What's stronger than a continuation bet?

What's stronger than a continuation bet?
In a full ring cash game, you are in middle position, the action folds to you and you look down at AhQh. You raise to 5 BBs. The CO and BTN both call, as does the BB. The four of you see the flop, which comes K75 with one heart. The big blind checks. What do you do?

Becoming a professional poker player

Becoming a professional poker player
One of the perks of writing a poker column is the many opportunities it gives you to discuss the subject with people of disparate opinions. With my e-mail address displayed in the footer of every column I publish, people often write to ask questions. One of the most common has to do with what it takes to go pro...

Playing for fun

Playing for fun
I started playing poker full-time online in March of 2009. By that time, I'd taken up LHE as my game of choice, having decided that I had not yet developed the proper mindset for withstanding the big swings of no-limit games. You'd think that after playing for real money for so long that my days of playing for "play" money would be over. But in fact, I still play at the play money tables three or four times a week...

Table talk

Table talk
One of the fun (and useful) things about live poker is the table talk. I'm not talking about the socializing or the commiseration over bad flops or bad beats. I'm talking about verbal exchanges between players during a hand.

Tulsa's freeroll poker tournaments

Tulsa's freeroll poker tournaments

If you love to play poker but can't afford the tournament buy-ins at casinos, don't sweat it. You can still play the game you love for cash prizes, without the buy-in fees. A tournament is hosted most every night of the week with anywhere from $100 to $200 paid out to the winner(s). A larger freeroll has been held monthly or bi-monthly (depending on venue participation) where the prize pool climbs as high as $1000...

Poker recap: crashing headlong into a brick wall of stupid

Sometimes, we just don't play our best.

Poker recap: crashing headlong into a brick wall of stupid
Today's subject is a 30-minute session I played last night, wherein I lost $489. I think it's the most money I've lost in the shortest amount of time in a complete poker session...

Poker content on YouTube: Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is known for his outspoken personality, fun-loving attitude, and success at the poker table. In this article, I provide links to tons of content on YouTube featuring Daniel in a variety of settings, both at the poker table and off.

Poker content on YouTube: Daniel Negreanu
If you are a poker player, especially a beginning poker player, the internet offers a wide variety of ways to study and improve your game. In my last article, I provided a list of the top 10 poker training sites on the internet. But if paying for a subscription isn't your thing, there are plenty of free ways to improve your skills. One of the most obvious is YouTube. I know it may sound ridiculous, but there's a mountain of material, from instructional video snippets to excerpts from poker entertainment broadcasts, many with commentary added that was not a part of the mainstream broadcast. I'm going to demonstrate that today with Daniel Negreanu as our subject...

The top 10 poker training sites online

The top 10 poker training sites online
Along with the Moneymaker effect, the internet has had a major influence on the poker industry, both in terms of online poker sites and online poker training. With the indictments brought by the DOJ against the major poker sites in April of this year, few US players continue to play online for real money. But the online training sites are still around and will happily teach you everything from the fundamentals of the game to advanced strategies in every aspect of play.

Cash game strategy: Going all-in post-flop

These are general guidelines based on stack-size and stack-to-pot ratio. You should still strive to develop a read, based on your opponent's tendencies and any physical tells you can rely on.

Cash game strategy: Going all-in post-flop

Going all-in is not a common play, but I wouldn't say it's rare, either. If I had to put a number on it, at a full table, there might be someone all-in once every two orbits. That would be one out of 18 hands. The shorter the stacks at the table, the more all-ins you'll see. The opposite is true for deeper stacks. This isn't just a matter of it being hard to get 200BB's into the pot and have your opponent call, although that can be difficult--your opponent has to have a strong hand to call off that much money. It's also a matter of limiting your variance...

Hard Rock Poker Open begins October 27

Hard Rock Poker Open begins October 27
For the eighth consecutive year, northeast Oklahoma's largest poker tournament will return to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Catoosa. Previously known as the Scotty Nyugen Poker Challenge hosted at the Cherokee Casino, the event was renamed in 2009 as the Hard Rock Poker Open following a $155 million renovation and the rebranding of the venue.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy series is complete

Well, it took a couple months but I finally finished my strategy series for local Tulsa tournaments.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 1

Early stage philosophy, hand ranges, and strategy.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 2

I briefly discuss post-flop play.  I also discuss developing a tournament plan by being aware of where you stand in the field, and maintaining patience.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 3

Stack sizes, table image, position, hand selection, stealing blinds, restealing, calling ranges, and factors to consider when making decisions.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 4

Small and short stack strategy.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 5
Five example hands to demonstrate strategies from Parts 1-4.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 6
Approaching the final table, aggression proportionate to stack size.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 7

Chopping.

Tulsa poker tournament strategy: Part 8
Bubble play and end game.

Another new tournament article out; cash game recap

Well, I've got Part 3 of my local tournament strategy series published. Click here to check it out.
Cash games aren't going so good. I've had 3 straight losing sessions. Nothing to talk about, really. I'm just not making many hands and my opponents have been hitting more than their fair share of draws, while the opposite has been true for me. The only nice thing about it has been that I'm doing a better job of taking it in stride. My reads have been correct except for twice. Once when an opponent took a really weird line (call flop, raise turn) in NL with AA on a draw-heavy board--I had top pair and both draws--and another time where I flopped top pair with 86s on a 832r flop, then turned top 2 when the 6c hit. Unfortunately my opponent had binked a 1-outer with 66. Thankfully that one was a LHE hand and I didn't get stacked.

M

New article out re:local tournaments; cash game recap

I published a new article on Examiner.com. Here's the link: Tulsa poker tournament strategy, Part 1. It's about my strategy for the first 2 or 3 blind levels in the tournaments I play locally.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I went on a business trip to Virginia a couple weeks ago. I had to write a 200 page software manual in 3 weeks, and I squeaked in under the deadline by about two hours. Needless to say, I was worn out after writing 60 hours a week for three weeks straight, which is a big factor for why I haven't played much poker lately. But now that I'm home and settled in, caught up on my sleep, I made it back out to the poker room.

Now, if you read my blog on a regular basis, you know I prefer LHE over NL. (Even though I make more from NL.) But NL is more like work to me whereas LHE is just plain fun. Yes, you take more beats. No, you can't protect your hand in LHE. No, you can't bluff as often in LHE. But forget all that. If you're at a LHE table where 4 or 5 players are seeing every flop, and you are a fundamentally competent player, there is no reason you can't make money playing LHE. All you have to do is make the proper adjustments. The value of big pairs goes down. The value of suited connectors goes up. So you push hard with draws, and play more cautiously with pairs. The percentages even out over time.

Example #1: Last night I was dealt JJ UTG and raised. 5 players called. The flop came 79Tr. I bet. Player A raised, 1 fold, Player B called. Player C called. 1 fold. I called. The turn was the 3d. I bet. Player A called. Player B called. 1 fold. River 6s. I checked. Player A checked. Player B bet. I folded. Player A folded. I could have made a crying call, but honestly, there's nothing I'm beating on this river. He either has the straight or two pair. If he had a pair of tens and nothing else, he would have checked.

Example #2: I was dealt JdJs UTG+1 and I raised. 6 players called. The flop came QT9hh. I bet. Everyone called. Turn Jh. I bet. Player A called. Player B called. 3 folds. Player C called. I was now confident no one had a flush, but one or more straights could be out there. The river came the 2h. I checked. Player A bet. Player B called. Player C called. I folded. Player A had 2p. Player B had the 6h for a baby flush. Player C had the 8h. I played this one perfectly. All of my bets went in as a favorite, then check-folded when I was beat.

Example #3: I was in the BB with 9hTh. 2 limpers then the CO raised. The BTN called and I 3b. The limpers called then the CO 4b. Everyone called. The flop came KJ4h. I checked. It checked around to the CO, who bet. BTN called, I raised, both limpers folded. Turn was the 9d. I bet. CO called, BTN called. River Qh. I checked. CO bet. BTN called. I raised. CO called, BTN folded. CO showed AA. This one is a variation play I like to make at tables full of call-happy players. I'm building a big pot pre-flop to give me the odds I need to call big bets on the turn with a draw. Of course, if my opponents slow down, I'm going to represent a big pair and try to take the pot away. With a big pot, it doesn't have to work very often to be profitable.

Anyway, I had a great time and took home $140 in profit over a 5-hour session.

By the way, if you have a choice, don't let your house get hit by lightning. We lost 2 tv's, the washer, the microwave, the cable modem and router, both cable boxes, the main circuit breaker and several GFI outlets. On the plus side, my gal says to me, if we have to buy new TV's, lets get the 50". God, I love her.

Good luck at the tables.
M

River Spirit modifies its poker tournament schedule

River Spirit modifies its poker tournament schedule
A new tournament schedule has been implemented at River Spirit casino in Tulsa. All of the events are now open to everyone to enter (the men's, women's and senior's tournaments have been discontinued)...

Luck is a funny thing

I spent two and a half years jobless, while looking for a worthwhile job in my chosen career path (although I admit I could've been more tenacious about it). Meanwhile, I'm playing poker online and eking out a profit--not enough to live on, mind you, but enough to hope that one day I might. Then BF hits and my online run comes to a screeching halt. I rejected the idea of trying new sites as too risky, and opted for the live poker route. At first, I did great. $2K in 2 weeks. Then the bottom fell out and I couldn't scoop a pot no matter how big a favorite I was. So for 8 weeks now I've been breaking even overall in the cash games. Obviously, this can't be explained entirely by luck. I AM making mistakes.

The corporate world finally called me back into the office two weeks ago, taking bankroll constraints and self-sufficiency issues out of the equation. I was never great at pinching pennies, and I'm enjoying the reprieve. Funny thing is, now that I'm flush with cash, I'm tearing up the felt in tournaments. Cashed again tonight for a $700 profit. I've final tabled 6 of 7 tournaments in the last month, and cashed 5 times. Is it just my luck changing? Or is it that I'm playing tournaments where the stacks are shallow and preflop play dominates the action? Or is it that I'm playing better now that I don't have to worry about downswings? Or a combination of all of these?

Whatever the case, I hope it continues.

The Poker Blueprint arrived, and I'm halfway through it. So far, there's not much here I didn't already know and practice. But I've just gotten to the post-flop chapters, which is where I'm making most of my mistakes. I'll probably read it twice through before I return to the cash games.

All in all, things are looking bright. The pressure is off, the green line is moving upwards, and I couldn't be happier.
M

Local tournament winnings, life update

It's been a week since my last update, and a lot is going on. We're finally moving some of the furniture out of my mother-in-law's house in McAlester (she passed away in January), and slowly getting it ready to put on the market. I've re-entered the corporate world as a technical writer. And I've cashed in 3 out of 4 local tournaments, each for about 8x my buy-in. My copy of The Poker Blueprint arrived yesterday. Alas, I haven't had time yet to get past the first chapter. The new employer is a contractor for the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development, and the background checks are many and extensive, including a history of everywhere I've lived for the past 10 years. Had to really dig to come up with the dates. I may not get to turn many pages until Sunday, after we get done moving some more furniture.

Anyway, with a steady income now expected to flow into the coffers, I can afford to take some time off from full ring and really focus on improving my game. My short-stack game is already very good, but my medium-stack game 100-200BB needs work. So I'm going to stick to tournaments for the next month or so where I have more of an edge.

I finished in the top 6 in 3 tournaments, with fields ranging from 75 to 100 players in each. In the one where I failed to cash, I finished in 5th place, two away from the money, out of 23 players. It was also at a casino where I don't often play, and I had no history with any of the players.

Well, that's it for now. Have to get up in 6 hours and report to work, something I haven't done in over 2 years.

M

Morning tournament - more cash game woes

Seems I can run bad in tournaments just as well as cash games.

Started with 8k chips. I played a total of 7 hands. The first five levels I was card dead. I limped once with 88 and called a raise on the button vs UTG raiser w/AQs. Stacks were too deep at the time to reraise or shove. Whiffed both times. I won one pot with a donk bet in a limped pot 3-handed.

Got blinded down to 6k by the time this hand came up, and the blinds had increased to 300/600/50. HJ limped, BTN shoves for 4500, I'm in the BB and have 66. It's the second best hand I've been dealt so far, as I've mostly been getting K5o and 93o trash. I decide to gamble and reraise all in for 6100. HJ calls. HJ shows 55. BTN shows QJ. Board runs out KT839, giving BTN a straight. I win a small side pot.

The very next hand I'm in the SB holding A9o. It folds around to the guy who had 55 last hand, and he limps. It folds to me and I go all in for around 2300. BB folds. The limper calls. He shows T2o. Board runs out KJ482. I finished 18th out of around 50 players.

They have a cash game running and I go take a look at it to see if it's worth joining. There's a chronic bluffer in the game. A chronic gambler in the game. One solid reg and the rest I've never seen or played with before. I decide to take a 1-buyin shot and sit down with $100. First hand I'm in the CO with KQcc. 4 limpers and I raise to $12. 3 callers. Flop AT5cc. The chronic bluffer is 2nd to act and donks for $27. 1 fold, I call, SB folds. Feels like 2nd pair with a gutshot or a naked flush draw. Turn is the Ks. Bluffer goes all in. I call. River blanks and I table my hand. My kings are good.

I go an hour limp-folding, occassionally limp-calling and then folding the flop with middle pairs. Then I pick up AQs on the button with a stack of $132. 6 limpers and I make it $12 to go. 5 callers. Flop AKx. With $70 in the pot, I wanted to make it clear I wasn't folding. I bet $60. 2 callers, both 60+ yr old men. (Neither of them play great, but they're not stupid either.) Turn J. 1 check, then player to my right donks for $50. I go into the tank. AJ? Really? AJ or AK, that's about it. Can this really be happening again? With $250 + the $50 bet in the pot I'm getting 6 to 1 on a call. I have TPTK with a gutshot. I make a crying call. The other villain folds. River blanks. Check-check river. Sure enough, my opponent tables AJ. Another effing 3-outer. Yeah, that's what I was afraid of, I tell him. Nice hand.

I rebuy for $100, which was probably not the best idea in retrospect. I admit I was tilting. I picked up JTdd on the button and raised small, hoping to flop something good and have a pot to go after. 6 players called. Flop came 976d. 2nd player to act (the chronic gambler) came out firing $30 into the $60 pot. I know he has an 8, probably with a pair. This is a clear fold. But do I fold? No, of course not. I'm on tilt. I call. The BB also calls. Turn is the Ad, giving me a flush draw to go with my gutshot. BB (the solid reg) checks. Gambler bets $40. I tank-call, hoping the BB flat-calls. Implied odds don't matter much as I'm only leaving myself $20 behind. The river is the 3h. BB checks. Gambler checks. No value in betting and no fold equity--the BB is a solid reg and he has a hand. I check. BB shows 99 for a set. I am not surprised at all.

I go all in pf with 88 a few hands later for $18, get 2 callers (both the gambler and the AJ player). Board runs out KJTxx, the AJ player shows me K9o. This time I wisely quit.

M

14 players chop the June $15K freeroll tournament at River Spirit

Yes, I was among the bottom 7 players.  AA < KK for half my stack put me in the bottom half.  A steady stream of unplayable hands kept me there.  When we chopped, I had around 60k chips.

14 players chop the June $15K freeroll tournament at River SpiritJune 11, 2011. 92 players arrived at the River Spirit Casino poker room to compete for their share of $15,000. At the fourth break, with 14 players left, a deal was struck to chop the prize pool. Going by chip count, the top 7 players received $1,271 while the bottom 7 players received $871.

Taking time off from cash games

Played last night. Started with $100 and ran it up to $550 in less than 2 hours. Then the doomswitch turned on. I dropped to $225 and took a break for an hour.

Came back and bought in for $100 again. Once again, lost to runner runner 2x and moved all in with TPGK + sd + fd and couldn't get there, and my opponent had me outkicked (I had JTs, he had KTo).

Took today off from poker completely except for writing this blog. Waiting for The Poker Blueprint to arrive from Amazon.com.

Going to play the morning tournament tomorrow, but avoiding the cash games for now. I have a bunch of other projects that will keep me away from the tables completely this weekend. Probably for the best. My hourly rate has dipped from $74/hr (Weeks 1 & 2), to a piddly $10/hr (YTD). Still winning, but not enough to make a living (unless I work 80hrs/wk). Basically, I won $2K during those first two weeks and have broken even ever since. What's the answer? I wish I knew. Am I doing something wrong? Probably, but I can't put my finger on it. I keep getting the money in when I'm either ahead or a math favorite, but I can't hold up or get there. Is it the cards or is it me? After 8 weeks of this I'm just not sure.

You know what it feels like? It feels exactly like it did 2 years ago when I started out playing 1c/2c NL on Pokerstars. My game has improved 10 times over since then, but it feels like I'm going through a second puberty playing live.

M

Longer session, fewer playable hands, more bad beats

All in on the turn with top 2 pair, called by top pair, King kicker. River: K.

3-bet pf with AA. Original raiser calls. Flop J56ss. Checks to me. I bet $50 into a $65 pot. He shoves, I call off my remaining $50, hoping to see KK/QQ. He has JJ.

Limp-reraise all in preflop with AA. 3 players call. Board QT9xQ. The two hands I saw were J9o and QTo.

Dunno how long this will continue. Will seriously consider time off if this happens again tomorrow night.

M