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A Online Poker Article For Your Reading Enjoyment

Playing with Bubbles


By Garry Gates

After three long hours of play, you find yourself down to the last two tables of a poker tournament that started with just under 200 players. There are twenty players left, but only the top eighteen are rewarded. Not wanting to get knocked out �on the bubble,� or just outside the money, you notice that almost everyone at your table has tightened up their game. The exception is a player to your left who seems to be taking down pot after pot without even seeing a flop. He makes a standard raise of three times the big blind to which everyone folds, each time earning him the blinds and dead ante money, a decent chunk of change at this stage of the tournament. Before play started, this player had an average sized chip stack and now he�s the tournament chip leader, in position to make a big run at the final table.

Switching to an aggressive playing style when nearing the bubble in a multi-table tournament is an extremely effective method of padding your chip stack, in preparation for the final table. Truth be told, most players do not want to risk getting knocked out of a tournament after playing for hours when they�re just a couple of spots away from cashing. The fear of a bad beat or the possibility of running into a superior hand causes even the loosest of players to fold practically everything except aces or kings during this unique stage of the tournament. Throughout a poker tournament, you will make decisions based on an array of situations, rather than your cards and opponents. The decisions you make when approaching the bubble can mean the difference between first place money and just getting your buy-in back.

Changing your playing style to aggressive at this stage of a tournament carries as much risk as it does reward. You should practice selective aggression with your raises, being careful not to get involved with the tournament�s big stacks, or players you feel might be willing to come over the top of your attempted blind steal. Continue to make standard sized raises in position and try to avoid stealing when one or more players has limped into the pot before you; a limper here is often trying to set a trap with a premium hand.

Focus your pressure on tight players whose stacks are big enough that they will be able to fold their way into the money, but not so big that they can afford to challenge one of your raises without putting their entire stack in harm�s way. If one of these players does come over the top of your raise, do not hesitate to throw your hand away immediately. The possibility exists that he may have picked up on your aggressive assault and is simply making a play, but it is more likely that this player walked into a big hand and is making a stand.

Often times, when the bubble has been �popped,� or the last player before the money is eliminated, play will return to normal. Players will return to their regular playing styles, which means it�s time to put the brakes on your relentless aggression and resume solid poker. Before you attempt to apply this technique in a big tournament, consider your goals. If you�re content with just making the money, then by all means, conform with the masses and fold away. But if you�ve got your eye on the big prize, raise it up!

Source: http://www.wisehandpoker.com/articles/index.php?article=on-the-bubble.html

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BOOK REVIEW: JOHNNY HUGHES' "TEXAS POKER WISDOM"


by Gary Wise

When I got into this gig a few years ago, it wasn�t for my love of the interactions of cards. For me, it was the players of the games we love who fascinated me, a result of a childhood spent in the company of game players providing shelter for other game players. My dad was the constant host to game night.

Of all the games and cultures that accompany them, none is richer than that of poker. For 150 years this game has been played, but the people and their constant maneuvering were as much a part of the color as the results. It was the stories of cowboys and mobsters, riverboat gamblers and railroad tycoons that kept my eyes wide, and every nugget of that Americana was a morsel to be nourished.

You do enough reading and the stories overlap. You start stumbling upon different renditions of the same stories, or worse yet, poorly-written versions, and you start to realize you�ve been there, done that and that the original story-tellers -- the guys who were there-- are a fading breed whose oral history is soon to be completely devoured by some form of pop culture-broken telephone that will forever tarnish the truth.

Fortunately, we�re not there yet. I can say this with conviction because I�ve just finished reading �Texas Poker Wisdom� a new novel by Johnny Hughes, a man who�s fought the poker wars and lived to tell about it. For anyone out there who yearns for the ways of old and �more importantly�the ways of the truth, it�s a book that should be read, as much for entertainment as for education.

�Wisdom� starts out slowly, much like the game it focuses on. It forces you to endure patiently as you get the background on its protagonists Matt and Dylan O�Malley. Matt, a character based on the author, is the old school grinder, a poker player who�s survived the tough times. The beneficiary of a new, unfamiliar monthly stipend, he finds himself living in a secure environment he�s unaccustomed to. It�s comfortable, but for a man of action, it leaves the distinct feeling of restlessness in everything he does. He needs a new adventure.

Dylan, meanwhile, is the young hotshot internet type you�d find behind half the monitors in the world nowadays. He�s young, cocky and confident, thanks in large part to a fast, easily-earned success that�s left him thinking the world is his oyster, evidenced by the quarter-million dollar bankroll he�s built up in next to no time at all.

The story starts when the two protagonists meet for the first time in almost two decades. Dylan acts with the indifference of his generation, while Matt behaves according to the caution of his own. Slowly, bridges are built, using poker as the brick and mortar on which they connect. To tell you much more would be to ruin the story.

There are lessons to be learned here. They are lessons in the game�s shady history, with the author drawing on his own experience as a soldier in Boss Bill Boyd�s army of poker scams and shenanigans. They are lessons of the peril of a damsel in distress; lessons in the pitfalls of �the life� and how to avoid them; how to turn every dollar into two and how to avoid turning every two into zero.

There�s good writing here too. Hughes draws upon the colorful colloquialisms of the title regions and colors them more with witty one-liners from his own repertoire. Simple sentences like �What stays in Vegas is a sucker�s money� left my jaw hanging in admiration over how much could be communicated through what�s an obvious line in hindsight.

Texas Poker Wisdom isn�t without its flaws. Hughes needs a better editor (the word �quiet� was spelled Q-U-I-T-E three times that I saw) and the narrative has a distinctive ADD feel in the early goings, but slogging through the mud is worth the wait. Poker is often described as hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror, and the deeper you get into the book, the less you get of the former and more you get of the latter.

You don�t need to be a poker player to appreciate Texas Poker Wisdom�s lessons in life, but it helps if you want to get the maximum enjoyment out of every tension filled hand. Call this a hearty recommendation to read this book, and to stick with it when you think about putting it down.

Gary Wise

Source: http://www.wisehandpoker.com/articles/index.php?article=book-texas-poker-wisdom.html

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Online Poker can be profitable, but be sure to choose the right table!


1. PLAYERS & POT SIZES...

As a general rule, 6-8 players with a fairly large average pot size.

With most online poker sites you can see the average pot size and how many players are seeing the flop. Large pots are better as this generally means more loose players, playing no limit I'm looking to win big hands when I've got the nuts, not to grind down opponents by blind stealing and small pot stealing. I avoid most really tight games, rocks are boring and unprofitable typically. No limit is about getting paid off when you hit your monster, not stealing blinds all day.

A good table for me is one that is loose, but that is also not overly aggressive. I'm looking for a lot of players limping or calling small raises pre-flop.

2. The average number of players seeing the flop...

If you can see the average # of players seeing the flop, this is a hugely vital stat to use. Lower limits you can easily find something around 35-40%, which is pretty darn loose. Find this stat and then get one with a higher than average pot.

Sites like Bodog and Sportsbook.com will show you how many players are seeing the flop on average. I look for games with high averages seeing the flop, anything over 40% is usually good and very easy to find online.

The majority of times this makes for a good table as a tight aggressive player will play between 20% and 35% of any given hands on average, and in my opinion 35% is loooooose.

3. Watch the Button go around the table at least once - and pay attention!

Now that you've found a table with numbers that look pretty good its time to actually take a quick overhead view of the table and see what happens. Open up the table but do not sit down, or if you want you can sit down but not take your cards yet. If you are playing at Poker Stars, here is a screen shot of the table.

Take an open seat and pay attention! Watch the button go all the way around the table and take an initial assement of the table. Here are the things to look for:

A. Players limping and then calling a late position raise with weak holdings (hands like KQo, KJo, KTo, and other dominated hands like QJ (this is a good sign)

B. Look around the table at the current stack sizes - normally avoid tables where more than 3 players have 3 to 4 times the maximum buy in amount. These players can easily push me out of pots or have me committed early. They also might be solid players. (bad sign)

C. Take notice of the cards people are showing down. Look for weak holdings outside of the blinds offsuit small one gappers, Ace rag unsuited, and the plethora of other bad cards people play with. (more junk the better)

D. Take notice of who raises and who calls raises - are premium hands raised huge or limped with and are other players calling raises with weak holdings (good)

E. Any Maniacs at the table? - is there a crazy bettor or people who seem to be out to hit miracle cards by calling big bets? (good depending on seat) If you can get position on them (acting afterwards) you can get paid off when you hit a monster against them. The only problem is that you almost have to hit your hand to beat this player so you need to also feel confident that they will also pay you off when you do.

F. Who are the two worst players at the table? (can't tell? BAD) Pick out two players that are playing weak and have made mistakes. See who is playing really loose, who is playing really tight.

G. Look for players making small raises (1-2x the BB) with premium hands or even slow playing. (good, probably inexperienced players)

4. YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD SEAT RELATIVE TO THE REST OF THE TABLE...

A. This means sitting directly to the left of the Maniacs and the other Big Stacks so you always act after them. If you have a big hand you have the option to disguise it by letting them bet it for you. If you have a weak hand you can let it go fairly easily.

B. Give up position to short stacks/tight players - no problem letting the act after you if they are only going to play strong hands or not get involved often.

If you find the right combination of table factors and good relative seat then snag it! Since you've been watching the action already you can post as soon as you sit down if you want. This helps portray a loose image. If the big blind is 4 seats or less away from me I'll wait and post as soon as I sit down, although I sometimes post right away to make people think I'm loose.

5. IF THE TABLE TURNS COLD, GET UP AND MOVE...

Nothing is worse than staying at a bad table. Many times you'll find yourself sitting at a table with a bunch of tight and aggressive players. Unless you are wanting to work on your game, get up and move and go make money. Don't think that you've got something to prove.

6. TAKE NOTES...

I logged on to Party Poker yesterday to play a tourney with some friends and there were over 70,000 players playing right then. You'll probably never see a player again but if you find anyone who is horrible, take a note and especially when you find the good players, make a note. It could save you your stack later.

I recommend reading through Full Tilt Poker Download Guide for a step by step tutorial on setting a your online poker account. This is a great resource for new players.

Thanks and we'll see you at the tables!

Source: http://www.kickasspoker.com/poker-strategy/articles/no-limit-holdem-table-selection-tips.htm

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The Mental Game


Here is a great article I found on http://www.pokertips.org/

Think For Yourself

A disturbing trend I've noticed in the poker community is that people seem to want to follow strict guidelines when they play poker. Many want to treat poker like blackjack, where there is an optimal strategy in every situation.

This is simply not the case. Any and all advice are just some general hints that can never take the place of proper situational judgment skills. Poker is a game of people and a game of situations. It is not a game of optimal, pre-planned strategy. All of the best poker players vary their play and make decisions on the spot. Poker players that rely on a ready-made recipe are doomed to fail because they will play very predictably, and they won't take into account many important situational factors when making decisions.

There really is no way to teach someone situational judgment skills. The only advice on this topic that I can give is to practice and pay attention to your flaws. What are some situations that could be played differently? How often do you correctly place opponents on their hands?

Something that may be helpful is online poker hand histories. Some, but not all, poker rooms will display the hands of all the losing players who called a showdown (the screen will show mucks but the hand history will show the opponents' hands). Some poker rooms that do this are Party Poker and Poker Room. When you beat someone who called you to the river, or you turned a lucky draw, request the hand history and see what your opponent had. This will help give you an idea of how often you correctly judge your opponents.

If you are going to play poker, have confidence in yourself. Think for yourself. Don't worry if your play may be violating textbook guidelines. A winning poker player's arsenal combines general poker knowledge with situational judgment skills. Losing poker players don't think for themselves or simply don't think at all.

Source: http://www.pokertips.org/strategy/think-for-yourself.php

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