,andshould
havewaitedforabetterspot.
Hereisanotherhandwhereat$25/$50myopponentplaysokay
normallybutisontiltnowafterlosingalotofmoney.HUheraises
onthebuttonandIcallwithA8;theflopis865.Ileadoutthepot
of$300andheraisesto$1,200(hehasastackof$3,500).Iwaspretty
sureIwasaheadbutthisisthesortofboardwhereIameitherway
aheadorwaybehind.Againthemainpointisthatagainstthisop
ponentIdontneedtogambleIcanjustwaitforahandandthere
isnoneedtogivehimlooseaction.Thiswillfrustratehimandhell
playworseandworsetryingtowinhismoneybackfast.Orevenif
hetightensupforabithellcrackeventually(unfortunatelyinthis
handitwasmethatcrackedandIwentallin).Thesamereasons
applyagainifIlosethisbigpotIcouldtilt,hecanplaybetterorhe
canleavethegame.Itsafoldforstrategicreasons.
Wevesaidalreadythatitsimportanttogetasmuchmoneyoutof
everysituationaspossible.Onemoresituationisagroupofmany
handsversusanopponent.Whenitbecomesclearinwhatdirection
thisopponentismakingamistake,youllnaturallywanttoexploitit.
ForinstancesayIveraisedoneverybuttonwithanytwocardsver
susweakblindsforafeworbits.Thenextorbitthesameplaywill
stillshowanexpectedprofit,buttheexpectedvaluewilldecrease
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everytimeImakethisplay.Bydoingiteverytimeitwillbeeasier
forthemtoadjusttomyplayandfightbackatme.Soevenifan
autoraiseisprofitableitmightmakesensetotakesomeofthe
weakerhandsandfoldthemanywaytoshowsomerespectandnot
gettheopponentsangry.
Similarly,thereisacorrectamountofthetimetodefendtheblinds
vs.abuttonraisepreflop,butmostopponentswillplayincorrectly
inonedirectionortheother.Iftheyareplayingtootightyouwant
tokeepthempredictableandpushthemfurtherintheincorrectdi
rectiontheyreplaying.Byraisingliterallyeverytimeyouaremak
ingyourstrategytransparentandeventheworstopponentwillad
justandbecomelooserandstartplayingmorecorrectly.Soitmakes
sensetoslowdowninmarginallyprofitablespotswiththeworst
handspreflopjusttoshowalittlerespectandkeeptheopponent
predictableandplayingincorrectly.Thenasplaycontinuesyoucan
slowlybleedthemeasily,insteadofforcingthesituationtoosoonin
amarginalspot.
Howoftenyoucanexploittheopponentsweaknessversusshowing
themrespectisafunctionofhowbadtheopponentis,ormorespe
cificallyhowslowtheywillbetoadjust.Theworsetheyarethenthe
moreyoucantakeadvantageoftheirbadplaywithoutthemeither
noticingorknowinghowtoadjust,butthebettertheyaretheless
youcantakeadvantageoftheirweaknessandsomorecaution
needstobeshowninspotsthatshowsmallexpectedvalue.

Metagame
Decisionsshouldnotberandomizedtobemadeunpredictable.You
shoulduseeverypieceofinformationavailabletoweightheadvan
tagesanddisadvantagesofmakingaparticularplayversusapar
ticularplay.Theniftheresultisroughlyequal,addinmoreinfor
mationandkeepaddingmoreinformationuntilyoucancometoa
decision.Randomnessisnotneededtokeepyouropponentguess
ingbecauseyoucansimplyoutthinkyouropponent.Insteadof
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makingarandomplayandnotknowinghowyouropponentisgo
ingtoreactyourgoalshouldbetomakeaplayandknowexactly
whatyouropponentisgoingtodo.Ofcourseallthisassumesyou
areabetterplayerifyouarentthentheywilloutthinkyouandin
thatcasemaybemorerandomnessisneeded.Butinthatcaseifitis
HUyoushouldjustquitandifitisshorthandedyoucanadjust
yourplaydrasticallytonotentermanypotswithhim.
Metagameisnotasimportantasmanypeoplethink.Themostim
portantfactorishandreadingandifyouhandreadwellandplay
accordingly,metagametakescareofitself.Playersoftenusemeta
gameasanexcuseforplayingsuboptimally.Forinstancebadplay
ersoftenthinksomethinglikeokayitstheriverandIjusthavea
sevenhigh,andIfeellikeheprobablywillcallmybluffgiventhe
actiononthehandbutitwillbeembarrassingtolosethepotwith
sevenhigh.TheresalwaysachancehewillfoldifIbluffplusitwill
beawesomeformymetagamedownthelinehewillcallmemore
oftenwhenIgetrealhands!Thereislogicbehindthislineofthink
ingbutatitscore,itsarationalizationofabadplay.
Similarly,aplayermaybluffafewtimesbybettingbigontheriver
andthenbettheriverbigagain.Youmightthinkhesdueforabig
handhereorhewassettingthisplayupwiththelastfewbluffs,
hewouldntbluffagain,thistimehemusthaveit.Thislineof
thinkingisalsoillogical.Inpokerifsomeonehascalledyourriver
raisessevenofthelast12timesthenhesmorelikelythannotcalling
thisnextone.Sodontrationalizeyourinternaldesiretobluffallin
becauseyoudontwanttogiveupthehandhesbeencallingbe
foreandhewilllikelycallthistime.Gowithyourreadifyour
readsayshescalling,dontbluffallinevenifitwouldmakeyour
metagamelooknicerandbalanceoutyourplaymore.
Itistruehoweverthatmetagamethinking,putintoappropriateper
spective,willleadyoutoplaybetterpoker.Youllbeinsomesitua
tionswithamonsterandthinkthereisnowayhecanpaymeoff,
thereisonlyonehandIcouldhavehere,heisdefinitelyfolding
andthenhellfold.Sowhatyouneedtodoisplaysomeweaker
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handslikethattoo.Forexamplesaysomeoneraises,andsomeone
elsereraises.Itnormallymakesnosenseheretocoldcallwith109o.
Howeverinthishandyouhappentoreadthemasfairlyweak,and
ifyoualsoreadthattheyaresmartenoughtofoldhandsthatappear
tobesecondbestandtheyunderstandthatnormallyyouonlycold
calltherewithacestotrapthemthengoaheadandcallwith109o
onceinawhilesoyoucantakeitawayfromthemontheflop.Youll
almostneverneedtogetthisfancy,though,becausemostplayers
arebadandactuallywillgettrappedwhenyoucoldcallwithaces
theresoitiscallingwith109sthatisthebadplay.
Anotherimportantpointisthatgoodplayersdontmakerandom
decisionsformetagamepurposes.Goodplayersdontmixuptheir
pokergamerandomly.Theydontdoitrandomlybecausetheyare
betterthantheiropponentssotheydontneedtorandomize.They
getmoreinformationthantheygiveaway,theycanoutreadand
outplaytheiropponents,andsoinsteadofflippingacoinon
whetherornottocallabigbetontheriverformetagamereasonsa
goodplayerwilljustmakeareadonthesituationtheywillthink
backoverthehandandkeepaddingmoreinformationuntilthey
cantiltthedecisiononewayortheother.Agoodplayerwouldnt
makealoosecalldownwhereheknowshewillprobablylosejust
sotheopponentwontbluffinthefuture.Theywillfoldinthat
situationwhenitiscorrecttofold,andthenifhefeelshisopponent
willbluffmoreinthefuturebecauseofit,hewilljustcorrectlyopen
uphiscallingrangeinthefuture.Inthiswayheadjustsandout
playshisopponent.

Example hands

Example 1
$10/$25HU,opponentisplayingdecentandstraightforward.He
raisesonthebuttonto$75andIcall.TheflopisJJ8Icheckandhe
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checks.Turnisa4,Ibetpot$150andheminraisesto$300.Itakemy
twocardsandthreebetto$950.Hisminraiseontheturnissayinghe
wantstocontrolthepotsizeandkeepitsmall,andfreezemeup.He
isnottryingtobuildthepotasbigashecanheissayinghedoes
nothaveajack.WithmyplayIamsayingIdohaveajackandifhe
doesntbelievemehedoesntjustcalltheraiseof$650ontheturn.He
mayormaynotfaceabigriverbettoo.InthisparticularhandIhada
flushdrawthemoreoutsyouhaveinthesespotsthebetter.

Example 2
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$2,200andIcover.Helimpsonthebut
ton,IhaveK9oandraiseto$150becauseheisweakandeven
thoughImoutofpositionIthinkIcanoutplayhimpostflop.The
flopcomes345andbecausehecanfloattheflopwithasweak
asacehighandIllbeintoughshapeontheturntodoanything
aboutitIcheckedtheflopandhecheckedbehind.Theturnisthe5,
Iled$300andhecalled.TheriveristheA,andthepotis$900soI
wentallinfortheoverbetof$1,500.Thebasisofthisplayisthatmy
playisconsistentandrepresentsaflushandbigbetsarehardtocall.

Example 3
$25/$50HU,Ihavetwocardsandcallaminraiseto$100.Theflopis
1023anditischeckcheck,theturnisa10,check/check,theriveris
a4.Hedoesnthaveatenbecausemostpeoplewouldbetitonthe
flop,andifnottheydbetitontheturnbecausetheyhavetripsand
wanttobuildapot.Ontheriver,Ileadout$300intothe$200poton
thebasisthatIknowhedoesnthaveaten,soheisweakandmybet
isbigandveryhardtocallwithamediocrehand.

Example 4
$10/$25HU,opponentisstraightforwardandalittleloose.Ihave
K-5andraiseto$75andhecalls.Theflopis1054,hecheck
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callsa$125bet.Theturnisthe9,checkcheck.RiverisJandhe
checks.ImprettysureIhavethebesthand,andheisstraightfor
wardsoIbetasmuchasIthoughthedcall.Ibet$65andhemadea
sillydesperationcallwith22.Sinceheisastraightforwardandeasy
toplayagainst,thissmallrivervaluebet(wheremybetsizetele
graphswhatmyhandis)isokay.

Example 5
10/$20shorthanded,UTGopensto$80,IamnexttoactwithAA.I
tookmytimeandthoughtthatIdbeenreraisingalotpreflopand
UTGwassuspiciousandthetypetocallareraisepreflopregardless
ofraisesize.NormallyIdreraisehereto$240butagainsthimInow
raisedto$280toextractalittlemorevalue,andevenmoreimpor
tantlythisbuildsthepotsohellbemorecommittedtofightingforit
postflop.

Example 6
$10/$25HU,Ihave5-7andopento$75onthebuttonandhecalls.
TheflopisA88withtwoclubs,hecheckcallsmybetof$125.The
turncomesanoffsuittwoandhecheckstome.Heisnotgoingto
checkraisemesoIdontrisktoomuchbysemibluffinghere.When
Ibetthegoalistomaximizethetimeshefoldsandtochoosethebet
sizethatdoesthat(althoughtechnicallyitistomaximizethetimes
hefoldsandminimizetheamountofmoneyweriskwecouldbet
allinfor$2,200herebutthisalmostneverhappensforobviousrea
sons).Thepotis$400andinthegameIbetthepotof$400butthisis
amistakeIshouldhavebet$300.BybettingthefullpotIamsay
ingIeitherhaveaverygoodhandandwanttowinalotofmoney
orImsayingIhaveablufforsemibluffandwanthimtofold
whichiswhatIhad.Sogivenmyhandrangesandpotoddsitisjust
toounlikelyIhaveaneightforhimtofoldsohecallswithwhatis
probablyapairofaces.Betting$300isactuallymuchharderforhim
tocallifhehasapairofaceswithaweakkickerbecausewhenIbet
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$300itisasmallervaluebetsoitmeansmyhanddoesntjusthave
tobeverygooditcouldbejustgood,inotherwordsitcouldbean
eightoritcouldbeapairofaceswithastrongkicker,anditcanstill
beasemiblufforbluffalthoughthatdoeslookslightlylesslikely
probabletohimnowbecauseIbetless.Sonowintermsofhand
rangesIcouldhaveaneight,orapairofaceswithastrongkicker
whichmakesitalotmorelikelyIhaveagoodhand,andmakesit
harderforhimtocallmedownweak.

Example 7
$10/$25fivehanded,UTGcalls,nexttoactraisesto$110,Icallon
thebuttonwith1010andsodoestheUTGlimper.Theflopis
26Jandischeckedthrough.Ontheturna5fallsandUTG
leadsout$230thenthenexttoactfolds.Hisbetfeltkindofoddto
measitwasntclearwhathewasrepresentingnormallysomeone
wholimpsinEPhasapocketpairandwantstohitasetcheapand
itsalittlehardtoputhimonapairofjacksbecauseofhisUTGlimp.
Anotherfactorthatmakesitsuspiciousisthatthepreflopraiserand
Ibothcheckedbehindhimontheflop,soitappearsasifwereweak.
Hisbetsizealsofeltstrangeandwhenthingsfeelstrangeitsnor
mallybecausesomeonedoesnthaveahand.SoIcalled,theriver
camea6andheleadsout$650.Thiscontinuestheweirdnessand
itshardtoputhimonahand.Ifhehasajacktobemakingavalue
bethehastothinkthereareworsthandsIcouldhavetocallhim
with,andthemostlikelyhandforthatisformetohaveisapairof
jackswithaworsekicker.Sothisnarrowshishandrangedown
morefromapairofjackstoapairofjackswithagoodkickerlike
AJormaybeKJ,soforhisbettomakesensehehastohaveanar
rowhandrange.Icalledandhehad77.

Example 8
$5/$10HU,opponentisbadandhas$650,Iraiseto$30onthebut
tonwith33andhereraisesto$60,Icall.Hedoesthisfairlyoftenso
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itdoesntindicategreatstrength.TheflopisQ94andhebets
out$65.Nowgivenhistendencytoplaysolooseandaggressiveand
continuationbetherefrequentlyhishandrangeisweak.Alsohisbet
sizeisalittlesmallandthusalsoweak.Howeverourhandisweak
too.Sothedecisionastowhethertotryandmakeaplayhereis
closeandthedecidingfactorisstrategic.Hesabadplayerwhois
goingtolosehismoneytouseventually,sowedonotneedtoplay
crazytoupsetandtilthimbecauseheisalreadyplayingbadand
willalreadylosehismoney.Howeverthereversecanhappen,ifwe
loseapottohimhecanchangefromplayingbadtoplayinggood,
whichalotofplayersactuallydotheytightenuptoprotecttheir
wins,anditsalsopossibletheyllgetupfromthetableandleave.
Hereitsmuchbettertofightthewarofattritionfrustratehim,
dontgiveanythingawayandjustwaitandslowlywearhimdown.

Example 9
$25/$50HU,opponentraisesto$150andIcallwithQ4s.Theflopis
A66,Icheckandhebets$135.Hehasbeenraisingpreflopand
continuationbettingtheflopalotsoIthinkhishandrangeisweak
andhecanhavealotmorethananace.HoweverIalsothoughtthat
ifIcheckraisedhimhemightbesuspiciousandcontinuewitha
weakhand.SoIjustcalledhisbetwiththeplanofleadingoutabout
4/5potintohimonanyturn.Itsessentiallythesameplayascheck
raisingtheflop,butonedifferenceistheturncardcouldeitherhit
hishandandmakehimcallmybetoritcouldbeascarecardforhis
hand.Fromhisperspectivewhenhefacesaturnbethewillhavea
hardtimenotgivingmecreditforahand,sincehewillthinkwellI
bettheflop,andhejustcoldcalledmeoutofposition,sohemust
havesomesortofdecenthand.SobecauseitssoobviousIshould
haveahand,thisisatimetousethatagainsthimanddotheoppo
site.Inthehandtheturncamethe2,Ibetout$375andhefolded.

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Chapter Eight
Other Concepts and

Hand Histories
Value Betting
Herearesomeexamples.

Example 1
$3/6HU,Iraiseto$18onthebuttonwithA9oandmyopponent
calls.Flopis7Q5,checkcheck.Turnis3,checkcheck.Riveris
9hechecksIbetpot.Fromtheplayitshardtoputmeonahand.If
IhaveaQIbetthefloporturn.Aflushdrawbetsthefloporturn,
whichIdidnotdosoIdonothaveaflushdraw.Andsincetheflush
drawhitthatisscaryfortheopponentsoitshardtoseemevalue
bettingaweakmadehand.Alsothestraightdraw86willusually
semiblufftheflopandturn.
Mostpeoplewillstopthethinkingtherebutitisrightforthemto
continuesinceitsquitehardtoputmeonahand,butitsalsoa
weirdplaceformetobluff.Thisisbecausewhenpeoplebluffthere
shouldbearangeofhandsapersoncanrepresent.Here,becauseits
hardtoputmeonareasonablehanditsalsohardtoputmeona
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bluffbecauseabluffcantrepresentareasonablehandhere.Sothe
opponenthastoseethroughtheunusualnatureoftheplayandde
cidewhatIhave.Onemorepieceofthepuzzleisthattheychecked
onallthreestreetssoIamprettysuretheyhavesomethingweak.
Theproblemariseswhenwehaveatoughopponentwhoseesus
makingthinvaluebetsandthencheckraisestherivertocombatus
hislineissostrangeandtricky(checkingthreetimestocheckraise
theriver)thenitstimetoconsiderjustcallinghimwithafairlyweak
holdingbecauseitlookslikehesbluffingus.Goingdownthislineof
thinkingishowhighstakesHUgamesbecomesocrazy.Itisespe
ciallytoughifopponentscheckraisegoodhandstousontheriver
alongwithbluffcheckraises.Fromhisperspectiveifheactuallyhad
aflushcheckingtheriverwouldbeagoodplay.Icheckedtheflop
andtheturnsoImweak.HehastohopeIhitsomethingthatwillbet
whenhecheckstome(thatwouldntvalueraisesincetheflushhit)
butcouldbestrongenoughtocallacheckraise,orthatIbluffthe
river.Itsalsoasimplematterofpotcontrolforhimwithaflushhe
doesntwanttobetandbecalled(gettingjustonebetintothepot),he
wantstocheckraiseandbecalled(gettingtwobetsintothepot)be
causeaflushissuchastronghandhewantstobuildthepot.Inciden
tally,italsowouldhavebeenagoodspottocheckraisetheturnwith
aflushdraw.IcheckedtheflopsoIprobablydonthavetoppairif
ImbettingalotofturnswhenhecheckstwiceandIllhaveahard
timecontinuingagainstafullpotsizedcheckraise.Thereisalsovery
littlechanceIllthreebetallinontheturnaftercheckingbehindthe
flopsohedoesnthavetoworryaboutnotseeingtherivercard.

Example 2
$1/$2eighthanded,onelimperinEP,herohasAQandraisesto$9,
limpercalls.TheflopisK105andvillaincheckcallsa$16bet.
Turnisthe9,checkcheck,riveristheJ.Villainleadsfor$15.The
potis$50andthebetis$15sothiswillbeabarequeenmostofthe
timewithaflushthevillainwouldprobablybetmorebecausehis
handisstrong.BasedonourhandreadingAQcertainlylooksgood
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Other Concepts and Hand Histories
here.MaybeyoudaskwhatworsehandscancallmeifIraisewith
AQthough?.Well,maybeabarequeen.Itsahardcallforsome
onetomakewithjustapairbutifyouarebetterthanyouroppo
nentsyoucanthinkalongtheselines:Iplaypokerwithopponents
worsethanme,soifImprettysureIhavetheopponentbeat,Illgo
aheadandvalueraiseandsincehesabadplayermaybehellmake
amistakeandmakeabadcall.
Beyondthatwearenotthatafraidofareraise.Onereasontobe
afraidofmakingabetorraiseisbecauseitopensusuptoabluff
reraise.Herewearentafraidofabluffreraisebecausewearevery
capableofhavingthatflush.Thatswhatwererepresentingwith
ourraise.Howcanhereraisewhenwecouldlikelyhavethenuts?It
takesahugeamountofcourage(andinthiscasecraziness)tothree
betblufftheriver.Bluffshappenalotofthetimewhenyouare
prettysurethevillainhasaweakhand,orareprettysurethevillain
doesnothavethenuts.Inthisparticularcasethevillaincannot
knowwedonthavethenuts.

Example 3
$25/$50HU,wehave$5,000each.Opponentisanokayplayerandis
TAG.Heraisesto$150onthebutton,Ireraiseto$450withQQand
hecalls.Theflopis258,Ibet$700andhecalls.Theturnis7
andhereImadethemistakeofchecking.TheopponentisTAG
whichmeansthatheisnotthetypetofloatwithweakhandsonthe
flopjusttotryandstealitontheturn.Hesaggressivesoifhehasa
handhelikeshellprobablyjustraisetheflop,andsincehedoesnt
showthataggressionontheflopitsunlikelyhellshowitonthe
turnwhenIchecktohim.IfIcheckIshouldntexpectabetthe
onlyreasontocheckisifIputhimonamediocremadehand(which
Ido)andthinkthatmyshowofturnstrengthwillbetoomuchfor
himandhellfold,ifIchecktheturnthoughitcanputdoubtinto
hismindaboutmyhandstrength,andalsothenwhenIbettheriver
healsoknowsthatsthelastbethewillbefacingsoitseasierfor
himtocallandseeashowdown.
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TherivercomestheA,abadcardbecauseitcouldhavehithim,
andevenifitdidntitsascarecardsoheslesslikelytocallavalue
betbyme.However,itsbadtoplaypokerscared,thiscardcould
havehithim,butitprobablydidnt.AlsotheopponentknowsthatI
canbluffbetonthiscardasascarecard.Itsalsohardtopushthis
particularopponentoutofthepotonbluffs,sototakeadvantageof
thatwehavetovaluebetaggressivelyandlightlyagainsthim.So
despitetheaceitisstillaclearvaluebet.Ibet$1,800andhecalled
with1010.

Example 4
$25/$50fivehanded,theSBraisesto$150andIhaveK-4intheBB
andcall.TheflopisAK5,opponentbets$300andIcall.The
turnisthe4andhecheckcalls$700.Theriveristhe3,hechecks.
Ihavetwopairbutitsnotatwopairwiththeace,andtherearealso
fourcardstoastraightoutthere.However,thesethingsthatonthe
surfaceareinstinctivelyscaryactuallydontmatter.Itsimpossible
toputmyopponentonatwoforastraighttheonlywayofhim
havingitwouldbeifhehadA2andthatisjustonehand.Orhe
couldhavehitthethreeifhehasA3hehitabettertwopairbut
thatisjustonehandsothatisntlikelyeither.Alotmorelikelyis
thathehasA6,A7,A8,A9,A10,AJorAQ.Itsalsohardfor
himtoputmeonatwo.Theriveristhereforeastandardvaluebet
forasmuchasyouthinktheopponentwillcall,whichinthiscaseI
feltwas$2,000.HecalledwithA10.Hemightalsothinktheriver
cardmakestheboardmorescarysoIcantvaluebetwithmymore
marginalhandsandthatIwilljustbetwithmyreallystronghands
(astraight)andeverythingelsewillbeabluff.

Example 5
$10/$25HU,Iraise99to$75andhecalls.Flopis638,he
checksandIbet$125.Sincethecardswereloweranditwasslightly
lesslikelyhehitthem,Iwantedtocompensateandgivehimthe
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chanceofplayingwithmebybettingjustalittlesmaller$125in
steadof$150.IfthehandwasQQandtheboardwasJ93Iwould
surelybetfullpotof$150becauseitsmorelikelyhehassomething
andIwanttobuildthepot.Also$125isfinejustbecausebothare
equallyvalidandIliketomixitup.Hecalls.
TheturnistheK.Sincehecalledtheflopitsimpossibletoputhim
onahandcontainingakinghemostlikelyhasapairfromtheflop,
somethingeitherconnected,orwithanace.HandslikeA3,A6,67,
78,89or810.ItsunlikelyhehasK3,K6orK8o.Itspossiblehe
hasK8s,possibleandlesslikelyhehasK6sandpossiblebuteven
lesslikelyhehasK3s.Notonlyisitalittleunlikelyhedplaythose
handstobeginwith,butthesuitedpairsthathaveakingareall
suited,narrowingthepossibilitiessignificantly.Forinstancethere
areonlythreecombinationsofK8shecouldhavebutthereare12
combinationsofA8hecouldhave.
Sowehavetoassumehedoesnothaveakinghere,whichmeanshe
hasadraworapair.Thebestwaytogetmoremoneyfromthose
handsistobettheturn.Thereasonisbecauseitwillbehardforhim
toputusonahand.Ourbetiseithersayingwearebluffingorhit
thekingsupposedlyanyhandweakerthanapairofkingswould
stopbettingbecauseofthescaryovercard.Thereisnopointin
checkingtotrapifhehassomethinglikeA8hemightbescared,
buttherivercardisntgoingtohelp,itsonlygoingtoscarehim
moresowehavetobethereandhopehissuspiciousnessgetsthe
bestofhim.

Example 6
$50/$100HU,IraisepreflopwithKJoandmyopponentcalls.The
flopisJ93,heleadsout$450andIcall.Theturnisthe6,
whichisagoodcard.Therearemanycardsthatmaketheturnquite
complicatedforexampleaqueenhitsallhisstraightdraws,or
makesapairortwopairsforhimsometimes,andanacemight
makeusloseoratleastgetuslessactiononourstronghand.Aten
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hitshandslikeQK,910orJ10,andaneighthitstwopairsandgut
shots.Basically,whenheledoutheprobablyhashandslikeQ10,K
10,810orQ8.Thereasonisthatthesehandhaveouts,andtheyare
willingtoputmoneyintoseeaturn.However,theyarenotstrong
enoughtocheckcall,andcheckraisingputsinmoremoneythan
theywantto.OntheflopKJcouldraisebutherewecall.
Theturnisa6,hechecksandwefeelgreataboutthehand.Sowe
betaway$1,500.Nowontheflopwhenhebetsoutandwecallour
handlooksweak.Wecouldhavecalledwithanynumberofhands,
evenaslightasAK,AQ,evenAxoor78,usingthestrengthof
ourposition.Ourrangeisquitewide,sohecallsussinceourrange
issowidehisrangealsobecomesquitewide.Ontheriveranoffsuit
acecomes.Nowourrangesarebothwide,hecalledusontheturn
suspiciouslyandthenanacecomesontheriver.Anaceisaperfect
bluffingcardandalsomostpeoplecheckmediocrehandsbehindon
acehighboards.Soifwebetagainhesgoingtoputusonsome
thinglikeAJ,anysortoftwopair,aset,ormorelikelyhesgoingto
besuspiciouswemissedadraw.
Nowontheturnhecheckcalledsoheprobablyhasamadehand.
Wecalledanddidntraisetheflopsowereprobablynotvery
strong.Thus,ifhebettheturnwithadrawhewouldnthaveto
worryaboutgettingraisedoffit.Thecheckcalllineisofcoursea
typicalmadehandlineandnotadrawlinebecauseheputsmoney
intothepotontheturnbycalling,andhecantplayadrawprofita
blybyjustcalling(mostofthetimeanyway)soaslongasheswill
ingtoputmoneyinhemightaswellbetit.Ontheriverweaska
fewquestions.Whatdoeshehave?Whatdoeshethinkwehave?
Doeshecalldownalotordoeshefoldalot?Toanswerquestion
one,wedontknowwhathehasbutitisclearlyfairlyweakso
probablynotAJ.A9isapossibility,butjustonehand.Sowe
shouldfeelprettygoodaboutKJ!Questiontwohethinksweare
eitherverystrongorveryweakandpeoplegetfewstronghandsin
general.Pluswejustcalledtheflopandbetwhenhecheckedtous,
whichisnotoverpoweringstrength.Questionthreehecallsalot.
Thereforeweshouldbetandscoopupthatvalue!
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Somepeoplewillaskhowoftenhecallsus.Ofcoursewedontknow
whathehas,andmaybehejusthaspocketsevensanditsdoubtful
hellcallus,butrightnowweresurewereaheadofhimsoevenifhe
callsusveryinfrequentlyitisstillaprofitableplay.Also,ifhecheck
raisestheriveralotthenthingsbecometrickierandwecantbesuch
heroeswithourvaluebets.Forthebetsizethereisadecisiontomake
too.Icouldeithermakeitfairlybigandclosetoapotsizebetwhich
makesitlookmorelikeImbluffing.OrIcanjusttryandpricehimin
onalowbetsize,whichwouldobviouslybeavaluebetbuthemight
mindlesslycallbecauseitscheapto.Thequestioniswhethertheop
ponenthandreadsandwouldbesuspiciousofabiggerbetandactu
allyhavethecouragetocallitorwhetherhesapoorerplayerwhois
badenoughtogetpricedintomakingacallbecausethebetisasmall
size.InthiscaseIbetbigandhefolded.

Example 7
$5/$10HU,opponenthas$415andisbad.IhaveQ10andraiseto
$30preflopandhecalls.Flopis9910andopponentleadsout
$60.Thedecisiononwhatlinetotakehereisbasicallyapotcontrol
decision.Normallywithtoppairmediumstrengthkickeritisacall
ontheflopbecauseyoudontwanttobuildthepottoobig.Inthis
case,however,wearewillingtogetallofourmoneyintothepot.
Thereasonisthattheopponentleadsoutonflopsenoughsoour
handissostrongwehavetogowithit.Ifhehasabetterhandthan
usweloseallourmoneynomatterwhat.Thequestionishowdowe
gainmoremoneyagainstdrawsandworsemadehands?Thean
swerisbyraisingtheflopifhehasamadehandthenalotofscare
cardscancomeandalsobyraisinghemightthinkwehaveadraw.
Ifhehasadraw,hehasalotofoutsandtherearealotoftypesof
drawshecanhavesothisinfodoesntreallyhelpusandwecant
exploititthatmuchbycallingandwaitingfortheturntomakea
play.Soforthosereasonsweshouldjustraisenow.Iraisedto$190;
hecalled.Theturnwasa4andheledoutallinfor$215moreandI
called.HehadJ7andourhandheld.
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Example 8
$25/$50HU,opponentisatiltingmaniac.Hehas$7,500andIcover.
Iraisewith1010to$150andhereraisesto$450,buthisrangeis
verywidehere.Itsnotanytwocardsbutitcompriseshandsas
weakas89orA5o.Thisisaveryeasythreebetto$1,300whichhe
automaticallycalls.TheflopisJ79,hechecksandIcheckbe
hind.Theturnis6.Hebets$2,700ontheturn.Givenhowloosehe
ispreflop,andhowaggressiveheis,hecouldhavemebeatbut
thereisjusttoomuchofachanceheissemibluffing,orevenbetting
withnothingbecauseIcheckedbehindontheflopandheisama
niac.Alsowehaveafewoutsevenifhesahead.Iraisehislast
$3,500andhecallswith89withnodiamond.

Bluffing
Bluffingisobviouslyanimportantpartofpoker.Everyoneknows
this,butmanypeoplegetintroublewithbluffs.Oneofthemost
commonproblemsisthatpeoplethinkoncetheystartabluffthey
cantstopandendupbluffingallin.Afteryougetcalledonone
streetmostofthetimeitiswisetogiveupthebluff.However,ifyou
haveagutshotstraightdrawandmakeabetoraraiseyoucould
continuethebluffbyplanningtobluffcertaincards.Likeifthe
boardcompletesaflushdraworstraightdrawyoucouldrepresent
thesebighands.Soyoucanwinthehandbymakingyourhandor
bybluffingonascarecard.Butifabrickhitstheturnorriveryou
needtoexercisedisciplineandbewillingtogiveupthehand.
Peoplewhodonothavethedisciplineorskilltomaketherightde
cisionintoughsituationstendtogetinalotoftroublewhenmaking
bluffs.Thereasonisthatbluffingcanputsomeoneinanextramar
ginalposition.Sayyoubluffedandgotcalled,andthenonthenext
streetyourhandislosingandyouhavenooutsthatisatough
spotandthekeyistorealisethatthebluffwasapoordecisionand
notcompoundyourerrorbycontinuing.Ifitwastheoriginalplan
tobluffasecondstreetifcalled,ortobluffoncertainscarecardsthat
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comethatisonething,butalltoooftenpeoplebluffagainsimply
outofrecklessness.
Anothertendencypeoplehavewhichhurtsalotisthatiftheyare
abouttogotoshowdownandtheyhavenothingtheyfeeltheyhave
tobet.Sayadrawofsomesortmissedontheriver.Useyourjudg
mentifyouthinkabluffwillworkthenbluff.Butdontbetjust
becauseyouhavenothingandyoufeelyouhaveto.Rememberto
playstraightforward.Youweredrawing;ifyourdrawhityoud
haveabighandandcouldbetbig,butyouhaveabsolutelynothing
sodontbetbig,justgiveupthepot.Thatis,unlessotherreliable
informationtellsyoutodootherwise.
Alsorealizethatifsomeonebetsintoyouonafourflushboardand
theyareadecentplayer,theycanhavemorethanthenutflush.
Thinkaboutitmathematicallytheyhavetoholdjustonecardin
thedecktohavethenutflushsothisisntverylikely.Theycould
haveanutflush,butthinkofalltheotherhandsagoodplayercould
bethecouldbetanymediumtohighflushormaybeheisbluffing.
Thiscouldbeagoodspottoraisebecausetheywillhavetrouble
callingwithlessthanthenutflushonthesescaryboards.

Example 1
$10/$25HU,meandopponenthave$2,500stacks.Iraiseto$75on
thebuttonandhereraisesto$225,whichhehasbeendoingalot,so
Icallwithmyredpocketeights.Theflopis973,hebets$375
andIcall.Heisraisingsomuchpreflopandcontinuingtobetso
manyoftheflopsthathedoesntneedtohaveabighandhereI
couldbeaheadorIhavethechancetooutplayhimonlaterstreets.I
calledinsteadofraisingforacoupleofreasons.Thefirstistoplay
morestreetsashisactionontheturnwillgivemeinformationabout
hishandstrengthandIcaneithercall,bet,raiseorfoldwhereasifI
raisedontheflopitwouldbedoingsoblindly.
However,histurnactionwilltellalotmoreabouthistruestrength
notethisistruemainlybecauseheisaworseplayerthanmeandif
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hewerebetterthanmethanhisturnactionwouldgiveawayless
informationandwouldconfusemesoIdjustfoldtheflop.Thesec
ondreasonisthattherearealotofhandshehasthatImevenwith
intermsofequitylikeovercardswithaflushdrawthatmightgoall
inifIraiseandforcemetofold,whereasontheturnhisequitywill
godownalotsohewillbealotlesslikelytosemibluffmeoutof
thepot.
Theturncomesthe4,hechecksandIcheckbehind.TheriverisA,
thepotis$1,200andhebetsout$750.Hisbetsizegivesmeinforma
tionmainlywhatitsaysishedoesnothavetheaceofclubs.Ifhe
hadthenutflushherehewouldbetmoremoney,becauseifIhada
highclubIwouldcallformoremoneysohewouldbemissingvalue.
Hisbetdoesntlooklikeabluffbecauseitsasmallsizesoitlooks
likehewantsacallandisnttryingtoforcemeoutofthepot.It
lookslikehehasahighclubthatisnttheace.BasedonthatImoved
allin.Heranhistimerdownandcalled.HehadK-Q.Onepartof
myanalysisthatislackingiswhathighclubshewouldbedoingthis
with.Itsdoubtfulheisanaggressiveenoughbettortomakethis
playwiththeJorlower,andwhetherhedbetorcheckcallwith
thequeenofclubsisunclear.SohishandrangeistheKandmaybe
theQ.Soeventhoughhedoesnthavetheaceofclubshishandis
quitestrongandmyraiseisntbig.Hisbetlookslikeavaluebetbut
itispossibleforhimtohaveabluff.Alsopartoftheproblemisthat
theopponentisanokayhandreaderifIhadtheaceofclubsthere
isaverygoodchanceIwouldsimplygoallinontheflop.

Example 2
$200/$400HUliveagainstChauGiang,heisplayingweaktight.I
have$50,000andhecoversme.IhaveQJo,heraisesto$1,600andI
call.Theflopis1052andIleadintohimfor$2,800andhecalls.
Thisisagoodleadbecause(unlikeifIhadanacehighinmyhand)
QJhasnoshowdownvalueatallifitgetscheckeddown.WithQJI
havetwoovercardouts,plusitsunlikelyChauhitanythinghere,
plusChauisaweakplayer.Theturnisthe6,Icheckandhechecks,
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thentheriveris10andIcheck.Thepotis$9,000,Icheck,andhe
bets$5,000.
Hisbetsizeindicateshedoesnothaveaflushbecausehewouldbet
biggerwiththattogainmorevalue.Hecalledtheflopsohehad
somesortofmadehandandthenfeelshismadehandisgood
enoughtogoforvalueontheriversoitsurelooksliketriptens.
Alsonotethatontheturnhishandwasntgoodenoughtobetfor
value,butontheriversomethingchangedsoitwasgoodenough.
Twohandsthatimprovedwerepairsoftenstotriptensandflush
drawstoflushes,andwevealreadyruledouttheflushpossibility
soitlooksliketriptens.Thatgivesusalotofpowersinceweknow
whathandhehas.ButcanItrytobluffhim?Hishandisstrong;
whatwillhethinkIhaveifIcheckraise?
Leadingtheflopindicatedthattheboardhitmeinsomeway.That
couldbeaflushdraw.Ontheturnmyequitywithaflushdrawand
impliedoddsgodownafternothittingandhecalledmyflopindi
catinghehasahandheliked.Aflushdrawwouldprobablythen
checktheturn.Wouldaflushdrawthencheckraisetherivertoo?
Yes,itmakesperfectsense.IfIhitaflushIwouldconsiderwhat
secondbesthandsaregoingtogivememoney,andthemainoneis
triptens.Triptensareprettygoodandwillalmostcertainlybetif
checkedto,soacheckraiseisdefinitelybetterthanleadingout.So
withaflushIdefinitelycould,andprobablywould,haveplayedit
thesame(althoughbecauseIthinkhesfoldingversusthelineI
tookwithanactualflushIwouldchangemylinetoonewhereI
thoughthedcall).
Heshouldstillcallthough.Intermsofreadingmyhandheneedsto
realizeafewthingsinadditiontothehandreadingwejustdid.The
questionishowoftendoIleadtheflop?IfIrarelyleadthenI
probablyhavesomethingprettygoodlikeasetoraflushdraw.IfI
leadfrequentlythenmyhandrangewidensconsiderablysoIcan
havealotofnothinghandsmixedinwithflushdraws.Ileadouta
reasonableamountsowhenwegettotherivermyhandrangein
cludesmynothinghandsalongwithaflush.Andeventhenhe
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wouldneedtoconsiderifIambothcapableandlikelytomakethis
playwithnothinghands.Ifnottheneventhoughmyflopbet
doesntnarrowmyhandrangetoaflushthentherivercheckraise
itselfwould.However,Iambothcapableandlikelyofdoingithere
withallmyhands.
SoIcheckandhebetshalfpot,whichgivesawayinformation.Itisa
badplaytomakeasmallbetwhichsaysIhaveahandIlikealittle
butnotalotthenfoldwhenagoodplayerrespondstothatweak
ness.Whatdoesitmeanwhenagoodplayerseesabadplayerwho
isweakmakeabetlikethatandthenrespondswitharaise?It
showsthegoodplayerexpectsthebadplayertofold,soitmakesa
lotofsenseitisabluff.Chauneededtoseethehistorybetweenus,
howhewasplayingweakandInoticedthatandadjustedthenhe
wouldhaveoutplayedmeandwonabigpot.

Example 3
$25/$50liveatBellagio,opponenthasabout$17,000andIcover.He
seemstoplaypokerclosetocorrectly,althoughaccidentallyhis
gameisunimaginativeandweak.IopenUTGfor$200withA-Q,
hecallsandthreeotherscallbehind.TheflopisQ73,Icheck,
theopponentbets$400andthethreeothersfold,Icall.Theturnis
the9,Icheckhebets$1,200andIcall.Theriveristhe2,Ileadout
$1,200,hefairlyquicklyandwithoutaworryraisedto$3,000,Ipush
allinfor$13,000more.
Ontheflopmyhandisprobablybest,butthedecisionishowbestto
reapvaluefromthehand.Imnotallthatafraidoffreecardsandby
continuingtobetinafivewaypotIrepresentastronghand(which
iswhatIhave)sotheopponentswillhaveahardtimecallingme
withweakerhands.Becauseofthosereasons,Icheckedfordecep
tionandtoseewhatwouldhappen.Theplayerimmediatelybehind
mebet$400intoa$1,000potwithsuchasmallbetintoamultiway
pothemustthinksomeonewillcallorraisehim.Becauseofthat,he
isnotbluffing,andbecauseitisafivewaypotitsdoubtfulhe
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wouldbesofoolishastomakethatbetwithahandasweakasJJ
here.Thushishandisprobablyasetortoppair.Setsareunlikelyby
theirverynature,plushisbetsize,whichissmall,doesntseemlike
asetbecausehedoesntseemthatconcernedwithbuildingabigpot.
Ontheturnhisbetsizeisfurtherevidenceagainsthimhavingaset
becauseonceagain,hedoesntbetbiggertryingtobuildapot.He
bet$1,200intoa$1,800potwhichisamoderatesizedbet,butit
wouldbenaturaltobetabitbiggeraround$1,500withabighand
likeaset.Noteonewaytobuildapotistobetsmalltoinducea
raise,butgivenmycheckcallfloplineitsunlikelyImgoingto
springtolifehereandcheckraise.
OntheriverIledout$1,200tosqueezewhatvalueIcouldoutofhis
toppairsinceitseemedunlikelyhewouldvaluebetatthatpoint
giventhattheflushdrawhit.Heraisedto$3,000andheremymind
crackedabitunderthepressureofthesituation.Isawhisbetsize
whichwasasmallraiseandbasedonthatfiguredhehadamedium
strengthhandlikeasetoralowflush,sinceIhadtheaceofclubsin
myhandsohecouldnthavethenuts.Thereforewithover300BB
stacksandaweakopponentIraisedallinasabluff.Hegotasick
lookonhisface.Itdidntevenlooklikehewasthinkingthroughthe
handdecidingwhattodoitwasmorelikehewasjustdepressed
thathedidnthavethenutssocouldntcallinsuchamassivepot.
HeshowedK-Qandmuckedit.
Now,letsaddressthemistakeImadewhichcouldhavebeenvery
costly.Thewholehand,Ihadhimreadforatoppair,andthen
changedthatopinionontheriver.ThemainreasonIchangediton
theriverwasthatIsawIcouldbluffwith250BBandknewhedid
nothavethenuts.ButthenIallowedsomewishfulthinkingandput
himonthehandsheneededtohavesoIcouldmaketheplayI
wantedtomake.
Thehandreadingthatshouldhavetakenplaceisthataftertheturn
heprobablyhastoppair,althoughthereisasmallerchancehecould
haveaset.Ontheriveritdoesntmakesenseforhimtomakethat
raisewithasetbecauseheisaweakplayer.Aflushhitsohisset
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couldbebehind,andmoreimportantlyitmakesitharderformeto
callhisraisewithaworsehand.Hemusthaveamadehandgiven
theactionandifitisthattoppairwesuspectedheisdefinitelynot
imaginativeenoughtoturnthatintoabluffontheriver.Somehow
hemusthavehitaflushandtheonlywayhecouldhavegivenhis
flopandturnplayisbybackdooringaflushwithtoppairso
Q-K,Q-JandQ-10ashedprobablyfoldworseQxofclub
handspreflop.DuringthehandbasedonhislowbetsizeIthought
hecouldhavealowflush,butthatmakesnosensewiththeother
informationandthereisnowayforhimtoreachtheriverwitha
lowflush.Eventhoughheisaweakplayer,itseemsquiteriskyto
knowthathehassomethinglikethesecondabsolutenutsandtry
andpushhimoffthathand.
Buthemadeahugemistake,whichhewouldhaveknownhadhe
spenttimehandreadingontherivertoseeifheshouldcallme.How
canIgettotheriverwiththenutflush?Icheckcalledtheflop,so
couldIhaveA-7orA-K?Probablynot,asIdverylikelyfold
themboth.A-KImightcallwiththeintentionofmakingaplayon
theturnbutontheturnIjustcheckcalledagain,alsoanunlikelyline.
AhandlikeAQwouldmakemoresensebuthehasallhandslike
thatblockedbecausehehastheQandK.Perhapsevenmoreim
portantthanmyflopplayistheriverplaywhichreallyshowsthatI
havenonutflush.IfIhadthenutflushIwouldbetthefullpottoget
asmuchvaluefromitasIcould,orIwouldgoforacheckraise.The
small$1,200leadandthenthreebetallinisverysuspicious.Wasit
reallymyplantobetsmallsohecouldraiseme,andthentraphim
forathreebetallinwiththenutflush?Maybeitsabrilliantplayby
me,butinthatcasehejusthastopayitoff.

Example 4
$25/$50fourhanded,opponentopensUTGto$175andIcall,heisa
decentthinkingplayerandIcallnexttoactwith107s.Itisgoodto
callbehindwithadecentrangeofhandsshorthandedtomess
aroundwiththeopponentsohedoesntfeelfreetodowhateverhe
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wants.Itsannoyingforaplayertoalwayshavetoplaypotsoutof
position,plusitdisguisesthetimesIdohavegoodhands.
TheflopcomesA2Aandheleadsoutpot.Itstemptingto
makeaplayatthispotgiventhelowprobabilitythathehastrips
andwiththepowerofourposition.However,todothatversusa
thinkingplayerwehavetothinknotonlyabouthishandrange
(whichwejustdidanddecidedhedoesnthaveastronghand
probably),butalsothinkaboutthehandrangehecanputuson
ourbluffmustbecredible.ThewayIplayedthehandpreflopgives
informationawayasifIhadanacewithastrongkickerIwouldre
raise.HandsIwouldcallwitharepocketpairs,andsuitedconnec
tors.Thusheknowsmyhandrangeismediumtoweakmadehands
ornothing.
IfIraisetheflop,giventhatIdonothaveastrongaceandheknows
it,myplayissuspicious.Agoodwaytorepresentamedium
strengthhandhereistocall,becausethatishowIwouldplay
pocketpairs,sotorepresentapocketpairIshouldplayitthesame
wayandcall.However,thisisaskilledopponentsoontheturnhe
willknowthatmyhandisprobablyapocketpairandthatIdont
haveanace,andalsoknowthatIknowhecouldhaveanace.Thus
hecancontinueabluffintomeontheturn.Sothisisabadspotto
tryabluffhereandIhavetofold.Comparewhathappenedhereto
whatwouldhavehappenedversusaweakplayer.VersushimI
couldcalltheflopandthenifhehassomethinghewillbetturnand
ifhedoesnthewillcheckfold,orIcouldjustraisetheflop.Ineither
caseIcansimplyworryaboutwhathehasnotwhathethinksI
haveandthatwouldhaveallowedmeadecentchanceatthepot.

Example 5
25/$50fivehanded,opponentopensto$175,hehas$5,000andI
cover.IreraisepotwithAQoandhecalls.Opponentistightand
straightforward.Theflopis10106,hecheckcalls$1,000and
thereis$3,100inthepotnow.Theturnisthe4anditgoescheck
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check.Theriveristhe2andIthinktherearesomehandsIcan
plausiblyrepresentherelikeAAQQ,aten,andaflushsoIgo
aheadandbet$2,700andhecallsmeandwinswithQQ.
Theproblemherewasthatmyreasoningshouldhavestartedona
morebasiclevel.Thefirstissueathandinabluffisfiguringout
whattheenemyhas.Thisopponentistight,notweak,andthat
meansthatforhimtocallpreflopandontheflophehastohavea
handhelikes.Inconclusion,hishandrangeisstronghandsand
verystronghandsandtherearebetterspotstobluffthanthis.IfI
hadkeptmythinkingsimpleandfocusedontherightthingsI
wouldhaveseenthisandnotbluffedinahugely$EVspot.

Example 6
$25/$50HU,webothhave$5,000stacks.Opponentisloose
aggressive,givestoomuchactionandisafish.IhaveJ8oandraise
mybuttonto$150andhecalls.Theflopis2Q7andweboth
check.Theturnisthe4,hebets$300andhehasbeenleadingthe
turneverytimeIcheckbehindontheflopforthelastfewhandssoI
raisedto$1,000.Hisaggressivenessandlooseplayhadworkedsuc
cessfullyagainstmeduetoabadrunofcards.Itfrustratedmeand
putmeonalittletiltandtheturnraisewasaproductofthat.This
turnraisewasforcingtheactionhereIhadnogoodouts,theop
ponentisaloosefishandIshouldhavejustfoldedandbeenpatient.
Hecalledtheturnbet,andthentherivercametheA.What
changedfromthefloptotheturn?Afourcamewhichmadeaflush
draw,andifIhadapairoffoursitgavemeaset,sothefourdidnt
changeawholelot.Ididntbettheflop,butIraisedtheturnsoit
lookslikethefourcouldhaveaffectedmyhand(ofcoursetheother
possibilityisthatIwasgettingtrickywithsomeotherhandandthe
turndidntaffectmyhand).ThehandIammostconsistentlyrepre
sentinghereisaflushdraw.Alsotheacecame,whichisjustaplain
scarycardforhim.Eventhoughheisacallingstation,thiscard
shouldbesoscarytohim.Itsaclosedecisionbutworthcontinuing
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mybluffonsoIfiredoutapotbet,andhethoughtforawhileand
folded.

Example 7
$25/$50threehanded.Buttonfolds,SBlimpsandIcheckintheBB.
TheflopisA24,hechecksandIbet$50.Thisisagoodspotforthe
SBtoautocheckraisebecauseitisunlikelyIhaveapairofacesand
itistoughtocallacheckraisewithlessthanthatonthisboard.

Example 8
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$10,000andIcover,heplayswellbutisa
littleoveraggressive.Hehasbeenreraisingmepreflopalotand
thenalmostalwayscontinuationbettingandsofarithasworked
againstme.Iraiseto$150onbuttonwith44andhereraisesabit
morethanpotto$500.Icall.TheflopisJ87o,hequicklyleadsout
$800likehenormallydoes.Sincehemakesthatplaysooftenhis
handrangeisfairlywideandweak.Thisisagoodboardtomakea
playonhimbecauseitsthesortofboardwheresupposedlywhenI
raiseIcanhaveabighandlikeastraight,twopairorset,oronthis
boardIcouldhaveastrongcombodrawlikeJ10,pluswehave
deepstacksandhesoutofposition.Thatcombinationmakesithard
forhimtocontinuetherefacingascaryboardwheremyhandis
supposedlyastronghandorahandthathasgooddrawingpossi
bilities.Iraisedandhefolded.

Example 9
$10/$25HU,opponentisokayandislooseaggressive.Wehave
$2,500each.IhaveK-Jandopento$75andhecalls.Theflopis
1074,hecheckcallsmybetof$150.Isuspecthesweakbe
causenormallyheraiseswhenhesstrong.Theturnis3.Nowon
theonehandIhavenothingIhavenogoodoutsbecauseevenmy
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overpairoutsmightnotbegood,andacouplearetainted(theK
andJ)sothatpointstonotputtingmoremoneyintothepot.How
ever,whenIsaytheopponenthasbeenloose,sofarhehasplayed
looseontheflopbuthehasntfacedmanyturnbetsyet,soifIbet
theturnhereitshouldappearstrongtohim.Alsoheisweakbased
onthefactthatnormallyheraisesbutherehecalled,andifhes
weakthenathirdclubontheboardandabigturnbetbymeshould
lookscarytohim.Andevenifhethinkshesstillgoodorwantsto
drawtoamediocrehandhehastheproblemofbeingoutofposition
andhavingtoworryaboutwhatIwilldoontheriver.Soitsagood
spottobet,thenifhecallsIhaveoptionsontheriverdependingon
whatcardcomes.Butasexpectedhefoldedontheturnhere.

Example 10
$10/$25fivehanded,opponenthas$2,850andIcover.Onelimper
secondtoact,thenIraiseto$110withK10,theBBcallsandso
doesthelimper.TheflopisA75andtheybothchecktome.I
likedbettinginthisspotbecauseImprettysurethelimperhasa
pocketpairsowhenIbetitlookslikeImstrongbutinrealityI
knowImreallyonlybettingintooneopponent.Ialreadyknowthe
limperprobablyhasapocketpairandisprobablyfoldingtheBBis
theoneImnotsureabout.BasedonthatIcontinuationbetherethe
potof$340,theBBcallsandthelimperfolds.
Theturnisthe10andhechecks.Atthispointweknowwhatthe
opponenthasandthatgivesusallthepower.Hehasapairofaces.
Asetortwopairispossiblebutbasedontwothingshedoesnthave
thatsetsandtwopairarestatisticallyharderandmoreimprobable
tocomeby,andalsohecalledtheflopanddidnotraise.Alsoweare
prettysurehispairofacesdoesnothaveaveryhighkickerbecause
peoplenormallyreraiseAKpreflop.Soweknowhehasamedium
strengthhand,andhedoesntknowwhatwehave.
Wecouldverywellbestronggiventhebettingsofar,andalsogiven
thedrynatureoftheboard,soifhewantstocallusdownthatelimi
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natesabiggroupofhandsfromourhandrangethatwouldgivehim
areasontodoso.Thisisalsoagoodtimetoputintoplaytheconcept
ofusbettingagivenamount,andthatamountreallyforcingtheop
ponenttomakeadecisionforhiswholestackofchips.Ontheturn
thepotisabout$1,000butinsteadofbettingfullpotIfeltitwould
makeitlookmorebelievablethatwehaveagoodhandandaretry
ingtomilkhimsoIbet$765.Ifhecallsthatthenthepotgrowsto
$2,500andhewillbeleftwith$1,800,sohecomesclosetocommitting
hiswhole$2,500stacktothepotwhenIbetjust$765.Alsoconsider
thatgiventhenatureofhishandsayAJhedoesnothaveredraw
possibilitiesandheseitheraheadorbehind.Forthestandardplayer
itsaneasyfoldbutifheseitherabraveandgoodhandreaderora
stupidlunaticthenwecouldbeintrouble.Inthiscasehefolded.

Example 11
$10/$25threehanded,opponenthas$1,500andraisesto$75from
theSBandIcallintheBBwith66.Theflopis28Qandhebets
out$150.Hereisatimetomakearaisebasedonstacksizesandhis
handrange.ThestacksizesaresuchthatifIraiseandhecallshe
comesquiteclosetocommittinghimselfforhiswholestack.Soitsa
caseofmeonlybetting$500(inthehandIraisedto$500),andhim
nothavingadecisionfor$500butforhiswholestack.Secondlyhes
aggressivesoIbelieveifhehadanypairofqueenshebetsthere,
andmoreimportantlyIthinkhebetsjustaboutallofhispocket
pairs.HesalittlewilyandhemightbesuspiciouswhenIraisebut
ultimatelyifhehasapocketpairthebottomlineishecantdomuch.
Hesgoingtohaveahardtimecallingoutofpositionandhehasto
assumeIhavetwoovercards,aflushdraworapairofqueens.Plus
thenevenifIdonthitmyhandIcanbluffscarecards.Sohisother
optionistoraise,butIraisedto$500soishereallygoingtoputa
full$900moreintothepotwithanunderpocketpair?Itsatough
spotforhimandhereallycantdomuchherewithamarginalhand
butfold.
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Example 12
$5/$10sixhanded.Abadplayerlimps,anotherpersonwhoposteda
blindchecks,theSBlimpsandImintheBBwith9-Qandraiseto
$55.Idothisforafewreasonsmyhandisacoollookingone,Ima
betterplayerthanmyopponents,anditsanimageplaythatmakes
melookkindofwackysoIgetmorevalueonmygoodhandsinfu
ture.PostflopImundernoobligationtocontinuewithabluffand
willonlybetifthesituationisprofitable.OnlytheEPlimpercalls.
Heisabadplayerandhas$550,whichIcover.
TheflopisJ510andwebothcheck.ThereasonIcheckedisbe
causeheisalittlewackyandhiscombinationofwackinessandthe
stacksizesmakesitreasonableforhimtoraisemeallinwithawide
enoughrangeofhandsthatitmakesmeuncomfortable.Theturnis
a3.Sincehecheckedbehindontheflophishandisntthatstrong,
sowithahandthatisntstrongheisgoingtobecallingorfoldingto
abetfrommeandnotraising.Alsotheturnwasaragsoitdidnt
changehishandstrength.
IfhecallsmeinthissituationitsreallynotallthatbadasIhavea
lotofoutsandwerebuildingthepotsoifIdohitmyhandmaybeI
canwinareallybigpot.TheriveristheAsoIhavenothing.Hesa
badlooseplayerandImreluctanttobluffhimbuttheAisthe
scariestcardinthedecksoIhavetotakeadvantageofithereandI
betoutthepotandhefolds.

Example 13
$10/$25HU,webothhave$2,500,theopponentisokaybutpretty
straightforward.Heraisesthebuttonto$75andIcallintheBBwith
A-3.Theflopis7Q8,checkcheck.Theturnisthe2,check
check.Theriveristhe4,Icheckandhebets$150,whichcaughtme
bysurprise.Hecheckedtheflopandturnsohedoesnthaveagood
handandthenhebetstheriverwhichisarag.Whatthatmeansis
heeitherhasaweakmadehandhestryingtovaluebetorhehasa
bluff.Giventhat,Icheckraisebluffto$600hopingthesizeofmy
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betwillscarehimmorethanitssuspiciousnesstemptshimtocallit.
Inthiscasehethinksforabitandfolds.

Example 14
$10/$25HU,Ihave9-8andcallthebuttonsraiseto$75.Theflop
isJ33,checkcheck.TurnistheK,checkcheck.Riveristhe
10.NowatthispointifIwanttobluffitsgoingtobealittlehard
becauseIcheckedtheturnsohewontgivemecreditforapairof
kings,andifIhavelowerthanapairofkingsthenwhatamIdoing
valuebetting?ThusifItrytobluffhesprobablygoingtocallme
withjustaboutanymadehand.Howeveritlookslikehedoesnt
evenhaveapairmaybejustanacehigh,orsomeotherhighcard
thatbeatsme,sothosearethehandsweregoingtofocusonbluff
ingouthere.Andtobluffthosehandsoutwedontneedtobetthe
fullpotof$150asthatswastingmoney.
Whatweneedtodecidehereistheleastamountofmoneywecan
bettomakehimfoldacehigh,whichIdecidedwas$65andsubse
quentlybet.Inthisway,thetimesthathehappenstohaveapair
andcallsuswesavethedifferencebetweenanormalsizedpotbet
of$150and$65.Notethatthe$85isonlysavedthetimeshedoes
calluswhichmightbe50%ofthetime,sobychangingourbetsize
hereourexpectedvalueincreasesby$42.50,whichaddsupover
time.

Semi-bluffing

Example 1
$25/$50HUagainstathinkingaggressiveopponent,hehas$5,000
andIcover.HeraisesthebuttonandhedoesthatalotsoIfight
backwithA2andraiseto$450andhecallsashehasdoneafair
amountofthetime.Theflopis234,Icheckandhebets$650.
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HewouldbettheflopfairlyoftenafterIcheck,andthengiventhat
healsoraisesalotpreflopandoftencallsmyreraise,toothat
makeshishandrangequitewide.Sinceheisplayingsolooseand
aggressiveabigmadehandcanbediscountedforthemostpart(al
thoughnotentirely).Alsosinceheissoloosetheoddsofhimhav
ingapocketpairareless,too,anditcanbemoreweightedinfavor
ofanothinghandtryingtostealthepot.However,evenifhedoes
haveapocketpairhewillhaveahardtimecallingmyallinraise
becauseitssobig.Fromhisperspectivewithamediumpocketpair,
Icouldhaveeitherhaveabighandthathashimcrushedlikean
overpair,ortwoovercardswhichalongwiththegutshotdrawifI
haveanacehavemanyoutsandarenteventhatbigofanunderdog.
Becauseofthat,itwillbehardforhimtocall,andhardtocalleven
ifhedoeshaveamediocremadehandwhichisatthehigherendof
hisrange.EvenifhedoescallIstillhave9outsandamrisking
$4,500towin$1,500.TheimmediatepotoddssaythatifIalways
loseifhecallsthenmybluffhastowork3/4timesforittobeprofit
able.Butletssayhehas1010andhecalls,inwhichcaseIhave9
outswhichhas35%chanceofwinning.BydoinganEVcalculation
wecanseethatifhefolds40%ofthetimeitsabreakevenplayand
ifhefoldsmoreImakemoney.Alsothisplayinparticularisgood
formetagameasitwillmakehimscaredandfrustrated.

Example 2
$25/$50fivehanded.IraiseUTGto$175andthebuttoncalls,hesa
littlewilyandtrickybutnotgood.IhaveQKandtheflopisJJ6,I
checkandhebets$350.Nowitstimetodosomehandreadingas
hisbetfeelsweirdhere.Onepossibilityishehittripjacksbecause
hebetfullpotontheflopsoheistryingtobuildapotnow.And
withsomeplayerstheywillhavetripjacksalothere,butsincethis
opponentisalittletrickyhedoesntneedagreathandtofloatwith
preflopandheisnotanitandwillbetmorethantripsonthisflop
soitmakestripsunlikelyjustbyvirtueofthefactthattheyarehard
tohit.Ifhehasalowerpocketpairhewouldprobablybetlessbe
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causeallheneedstodoisbetenoughtoprotecthishandhe
wouldntwanttobetalotforvaluebecausethereisnovaluethere
forhim.EvenifitisapocketpairImostlikelyhavetwoovercards
toit,andalsoitwillbehardforhimtocallme,andparticularlyhard
forthisplayertocallmebecauseherespectsmygameanddoesnt
wanttotangleinbigpots.SoIcheckraisedto$1,000hereandhe
folded.

Example 3
$10/$25sixhanded,100BBeffectivestacks.UTGlimps,Iraiseonthe
buttonto$110withA-Q,theBBcallsandsodoeslimper.Flopis
347andtheybothcheck.Mostpeoplecontinuationbetand
blufftoomuchbutthishappenstobeagoodspotandtherearea
fewfactorsherethatmakeitagoodbethere.Becauseofthewaythe
handdevelopedwehappentobeabletorepresentmorestrength
herethanisusualandthatisthekey.
First,ourbetwillbeagainsttwoopponentsandnotonesoourbet
representsstrength.Alsosincetherearethreepeopleinthepotthat
putinafullbetpreflopthepotsizeisbiggersoournaturalpot
sizedbetwillbebiggerthannormalafull$340.Ifoneofthemhas
apocketpairmaybetheywillfeelcomfortablecallingasmallbet
(becausetheyhaveasmallhand)butnotabigbet.
Alsoonefinalreasonisbecausethepreflopactionwasnotraise,
call,call.Itwaslimp,raise,call,call,whichagainmakesthepotsize
biggerbecausemypotsizedraisepreflopcameafterthelimper.
Andthusitfollowsthatitstougherforthemtocontinuewith
pocketpairsbecausetheyareweakhandsthatdontwanttofacebig
bets.Thecruxhereisthissituationjustsohappenstoallowmeto
representgreaterstrengththanInormallycaninthistypeofsitua
tion.SoIshouldtakeadvantageofthatabilitytorepresentstrength
andblufftheflop,whichIdidandtheybothfolded.

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Example 4
$5/$10sixhanded,UTGlimpsandIraisenexttoactwithA-Jto
$45,UTGcallsanditsheadsup.TheflopisQ106andhechecks.
Thisisagoodspottotakeitslowandcheckbehind.Firstofallby
checkingweensureseeinganothercardandcanmaybehitthe
straightorapair.Beyondthat,maybehehassomethingandmaybe
hedoesnt.Ifhedoesntandhehasthatpocketpairthatpeoplelike
tolimpinwithfromEPthenhewillchecktheturnandwecanbet
andourturnsemibluffwillbeaseffectiveasifwehadsemibluffed
theflop.Whatwevedoneeffectivelyissaveourselvesmoneythe
timeshedoeshavehandsandthetimeshetellsusthatbyleading
outontheturn.Thedownsideisifhedecidestoleadintousonthe
turnandbluff,butsincemostpeopledontplaygoodtrickypoker
thisisntmuchofarisk.Anotherdownsideisifhetakesaweak
handhewouldhavefoldedtoabetontheflopandgetssuspicious
andcallstheturn.Thatsnotreallyaproblemeitherbecauseifhe
hasapocketpair,theboardissimplytooscaryandtherearetoo
manyovercards/drawsforhimtoplayaroundandtrycallingeven
ifitisontheturn.InthehandIcheckedtheflop.Theturnwasa4
andhecheckfoldedtomybet.

Example 5
$10/$25fourhanded,IopenonbuttonwithQ-9to$85andtheSB
calls.TheflopisK52,hechecksandbecausehesintheSBits
morelikelyhehasapocketpairthantwohighcardswithaking,
becausewithtwohighcardspeoplearehappytotakethepotdown
immediatelypreflopwhereaswithapocketpairtheywanttocall
andhitasetandbuildabigpot.Ibettheflopfullpot$190andhe
calledsothepotis$570.
Theturnisthe6.Ihadbeenplayingaggressivelytomakehimad
justandcallmedownlightersohisflopcallisweakerthannormal.
Thestacksizesareperfectforthisplayhere,henowhas$1,600left
andIcovered.Ontheturnthepotis$570andIbet$525.Thereason
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ingbehindthisplayismultifacetedfirstofallIhaveoutsifhecalls
(alsosomeimpliedodds).Secondly,hishandrangeiswideand
fairlyweak.Andthirdly,thepowerofmybetisthatifhehasamar
ginalhandheisntjustlookingatthe$525betontheturn,hes
reallylookingatcommittinghisfullstackof$1,600ifhewantsto
raisetoprotecthishand,orheislookingtocallariverbetofmine.
SoIbet$525andinpositionhavethechoiceofwhethertoputthat
last$1,075inthepot.Oneconsiderationforthishandishowpassive
oraggressivetheopponentis.Themoreaggressiveheisthemore
likelyyoushouldbetocheckbehindandthemorepassivethemore
likelyyoushouldbetobet.Ifheisveryaggressiveandwillonly
raiseorfoldherethanyouaredevaluingyourhand,whichhas
valueintheQforflushoutsandevenimpliedodds,intoapure
bluff.

Example 6
$10/$25vs.thesameopponentshortlyafter.IraiseJ-4to$75and
hecalls.Theflopis356andhechecks.Apartofmewantedto
checkbecauseheisaggressive,anditwouldbebadifIgotcheck
raisedontheflop,butontheotherhandthatisplayingrightinto
thehishandsthemorepassiveIplaytosomeextentthemorehe
wins.Letssayheisanaggressivebadplayerwhoisjustwacky,
theninthatcaseIcanplaypassiveandjustwaitforhandsandbeat
himthatway.Butifheisaggressiveanddecent,whichthisoppo
nentwas,Icantplaypassiveandwaitaround.Sometimesyoujust
havetoplay.aggressiveandgetintotoughsituations.Noteherein
thissituationhowmucheasieritistoplayvs.apassiveplayer
(whichistheequivalentofsayingabadplayer).Anyway,Ibetand
thistimehejustcalledme.Theturnisthe8.Imnotsurewhathe
hadbutIusedthesamereasoningasbeforethathejustcalledthe
flopsowasweak.Thentheturncouldhavehelpedhimbutproba
blynotbecausehewasweak,thenhecheckstheturnagainandits
veryconsistentformetogoaheadandbetagainandevenifhecalls
Istillhaveouts.Herehefolded.
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Example 7
$10/$25sevenhanded,Iopento$85andaloose,slightlycrazybut
decentplayercallsintheBB.IhaveQ10oandtheflopisJ47,
hechecksandIcheck.Theturnis9andheleadsout$110.Hesa
decentplayersohedoesntgiveawayalotofinformationwithhis
bethecouldhaveasemibluff,amadehandorabigmadehand.
Thisisagoodspottosemibluffraiseforafewsimplereasons.First
ofallwehaveoutstohitabighand.Secondlyifhecallsitsnot
reallythatbadbecauseasstatedwehaveequityinthepot,andalso
impliedoddstowinabigpot.Finallywehavepositionandthere
areanumberofscarecardsthatcancomewhichwecantakeadvan
tageoftoblufftoolikeathirdheartourplayisperfectlyconsistent
withaheartflushdraw,andprobablyrepresentsthatmorethan
anything.Wecheckedtheflopsowedidntlikeourhandthen,but
thenontheturna9cameandwelikeourhandnowsomuchwe
decidetoraisewhatchanged?Aheartcamesupposedlygivingus
aflushdraw.Inthehandhefoldedtotheraise.

Example 8
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$1,800andIcover.IhaveA-7and
raiseto$150fromthebutton,hereraisesto$390andIcall.Thecall
isslightlymarginal,buttheopponentisntthesharpesttoolinthe
shedsothatmademewanttocall.TheflopisK54,checkcheck.
Theturnisthe6andheleadsout$260.Thisisaperfectspotto
semibluff,theopponentcheckedtheflopandthenbetsmallonthe
turnsothatmakeshimlookweak.Althoughtobehonestitsun
clearsincehesalittletrickyandhecoulddefinitelyhaveagood
handhere.
Whatthenmakesitagoodspottoraiseistwothings.Firstofallwe
haveoutswehavetheopenendedstraightdraw,whichgivesusa
eightoutsandalsothereisafairchanceouracehighisgoodforan
otherthreeouts.Beyondthatthestacksizesareperfect.Partofthe
reasonnottosemibluffraisemostofthetimeisthewayanoppo
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nentcanoutplayyoubyreraisingyoursemibluff.Here,however,
thatissimplynotpossibleforouropponent.Anaturalpotsized
raiseforusisaboutallinsothereisnowayforhimtocounteract
theplayanditsalsogoodforimagereasonsandgettingactionlater
onwithbiggerhands.

Example 9
$25/$50HU,opponentraisesto$150andIcallwith10-9.Theflop
is338,Icheckandhebets$175.Thisisagoodspottocheck
raisehimagainhisbetsizeissmallandweirdandheisprobably
weak.AndevenifImwrongtherearebackdoorstraightandflush
drawswhicharesignificantastheyletmecontinueasemibluffon
theturnifIchooseto,andiftheyhitontherivertheyaresuchdis
guisedandstronghandstheimpliedoddsaremassiveandIcan
makealotofmoney.Thereareafull10heartsthatcancome,six
nonheartstraightcardsandalsosixpairingcards.HereIraisedand
hefolded.

Example 10
$10/$25HU,Iraiseonthebuttonwith4-7to$75andmyoppo
nentcalls.Flopis543,checkcheck.TurnisJandhebets$70.
Pokerisacomplicatedgamewithalotofthingsgoingonsoitsim
portanttobeabletosimplifysituationsandanalyzeonlytherele
vantfactors.Herethehandturnsouttobequitesimpleandwecan
ignorethingslikepotcontrol,puttinghimonhandrangesandsoon,
andjustlookattwothings.Thefirstfactoristhathemadeanodd
lookingsmallbetsothismeansheisweak.Thesecondisthatwe
haveoutstohitabetterhand.Thatsallittakesallweneedtosee
hereistheweakbetandoutsevenifhedoescallus.Iraisedthepot
andhefolded.

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Trapping
Normallywhenyouhaveagoodhandyoubet,andwithaweak
handyoucheck.Trappingmeanstakingahandthatisgoodenough
towarrantthatbetandchecking,whichaccomplishesafewthings.
Itletstheopponentbluff(althoughsometimesthebestwayto
trapanopponentistobettoinduceabluffraise)itcanalsoput
doubtintotheopponentsmindthatyourhandisstrong(ifitwas
strongwhywouldntyoujustbetitrightaway,whichisthestan
dardplay?)andwiththatdoubtinhismind,thuscreatemoreaction
onlaterstreets.Finallyitallowsmorecardstocomeontheboard
whichcouldmaketheopponentputmoremoneyintothepot.
Whenyouchecktolettheopponentseeanothercardandyouhope
hehitsahand,considerwhatspecificworsthandyouarehoping
youropponentcatches.

Example 1
$5/$10,threelimpers,IcompleteinthesmallblindwithKJo.The
flopisAKKwithtwoclubs.IfIcheckwhatworsthandamIhop
ingtheyhit?Thereisaflushdrawandiftheyhitthattheyarebeat
ingme.Theycantpairupbecausethereisalreadyanaceonthe
boardsotheirpairwouldbeanunderpairandnotaverygood
hand.Thesecondquestioniswillmycheckputdoubtintotheir
mindsotheywillgivemeactionlateroninthehand?Forexample
wouldtheycallmewithA10ontheturnwhereastheywouldhave
foldedittoaflopbet?Anotherquestionis,willtheyattemptabluff
ifwetrytrappingandchecktothem?Inthishandalmostcertainly
notitsafivewayunraisedpotsotheywouldhavetobequite
recklesstotryandblufffouropponentsoutofthepot.

Example 2
$5/$10fivehanded,Ihave79oandraiseonthebutton,theBBcalls.
FlopisJ93,hechecks,andIcheck.Thisboardissodrawheavy
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thatwitheitheradraworamadehand,especiallysincehesoutof
position,hehastogetridofmypositionaladvantagebyraisingso
onthisboardtextureitisclosetoaraise/foldsituationforhimhe
cantjustcallandseewhathappens.Araiseorfolddoesntlookthat
greattomy79,soIcheck,theturnisaJ.
Hechecks,andagainthisisagoodspottobetrickyandcheck.Re
memberthatinNLHEprofitscomefrommakingworsehandscall
you,ormakingbetterhandsfoldprofitsdonotcomefromhaving
drawscallyou.Inthefirstplaceifhehasadrawheiseithergoingto
leadtheturnorcheckraisetheturnitwouldtakeabadandweak
playertocheckcalltheturnwithadraw(notethatcheckcallingthe
flopismorereasonablebecauseitistrickierandhehastwocards
lefttohitit).Checkcallingapotsizedbetontheturnmeansputting
moneyinatoddsof2:1whenaflushdrawonlyhits1/5times.But
sayhehasahandlikeAQandwehave79,thenhehassixouts,
whichmeansbybettingandmakinghimfoldheloses6/45,or13%
equityinthepot,sooutof$70thatis$9equitywegaininthepot.
Saywebet$50toprotectthepotwiththeplanoffoldingtoaraise
ifheraiseshewins$120,soifheeverbluffsorsemibluffcheck
raisesweareinbigtrouble.Wearetryingtopushhimoutandwin
$9ofEVbutitcanendupcosting$120.
SinceIcheckedtheflopheknowsIprobablydonthaveajack,thus
hecancheckraisebluffmewithseemingimpunity,semibluff
checkraise,andthisisalsoagoodspottotrapcheckraiseifhehas
ajack.Itshardtoseewhatworsehandhecancallwith,orinother
words,howavaluebetbymecouldbesuccessful.Themostlikely
handtocallisabetternine,likeK9orA9.Soagainitsprobablya
fold/raisesituationforhim,butlessofafold/raisesituationthanon
theflop.Forinstanceletssayhehasapocketpairlowerthannines.
IfhecallstheflopandIhavetwoovercards(andpossiblyastraight
draworgutshotdrawonthisboard)hehastododgeanoutdrawon
twostreets,andhealsohastododgecardsthatallowmetobluff
himandalsododgemybluffontwoseparatestreets.
However,ontheturntheveryfactthatIcheckedtheflopmakesit
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lesslikelythatIhaveamadehand.Alsoheonlyhastododgeone
streetofoutdraws,raisinghisequitysignificantly,andfinallyhehas
onelaststreettododgebluffsbyme.Allofthesefactorsmakeit
morepossibleforhimtocalltheturninsteadofraisingorfolding.
SoIcheckfordeception,therivercomesasevenandhechecks.He
definitelycantputmeon8Tasthatwouldhavebetthefloporturn,
anditsureseemslikeanineorJwouldhavebetearlierinthehand
too.Sobasicallyabetbymeissuspiciousasitshardtoputmeon
anything,sohemightcallwithaworsehandthathewouldhave
foldedearlierinthehand,plusthereisdefinitelythechancehecan
leadoutonabluffontheriver.InthehandIbetandhefolded.

Example 3
$10/$25HUvs.abadplayer;webothhave$3,000stacks.Heraises
to$75andIhaveA10osoIreraiseto$225forvalue.Icanoutplay
himpostflopsoImnotafraidofbuildingabigpotoutofposition
withamarginalhand,althoughinthiscaseA10oisntactually
marginalbecauseheisraisingthebuttonveryoftenandhecalls
everysinglereraise.Normallyaproblemwithraisingahandlike
A10ohereisthattheopponentwillfoldworsthandsandcallwith
betterones,butinthiscasetheopponentisautocallingreraises.
TheflopisAJ3andnowIhavetodecidehowtoplaythehand.
Sinceheisraisinghisbuttonsooften,andbecauseheautomatically
callsmyreraise,hishandrangeisverywideandthereisagood
chancehehasnothing.Alsoheisaggressiveandcapableofbluffing
soIcheckedtoseeifhedtraphimself.Hebet$400andagainst
someopponentsyoudhavetoproceedverycautiouslyhereand
evenconsiderfolding.Butagainstthisopponentafterthinking
abouthisbet,hisprefloptendenciesandabilitytobluff,Iwasnt
ecstaticaboutmyhandbutcheckingtheflopwasmyplantotrap
andnowherewasmychancetotrapandIdfollowthroughwithit
soIcall.
Theturncomesthe10andIcheckagain.Nowthepotis$1,250and
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hebets$800.BeforetheTcameIwasntthrilledaboutmyhandbut
wasprobablygoingtofollowthroughwiththeplanandshowdown,
butnowIamecstatic.Theonlyquestioniswhethertogoallinorto
call.Againgiventhathessoloosepreflopthereisagoodchancehe
isdoingthiswithrandomcardsthatdonthaveanyouts.Alsoifhe
hasaflushdrawhisbetsarealittleoddbecausehekeepsgivingme
achancetocheckraisehimoffhishandsothatmeanstheresagood
chanceitisntaflushdraw
NotethatafterIcallthepotwillbealmost$3,000andweonlyhave
$1,500lefteach.Mostpeoplewouldgetexcitedabouttheirhandand
checkraiseallinwithoutthinkingaboutitforanumberofreasons.
Howevereventhoughanallinwouldbeanunderbetcomparedto
thepotsizeyoushouldntjustthrowitinthereforthehellofitplay
precisepoker.SoIcalledtheturnandtheriverisablank,Icheckand
heimmediatelygoesallinfor$1,475whichIcallandhemucks86o.
NotethatgivenmyplanandpotsizeIhavetocallanyriverinclud
ingtheQ,otherwisemyplancouldbackfireinabigway.

Example 4
$25/$50HU,opponentisloose/badandhasastackof$2,000,Icover.
Ilimponbuttonwith57sandheraisesto$150,whichhelikestodo
frequently.TheflopisQQ5andheleadsout$300,whichhealmost
alwaysdoes,Icall.Theturnisafiveandhechecks.Basedonhow
heplayswhichconsistsofalwaysraisingpreflopandalwaysbet
tingtheflop,alongwithhisturncheckhere,Ithinkhedoesnthave
aqueen.Sinceheissuspiciousthisisagoodtimetonottrapand
justbetstraightaway.Mostpeoplewouldntbeaggressiveandbeta
five,sowhenIbetIamsayingIhaveaqueenoramjustmaking
someweirdbluff.Hesnotgoingtocatchagoodsecondbesthand
heresohehasadecisiontomakeaboutifIhavesomethingornot,
andmybetlooksmoresuspiciousontheturnthanontheriver.On
theturnitlookslikeIamjustquicklytryingtogethimoutsothisis
agoodspottonottrap.InthiscaseIbet$700intoa$900potandhe
checkraisedallinfor$1,500totalwithA2.
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Example 5
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$3,300andisatiltingmaniac.Iraiseto
$150onthebuttonandhereraisesto$450andIcallwith66.The
flopisQ76andhehasbeenbettingtheflopwhenhehassome
thingandcheckfoldingwhenhedoesnthaveanything.Andwhen
Icheckbehindhealmostalwaysautomaticallybetsthepotof$900
intomeontheturnwhichhedoesherewhenthe8comes.Now
thisputsanawfullotofdrawsoutthereanditstimetoaskacouple
ofquestions.Whatishishandrange?Verywide.Whatisthebest
waytogetmoneyoutofthathandrange?Becauseheissoaggres
siveandiscurrentlybetting,wewanttolethimkeeptheleadand
lethimbeoveraggressive.Sothebestplayistojustcallhisbet.His
handrangeissowiderightnowthatitcouldbeanytwocards,and
sinceheisamaniachewillgiveactionontheriver.Heprobably
doesnthaveagoodhandthatwillgiveactionnowbutmightifa
scarecardcomes.Heprobablydoesntevenhavethatgoodadraw.
Theplanistocall,andsincehesamaniacwecantoutguessour
selvesontheriveritsacallnomatterwhatcardcomes,evenifits
the9.Inthehanda10felloff,hewentallinfor$2,000,Icalled,
andhehadQ8.

Example 6
$10/$25HU,opponenthas$1,000andIcover.IhaveJ3andraise
preflopto$75andhecalls.TheflopisJ55andhechecks.We
havetoppairwithnokickerandarenttooafraidoffuturecards
comingtooutdrawusasheprobablyhasoneovercardtohitatmost.
Grantedfuturehighcardscouldscareawayactionbutthatisacal
culatedrisk.Alsoitshardtoputhimonasecondbesthandthat
willgiveusactiontheboardwouldntletthathappen.Ifhehitthe
boarditseithertripfivesorabetterpairofjacks.Thesituationis
ripeforatrap.
Inthisparticularcaseitturnsoutthebestwaytotraphimisactually
nottocheck.Firstofall,oneproblemwiththechecktrapishecan
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notcatchasecondbesthandheeitherpairsuptooutdrawusor
hitsanunderpair,whichissuchaweakhandheprobablywouldnt
commitmuchmoneywithit.Herehisstacksizemakesiteasierif
heraisesusifhedoeshaveusbeat,westandtoloseless.Oneofthe
reasonstochecktheflopnormallyisacombinationoftrappingand
potcontrolasitwouldgenerallybebadtoget100BBinhere;how
ever,gettingjust40BBinismorereasonable.
Thebottomlineisthatbettingtheflopismoresuspiciousthancheck
ing.Becausetheboardissodryandhecouldnthavehitanything,its
alsohardforustohavehitanything.Andbecausethisopponentis
aggressiveandlooseIamalrighttogetallthemoneyinhereandsoI
bet$125,andhecheckraisedto$390,whichmakesthingsslightly
awkwardforusbecauseoncewecallitshowswehaveanokayhand.
Fortheturnplayhewouldhavetheadvantageashewouldknow
aboutwhattypeofhandwehaveandsupposedlybeabletoplay
prettyclosetocorrectly.Wewonthavealotofflexibilitygivensuch
goodpotodds.However,withthatbeingtrue,thereisnothingwe
cando,wejustwillhavetofollowtheplan.Icalled.Theturnisa3,
hegoesallinandwecallandhis10-4isnogood.

Example 7
$25/$50threehanded,Ihave$7,500andtheopponentcovers,heis
badplayerwhoiseasytoread.Heraisesthebuttonto$175andI
callwith22intheBB.Theflopis267,Icheckandhebets$375
quickly.Ithasbeenabettingtellofhisthatwhenhebetsfullpot
quicklyhecontinueswithabetontheturn.Ihaventseenhishands
whenhedoesthissoitsunclearifitsablufforagoodhand.Inany
casemyonlyquestionhereishowtobuildthebiggestpot.The
boardissouncoordinatedthatImnotworriedaboutdrawsthe
onlydrawsherearegutshotstraightdrawsandan89butifhehits
thatthereisnothingIcandosomymainconcernisjusttobuildthe
pot.
SoIcalled,theturnisthe2,Icheckandhequicklybetspotasex
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pected.Nowthereareacoupleofquestionstoaskhowoftendoes
hehaveagoodhandhere(anoverpair)andhowoftenishebluffing
andhowoftenwillhecontinuetobluff?Myreadwasthatheproba
blyhadagoodhandbuttherewasachancehewasbluffing.Inei
thercaseIfiguredifIcheckcalledtherewasagoodchanceheddo
itagainontheriver.
TheriveristheA,whichseemedliketheworstscarecardpossible
anditbecamelikelyhewouldshutdownnowwithwhatevermade
handhehad.Iconsideredleadingoutintohimlike$1,100toforce
somevalueashewillbecuriousandsuspiciousandprobablycall
itsquitehardforpeopletofoldadecenthandina$3,500potfor
$1,100.However,thedecidingfactorwashisbettimingandsizing
tell.Whenhehadquicklybetfullpotbeforehehadalwaysfollowed
ituponthenextstreetwithabet.InthehandIcheckedandheim
mediatelywentallinandhisKJolost.

Example 8
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$15,000andIcoverhim.IhaveQ-8,he
raisesto$150preflopandIcall.TheflopisAK5,Icheckhe
bets$300andIcalltomixitup.TheturnistheQ,checkcheck.The
riveristhe10.Thisisaperfecttimetocheckandtrap.Thereason
isthatIwillonlygetmoneyfromtheopponentifhehasastraight
orifhehasaflush.Soifhedoesnthaveoneofthosetwohandsit
doesntmatterwhattheriveractionis,theresultisalwaysthesame.
Soletssayhehasoneofthosetwohandsandconsiderwhatwill
happenifIcheckandwhatwillhappenifIbet.Ifhehasaflushand
Ibethewillraiseallin,andifIcheckhewillbetandcallmycheck
raiseallinsoIgetallhismoneyeitherway.Sotheonlyhandthat
mattersforanalysisnowisthestraightandwhathappenswhenhe
hasastraightifIbetandwhathappensifIcheck?IfIbethewill
onlycallme,butifIcheckhewillbetandthenmaybecallacheck
raisesoImightgettwobetsontheriver.Icheckedandhechecked
behindwithK4,fromwhichIwouldhavegotnovalueanyway.
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Folding Strong Hands

Example 1
$50/$100threehanded.Myopponent,whoisarelativelysolidand
unimaginativeplayer,opensto$350onthebutton,Ireraiseinthe
BBto$1,100withAA,andhemakesthesurprisingmoveoffour
bettingmeto$3,400quickly.Sinceitssorareforhimtofourbet,
andbecauseheisunimaginative,hisbetmeansabighand.Tobe
moreprecise,itdoesntevenhavetobeabighandjustahandhe
thinksisbig.Alsogiventhathewillhavepositiononmepostflop,
andalsoconsideringthathedoesntgiveexcessiveactionpostflop
unlesshehasabighand,andfinallyconsideringthatacallbyme
willgiveawayalmostasmuchinformationasraising,Ishouldhave
justgoneallinpreflop.
ButthistimeIjustcalled.TheflopcameKK6,Icheckedandhebet
$3,600.Nowwemustaskwhatthehandrangefromatightuni
maginativeplayerafterthispreflopactionisAA,AK,KKor
QQ?Ifhehasqueenshellchecktheflopforsurewhywouldhe
betthem?Heisntcallingacheckraiseandhedoesntneedtopro
tecthishandagainstoutdraws,whichwouldonlyhavetwoorthree
outs.Andhesnotbluffingwithnothingbecausehispreflopaction
sayshehasastronghand.Evengivenasmallchancehewasbluff
ingpreflop,sinceIcalledhewouldprobablygivehisbluffupand
checktheflop.SohishandrangeisbasicallyAKorKK.Ipushed
foolishlyandheinstantlycalledwithAK.Aruleofthumbiswhen
youputinabout10%ofyourstackpreflopwithaces,itsokaytogo
tothefeltwithitallthetimeontheflop.Thatruleofthumbworked,
andmyflopplayhereisstandardforalmosteveryone.However,
thiswasagreatopportunitytomakeabigfoldhereandgainalotof
EVthatotherplayerswouldntget.

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Example 2
$50/$100threehanded,$15,000stacks.IhaveAAandraiseonthe
buttonto$350,opponentmakesit$1,100intheBB.Heispassive
anddoesntreraisemuchpreflop.Alotofthetimejustcallingwith
acesisabetterplayherebecausefourbetsarereallystrongandlet
peoplefoldtheirmediumstrengthhandsandbluffs.Howeverin
thisspottheopponentisprobablyquitestrongbecauseheneverre
raisespreflop,soIfourbetto$3,500andhecalls.Theflopcomes
1055,hechecks.Whenmostpeoplegetacesandreraisepre
floponeoftwothingshappentheygetoverexcitedandwantto
getalltheopponentsmoneyrightaway,ortheygetafraidofplay
ingatrickypotonlaterstreetsandinstantlybetpotontheflop
withoutrealizingthattheeasiestlineisnotalwaysthemostprofit
able.However,inthisspotabetisbestashedidntcallwithaweak
handwiththeintentionofbluffingmeoutlaterhehassomething
strongandhastomakeadecisionaboutwhetherImbluffingornot.
MaybeIllgethismoney,maybeIwont.
TheotherquestiontoaskiswhathandscouldItrapbychecking,?
Wellnotmanytheonlycardthatcouldcometosetaneffective
trapisaking,andifhehappenstohaveakinginhishandthereare
onlythreeofthoseleft.Imnotsoafraidabouttheflushbecause
thereisonlyoneexacthandcombinationthatcouldhaveaflush
drawA-K.SoIbetthepotof$6,500,hethinksforawhileand
goesallin.Iobviouslycall,ashishandrangehereisprobablyAA
QQ,1010orAK.AlsoImgetting41oddsonmymoney,and
thiswasmyplanwhenIbettheflop.SoIcalledandhehadAK.
Ifweconsiderhissideofthethingsthishandwillshowushownot
toplayadraw.ReraisingpreflopisperfectlynormalwithAKs
(thoughitwouldhavebeensmartofhimtoreraisemorefrequently
soIdidntputhimonahandrangeasnarrowasQQAAand
AKorAQ).However,myfourbetisquitestrong.Onethinghe
shouldrealizeisthatIamabetterplayerthanhim,andheshould
givemerespectandrealizeIcanoutplayhim.Ifanaceflopshe
wontgetbluffsfrommeandifitdoesntIllpushhimoffhishand.
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Anaceorkingwillonlyflop1/3timesandhesoutofposition.He
needstogiveabetterplayerhisdueandfoldAKhere.

Example 3
$10/$25HU,opponentraisesto$75onthebuttonandIcallwith
9-10.Theflopis832,checkcheck.Theturnisthe9which
makesforalotofhandscomposedofsomecombinationofstraight
drawandovercarddrawthathellsemibluffthere.Herehechecked,
thentherivercomestheA.Icheckandhebets$150.Itspretty
frustratingthathecheckedbehindontheturnthensuchabadcard
comesontheriveranditsveryeasytocallhereoutofacombina
tionoffrustrationandcuriosityatwhathehas,hopingthatour
handisgood.Butthisisactuallyagoodspotinasmallpottofold
wheremostpeoplewouldmakeasloppycallandlosetheir$150.
Partofthereasonisthatoneofthemostlikelyhandstheopponent
checksbehindontheflopandturnisacehighithasshowdown
valuesohedoesntneedtobluffwithitlikehewouldwithahand
likeKJ.

Example 4
$25/$50fourhanded,buttonraisesto$175,SBcallsandIcallinthe
BBwithA5s.Theflopis26KandtomixitupIleadout$500.
Thebuttoncallsandtheturnbringsthe10,Icheck,thepotis
$1,500andhebets$1,300.ShouldIcheckraisemylast$3,000?Or
call?No,eventhoughIhavetheacehighflushdrawwithanover
carditsafold.Itsveryhardformetohavetwopairherewiththe
flopbeingsouncoordinatedIcouldhavehittwopairontheturn
withK10,butwithK10Iwouldntleadtheflop.
Thereforemyflopleadiseitherair,aflushdraw,oraset.WhenI
checkraisetheturnallinhecanputmeoneitheraflushdrawora
set.Thefactissetsdontcomealongasoftenasflushdrawssothe
questioniswhetherheisaweakplayerwhoseesabigbetandauto
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automaticallyfoldsonepair?Orisheathinkingplayerwhowillput
hismoneyinwhenhethinkshishandisbest?InthiscaseIthought
hewasjustaloosesuspiciousbadplayer,soIjustfoldedwhichis
thebestplayontheturn.

Example 5
$10/$25HU,opponentisplayingweirdillogicalpoker,heistricky
andalittletoughtoplaybuthasmanyleaks.Hechangeshisbetsize
alotmakingsmallandmediumbetswithsmallhandsandbluffs
andhebetsfullpotwhenhehasagoodhand.Iraisepreflopto$75
withQJandhecalls.TheflopisQ72,andhecheckcallsabetof
$150.Hecallsafairamount.Theturnisatwoandintermsofpot
sizemyhandisgoodenoughtogetonemorebetintothepot.Butif
wegoallin,orbetsgoinonboththeturnandriver,thentheresa
goodchanceIlllose.
ThereforeIchecktheturnandhopetogetvalueontheriver.The
riverisaneightandheleadsout$400likehedoeswithgoodhands.
Iwasslowlygrindingthisplayerdownsostrategicallyitsnotbad
tofoldhere.Also,Ihadafeelinghewasntbluffing,whichcame
fromthegametempo,hisbetsizeandbetspeed.Anotherreasonit
probablyisntabluffisbecausethereisntanythingforhisbluffto
represent.NoscarecardshitandIeitherhaveapairofqueensorI
dont.IfIhaveapairofqueensImprobablycallinganybetupto
thepotsize.IfmyhandisworsethanapairofqueenthanIm
probablyfoldingtoabouta3/4potbetorevenalittleless.Sohecan
accomplishthesamebluffbybettingabout$300buthedidnt,he
bet$400.MyreadwasthathestargetingmeifIhaveaqueenand
soIfolded.

Example 6
$25/$50,fourhanded.IopenonthebuttonwithQJoto$175,theSB
raisesto$575,BBfoldsandIcall.Thisisnormallyafoldbutheis
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playingaggressivelyandpeoplearepushingmearoundpreflop.
TheflopisKQ7andheleadsout$725.SinceIcalledwithsuch
amarginalhand,thesituationismarginalandIhavetoplayvery
welltomakeitanokaycallpreflop.Although,justbecauseIcalled
preflopdoesntmeanthatifIhitsomethingIamcommittedtoput
tingmoneyintothepotIcalledhisreraisepreflopsotheQandK
areverylikelycardstohavehitmeandhisbetsizeseemstosaythat
hewantstokeepmeinthepot.Wecantknowforsurebutitlooks
likeheistargetingusifwehaveaqueen.WhatImeanisifwehave
apairofkingsweareprobablygoingtoputmoneyintothepot
whetherhebets$725orifhebets$1,150.Ifwehave1010orQJwe
areprobablynotgoingtoputmoneyinifhebetsthefullpot$1,150;
however,wearemorelikelytoputmoneyinifhebetssmaller.
Thefirstpieceofevidenceishebetonaboardthatcouldverylikely
hitapersoncallingareraisepreflop.Thesecondpieceofevidence
isthathebetsmalllikehestryingtotrapus.Normallyasmallbetis
evidenceofweaknessbuthereitsdifferentbecausegiventheboard
textureitsquitelikelywehitsomething.Andifwehitsomething
andhebetsmallitlookslikeheswantingustocallandifhewants
ustocallthatmeanshehasagoodhandandshouldfold.Alsothis
playerisaggressiveandwhenhebetstheflophegenerallybetsthe
turn,soforthatreasonweneedtomakeadecisionhereasto
whetherwearewillingtogoallinwithapairofqueensontheturn
whenhebets,andthatsimplycantbejustifiedasheisaggressive
butnotamaniac.

Bet-call and check-call lines with weak hands

Example 1
$10/$25sixhanded,twofoldsandalimper,Iraisepotto$110with
K-10,SBcallsandsodoeslimper.Ihave$2,400andlimpercovers
me.TheflopisK5Q,SBchecksandBBleadsoutintomefor
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$250.IcallandtheSBfolds,theturncomesthe4andheleadsout
$600.Nowwehaveadecisiontomakeandnowitstimetostart
handreading.
Normallyaccordingtothebasicconceptsofpokerthisisafoldit
wasathreewaypotpreflop,wehavetoppairandakickerthat
isntworthmuchandtheopponenthasmadeadecentsizedturn
betandiscertainlythreateningtomakeabigriverbet.Normallywe
dontplaytoppairforbigpots,letalone100BB.AndhadIbeen
playingonautopilotwithoutconsciouslyanddeliberatelythinking
throughthehandIsurelywouldhavefolded.Butdoingexactlythat
yieldsinterestingresults.Tryputtinghimonaspecifichand.Aset?
KKisveryunlikelyasthereisexactlyonecombination,sinceIhave
akingandthereisakingontheboard;QQisalsounlikelybecause
helimpcalledpreflop,andforthesamereasonhedoesnthave
aces.HealsodoesnthaveAKbecausehewouldntlimpcallwithit
preflop.
KJisapossibilitybutthislinewithKJwouldbequitepeculiaras
hishandisntquitegoodenoughtobeplayedsoaggressively.Ifhe
hadKQheprobablywouldjustraisepreflopbutassuminghelimp
calledheprobablywouldntleadoutontheflopsincehehasthe
boarddominated.Hecouldhaveasetoffivesbutthatisonlyone
handcombinationsonottoolikely.Thereforesincewecantputhim
asetwewillcontinuewithK10butshouldweraiseorfold?Raising
makesnosenseasifheisbluffingwewanthimtokeepbluffingand
theboardisnttooscarywithdrawssowedontneedtoraisefor
protection.Theonlyreasontoraisewouldbeifweareverysurehe
hasadrawandalsoverysurehewillnotbluffusontheriver.Sowe
call,theriverisaqueenandhegoesallin.Nowwemustaskifthere
isanywayhecouldhaveaqueen?Notreally,hewouldhavehadto
bettheflopandtheturnwithaQsomehowlikeAQ,KQorQ5,
whichdontmakesense.SoIcallandheshows86foragutshot
drawhepickedupontheturn.

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Example 2
$10/25HU,theopponenthas$1,350andIcover.Ihave99,heraises
onthebuttonto$75andIreraiseto$225.Hecalls.Thepotis$450
andhehas$1,100left,theflopisK82.Nownormallypotcon
trolwouldbeahugefactorhereasyouwouldbetryingtokeepthe
potsmallbecauseifthepotgotbigandyouwenttoashowdown
youwouldlikelylose.Inthisparticularcase,however,theopponent
israisingveryfrequentlyandcallingallreraises.Soingeneral
pocketninesareagoodhandandwilloftenstillbebestontheflop.
Thisflopisalsorelativelygoodwithjustoneovercardsosinceheis
solooseandtiltingandourninesareprobablythebesthandwejust
havetogetthemoneyinandseewhathappens.
ThereforeIbet$325andhecalls.Theturnisthe7;Icheckbecause
ifhefloatedtheflopwithnothingoraweakhandjusttoseewhat
Iddo,Iwanttogivehimachancetobluffhere.Hewentallin,I
calledandhehad56.Inthishandhecouldveryeasilyhavehadus
beatbutsometimesinpokerthereisnothingyoucandotoavoid
losingmoneyandthiswouldhavebeenoneofthosespots.

Example 3
$25/50HU,opponentisverylooseaggressiveandbad.Heisraising
almosteverybuttonandthenalmostalwayscontinuationbetting
theflop,hehas$2,500andIcover.HeraisespreflopandIcallwith
K10s.TheopponentissobadandneedlesslyaggressivethatIcan
justwaittoseeifIhitaflopwiththishand,andthengetthemoney
infromtherebecausehewillalwaysbet.SohereIcall,theflopis
K93,Icheckandhebets$300asexpected.NownormallyIhave
toppairwithamediumkickeranditsnotgoodtoget50BBsinon
theflopwiththatonadryboard.Agoodplayerwouldeithercheck
behindontheflopwithsomethinglikeK5sohecanpracticepot
controlhimself,orhedfolditpreflop,orifsomeoneraisedhim
hedmakeagooddecision.Thisparticularopponentwillnotonly
bettheflopwithK5,alwaysraiseitpreflopandwillmakeabad
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decisionifIraise,buthecouldbebettinganytwocardsandwillcall
withworsekings.SoinsteadofcallingwhichIdnormallydo,inthis
caseIcheckraisedto$1,000,heimmediatelywentallinandhisK4
lost.

Example 4
$10/$25HU,opponentisverybadandloosepassive,hehasalready
beenstackedacoupleoftimes.IraiseKQoto$75andhecalls.The
flopis446,hecheckcallsa$125bet.Theturnisthe6andhe
checks,Icheckbehind.Thepotis$450,therivercomesanoffsuit
Jackandheleadsout$270.Myinstinctstoldmethatsomethingfelt
offtherewasacombinationoffactorsherethatmadehisplaysus
picious.Heplaysstraightforward,soifhehitthesixontheturnhe
probablywouldhaveledoutandsofarhehasbetthefullpotin
stantlywithhandshelikesandhedidntdothathere,whichisevi
dencehedoesntlikehishand.Hecallsmepreflopalmostevery
timesohishandrangeiswide,andhecallsmyflopbetsveryoften,
sohishandrangeiswidethere,too.Ifhehadacehighhewould
probablychecktheriverbecauseacehighhasshowdownvalue.
WithA4inhishandhewouldraisetheflop.A6wouldprobably
betthepotontheriver.Thecombinationofallthesefactorsmade
mesuspicioussoIcalledandhehad52.Itsworthnotingthata
raiseisbadasifhehasa4ora6heisneverfolding.Theworsthand
hecouldhaveisajackandaraiseissosuspiciousandhessobad
thathecouldcallanyway.

Example 5
$10/$25HU,opponentisaclownbutplayslikeanitsoitsagrindto
takehismoneyaway.Heminraisesonthebutton,Irepopto$150
with88andhecalls.Thissequencehashappenedafewtimesal
ready.Heisshortstackedwith$1,200.TheflopisA102,andI
checkasthereisnoreasontobet.Hecheckstoo.TheturnistheQ,
Icheckandhechecks.Theriveristhe4,Icheckandhebets$300.
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Normallythisisaneasyfoldjustbasedontheobviousfactthatitis
anunderpairtoaboardwiththreeovercardsinareraisedpot.
Butmyinstinctssaidhisbetdoesntmakesense.Hisprefloprangeis
wideasheraisedpreflopalotandwouldalwayscallmyreraise.
Thenifhehasabighandwhywouldnthebetthefloporturnboth
forvalueandtoprotecthishand.Thentheriverisablanksoit
doesntchangethestrengthofhishandandhechosethattimetobet?
Hebetsfullpot,too,whichonthatboardindicatesagoodamountof
strengthwhichisinconsistentwiththefacts,sothisissuspicious.
Also,itindicatesalotofstrengthbecausehewasnotasophisticated
opponentsoifhebetsfullpotitsnotwithamediumstrengthhand
mixingitupandheisnotsophisticatedenoughtotrapbychecking
theflopandturnwithagoodhandthatoften.Evengivenallofthese
factorsitisstillahardcalltomake,giventheboardandtheweakness
ofmyhandbutinHUpokerandyoucantletscarecardsgettoyou
andyoucantletyourselfgetrunover.Icalledandhehad6-9.

Example 6
$10/$25,sameopponent,hehas$1,300andIcover.Helimpsonthe
button,IraisewithKKto$75,hecalls.TheflopisJ103;Ibet
$150andhecalls.Theturnisthe7anditfeltlikehewouldfoldifI
betandhemightbetsoIcheckedhopingtocheckraisebuthe
checksbehind.Theriveristhe8.Icheckandhequicklybets$450.
Againmyinstinctssaidhisbetwasoffpartlybecauseofhisbettim
ing.Butitsalsobasedonstraightforwardhandanalysis.Hecould
haveaflushbutthisisabackdoorflushandthosearehardtocome
byHU.Hecouldhaveastraightbutthatmeansveryspecifichands
forhimlike109orJ9orQ9.Thebigquestionishowsophisticated
heis,e.g.wouldhebettwopairontheriveragainstmetogetvalue?
Atoughplayerwouldbetmanytwopairhandsontheriveraswell
asaflushorastraightsohishandrangeisalotwider.Butinthis
casetheopponentisntsophisticatedandwouldonlybetastraight
orflushorabluff,whichmakesitalotmorelikelyImahead.I
calledandhehad53.
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Example 7
$10/25sixhanded,IraiseinMPwithA-9to$85andonlytheSB
calls.Theflopis3102,checkcheck.Theturnisthe4,check
check.Theriveristhe7andtheopponentquicklyleadsoutthepot.
Whatisherepresenting?Wellhedidntbetonthefloportheturnso
basedonthatitdoesntseemthatstrong.Andifhehadamediumto
weakmadehandwouldnthechecktheriverandhopeforafree
showdown?Sohesrepresentingaflush,butpeopledontget
flushesallthatoftenadditionallyhemightbebettingwiththaton
theturn.IcalledandhehadQ-J.

Example 8
$5/$10HU,opponenthas$400andIcover,heisbadandloose.I
haveA5andraiseonthebuttonto$30,hecalls.Theflopis
596,hechecks.InNLHEitcanbehardtoprotectyourhand
sometimesforinstanceifwebetthepotof$60thenhewillnotcall
withworsehandsbuthecouldblufforsemibluffusandhecancall
withbetterhands.Andifwechangedourbetsizetoprotectthepot
tosomethinglike$20thenitwouldgivealotofinformationaway
aboutthetypeofhandwehaveandhecouldoutplayus.Sonor
mallytobedeceptiveweareforcedtocheckinthissituation.How
evergiventhatheisespeciallybadhereIbet$25forthepurposeof
protectingmyhandsinceheissobadhewontbeabletotakead
vantageofmyobviousbetsize.
Hecalledanditsunclearwhathehasatthispoint.Theturnisthe
3,hechecksandIcheckbehind.Theriveristhe9andheleadsout
$110quickly.Letsdosomehandreadinghequicklybetoutthe
potsohesrepresentingagoodhand,whichherewouldbeaflush
oranine.Itsnotlikelythathebackdooredaflushsodoeshehavea
nine?Well,becausewebetsosmallontheflophisflopcalldoesnot
provetousthathehasanine.Andparticularlyinlightofthefact
thathessobadandpartofthereasonwebet$25isbecausehesca
pableofcallingitwithgarbage.Thingsgetalittletrickierifhishand
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rangeexpandstoincludeapairofsixesbecausethatexpandshis
rangesignificantlyandmakesitmorelikelyhehasoneofthehands
thathecouldbeplayingitthatwaythatbeatsus.Fortunatelythis
playerisnotsophisticatedenoughtomakesuchaggressivevalue
betswithweakhands.IcalledandhehadJQo.

Changing gears
Changinggearshasalottodowithbeinginthezone.Theques
tionisareyoufocusingonthepokergame,ormindlesslyplaying
standardpoker?Ifitsthelatterthenyoureintrouble.Youmightbe
doingfinebutthencardswillfallacertainwayforinstanceyou
getafewgoodhandsinarowandraisetheopponentandhefolds.
Nowhedoesntknowyouhadgoodhandseachtimeinfacthell
beprettysureyoudidnthaveitoneofthosetimesbecausemathe
maticallythatisthemostlikelyscenariobyfar.Andifyouraisehim
againsoonhellbeevenmoresureyouarebluffing,thusyouneed
toadjust.Yourstandardsystemofplayisntgoingtoworkinthis
situationbecauseanoddrunofcardshasyouropponentsuspicious
andheisgoingtoadjust,soyouneedtoadjusttothatadjustment
andthatiswhatchanginggearsisabout.

Example 1
$10/$25HU,opponenthas$2,200andIcover.Iopento$75with
AKandhecalls.TheflopisAK10andhecheckcallsmypot
betof$150.Theturnisthe5andhechecks.Ifhehassomesortof
drawormadehand/drawcombinationIwanttoenticehimtocon
tinuethehandandalsoenticehimtodosoontermsunfavorableto
himsoIbet$300hereandhecalls.
Theriveristhe3andheleadsoutthefullpotfor$1,050andmy
initialhappinessandconfidenceaboutthehandquicklywentaway.
MyhandwassostrongthatIhadtocall,butthedecisionwaseither
tocallorgoallin.Inaspotlikethiswherehisbetreallysurprised
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meitseasytoletthataffectmydecisionandmakemecallorgoall
inwithoutthinking.Butdontdothatbemeticulous,thinkand
handread.
Heseemstoberepresentingastronghandbutnoreallystrong
handsmakesensehere.Theissueisthatifhehasastraightoraset
fromthestarthishandisstrongbutvulnerableandsohewould
haveraisedatsomepoint.Actionlikethiscouldbeapocketpair
thathitasetontheriverbutthereisnowayhecouldhavecalled
theflopandturnwith33.OnehandthatdoesmakesenseisA3,
butfortunatelywebeatthathand.Sointheenditsimpossibleto
puthimonahandthatbeatsus,soweraiseallin.Hecalledwith
A4.

Example 2
Acoupleofhandsafterthattheopponentisplayingwitha$1,200
stack.Iraisethebuttonto$75withQ8oandhereraisesto$195.
Normallythisisaneasyfold,butgivenhiscompleterecklessness
andthefactthatIhavepositionandthathedoesntmakeafullpot
raiseitmakessensetocallhereandseewhatdevelops.Icall,the
flopisK87oandhequicklybetsoutthepotof$390.Againthisis
normallyaspotwherepeoplelosealotofmoneybygetting
draggedintoahandearlyon,andthenwhentheyhitahandthey
thinktheyhavetogowithit.
WellIdonthavetogowithitgivenhisquickfullsizedpotbetfelt
strongtomeandthekingisoneoftheworstcardsthatcouldcome.
Alsothestacksizesmakeitawkward.However,themostprofitable
playisnotalwaystheeasiestplayandthatisthecasehere.Thesim
plefactisthathispreviousplaywithA4wasjustsocrazyandhe
losthiswholestack,sohecouldbetiltingevenmorehereandthat
makesitacall.Icalledandwithoutputtinganymoremoneyinto
thepotwonagainsthis94o.

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Miscellaneous

Example 1
$25/50sixhanded,buttonraisesto$175,theSBcallsandIcallinthe
BBwith89o.TheflopisA94,itischeckedaround.Theturnis
the6andtheSBleadsoutfor$400.Thisisapeculiarbetfromhim
becausewhenhehasagoodhandhehasbetthepotinthepast.A
lotofthetimespeoplewillbetsmallerwiththeirbesthandsbut
shorthandedpeoplerarelymakehugehands.Basically,therearea
lotofdifferenthandshecouldhavebutbecauseofhisbetsizeit
doesntfeelstrong.Anotherfactoristhemath.Somepeopleinthis
spotwillbetoutandyoullbluffraiseandtheyllalwaysseemto
haveagoodhand.Otherpeoplewillfoldoften.Thekeytoseeing
howoftentheyhaveabighandornotishowoftentheycallpreflop.
Iftheyrarelycallthentheyarealreadyfilteringtheirhandselection,
soiftheybettheflopoftenandhaveitoften,itsbecausepreflop
theyalreadydumpedthetrash.Iftheycallpreflopalotthenbetthe
flopfrequentlytheyaregoingtohavemanyweakholdings.
Now,allthreeoptionsareviablehere.Icouldcertainlyfoldsome
opponentsaresuspiciousandsomeareweak.Thisparticularoppo
nentisweakanddoesntputupmuchofafightwithmediocre
holdings.Icouldcallbuthecouldhavealotofmediocrehandsthat
stillbeatme,andthereisalsoaplayerbehindme.Also,hecould
blufftheriverifIcall.IfIraisehellhaveahardtimecallingwithhis
mediocreholdings.AlsoifhedoesshowupwithahandIprobably
haveouts.PlusifImabetterplayerthenIcanraiseandifhecalls,I
canplanonoutplayinghimbasedonhistiming,therivercard,and
hisriveraction.Anotheradvantageisthathecouldcallwithadraw,
whichisthebestofbothworlds.Mydecisiontoraisehereisacom
binationofmanymarginalfactors,andtheplayitselfisquitemar
ginalbutitillustratesthethinkingbehindthissortofplay.

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Example 2
$3/$6sixhanded,UTGraisesto$21,IcallwithredjacksintheSB
anditsHU.TheflopisA109,Icheckandhebetspotfor$46.
Theopponentisadecentplayerwhoisgivingmealotofrespect
andthisisagoodtimetousethatrespecttoendthispotrightnow
insteadofplayingmorestreetsoutofposition,whichwillgetcon
fusing.Araiseisgoodherebecauseifwejustcallwewillnotknow
exactlywherewestandinthehandanditmakesplayingfuture
streetsuncertainandconfusing.Iftheopponenthasanacewithout
aheartwecanalsobluffhim.Also,afteracheckraisewecouldgeta
freeturncardeventhoughwereoutofposition.

Example 3
$25/$50HU,IraiseonthebuttonwithAKoandmyopponentcalls
whichhedoesoften,wehave$5kstacks.Theflopis3510,he
checks.Normallyalwayscontinuationbettingacehighhereisaleak
becausepeoplecansimplycallwithbetterorfoldworsehandsbuta
fewfactorsincombinationmadeitabetagainstthisplayer.Hecalls
theflopquiteoften,soitcouldbeavaluebetagainstaweakaceor
someweirdhandhewantstofloatwith.Alsoheispassive,soifI
betheprobablywontcheckraisetheflopandIcangettoseetwo
morecardsifIwantbycheckingbehindontheturn,andIcan
choosethebetsize.Andfinallyhecallstheflopalotbutisweakon
theturnandhasfoldedtomanycontinuationbets,soiftheturn
cardisscaryIcankeepbluffing.Inthehandhecalled,theturnwas
aQ,andhefoldedtomyturnbet.

Example 4
$5/$10sixhanded,twolimpersandheroraisesto$55withAA,
onelimpercalls.Theflopis9J8(herodoesnthaveA).villain
checkstohero.Whatplandoeshehavehere,whatsortofpotdoes
hewant?Ontheflophemostcertainlywantsasmallone.Theprob
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lemisifthevillainhasapieceofthisboardheissomewherearound
evenmoneytobeatAAontheflopandifhehasabigpieceofthe
boardthenhecrushesthehero,sothereisntalotofvalueinbetting
thisflop.
Soiftheopponenthasnothingouractiondoesntmatterbecausehe
onlyhasafewoutstooutdrawouracesandsupposingheisnta
betterplayerthanus,heprobablywontbeabletobluffusout.Soif
webetandhehasnothing,hellfoldandifwecheckandhehas
nothingwelljustwinthehandonalaterstreetandouraction
doesntmatter.Andiftheopponenthasaverystronghandthen
checkingisgoodbecausewearentputtingmoneyintothepot
againstit.
Thereasonwhythishandissotrickyandwhycheckinghasvalueis
iftheopponenthasastrongdraw.Iftheopponenthasastrong
drawhecanraiseusasasemibluffontheflopandwellhaveto
foldbecauseonthisboardthevillainwouldntgoallinwithnoth
ing.Sowegainalotmoreequitybywaitingfortheturntoseeifour
acesarestillgood,andwecanseewhathisactionisbecausewe
haveposition.
Ifyouweretheopponentandhadmiddlesethereyouprobable
wanttoleadoutanddothebettingyourself,sinceatop
pair/overpairhandwillusuallycheckbehindhere,orbetwiththe
intentionoffoldingtoaraise.Valuebettingtoppairisdubiouson
thisboardbecausehandsworsethantoppaircantcallveryoften
butifthepotstayssmalltoppairhasabetterchanceofbeingthe
besthand.Ofcourse,thisisallhighlysituationaldependingonthe
waythegameisplayingandtheopponentbutthisillustratesthe
wayyoushouldbethinkingabouthands.

Example 5
$25/$50HU,opponenthas$7,500andIcover.IhaveA6oandraise
to$150,hecalls.Theflopis468,hechecks,Ibet$225andhe
checkraisesto$525.Imnotsureexactlywhatsgoingonatthis
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pointbutImalotbetterthentheopponentwithpositionandcan
outplayhim,andalsoheisnotanitandtheresagoodchancehe
doesnthaveabighandsoIcall.Theturnisthe2,hebets$475into
the$1,350potandhisbetsizegivesthegameawayaswhenhebets
smallheisweaksoIraiseto$1,900andtakethepotdown.

Heads-up matches
Finallyherearecompletehandhistoriesandcommentaryfromthree
headsupmatches.Acoupleofnoteshere.YoullseethatIdont
playperfectlyandIllmakenoattempttohideitnoonedoes.
Evenwhensomeoneisplayingtheirbestpokertheyarestillmaking
alotofsuboptimalplays,whichispartofthebeautyofthegame
thefactthateveryonealwaysplaysbadincomparisontotheper
fectgamemeansthatthereisalwaysroomtoplaybetterandearn
moremoney.
Itsimpossibletoanalyzepokerhandsandcometodefiniteconclu
sionsaboutwhatwasagoodplay,whatwasabadplay,andbyhow
muchwasitgoodorbad.Thevalueofthissectionisnotsomuchin
thefinaljudgmentsImakeandthecorrespondinggoodorbadplays
thatoccurbutinseeingallthefactorsthatenterintoadecision.
Thenyoucantakealltheconceptsinvolvedandstartweighing
themintoyourowndecisionsandovertime,withmuchstudyand
repetition,yourjudgmentwillimprove.
Anotherpointisthateveryoneplaysdifferently.Itisanotherbeauti
fulpartofHUpokerthatitallowsforpeopletoplayinextremely
differentwaysandstillbeskilledandwinmoney.Forthisreason
alsoitsimportanttofocusnotsomuchonthespecificsofthelinesI
takebutonthethoughtprocessesandideasbehindwhatishappen
ing.

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Heads-up match #1, $25/50,

$5,000 starting stacks

Hand 1
Iopenonthebuttonto$150with87,theopponentreraisesto
$450.Itsthefirsthandandhereraisedwhichmakesmesuspicious
sofarbasedonthefactsthatheislooseandaggressive.However,
evenwiththatbeingsoitsabitsuspecttoputin10%ofmystack
preflopwithlowcards,eveniftheyaresuitedconnectors.Toputin
somuchpreflopwegenerallywanthighcards,andofcoursehope
fullysuitedand/orconnectedones.However,Ifeltlikegamblinga
bitandsincethedecisioniscloseitreallydoesntmattertoomuch
onewayortheother.IfIcallitwillleadtoaloosergamblinggame
withbigpotsandhighervariance,andifIfolditwillbeasmaller
potgamewithlessvariance.
IcallandtheflopcomesAJ8andheleadsout$900,andIfold.
JustbecauseIhaveapairdoesntmeanIneedtogowithit.Here
raisedprefloprepresentinghighcards,thentheflopcomeswith
highcardsandhecontinuestorepresenthisgoodhandbybetting
thepotontheflop.IbelievehimandevenifIdidntitwouldbea
lotofmoneytocommitinaveryprecariousposition,sotheflopfold
isstraightforward.

Hand 2
Opponentonbuttonfolds.Thisisprettycommonpointaboutgame
tempoactually.Afterwinningabigpotlikethattheopponentwill
foldpreflopthenexthandmoreoftenthantheywouldnormally.

Hand 3
Iraise79oto$150,hecalls.FlopisJQ8,hechecksandIcheck.
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Iwanttowaitfortheturntogainmoreinformationbeforeriskinga
bluff.AlsoifhecallsitslikelyIhavenoovercardsandjustagutshot
drawtohitatenwhichhasnoimpliedoddsbecauseitssoobvious.
Alsoitsabadboardtexturetobluffbecauseiftheopponenthasa
handtheresahigherchancethennormalitsadecenthandwith
outs.ForinstanceonamorenormallookingboardlikeKJ6ifthe
opponenthad67itsjustbottompair,butintheactualhandifthe
opponenthasbottompairwithsomethinglike89or810healso
hasagutshotdrawandcancontinuemorereadily.Similarlycom
parehowJ10worksonbothboards.Ifwebluffedthefloponthe
KJ6boardhellcall,thensaytheturnisatwo.Ifwebetagainhell
probablyfoldevenifhessuspiciouswerebluffingasitshardfor
himtocallbecausehehasnoouts.HoweverontheQJ8boardif
webettheflopandhecallsthentheturnisatwoandwebetagain
andhessuspicious,itsaloteasierforhimtocallbecausehehas
outs.Sotheboardtexturetakesawaysomeofouroptions.
Theturncomesthe7,hechecks.Nowitsnotworthittobluff.Be
forewepairedthesevensabetwouldmakesensetomakehimfold
acehigh,kinghigh,andpairsbelowsevens.Nowifwebluffwe
havetomakehimfoldhandsbetterthanapairofsevenstobeworth
it.Andtheonlyhandoutofthosehedfoldisprobablyapairof
eights.Sowecheckandalsogiveourselvesachancetoimproveour
hand.Riveristhe5andheleadsout$50.Atthispointifweraise
himourhanddoesnotrepresentanything.Wecheckedtheflopand
turnshowingweaknessandtherivercarddoesntchangetheboard.
Sothewaytointerpretit,isoneoftwothings.Eitherastupidbet
thatmakesnosensewithacehighorsomerandomhandinwhich
casesimplycallingisthebestcourseofaction.Orasamadehand
thatknowsweareweakandistryingtoextract$50ofvalueand
mightevenhopeweraiseasabluff,becauseheknowsweareweak
andwillcalltheraise.Icalled,hehadKJ.

Hand 4
Heraisesto$150,wecallwithQ10o.Thisisagoodhandtomixit
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upandreraisebecausewehavetworelativelyhighcardstopair,
andalsocantakeitdownpreflop;however,itfeelslikethisisthe
typeofopponentwhowillcallalot.Ifhellcallthereraisealotthis
playlosesalotofitsvalue.TheflopisAQ7,Icheckandhe
checks.Turnis3,Icheckandhechecks.Ifyoufelttheneedtoput
moneyintothepotonthefloporturnsimplyaskyourselfwhatwill
itaccomplish?Whathandsishegoingtocall,andwhatwillhefold,
andhowdoesthathelpyou?TherivercomestheK,andifthecard
wasaragmyplanhadbeentovaluebetbecausehecheckedtwice
sohedoesnthaveanace.Nowthekingscareshimifhehasaworse
handsohewontcall,andalsohecouldhaveveryeasilyhitthat
king.Checkcheck,hehas88.

Hand 5
Iraiseto$150withK10o,hefolds.

Hand 6
Hefolds.

Hand 7
Iraiseto$150withA10o,hefolds.ThisisthesortofopponentIlike.
Ifhekeepsthisupitssoeasytoplayversushim.Hishandrangeis
smaller,hespredictable.Iwontneedtoforceanythingpostflop
becauseIcanmakeaneasyprofitpreflopagainsthim.

Hand 8
Heminraisesto$100;againthisweirdplayreinforcesmybeliefthat
startedtogrowfromthelasthand.Thisisapoorplaypreflop
whichiseasyformetoplayagainstasheisntputtingmuchpres
sureonmewithaminraise.Hecanmakeupforitwithbetterpost
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flopplaybutitsagoodsignforme.IcallwithA8o.Flopis
35K,checkcheck.Turnis7,checkcheck.Maybeabetisgood
herebutitsearlyoninthegame,Idonthavemuchofareadonthe
opponentanddontknowwhathisflopcheckmeanssoIlltakeit
slowandcheck.RiveristheQ,againabethereisprobablygood
butImadeamistakeandlettheinertiatakeoverfromtheturn.I
checkedtheturnsoitseasytochecktheriver,too,itsalsoparticu
larlyeasytochecksinceourhandhasalittlebitofshowdownvalue
whichallowsustobelazy.Thisshowshowyouhavetoalwaysbe
alertandthisisveryimportantasaplayer.Hecheckedbehindand
wonwith22.

Hand 9
IraisewithJ9oandhefolds.

Hand 10
Hefolds.Lookinggoodforme.

Hand 11
Iraiseto$150withAKo,hecalls.Hehasfoldedalotpreflopsoits
sometimestemptingtolimpandtraphim.Butlimpingdoesntbuild
abigpot;AKhasthepotentialtowinabigpotsoevenifhefoldsa
lotpreflopwehavetoriskittotryandachievethepotentialofAK
here.Theflopis910Q,heleadsout$50.Notsurewhatthis
means,butIthinkitsweak.IfIcallandheleadsoutontheturnon
aragthenthingsgetawkwardtoplay.Hereaftera$50bethes
probablynotgoingtothreebetmesoIdontneedtoworryabout
missingmydrawingchances.AbigpartofthereasonIraisehereis
thatifhecalls,Iwillcheckbehindontheturnandtakeanothercard
forfree.Hefoldedtothepotraise.

164
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Hand 12
Opponentfolds.Atthispointhesplayingbad.Firstofallitsvery
unlikelyhehasnthadahandgoodenoughtoraisepreflop.And
secondlyevenifallofhishandsare26o(whichtheyarent),hecan
stillraiseashecanusehispositionandhisgrowingimageasatight
playertodothat.

Hand 13
IraiseA6o,hefolds.

Hand 14
Opponentraisesto$150,Ihave810o.Itssoeasytoplayagainst
himthereisnoneedtomixitupforstrategicreasonswithahand
like810ooutofpositionsoIfolded.

Hand 15
82o,Ifold.RaisingisprobablyprofitableherebutIveraisedevery
handsofarandhekeepsfolding.Ilikethewayhesplaying,which
istightandbad,anddontwanttochangeitbyraisingeveryhand.
SoIfoldmarginallyprofitablehandsthatcouldraiselikehere.

Hand 16
Heraisesto$150,Ifold72o.

Hand 17
Iraise45shefolds.

165
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Free $50

Hand 18
HelimpsandIcheckwithK8,althoughinalllikelihoodifIraised
to$250herehewouldprobablyfoldsothatisvalidtoconsider.The
flopisAAK.Icheckandhechecks.Turnisthe7,andhere
perhapsabetwouldbegood,becausehedoesntappeartobluffand
semibluffmuch.Theriveristhe9,andagainhedoesntseemlike
ablufferorevenanaggressivevaluebettor,sohereIbetout$50and
hefolded.

Hand 19
Ihave8Qoandraiseto$150,hecalls.Flopis245,hechecks,I
check.Turnisthe6,hechecks.Abetherebymeiskindofsuspi
ciousbecausewhatamIrepresenting,astraight?FirstofallIneed
tohaveraisedpreflopandhaveexactlythatcardinmyhandto
makeastraight.ButalsoIprobablywouldhavebettheflopifIhad
thethreeasasemibluff,whichallmakesaturnbetratheroddby
me.Butasstatedaboveheappearstoplayprettystraightforwardly,
andhedoesntseemtohandreadandplaysuspiciously,soIgo
aheadandbet$300andhefolds.

Hand 20
Helimps,IcheckwithA3o.Theflopis7A6.Icheckedtheflop,
whichisthestandardplayherebecausetheBBdidntcommitany
moneytothepotpreflopsoIhaveacompletelyrandomhand
whichissupposedlybadanddoesntcontainanace.AsSBhe
limpedandismorelikelytohaveanace,andthusrepresentanace.
Thatiswhycheckingisthestandardplay;however,asstatedthis
opponentiseithertoolazyoruncreativetorepresenthandssoin
thiscasebettingtheflopandtryingtogetvaluewhenhehasalower
pairorevenwhenhedoessomethingweirdliketryandfloatme
with810or59wouldbeokay.
ButinthehandIchecked,hebet$100andIcalled.Theturnisthe8,
166
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Icheckandhebets$300.Givenhowlittleaggressionhehasshown
sofarandgiventhefactthatIhavenoredraws,andthatevenifhe
doesnthavemebeathemostlikelyissemibluffingwithredraws,
andgiventhatitwasunraisedpreflopthisisaprettyeasyfold.
Originallyourplanwastotraphim,butthatchanged.Itsatough
roadtowalkbecauseonceweshowweaknessitsimportantnotto
getbluffedoutbecausethatsexactlywhatwetriedtoinducethe
opponenttodo.Butontheotherhandbytrappingwithaweak
handwemightjustbetrappingourselves.VersusanopponentIre
spectedIdprobablycallhimdownandfollowthroughwiththe
plan,notgivingmyselfachancetooutguessmyselfandbeout
played.Butversusabadplayerlikethisopponent,Iamconfidentin
myabilitytoreadhishandsandnotafraidofoutguessingmyself.

Hand 21
48o.InretrospectperhapsthisisaraisebymebutIfoldedinthe
game.Hehadjustwontheprevioushand,andoftenwhenpeople
winahandtheyloosenupabitwiththeirextramoneyandconfi
denceandforthatreasonIfolded.

Hand 22
3-9,heraises,Ifold.Noteweveplayed22handsalreadyand
therehasntbeenabigpotthatisthewaygamesgosometimes.
Dontforcebigpots,patienceandprecisionisthekey.

Hand 23
102o,Ifoldedandinretrospectthisisalmostcertainlyamistake
givenhowmuchhefoldstomypreflopraisesandhowstraight
forwardlyheplayspostflop.Thisisanexampleoftheopponent
havingthemomentumanditgettingmeoffbalanceandplayingde
fensively.
167
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Free $50

Hand 24
Opponentlimps,IcheckwithQ-3.Notebeforehewentthrougha
cyclewherehefoldedafewhandsinarow,andnowhelikesto
limpthisisprobablybecausehehaswonafewpotsinarowand
hasthemomentum.HUpokerisverymuchagameofhavingmo
mentumandthepsychologicaladvantage.Theflopis7JK,we
bothcheck.Turnisthe4,Icheckandhechecks.Riveristhe5,I
checkandhechecksandwinswith56.Thefactthathechecksbe
hindontheturnwithahandthathasnoshowdownvaluebutis
greatforbuildingapotortakingthepotdownthereisevidencehe
ispassive,andevidenceheisabadplayer.

Hand 25
2-9,Ilimpandhechecks.Theflopis5J5,hechecksandIbet
$100.AgainstatrickyopponentIdbemorelikelytobet$200be
causethebiggerbetsizeismorelikelytodeterhimfromfloatingor
raisingmewithwackyhands(whichhedbecorrecttodo),however
thisopponentdoesntseemybetsizeandtheboardandthinkwhat
hecandotome.Heseeshehasnohand,andsimplythatIplaceda
betandfolds.

Hand 26
Hefolds.

Hand 27
IhaveA-4andraiseto$150,hecalls.TheflopisA69and
thisissometimesagoodspottotrap,theideabeingthatifIbetnow
Illforcehimoutwhenhehasweakerhandsandbuildthepotwhen
hehasabetterhandthanme.AndifhehasagoodhandIshould
justcheckandwaituntilIhitmyhandandbuildthepotthen.How
ever,againstthistypeofplayerwhoisntgoingtogowildifIhita
168
Free $50
Free $50
flushandhehasalesserhand,andwhoisntgoingtogettooag
gressivewhenIshowsignsofweaknessontheflop,itsbetterjustto
betstraightout.Ibetalittlelessthanthepot,$235,togivehimroom
tostayintherewithweakerhands,buthefolds.

Hand 28
Helimps,Iraiseto$150withQ-J.Heseemsprettystraightfor
wardpostflopsoitsokaytoraiseoutofposition.QJoisabetter
handthanwhathehassoitsaraiseforvalue.TheflopisA97,I
checkandhebets$300.Ifiguredhewouldhaveraisedpreflopifhe
hadanaceinhishand,thusthatmakeshisbetabluffprobably.SoI
raisedhimto$1,200.However,givenhisreluctancetomakebluffs
beforethisIshouldhavegivenhimcreditforahandthatIwasun
abletoputhimon,justbecausehedoesntseemtobluff.Hecalled.
Theturnisthe3.NowthisisaninterestingtimetobetforsureasI
thinkhegivesmerespect,soifhehasapairofaceshewillfold
them.However,ifhehasapairofacesandaspadethenhellproba
blycall.Thepotis$1,500,soifIbetsay$1,300andhecallsthenthe
potbecomes$4,000andhewillhave$3,000leftandsowillI.So
giventhepotsizeandstacksizesitbecomesquitenaturalforhimto
raisemeallinwhichwillscaremeorfold,andlesslikelyforhimto
simplycall.Thischangesmyplayfromasemibluff(withmyJ)to
abluff,whichmightbeokaybutisatoughdecision.Icheckedand
sodidhe.Theriveristhe2andtheactionIprobablywantvs.this
opponentischeckcheckandIwintheshowdown,whichiswhat
happened.Heshowed86o.

Hand 29
Opponentnowhas$3,750andIcover.IhaveKKandraiseto$150,
hecalls.Flopis852.AtthetimeIwashopinghewastilting
fromthelasthandandwouldoverplayhishandifhehadsome
thinghereandbetout$300whenhecheckedtome,buthefolded.
169
Free $50
Free $50

Tobeconsideredisthatheprobablyhastwoovercards,soIcould
givehimafreecardtotraphim.However,thathasdisadvantagesas
hehastohitasixoutertotraphimselfandthenweonlyhavetwo
streetstobuildapot.IfIbettheflopandhedecidestooverplayhis
handthenhiswholestackisgone,whichiswhatIwashopingfor
andtherightthingtodohere.Herethegamebrokeup.

Heads-up match #2, $25/50 vs. maniac,


Hand 1
Iraiseto$150withA-5,opponentcalls.Flopis9J10,he
checksandIcheck.Itseasyforhimtohaveahand.Turnisthe9,
checkcheck.RiveristheAandhebets$300.Heappearstobe
happywithhishandandhecouldverywellhavecheckedagood
handonthefloporturntotrapme.Butitshardtoputhimona
specifichandthatbeatsmeandimportantlyifhehasapairofaces
tohaveabetterkickerheneedsAKorAQ,whichhedreraisepre
flopwithallotherpairsofaceswesplitthepot.Icall,hehasJQ.
Hisriverbetsimplymakesnosense.SoatthispointIwillbeplay
ingundertheassumptionhesbad.

Hand 2
K-8,opponentraisesto$150,Icall.TheflopisK85;sincehe
appearstobecrazythereisnoneedtotaketheleadawayfromhim,
especiallysinceIdominatetheboard.Icheck,hechecks.Turnisthe
5,abadcardasitcouldmakehimabetterhand,decreasesthe
strengthofmine,andmostimportantofall,doesntimprovehis
hand.Icheck,hechecks.Riveristhe2,Ibet$300,hefolded.

170
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Free $50
Hand 3
Q-2,Iraiseto$150.Itsamarginalhandbutitsthebeginningof
thegameandIwanttoestablishmyselfasaggressiveandtakethe
leadinthegame.Hecalls,flopis648.HereIfiguredsinceit
lookslikeheisthetypeofopponentwhocallseverythingpreflop,
heprobablydoesnthaveagoodhandhere.AndeventhoughI
donthaveanythinghewouldntbeabletostandabet.SoIbet$300
buthecalled.Iguessthatwasamistakeasheappearstobethetype
ofopponentwhonotonlycallseverythingpreflopbutthenisalso
crazypostflop.
TheturncomestheA.ThenIfiguredthatifheiscrazypreflop
andontheflopthatmeanshestillprobablydoesnthaveahand,the
boardisscaryandtheturnisascarecard.SoIwillgoaheadand
playmoreaggressivelythanhimtomusclehimoutofthehandand
hereIbetpotfor$900.Itsquitepossiblefortwoopponentstobe
looseandaggressiveandskilled,andthensomeprettywackyhands
canhappenquitefrequently.Itinvolvesalotofaggression,bluffing,
semibluffingandclosedecisions.ThatswhatIwasforcingmyself
intohere,althoughitturnsouttheopponentisnotskilledsostrate
gicallyIdidntneedtoforcethesetoughhighvariancedecisions.He
islooseandaggressivebutnotsoskilledsoIcanjustwait.Inthe
handheraisedmeto$1,800andwonthepot.

Hand 4
Heraisesto$150,IfoldK2o.

Hand 5
Iraise$150with22,hefolds.

171
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Free $50

Hand 6
Heraisesto$150,Ireraiseto$450withAQo.Thisisastandardre
raiseforvaluebecausemyhandisfarbetterthanhisrangeofhands.
Theflopis8K2,Ibet$700becausesinceheappearstobe
wackyitwillbetoughtotryandshowdownacehighandwinthe
hand,andsoIwanttobetandenditrightaway.Hewouldtryand
stealitfrommeatsomepointifIcheckedandthenifIwantedto
fighthimforitIdhavetoputinsignificantlymorethan$700to
fightforthepot.Hecalls.
Theturnisthe6,Icheckandhechecks.Sincehedidntraisethe
floporbettheturn,thereisaprettydecentchancehedoesnthavea
king.Butthecombinationofthefactthathemighthaveaking,and
thathemightcallariverbluffevenwithoutakingmakesmyplan
tocheckdownandlosethepot.Therivercomesaqueen.Itsclose
andIwanttobetbutgiventhatweveonlyplayedsixhandssofar
myreaddoesntseemstrongenoughtojustifymakingsuchathin
valuebet.Thepotisprettybigbynow;Ireraisedpreflopandbet
theflopandhecalledthat,soifImgoingtobettheriveritsgoing
tobeasizeablebetandifImwrongquitecostly.Icheckedandhe
checkedbehind89s.

Hand 7
Ifold52o.

Hand 8
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithJ9o.TheflopisA23,Icheckand
hebets$300.Hestooaggressiveformetositbackandwaitaround,
andthisisagoodspot.Myreadisthatheraisesalotpreflop,so
theresaquitegoodchancehedoesnthaveanaceinhishand.And
hewillneedanacetocontinuevs.meifIraise.SoIamplayingthe
mathhereandraisehimto$1,000,hefolds.
172
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Hand 9
IraiseQ3sandhereraisespot,Ifold.

Hand 10
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithQ9o.Ithinkheislooseandasuspi
cioustypewhowillfloatmewhenIbetwithweakhandssoIlead
outintohimontheflopof10109for$300andhecalls.Thisis
allpartoftheplanandIamhappyasmyhandisreasonablystrong
andheisloosesoamediumstrengthhandisprettygood.
Theturnisthe2andImprettysuremyhandisbestsoIbet$700
heretogetvalueandprotectmyhand,hecalls.Thisisaboutthepot
sizeIwanttowinwiththisstrengthofhand,aswithapotanybig
gerandIllhavetoworrythathesbeentrappingme.Theriveris
the5,Icheckandhebets$550.Giventhepotsizeitwillbetoughto
foldhere,especiallygiventhefirsthandwhereheshowshemakes
betsthatjustdontmakesense.Icallandhehas108.Thereisnoth
ingtobeunhappyabouthereitwasasetup.Heisanuttyplayer
andhegotaverygoodhandvs.mygoodhand,soitsinevitable
thatImgoingtolosemoney.Infacteventhoughhewonthehand
ImprettyhappyasIcouldhaveeasilylostmore.Heshouldhave
betmoreontheriver,andtheboardisdrawheavyonstraightsand
flushessothefactthathewasntaggressivewithhisgoodhandis
promising.RatherthanbeingupsetaboutlosingthepotIamexcited
abouttherestofthismatch.

Hand 11
Iopento$150withJ6oandhecalls.Theideaisthatsinceheplays
badpreflop,Iwanttobuildthepotandtakeadvantageofmyposi
tion,andinmyjudgmentheplayssobadthatevenraisingwithJ6o
isprofitable.Hecalls,theflopis9Q10,hecheckcallsmy$300
bet.Theturnisthe4,hechecksandIbet$900.Mylogicisagain
thathecallssomuchhecouldeasilybeweakandfold,andevenif
173
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Free $50

hecallsitsokaybecauseIprobablyhaveagoodnumberofoutsand
vs.aplayerlikethisthereareimpliedoddseventhoughthedrawis
obvious.Alsoitallowsmetomaintainandbuildaquiteaggressive
imagewheninactualityitdoesntcostmemuch.
Hecalls,theriveristhe2.Thisisareasonablespottobluffagain.
ThefactorstoconsiderarethatheisprobablyweakandIcouldeas
ilyhavehadastronghandthewholeway,butontheotherhandhe
isloose.Itsaclosedecision,andIhavetobepreparedfordecisions
likethiswhenIplaythewayIdidontheflopandturn.Inthehand
IcheckedandhecheckedbehindwithQ7o.Itsunclearwhathe
wouldhavedonehadIbet.

Hand 12
Heopensto$150andIfoldJ7o.HeishappytoplayeverypotI
openoutofposition,soIllfocusonthosepotsandjusttryandplay
inpositionasmuchasIcan.

Hand 13
Iopento$150withA10oandhecalls.TheflopisA9J,he
checksandIbet$300obviouslyversusthisopponentIwillnot
traporslowplay.Hecheckraisesto$600andImnotsurewhat
thatmeansexactlybutIfeelprettygoodaboutmyhand.Theturnis
the8andhechecks.Timetomakeadecisionhereheisbadbutis
hesobadthatifIgetallmymoneyinhereIamhappy?Idontthink
so,andsinceIhaveagooddrawitwouldbebadtobettheturnand
havetofold.Alsobycheckingandbeingdeceptivethereisadefinite
chanceitcouldtrapthisplayerforvalueontheriverwhereasonthe
turnhedfold.SoIoptedtocheckbehind.TheriveristheQ,he
checksIbet$1,050andhecalledwithA3.Againhisplayissobad
andweirdthatitsunclearwhetherIshouldhavebettheturnbe
causehessobadorifhejustmadethebadplaybecausehegotcon
fusedbytheturnaction.
174
Free $50
Free $50
Hand 14
Hisstackis$6,000nowandIcover.Heraisesto$150,Icallwith
6-5.Theflopis982,Ileadout$300intohimbecauseId
ratherkeepthefloptoonebetthantwo.IfIcheckagainstthisop
ponentthereisagoodchancehenotonlybetsbuthecallsmy
checkraise,whichputsmeinanawkwardpositionfortheturn,soI
trytooptoutofthatbyleadingintohim,andtheresagoodchance
hellcallbutmyhandissostrongIdontlosemuchequity,and
sinceImbuildingthepotitsnotbadatall.
Theturncomesthe9,hereIcheckedjustbecauseIdidntwantto
putmoremoneyin.HoweverIdidnthaveaplan,andifIhadtaken
thetimetothinkoutwhatmyplanwasIwouldhaveseenthathad
hebetIdhavetocall,andtheresadecentchancehellbethere.Thus
itmakesmoresensetojustmakethebetmyself(andcontrolthebet
size),andalsotogainsomefoldequity.Thedisadvantageisthathe
couldraise,whichwouldbequitebad.AndinthegamethatswhyI
didntbetIwasafraidhehada9andwouldraise.Inretrospect
withmorethoughtthisfearseemsunfoundedbasedonhowhe
playedhispreviously.Earlieronwhenhehadtriptensonthe10109
boardhecalledmetwicewithoutraisingme.Incontrastwhenhehad
toppaironthefloptheA3vs.myA10handheraisedtheflop.Both
thosefactorsleadtotheideathatIneednotbeafraidofaturnraise.
Icheckedandhecheckedbehind,whichwasnice.Theriveristhe
10andnowIhaveadecisiontomake.Thetimingonwhenhe
checkedbehindontheturnmademethinkhehadan8.Thetenisa
perfectscarecardbecausetheexactsortofhandspeopleleadouton
the982boardaresemibluffslike10Q,10Jor107.SoIbetout
$750andhecalledwithA8.Thefactthathewouldcalltheremeans
myreadonhimandmyplaywasbad,especiallyconsideringmy
readthathecouldhavehadahandlike10Qhimself,andthusdefi
nitelycallmyriverbluff.Therearetwopartstoreadingaperson
firstthereisreadingwhathandtheyhave,andnextwhattheyare
likelytodowithit.MyabilitytoreadhimforA8isuselessifIcant
thenreadthathesgoingtocallmewhenIbluff.
175
Free $50
Free $50

Hand 15
Iraiseto$150withQ4s,hereraisespotandIfold.Againstsomeone
likehimIwanttowaituntilIgetabetterhandtomakeastandbe
causenotonlywillIbecallingthepreflopraise,ifIwanttogoto
showdownthereisagoodchanceIllneedtoinvestafairbitmore.
Alsoitappearsasiftherewillbeplentyofchancestoplayreraised
potswithhimpreflop.

Hand 16
Heraisesto$150andIfoldJ-2.Notethepowerofaggression.He
keepsraisingandreraisingmeanditworksbecausethisisHUand
peopledontgetgoodhandsoftenHU.Alsonotethathisstrategyof
callingmybetsalothasworkedforthesamereason.Itcanbehard
toplayagainstsomeonewhoraisesandcallsalotbecauseplaying
HUyoudontoftengethands.

Hand 17
Henowhas$7,500andIhave$5,000.Iraiseto$150with9-7,he
calls.Theflopis1083,hecheckcallsa$250bet.TurnistheJ,
hecheckcalls$750.Riveristhe9andhechecks.Well,hecould
haveaqueen,aseven,twopairorasetandthereisnowayof
knowing.Onthebasisthatheisbadandlikestocallwithbadhands,
andalsoonthebasisthathecannotbluffmeherebecauseitsso
riskyandperhapsrecklessforhim,Iwentaheadandmadeathin
andaggressivevaluebetof$1,750,whichhepromptlyproceededto
minraiseandIfolded.

Hand 18
Henowhas$10,000andIofcourseimmediatelyreloadmystackto
$5,000.Heopensto$150andIcallwith9-J.Theflopis242,it
goescheckcheck.Turnisthe3andwithmytwoovercardoutsand
176
Free $50
Free $50
flushoutsIleadout$250,hecalls.SincehedidntbettheflopIthink
heisfloatingmewithaweakhandontheturn.Therivercomesthe
6,whichisascarycardforweakhandsandovercards.Notehow
mucheasierthiswouldbeifmyopponentwasapredictabletight
opponentbutheisnt,hesalooseunpredictableonewhogivesus
toughdecisions,likeshouldwebluffhere?
The6seemedlikesuchagoodcardtodoso,soIbet$625,andhe
calledwith6-Q.Soitturnsoutmyreadwasrighthehadsome
weirdovercardhandnotagoodmadehand,andhewouldhave
foldedbuthejusthappenedtohittherivercard,whichwasimpos
sibleformetoknow.ThiswasanokaylineandIjustgotunlucky.
Youshouldbeevaluatingallthehandstoseewhoisoutplaying
whoandifyoushouldkeepplayingsomeone,ifyoushouldquitthe
gamebecausetheyareoutplayingyou,oriftheyarebadbuttheir
stylesomehowmatchesupwellagainstyouandyoujustneedto
adjust.

Hand 19
Iopento$150withJ-2,hereraisesto$450,Ifold.Nowitsobvi
ouslytimetoreallystartadjustingmypreflopplay,andthisper
hapsshouldhavebeenobvioustomethelasttimehereraisedme
butIwillbegintheadjustmentnow.Pokerisagameofadjustments
toopponentsifIhadadjustedbeforethishandandrealizedI
neededtotightenuppreflopandlimpandfoldmoreagainstthis
opponentthenIwouldhavesavedmyself$150.

Hand 20
Heopensto$150andIfoldK-2.Thisisstandard,nowmyplanis
totightenupandjustwaitforgoodhandspreflopandgetvalue
postflop.

177
Free $50
Free $50

Hand 21
Iopento$150withAQo,hecalls.Flopis833,hechecksandI
bet$250becausemyhandisprobablybest,andthisopponentisbad
enoughtocallmewithworse.Hecalls,theturnis8,checkcheck.
Theriveris7andheleadsout$550.Givenmyreadandthoughts
ontheflop,andalsothattheboardtextureisextremelydry,its
quitehardforhimtohavehitthatflopsoIthinktheresagood
chancemyhandisbestandthathecalledthefloptorepresenta
handlateron.SoIcall,hehas6-9.

Hand 22
Hehas$11,000andIhave$5,700now.Heopensto$150andIre
raiseto$450withAA;hefolds.

Hand 23
Iopento$150with78oandhecalls.Theflopis10610,he
checksandeventhoughIhavealotofoutshecallssomuchthatI
cantreallyprofitablybethere.Theturnisthe8,hechecks,and
nowmyhandisalmostsurelygoodsoIbetpotforvalueandhe
calls.Theriveristhe5,agoodcardinmyopinionasIstillthink
myhandisgoodsoIbetasmuchasIthinkhellcallwhichis$700
andhecallswith63s.

Hand 24
Heopensto$150,Ifold710.Mystrategyistoplayhandsinposi
tion.

Hand 25
Iopento$150with8-4,hecalls.Theflopis6K2,hechecks
178
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andIwanttobuildthepotormakehimfoldsoIbet$300andhe
calls.Therearetworeasonstobluffherethecombinationsofhim
foldingenoughtimestomakeitprofitableandthetimesIoutdraw
himandtheimpliedodds.Thedifferencebetweenthisandhand23
isthattheimpliedoddsarebetter(Imcomfortableplayingabigger
potwithaflushthenapairofeights)andIhavemoreouts.
Heminraisesto$600notreallysurewhathehas,butitscommit
tingtoomuchwithaflushdrawandnoovercardtoreraisehimand
getitallinsoIcallandtheturnisthe8,hebets$650.AfterIcall
therewillbeabout$3,100inthepot.Semibluffingisapossibility
here.Ioptedforlessvariance,wantedtohitmyhandfirstandthen
getthemoneyinlater,whichispossiblevs.badplayers,plusmy
handcouldverywellbegoodsoIcalled.Theriveristhe9he
checksandIcheck.Heshows10Qandlosses.

Hand 26
Ifold24o.

Hand 27

Hand 28
Ifold47o;normallyIliketoraisealotpreflop,regardlessofmy
handstrength.AndnormallyIcananddo,butagainstthisoppo
nentIneedtoadjustandfoldmore.

Hand 29
Heraisesto$150,IfoldK2o.Icanaffordtoplayweaktightpre
flopandgiveupequitybecausepostfloptheopponentplayssobad
andgivessomuchawaythere.
179
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Hand 30
Ilimpwith48o.Hechecks,theflopis1092,hechecks,Icheck.
Turnisthe6,hebets$100andIfold.

Hand 31
Heraisesto$150,Ihave7-7.Reraisingisapossibilityforvalue
andtomixitupbutheissolooseitwillbeproblematictoplaypost
flop.SoIcall,theflopis266.Atthispointmyhandisprobably
good,andhecallsalotsoIleadoutfor$250.Hecalls,theturnisthe
J,thereisnoreasontothinkthejackhithim,andnoreasonto
thinkhehadahandasstrongasaflushdrawsoIbetagainfor$600,
hecalls.Theriveristhe8.Ihaveaflush,butevenagainsthimthis
flushistoolowtovaluebet.Icheckandhebets$850.Thepotis
$2,000.Itlookslikeavaluebetbutgivenhishistoryofmakingbets
thatmakenosenseitsacallbecauseofthepotodds.Hehas2-K
andwins.Inretrospectthereisntmuchtoregretthough.Weput
$1,000inwhenweweresignificantlyahead,thenhegotlucky

Hand 32
Iraiseto$150withQ-J,hecalls,theflopis922.Hechecks,I
check.Theturnisthe9,hebetsout$300itsnotclearwhathehas
butwheneverIbetandraisehelikestocallsoIlljustwaituntilI
haveahandandnotbluffhimhere.

Hand 33
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithA2o.TheflopisK33,Icheckhe
bets$300.AgainwilljustwaituntilIgetahandbecausehelikesto
paythemoff.Ifold.

180
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Free $50
Hand 34
Iraisethebuttonto$150with89,hecalls.TheflopisQ96,
hechecksandnormallyIllcheckbehindherewithsecondpairfor
deceptionbecausegenerallyonlybetterhandscallandworsehands
foldorraisemeoutofthepot.However,giventheopponentsten
dencytocall,Ivaluebet$250andheraisedto$750.Hecouldbe
semibluffingbutevenifheishehassomanyouts(withahandlike
10K)thatitsnotworthittocall.Ifold.

Hand 35
Heraisesto$150,Ifold4-7.

Hand 36
Iraiseto$150withQJandhecalls.TheflopisA8A,check
check.Theturnisthe5,heleadsout$300andIfold.Basicallywe
aregettingacolddeckhere,andthereisnothingtodobutwaitit
outandloseaslittleaswecan.

Hand 37
Heraisesto$150andIhaveKQo.Ireraiseto$450forvalueandto
mixituptodisguisemybetterhands.Hefolds.Hesfoldedthetwo
timesIhavereraisedhimpreflop,soIshouldstartreraisinghim
moretotakeadvantageofhisweaknessthere.

Hand 38
Iraiseto$150with98o,hecalls.Flopis267,andheleadsout
intomefor$300.Imnotsurewhatthatmeanswithhim.SoIlltake
astandardlinehereandraisehim.Callinghimisalsoreasonable.I
raiseto$1,000,theideabeingthatIvemadethedecisionIam
181
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happytogoallinvs.himwithmytwoovercardsandopenended
straightdraw.Probablywhatwillhappenishewillcallorfold.And
ifhecallsthenIcantakeafreecardontheturn.
Hecalls,theturnis2,hechecks,Icheck.Theriveris2,hebets
$1,300andImissedmydraw,andthereisnoreasontothinkIcan
makeaplayhere,andfold.Againweplayedfinebutjustdidnthit.

Hand 39
Heraisesto$150;Ifold3-Q.

Hand 40
Iopento$150withK-7;hecalls.TheflopisK6Q,Ihavetop
pairandwilljustvaluebetvs.thisopponent.Hefolds,unfortu
nately.SomeopponentsaresolidandifyoubetwithK7thereyou
wouldntevenwantalotofaction,butagainstthisopponentwebet
withtheintentionofgettingaction.

Hand 41
Ifold46o.

Hand 42
Heraisesto$150;Ihave98o,andnormallyIdcallcauseitsdecent
butstrategicallythereisnoreason.HecallsallmybetswhenImon
thebuttonsoIcanjustwaitandonlyplaythosehandsandmybest
handsOOP.

Afterthisheleaves.Whathappenedhereisthattheopponentwas
bad,buthisstylewasquitedifferentfrommostpeopleandhap
penedtomatchupwellagainsthowweplayed.Ittooktoolongto
182
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adjust,andwealsomadesomeimpreciseplaysandwereunlucky.If
hestayedforeverthatwouldbegreat,butalashedidnotandthus
wefinisheddownover$5,000tohim.

Heads-up match #3, $25/50,


Hand 1
Heopensto$150,Ifold69o.

Hand 2
IraiseA5oto$150,hefolds.

Hand 3
Heopensto$150,Ifold69oagain.

Hand 4
Iraise68oto$150,hecalls.TheflopisAQ5,hechecksandI
bet$250.Acheckisreasonable,too,especiallygiventheboardas
opposedtoifitwasA35whereitslesslikelyhehaspairedup.Its
alsopossiblehelljustfoldhispairimmediately.Hecalledinthe
game.Turnisthe9;Ijusthaveagutshotdraw,whichisntmany
outstosemibluffwith,atthispointIhaveprettymuchgivenupon
winningthepot.RivercomesaJandheleadsout$425,andgivenI
havenoreaditisquiteriskytotryandbluffraisehimsoIfold.

183
Free $50
Free $50

Hand 5
Heraisesto$150,Icallwith8Q,astandardcall.Theflopis
A102,Icheck,hebets$300andIfold.

Hand 6
IraiseJ3oto$150andhefolds.

Hand 7
Heraisesto$150andIfold92o.

Hand 8
IraiseK5oto$150,hefolds.

Hand 9
Heraises2-8to$150andIfold.Ivebeenplayingprettytightso
farsoIamlookingtotakeadvantageofthatsoonbyreraisinghim
preflopasabluff.

Hand 10
IraiseQ10sto$150,hefolds.

Hand 11
Heraisesto$150;Ifold94o.Iamtemptedtoraisebutthishandis
justtooweak,especiallyagainstanunknown.

184
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Hand 12
Ilimpwith86o,hechecks.Flopis29K,hechecksandIbet$75
asIwouldonanyflophecheckedtome.Hefolds.

Hand 13
Hefolds.

Hand 14
Iopento$150withK3o,hecalls.Flopis1034,hechecksandI
check.IfIbetandhecallsmeIwillnotbehappyandifhefoldsit
wonthelpmetoomuchsoIchecktoseehowthingsgo.Theturnis
the2,heleadsout$300.Thisisagoodboardforhimtosemibluff
withacehigh,sincehehasthegutshotdraw,whichgiveshimfour
additionalouts.SinceIcheckedtheflopIthinkhecouldbebluffing
orsemibluffingsoIcall.Theriveristhe8,heleadsout$425.On
theturnImadeadecisionthatIwasprobablyahead,butonthe
riverIhavenoinformation,andhisbetfeltlikehewasvaluebetting
soIfolded.

Hand 15
Hefolds.

Hand 16
Ifold38o.

Hand 17
Heraisesto$150andIcallwith109,whichisstandard.This
handdeservestobeplayedHU.Areraiseasabluffistobeconsid
185
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eredbutheswonallthepotssofarandwhenpeoplearewinning
theycanloosenupwiththeirextramoneyandalsoplaybetter,so
thatisabadtimetobereraisebluffingoutofpositionwithamar
ginalhand.Theflopis23K,Icheckandhechecks.Theturnis
the4;thisisabadcardtobluffbecauseifhehasacehighhecan
callnow.Iftheturnwasthe7thentocallwithacehighhewould
havetothinkhesbestagoodamountofthetime.Nowhecanthink
thathehasthebesthandalittlebitofthetimeandtheothertimes
thathecanoutdrawme.SoIcheck,hechecks.Theriveristhe7,
ImnotsurewhathehasnowIthinkitcouldbenothingbutinthis
situationIdontreallyneedtoriskalottobluff.Ifhehasanypairat
allhemightcallafullpotbetbecausewecheckedalltheprevious
streets.Ifhehasahighcardhewillprobablyfoldtome,andfoldto
anybetatall.Abigbetisntnecessaryvs.himifhejusthasajack
high,queenhigh,andmaybeacehigh.SoIbet$50,hefolded.

Hand 18
Iraiseto$150with106o,hecalls.TheflopisJK6,hechecks,
andIchecktoo.IfhecallsImprobablybeat.Theturncomesthe3.
Heleadsout$200;thisbetcouldbeanysortofmadehand,hishand
rangeiswidehere.Sincehishandrangeiswideandnotstrongthis
isagoodopportunitytobluffraisehim.Therearealsodrawsonthis
board,soafewthingscouldhappenhere.Hecouldcallmewitha
strongmadehand,likeapairofkings.Hecouldfoldaweakermade
handlikeapairofjacks.Orhecouldcallmewithastraightorflush
draw.Ifhecallsmewithadrawthatisgoodbecausehedoesnt
havepotoddshethinkshehasimpliedoddsbuthereallydoesnt
becausewearentgivinghimanymoreaction.Theproblemwith
thisplayarisesinacoupleofcasesfirstwhenwemisjudgedhis
handrangeandhehasastronghandalotofthetimeorwhenhe
callsuswithaweakmadehandalotofthetime.Inthiscasehe
folded.

186
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Hand 19
Heraisesto$150andIhaveK10andreraiseto$500.Raisingto
$500hereinitselfisprobablyabreakevenplaymoreorless,butI
wanttoensurethathegivesmeactionwhenIreraisewithagood
hand.ThereasonIraisedto$500andnot$450isIwantedtotryand
gethimtofold,buthecalls(whichisntreallytoobad).Theflopis
10Q4,Icheckandhechecks.
Theturnisthe5,itseemslikemyhandisbestandthereareafair
numberofcardsthatarebadformeanine,ajack,oranace.Not
onlythatbutontheflopifIcheckedandhebettheresadecent
chanceIdjustfold.However,ontheturnsincehecheckedbehind
ontheflopthereismoredoubtinmymind(andfewerstreetsto
buildapotandforcemeout)soIamwillingtoputabetintothepot.
Ihavetodecidewhatisbetter,tocheckcallortobetandgetcalled.
Bettingandgettingcalledisabetterwaytogetmoneyintothepot
soIdo.Hecalls,theriveristheA.
Thisisaninterestingspottobetbecauseafterhecallstheturnthere
isafairchancehehasapairofqueens.ItcouldbeAQinwhichcase
heiscallingmybet,butitcouldalsobeQKorQJorevenQ9,in
whichcasehefolds.EvenifhehasahandlikeAJthatwaspeeling
thefloplightlybecausehethoughthemightbeahead,andevenif
hewasnthecouldoutdrawme,hewillhaveahardtimecalling.
HellhaveahardtimecallingbecauseIllbetclosetothepotat
about$2,300,andalsobecauseafterIreraisedpreflopandbetsobig
onsuchahighcoordinatedboardthatisshowingalotofstrength,
anditscompletelyconsistentandbelievable.IntheendthoughI
decidednottobluffbecausemyhandcouldbegoodnow,andifit
isntmybluffismainlytomakehimfoldapairofqueens
However,afterfurtherconsiderationabetisbestbecausethereis
littledownsidesincehishandrangeissowideandweak.Hecould
haveapocketpairJJorbelowtensthatcantcallmybetor
wouldntbeabletobluffme.Hecanhaveastraightdraworflush
drawandifhehadtheflushdrawwithacehighthereisverylittle
chancehecancallmybettheonlythinghehasthatisgoodisthe
187
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KJbutthatisjustonehand.A4andA5whichwouldgivehim
twopairheprobablyfoldsprefloporontheturn.AQgivesus
troublebuttherearefewerhandcombinationsofAQthanthereare
ofQK,andwecanalsocombineQKandQJtogiveusalotmore
combosofpairsofqueenshecouldhavethatwillfoldtheriverin
steadofcall.
AfterIcheckedhebet$825,apparentlyasmallvaluebetfroma
smallmadehandlikeAK,AJorAxwithaflushdraw.Itcouldbe
abighandmakingasmallbettobetrickyandgainvaluebutaswe
alreadyestablishedfromhandreadingitshardforhimtohavetwo
pair.Itsprobablynotapairofqueensgoingforathinvaluebet,as
ittakesaspecialkindofplayertomakesuchanaggressivevaluebet
andtheyarenottoocommon.Hecouldalsohavesomerandom
handthatisimpossibletoputhimon.Giventhatweregettingsuch
goodpotoddsof3/1acallisjustified.Althoughgivenhishand
rangesitmakessensetocheckraiseallinbecausealikelyhandfor
himtohaveisabarepairofkings,andgiventhescaryboardand
ourreraisepreflopandturnbet,itwouldlookstrong.However,I
endedupfoldingbecauseIhadvagueworriesabouthimvaluebet
tingapairofqueens,andifthatstrueitwidenshishandrange
significantlyandmakesitafold.Butafterthinkingthingsthrough
itsclearheisntbettingaqueensoIshouldhaveatleastcalled.He
showed76s.

Hand 20
Itsimportantnowtotiltaslittleaspossible.Hemightthinkweare
tiltingsoweshouldtakeadvantageofthatbymakingthinnervalue
bets.Alsothefactthathewouldunderbetblufftheriverthereand
showabluffisabadplayanditmademeloserespectfortheoppo
nentsoIwilladjustaccordingly.IhaveKJoandraiseto$150,he
calls.FlopisK10Q,hecheckfoldswhenIbet$300,myhand
wasprettygoodsoIwantedvalue.

188
Free $50
Free $50
Hand 21
Hefolds.Sometimespeopleloosenupafterwinningbecausethey
haveabigstackanddontrealizethevalueofthemoneyanymore
sincethereissomuch,andsometimestheytightenuptoprotect
theirwinnings.Thisisanindicationheistighteningupbutwewill
learnmoresoon.

Hand 22
Iraiseto$150withK6o,hecalls.Theflopis85J;hechecksand
Icheck.Theturnisthe4;hechecksandIcheck.Theriveristhe9,
hebets$175,kindofsuspiciousbutImnotsure,andwithoutaread
bluffsarebadsoIfold.

Hand 23
Helimps,Icheckwith4-9;theflopisA45;Icheckfoldtohis
$100.JustbecauseIhitsomethingdoesntmeanIneedtocontinue
itsaweakmadehandwithnotmanyouts(ifImbehind),andIm
outofposition.

Hand 24
Iraiseto$150with86o,hefolds.

Hand 25

Hand 26
Ifold42o.

189
Free $50
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Hand 27
Hefolds.

Hand 28
Iraise4-9to$150,hecalls.TheflopisA10Q,hechecksand
hecheckedsofastitfeltlikehewasjusthurryingtogettothenext
handbecausehehadnothing,soIbet$250,hefolded.

Hand 29

Hand 30
Iraiseto$150withQ-7,hecalls.Theflopis2102,hechecks
andIcheck.SinceIveraisedpreflopafairamountIthinkhewill
besuspiciousofmeonaboardlike2210sinceitissouncoordi
nateditsunlikelyIhit.Theturnisthe6,heleadsout$300andI
fold,notmuchIcandothere.

Hand 31
Heraisesto$150andIfoldJ3o.

Hand 32
Nowhehas$7,000andIhave$5,000.Iraiseto$150with4-5and
hefolds.

Hand 33
Heraisesto$150andIhave104oandfold.Itsabouttimetoreraise
himagaintomixitupbutweneedsomesemblanceofahand.
190
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Hand 34
Iraise86oto$150,hefolds.

Hand 35
Hefolds.

Hand 36
Ifold4-10.Itwouldbequiteeasytoraiseherewiththemindset
ofImheretowinmoney.ButImplayingtosimplyplaythe
gameofpokerandplaythegameasbestIcan.Sometimeswhen
playingthegameasbestIcanIhavetolosemoney,asifImgetting
badcardsIcantforcemyselftowinmoneyitdoesntworklike
that.Ijusthavetokeepplayingmybestandbeproudofthat,andas
aresultmoneywillcome.

Hand 37
Hefolds.

Hand 38
Iraise4-9to$150.ThewayIliketobreakpeopledownisbyap
plyingpressuretothem,annoyingthem,andforcingthemtofight
backanddosomething.Hecalls,theflopis57Q,hechecksand
Icheck.Theturnisthe10,hebets$300andIfold.Thatisokay;if
heisgoingtobetalltheturnsafterIchecktheflopIcanadjust.

Hand 39
Hefolds.

191
Free $50
Free $50

Hand 40
Ifold29o.

Hand 41
Heraisesto$150,Ihave1010.Callingisreasonableandsoisraising,
butIchoosetoraisebecauseIalmostcertainlyhavethebesthand,
andsincehecalledmebeforewhenIreraised,Ithoughthedcall
again.Hefolded.

Hand 42
Iraiseto$150withQ8o,hefolds.

Hand 43
Heraisesto$150,Ireraiseto$450with99.Ireraisedbecausemy
handisalmostcertainlybetterthanhishand.AlsobecauseIamnot
afraidofplayingthispersonoutofpositionwithatrickyhandlike
99.Hecalls,theflopcomesKQQ,Icheckandhechecks.There
isnotmuchformetoaccomplishwithabet.Theturnisthe7,I
checkandhechecks,againthereisnotmuchformetodowithabet.
TheriveristheA,Icheckhechecksandmucks67s.Notehowvs.
agoodplayerwewouldhavelostthispot(andalsohowourreraise
preflopwouldhavecreatedproblemsforuspostflop)butagainst
himwewonmoneyandhadnoproblems.Thatshouldmakeus
happytobeinthisgame.Thishandisagoodexampleofwherewe
justwon$450notbecauseofhowthecardshappenedtofall,butbe
causeweplaybetterthanouropponentandweearnedthe$450.
NowwehavegoodmomentumwhichmeansIwillplaybetterand
hewillplayworse.

192
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Hand 44
Iraiseto$150withA8o,hecalls.TheflopisQK3,weboth
check.Theturnisthe10andheleadsout$200.Hekeepsleading
outwhenIcheckbehindtheflopandhecantalwayshaveagood
hand,alsohebetlessherethannormalwhichcouldbeweakness,
andalsowehaveouts,soIchoseheretosemibluffraisepotto$900.
Hefolded.

Hand 45
Hand 46
Ilimpwith25s,heraisesto$150andsinceIhavethemomentum
andamplayingwellandhavepositionIcallifitwasntsuitedI
wouldfold.Theflopis2J3,hebets$300.Ihaveposition,apair
andamnotconvincedthathehasanythingsoIcallthe$300.The
turnisthe5andheleadsout$450.Wehavetwopairwhich,HU,is
quiteastronghand,butstillhebetjust$450andwebothhave
$5,000leftsoifwearegoingtogetitallinthatisalotmore,and
alsoourtwopairisalowtwopair.Wehavetodecideifweare
happytogetitallinhere.Giventhathedoesntseemtobetoo
skilledanopponent,andthatitsalittlehardtoputhimonabetter
hand,itwouldbeokaytogetallin.Alsoourhandisquitevulner
able,soIraisedto$1,700andhefolded.

Hand 47
Hefolds.

Hand 48
Iraiseto$150with810,hefolds.Ihave$7,000andhehas$5,000.
193
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Hand 49
Hefolds.

Hand 50
Iopento$150with5Qo,hereraisesto$450andIfold.

Hand 51
Heraisesto$150.IfoldK9(whichIwouldntnormallydobutmy
computercrashed!).

Hand 52
Hefolds.

Hand 53
Ifold32o.

Hand 54
Heraisesto$150,Ifold36s.HUbigcardsaregoodandsmallsuited
cardsdonthavethatmuchvalue.PlayingHUabadstrategyisto
callpreflopwithspeculativehands,hopetheyhit,andhopeyouget
alotofmoneyintothepotwhentheydohitbecausemostofthe
timetheywonthitandyouwilljusthavetofoldandloseyourpre
flopinvestment.InHUholdemifyouaregoingtoloosenuppre
flopyouhavetoalsoloosenuppostflopandfightformorepots.

Hand 55
Iraiseto$150with86s,hefolds.
194
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Hand 56
Heraisesto$150.Ifold107.

Hand 57
Iraiseto$150withQ6,hereraisesto$450,Ifold.Ivebeenopening
alotpreflopsohislasttworeraisesofmeweregoodskillfulad
justmentsbyhim,whichcostmesomemoney.

Hand 58
Hefolds.

Hand 59
Ifold52o.

Hand 60
Heraisedto$150,andIcalledwith79.Icheckandhebets$300
onaboardof955.NormallyIwouldcallbecauseitsnotthat
strongahandbutsincetheboardwassodryIthoughtaraisemight
bedeceptiveandlooklikeabluff.InretrospectIprobablyjust
wantedtomixitupandbuildabigpotbecauseIwasboredfromall
theinaction.Hecalled,whichwasmyplan,butreallyitisasuspect
plan.Mystandardlineofcallingisgoodforareason,andtheresa
reasonwhyIalmostalwaysdoitinsteadofraising.Thereasonis
thatmyhandisntthatgoodandoncehecallsmeIcantbetoo
happy.
Theturncomesthe5,Icheckandhebets$525.Myhandisde
centlystrongandwiththosepotoddsacallisquitereasonable.He
couldhaveapairofnines,somewackyblufforalowpocketpair
protectinghishandandgoingforafreeshowdownontheriver.I
195
Free $50
Free $50

called,theriveristheQ,Icheckandhebets$2,400.Giventheinac
tioninthegamesofar,andthefactthatImstilldown$500,Ireally
wantedtocalltowinapotandtoseeashowdownandalmostdid.
Fortunately,however,Itooksometimetothinkitthrough.He
calledmyflopbetandthenmadeasmallvaluebetontheturnthen
betbigontheriver.Thatisbasicallyhimshowingstrength,andmy
handisquitemediocre.Itsquitepossiblehehasapocketpairabove
nines,andevenpossiblehehasquadfivesbecausetheflopwasnt
555,soitsmorelikelyhehasa5inhishand.Alsohisturnbet
makessensewithafivebecausehishandissostrongheistryingto
getanyactionhecan,unafraidofanycardsthatcome.Ifoldedand
hewonthepot.

Hand 61
Iraiseto$150withK2o,hecalls.TheflopisKK3,hecheck
foldstoa$250bet.Checkingisreasonable,too.Notethatwedont
flipacointorandomizethedecisionsowebecomeunreadable
andunexploitablebytheopponent.Sincewearebetterthanthe
opponentweoutthinkhimandkeepaddinginpiecesofinforma
tionandanalysisuntilwecandecidewhichisabetterplayinthis
specifichand.

Hand 62
Hefolds.

Hand 63
Ifold103o.

Hand 64
Heraisesto$150,Icallwith22.TheflopisAQ4,Icheck,he
196
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checks.TheturnistheJ,Icheck,hebets$300,Ifold.Theboardis
socoordinatedandmyhandissoweakthisisaneasyfold.

Hand 65
Iraiseto$150withJ9o,hecalls.Theflopis2A10,hechecks,I
bet$300,hefolds.Itsgoodtocontinuationbetbluffsomeofthe
time.

Hand 66
IhaveQ-10,heraisesto$150andIreraiseto$475,hefolds.Its
okayifhefoldsorcallsanditsalsoanokayplayformetoflatcall.I
reraisedherebecauseheplaysbadly,soIdratherheplayedbadly
withmeinabigreraisedpotthaninasmallpotsoIcanwinmore
moneyfaster.

Hand 67
Iraiseto$150withQ7o,hefolds.

Hand 68
Hefolds.NowIhave$6,700andhehas$5,300.

Hand 69
Ifold28o.

Hand 70
Hefolds.

197
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Hand 71
Ifold93o.

Hand 72
Hefolds.

Hand 73
IlimpwithA-9tomixitup.Hewaslosingandwehadjust
playedalotofsmallpotssoIthoughthemightgetfrustratedwhen
Ilimpedandraiseme,andthenIcouldreraisehimwithposition.
Hechecked.Theflopis108K,hechecks,Icheck.Theturnis
theJ.Hebets$100,Ifold.

Hand 74
Hefolds.

Hand 75
IraiseAQoto$150,hefolds.

Hand 76
Heraisesto$150,Icallwith108itsnotthebesthandbutIha
ventcalledmanyofhisraisessoheshouldgivemycallalittlere
spect,whichwillgivemeroomtomanoeuvrepostflop.Theflopis
544,Icheck,hechecksbehind.TheturnistheJandthisismy
opportunitytotryandtakeitafterhechecked,soIbet$275andhe
calls.Maybehehitapairofjacksthatismostlikelyanditwillbe
veryunlikelythatIcanpushhimoffitsoIprettymuchgiveupon
thehandatthispoint.Theriveristhe2,Icheckfoldtohis$450bet.
198
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Hand 77
Iraise59to$150,hecalls.Theflopis46J,webothcheck.
TheturnistheK,hechecks.HekeptbettingwhenIcheckedonthe
flop,sonowhedoesntbetIinterpretitashimhavingnohandsoI
bluff$300andhefolds.Unlesshehasapairofjacksorkingsits
hardforhimtocallandgivenhishistoryofbettingoutontheturn
somuchitseemslikehewouldleadoutwithkingsorjacks.

Hand 78
Hefolds.

Hand 79
Iwinwitharaiseto$150with9-2.

Hand 80

Hand 81
Ifold62o.

Hand 82
Hefolds.

Hand 83
Iraiseto$150withAK;hecalls.Theflopis7K7.Somepeople
alwaysbethere,andasmallergroupofpeoplealwayscheckhere.
Somepeoplemightsayflippingacointorandomizeisthebestthing
199
Free $50
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todobutnoneofthemareright.Thebestplayerfirstofalladjuststo
hisopponentandforsomeopponentsabetisbetterhere,andfor
someacheckisbetter.Andtheyalsoadjusttohowthegamehas
beenplayinglatelytomakethisdecision.Versusthisopponenta
checkisprobablybettersinceheseemstobetoutontheturnso
much.Ifanopponentdoesntbluffoftenitsbettertojustbetthe
flopandtryandgetvalue.Someopponentsaresmartandifthey
haveJ10andhitapairoftensontheturnwontlosealotofmoney
becausetheywillseeourflopcheckforwhatitwas,atrap.Others
willlosemoney.Thesearesomefactorstoconsiderinwhethertobet
orcheckhere.Ibet,butthatwasanimpatientmistakeasIsaid
sincehebetsoutontheturnsomuchthisisagoodspottocheck.

Hand 84

Hand 85
IfoldQ2o.

Hand 86
Heraisesto$150,Ifold56o.HesplayingokaypokerbutIcanout
waithim.Alsoheplayedbadinouronebigpotearlieranditsonly
amatteroftimebeforehedoesthesameagain.

Hand 87
Iraise5-9to$150,hecalls.TheflopisJ67,hechecks,Icheck.
Theturnisthe9,hechecks,Icheck.Areasonnottobethereisbe
causeourhandcouldbegoodandbecausewehavedrawsandifhe
raisesusonthissortofdrawyboarditcouldbeasemibluff.How
everthisopponentseemstobequitepassive.Becauseofthatfacta
200
Free $50
Free $50
betshouldbeconsideredtogainvalueagainstworsemadehands
anddrawsorcombinationsofthetwo,andtopreventhimbluffing
meontheriver,andalsowethenhaveflexibilityinhowweplaythe
riverifhecallsusandhasabetterhand.However,Ididntthink
throughallthatandjustchecked,whichismystandardplay.The
riveristhe3,heledout$300andIfolded.Thisisaclosedecision
buthedoesnthaveahistoryofbluffingalotsoIfoldeditsimpor
tanttoplayprecisepokerandsavethesesmalltomediumsized
betswhenpossible.

Hand 88
Hefolded.

Hand 89
Ifold92o.

Hand 90
Hefolds.NowIhave$7,000andhehas$5,000.

Hand 91
Ifold43o.

Hand 92
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithK-5;thisisastandardcallasKxsisa
decenthand.TheflopisK74;Icheck,hechecks.Theturnisthe
5;thisisagoodtimetocheck.Iwanttogetasmuchmoneyintothe
potasIcanandafterIchecktwotimesitbecomesmoretempting
forhimtobet.Theboardiskindofcoordinatedsohecanbetthe
turnwithalotofmadehands,draws,andcombosofthemboth.
201
Free $50
Free $50

AndwhenIcheckraisegiventhedrawynatureoftheboardhe
wontknowwhetherIhaveamadehandoramsemibluffing.
Icheck,hebet$300andIcheckraisedthepotto$1,200,whichhe
called.Theriveristhe9,sonowitstimetobetasmuchasIthink
hellcall,whichfeltlike$2,400.HecalledwithK9,andmadeabad
playbycallingmyturncheckraise.Hegottrickedbymyplayand
shouldhavejustfoldedasheseitherbehindorIhavealotofouts.

Hand 93
IfoldJ6o.NowIhave$8,200,hehas$3,200.

Hand 94
Heraisesto$150,Ifold10-3.

Hand 95
Ilimpwith5-7,Ithoughthemightbesteamingandmorelikelyto
callmyraiseorreraisemeand57oisntagoodhandtodealwith
thosepossibilities.Hechecked.Theflopis752,hebet$100.It
feltlikehehadnothingsoIwantedtolethimhanghimselfandjust
called.Raisingtheflopisthestandardplay,astherearestraightand
flushdrawsthatbothoutdrawusandalsoruinouraction.Butthe
reasonIjustcalledwasbecausehewasprobablysteamingandhad
nothingandifhehadabsolutelynothingjustcallingistherightplay.
TheturnistheQandhecheckfolds.

Hand 96
Heraisesto$150,IfoldQ4o.

202
Free $50
Free $50
Hand 97
Iraise99to$150,hefolds.

Hand 98
Heraisesto$150,IfoldJ4o.

Hand 99
IraiseK10oto$150,hefolds.

Hand 100
Heraisesto$150,IhaveAA.Normallythisisareraisebutgiven
thathehasraisedeveryhandsincelosingthebigpotandisappar
entlytilting,heprobablydoesnothaveahandsoitsunclearwhat
helldoagainstareraise(probablyfold).Alsosinceheistiltinghe
willprobablycommittoomuchtoapotpostflopwithonepair
handsortoppairhands.SoIjustcalled.
TheflopisA910,Icheckandhechecks.Theturnisthe2andI
leadout.Acheckraisemightbeaniceplayherebutitsprettyrisky
thathellcheckbehindpairsoftensandninesthathemightcallmy
betwith.Alsohedfoldthosetoacheckraise,whichisbad,sowe
justbetout.HecallsandtheriveristheA.Fromhisperspective
thisisamixedcarditmakesitlesslikelyweholdanacebutit
doesmaketheflushwhichissomethingwecouldhavehad.Thereis
nothingwecandoherebutbetandhopehecalls.Ibet$750andhe
calledwithK10o,soclearlyheistilting.

Hand 101
Iopen10Joto$150,hereraisesmeto$450,andstrategicallythereis
noreasontoforcemarginalsituationsnow.Heisplayingverybadly.
203
Free $50
Free $50

Idontwanttolethimdoubleupandthenhewillstartplayingbet
ter.Itsmuchbetterheretoplaytightandwaitforaclearwinning
situation.Ifolded.

Hand 102
Hefolds.

Hand 103
Ifold52o.Nowhehas$2,000andIhave$10,000.

Hand 104

Hand 105
IraiseJQto$150,hefolds.

Hand 106

Hand 107
Iraise8-6to$150,hefolds.

Hand 108
Hefolds.

204
Free $50
Free $50
Hand 109
Ifold46o.

Hand 110
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithA5o.Itsreasonabletofoldthishand
preflop,buthereIcallsincehesplayingbad,andalsosinceheonly
has40bigblindsthatwillmakeourdecisionseasierifwehittop
pair.Icall,theflopis428,Icheck,hechecks.Theturnisthe3.
Idontthinkhescalling,andifhehasnothingIwanttogivehim
thechancetohitsomething,andifhehassomethingacheckraise
linehereisnicetoofortryingtowinmoremoney.Hechecksbehind,
theriveristhe3.Itdoesntseemlikehehasanythingtocallmybet.
SoItriedtotraphimforabluffagain,orifhedidhavesomethingI
cancheckraiseandhewillprobablycall,whichiskeytothisplay,
sinceourcheckraiselookssosuspicious.Unfortunatelyhechecked
behindwithacehigh.Thatisahandwemissedvalueinashe
probablywascallingaturnbetwithhistwoovercardsandstraight
outs,andalsohemighthaveevencalledtheriveronsuchadry
boardwithacehigh.

Hand 111
Iraiseto$150with108o,hefolds.

Hand 112
Heraisesto$150,IcallwithQK.Itsreasonabletoraisebutifhe
goesallin(whichisrelativelyeasyforhimbecauseofhisstacksize)
thingsareawkwardforme.Alsovs.thisbadopponentalow
varianceapproachisgoodsohedoesntgetachancetogetevenand
playbetterorleave.TheflopisQ8J;thisisagoodsituationto
winallofhisremaining$2,000.Ihaveagoodhand,goodenoughto
goallinwithandtheboardiscoordinatedsohecanhavelesser
205
Free $50
Free $50

hands.Therearealotofhandsherethatwillcheckbehindonthe
floplikeapairofjacksoreights,orapairandagutshotstraight
draw,oranovercardandgutshotstraightdrawsoIbetout$250
andhecalled.
Theturnisthe6andthereisnowaytotraphimreally,althoughin
awaywehavebybettingoutontheflopwhenheistiltingandalot
ofthetimepeopleleadwithsemibluffs.Ifwecheckhereitmakesa
lotofsenseforhimtocheckbehindwithallofthehandswewantto
gainvalueagainstsowejusthavetobetoutagainandhavehim
makeadecision.SoIbet$800andhewentallin,andIcalledobvi
ously.HehadAJandlosthislastmoney.

206
Free $50
Free $50
Free $50
Free $50
Free $50

127 - Danny Ashman - Secrets of Short-Handed No Limit Holdem PDF

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127 - Danny Ashman - Secrets of Short-Handed No Limit Holdem PDF

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Secrets of Professional Poker, volume 1 Advanced Limit-Holdem Strategy Secrets of Sitngos

7 The Turn and River 89

8 Other concepts and hand histories 111

Poker is a still new game

Because its new people dont understand it

There is a lot of money in poker

Why this book will make you money

About this book

Approaching the Game

The keys to winning poker

Passion for the game

Approaching the Game

Why poker is hard to learn

Approaching the Game

Confidence and honesty

Approaching the Game

Why continual learning is important

Approaching the Game

Approaching the Game

Approaching the Game

The seven deadly sins

The importance of not tilting

How to avoid tilting

Shorthanded vs. full table

Live vs. online

Expected Value (EV)

(8/46)($350 + $1,000) + (38/46)($350) = $54

(x/46)($350 + $1,000) + (46 x)/46)($350) = 0

(8/46)(x + $1,000) + (38/46)(x) = 0

Putting it all together

(1/2)(1/2($1,090) (1/2)($910)) + (1/2)((4/5)($910) +

0.5 * 12 = 6 ways hell play A-A or K-K this way

0.875 * 16 = 14 ways hell play A-K this way.

(6/20)((4/5)($910) + (1/5)($1,090)) = $90

Evaluating your opponents

Loose vs. tight

Aggressive vs. passive

Protecting your hand

Determining the best line

x($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (1-x)($1,700) = 0

$1,350x $1,700 + $1,700x = 0

0.3($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (0.7)($1,700) = $788

0.7($4,400*0.5 $1,700*0.5) (0.3)($1,700) = $435

$4,400x $1,700 + $1,700x = 0

1/5($15) + 4/5($20) = $13

1/4(0) + (3/4)($20) = $15

1/4(0) + 1/4(0) + 1/2($20) = 10

The Turn and River

Considering future cards

The Turn and River

38/46($1,500) + 2/46($3,000) + 6/46($6,000) = $326

9/46($3,000) + 6/46($6,000) + 31/46(-$1,500) = $359

The Turn and River

9/46(0.8*$3,000 + 0.2*-$4,500) + 6/46(0.8*$6,000 + 0.2*$3,000)

Ev+ vs. Ev+++

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

The Turn and River

x($4,4000.5 $1,7000.5) (1-x)($1,700) = 0

0.3($4,4000.5 $1,7000.5) (0.7)($1,700) = $788

0.7($4,4000.5 $1,7000.5) (0.3)($1,700) = $435

9/46(0.8$3,000 + 0.2-$4,500) + 6/46(0.8$6,000 + 0.2$3,000)