Small Stakes No-Limit Hold ’em
by Ed Miller, Sunny Mehta, and Matt Flynn
Professional No Limit Hold ‘Em, Volume 1 (PNLHE) is one of my all-time favorite poker books and the one that I recommend to anyone looking to get started to the game. I eagerly awaited the … Read full post
I used to be afraid of check-raising the flop in a spot like this. It felt like I was turning my hand into a bluff, because if he called, I wouldn’t know if it was with a Q or a draw or a worse pair or a total float. Then … Read full post
How not to play in the Sunday Million:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $200+$15 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (9 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
CO (t9600)
Button (t10700)
Hero (SB) (t9850)
BB (t10000)
UTG (t10000)
UTG+1 (t10000)
MP1 (t10000)
MP2 (t9850)
MP3 (t10000)
Hero’s M: 131.33
Preflop: Hero is … Read full post
Some of you might remember a player named Jason Strasser, who in his day was one of the very best NLHE players online, at both cash and MTT’s. He dominated the 25/50 games and won a WCOOP event before largely quitting poker to become a Wall Street analyst or something … Read full post
One of my students asked me about this hand today, and I thought it was pretty interesting. My first instinct was that the check-raise was thin but good. Q8 is pretty much the top of Hero’s range here, and this looks like such a weird line that I doubt Villain … Read full post
Wicked Chops Poker is reporting that, with 2400 players left in the main event, Phil Ivey accepted a $20K wager from Andy Bloch at 99:1 that he would win the main event. Now that he’s made the final table, Bloch’s got to be sweating the $2 million loss.
My first … Read full post
Given the difficulty I’ve had recently getting heads up action, I’ve put some thought into how the risk of provoking a quit ought to factor into my decisions. It seems there are certain situations, usually winning or losing a big pot, that greatly increase the chances of an opponent quitting. … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who commented on my recent post “You Tell Me: How’d We Do?“. I’ll address a couple of the great questions and comments here and share my own thoughts.
1. The pre-flop 3-bet. I’m certainly not doing this everytime I have J9s, but my 3-betting range … Read full post
By now, you’ve probably all heard about the arrest of prominent black academic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in his home by a Cambridge police officer. If you haven’t, or even if you have, I suggest reading the police report. The short version is that a neighbor called the police … Read full post
Here’s a change of pace. Instead of telling you my reasoning and take on the hand (yet), I want to hear yours. What do you think of my play? What do you think of Villain’s? Obviously some streets will be more controversial than others, but I’m interested in anything and … Read full post
The tournament cold-deckings continue, with me busting the Sunday million set under set after accumulating an above average stack three hours in, losing a huge pot with set under set in the $500 WCOOP satellite (which had a remarkably small and tough field, hopefully that will change with time), and … Read full post
Villain is Matt “Mattg1983” Graham. He’s got a bracelet from the 2008 WSOP PLO $10K, but I don’t know how his PLO8 game is.
PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (8 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB (t5430)
BB (t4450)
UTG (t2960)
UTG+1 (t2520)
MP1 (t5635)
Hero … Read full post
The last two months have been pretty brutal. Certainly part of that was due to whiffing the WSOP and a few failed shots at 40/80, but even my regular games have not been going well. Unlike in past downswings, I don’t feel that I’ve experienced extraordinarily brutal luck. There were … Read full post
Maryland-based freelance reporter Bill Ordine recently penned an article for the LA Times entitled “Poker Professionals Ante Up for Charity“. While it’s primarily about high-profile projects like Ante Up for Africa and Bad Beat on Cancer, he uses yours truly as an example of smaller scale philanthropy enabled … Read full post
When I made it through to Day 3 of the WSOP, my girlfriend came out to Las Vegas to be with me. Sadly, there didn’t turn out to be much more poker to watch, so we took the next few days to travel in the area. We were in Bryce … Read full post
Ironically, after surviving two days at three tough tables playing in some cases less-than-stellar poker, I busted at a great table after a few hours where I think I was playing quite well.
The day got off to a nice start. Blinds were 600/1200/200 On the third hand, I overcalled … Read full post
Just finished up the first break of the day, Andrew is down to 26k after a couple hands didn’t get there. Table is much less intense than days 1 and 2 though, so we’ll see.
Updates on twitter fairly regularly, you can view the feed at www.twitter.com/thinkingpoker
Thanks to everyone … Read full post
First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who’s commented to wish me luck or to share intelligence. What an amazing thing that one of you is a Russian from Prague able to offer some insight into both a Czech opponent and a Russian one! I’m not going to … Read full post
Don’t recognize any names, which is a nice change of pace:
Toriani, Keith 110,200 BR224 1
Lezcano, Ed 23,900 BR224 2
Hai, Le 113,100 BR224 3
Brokos, Andrew 92,200 BR224 4
Phung, Steve 26,500 BR224 5
Bykov, Andrey 27,500 BR224 6
Pages, Fernando 87,100 BR224 7
Fiala, Miroslav 103,500 BR224 … Read full post
I did a “Turning Point” segment today with Cardplayer’s Kristy Arnett about a key hand from Day 2A of the WSOP.
Just to provide a little more detail about the hand: blinds were 300/600/75. I opened to 1500 with KJo, Luca Pagano called, Grant Levy made it 4500 on the … Read full post
It was a grueling day at what even PokerNews called the “Table of Death.” Except for the guy on my right, I probably had the worst seat at the table, too, with Luca Pagano on my immediate left and Isaac Baron to his left. There were a few other … Read full post
Andrew is actively twittering away, view notes at www.twitter.com/thinkingpoker.
He’s in decent shape, but at a tough table. The pros beat him to the dead money early on and then the 2 fish that busted were replaced by more pros.… Read full post
Ahlberg, Tom Vasa Sweden 5,200 B29 2
Boyette, Robert Archer FL 38,950 B29 7
Brokos, Andrew Catonsville MD 16,350 B29 5
De Bon, Cedric Suisse Switzerland 22,725 B29 9
Levy, Grant Sydney Australia 52,225 B29 8
Ludovic, Lacay Paris France 53,425 B29 3
Pagano, Luca Treviso Italy 40,125 B29 6… Read full post
One of my original poker buddies and his wife welcomed their first child into the world today. Picture forthcoming if I can convince his parents that it’s safe for his picture to appear on a poker blog. It’s safe to say that depending on which side he favors, he will … Read full post
Forgot to mention this with all the excitement of the WSOP, but my latest poker strategy article, Capped Ranges, is now appearing in the 2+2 Magazine. Here’s a tantalizing excerpt:
“On the turn or river, it is often possible to determine, based on how he has played on … Read full post
Andrew ended the night with 16k, I’m sure he’ll add much more detail here in the morning…
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Andrew’s at 26k at the break, one more level to go tonight, updates on twitter, general updates available on the WSOP site …
… Read full post
Andrew moved to a softer table and is up to a comfortable 45k at the dinner break.
They are only playing four 2-hour levels today, instead of the scheduled 5, so they’ll come back from dinner at a little after 6pm PST and then play until about 10:30pm with a … Read full post
Andrew is at a meh starting table with a good player on his left. For those not following the twitter, here are the updates so far:
3:35pm Fish wins huge pot off of best opponent. this is a very very good thing.
First Break- 2:15pm Just over 30K starting stack … Read full post
My girlfriend’s been working tremendously hard on a redesign of the Thinking Poker blog/website, and it’s going to be going live tomorrow. By the time many of you read this post, it may be live already, in which case, don’t panic- you’re still in the right place!
If you happen … Read full post
For some reason, people in Vegas talk to strangers on the elevator, which is a total 180 from common elevator behavior anywhere else in the world. I think it has something to do with the general mood of the place combined with how crowded the elevators often are.
Usually it’s … Read full post
3875 coming into the break. Were playing 200 400 when we resume.
Level 3 I got into some good spots vs the fish (there are 2 now). Once had three to a low flush that turned into a 7 low and lost to a better low from fish who limped … Read full post
Up from 4500 at the start. Table isn’t particularly soft. There’s one very loose player on my right but otherwise everyone seems solid. I’ve had some strong hands, including rolled up 7s that only got half of a small pot and a buried pair that made trips to chop a … Read full post
Edit: As I was drifting off to sleep last night, it occurred to me that I should have titled this post “Loosey Luske”. In my defense, it was 3AM and I’d been playing Stud/8 for 8 hours, so my creative juices were a bit stymied.
Early in level 7, the … Read full post
Legendary 2+2 poker author David Sklansky was recently the victim of a home invasion robbery committed by what appeared to be several armed individuals. According to the local NBC affiliate,
“‘The guy burst into the bedroom, it was dark but I did see what appeared to be a gun,'” home … Read full post
So apparently Vegas isn’t quite as dead as I thought and waiting until the day before my arrival to make hotel arrangements was not wise. The Rio is booked solid until Tuesday, so I’m spending my first three nights at the good old Imperial Palace. I stayed there last year, … Read full post
I’ve recently received a few requests for old articles of mine that appeared in the 2+2 Magazine. First off, let me apologize that my archive is so out of date. The revamping of the website has proved far more complicated than anticipated, but it is nearly finished now. When it … Read full post
Yesterday’s New York Times ran an article about how poker players are using Twitter. I can’t say it’s particularly thorough and insightful, in fact it seems to be based almost entirely on an interview with Joe Sebok of Poker Road, it’s neat to see our little world getting … Read full post
Full Tilt Poker, $40/$80 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
SB: $34,593
Hero (BB): $22,437
UTG: $19,010
CO: $22,366
BTN: $8,180
Pre-Flop: 8
6
dealt to Hero (BB)
3 folds, SB raises to $320, Hero calls $240
Flop: ($640) 5
4 5
(2 Players)… Read full post
Sorry for the recent lack of updates, but I haven’t been playing all that much. Since I’ll be in Vegas soon and devoting myself to poker nearly 24/7, I’m trying to get some other stuff done right now.
Speaking of Vegas, thanks to everyone who’s asked what my plans are. … Read full post
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($885)
SB ($2165)
Hero (BB) ($2458)
UTG
Even though I’m too sloppy/lazy/uneducated to work out the details of complicated problems, I’m quite interested in the mathematics of poker. I feel like I do have a broad grasp of the game theory that underlies many situations and can use that to aid in my decision-making. Recently, I’ve been … Read full post
Full Tilt
BB ($9000.50)
UTG ($16025)
MP ($5309)
Hero (CO) ($10269)
Button ($10000)
SB ($10391)
Preflop: Hero is CO with A
, J
2 folds, Hero bets $175, 1 fold, SB calls $150, 1
As a first step towards a larger blog/website revamping, I’m finally moving away from the awful Ipower company that’s been hosting the blog. This should be a smooth transition that doesn’t result in any downtime, but nothing with them has ever gone smoothly, so we’ll see. If for some reason … Read full post
Maybe I haven’t forgotten how to play tournaments altogether? I went into yesterdays’ session resolved not to LAG off too many stacks in my tournaments, and while I didn’t entirely keep that pledge, I did play a pretty disciplined game in the Stars $300. To wit:
Button ($1000)
SB ($1195.75)
Hero (BB) ($2396)
UTG ($1232)
MP ($1679)
CO ($1052)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 9
, 10
2 folds, CO bets $30, Button calls $30, SB calls $25, Hero
May was a solid month, though a bit bittersweet because it started off phenomenally and then took a pretty sour turn. I can’t complain about the bottom line, but let’s see what kind of progress I’m making on my yearly goals.
Resolution One: Keep Grinding NLHE Cash Games
Goal 1: … Read full post
Congratulations to Poker Savvy’s Dani “Ansky” Stern, who finished fourth for better than half a million dollars in the special $40K NLHE WSOP anniversary event. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t even realize he was at the final table. I’d looked at an article about the final table that … Read full post
My latest poker strategy articles, Debunking Myths About Implied Odds, has just been published in the June 2009 issue of 2+2 Magazine. The article explores one of the most important and misunderstood concepts in big bet poker:
… Read full post“Calling a late position raise with a suited connector when you
There were 61 players remaining in a Poker Stars $650 satellite, and 51 seats to be won. We were already at the point where we’d be getting our buyins back. I was in like 49th or so place with 25K chips at 1250/2500 and had a nice spot for stealing. … Read full post
The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition
Edited by Michael Craig
This Full Tilt guide is a 19-Chapter anthology, so I’ve broken down my review chapter-by-chapter.
Chapters Reviews:
Chapter 6 – Play Before the Flop by Andy Bloch
Chapter 10-Online Tournament Strategy by Richard Brodie
Big congratulations to my friend and former student Todd, who just won a $12K WSOP package in a Poker Stars $10 rebuy satellite. Just days after completing my inaugural group seminar, he effectively quadrupled his bankroll. Naturally I take full credit.
In all seriousness, though, Todd’s a bright, hungry player, … Read full post
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt
That’s right! My thousands of Finnish readers will be thrilled to learn that select articles from my archive will now be available in Finnish at Pokerisvut. Currently appearing: Tuottoisia virheitä (Profitable Mistakes).
I don’t speak a word of Finnish, but I’m enjoying looking at Pokerisvut’s news sidebar nonetheless. … Read full post
My One Minute Recommendation: The Pot Limit Omaha Book: Transitioning from NLHE to PLO scores a 9/10. There are probably better books for all-around poker noobs, but experienced NLHE players looking to get better at “the other big bet game” would be hard-pressed to find a better resource.
The Good:… Read full post
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (9 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (Button) ($2000)
SB ($1669)
BB ($3229)
UTG ($2000)
UTG+1 ($3617)
MP1 ($2000)
MP2
Standard tournament garbage. Congratulations, though, to my long-time reader and former student Diego, who made the final table! Diego, why oh why did you back out of our staking deal?!!?
Obviously I’m planning a check-raise here, but given his bet sizing, I actually think I might be better off just … Read full post
I was not playing very well on Saturday, and it showed through in my results. I think I’m pretty good at letting bad beats and unlucky cards roll off my back, but I have a lot more trouble getting over a session where I played badly. Obviously a few mistakes … Read full post
Played the 1K WSOP satellite on Stars tonight. There were 21 runners, meaning 2 seats and a lot of cash paid out. I came into the final table in second place, and had the lead by the time we got down to 5. I was running roughshod over everyone, and … Read full post
Yesterday, PeteEastgate was sitting at something like 8 25/50 tables on Stars. After confirming that this was the actual 2009 WSOP Champion and not some clever shark impersonating a tourney donk, I hopped on a few of the tables to try my luck. It was indeed trying:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, … Read full post
I lasted no more than 15 minutes in this tournament and got 3-bet no fewer than four times. The final time, I raised 44 in the SB, shoved over a 3-bet from the BB, and lost the flip to AQ.
Poker Savvy’s Dani “Ansky” Stern final tabled this one, but … Read full post
I always look forward to the PLO8 events, but I couldn’t get anything going. The opposition was beyond awful:
Full Tilt Poker Game #12159019788: FTOPS Event #11 (84242375), Table 41 – 20/40 – Pot Limit Omaha H/L – 14:20:39 ET – 2009/05/11
Seat 1: babbelz (1,028)
Seat 2: Sensor (8,220)… Read full post
I donked my way out of this one with a quickness, lost my ass with QQ on a 972 board with two clubs. Worse, it was to a guy who’d previously called KJ on a J74 flop, potted the turn when I checked to him, then made a half pot … Read full post
I was about halfway through last night’s session, and a lot of the 6-max games I was in were kinda bad. I was at the end of a few long waiting lists, but mostly there just weren’t many good games going at the time.
I’d been sitting alone, waiting for … Read full post