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Nov 28, 2007

Heads-up Strategy

YOUR WINNING STRATEGY FOR HEADS-UP poker can be "boiled
down" to three simple steps:

1. Push The Action
2. Set The Stage
3. Trap Your Opponent

Let's take a look...

Step one is to PUSH THE ACTION. In heads-up poker, the
blinds are often substantial.

And the FASTEST way to build your stack and gain momentum is
to win the blinds as much as possible.

Be the player to push the action...

Consistently raise when you're the dealer. This is a
wonderful position because you get to act FIRST pre-flop but
last post-flop. You can represent a hand by raising... and
then get a read on your opponent after the flop.

The more you push the action, the more blinds you'll win.

Of course, this behavior will also keep your opponent OFF
BALANCE... while he tries to adjust to YOUR GAME.

As soon as he gets a hand, he'll start coming back over the
top of you. And that's when you back off.

Step two is to SET THE STAGE...

Now that you've been aggressive, it's time to set yourself
up for some BIG pots.

Heads-up poker is usually determined by one major hand...
maybe two. You want to SET YOURSELF UP for that hand.

In normal multi-player poker, those "big hands" usually
occur when two or more players have great cards-- like a
straight versus a flush, or trips versus two pair.

In HEADS-UP POKER, this doesn't happen nearly as much,
because the odds of someone catching a hand like a straight
or flush or whatever is much lower.

That's why the SET UP is so powerful.

Here's how to set yourself up for victory...

First of all, realize that what your opponent is trying to
do is "figure you out". He probably KNOWS that he needs to
take control and steal blinds in order to win the match.

After setting the tempo and stealing blinds from HIM, it's
time to give him a false sense of "hope" and "control". And
it's time to show your cards once or twice...

After stealing a pot, show your bluff... just casually. You
can say something like, "Jeeze, I'm bullying you here, you
didn't have 9-5 offsuit beat?"

Or maybe what you can do is "ACCIDENTALLY" show your cards
after winning a hand...

(This is sneaky.)

Toss your hole cards into the muck after winning a hand so
that they just "happen" to turn face up.

"Oops."

LOL.

This will surely get your opponent riled up.

Then what you do is PRETEND to fall into a consistent
betting pattern. Start checking the flop-- or betting very
small amounts consistently.

Every time your opponent bets, let him steal the pot. But
only let him steal it with BIG BETS... no "wuss" action
allowed.

In other words, when you don't have a hand, bet on the flop
the SAME EXACT AMOUNT a few times in a row. When your
opponent RAISES, muck it.

The goal is for your opponent to think, "Wow, I've finally
got this sucker figured out. He plays aggressively and bets
a lot, but folds when I crank up the pressure."

Once he's thinking that... it's time for the KILL.

Step three is to TRAP YOUR OPPONENT...

What you do is wait for a good hand-- or a hand you're
confident will be the winner.

Then play it EXACTLY LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING YOUR BAD
HANDS.

This is important. This principle is the "secret" that pros
use for all heads-up poker.

When you catch something really good, play it like it's bad.
Let your opponent come to you.

Bet small, check the flop, or do whatever it is that will
get your opponent to try to steal the pot.

Then go over the top of him.

Act is if you're TIRED of getting pushed around.

Of course, there may be no need to go over the top of him.
Often times in heads-up a single raise is already all-in...
and if that's the case, you've won the game.

If not, then you just need to get your opponent to go all-in
trying to bluff this pot from you. (Or maybe he has
something OK.)

Remember-- your opponent must think you have NOTHING. That
way he'll risk a lot of chips to win the pot... trying to
"bully" you.

Obviously, your strategy is to make him feel pot-committed
with the worst hand... that way his only way to win the hand
is to go all-in.

Any time I win a heads-up match because my opponent goes
all-in on a bluff when I've got a real hand, I know I've
played the match well.

For whatever reason, most players make too many loose all-in
bets heads-up... and that's exactly what you want to
capitalize on.

So remember...

1. Push The Action
2. Set The Stage
3. Trap Your Opponent

This step-by-step process and these techniques are BEST USED
when you go heads-up against someone with about the same
starting amount of chips as you...

And of course, every heads-up situation is different,
because every OPPONENT is different.

But the key is to know the OBJECTIVE in each stage of your
match... and the ways to ACHIEVE that goal for any given
opponent.

Nov 22, 2007

Sunglasses & Headphones

=============================
Why I Leave My Sunglasses And iPod At Home
by Howard Lederer
=============================

Why Sunglasses and Headphones Aren't For Me

I know this newsletter is being written for an online poker site, but I hope that most of you still find time to play live poker. As much as I love online poker, I would never completely give up sitting at a table and getting the chance to size up an opponent. This week's lesson will examine why I think it is a mistake to wear headphones or sunglasses during live play.

Poker is a game of information. You give information to your opponents, and they give information to you. Most of that information is in the form of betting patterns, which is why online poker is such a great form of the game. All of the betting information is right there for you to use while playing a hand. But when you play live, there is a small amount of additional information that is given off through physical tells and audio cues. I am a very visual player, and am blessed with good eyesight. I wear contacts, and with them, my vision is 20/15. I constantly use my eyes to take in every nuance of what's going on around me at the table. If I wore sunglasses, much of that information would be lost to me. I am confident that the information I take in with my eyes far exceeds what I give away.

If you currently employ sunglasses when you play, I would encourage you to try playing without them. Yeah, you look cool in them. Maybe. But, if you try playing without them while staying committed to taking in as much visual information as possible, you might find that not only are you doing better, the game is suddenly more interesting as well.

I reserve special scorn for the rampant use of headphones in poker tournaments. They slow down the action and, on the whole, I believe they hurt the people who use them. When a player throws a single, large chip into the pot, he usually announces 'raise' or 'call'. But all the guys at the table wearing headphones can't hear the call. Invariably, they have to take off their headphones and ask the dealer what the bet is. It is annoying when the action comes to a grinding halt to clarify something that anyone without headphones already knows. Also, poker is a social game. It would make me sad if poker someday becomes a game where nine people are sitting at a table listening to music, and no one is talking to one another.

Also, there are some valuable things you can pick up on simply by paying attention to the conversation around the table. You can sometimes tell when someone is over his head just by listening to him talk. In a recent tournament, I won a very large pot as we were nearing the last few tables because I heard someone speaking a few minutes earlier.

It was the Bellagio $15K WPT poker tournament. The blinds were $4K-$8K and I was in the big blind. A player who'd been playing very tight so far opened the pot from an early position for $25K. The small blind called and I looked down at 9-9. I often re-raise with this hand, but this seemed like a good time to just call. The flop was 8s 5s 3c. The small blind checked and, with about $275K in front of me and $100K in the pot, I continued playing cautiously and checked. The opener checked, too. The turn was (8s 5s 3c) 6c and the small blind checked. I felt like I must have the best hand, so I bet $50K. I was very surprised when the original opener raised all-in for a total of $175K. The small blind folded and now I had a big $125K decision to make. If I call and win, I have $550K and am in great shape. If I call and lose I'm in real trouble.

I didn't think he had a big hand, but it didn't seem like a very good bluffing situation either. The board looked really dangerous. Plus, I hadn't seen this player get out of line at all. But then I remembered a comment he had made to his neighbor about ten minutes earlier. He had hardly played a hand for about an hour, and said to the guy next him that his cards had been so bad, it would have been just as well if he had stayed in his room after the last break. Remembering that comment, I felt there was a good chance that he was frustrated. With that factored in, I made the call. He turned over the Kd-Qd, and with a 2 on the river, I won a key hand that put me in great shape in a big tournament. If I had been listening to music, I don't think I could have made the call.

Poker is a game of information. Sunglasses might keep some information from getting out, but they stop more from coming in. Headphones simply give you fewer opportunities to gain valuable information about other players. These are handicaps I am not willing to spot my opponents.

Good luck!

Howard Lederer

Nov 21, 2007

Royal Flush during the WSOP

Nov 19, 2007

Pot Limit Omaha Basics

In Pot Limit Omaha
by Clonie Gowen
=============================

Most Pot Limit Omaha players know that Omaha is a game of "the nuts." In a multi-way pot, the winning hand is, more often than not, the best possible hand out there. When you start with four cards, you have six different possible two-card hands. This increases the chances that someone is holding the nuts. What many beginning Pot Limit Omaha players do not understand is that Omaha is really a game of redraws.

A redraw means that after the flop, you not only have some kind of made hand, you also have draws to a better hand. Having redraws in Pot Limit Omaha is so important that it is sometimes mathematically correct to fold the nuts on the flop. For example: suppose you raise in the late position with Ac Kh Tc 9h -- a very good starting Omaha hand. Two players call and you see the flop three-handed. The flop comes 6d 7s 8s. You've flopped the nut straight, which is the best hand possible at the moment. The problem is that you have absolutely no chance to improve your hand. This is as good as it gets. This may be okay if both of your opponents check to you. But, if one opponent makes a pot-sized bet and the next one makes a pot-sized raise, then what do you do? How can you fold the nuts?

If one of your opponents has flopped a set, and the other player -- or possibly even the same player -- has a flush draw, you are almost a 2-1 dog to win the pot. If one of those opponents has the same straight as you with a flush draw as well, or a wrap to a higher straight (such as 9,T,J), your hand is even worse because you can only win half the pot even if you don't lose to a flush or full house. You have to ask yourself what your opponents would possibly be betting and raising with on this flop. If there is a chance that all of the redraws are out against you, then you should always fold. If both of your opponents check and either one is tricky enough to be capable of a check raise, then you should still check this flop. If a blank comes on the turn - the 3c for instance -- your hand will be much stronger. Keep in mind, though, that if all of those draws are still out against you, even now you're not much better than 50% to win
this pot.

Having multiple redraws to the nuts is much better in Omaha than having the best hand at the moment. Lay this hand down and save your chips for use in a better spot.

Good luck!

Clonie Gowen

Nov 13, 2007

Representing the flop

You're probably familiar with the term "represent the flop".
But do you know what it REALLY means?

And do you know how to PROPERLY represent the flop in order
to win more chips?

Most players think that REPRESENTING THE FLOP just means
betting and acting in a way as if the cards on the board
HELPED your hand...

Although this definition is ACCURATE, it's much too
simplistic to add any benefit to your game.

Representing the flop is in fact a very in-depth strategy
that is CRUCIAL to pro-level Texas Holdem poker...

First, let's look at WHY you should represent the flop:

The primary reason is to find out WHERE YOU'RE AT IN A HAND.

In other words, you want to learn how strong and how weak
the OTHER players at the table are. And the only way to do
this is through BETTING.

If you only check, check, call, call... then you will NEVER
become a good poker player. Never.

You've got to bet... and PRETEND that the community cards
helped you. If someone has a weak hand, they will be forced
to fold.

If someone has a mediocre hand, they will probably fold
too... because you're "representing" that you have something
good.

And if a player has a STRONG or VERY STRONG hand, they will
either call you or raise your bet.

So based on what everyone does, you can find out if you have
a chance at winning the pot, if you can bet other players
out, or if you should just fold. All information you
WOULDN'T have known otherwise.

Frequently representing the flop is an AGGRESSIVE style of
play. If you do it, you'll get a lot of action at the
table... especially after the flop.

For example, if you come out firing after the flop three out
of four hands, your opponents will begin calling your bets
and giving you action... because they KNOW you don't have a
great hand EVERY SINGLE TIME.

This comes in handy when you hit a MONSTER... like when you
flop a set or a flush or something. You don't have to worry
about everyone folding to you.

But even more important than getting lots of action,
representing the flop will help you STEAL a lot of pots over
the course of every card game.

And when YOU control the action and the betting, you'll find
it much easier to steal blinds and pots after the flop.

And trust me, THESE SMALL POTS ADD UP... FAST. If you only
go for the "big pots" in a poker game or tournament, you
won't last long. You've got to stick your neck out there and
go for the SMALLER POTS too...

OK, so representing the flop is a USEFUL and IMPORTANT TOOL
in no-limit Texas Holdem poker.

Now you've got to learn how to represent the flop the RIGHT
WAY...

I have FIVE BASIC RULES when it comes to representing the
flop... each rule gets progressively more complicated as
they go on.

But trust me, if you master these rules, you'll DEFINITELY
be on your way to higher "poker profits" and winnings.

OK, so here they are. These are my FIVE RULES:


RULE #1: When you represent the flop, don't act weak by only
betting the MINIMUM amount... BUT, don't bet so much that it
can burn you.

This is kind of like the "not too hot, not too cold"
principle.

You see... when you represent the flop, you've got to accept
the fact that you will likely NOT get the chips back that
you're betting.

I mean, obviously you want to WIN, don't get me wrong. BUT,
if someone has a great hand and you're representing the flop
WITHOUT a great hand, then there's a good chance you'll have
to fold soon.

So when you make a representation bet, do NOT bet so much
that you'll feel "pot committed".

On the other hand, don't bet too LITTLE. When you bet too
little, your opponents will see right through it. And it
won't be enough to scare the mediocre hands away.

For example... let's say you've got 9-8 suited and the flop
hits K-8-2 and you're first to act. You don't want to CHECK
because you know the guy after you will bet if you do.

So you REPRESENT THE FLOP by throwing out a bet...

If no one has the King, everyone will probably fold to your
bet. Even if someone DOES have the King, they may fold if
they don't have a decent kicker.

The key is you must make sure you BET ENOUGH. If you only
bet the minimum amount here... someone with A-4 might call
the bet, simply because the pot odds are in their favor. And
if the Ace hits on the turn, you're in trouble.

So always be sure to bet BIG ENOUGH to scare out the bad and
mediocre hands, but SMALL ENOUGH to not get in trouble if
you lose the chips.


RULE #2: Whenever possible, represent the flop when you have
OUTS.

This is a strategy most players don't quite "get" until
you've been playing poker for a LONG time.

Here's the thing:

If you represent the flop frequently every single time you
play Texas Holdem, you want the odds to be as much in your
favor as possible.

In the scenario above, for instance, representing the flop
with middle pair is a good move. Because you have some OUTS.
If another 8 hits on the turn or river, you're going to have
three-of-a-kind.

Obviously, hitting the eight is NOT likely (about 8.42%).
But there's STILL A CHANCE, and that's what is important.

Think about it:

Let's say you have just a 5% chance of hitting one of your
OUTS that would cause you to have the best hand at the
table.

Well, if you represent the flop fifty times and get a caller
TWENTY times, that means you'll MAKE your hand (on average)
one time out of these twenty. And when you DO make your
hand, you'll BUST your opponent and win a ton of chips.

Make sense?

This is kind of a MENTAL DISTINCTION that separates the pros
from the wannabes. Pros think about the LONG TERM ODDS of
playing. They don't base their decisions on situational
circumstances alone. They base them on WHAT WORKS OVER THE
LONG TERM.

That's how you develop a CONSISTENT winning career.

Because as you'll see in the next rule, you don't want to
CONTINUE to represent the flop if people stay in the hand
with you... unless you're confident that you can get them to
fold.

But usually, if someone calls or raises, you want to "let
up". Don't risk more chips when someone's got you beat.

So by representing the flop when you have OUTS you'll open
yourself up to the chance of MAKING YOUR HAND on the turn
(or sometimes river).


RULE #3: If you get raised, muck it.

All of these rules are general in nature... especially this
one. Obviously you don't want to ALWAYS FOLD every time
someone makes a raise.

BUT USUALLY, if you represent the flop with a bet and
someone comes back over the top of you, that opponent will
MOST LIKELY have a strong hand (maybe even a monster).

It's not logical to continue to bluff at the pot if you're
up against a surefire winning hand. You'll lose too many
chips that way.

That's the downside of being an aggressive player: You've
got to give up and cut your losses quite often. Discipline
yourself to do it.


RULE #4: Change gears with your betting amounts.

As we discussed earlier, one of the benefits to representing
the flop is that opponents will give you more ACTION during
the game because they'll "catch on" to your aggressive
style.

That does NOT mean, however, that you should become
PREDICTABLE. Being predictable is a recipe for disaster.

And that's why you've got to "change gears" and "mix it up"
with your betting.

For example... in our scenario where you made a bet with
your 9-8 suited (middle pair), let's say your bet was for 50
and then someone RAISED YOU to 200.

Your opponent probably has the King and a good kicker...
maybe even two pair. So you fold your middle pair with a
loss of only 50 chips.

NOW... when you fold, everyone at the table will SEE that
you just made a bet and then folded to a raise. This will
tell them that you were betting WITHOUT a good hand after
the flop.

Now... let's say a few hands later the flop comes out 5-A-Q
and you're second to act and you've got pocket deuces.

Your first opponent checks.

Now, although you know someone at the table probably has you
beat right now, you're not sure if someone has the Ace...
because there weren't any pre-flop raises.

So you REPRESENT THE FLOP (and the Ace) by betting.
(Remember, you also have outs here... if a two comes you'll
make trips.)

The key is to NOT BET 50 again, as you did with your eights
just a few hands ago. If you bet 50 again... or always bet
50 when you represent the flop... your opponents will know
exactly what you're doing and read right through you.

If Blake... who's sitting to your left... is only holding
the Queen, he's going to fold if he thinks you've got the
Ace.

But if he thinks you're just REPRESENTING the flop, he will
call your bet. And you DO NOT want that to happen (because
his Queens are better than your two's).

So instead of betting 50 again, you bet 150 this time. This
way you stay out of any PATTERNS that will give away your
hand... and increase the odds that everyone will put you on
the Ace and fold.


RULE #5: After you get better at representing the flop,
INTENTIONALLY STOP mixing up your bets in order to trap your
opponents.

This is a "tricky" play that works very well against
intermediate poker players.

Here's how it goes:

When you represent the flop and get "caught" in your
semi-bluff, use the event to YOUR ADVANTAGE to bust your
opponents.

Let's use the example from before with the 9-8 suited:

You got middle pair. You bet 50. Your opponent raised. And
then you folded.

Well, let's say you represented the flop AGAIN a few hands
later with a bet of 50. And then you got caught AGAIN when
your opponent raised you... and you were forced to fold.

After watching this happen two or three times, your
opponents will suddenly think they're geniuses and that
they've got you "figured out".

They'll think, "Woa, when he bets 50 on the flop he doesn't
have anything... and all I have to do is raise in order to
scare him away."

And of course, you're doing this ON PURPOSE in order to trap
your opponents.

Let's say a few hands later you get dealt pocket fours. The
flop comes: 4-7-J.

You've flopped trips. Now what?

Well, since you've built a reputation for betting on the
flop no matter what happens, you can feel safe betting and
you'll probably get action.

But what KIND of action are you looking for?

You want to get as many chips into this pot as possible. So
you take advantage of the "trap play" that you've created
and you bet 50... again.

This time, your opponents think they've got you figured out.
They think to themselves, "That flop didn't help him one
bit, he's just up to his old ways."

So your opponent RAISES you.

And that's where you GET REWARDED for the trap you set up.

Now you can either re-raise, or maybe call and hope that
your opponent tries buying the pot again after the turn
card...

It doesn't really matter. Because as long as there aren't
any draws out there, you can feel safe in knowing that
you'll win the hand and a nice pot either way.

It's amazing to me how easily players will fall into this
trap. (Especially with online poker.)

But remember... only use this trap play AFTER you have
mastered the first four rules for representing the flop. And
be sure that you aim the play at intermediate players, as
they'll fall for it the quickest.

There's one last component I want to mention here that
relates to our discussion of representing the flop... and
that's what you should do when you make a PRE-flop raise.

My technique is simple:

If I raised before the flop, I will come out betting AFTER
the flop... no matter what hits.

The reasoning is simple...

For starters, NOT betting after the flop is like waving a
red flag and TELLING your opponents that the flop didn't
help you.

If you represent the flop after your pre-flop raise, your
opponents won't know what to put you on. They'll be more
likely to fold.

And using this strategy over and over and over again pays
off in the long run. Because after awhile your opponents
will catch on...

And this benefits you in three ways:

1. You'll get more action when you catch a BIG hand.

2. Your opponents will fold more frequently to your pre-flop
raises because they know you're going to bet after the flop
as well. This gives you the opportunity to steal more
blinds.

3. Your opponents will be easier to read. When they have a
good hand they won't be afraid of you and they'll come back
over the top with a raise...

This lets you know that they've got you beat and that you
should just minimize your losses and fold.

Learning how to PROPERLY represent the flop is a crucial
aspect of Texas Holdem...

From: Roy Rounder Nov 4, 2007

Nov 4, 2007

Advanced No Limit Play

According to famous poker player and author Doyle Brunson, no-limit hold'em is the Cadillac of all poker games. The skill involved with no-limit games is tremendous, even seasoned professionals admit that they still have a lot to learn at no-limit hold'em. However, don't let this scare you; no-limit hold'em is, in my opinion, the most fun of all poker games as well. It can also be profitable, sometimes even for beginners.

After playing no-limit extensively, I've noticed that the keys to winning no-limit are one's knowledge of the game and his ability to adapt to his opponents' knowledge. You must know what your skills are at no-limit; what stages of the game you have mastered. Once you realize how good you are at no-limit, you must then apply this to how others at your table play no-limit badly.

For the sake of simplicity, I am going to divide the skills of no-limit into several stages. After mastering each of these stages, one can expect his or her profit potential at no-limit hold'em to increase.

Pot odds

You must understand what odds you are getting if you call a bet with a draw. Since you can decide the size of the bet (it's not fixed), you should know if you are getting or giving good odds to someone.

For example, calling an unraised pot preflop with 5 5 is good odds. If you hit a set, you can expect to make a lot of money (people will not expect it, so they will call with top pair). However, let's say you have a flush draw after the turn. The pot is $10 and someone bets $20 all-in, you are getting horrible odds. You have roughly a 1 in 5 shot of hitting on the river, and you would be betting $20 to win $50.

As basic as this may be, many no-limit players have not even mastered this stage! So, if you are still insecure about pot odds, don't worry. Many others are too, and often they don't even realize it.

Knowing the differences between Limit and No-Limit

Check-raising for value is far less valuable when playing a no-limit game than a limit one because you may be giving your opponent's a deadly free card. In limit poker, if you have the second-best hand, you will lose a little bit. In no-limit, you could lose your entire stack.

Aggression

Betting is generally preferable to calling in a no-limit game. When you bet, you can win if you have the better hand or if your opponent folds. If you call, you can only win if you have your opponent beaten. If you bet, you determine the bet size. You determine the pot odds. If you call, you are accepting someone else's odds.

If you bet, you force people to pay off when you have a good hand. If you are a caller, you have to hope someone else will willingly pay you off. The importance of aggression is why tight-passive players can win a lot more at limit than no-limit.

Quick Adjustment

Different types of games require different amounts of aggression. Shorter games require one to be looser and more aggressive. However, if your up against many loose opponents, you must tighten up and wait until you have a strong hand. Generally, the opposite of what the game is does well. If the game is very loose, tighten up. If the game is very tight, take advantage and steal pots.

You also must adjust to your opponent's quality. If you are up against weak players, simply giving them bad pot odds and taking money from them bit by bit works well. If you are against better players, you must set some traps.

Reading skills

Getting an idea of your opponent's cards is very important. This takes time and experience. However, a way to improve your reading skills is what I call the 'three question technique.' Always ask yourself these three questions when someone makes or calls a bet:

• What does my opponent have?
• What does my opponent think I have?
• What does my opponent think I think he has?

Psychology and Traps

Once you hold the whopper and your opponent also has a good hand, what's the best way to double through him? Learning to get out of and set traps is very difficult and only experience will help in this department.

Fundamentally, game psychology and traps are used to manipulate the three questions mentioned earlier. For example, if you overbet the pot with a flush draw and then check when you hold the flush, either your opponent will fall for the trap, thinking you had top pair, or he will recognize the trap and check-fold to you on river. This slowplay is used to manipulate the variable: what does he think I have?

Generally, this sort of game psychology is only used on good players (players that have mastered the first four steps). Against weaker players, you should just build a good hand and extract money out of them bit by bit. Weaker players just play their hand; they don't think about what you have.

From: http://www.pokertips.org/strategy/advanced-nl.php