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Poker Chairs – What To Consider Before Purchasing Them

January 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A game of poker needs your complete concentration and comfortable high quality poker chairs can put you in the right mood. This is especially true if you regularly play in tournaments where it is normal for games to drag on for a long time.

Without a comfortable chair to sit on, your back and buttocks will become numb from sitting too long, taking your focus away from the game. Although poker table chairs do not guarantee a win, they will ensure that you will be able to put your best in your game.

The style and cost of poker chairs vary. The particular style should complement the make of your poker table of course but you do not have to spend a lot to get them. There are models that only cost 50 dollars each but if you have an expensive taste, you can pick your choice from the high end models which could cost four times as much. Essentially, your choice will depend on the following factors:

The budget that you have
The style of chair that you need
The comfort level that you want

If you desire to have the chairs in your home but lack the storage space for them, you can purchase a set of folding poker chairs that are also great for your budget. There are designs that are made from solid wood which are upholstered and fully foldable. There are also several finishes that you can choose from such as oak, mahogany or a natural finish that would look great with almost any kind of poker table you can imagine.

Poker chairs can be customized to match your poker table perfectly. There are several various additions that you can incorporate in your set up such as rich leather, cushions and caster wheels for easy access and maneuverability.

About the Author:
Please visit http://www.pokerchairs.org/ to find a lot more information on Poker Chairs as well as learning how to save 20-47% on your next purchase!

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Value Betting When Faced With A Scare Card

January 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I discussed general principles of value betting. I explored an example with a relatively safe board. No obvious straight draws and only two cards of the same suit so no flush was possible. In many situations when you hold marginal hands against a loose opponent you won’t be so lucky. A scare card appears that may help your opponent outdraw your hand. Many times there will be potential straights or flushes or even a potential straight flush on the board. The board may pair opening up the possibility for a full house or even quads. You may hold an over-pair to the board and now a card bigger than your pair appears potentially making your pair second best. Now you must decide whether or not you have been outdrawn. There are several factors you must consider before you bet out.

  1. How many opponents are you facing?

  2. What is your position relative to the button?

  3. What is your opponent’s likely range of hands from his position?

  4. How tight or loose is your opponent?

Let’s explore these considerations one at a time.

Condition 1: How many opponents are you facing?

It is a basic rule in Texas Hold’em that the expected value of any playable hand diminishes with each additional opponent. In the case of a multi-player hand, it becomes more likely that a scare card will beat you.

Condition 2: What is your position relative to the button?

Adding position to the mix is critical. Let’s say you are under the gun holding top pair on the turn. You bet and are called by one opponent. The river is a third spade, a card that completes a possible flush draw. In this case you should bet most of the time. If your opponent has a flush and raises you can go away and not lose any more money but more often than not you will be called with a weaker pair and be paid off.

If you are heads-up and in position and hold an over-pair to the board and a card comes that completes a straight and your opponent has been check-calling and now makes a large bet in front of you the correct move would be to fold to a tight player and call a looser opponent. You may be outdrawn but it is likely against a looser player that he is bluffing and your call will scoop the pot.

If you are in position in a multi-way pot and a scare card comes that has the potential to outdraw your hand and the board is checked to you then checking is best thereby avoiding a trap. If you are in early position, check as well. There is no reason to stay involved in a hand that may now be better than yours.

Condition 3: What is your opponent’s likely range of hands from his position?

It is always a mistake to not think about what hands your opponents are calling or raising with. When a scare card comes on the river this condition becomes even more important to your decision making process. Players in early position will generally play a tighter range of hands than players in late position. The exception to this rule is the maniac who plays any two cards from any position but the maniac is usually transparent with his bets as well betting quite small when he actually has a big hand. If you are in early position and a card appears that is an over-card to your otherwise top pair it is correct to make a smallish bet for value, about one-third the pot. The exception to this suggestion is when an ace comes on the river. Your opponent with position may be worried that the big card hit your hand and fold if it didn’t hit his. He may raise if it did allowing you to walk away minimizing your loss.

On the other hand, in the same situation, if the over-card also completes a straight or flush, you should most likely check. In this case the scare card is much more likely to complete a drawing hand. It could make a bigger pair, complete a straight or a flush any one of which spells disaster for your hand.

Even more scary is when the river puts four to a straight or four to a flush on the board. Unless you hold the top end of a straight-flush, you should probably not bet or call a bet in this situation.

The only real exception to this is when the river also pairs the board and you were holding a set on the turn. Let’s say your hand is 8d-8h and the board is 8s-6s-5d-4s. This is a potential for disaster for someone. Let’s say you have two opponents in this hand both likely to be either drawing to a flush or have a made flush already. They may also be drawing to a straight or if they hold a seven have a made straight. If the board pairs, however, you make a full house that beats anything but a straight flush. If the river comes 5s you complete your full house and if either or both of your opponents have a straight or flush you have the potential to scoop a huge pot. I would try to get all my chips in the middle in this case.

Condition 4: How tight or loose is your opponent?

If your opponents are loose you should be more willing to bet for value than if your remaining opponents are tight. The looser your opponents are the more likely that your value bet will win the pot. Looser opponents are more likely to be holding a wide range of cards, are more likely to be on a bluff and are more likely to be aggressive, defending their marginal hands. A river value bet of around half the pot is warranted against your looser opponents.

Tighter opponents have a much smaller range of playable hands and are, therefore, more likely to be playing to strong draws or made hands. Staying involved with tight opponents with a scare card on the river should mostly be avoided. I generally will muck around 80% of the time in this situation but if all I do is muck then I will be bluffed off the best hand 100% of the time, therefore I will call or raise a bet in front of me around 20% of the time.

Variations on a Theme

You should generally value bet more against opponents who are unlikely to check-raise when they hold a good hand. Some opponents are afraid to check-raise unless they hold the nuts on the river. Some are too “polite” to check-raise. These opponents are vulnerable to a bluff bet for value on the river unless they hold the nuts and even then I have watched an opponent muck a small straight-flush on the river to a bet around half the size of the pot out of absolute fear that their opponent held a bigger straight-flush.

You should bet for value against players who are unlikely to bluff or bluff-raise on the river than those who are. If your opponent checks to you on the river and is unlikely to raise a bet then go ahead and make a bet for value on the river. If called you may lose but you may also watch your opponent throw his hand in the muck.

Finally, if the pot is huge a bet for value is always warranted. Your opponents are likely to see such favorable pot odds that they will lower their calling standards in the hopes that you are bluffing. In the case of a larger pot, a bet for value must be big enough to put pressure on your opponents with weaker hands. A bet of from two-thirds the size of the pot to a pot sized bet is generally good enough to induce a call from a player with a marginal hand to call and big enough to chase away any broken draws. Sure, sometimes you will lose with this play but over the long haul you will earn additional profit and gain a significant edge over your adversaries at the table.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come visit us today.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: ,

Value Betting On The River

January 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You hold an Ac-Kh pre-flop in late position. The board checks to you and,as an aggressive player, you make a standard raise. The table folds to the big blind, a loose-passive player, who defends. The flop comes Js-7h-3d. The big blind checks, you bet, the big blind calls. The turn is another brick, the 5c. The big blind checks, you bet and are called again. The river is a Td and once again the big blind checks and you bet around two-thirds of the pot. You are, once again, called. You turn over your unimproved hand and the big blind turns over a 6d-3s revealing bottom pair and he scoops the pot. You think, “Damn, I did it again, bluffing a calling station. You just can’t beat someone who calls bottom pair to showdown.”

Your conclusion that you can’t beat a calling station is simply wrong, although not completely. In small stakes games, many players play far too many hands and see them all the way to the end. It is not unusual to see someone enter a pot with weak holdings and flop bottom or middle pair. Then they call on every street hoping that their opponent is on a bluff. Well, these players can be had. They certainly take away one of your potent weapons in no-limit hold’em, the bluff, but because they are committed to defending their small hand against a bluff they become vulnerable to a completely different line of attack. Many hands that are too weak to bet against tight opponents become much stronger against a player who has lower calling standards and consistently uses the bluff-catching strategy. Simply bet your marginal hands for value on the river.

An Example to Make a Point

You begin with a Kd-9s in late position. The table folds to you and you bet 3x the big blind. You are called by a loose-passive player in the small blind, the big blind folds and you are now heads up against the small blind. The flop comes Jd-6c-4s. The small blind checks and you bet half the pot. The small blind calls. You could put him on a hand like AJ or J6 or J4. He could be holding any jack, any six or any four as well. His call, however, indicates that he likely hit a six or four on the flop. The turn is a 9c putting two clubs on the board. The small blind checks, you bet half the pot and are called. The river is a 2h, no flush and no obvious straights unless the small blind holds a 3-5 which is highly unlikely. Your middle pair has been called on the flop and turn. You can beat any six, any four and you lose to any jack. You also lose to the improbable straight. Your opponent is one who employs a bluff-catching strategy and will raise only with the nuts but will call with any other made hand, even one that is second best. At this point his range of probable hands is really quite limited. Because he never raised you can eliminate his holding a jack, he does not have a set, he could have a broken flush draw with two random clubs in his hand or he could have any six or four unless he bets out on the river. Your marginal pair of nines beats all of that unless he bets on the river. You are reasonably certain that your loose opponent will not call a bet on the river with a four flush. He checks the river. Your correct move against the loose-passive player is to now bet your marginal pair for value. You were called pre-flop, check-called on the flop and turn when you made a standard half the pot sized bet so a continuation bet here is likely to win you this pot. You bet half the pot and are called. You show your pair of nines and your opponent turns over a pair of sixes.

Your value bet will sometimes bet sometimes lose to someone holding an overpair like KK or QQ or even TT and who is fearful of raising without aces. But in the long term your bet for value will earn you significant profit in the long run.

When not to Value Bet

Never bet for value against the loose-passive player without a hand. Bluffing this player is suicide, period. You will be frustrated which is likely to throw you off your game. Don’t do it.

Don’t bet a marginal hand for value against a tight player, whether that player is passive or aggressive. It is likely that your marginal hand is second best and you will lose costing you considerable profits over the long haul.

Don’t bet for value against tricky players. A river check is a better move here.

In all, a bet for value with a marginal hand against a loose-passive player is a blueprint for added profit. Just use it wisely. Never bluff the calling station but you never have to give him too much credit for having a hand either.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come visit us today.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Winning Poker As A Way Of Life

December 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In previous posts I wrote about not paying attention to winning, rather play your best possible game, making correct decisions and observing carefully how your opponents play and winning will follow. So why am I writing about making winning poker a way of life? Simple, follow a few simple ideas and winning will simply become a fact of life. Not winning every hand, every session, or back to back sessions, rather winning consistently over time.

Making Correct decisions

Your first correct decision is to select the game that is right for you. Choosing a game that you can consistently beat and that is within your bankroll management requirements is a matter of discipline. Making the wrong choices will, I repeat WILL, cost you money in both the short and long-term. Being in a game with players of weaker or equal skill to your own will provide you with an opportunity to earn profits as opposed to being in a game where you are easy money to more practiced players. Choosing the right game is a critical correct decision upon which all other decisions rest.

Your second critical correct decision is to never let losing put you on tilt. Losing generally has two main sources in poker. Either you are in a game in which you are outmatched or you are doing something in your own game that is inviting losses. The first problem is fixed by following the suggestion above for selecting the right game. The second requires careful analysis of your play to see where you are making incorrect decisions. Analysis, not steaming, is the correct path to follow when you are experiencing losses. When you allow yourself to go on tilt you rob yourself of the precious ability to analyze your own play, a mistake that will cost you money.

You Don’t Have to Play in this Game

You wake up with a headache, you didn’t get a good night’s sleep, you have something pressing on your mind, it makes no difference what puts you off your ability to concentrate, to focus on your game, if you are experiencing something that interferes with your concentration then, by all means, don’t play poker this day. Wait until the distractions pass and then resume.

You are sitting at a particular table and you can’t seem to gain any traction with your opponents. You aren’t catching a fair share of playable hands, your opponents are outplaying you, you aren’t concentrating. Get up, take a break, go to the bathroom, but no matter what, when your concentration wanes at the poker table it is time to do something else. Whether doing something else is a 20 minute break or you cash in your chips and leave the poker room, you don’t have to play when you are not at your best.

In fact, any time you determine that you are not playing your best game, no matter what the reason, it is time to quit for now. You can always come back and play later but only when you are mentally ready to concentrate. You cannot play effective poker if you are tired, unfocused, or otherwise not engaged fully in the game. Learning to recognize these problems and acting on them is a correct decision.

When Players are Weak Keep Playing

Your bread and butter playing poker are players that are weaker than you are. They are easy money. If you are playing at your best, even if they are playing at their best, they will be lured into making mistakes by your play. Profits in poker are the sum of your opponent’s mistakes less your mistakes. If you are at a table where your opponents are making more mistakes than you, by all means, keep playing. It is likely that you will collect a large portion of their stacks.

Encourage your weaker opponents to stay at the table. Never call them donkeys or otherwise berate their play. Because you have a winning expectation playing against weaker players you want to keep them around. By the same token, don’t encourage them to play better. I never discuss strategy with them at the poker table. I may answer their questions but only on a superficial level. I won’t complement them on a well played hand either. You want your weak players to like you and want to play with you but you don’t want to give them the idea that they have holes in their game that need fixing.

I like to talk about hypothetical hands that weaker players won with absolutely awful starting hands. This talk is never directed at particular players at the table, rather I am talking in general but the idea is to give my weaker opponents enough rope to hang themselves as they play weaker than normal starting hands with poor post-flop play. This table talk will add to your profits if you play your best game.

Playing Your Best Game

All of this boils down to the idea that you must play your best at all times. This is harder to actually do than it is to talk about it but part of growing up as a poker player is to internalize a discipline that allows you to recognize the warning signs of not playing at your peak and then having the courage and discipline to do something about it. Playing at your competitive best takes discipline, practice, study, analysis, and a mental attitude that breeds success.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come visit us today.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , ,

Playing Poker For Free

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Most online poker sites have a feature allowing you to play for free using play money. In the United States, because of the misplaced morality of the religious right and their lackeys in Congress, poker sites advertise that you can play for free and learn the game and have fun in the process. Well, sorry to disappoint you but you can’t play free poker and have fun at the same time. It doesn’t make a bit of difference how many toothpicks, matchsticks, paper-clips or play dollars you win, in the end you have nothing to show for your efforts. Accumulating a bankroll of fake cash leaves you no richer or poorer than you were prior to playing. This simple truth changes the game so much that you cannot hone your skills playing for free. You cannot bluff because there is absolutely no risk. Raises mean nothing because there is no risk. Everyone can be a maniac and when you go broke all you have to do is reload and keep playing. Your unlimited access to play dollars removes rationality from the game, thereby draining all the fun from participation in the masquerade. The essence of poker is money pitted against skill and a bit of luck. Without money skill simply doesn’t matter. So don’t play for free. Learn to be comfortable playing for real cash. At the same time don’t play in games in which your unable to sustain a loss. Choose blind limits within the range that your bankroll can sustain.

Finding the Right Stakes for You

If you want to play Texas Hold’em you must first determine whether you will play in fixed-limit or no-limit games. Fixed-limit games are less volatile than no-limit but they require entirely different skills to play effectively. No-limit is far and away more popular but it carries greater risk in any given session. I play in both limit and no-limit games depending on my mood and desire for taking larger or smaller risks with my money on any given day.

I follow a simple guideline for determining the blind limits I will play in cash games. I buy-in for an amount equal to 5% of my entire bankroll or less. For tournament play I pay tournament fees no larger than 2% of my entire bankroll or less. I am generally comfortable buying-in to a limit game for 40 to 50 times the big blind and in no-limit games for 100 to 200 times the big blind. Let’s say, for example that I have a bankroll of $1000. Five percent of that bankroll is $50. That is my maximum buy-in for a cash game. This means that playing online in a no-limit game I can comfortably buy-in to a .25/.50 game. For a limit game my bankroll allows me to buy-in to a .50/1.00 game. As my bankroll grows my limits can increase and as my bankroll shrinks my limits decrease. Disciplined bankroll management is critical to playing winning poker.

Often, playing in smaller stakes games is much like playing for free. Because not much is at risk, players are often far less rational than when their risk is greater. Many opponents you meet in small stakes games, anything under a big blind of $5, are less skilled and far less averse to taking risks than players at higher stakes levels. In some micro-stakes games you are playing against opponents who play much like they would if they were playing for play money. It is less likely that your skills will make much of a difference. Playing in small stakes games also provides less earnings per hour than do higher stakes games. If you are a solid player winning 2 big blinds per hour in a micro-stakes game where the big blind is, say, ten cents, you can earn no more than twenty cents per hour. In a one dollar game you would, assuming the same winning rate, earn a mere two dollars per hour. Building a bankroll which allows you to play in more expensive games must be a priority for you when you are starting out.

In order to effectively build your bankroll it is important that you play at stakes that motivate you to play your best poker. You should do this at any level but when there is little pain involved in losing it is difficult to stay focused and motivated. If you play at games in which you never feel a risk then you are apt to do crazy things and lose money. When you play where the stakes are to high for your comfort level you are apt to play far too conservatively and give up profits you might otherwise earn. Playing at a level in which the pain of losing is enough to make you uncomfortable but not so much that it will keep you from taking calculated risks and playing with aggression is the right level for you. When coupled with solid bankroll management and stop-loss game plans you will be able to play your best rational game.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come visit us today.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , ,

Tricks Of Poker

December 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Online poker is the latest craze of the online gaming community. A Poker gamer wins by hijacking the opponents information and making his moves accordingly. If you want to win at online poker your going to need to apply more then just strategy. There are many tools available in the market to make the poker gaming experience an addictive one. They help you to make moves step by step to make maximum profit online.

Heads up display otherwise also known as HUD, is an online poker tool that helps you to display information on the table. Using this information you can read your opponents mind and decide your moves wisely. A HUD displays all the statistics of your opponents. The device builds up a database which can be accessed and saved anytime. To construct the information database from third party software such as Poker tracker and Hold Em Manager are used. As a player you can use the displayed information in deciding your moves and actions. A good HUD uses statistics and hand histories which helps you in every move of the game. The market is filled with a variety of HUDs. Select the best one that suits you and improve your gaming efficiency using Poker Heads-up Display.

When we talk about the varieties, there are two types of HUDs. One uses the database constructed by you. It can include the hand histories and data mining. You can use it as an exclusive HUD or poker tracking software. Another variety of HUD comes with an inbuilt database. It consists of information gathered from many poker players. All the information is consolidated and is fed into the device.

It is impossible to concentrate and coordinate your strategic moves when you are playing multiple tables at a time. You must constantly monitor every opponents moves and plan your moves; or else you lose the game. To make this task easier HUDs are used. They store and record the stats of every game played on different tables which would help the players to plan their moves.

Every hand you play on the table is stored on your hard drive which can be consolidated into a database. The device will interpret the database and combine it with the recent hand histories which will be displayed on the poker tables. You can read the current stats and play the moves.
You can make your decisions instantly by reading the mind of your opponents. Using your HUD you can move from table to table quickly and save your bets. A poker HUD helps you to handle many games concurrently without losing focus.

Thus a HUD exploits the weakness of the opponents and increases your chances of winning the game. With just a glance at the stats you can have a detailed idea of your opponent and his moves. You can have a clear idea whether the opponent is going to showdown and place your bet. So get your HUD today to understand the game, keep an eye on the opponent, know his weakness and win your game.

About the Author:
You can learn everything about Heads Up Poker. This website has very detailed descriptions of this particular Poker game. For more details visit http://www.headsuppokerpro.com

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Playing With Big Pairs

December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You look down at a big pair, aces, kings or queens if you are a semi-tight, aggressive player. Jacks are added to the mix if your style is semi-loose, aggressive. Hooray, you have a premium starting hand. That’s the good news! You are likely the best hand but you aren’t likely to win a huge pot. Not only that but they are often crushed by a baby pair that hits a set on the flop and may spell disaster for a weaker player unable to make a big laydown. Unless the big pair improves on the flop or turn what you have is just one pair and in hold’em a pair, no matter how big, is often second-best.
Factors working against the Big Pair
The big pair is often the best hand pre-flop and continues to hold that status on the flop. Holding aces pre-flop is guaranteed to be best at that moment. If you bet your big pair strongly pre-flop and continue to bet strongly on the flop with an uncoordinated board it is likely that you will not get action, the hand will end and you win a small pot. When the board is highly textured your big pair is vulnerable to being out-drawn by an opponent making a straight or flush. Even if you hit a set you are still second best.

If players are sticking around when you are holding a big pair, warning bells should start to go off in your head. With an uncoordinated board and an unimproved big pair it is likely that your opponent hit a set with a baby or middle pair and has you crushed. You can hope for the miracle two-outer to make your set on the turn but it is probably best to recognize the warning signals and muck your big pair. If an opponent is staying around on the flop or turn with a coordinated board it is time to think about walking away. Your unimproved big pair is just a pair. Unless your opponent is so loose that you are able to discount their hand, it is sometimes wise to fold.
The other day I was playing against an ultra-loose player who saw nearly 80% of the flops and generally stuck around through at least the turn. He was bullying the table and inducing fold after fold with his aggressive betting. I had a QQ on the button. The flop came Q-8-7 rainbow. My opponent was in middle position and min-raised. The table folded to me and I bet around two-thirds the pot. He called. The turn was a brick, the 2h. My opponent went all in. I couldn’t wait to get my money in the pot. He turned over AK offsuit. My big pair improved on the flop and I won a substantial hand with my opponent drawing dead on the turn.

Strategy Pre-Flop

Holding AA, KK, QQ or JJ, it is most certain that you have the best hand pre-flop. I will raise from any position with any of these hands if I am first to act around 80% of the time and slow-play 20% of the time. If I am raised I will reraise or smooth call following the same formula. If I am raising I make it 3x the big blind but if I am re-raising I make it 3x the amount of the original raise. I want to get money in the pot but I don’t want to appear too anxious. These are relatively standard bet sizes. The only reason I will slow-play 20% of the time is to mix up my play so as not to be too predictable.

Post-Flop Strategy

If I hold aces or kings and they are unimproved on the flop I will c-bet 100% of the time. Queens or jacks slow me down just a bit. I use the 80/20 formula here where 80% of the time I c-bet and 20% of the time I check. I am not likely to lay down aces or kings unimproved on the flop. It is still almost certain that I have the best hand at this point. If, however, a tight player plays back at me with unexpected aggression I may lay down queens or jacks but I will see a turn with aces or kings.

If I do not improve on the turn and I am facing continued and unexpected aggression I will consider laying down aces or kings and, if I am still in the hand with unimproved queens or jacks I will most certainly muck. I am unwilling to lay down aces or kings very often because I am still likely holding the best hand. Holding kings I will sometimes, albeit not too often, loose to aces but I am also likely to be facing queens, jacks, AK to AT, also unimproved and a lay down will cost me money. My expected value with aces or kings is positive but begins to diminish dramatically with queens or jacks.

To Limp or Not

Some players like to limp with big pairs. Their argument is that a limp disguises the big pair and they are likely to get more callers in a pot with their limp. The problem with this strategy is that big pairs play better against a single opponent than they do in multi-way pots so raising to isolate is a better move. On the other hand, you might limp from early position with the intent to limp-raise if you are raised by someone in late position. Your limp-raise may have the same effect as an initial raise to isolate, only there is now more money in the pot. This can be an effective strategy if used sparingly. Over used it will become obvious and you will be lucky to get any action with your big pair.

In the end, play big pairs aggressively pre-flop meeting any aggression head on. If your hand is unimproved on the flop, turn or river and your opponent is acting with unusual aggression it may be correct to proceed with caution.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come visit us today.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , ,

Post-flop Play: Decisions, Decisions

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You decided that your hand pre-flop was playable and you entered the hand in late position. Pre-flop decisions are based on hand strength, position relative to the button, your own range of hands, what you know about your opponents’ hand selection and stack size, both yours and your opponents. Pre-flop decisions are more or less mechanical in the sense that you have very little information from which to proceed. All that you know absolutely is the relative strength of your hand playing from your position. The flop is the place where decisions to continue on or let your hand go are made and these decisions are substantially more difficult for two reasons.

  1. Pre-flop betting provides some valuable information about the hands your opponents are playing based on position and bet size.

  2. You now have either hit a hand or you have not. If you have, your decision rests on the probability of winning with that hand as well as the probability for your hand improving or both.

For these reasons, your decision making process post-flop are far less mechanical, turning toward a more mathematical process. You need to know several pieces of information in order to proceed in an intelligent manner.

  1. The current size of the pot including current wagers made in front of you relative to the bet you must call or the raise you are contemplating.

  2. The potential size of the pot after the round of betting is over.

  3. The price the pot is offering or pot odds.

  4. The probability that your hand will win or will improve enough to win.

  5. The relative strength of your hand when analyzed from both the pure probability of success and the hands your opponents may hold that will beat you at this moment, whether or not your hand improves.

Over the next few posts I will discuss these points in detail. Today I discuss the relative strength of possible hands relative to current strength and the possibility for improvement.

Probability for Success

To my mind the most important decision you can make post-flop turns on whether or not your hand provides enough strength relative to the hands your opponents are likely to hold so that the probability of winning provides you with a positive expectation. There are several factors to consider when analyzing your relative hand strength. The top four are:

  1. The probability that your hand will prevail at showdown if it comes to that.

  2. Your position relative to your opponent’s position.

  3. The texture of the board relative to your hand and the likely hands your opponent may hold based on what you know about his style of play.

  4. Your opponent’s tendencies to defend his hand or to let his hand go when challenged.

A First Look at Situational Probability

There are a number of common situations that occur with enough frequency at the poker table so that one really needs to know some basic probabilities in order to correctly analyze the probability of success. Here are a few of those situations along with the corresponding probabilities both in the form of percentages and positive odds.

Pair v Underpair: An example of the pair v underpair is AA v 44. The aces are favored to win this hand with a success rate of 82% or a 4.6:1 favorite.
Pair v Under Suited Connectors: The example of KK v 78s is a classic example of this match-up. The overpair is favored to win this match-up 77% of the time making the kings a 3.3:1 favorite.
Under pair v Connected Overcards: This is the classic race situation. 77 v AKo is an example of this situation. The pair is a slight favorite winning about 55% of the time, about a 1.2:1 favorite.
Dominated Cards: The example of AJ v A7 demonstrates domination. The dominant ace is a 70% favorite to win at showdown or it is a 2.3:1 favorite.

The Situational Odds Chart provides additional examples of the odds that obtain to specific situations that you are likely to face at the poker table on an ongoing basis. Knowing situational odds goes a long way in making your decisions about continuing or walking away easier. Committing these odds to memory provides you with ammunition with which to proceed in an analytical manner.

The chart takes into consideration only your hole cards playing against your opponent’s hole cards. This information is valuable only when you can safely put your opponent on a range of hands that play in these situations. In order to place you opponent on a range of hands you must observe what hands your opponent shows, how he bets in certain situations and the texture of the board.

Probability that Your Opponent holds a Bigger Pair

Premium pairs play quite well when against one or two opponents but in a multi-way pot with three or more opponents they quickly lose value. Let’s say you have JJ, the probability that a single opponent will have an overpair to your jacks is 67:1, against two players your odds drop to 33:1 against either opponent holding a bigger pair but with four players seeing the flop the odds that an opponent holds a bigger pair drop to 13:1.

If you hold Jh-Js and the flop comes Jc-Ks-Qd your set could be counterfeited by an opponent holding KK or QQ. You would be drawing dead to the case jack. Flops like this are also vulnerable to someone holding A-T but your outs improve if the board pairs, now the case jack, any of the three remaining kings or queens would give you either quads or jacks full…7 outs.

Being aware of the probabilities of facing a larger pair when you are holding a pair in the hole is another piece of information that helps the decision making process along. This information is most valuable when analyzing the texture of the board as a primary consideration along with the range of hands your opponent is likely to play and what he is representing through his betting. Armed with this information, along with your best analysis of your opponent’s strength, you are better able to make the difficult decisions that are required if you choose to stay involved.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come and visit.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , , ,

Analyzing The Flop

December 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Perhaps the most difficult decision you must make while playing Texas Hold’em is whether or not to bet or call a bet in front of you on the flop. When you miss the flop completely the decision to muck is easy. There are times, however, when the decision is borderline and you must analyze the strength of your hand relative to the board texture and to the likely range of hands your opponents are likely to hold. If you only play your cards you are likely to miss something that leads to your making a mistake. If you only consider your opponents’ likely hand you are likely to undervalue your hand which leads to a mistake. If you only consider the texture of the board you are likely to underestimate both the strength of your hand as well as the relative strength of your opponents’ hand making your decision nearly impossible and you will play too timidly. Remember, in poker everything depends on everything so play accordingly.
Open-Ended Straight Draws
So you decide to speculate pre-flop with an 8h-9h. There are a number of things to consider if you then flop an open-ended straight draw.

  • Two Suited Cards: If the flop comes 7c-Td-4d you must consider the flush possibilities in this textured board. If you hit your flush and another diamond shows up then your otherwise good hand may be second best. Not so hot. With a flush possibility your straight draw suddenly becomes unprofitable. If no one bets and you are in late position you might want to fire a bet for information but if someone bets in front of you it is probably time to muck your hand and wait for a better opportunity.

  • The Board Pairs: With your open-ended straight draw a paired board spells disaster. The flop came Tc-Js-Jd. Your draw has 8 outs making your draw a 2.2:1 underdog with two cards to come. You can be beaten by a full house or quads. In either case you are drawing against a strong made hand. If your opponent has a pair in his hand, say 8-8, he now has two-pair and has the same number of outs to make his full house, 8 so you are even money against him. If, however, that pair gave him quads you are drawing dead. If his pair, say T-T, turned into a set with the non paired card on the flop he has a full house and you are drawing dead. If his pair, say J-J, made quads you are drawing dead. This is an impossible board for a straight draw. Muck your hand.

  • You hold an Overcard: Say your hand was Kh-9d and the flop was 7d-8c-6s the overcard becomes important because it provides you with three additional outs. On this board there are no flush possibilities and you have the high end of the straight draw. Against a hand like 9h-Th you have a potential chop but you will loose to the made straight if any five shows up on the turn. If a king comes on the turn you now have a pair but are drawing dead against the made straight. This board is dangerous but your action will depend on how your opponent plays. If he is a known trapper then any slow play on his part is suspect. If he is overly aggressive than a big bet on the flop should also set off alarm bells. If, however, he is a solid player and checks you should bet your draw and if he bets you should call.

Flush Draws
You entered the hand with As-Js and the flop came 3s-Tc-7s. Wow! You have a nut flush draw with two overcards to the board, 12 outs, making you a 1.2:1 underdog (virtually even money) to complete your draw. There are no obvious straight draws, although you do have a backdoor Broadway draw which adds some outs to your draw but I tend to discount those outs to zero in this case. The board is not paired so at this point quads or a full house are not in the picture. Your problem is how to extract the greatest value from this flop, one that is not likely to provide much action unless your opponent holds A-A, K-K, Q-Q or some sort of flush draw himself.
If the table folds to you put out a probe bet, something like one-third to one-half the pot. The probe bet will only seem suspect to a seasoned professional player but someone with a pair or a flush draw will be tempted to at least call your bet if not raise in this situation. You may take the pot then and there with the probe bet but more frequently you will get some added action so that when you hit your hand you’ll win a larger pot. I believe that the probe bet play is good to use around 20% of the time you have a big flush draw with at least one overcard to the board. The other 80% of the time I tend to play in a more standard manner by betting and raising or betting and calling, Either way you will either get action or win the pot immediately with your semi-bluff.
Three Suited Cards
If the flop comes with three suited cards you should exercise extreme caution unless you hold made hands like two pair or a set on the flop. If you are in late position and there has been a bet in front of you, muck your hand. If you are in late position and the table has checked to you and you have a made hand a bet of about half the pot is in order. If your probe bet is called or raised go no further; check if called and muck if raised. If you happen to see a turn and you make quads or a full house then you have made the nuts and your opponent with the flush will want to push the action…Let him! If you hit a blank then muck to any bet. If your opponent gives you a free river card take it and reevaluate at that point.
Caution Prevails
In the examples above the flops were highly textured toward straights or flushes or big hands like full houses or quads. If you are facing highly textured flops then caution should prevail. Think about what your opponents’ likely range of hands might be and compare that range to your hand strength and the texture of the board. What can beat you is the question to ask, and is what can beat you falling within your opponents’ range of hand selection. If it is then you should err on the side of caution and choose a better spot to pick a fight.
On the other hand, if the board is uncoordinated with no obvious straight or flush possibilities then your drawing hands obtain greater value and should be played accordingly.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come and visit.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , ,

Loose, Tight Or In-between

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

How you play poker has a significant impact on how others play against you. In a rather famous quote, Doyle Brunson said, “If you want action you have to give action.” If the goal of playing poker is to earn a profit then you must create a strategy that invites action yet still allows you to bluff from time to time. Tight players are more likely to be bluffed but are more likely to be able to bluff while loose players are more likely win small pots with loose raises while almost never being bluffed. I suggest that playing on the extremes is less profitable than playing somewhere in the middle.

Playing too Loose

If you have an image that you play almost any two cards, you are in more than 50% of the hands dealt, your opponents will only call you or raise you with premium hands. You are, in effect, constantly bluffing, seeking to intimidate your opponents and your more alert opponents, even the loosest of them, will soon realize that without a premium hand it is better to let you win the small pots while being able to aggressively take big pots away from you. The problem with playing against the ultra loose player is that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while and when they do they crush an aggressive opponent.

If your loose opponent telegraphs his hand through his betting patterns it is even easier to play against him. If, for example, your loose opponent calls with mediocre hands and raises with solid hands pre-flop an observant player will quickly see through this and play accordingly. On the other hand, if your loose opponent doesn’t easily telegraph his hand because he never varies his pre-flop bet, it is better to wait him out and pounce when you have the best hand.

Playing too Tight

Not seeing enough flops also creates an action problem. The tight player plays fewer hands from early position and expands his range through middle and late position but plays fewer than 20% of the hands dealt. The overall range of playable hands in hold’em runs from around 28% to 33% of the 169 possible hands dealt. Playing less than that invites your opponents to bluff you off of anything but the best hands. Conversely, playing too tight allows you to bluff your opponents because they will often believe you and let you win a small pot rather than gamble. In the case of the tight player the picky squirrel only gathers prime acorns leaving the rest to rot.

Tight players may also telegraph the quality of their hand with their bet size but in their case, almost any bet indicates strength so it is unlikely that they will get any action at all.

Finding the Middle

If between 28% and 33% of pre-flop hands in hold’em are playable by solid, conservative standards then playing somewhere between this range is one in which you project an image of being willing to gamble. In short, you are giving action and you can expect action in return.

I actually track quite closely the percentage of hands I am willing to enter and I try to keep my range at around 30%. Because I am willing to enter hands pre-flop with less than premium hands, I must be willing to give up those hands if I don’t hit around 80% of the time. I randomize my bluffs by folding 80% of the hands I don’t hit and continue on 20% of the time. Using the second hand on my watch, I muck between 1 and 48 seconds and play between 49 and 60 seconds. I vary this strategy depending on whether the flop is textured or uncoordinated but then only by 4 seconds. I am more likely to bluff with an uncoordinated board but then only 25% of the time.

By playing with an image that I think of as semi-tight, I invite action. My post-flop play, however, is the key to my success. I play aggressively in no-limit hold’em because solid aggression tends to be rewarded and I am willing to muck hands that simply are not worth continuing on.

What about Limit Hold’em

In limit hold’em you are more likely to maximize your profits by creating a calling image rather than a raising image. In limit hold’em aggression is generally punished because there are more multi-way pots than there are in no-limit. Hand values diminish in multi-way pots and you are more likely to be outdrawn even when you get your money in good on the flop or turn. Keeping a tighter, more passive image works well in limit hold’em.

About the Author:
Roger Fischel began playing poker with his friends in high school. Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the games of choice back then. Over the years, Roger turned to Texas Hold ‘em as his game of choice. During a long career as a teacher, Roger learned the value of sharing what he knows with others as a way to give back to the community in which he shares, thus, Rags to the River Poker was born. Come and visit.

Filed Under: Online Poker Strategy Tagged With: , , ,
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