Thanks to everyone who participated in What’s Your Play? Flush With Redraw.
I folded, and I don’t think it’s close. The short explanation is #TheyAlwaysHaveIt. Here’s a longer one:
Is This a Bluff-Catcher?
The first question to ask is whether Villain could be raising worse for value. If yes, … Read full post
As I did last year, I’m once again raising money this holiday season for the Bay Area Urban Debate League, a non-profit organization I’m deeply involved with as a Board member, volunteer, and donor. Debating in high school and college changed my life, and in the 15 years that … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Political scientist and Congressional Research Service analyst Matt Glassman helped us put the 2016 Presidential Campaign into context a few weeks ago. Now that the election is over, we need him more than ever!
We’ve got a great strategy segment, but … Read full post
Edit: Fixed pot size on turn.
Playing $5/$10 No-Limit at Maryland Live, a game that does not participate in the Bad Beat Jackpot and other promotions. I don’t have a lot of experience with either Villain, but there’s a good chance they know who I am (a lot of people … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Deep Thinking, was just published in Two Plus Two Magazine. Does this sound like you?
… Read full postPlaying with a short stack can be a good way to learn: it simplifies your decisions, minimizes the magnitude of your mistakes, and helps you focus on fundamentals like
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Danny Sprung is a trader and a long-time games player. He was a serious poker player even before the boom, and he’s also a world class bridge player. In this interview, we discuss how he relates poker to bridge and to trading, … Read full post
Edit: I originally reported a donor match that is apparently not happening. Very sorry about that, but I hope you’ll contribute anyway!
Edit2: Sorry for all the confusion. The match is apparently on and good for the rest of November (so, Tuesday and Wednesday).
Donations made to the Bay Area … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ryan LaPlante, who joined us on Episode 95, won his first WSOP bracelet this summer in the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha event. In this interview, he talks about his emotional victory speech, why winning matters so much to him, and the … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Tommy Angelo is back to talk about “speech play”, stalling, and other ways your opponents can annoy you at the table, if you let them. Plus we’ll get an update on his latest book, Painless Poker, and his meeting with Carlos Welch… Read full post
Sorry to say there’s no new podcast this week. However, we recorded a great interview (is there any other kind?) with Tommy Angelo this morning that we’re excited to share with you soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, here’s my latest strategy article for 2+2 Magazine, entitled “Why … Read full post
This was a surprising little moment for me in reading The Autobiography of Martin Luther King: King was a gun owner prior to and in the early days of his involvement with the Montgomery bus boycott! After a bomb exploded on his front porch, his friends and family urged him … Read full post
I don’t often talk in terms of heroes and role models, but if you forced me to name one, I would choose the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I’ve written here before, I believe that he represents about as well as anyone in history what it means … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Matt Glassman is a Congressional Research Service analyst, Political Science PhD, and perhaps most importantly, one of Nate’s college buddies. We talk about how poker can help us to understand politics (including the 2016 presidential election, of course!), how horse racing can … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Is Carlos Welch settling down? Not quite. He’s still got the van, but he’s also got himself a new routine in Las Vegas that involves more live poker than ever before! Join us as we catch up with all-time favorite guest Carlos … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
William Kassouf will be familiar to you if you’ve been watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN. His constant chatter attracted plenty of attention and controversy during the final days of the Main Event. In this interview, we discuss his background … Read full post
Somehow it took me 12 years to get around to playing a World Poker Tour event, but I played my first one over the weekend at Maryland Live. Overall it was a well-run and well-attended event and I’m glad I played.
My Day 1A table draw was quite tough, I … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
With WCOOP still going on (at the time of recording), Nate and Andrew get together to answer some strategy questions from the mailbag.
0:30 – hello
11:06 – strategy
Strategy
Blinds 300/600/75. Hero opens to 1500 UTG+1 with AA. Folds around to … Read full post
Here’s an interesting pot from the $200 Rebuy 6-Max WCOOP event. You probably know that in theory, multi-street bluffing tends to involve building two ranges for each street, a “keep bluffing” range and a “give up” range, such that your bluffing frequency gets lower on each street.
In practice, though, … Read full post
Sorry but we don’t have a new podcast episode this week. That’s mostly due to my being busy with WCOOP stuff, so we should be able to get a show ready for next week.
I wanted to share a hand with you from the third event that I played, which … Read full post
I was hoping to post more hands during WCOOP, but detailed write-ups just aren’t what I’m in the mood for after a long day of playing. So, I’m going to start posting some hands without a lot of commentary.
I already posted one from the $200 Warm-Up, so here’s … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Andrew’s busy with WCOOP, so he and Nate get straight to strategy, with a discussion of several hands from the No-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better event.
Timestamps
0:30 Hello & Welcome
10:42 NLO8 Strategy
Hand 1
PokerStars – $300+$20|400/800 Ante 100 NL Hi/Lo (6 … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who participated in Rate Our Play: Blind Battle. I hope you benefited from thinking about this spot. Blind battles and other spots where players have very wide ranges are tricky because, if you just try to apply heuristics and experience from other situations, you’re going to … Read full post
It’s called Rate Our Play. I’m going to post a hand featuring multiple decisions points for both myself and my opponent(s). Your job will be to comment on any mistakes (or choices that surprised you in a good way) that you think either of us made. I’ll participate in the … Read full post
I was not directly effected nor especially traumatized (no moreso, that is, than the vast majority of humans who were horrified by the suffering, death, and destruction) by the attacks of September 11. Far more traumatic, for me, was what took place in the weeks that followed, specifically the adoption … Read full post
Sorry for the lack of posts here. As you’ll see, I’ve had a busy few weeks.
It started nicely, with a trip to visit some old friends. As much as Emily and I have enjoyed living in San Francisco, there are some downsides, most notably the fact that most of … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Alan Boston has long been known as a sports better, but now he’s back on the east coast, making a living in the Foxwoods Poker Room. Alan tells his stories with characteristic bluntness and candor, from Stu Ungar and 1980s Las Vegas … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Billy Sharkey’s poker career has been a roller coaster that led him to mindfulness meditation, and that helps… except when it doesn’t. In this revealing interview, Billy discusses dealing with losses, the complex politics of high stakes home games, his struggle with … Read full post
I knew that my small turn bet in the recent Rate Our Play post would be controversial, and although I had reasons for doing it, they weren’t particularly exploitive, and I hadn’t actually used GTORB to look at the EV of betting larger. It turns out that even if you … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who participated in the inaugural Rate Our Play. I’ll take the blame for the low attendance, as I haven’t been actively blogging lately. That should change once WCOOP gets underway.
DP1: Uncontroversial.
DP2: Uncontroversial at this stack depth. With deeper stacks, this is a reasonable BB … Read full post
Q: I would love to hear your thoughts on zoom poker. It seems to me, at low stakes anyway, that the level of play is much higher than at regular cash tables at the same stakes. For some reason, it seems to attract much fewer fish and many more regs.… Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Chris Moorman, with over $10 million in cashes, is widely regarded as the winningest player in online tournament poker. This wide-ranging interview covers his beginnings as a competitive bridge and pool player, his struggles with staking, his role as 888Poker Ambassador, and … Read full post
In an effort to blog a bit more often (about topics other than new podcasts), I’m going to try out a new sort of post that hopefully will be similar to but less time-consuming (for me) than a multi-street What’s Your Play?.
It’s called Rate Our Play. I’m going … Read full post
The Backstory
I’m currently in Maryland visiting family and have been to Maryland Live a few times. It’s been quite busy; even when I arrived around 4 yesterday there was already a long list for 5/10 and 10/25 and no open tables to start a new game. So, I ended … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Aaron Brown is a professional-poker-player-turned-Wall-Street-trader. You may know him as the author of The Poker Face of Wall Street, but he’s got a lot to say about gambling, economics, and our favorite, the “old days” of poker in private games and … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Technical difficulties and vacation schedules nearly kept the show off the air for two weeks running, but there’s no keeping Nate and Andrew down! We’ve got a short, strategy-only show to tide you over until we return with an awesome guest next … Read full post
Sorry for the recent, worse-than-usual silence. Immediately after the WSOP, Emily and I moved out of our apartment (big job!) and then took a two-week vacation. There were also some technical difficulties with the latest podcast, though we hope to have resolved them and to be able to bring you … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ian Simpson is a former (and future) teacher in the United Kingdom. His fourth place finish in the 2012 Paddy Power Irish Poker Open proved literally life-changing, not only because of the money but because it presented the opportunity to spend a … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Andrew, Nate, and THE Carlos Welch gather in a hotel room at the Gold Coast to discuss their first day in the WSOP Main Event. There’s loads of strategy talk, as Nate bet-folds the river, Carlos gets full value from a set, … Read full post
I’m playing Day 1C, starting a little over an hour from now! This will be my 11th WSOP Main Event, and although I can’t claim to be as excited as I was for my first, I don’t think I’ve been this pumped about poker since this time last year. You … Read full post
Nate and I played this together, what a great event. Nate said, and I agree, that this was one of the most fun tournaments he’s ever played.
There was such a great mix of types of teams! Of course in some cases it was just a few great players who … Read full post
This was a fun tournament and a great value. My starting table was amazing, and I managed to nearly double up with a set in the first few orbits. I was particularly proud of myself for not making a mistake I’ve been guilty of in the past, which is getting … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The WSOP is obviously a busy time, so we just recorded a quick conversation this week, covering some general stuff about the World Series of Poker and a few of the first events/hands Andrew played. Please note that this was recorded before … Read full post
My plan for Sunday was to play the $1500 NLHE and, if I busted early, to register the $1500 PLO8. I ended up busting the no-limit shortly after the dinner break around 8PM, and I wasn’t in the mood to play another 8 hours or whatever of poker, so I … Read full post
After busting Flight A of the Crazy 8s WSOP event on Friday yesterday, I took another shot at Flight C yesterday. I ended up with a shallow cash and there were one or two moderately interesting hands, but I’ll cut to the chase: about halfway through the day, Chris Ferguson … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ed Miller is back to talk about Daily Fantasy Sports, his writing, and finding edges not just on the felt but in life. All that plus a strategy segment from Nate!
This episode is sponsored by Shark Clock and Tournament Poker Edge… Read full post
I got off to a good start in this tournament, doubling through (but not quite stacking, and therefore not winning a bounty from, a tough player on my right). I tanked a bit on the river decision, even though I was pretty sure I was calling, and that seemed to … Read full post
My second event of the 2016 World Series of Poker was the $1000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em. With just 100 big blinds to start, this tournament goes quick, which makes it great for the hourly rate but not particularly interesting, poker-wise anyway (the people watching can be extraordinary).
Still, I got … Read full post
I’m in Las Vegas! I arrived Thursday night and played my first event, the Monster Stack, on Friday morning. It was great starting with 300BBs and the value was clear to see, but unfortunately I took a big hit early that really hindered my ability to take advantage of the … Read full post
I guess this is kind of old news now, but the World Series Of Poker is off to an exciting start for Nate and me! Two of our (somewhat) recent guests have already won gold bracelets, and even more excitingly, both bracelets were firsts for their recipients! Congratulations to Ryan … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Alex Sutherland is a professional poker player and software designer, responsible for inflicting Table Ninja and GTO Range Builder on the poker world. We talk to him about transitioning back and forth between these worlds, common misunderstandings about the application of game … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Lukasz Grabowski has had a fair bit of success playing Spin-and-Gos as “grasiu”, but he’s very clear that poker is only a means to an end for him. In this interview, we talked about his lapsed Catholicism, his interest in Buddhism and … Read full post
For the first time ever, I’m making pieces of my WSOP Main Event available even to small investors. I’m auctioning off 20% of my action in increments of just 0.2%, which makes it affordable for anyone who wants a sweat. If you want to buy a bigger piece, not to … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christian Soto is a professional poker player and a video producer at Red Chip Poker. He is the co-author, with Doug Hull and James Sweeney, of Late Position. Learn how, with the help of Matt Berkey, the “Big Papi … Read full post
This is an article I wrote a while ago for 2+2 Magazine. Posting it here now so that I can link someone to it.
My favorite feeling in poker is making some huge, heroic call on the river with a weak hand. To this day, the hand I’m most proud … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Poker is a Gambling Game, is now appearing in 2+2 Magazine. I suspect the title will seem like an obvious statement to some and a controversial (heretical?) one to others, but I don’t think there’s any arguing with the content:
… Read full postWinning at poker isn’t
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I’ve mentioned my cousin’s family a few times, here and on the podcast. I believe their first blog appearance was at the start of my road trip to Las Vegas in 2013, with the most notable being the 2014 Las Vegas … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I wasn’t around for the recording of this episode and haven’t listened to it yet, so for the time being this is a mystery episode! But with Nate and Carlos Welch hosting, how bad can it be?… Read full post
This question first appeared on the Tournament Poker Edge forums, under the title “Looking for some insight in to effective stack sizes and 3-bet/4-bet decisions.”
Q: I’ve often wondered how best to consider stack size when confronted by 3 or 4 bets. I have a vague sense it … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Isn’t that what all of our shows about? Kind of, but this time around we’re more explicit than usual. It’s just Nate and Andrew, talking about some specific, concrete, active (not just reading books or watching videos) ways to study poker. Plus … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Elena Stover has a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, and her studies focused on risk and decision-making, so when she decided not to pursue a career in academia, poker was a natural fit for her. We talk to Elena about her research, how … Read full post
Thanks to Lee, who first brought this problem to my attention, and to John Williams and Russ Fox, both of whom sent me the MP3 file they had downloaded, the missing Episode 87 of the Thinking Poker Podcast is back! Many of you probably never heard it, because it … Read full post
The eighth installment in my Thinking Poker Diaries series, which tells the story of my summers at the World Series of Poker, is now available. Unlike past volumes, this one covers many preliminary events as well as the 2013 Main Event. In particular, includes a report from the $1500 PLO8 … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Andrew Moreno is a professional poker player who is also married to a professional poker player. His wife, Kristy Arnett, has mentioned him enough times on the show (including Episode 170!) that we figured it was about time he came on … Read full post
Sean, our editor, has been out of town, so there’s a slight delay with the latest episode, but it should be up tomorrow (Tuesday), thanks for your patience!
Edit: Whoops, I actually had this file all along, Sean sent it to me before he left (though next week’s episode … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Putting Your Opponents to a Decision, is now appearing in the May issue of 2+2 Magazine. It addresses some misunderstandings related to the intrinsic value of aggressive actions:
… Read full post[T]here are other decisions in poker besides call-or-fold. When you check, you put your opponent to
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Kristy Arnett returns to the show, and this time she’s the one dishing out the advice. She talks about her recent trip to Korea, what she’s learned from Choice Center, and the things she’s learned from poker have helped her elsewhere in … Read full post