I’ve got a new article on Learn.PokerNews that addresses one of my (many) pet peeves, the idea that satellites are a good choice for players with limited bankrolls:
… Read full postWinning $480 in a satellite doesn’t magically make it a good idea for you to buy into a $480 tournament any more
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You might know Pauly Maguire from his Tao of Poker blog. Or his Tao of Pauly blog. Or the Dope Stories podcast that he co-hosts with Shane Schleger (our interviews with Shane here and here). Or from his book … Read full post
The new episode won’t be out until tomorrow night. Sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment that causes, but I think you’ll find it worth waiting for. Just to whet your appetite, here are a few of things we discussed: the need for rational conversation about drugs, the dark heart of … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on this week’s What’s Your Play?, and sorry for the lack of response on my end; it proved to be an unexpectedly hectic week.
Important Points About Multiway Pots
I want to start by making two observations about multi-way pots:
1. It is not … Read full post
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Sam Grafton’s post-graduate studies in critical theory make him the first guest capable of schooling Andrew on Foucault. We talk about staking and swapping, the importance of social capital to success in poker, the blurred line between poker and gambling, the extent … Read full post
This hand is from a $5/$10 game at Maryland Live, currently playing 7-handed. Both Villains seem pretty competent with regard to sizing, bluffing, value betting, etc and have no blatantly exploitable tendencies. My best guess is that they have a similar view of Hero.
UTG opens for $35. I call … Read full post
I’ve got a new series now going live at Tournament Poker Edge. It’s called Evaluating Bluffs, and it’s a hand history review with an emphasis on considering whether and with what range I should have bluffed in various situations. More than that, it’s a case study in how … Read full post
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Clayton Fletcher, professional poker player and comedian, talks about growing up in a poker playing family (his mother is also a professional poker player!), how his two careers complement each other, and what he’s learned from each. Then, we talk about the … Read full post
I was pleasantly surprised by the great discussion of this week’s What’s Your Play? I nearly didn’t post it because it was “just a pre-flop spot”.
How Likely Are Better Hands?
Everyone was rightfully quick to recognize that it’s rare to see people overlimping the biggest pairs in late … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Dealing With Aggression in Tournaments, is now appearing in 2+2 Magazine. The title is pretty self-explanatory, but here’s an excerpt that gives you a better idea of how exactly I address the subject:
… Read full postThe key to minimizing these headaches is to anticipate and prepare
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Matthew “theginger45” Hunt is one of the newest video producers at Tournament Poker Edge. After several years of traveling and living abroad, he’s returned to his native England to focus on poker and writing. He talks to us about why he … Read full post
Sitting in a nitty, ten-handed $2/$5 game that isn’t even really worth playing but I’m out of the tournament and waiting for the $5/$10 to start so what else is there to do but collect hands to discuss with the good people of Thinking Poker Nation?
Villain ($725) is a … Read full post
Q: We are in a .25/.50 NLholdem home game, 5 players are left. Hero and villain are the two big stacks at the table.
Preflop 5 handed:
Hero ($77.75 from a $50 buy in) (KK) Raise $1.75
Villain ($58.25 from a $25 buy in) Call
Dealer Fold
SB call (after … Read full post
In case you didn’t hear the announcement on the latest podcast, Nate and I have just released more than five hours of tournament strategy podcasts that are available for $19 at www.nitcast.com. Though similar to the strategy discussions we have on the weekly podcasts, the content in these premiums … Read full post
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After last week’s interruption, Nate and Andrew are back with an all-strategy episode plus exciting news about how to get even more strategy from us! You’ll hear our thoughts on Ed Miller’s new book (more from Nate on his blog), folding … Read full post
If you’ve seen my Bluffing series on Tournament Poker Edge, then you know that I’ve got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about people who claim they can’t bluff because their opponents “never fold”. It’s just not true, and yesterday I had the chance to demonstrate this … Read full post
Q: I am an active live player who plays in local games in NYC. This hand was from a $1/$3 NLHE game 9 player table with mostly fairly loose players but they are quite competent for this level. Most hands are played with 3+ players although hands are rarely limped … Read full post
That’s a coy way of saying we don’t have a new episode for you. We’ll be back with new material next week! In the meantime, we encourage you to catch up on recent favorites like Mike McDonald and John the Lawyer (seriously, if you skipped this one because you don’t … Read full post
I just realized I never plugged my latest poker strategy article, which went up at the beginning of the month. It’s called “Can Your Opponents Change Their Stripes?“, and it’s now appearing in 2+2 Magazine:
… Read full postAny adjective or category used to describe how someone plays should be thought
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Ed Miller, whose first first appearance on the show set a new bar for Thinking Poker Podcast strategy content, is back to talk about his new book, Poker’s 1%. Ed and the guys talk about why so many players struggle … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Ran Out a Straight. I don’t have anything else to say up front, so let’s get down to it.
Hero’s Range is More Capped Than Villain’s
A lot of commenters started by zeroing in on the likelihood of running into … Read full post
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Jennifer Shahade is a two-time American Women’s Chess Champion, an author, and a professional poker player. She joins the show to discuss the world of chess, her transition to poker, Open Face Chinese, the Grindettes, and her recent TED talk. … Read full post
Game is $5/$10 no-limit hold ’em. Villain begins the hand with $1570, Hero covers as does the rest of the table. He’s a very good player, reads hands well, and is capable of pretty much anything. He’s maybe at times a little overly loose and aggressive but all in all … Read full post
Q: I was BB ($600) and held KhKc. UTG+1 LAG ($500) limps CO limps Button (<$100) limps SB limps and I raise to $10. Perhaps on the small side since the table was loosening up with the end near but I can typically play post flop well.
UTG+1 calls
CO … Read full post
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Carlos Welch fills in for Nate this week and is remarkably open about his recent setbacks, including the challenges of playing underrolled, finding a good backing deal, and balancing live vs online play. In an extra-long strategy segment, he and Andrew discuss … Read full post
Thanks for all the well wishes yesterday and especially to those who were following along on Twitter. That always makes a live run more fun. Despite starting the day with a below average stack, I made the final table and finished 7th for $6417. It was a bit of a … Read full post
Made Day 2 of a local $900 + $100 (with another $27 of that $900 withheld for staff – I’m not winning nitcast awards for this one) event. Couple of funny stories from Day 1:
1. I was better than I usually am about looking left but still not nearly … Read full post
Q: I have a recurring situation that is driving me crazy. You speak to it around the edges quite a bit in the blog, I’d be interested in hearing your direct take. I win many small pots in a session then lose a big pot that I should have been … Read full post
I’ve revamped my most popular coaching programs to be better than ever for 2014! (Yes, I realize we’re pretty well into 2014, but I had a bit of a backlog to clear before taking on new students.) Both the Crushing Live Cash Games and Dominate Donkaments programs are designed to … Read full post
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Mike freakin’ McDonald is on the show this week, talking about his meteoric rise to the top of the poker world, his unconventional views on the desirability of online gambling, his “retirement”, reg-filled rake fests, the Bank of Timex, the influence … Read full post
Nate and I very excited about tomorrow’s podcast guest, so let’s play another round of Guess the Guest. Please don’t post if you already know the answer, which many of you might as I shared it during my recent appearance on the Tournament Poker Edge podcast. During the episode, we … Read full post
I posted this a few weeks ago but accidentally backdated it to appear as though it were posted on January 1. I think that as a result a lot of people never saw it. Apologies to those for whom it is old hat, and thanks to Matt Glassman for bringing … Read full post
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Gareth Chantler calls in from a hostel in Phuket, Thailand to discuss his latest travels, his second-place finish in a $215 TCOOP tournament, and the plight of the Rohingya people.
You can follow @GarethChantler on Twitter, read his final table … Read full post
I received this question in response to my latest strategy article, Trying New Things, which is now appearing in 2+2 Magazine.
Q: I read your article on 2p2’s magazine and I wanted to try something new. I determined what is the skill I want to improve in my game … Read full post
If one podcast a week isn’t enough to make you sick of me, you can get an extra two hours this week. I joined RonFezBuddy and Killingbird on the Tournament Poker Edge Strategy Podcast. We talked about my background in poker plus a ton of strategy topics, from hand … Read full post
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Andre Coimbra returns to the show to reflect on his year as a full-time multi-table tournament professional. He shares what he learned from the experience, his poker plans for the new year, the charity to which he ended up donating his 2013 … Read full post
Hey gang. I’m likely to be tied up this evening and not able to post the new podcast. If that happens, which is likely, it will go up tomorrow.
In the meantime, here’s a little game we can play. I’ll give you some clues about the guest, and you try … Read full post
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Ryan van Sanford (@RyanTYFL on Twitter) is an active member of both the Tournament Poker Edge and the Thinking Poker Podcast communities. At 20 years old, he’s new to the live tournament scene and just had his first big win in … Read full post
Huge congratulations to Gareth Chantler for chopping last nights $215 Knockout tournament in the Turbo Championship of Online Poker. He locked up $97,000 plus another $1000 in bounties, and the best part is that the only reason he played the tournament is that he was assigned to cover it for … Read full post
I finally got around to writing my first article for Martin Harris‘ new project, Learn.PokerNews. It’s called Play Your Cards Close to Your Chest, and it deals with a common beginner’s mistake:
… Read full postOne of your first goals at the poker table should be to ensure that your opponents
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John the Lawyer left a profitable legal practice to play poker professionally. He cut his teeth in the big game at Foxwoods playing against, among others, a young Vanessa Selbst. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on live poker, home games, … Read full post
In February of 2011, after a year and a half without a permanent residence, I began thinking of settling somewhere again. My girlfriend and I returned to Boston, where we’d lived for five years, where my poker career had blossomed, where I’d founded a non-profit organization that I eventually handed … Read full post
Q:I love the podcast. I especially like the strategy segments that look at situations that recur fairly frequently, and have you guys discuss to death the various possibilities, and what factors can push the decision one way or another.
I have a hand that I played last night that … Read full post
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Richard Veenman is a Dutch fixed limit hold ’em player with a lot of charisma and a big personality. At the start of 2014, he retired from both professional poker and PokerStars Team Online. In addition to the difficulties of balancing a … Read full post
On Friday nights, when there’s generally a bigger-than-usual hold ’em game at my local casino, they also get some PLO action going, which is nice because sitting in a $1/$3 PLO game while I wait for a seat is a lot more interesting than sitting at $1/$3 NLHE and it … Read full post
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Andrew and Nate ring in the new year with a discussion of goal-setting and their own resolutions, both in poker and in life. Plus how to take notes in live poker, first impressions of the (relatively) new poker room at the Maryland … Read full post
We’ve recently gotten some cool emails from listeners describing when, how, and why they listen to the Thinking Poker Podcast. What about you? Is it part of your weekly routine? Are you a binge listener? Do you use it for entertainment or to warm up for a session at … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Semi-Bluffing the River, is now appearing in 2+2 Magazine. It deals with trying to bluff people off of chops:
… Read full post“I was far from confident that I could move either of them off of the second nuts, but it didn’t matter, as I was guaranteed
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Keone Young, prolific actor and poker player, was our guest on Episode 50. Due to some technical difficulties, part of our first interview with him was unusable, and we ended up recording a new interview that differed in many ways from … Read full post
One of my students sent me a fun little brag hand and gave me permission to share it here. I should say that he’s relatively new to poker but seems preternaturally talented at reading people’s physical behavior. As you’ll see, he references it often here, and it’s not something we’ve … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Miracle Turn. Ironically, Gareth, in his excellent comment, takes my oft-referenced Value Targeting concept to task for its lack of nuance when I made this post specifically to demonstrate a more nuanced use of it! “Normally I think the Brokosism … Read full post
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Joe LaPinta is a professional poker player who won the recent WSOP circuit event at Harrah’s Atlantic City. Of course it takes more than just a tournament victory to score an appearance on the Thinking Poker Podcast, but Joe is also an … Read full post
Game is $5/$10/$20 no-limit hold ’em, effective stacks are at least $10,000. Villain is extremely nitty, but it’s paying off for him because he keeps coolering people who can’t bring themselves to fold when they’re obviously crushed. He doesn’t seem intimidated by the stakes exactly – he bought in for … Read full post
I’m really impressed by the comments on What’s Your Play? Bad Runout for an Overpair. I was actually reluctant to post it so soon after begging for more comments, because it seems like the biggest reason people have for not commenting is a concern that they don’t have … Read full post
Good buddy Nate just published a list of some of his favorite books he read in 2013, which prompted me to want to do the same. Only one or two of these was actually published in 2013, but they’re all relatively new, and they’re all books that I read … Read full post
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Andrew, Carlos, and Sean share stories from their recent trip to Atlantic City. There’s plenty of strategy, from small-stakes cash game hands to big decisions in a six-handed bounty tournament and the $2700 Fall Poker Open Main Event. Plus the Nitcast … Read full post
The game is $5/$10/$20 no-limit hold ’em, and it’s playing pretty deep. Villain 1 has $8K, Villain 2 has $5K, and I cover both.
Villain 1 is a professional and the toughest of my opponents in this game. He’s far more situationally aware than most and reads hands pretty well. … Read full post
Thanks for the many, many responses to this week’s What’s Your Play? It occurs to me, in retrospect, that I was fishing pretty hard for compliments with the way I worded my post. Well, I’m glad that I got them, and that so many people enjoy the WYP posts! I’ll … Read full post
Q: Remember years ago the training websites were saying we want to teach you to not become a “robot” and think about decisions. Wouldnt that be more of the exploitive strategy and now people almost want to play like a “robot” with game theory. Do you find that is happening … Read full post
Sorry gang but Nate and I are taking our Christmas break a little early. We plan to have new episodes out each Monday for the rest of the month, but there won’t be one tonight. If you’re really jonesing for the show, consider listening (or re-listening) to one of my … Read full post
I haven’t posted one of these in a while because participation in the last few was kind of lackluster. If you enjoy these sorts of posts, please comment on this one, even if you don’t have anything to say about the hand, just so that I can gauge the level … Read full post
Sorry I’ve been so long in getting this up. A lot of people expressed interest in it after I posted about Day 1, which I appreciate.
My Day 2 starting table was probably above average. It featured Harrison Gimbel (youngest ever winner of the PCA main event, now 23) … Read full post
Nate and I were flattered to be nominated for Best Podcast in the 2014 Bluff Reader’s Choice Awards. Hopefully this will prompt some new listeners to come check out the show, and with nearly 100 hours of content out there, it might be hard to know where to start.
In … Read full post
My latest poker strategy, Analyzing Heads-Up Play From the 2013 WSOP Main Event Final Table, is now appearing in the December edition of 2+2 Magazine. It specifically focuses on the perils of what I call a “weak pot control” strategy where the pre-flop raiser attempts to check back all … Read full post
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Andrew’s friend Miklos is on the show this week to talk about the Hungarian poker scene, his recent deep run in a Super Knock Out tournament, and strategy adjustments more generally for tournaments with large bounties. This episode is extra-heavy on strategy, … Read full post
Happy Cyber Monday! Far be it from us to contribute to the seasonal frenzy of consumerism, but if you’re going to be doing any holiday shopping (or any other shopping for that matter) on Amazon anyway, there’s a free and easy way to support the Thinking Poker Podcast in the … Read full post