Depending on your definition of exciting, you might be interested to hear that my latest book has hit the digital shelves! The fifth volume of The Thinking Poker Diaries chronicles my 87th place finish the 2010 WSOP Main Event. Day by day, it introduces the situations and opponents I encountered … Read full post
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Nate and Andrew follow up on the strategy discussion of donk betting from Episode 128.1, then discuss protecting your hand and a dealer who miscalled the action.
Timestamps
:30 hello & welcome
15:43 strategy
Strategy
EP open limps. I raise … Read full post
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This isn’t a proper podcast episode, but it’s better than nothing! Andrew goes solo, with no co-host, no editor, and no bumper music (or, perhaps, worse than no bumper music). He talks about his World Series of Poker so far and discusses … Read full post
Sorry gang, but will all the poker I’ve been playing, I haven’t been around at our usual recording times, and we don’t have a show for you this week. I will, however, present a few hands from yesterday’s $1500 NLHE event.
My original table was awesome, and I got off … Read full post
Today went pretty much perfectly. I had an amazing table draw in the Millionaire Maker, put my money in good several times, busted in just a few hours, got a seat in 10/25 game, won back my MM entry and then some, registered for tomorrow’s $1K turbo, and got home … Read full post
Man ten-handed, short-stacked poker is the nut low, but at the same time it’s plain to see how much value there is in this tournament. Our discussion on the latest podcast makes me tempted to just go play something I’ll enjoy more, and I’m still a little on the fence, … Read full post
I just finished 120th in this, out of 1600 or so. It was a fun and interesting tournament, and I want to share a few hands here while they’re still on my mind:
Facing a Donk Bet
I opened 2.5x from the CO with As Tc, a good player in … Read full post
The Day 2 restart for the $2000 Sunday Million (you can find Day 1 hands here) started at 11:30, so my plan was to sleep in, make breakfast, take a walk, pick up something for lunch, and then late register the morning tournaments when I was ready to … Read full post
The day started off not much differently from the last. I busted the $2K Warm-Up with Queens on the big blind versus Aces on the button, though with 100 BBs there was once again some question as to whether I could have gotten away from it. The Villain was Randal … Read full post
Today was the most frustrating day I’ve had so far, though I suppose that’s in part because it comes on the backs of several other frustrating days. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, because I know I’ve said this here before, but I can swallow my share … Read full post
I intended to play the $1K Big Antes event as well, but I didn’t realize (or more precisely, had forgotten) that it was a rebuy. Initially I thought that I hadn’t presented it as such to my investors, and consequently didn’t register for it, but then one of them pointed … Read full post
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Before Black Friday, Reid Young was one of the most successful no-limit hold ’em players on the internet. Now, he’s turning his attention to how the game is taught. In this interview he talks about his career, his new project, and the … Read full post
$5/$10/$20 game with $2500 stacks.
UTG2 opens to $60, gets four calls, I call with 85s in the BB.
Flop A85r (no backdoor for me), checks to the second caller, who bets $170. I call, everyone else folds.
Turn A. We both check.
River 4.
At this point I’m almost … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Suited Gapper In Position, Deep. The very first comment, from Zach, pretty much nailed it:
… Read full post[E]ven though position is important, and the stacks are deep enough to make 74s less ghastly than if we were 100BBs or shallower, there just
My latest poker strategy article, What Do Ranges Want?, is now appearing in the Two Plus Two Magazine. And it’s inspired by some of your What’s Your Play? comments:
… Read full postSome of my blog comments highlight this point starkly. When the Hero in the hypothetical hand example holds a
Sorry but there’s no new podcast this week. The show will return next Monday, April 6, with Matt Savage as the guest. In the meantime, here’s a What’s Your Play? to occupy your mind:
The game is $5/$10 with $2500 effective stacks. Hero is widely perceived as tough but a … Read full post
I recently finished reading Matthew Janda’s Applications of No-Limit Hold ‘Em and considered it one of the most helpful poker books I’ve read in some time. On a scale of 1 – 10, I give it a 9.5.
Applications is a Two Plus Two book par excellence. It’s dense, it’s … Read full post
Q: My question is about a hand from a sunday 109rb tournament. I am already in the money and find 44 on my big Blind (with a 24bb stack). Villain opens in middle position for 2.28 bb with a 38bb stack (I only have 30 hands of the player (vpip17/pfr13)) … Read full post
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Shane “Shaniac” Schleger is kind enough to grace us with his presence despite Andrew’s losing our last conversation. In this interview, we talk about depression, addiction, suicide, music, and, yes, poker. Even if heavy conversation isn’t your thing, be sure to … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who commented on this week’s What’s Your Play? Here’s a sample:
Ruud says, “Generally I find Villain has the goods when he bombs the river like this.”
Pepito agrees, “unless he contemptuously views you as a bad, nitty player, what adept villain expects Kx to fold given … Read full post
This is a continuation of What’s Your Play? KJo in the BB. For a discussion of the pre-flop action, please see this post.
UTG is a typical splashy recreational player, with lots of limping and calling pre-flop followed by lots of checking and folding post-flop. He has about … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? KJo in the BB. I think my favorite was Carlos’ remark that, “The goal in this hand is not to go after the fish. It is to go after the shark who is going after the fish. He has made himself … Read full post
I’m excited to announce the newest and most affordable poker coaching I’ve ever offered: personalized video reviews. For just $100/hour, half the price of my usual one-on-one coaching, I’ll create a custom video of your tournament or cash game database, a hand history of a tournament or cash game session, … Read full post
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Edoardo Riario Sforza has moved up through the ranks to become a contender in some of the biggest MTTs on the Italian sites. The same ambition that helped him succeed at poker is now taking him on a 10-month backpacking trip around … Read full post
Game is 9-handed $5/$10 NLHE with deep stacks.
UTG is a typical splashy recreational player, with lots of limping and calling pre-flop followed by lots of checking and folding post-flop. He has about $800 in his stack.
HJ is the best of the competition by a long shot. He definitely … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Suited Broadway on the River. I’m going to start by speculating a bit about what GTO strategies might look like on the river considering the (probably non-GTO) ranges with which each player gets to the river. Then I’ll say a … Read full post
I’ve got two new poker strategy articles to share with you. The first is the conclusion of my analysis of the infamous Mark Newhouse bustout hand from the 2014 WSOP Main Event (the first part of the article is here):
… Read full post“[T]his looks like a textbook example of a “leveling
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Nate and Andrew discuss showing bluffs and getting value. Then Carlos and Andrew talk tournament strategy from Carlos’ recent trip to Florida, with an emphasis on dealing with overly aggressive tables.
Timestamps
0:30 – hello & welcome
3:24 – strategy: getting value … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who commented on What’s Your Play? Suited Broadway on the Turn.
Pre-flop and on the flop, I argued that Hero had the opportunity, thanks to a bet sizing tell, to get more credit than he deserved on a 3-bet/c-bet and consequently could make these plays with … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Suited Broadway on the Flop. Thanks also to Vookenmeister for pointing out that I forgot to add the big blind to the pot. Not that it makes a huge difference, but with a $5 rake and a $1 bad beat … Read full post
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Dr. Michael Bowling and PhD candidate Mike Johanson from the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group, who first appeared on Episode 79 of the podcast, return to discuss Cepheus, their “essentially” unexploitable heads up limit hold ’em AI and its … Read full post
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Old friend Leo Wolpert joins us to talk about setting goals, taking breaks, and planning for the year. And strategy, of course!
Timestamps
:30 – Hello & Welcome; Planning and Goal Setting
34:42 – Strategy… Read full post
I know I’m a little to the party, but for my take on Mark Newhouse’s infamous main event bustout hand, check out the latest issue of Two Plus Two Magazine:
… Read full post“Antonio Esfandiari, who was providing commentary for ESPN while the hand went down, said “He put his opponent on
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David Einhorn is the founder and president of Greenlight Capital. He’s made a name for himself in the poker world not only by competing in both of the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One For One Drop WSOP tournaments but by finishing 3rd … Read full post
Nate and I are grateful to those of you who have listened to The Thinking Poker Podcast this year, whether you’re a regular follower, a sporadic listener, or just now discovering the show. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite episodes of the year, in case you missed … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Top Pair Facing Turn Donk. Sorry for the delay in getting these results up, I’ve been busy with holiday-related travel.
How to Interpret a Donk Bet
A donk bet is a way for the out of position player to guarantee … Read full post
As you may remember from his latest appearance on the podcast, Gareth Chantler is now in charge of the Full Tilt Poker Blog. He’s done a bang-up job on the content, including an interview with me and a collaboration with Carlos Welch. Nate’s first appearance there was commenting, … Read full post
Now appearing on Tournament Poker Edge is a series of videos I recorded live while playing the World Championship of Online Poker. This is the first live recording I’ve done in years and my first ever for TPE. The bulk of the footage is me playing in various Knockout events, … Read full post
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The second batch of Thinking Poker Premium Podcasts is now available, and tonight you’re getting the first episode FREE. Fresh off of a $1-$2 no-limit game, Andrew and Nate help Carlos Welch take his first steps from tourney donk to cash game … Read full post
This post is inspired by a question from the Tournament Poker Edge forums. I’m just going to paraphrase it here.
Q: In your videos, you very frequently call raises from the big blind with weak hands. You say that with antes in play you are getting odds, and that you … Read full post
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It’s an all-strategy episode as your hosts tackle spread-limit hold ’em, value betting, and playing your image. Don’t forget to support the show this holiday season with the Thinking Poker Amazon Affiliate Link and the fine offerings at www.nitcast.com.
Strategy
UTG+2 … Read full post
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Matt Sienkiewicz is an assistant professor of communications and international relations at Boston College. He’s also a film buff and a poker fan. Matt puts Andrew’s knowledge of Foucault to the test with his analysis of key scenes from Rounders as well … Read full post
My latest series of poker tournament training videos is now appearing on Tournament Poker Edge. This review of some key hands from a $2000 main event at Maryland Live is a rare chance to see a training video focused on a live multi-table tournament, and to see me butt … Read full post
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For a guy who’s played $500/$1000 no-limit, Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky is a surprisingly nitcast-appropriate guest. He talks about his background in philosophy, his low-rolling lifestyle, how he arrived at the heavily game theoretic style he plays today, and how he thinks artificial … Read full post
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Chris Moon, a border-straddling tournament pro and Tournament Poker Edge instructor, is on the show this week talking about Detroit, economics, data science, five-betting light, and searching for a post-poker career.
Timestamps
Sorry for the delay on this week’s podcast. We do still have an episode in the works. In the meanwhile, here’s a hand submitted by listener favorite Carlos Welch in which he bluffs frequent commenter Pie Farmer. My comments at the end:
Q: This is a hand from our regular … Read full post
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On Episode 77, we spoke to Kristy Arnett as she was about to embark on a career as a professional poker player. Now she returns to the show to talk about her first WSOP, the frustrations of her first few months, … Read full post
This was from the $215 rebuy WCOOP. Villain is a Zoom regular, we’ve played a few hundred hands together there and I think he’s pretty good. I imagine he has some respect for me as well.
PokerStars – $200+$15|60/120 Ante 15 NL – Holdem – 9 players
Hand converted by … Read full post
This is something I do sometimes. There are often exploitive reasons for it, but I do also think it’s good to be capable of making a flush on the turn when you check back the flop. This hand from the $300 Ante Up WCOOP illustrates why:
PokerStars – $300+$20|5/5 Ante … Read full post
This was from the first table of the $300 6-handed NLHE shoot-out. Villain is a very successful tournament player but in my opinion not fundamentally solid. Basically he’s learned how to take advantage of a lot of common weaknesses found in MTT players but is slow to adapt and back … Read full post
There’s no Andrew this week, but Gareth Chantler catches Nate up on his “new job” (it’s one all poker players hope for and also one that many struggle with when they’re lucky enough to get it) and his recent travels. Then the two talk strategy, including a hand where Gareth … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Bluff Target? A few people disagreed with my premise that a bluff of some sort is mandatory here. I think that Samael sums up the argument for betting something quite well: “we have absolutely no sd equity, and the villain has lots … Read full post
I’ve been busy of late. Actually I was busy a while ago, and people were slow to publish stuff.
Anyway, first up is Where Do the Weak Hands Go?, a Two Plus Two article that should help you think through situations where your opponent begins with a wide range:… Read full post
This week’s mailbag is special because the question was submitted to the podcast, and both Nate and I answered it.
Q: I started out as one of those players you often refer to who says “I don’t really need to balance my ranges in the games I play – … Read full post
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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
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
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
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Johannes Levemann is the head of Research and Development for the Snowie Group one of the creators of PokerSnowie, a neural net that has over the course of several years supposedly learned to play a nearly unexploitable no-limit hold ’em game. We … Read full post
I’ve been toying around with this situation for a while, and although I want to retain some measure of caution simply because I have a history of making mistakes with this sort of thing, I’m pretty sure I’ve determined that the optimal bluffing frequency for Hero doesn’t change even if … Read full post
I know I promised earlier this week that I’d follow-up with more on optimal multi-street bluffing frequency. It proved to be a more thorny problem than I anticipated, and while I still don’t have a definitive answer, you’ll get a chance to hear me discuss the problem with two very … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Worst Card to Bluff, and sorry that I’ve been slow in getting this results post up. It’s possibly a result of the fact that I’ve been driving back across the country this week and not online much, and possibly a matter … Read full post
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Olivier Busquet, AKA high-stakes heads up sit-and-go boss livb112, joins us from his poker refugee pad in Toronto. With remarkable candor, he talks about his frustrations and his strategy for staying on top of his chosen format. You can follow @OlivierBusquet on … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who commented on last week’s “What’s Your Play? Four Flush on the River” post.
Calling
I want to begin my analysis by quickly ruling out calling as an option. Virtually every hand Villain would have called to the river now beats us: middle pair … Read full post
Q: My question is about calling UTG open raise (say 3.5X) on the button with small pairs (say 22 – 55). Unless UTG will stack off with one pair it doesn’t seem profitable to set mine. Say UTG has AA but will only lose 40 in a single raised pot, … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Surviving a Multi-Day Tournament, is now appearing in the April 2012 edition of Two Plus Two Magazine. The intention of this article is to get beyond cliches about “valuing your tournament life” to some in-depth advice about how, when, and why survival should factor … Read full post