Post Archives Tag: hand reading

Weighing Your Options

My latest poker strategy article, now appearing in Two Plus Two Magazine, is called Weighing Your Options. It’s about a rule I try to play by, that helps me to recognize the right times for unconventional plays and avoid timing tells all at once!

Weighing your options, even if

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Battle of the Bay, Part 2

Based on how risk-averse everyone seemed to be during the latter half of Day 1, I expected the start of Day 2, with 43 people competing for 40 prizes, to go quite slowly. In fact, we saw four eliminations in three hands, and just like that, the bubble was over.… Read full post

Just Released! The Thinking Poker Diaries Volume 6

cover_7fcd65a2-b494-44c9-ad82-075a3bdad5f6_grandeMy sixth e-book tells the story of my 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, in which I finished 53rd. Like the other volumes, it features an entertaining trip report from the tournament interspersed with essays discussing strategic concepts that play an important role in each day’s success.

Pick up … Read full post

Fancy Play Syndrome

My latest poker article, Fancy Play Syndrome, is now appearing in the October 2015 issue of Two Plus Two Magazine. It might be a poor title, because the argument is that many supposedly “fancy” plays are actually a part of fundamentally sound poker strategy:

In a recent $5/$10/$20 session,

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Hand of the Week: Turning Top-Top

Thanks to everyone who’s participated in the Hand of the Week so far. Today’s post deals with the turn play.

This is from the $700 NLHE 1R1A WCOOP event. Blinds are 350/700/85. It’s well after the rebuy period but not particularly close to the bubble. Table is on the tough … Read full post

Hand of the Week: Ace-King Whiffs the Flop

Thanks to everyone who’s participated in the Hand of the Week so far. Today’s post deals with the flop play.

This is from the $700 NLHE 1R1A WCOOP event. Blinds are 350/700/85. It’s well after the rebuy period but not particularly close to the bubble. Table is on the tough … Read full post

What’s Your Play? Pair Plus Draw

Playing $5/$10 NLHE with $3000 effective stacks. Villain 1 is among the better regulars in the game, and, I believe, considers me tough and capable. I started to say that he doesn’t like to fold big hands to me, but he also knows how to avoid stacking off to strong … Read full post

When to Chase

My latest poker strategy article, When to Chase, is now appearing in the September 2015 issue of Two Plus Two Magazine. Here’s a taste:

Though popular, the strategy of checking and calling with a hand that can’t win unless it improves, in the hopes of getting paid off big

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What’s Your Play? Big Draw, Short Stack

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so here’s a simple little spot to get us thinking again. Playing $5/$10/$20 NLHE. UTG1 is a better-than-average player for the game but definitely on the nitty side. I’ve never played with BB before but he seems a little less straight-forward, … Read full post

Thinking Poker Diaries, Volume 5

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

WSOP Main Event Wrap-Up

Sorry I haven’t posted any Main Event updates. First I was competing, then I was apoplectic. I’ll start with the good news: Carlos Welch, Nate Meyvis, and Leo Wolpert all squeaked into the money but did not survive Day 3.

Nate folded to Queens to two shoves that turned … Read full post

Happy Birthday Carlos! (Monster Stack)

The most exciting news of the day comes to us from Carlos, who reports:

So I bust the PH 200K and at the last minute, a friend from back home hits me up to late reg the Monster. I rush over and get in with 15 mins left in the
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WSOP $1500 (No Podcast This Week)

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

WSOP $1K Turbo

Delightful little tournament. As in the Millionaire Maker the day before, I found plenty of good spots in a short amount of time and finished with time left over to play cash.

The table was, perhaps not quite as good as the previous day’s, but pretty spectacular. I made good … Read full post

Millionaire Maker Day 1B

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

Millionaire Maker Day 1A

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

WSOP $1500 6max

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

SCOOP Day 15: The Final Sunday

The first High event I played was the $2K 8-max. I once again found myself bet-folding a strong hand on the river to a strange raise that represented only an improbable value hand or even more improbable bluff:

PokerStars – $2000+$100|200/400 Ante 50 NL (8 max) – Holdem – 8 … Read full post

SCOOP Day 10: Super Tuesday

I got off to a bad start in this tournament and didn’t recover in time to survive a lost coin flip, but there was at least one interesting pot. My river bet here is about 1.5x pot. This is a somewhat “experimental” line, but I think there’s a fair chance
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SCOOP Day 8: No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em

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

SCOOP Day 7: 4-Max and Variable Levels

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

SCOOP Days 3 and 4: Super Tuesday and Ante Up

I didn’t post yesterday because nothing much of interest happened in the Super Tuesday, and I didn’t want to bump the new podcast off of the top slot on the blog. Speaking of which, if you skipped it because you didn’t recognize the guest, do yourself a favor and go Read full post

Don’t Judge Me Too Harshly

I made a pretty bad fold last night. I’m more than a bit embarrassed to post it, and I’ll just ask that those of you not familiar with the sort of game/player described here hold your judgment. I promise you that this isn’t as bad as it looks.

I was … Read full post

A Bad Time to Balance

$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

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