Poker Discussion

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bigben

Oh OK using AIM actually aides cheating....Ya'll can tell each other what cards you hold as a matter of fact how is this prevented when playing with real money online?

---

When playing on the smaller money tables, it is very difficult to tell. However on the larger tables like $20/40 there is actually a moderator watching the games and can find those things out by watching what hands you play, how you bet, etc. and close your account, bring in legal issues, etc. Observers also can't talk so there is no begging at the tables where people have thousands on their online bankrolls and some people looking for an extra dollar to play.

I don't know if the sites have records of who is on your friends lists to find out there is dishonesty. But even then when people are friends that can happen in real life when 2 friends play together at a table and play against each other competatively.

yawn, the life of a poker player is a crazy one. Vampirish to be exact. It is now 6:25PM on the east coast and I am just now waking up. I seem to be on a rotating schedule of- play poker 20 hours, sleep for six, meaning I wake up 2 hous later each day. So when you see me tomorrow at 8:30 PM, wish me a good morning!

I'm getting the hang of these freeroll tourneys now. Yesterday I got to the final table but unfortunately I grew disinterested since it was running late and it was a stalemate so alas I came in 9th with about a dollar in money from going in with AJ. I could have easily held out longer and capitalized when blind levels rose but I had to go. The last 30 people drop like flies until there is about 13 people left on 2 tables then the short tables tighten up a lot...even more than on normal tourneys.

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, just about to the third page, but I just wanna post and say thanks for the thread it's definately helping me out alot, you know your shit.

I played hold em' in Atlantic City one time and I got eaten alive but after reading through this thread and playing online for about a month now I feel like I'm ready to do some damage, I took out a hold em tournament in a good 30 minutes yesterday just playing like you told me to.

Just lettin you know the thread is appreciated!

When you placed in a few freerolls and managed to scratch up some change, it is better to enter a few low tourneys to increase the bankroll a little more or go to the lowest limit tables?

Rock, I seen you started doing the lower tourneys....but I took a gamble once in entering a .05/.10 table shortstacked with 50 cents...tried to go into a longer table but as soon as i posted 4 people left and the blinds came too fast..so you know what happened...didn't get anything. At least i got a few cents back from the rake today (every monday) I guess I should get at least a few dollars before doing anything like that. 4-5 bucks at least...thats placing at least top 3 in a freeroll....my 99 cents right now wont do much either.

Great thread, really interesting reading. I have been playing Hold em with friends for about 7 years. Only recently started playing on-line, but not doing too well, finishing about 20 ish out of 150 for the last 6 tourneys. I just cant seem to catch a break when it really matters.

This is what happened in the last game. Ace Four off suit in hand, blinds 50/100, someone raised to 300 so I called, everyone else folded. Flop came Ace, Four, Ace. I checked, he checked, Turn Card was King, I checked again, he checked. River was 10 of hearts. I bet 400, I was raised all in and called. He had Ace Ten and I was fucked.

I was pretty gutted, cause I thought I had played it badly, but no matter when I raised I would have been called and ultimately would have lost.

I have also been stung by trips quite a few times, never see those coming!!!

Hmmm...sometimes those can't be avoided. After the flop I likely wouldn't have slow played it and went all in. But chances are the other guy had an ace (and you know it) for trips and might have called you anyway unless he expected you had J or higher....then there is a possibility he would have folded and you would have won. Sometimes you need to be happy with a smaller won pot with a very good hand...you could have won 100+50+300=450.

That was a good loss to learn from! I guess you seen the "kicker trouble" posts in this thread.

But on the other hand if I wasn't in good position I would seldomly play A4 unsuited. The lowest I would play is A7 (maybe)...A9 or 10 a higher possibility depending on the circumstances. If I played A6 and if I took it down I would show people my hand so then they would think I actually do play hands as low as A6.

I guess you just need to excercise predicitng the cards that the other players are holding. Perhaps you didn't understand his raise or maybe you did understand and thought he had trips As and wouldn't fill it.

Oh yeah, if you keep on finishing in that same spot, it seems you are playing tight which is good and can take you far. But the really tight players last in tourneys but never make it to the final table. There is a time when its really time to turn it on if you haven't been consistant with winning chips and you are below the chip average. If you are one of the chip leaders of course you can still play through. Around that time when a quarter of the people are left, the blinds take a higher percentage of most people's stacks since they have been playing tighter and haven't came through, unless they are a chip leader (which they will be willing to play more hands). You just need to realize the value of the chips. Take more chances in stealing blinds when it tightens up and the high stacked people fold. Stealing a blind when there is ante later on gives you almost 2 more bets to wait and play good hands. You also need to realize when the blinds are hurting your stack more, there are more people willing to call your all in because they guess that you are taking a big gamble and they take a chance with a portion of their stack in eliminating another lost soul competing for the final table. That means you need to start wagering before your stack starts looking relatively small.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TeknicelStylez

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, just about to the third page, but I just wanna post and say thanks for the thread it's definately helping me out alot, you know your shit.

I played hold em' in Atlantic City one time and I got eaten alive but after reading through this thread and playing online for about a month now I feel like I'm ready to do some damage, I took out a hold em tournament in a good 30 minutes yesterday just playing like you told me to.

Just lettin you know the thread is appreciated!

---

thanks alot tekstyles, its posts like yours that will make me continue to drop knowledge on the forum. My goal is to spread knowledge on the site, help others build an online bankroll, and perhaps one day the corp will have its own "crew" representing at the WSOP. If you have any questions at all, post them here or pm me anytime. I will do the best I can to help those in need. My plans for this week include another omaha post, a post on strategy for online freeroll tournaments, and my introduction to a live cash games. Stay Tuned!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IRAN

Great thread, really interesting reading. I have been playing Hold em with friends for about 7 years. Only recently started playing on-line, but not doing too well, finishing about 20 ish out of 150 for the last 6 tourneys. I just cant seem to catch a break when it really matters.

This is what happened in the last game. Ace Four off suit in hand, blinds 50/100, someone raised to 300 so I called, everyone else folded. Flop came Ace, Four, Ace. I checked, he checked, Turn Card was King, I checked again, he checked. River was 10 of hearts. I bet 400, I was raised all in and called. He had Ace Ten and I was fucked.

I was pretty gutted, cause I thought I had played it badly, but no matter when I raised I would have been called and ultimately would have lost.

I have also been stung by trips quite a few times, never see those coming!!!

---

The only mistake you made there, if any, was to call the A4 for a raise in front. The hand you described was a "cold deck" meaning no matter how the hand was played, all the money was going in no matter what. I would advise avoiding what I call the "ace anythings". The ace is obviously the most popular single card to play, so playing with a good kicker is a must, but if desperate sometimes it is necessary to play a hand like A4. I just suggest being the raiser as opposed to calling the raise. Let's look at what you can and can't beat (playable hands)

Beat
A3 A2 (barely a favorite, split most of the time)
KQ KJ KT QT QJ JT (you are about a 3 to 2 ((60%-40%)) favorite here

even odds
33 22 if your hand is suited, its a virtual coinflip

crushed (4 to 1 or better dog)
AA

dominated (3-4 to 1 dog)
AK AQ AJ AT A9 A8 44

badly beat (2-3 to 1 dog)
A7 A6 A5 KK QQ JJ TT 99 88 77 66 55

as you can see the prospects aren't good against a random hand that would raise.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Prolifical ENG

When you placed in a few freerolls and managed to scratch up some change, it is better to enter a few low tourneys to increase the bankroll a little more or go to the lowest limit tables?

Rock, I seen you started doing the lower tourneys....but I took a gamble once in entering a .05/.10 table shortstacked with 50 cents...tried to go into a longer table but as soon as i posted 4 people left and the blinds came too fast..so you know what happened...didn't get anything. At least i got a few cents back from the rake today (every monday) I guess I should get at least a few dollars before doing anything like that. 4-5 bucks at least...thats placing at least top 3 in a freeroll....my 99 cents right now wont do much either.

---

On a .05-.10 table you want a minimum of 40 bbs to even have a shot. Thats 4 bucks. What you were trying I would call a suicide mission, your only hope being the all-in preflop and pray. You CAN'T get blinded off in that situation. You just gotta try and double up right away. I always try to build my bankroll on absolute by playing .60 cent PL omaha hi/lo sit n gos. My reason is I am far and away better than anyone who plays those, and finishing in the top three for me is like 80%. Anything can happen in a no limit hold em game and usually does. I would call my chances of cashing in those like 55-60%. So I just play the odds. That being said, I'm back to the .60 centers now building as I have been continuously bubbled in dollar rebuy tournaments. If you do win a little $$$$ on absolute prolifical, there is a .50c multi-tourny at 5am est. The competition is very weak, like shooting fish in a barrell. After that work your way up to the $1 and $2 dollar no-rebuy tournies. and when you get to about $25 or so, play the $1 rebuys. Next is the $5 no-rebuys when you get to about $100. after that its up to you. This is my building strategy for ABS.

Also I would avoid playing the cash games on absolute altogether, unless you have friendly faces at the table with you. Absolute openly admits they hire proposition players to play on their tables but says they have no vested interest in the players. I disagree. The freerolls may or may not also be filled with these players. They are easy to spot. On absolute, all the props have simple names followed by a three digit number avoiding the popular ones 420,007,911,711...etc. Are these players shills? Maybe, maybe not. But just consider this: You have your own online site whose servers are in costa-rica (not subject to international gaming laws) and your company is located on the mohowk reservation in canada (also not subject to any searches and protected by law) would you be 100% on the up-and-up considering no one could touch you? I probably wouldn't. Why do you think that NO brick and mortar casino would touch an online site? I see unusual patterns in online gaming sites all the time, not just absolute, that make me question the ethics of the site. This is why I rarely play cash games online anymore. The tournies seem to be a much safer route to go, as the investment is small, but the reward is big.

I guess I should start focusing on getting my AP bankroll off the ground. Its hard since on WPE I can place in the freerolls 80% of the time (like you in the PL Omaha) and they finish a couple hours quicker (under 4 hours). When I have more time I will do more on more sites.

I'm pressed for time right now since its exam period...hopefully after I can take some AP ones down too.

Yes, I have seen unusual patterns on some sites. before I noticed this and cashed out after I started losing at regular intervals and why I decided not to actually deposit money into a poker site.

For the suicide mission, I was trying quite the opposite because the site gives rakeback so i tried to play in as many hands as possible hoping with a little luck I could walk out with the same I entered plus the rakeback. My experiment failed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Prolifical ENG

Yes, I have seen unusual patterns on some sites. before I noticed this and cashed out after I started losing at regular intervals and why I decided not to actually deposit money into a poker site.

For the suicide mission, I was trying quite the opposite because the site gives rakeback so i tried to play in as many hands as possible hoping with a little luck I could walk out with the same I entered plus the rakeback. My experiment failed.

---

I didn't mean to imply that the way u were playing was suicide, I meant that trying to play that little was. As far as the rakeback goes, that's just a gimmick to get you to play those cash tables as the amount u get back is less than one tenth you put in. I know u spent tons of time building that .50c in the freerolls and now that time seems wasted. what is the lowest buy-in for multys and SNGs on the WPE?

Yes, it was still suicide....but I never meant to do that "gut shot" move which is sometimes called the "suicide mission".

that 55c was from a 20th place that I got earlier on that day in a freeroll...wasnt all my change....I dont care much for the loss since the goal is to get a top 3 placing which will at least give a start rather than 20 lower placings from playing 100 hours.

rakeback and AA never loses are more for the bigger tables. getting thousands of dollars in rakeback makes it worth it and why there are so much more people playing $1-2 and above...it attracts more of those players.

The Tourney mins are higher...2+0.20 for SNGs (I think Ive seen some lower Omaha ones) and like 2 + 1 multis. Those tourneys also give you the %10 rakeback....but of course that means very little on lower tables.

wow 2+1 multi? Are you sure? that's one hell of a rake there!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by beautifulrock

wow 2+1 multi? Are you sure? that's one hell of a rake there!

---

its the super easyroll $100 guarenteed.....lol

the next one is 5 + 1 $250 guarenteed...some are only $50 guarenteed though

oh no wonder why, they dont want to lose no matter what. I always wondered why they would take such a hit on the 100k guaranteed when it first started. the total including rakes would only be like 85000, but now i see why. they built the tournies' popularity and now they more than fill the guarantee. the tourny is up to 150k and there is usually 200 grand or more in the pot.

I guess with that super easyroll rake when you lose you get $1 rakeback so its pretty much like paying $1 for a $100 guarantee....looks like around 50 people enter....nowhere near the amount on the 2000 guarentee $1 on AP.

Usually those guarantee tournys are plus/minus 1o% of the guarantee anyway.

Oh yeah....I see you have another omaha post penciled in...I think im going to start...I will start with some play money tables to practice reading the hands.

I watched the last 20 mins of that 50c SNG that you were just playing....you're right...you crushed those guys....lol

Its very easy when u know what u are doing. I would love to give you lessons on Hi/lo once u get omaha down. It's the best game to play if you are a good reader and opposed to the luck factor. You can devour most of the competition in this game as most is god awful with no understanding what-so-ever of how to play. Even at higher levels, the play is really awful.

I have never seen omaha played... where you find tournaments for that type of game?

Are we talking live? Because every online site i've played at has omaha on there.
Live I can't find a game anywhere besides the ones I create myself. In the casino you may be able to find pot limit omaha, but its mostly for high rollers. Learn the game first by playing playchips, if you can actually find a table not full of lunatics who don't understand the game. If you ever see an omaha table where no one is raising preflop, sit there. They are playing the game right.

Yeah H/L looks good.....only read the beginner strategy and concepts then watched a few matches. Even at high tables some players seem to get confused by which hand they actually have and forget it MUST be 2 cards from your hand and 3 from the table.

Even then when someone makes a high flush or a full house it seems that they get too excited and start betting too much when there is 2 other people in the pot and the others can very easily have a higher full house.

Also its funny when some players think they flop a wheel that it will always win at least the low....lol

I guess a lot can be learned from those losing hands.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by beautifulrock

Are we talking live? Because every online site i've played at has omaha on there.
Live I can't find a game anywhere besides the ones I create myself. In the casino you may be able to find pot limit omaha, but its mostly for high rollers. Learn the game first by playing playchips, if you can actually find a table not full of lunatics who don't understand the game. If you ever see an omaha table where no one is raising preflop, sit there. They are playing the game right.

---

Yea cause I'm about 2-3 hours away from Atlantic City, and I frequent there, but I've been straying away from the poker tables because they got some top players there. I try to stick to craps... but eventually I want to sit down at a table in AC again...

In Atlantic City I wouldn't imagine there would be that many omaha games there.....its more popular on the west coast....many tables.

Vegas is the mecca of Omaha

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Prolifical ENG

Yeah H/L looks good.....only read the beginner strategy and concepts then watched a few matches. Even at high tables some players seem to get confused by which hand they actually have and forget it MUST be 2 cards from your hand and 3 from the table.

Even then when someone makes a high flush or a full house it seems that they get too excited and start betting too much when there is 2 other people in the pot and the others can very easily have a higher full house.

Also its funny when some players think they flop a wheel that it will always win at least the low....lol

I guess a lot can be learned from those losing hands.

---

Just keep watchin me play those 60c sngs prolifical, when i show a hand see how many times I play jacks or tens.....almost never! I lay down huge pairs routinely preflop because they are just no good. You are looking for Hi and Lois, both pots or at least 3/4. People don't understand that. They are betting the pot at the nut lo and then they lose half their money because the lo hand can always be split, the high most of the time cannot.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by beautifulrock

Just keep watchin me play those 60c sngs prolifical, when i show a hand see how many times I play jacks or tens.....almost never! I lay down huge pairs routinely preflop because they are just no good. You are looking for Hi and Lois, both pots or at least 3/4. People don't understand that. They are betting the pot at the nut lo and then they lose half their money because the lo hand can always be split, the high most of the time cannot.

---

yeah i seen that beginner guy you were playing against thinking the nut lo was a sure thing...but you can always get quartered...lol

Omaha - A lesson in protection

Even more important than winning a big pot in omaha, is protecting your stack. Avoiding bad draws is a good way to do this. Here are some examples of draws you should dump.

Hand 9876

Flop JT2

although a Q987 make you a straight, only a 7 makes the nuts. add a flush draw on the board to the equation, and that makes 2, possibly 3 cards that make the nuts. Consider if someone is playing AKQ, a likely starting hand, then you are drawing toward a disaster.

hand 7H 5D 4D 2H

flop 6H 6D 3D

you are faced with a raise and a pot sized reraise

You have 2 viable outs, maybe. With the pair on board your flush and straight draws are no good at all, meaning your only hope is to catch a miracle straight flush. Not likely. Dump the hand.

hand 2287 (If you look to previous posts, I warn about playing this hand)

flop AA2 turn K

you are faced with a bet and an all in.

You have made your hand. You have a boat. A call is automatic right? Wrong. This is the ass end boat, the worst of the worst, and the board is telling you that you are likely beat. If you call don't be surprised to see AA, AK, A2 or KK. I fold full houses all the time in omaha. It's what separates the good players from the great. A deuce may be your only out.

When drawing in omaha, always ask yourself how many "nut" outs you have. Outs to a straight or flush may not be "good" outs so be wise when choosing your draws when faced with pot-sized bets. Never draw to a flush or straight with a pair on board, and avoid playing those low pairs preflop altogether. Chase the nuts not the good hand.

In the last few days I had fun in the NL and PL H/L tables. And just like you said there are people raising preflop with garbage and stuff.

I read a section in Phil Hellmuth's book on some strategy but he even admits himself that he isn't that good at it (he still is decent) but has a lot of failed experiments with the game....so it didn't tell me much...it just said its difficult to learn after playing Texas Holdem. So his beginner strategy is obvious....just play tight and only the top starting hands and you will win.

Aside from the errors you have mentioned, I learned right away why many people are bad at this game. Just in that post above....people don't realize the outs. In this game the big hands occur far more often than in Texas Holdem and even more than traditional poker. Get excited over a full house you made and you're screwed.

I think the biggest factor in this game is how many players are playing. If there are 10 people playing, thats 40 cards dealt and in this game there isusually more players in per flop than in holdem and a certain card can make a hand...it is a very high chance someone is holding that specific card. When a flush is the biggest out, I find myself making good folds with my lower flushes...even if it is a jack or queen high or something. And no suprise someone is holding the oh so powerful ace with a 2 (for possible low and other high cards.

So now I pretty much have 20x the play money chips as I started with..lol I guess its good that Im having fun with it...even at play money tables...it is true you need to find a good one where there aren't too many raises preflop.


I looked at the H/L games at my local casinos...and it is true that there are only higher tables...lowest Ive seen is $10-20 and thoe pots usually are over $1000.

uhhh jusy woke up from the big slumber. 420 was nuts. The mets lost but that was hazy anyway. 20 some hours later I wake up. Time to play poker. Great post prolifical, I agree with it all. You don't have to always play premium hands, but avoid playing the wrong hands. Those middle cards and pairs will kill ya. Its off to the 60c sngs for a while for me. See my strategy for online freerolls soon.

Freeroll tournament strategy

I've decided to break this up into two sections. The first is for amateurs who are new to the game and endgame strategy for all when the blinds are huge. The second section is for experienced players who read the board, bets, and opponents well.

Section I - Kamikaze 101

So you are new to poker. Not really sure how to outplay opponents yet. Well this section is for you. A simple course in freeroll tournaments for dummies.

1. Hand Selection

Since you are not really gonna understand when and how to bluff given your opponents actions lets simplify the whole process. We are mostly going to play what poker players call top 10 hands. That is the top 10%. These are those hands.

high pairs 100% of the time
AA KK QQ JJ

high connectors 95% of the time
AK AQ

middle pairs 90% of the time
TT 99 88 77

ace medium kicker 80% of the time
AJ AT A9

small pairs 65% of the time
66 55 44 33 22

high connectors 40% of the time
KQ KJ QJ (JT suited only)

weak ace 25% of the time
A8 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2

Fold every other hand unless free in the big blind or cheap in the small blind.

The % next to the hand description is a rough outline of how often you should play those hands given the circumstances. For instance if faced with a raise and a reraise in front you can easily dump a hand like ace queen as it will generally not be the best hand. The weaker the percentage the less you should call or reraise a raise in front. I would suggest dumping any of the hands in the bottom 3 catagories when faced with a raise. Raising with those hands first however is recommended. Remember its always better to control the action and be the aggressor then call raises from an opponent in control of the hand.

2. Stealing blinds
So now you have picked your hand. Since in this style of play position is irrelevant, you can make your move from anywhere. Raise from any seat. Raise in 1st position you say? Definitely. TRADE SECRET: I've done plenty of experimenting and 1st position is one of the best places to steal from. This raise gives the appearance that your hand is stronger than it actually is because people see it as a very strong move. I routinely steal with mid-holdings like ace ten ace jack etc. and people fold in a flash giving me the blinds.

So this is part one of the strategy. Steal as many blinds as you can without being marked as loose or crazy. One way to affirm this is to steal with great hands and then show the first couple. People will say to themselves, hey he's betting preflop so he must have a hand. Only show the first couple at any new table and never ever show a bluff under any circumstances. This derails the whole strategy.

What to bet? Anywhere from 4x the blind to all-in depending on how comfortable you are with your hand and your stack. If your stack is less than 10x the blind go all-in. Otherwise you are committing yourself anyway and you want to isolate only one hand if called. If bigstacked, play around with the raises because if called, this comes into play in part 3 of this strategy. 4-5x should be enough. Continuously stealing the blinds over the course of a tournament is an integral part of winning.

3. Racing for bucks

Part 2 of the strategy is to play coinflips and dominating hands for all the money. If someone raises play the hands in column 1 for all the money. Reraise all-in. Column 2 and 3 hands can also be played this way but shy away from multiple raises in front as you are likely dominated. Try to avoid this strategy with the other columns. Consider those your stealing hands only.
This is the luck factor of the strategy. remember 22 is a 52% to 48% favorite over AK off suit so you are gambling. It is necessary to win many coinflips during a tournament in order to win but the size of your stack is a determining factor whether or not you go broke if you lose.

4. So you got called.....and are out of position

Part 3 of the strategy is the post flop play. If you are isolated against 1 opponent there is a 67% chance that they did NOT hit the flop. If you are 1st to act, bet half the pot no matter what flops whether it helps you or not. If they raise, they probably have you beat. Fold. If they call, they either have a decent hand, a draw, or a made hand and are slowplaying. This is where the toughest decision in the strategy comes to play. If you think they are on a draw or an ok hand, bet half the pot again on the turn. If they call or raise, you are most likely beat. Don't fire a third bullet. Check and see their reaction. If they fire at you, you have 3 choices. All-in which is pretty unlikely to work at this point, call only if you have a hand, or fold. Another way to play it is to check the turn after a call on the flop and see what happens. If they check back you can save that half the pot sized bet for the river. Firing 3 bullets is only advisable if you feel your opponent was on a draw and missed.

5. So you got called.....and are in position

If you are in position (last to act) and your opponent checks, fire half the pot. Basically what your opponent does will determine what you do. If your opponent is check calling all the way to the river, beware the slowplay. Check behind unless you are sure they were on a draw.

6. So you got called......by multiple players

Avoid this strategy with multiple opponents in the pot unless you actually have the hand. It is very tough to bluff many opponents out of a hand. The best time to try a bluff in this situation is to check the flop, and if everybody else checks, bet half the pot on the turn if an innocuous card falls. Mostly you are trying to avoid this situation altogether. Try your best to isolate against one hand and attack.

7. Slowplaying

Unless its the stone cold unbeatable nuts, don't bother. It works contrary to your style and therefore can be easily read by smart opponents. Betting directly into a monster is a far more deceptive move and will pay off more in the long run.

8. Conclusion of Section I

So there it is. Easy as pie. You hardly have to think at all. Play dirty and don't get caught. While this strategy has a low chance of success overall, If you manage to get lucky early and build a stack, you will see your success rate increase as your stack does. The strategy will be at its peak near the money when players are playing their tightest. You will be able to steal with just about anything then. You will find you get less and less callers as the tournament goes on. This is because most of the worst players are being eliminated. Good Luck and happy hunting!

oh yea almost forgot, If you get any of the hands in the 1st 3 columns on the first hand of the tournament, go all in. It will either end up as a huge time saver if you bust, or a huge early advantage if you win.

Section II coming tonight!

Section II - Freeroll strategy for advanced players.

Note: This strategy is for stackbuilding early in the tournament. When the blind structure becomes unmanageable at the end of the tournament, refer to section I tactics.

1. Hand selection

While I recommend only playing top ten hands in section 1, the more advanced players should expand their preflop holdings to include any and all suited connectors and high suited junk hands like K2, Q3, etc. as well as low non-suited connectors like 45, 67. While you probably shouldn't raise too often with these hands, playing them for a call with adequate pot odds is a must especially if getting 3 to 1 or better. The idea is to see as many cheap flops as possible and try to catch or outplay your opponent.

2. stealing blinds

Not as necessary as in section I. Of course you want to naturally try to steal from the cutoff (seat behind the button) and the button to win the blinds every so often, but small pots aren't what we are going after. We want the monster pots that occur from taking down a superior preflop hand. Your money should come in large chunks with little risk overall to your stack.

3. Preflop Racing

While in section 1 this is necessary, it kind of works contrary to this style of play. After all you are trying to defeat the luck factor and this is gambling with your tournament life.

4. The preflop minimum raiser

Kill this guy. Make him pay for his stupidity. Call with any kind of junk hands in the blinds and look to flop a monster. Many times it won't happen, but the times it does more than make up for all the misses. Minimum preflop raising in hold em is absolutely stupid. You price in multiple opponents to call which is exactly what you don't want especially with a holding like aces or kings. Make them pay and pay dearly.

5. The overraiser

The player who exhibits section I style. Avoid like the plague! He is trying to beat you with dumb luck. He wants all the money in preflop. Don't fall into this trap. Wait for a better situation.

6. After the flop

Trust your reads. Draw cheaply to flushes and straights or semi-bluff all-in if you feel your opponent is weak. If your opponent checks, fire away, If he bets and you have nothing, raise or fold. But trust your instincts. If something looks like just a continuation bet, attack. If they bet big preflop then check on the flop, confirm if they were slowplaying by putting in a tester bet. The thing you want to do is - PLAY POKER! Show them you can play too. If you win a pot with nothing show your opponent, and then the next time you are in a pot with them and have a big hand play it exactly the same way. The likelihood of them calling will increase.

7. When to change to section I style

When you see that you are close to the money and everybody is tightening up, as well as an unmanageable blind structure, go nuts. Steal like Danny Ocean. If hugestacked go directly after the shortstacks. Apply tons of pressure. Make them fear you.

8. The final table

If shortstacked stick to section I style until 4 handed. Once down to 4 handed you cant be picky with what you play. Just find any hand and go. Most of the time the first raiser 4 handed wins the pot. If bigstacked attack the shortstacks ruthlessly preflop and post, and play a greater frequency of hands as the number of seats decreases.

9. Heads up

The aggressor is usually the winner. Any hand is at least worth a call of the big blind. Raise preflop a lot. The blind structure will undoubtedly be so high at this point that any hand you steal with will pay huge dividends. Any pair and any ace are good enough to push all in preflop. The chances that both players have a pair heads up is less than 1 in 300 so you are most likely a favorite to win the hand. Dominate the action. Keep your opponent on the ropes. And most important....WIN!

Good luck everybody. I hope I have helped you at least a little. If you have any specific situational questions post them here or pm me. I'm always open to answer your questions.

I found a new online site to play on. Was sick and tired of the ridiculous bubble beats on Absolute so I decided to check bodog out. Good move. Signed up for the $500 freeroll at 4am. Just finished first in my first tournament there. I was shocked to get paid out $120 for first. These badboys put Absolute poker freerolls to shame.

After a few days of bubbles and small money cashes on bodog I finally hit. The $2 rebuy $1000 guarantee is a great tournament. The competition is very weak and the payout ($300 for 1st) is way above average for a $2 tourny. I slammed the competition at the final table taking the prize. I played loose early building my stack to the chip lead after the first break when the rebuy ends. Then I completely pulled a 180 and played extremely tight up until the final table. Once I made that I was somewhere around the middle, and my style changed once again, stealing as much as I could and fast trapping my opponents. One player even commented that I was impossible to read the way I was playing. Anyway 7 out of the 8 others at the table fell to my sword. All in all a fun experience with no sore losers and gracious exits. I'm now going to try my first cashout to see if I need to deposit first or not. If I don't I will recommend this site to all those wanting to build a bankroll without the hassle of depositing money first. Absolute gave me the runaround on the private tourny for Wutangcorp.com so I will try again here. I'll let all you pokerheads here know if I am successful.

Cash game introduction coming soon.

bodog approved my cashout (check by mail) with no deposit necessary. While the freerolls are huge 2000-4000 people they are fairly easy if you have enough patience (5 hours). A final table finish will net you enough money to move up to one and two dollar tournaments. From there the skys the limit. Any questions on advice regarding bodog, pm me or post them here.

here is the final hand of the bodog tournament

me 256,993.64 chips hole cards Js 4s small blind (dealer)
him 191,006.36 chips hole cards 2c 4c big blind

ante 800 blinds 4000/8000

I call the big blind 4000 and he checks pot 17600

Flop 7s 2s 7c

he leads out 42,840

His betting pattern suggested that when he overbet the pot he tended to have a weak hand. No way I put him on a seven. I figure he hit his deuce and wants me gone. I decide to test him with a semibluff. I reraise all in. He calls immediately. I thought I was destroyed. He turns over the 4c 2c. I have three jacks, two fours, and 9 spades to win. with 14 outs and 2 streets to go the odds are 49%-48% (3% tie) in his favor. Not a horrible situation to get all the money in.

turn 3c

now he is a 66%-34% favorite. Still pretty good odds to win with only one card to come.

river 9s

the spade gives me the flush and the win. The situation was sticky in that if I lost I only would have had about 66,000 left in chips. Plus there was a $100 difference between first and second. But with the amount he bet and had left I simply could not call. I had to either go all in or fold. I decided to gamble. It paid off.

That seems good...I might try that site.

WPE I haven't progressed much. The lower cash tournaments don't pay that well even with the rakeback. I've managed to double my bankroll in .05/.10 limit games along with the rakeback but there is still a yo-yo effect. That site is better with the limit tables. It would take a while before making a first $100 on there. It is meant more for people that play at least $1/$2. SNGs come and go, but there is usually only 5 people in those. $1-$2 tourneys would be better.