The thing about these professional short stackers is that they suck at playing post-flop. That’s why they buy-in short in the first place, after all. So my strategy is to make small pre-flop raises against their blinds. They win less … Read more…
This is a blatant example of a guy who is thinking about my hand and what he wants me to do but not about what I will be thinking or what his hand will look like to me: Full Tilt … Read more…
The player that I ended up sucking out on yesterday was the reason I was sitting in this 40/80 game. I didn’t recognize his name, so I sat in and started playing a bit. It quickly became apparent that he … Read more…
At a cash table, anyway. I’m sure I’ve sucked out a few times at the WSOP in pots that were worth a lot more than this in equity. Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $80.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool … Read more…
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (8 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (BB) ($1274.50) UTG ($955) UTG+1 ($824) MP1 ($1508) MP2 ($1042) CO ($1015) Button ($1230) SB ($490) Preflop: Hero is BB with J, K 2 folds, MP1 bets … Read more…
I posted the other day about a sexy river check-raise that resulted in my opponent abruptly quitting on me, up about a buyin and a half. He found me Sunday and we played two tables of heads up for 4-5 … Read more…
Sadly this guy quit me immediately after this hand, it was worth it though: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (BB) ($3284.50) SB ($6929.50) Preflop: Hero is BB with A, 10 SB … Read more…
I believe I’m generally pretty good about not tilting, but for whatever reason some stuff was getting under my skin the other night. I felt like I’d been losing a lot of pots to bad luck, and though it’s hard … Read more…
Truthfully, I don’t think I played this very well, but the results are pretty cool! Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG ($1209) MP ($1027) Hero (CO) ($1302) Button ($1490.75) SB ($2925) … Read more…
Note Villain’s stack size. The river bet isn’t actually pot, it’s putting him all in for about $90. Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG ($350.45) MP ($1448.75) Button ($1268) SB ($845.25) … Read more…
No-Limit Hold’em, $50.00 BB (9 handed) – Hold’em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG+1 ($3450) MP1 ($5000) MP2 ($5422) MP3 ($4925) CO ($3521) Button ($9048) SB ($4750) BB ($8768) Hero (UTG) ($5763) Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8, 8 Hero calls … Read more…
Here’s a few miscellaneous hands I made notes to post about. These first two were from my first night here, at $5/$10 NLHE, and the last one was from today in a pretty nitty $10/$25 game with a couple tough … Read more…
45 runners in the $500 PLO8 today, and yours truly managed to final table it, finishing 8th (we were playing 8-handed) for a whopping $875. Also at the final table was my friend and fellow Poker Savvy Plus instructor Tom … Read more…
100/200, very young kid in CO opens to 450, I call with Js 9s in SB, relatively bad German calls in the BB. Flop Q c Tc 5s. I consider leading out but decide to check, and we check it … Read more…
Playing in a pretty nitty 10/25 NL. UTG straddles for $50, gets two calls, I make it $275 to go with 7s 5s on my BB. Straddle folds, other two call. I’m playing about 7K, they both cover. Flop Qs … Read more…
After two hours of 5/10 NL this evening, I was up about $800. By my rough count, I’d voluntarily put money into the pot 16 times, won 13 of those pots, and saw exactly 1 showdown. I was going to … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (3 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com BB ($500) Button ($2080) Hero (SB) ($2060) Preflop: Hero is SB with 3, 5 1 fold, Hero bets $40, BB raises to $100, Hero calls $60 Flop: … Read more…
The more I think about it, the more I feel like this is one of the worst calls I’ve made in a long time: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com SB ($4423.50) … Read more…
Feels like a good spot to me because it’s plausible that I’m giving up with some trash that I 3-bet, most of the hands that I could stack with a bet-bet-bet line will value bet for me anyway, and there’s … Read more…
There was a rarity on Poker Stars on Sunday: substantial overlay in one of their major tournaments. They ended up contributing nearly $100,000 in overlay to reach the 40-seat guaranteed in the $700 PCA satellite. This hand occurred with 114 … Read more…
Let me say up front that I don’t think I played this particularly well. Nevertheless, I think there’s some interesting discussion to be had here. This hand was from the Poker Stars $500 weekly. Villain is Roothlus, a very successful … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (BB) ($5124.50) SB ($6237.50) Preflop: Hero is BB with 7, 6 SB bets $60, Hero calls $40 Flop: ($120) 6, 7, 10 (2 players) Hero checks, SB bets $80, … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Button ($1753) SB ($1534) Hero (BB) ($2003.25) UTG ($1058.75) MP ($1060) Preflop: Hero is BB with 6, K 2 folds, Button bets $25, SB calls $20, Hero … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com CO ($2441) Button ($2814) SB ($4000) Hero (BB) ($6186) UTG ($2278.70) MP ($630) Preflop: Hero is BB with 3, K 4 folds, SB bets $40, Hero calls … Read more…
This is a rare situation, so I can’t promise you’ll get a chance to use it, but it’s a fun brag: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com MP ($1000) Hero (CO) ($1272) … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (SB) ($7800.50) BB ($4029.50) Preflop: Hero is SB with A, K Hero bets $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $499, BB calls $279 Flop: … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (4 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG ($594.25) Button ($375) SB ($711.25) Hero (BB) ($2190) Preflop: Hero is BB with 9, 8 1 fold, Button bets $25, SB calls $20, Hero calls $15 … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (SB) ($5294) BB ($4588) Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 5 Hero bets $60, BB calls $40 Flop: ($120) 9, 8, 6 (2 players) BB checks, Hero bets $77, … Read more…
I feel like it’s been happening a lot recently (though sometimes it’s ended well.) PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com CO ($2000) Button ($1189.50) SB ($2014) Hero (BB) ($2030) UTG ($2429.50) MP ($5521.95) … Read more…
This time on FTP, and there were only 110 runners. I busted in 7th on a kinda dumb shove: Full Tilt Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament, 800/1600 Blinds (7 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com BB (t145518) UTG (t15658) MP1 (t38832) … Read more…
There’s a $600 cap at this table, which is why there’s not betting after the flop. Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Button ($1591) SB ($1561) BB ($3733) UTG ($5231.95) Hero (MP) … Read more…
I played a pretty long session at 40/80 over the weekend, definitely one of the longest I’ve played at such high stakes. It was a surprisingly tight game, with one guy who was not a fish but was noticeably weaker … Read more…
Edit: Fixed the title. Was thinking this was 3/6, not 4/8. First, the appetizer: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $8.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com SB ($780) Hero (BB) ($2215.50) Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, 9 SB … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (3 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (Button) ($1082) SB ($1982.50) BB ($1084.25) Preflop: Hero is Button with 7, 7 Hero bets $25, SB raises to $90, 1 fold, Hero calls $65 Flop: … Read more…
My tournaments results have been pretty good the last few months, culminating most recently in two PCA seats and a win in the FTP $300 Saturday 6-Max. I attribute this improvement to a disciplined effort to avoid bringing the aggressive … Read more…
Cardplayer recently published a strategy interview with me that they titled “Folding Out Draws”. I think that title is actually a bit misleading, because it’s more about hand reading and going for thin value with a turn check-raise. But I … Read more…
The whole idea of betting for protection is one that I feel I am really only now starting to understand. Most people, when they first start playing, are way too concerned about protecting their hands. You see them overbetting and … Read more…
What is it with me losing three-way pre-flop all ins with Aces on the bubble of the final table of big Full Tilt tournaments? This is with 20 people left in the $300 6-max Saturday tournament. Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em … Read more…
A comment on a recent post about the squeeze play observed that a pretty intense dynamic can arise in situations where more than one player recognizes a good squeezing opportunity. I think this is a good example: Full Tilt No-Limit … Read more…
This one jumped out at me just because it’s kind of a paradigmatic case. I call a relatively innocuous flop against a guy who I don’t think will multi-barrel bluff well (against a good barreler folding flop is probably best). … Read more…
If I don’t pick up showdown value on this river, I shove it. I doubt he calls 250BB on the river, but I’ve been wrong about such things before: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter … Read more…
I really did not expect this guy to be capable of something like this. I’d been pounding on him a lot, on multiple tables, in and out of position, and he’d been backing down a lot. “Trapping” by slowplaying a … Read more…
Note to the inevitable idiot who finds this post via google: I’m not serious about online poker being rigged. But you can bet that this hand, which busted me in 18th in the FTP $1 Million Guarantee, got the rail … Read more…
Villain here is pokerjamers, a pretty standard Pocket Fives donkamenteur hero: PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 530 Tournament, 350/700 Blinds 85 Ante (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com CO (t40190) Hero (Button) (t65575) SB (t25644) BB (t66189) UTG (t192484) MP … Read more…
This was a pivotal hand from my third session against the same player I’ve mentioned in a few recent heads up hands I’ve posted. He’d been 3-betting a fair bit this session, but not as much as he sometimes has. … Read more…
I had a real neat, deep-stacked heads up match going on two tables for several hours yesterday. I felt like we were very evenly matched, and indeed I got off to an early lead, eventually lost a 700BB pot with … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com SB ($3829.50) BB ($1000) Hero (UTG) ($4795.55) MP ($1490) Button ($2152.50) Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q, Q Hero bets $40, MP raises to $120, 3 folds, … Read more…
The last two weeks have been pretty hectic (more on that soon), and I’ve barely played at all. Here’s the most interesting hand I could find without much effort from my “archives”: No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Hold’em … Read more…
Particularly earlier in the year, running too many big bluffs in tournaments was a substantial leak of mine. I’ve made a concerted effort to confine the monster bluffs to the cash tables, and my tourney results have improved a bit. … Read more…
Sounds crazy, right? What better hand would fold? Ah, but what about the same hand? Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com CO ($3360.50) Button ($1316) SB ($1012.50) BB ($2066.50) Hero (UTG) ($2759.50) … Read more…
This is one of the biggest leaks that I’ve helped my students to find, and as these hands illustrate, it’s not something I’m immune to myself. I’m talking about choosing the wrong hands to defend against a possible bluff/semi-bluff when … Read more…
Guy was a decent player, if a bit of a LAGtard. This is a pretty bracingly bad call though. Honestly, I think every move he made after the open raise was a mistake: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (2 … Read more…
No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) – Hold’em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG ($2958) MP ($1428.50) CO ($1029) Hero (Button) ($4157) SB ($649) BB ($770) Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 9 3 folds, Hero bets $40, SB calls $30, … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com UTG ($1027) MP ($980) CO ($1442.40) Hero (Button) ($1471.25) SB ($1000) BB ($1336) Preflop: Hero is Button with J, J UTG bets $35, MP calls $35, CO … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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) … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I’ll hopefully be publishing a full write-up after the tournament, so for the moment I’m just going to share two key hands.
In the first, blinds were 150/300. The CO, who was pretty blatant with his bet sizing, opened to 675. The Button, a young player in a Poker Stars hat who seemed good and was probably a participant or a similar forum, called. The SB folded, and I had QdTd on my BB. I squeezed to 2500. The CO folded, and the Button called. He had about 40K to start the hand, I had 45K.
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I didn’t have any kind of read that dude was gonna spaz out like this, but it’s the kind of thing that happens when you make strange bets: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool … Read more…