Regarding Poker

If you pay attention to the way the players at your table say ‘check’ in a live game then you can sometimes tell if they don’t have a good hand and you’ll have a tell that most players don’t even look out for.

Listen to how your opponents say ‘check’. They will either say ‘check’ or ‘check?’. When they say ‘check’ as a question, then most of the time it means that they don’t have a very strong hand and without knowing what they are saying they are asking you if you have a strong hand.

You’ll need a good ear to hear the subtle differences between the different ways people say ‘check’, but once you identify a ‘check’ presented as a question then you have a powerful tell that will win you a more pots.

Now this tell is not 100% full-proof, but there are many weaker players that give off this tell. To exploit this tell it would really only work when you are heads-up. There’s no sense in bluffing into a pot if you know one player is weak and are unsure of the other player(s). So if you are heads-up and you hear someone say ‘check?’ then you should probably go a head and make a decent bet at the pot and most of the time you’ll take the pot down right there.

In a live game last night we played a single table NLH game and four of the eight players on the table had this tell (these players would verbally say check as opposed to gesture checking with their hand). One of the players was a check-raiser addict and when he didn’t say ‘check’ as a question then I knew he was ready to setup his check-raise.

So listen carefully on how the players say ‘check’ and not only will it possibly tell you if they are weak but it may also give you an indication that they may be holding a strong hand.

Shortly after learning this tell I caught myself doing this tell a lot and now I try to only use my hand to gesture a check whenever possible.

Want to learn more poker tells? Caro’s Book of Poker Tells is a great classic poker book that every poker player should own.

I’ve been back to playing $20 NL Hold’em single table sit and go tournaments on PokerStars lately and have so far seen good results.

For a long time I put aside my NL Hold’em sit and go games in favor of playing mixed games. By taking a long break from Hold’em I found a new sense of excitement and rejuvenation for the game I once loved and played way too much.

My attitude and approach to NL Hold’em sit and go’s is a lot different than what it used to be. I was always ahead of the game in terms of making a profit, but I always knew I could do much better than just making a few bucks here and there.

My recent results are very good with an in-the-money win percentage over 60%. I’ve gone to the basics with my approach and gamble far less and have completely removed Tilt from my game.

I attribute my recent success to several key areas:

- Playing tight/aggressive until I get in to the money or if I have a lot of chips where I can bully the table when on or before the Bubble.

- Playing premium starting hands and avoiding playing the trouble hands. Even when playing tight you only need to win the occasional big pot to give yourself a chance at winning it all. In fact, I once made it in to the money by only winning one hand!

- Avoiding marginal situations where I can go bust. When I do gamble my tournament life then I would be coming in with the best of it. Know when to fold and leave your ego at the door. There are many small battles in a sit and go game, but the idea is to outsmart your opponents, play patiently and to win the war.

- I would rarely limp in unless I was in the blinds or if I was on the Button and I knew the Blinds wouldn’t raise. So for every qualifying starting hand I would raise an unopened pot, but would easily laydown to a re-raise if I wasn’t getting the right odds or I knew I was completely dominated.

- Removed Tilt from my sit and go games. Yes, I have completely removed going on Tilt. When I do lose a big pot I would forget the beat and move on, even if I only had a few chips left. That leads to another tip; a chip and a chair holds so true for NL games that you should never give up even when dead last in chips. A couple of my recent wins came from practically being out of chips to winning the tournaments outright.

- Play super aggressive when in the money. This is the time when I really change gears and try to control the table. I would raise much more, but I would still avoid marginal situations where I can go bust.

These tips may seem pretty obvious for a good sit and go player, but remember one thing; only 10% of all sit and go players actually make an overall profit!

I see far too many players play too many hands, play too many trouble starting hands, and gamble way too much in marginal situations. Doing those things will make you a losing player in the long run.

Now don’t get me wrong, I totally welcome players that play that way; it’s those players that help make a profit for the 10% of winning sit and go players!

Are you in the 90% losing side or 10% winning side of all sit and go players?

Off to play the Sunday Hundred Grand at PokerStars… only 19,200 player to beat!

I’ve been playing more Limit 2-7 Triple Draw (Kansas City Lowball) tournaments on PokerStars lately and been in the money over 30% of the time and came in 3rd in one and 2nd in another in my last three games.

Usually when I play a new game I do my research so I don’t donk-out and lose my money. But finding good tournament strategy on 2-7 Triple Draw on the Internet is next to impossible, so I came up with a very simple tournament strategy.

Before I tell you my very basic and simplistic approach I want to tell you what happened the other day.

As I entered in a 2-7 Triple Draw tournament on PokerStars my friend came over just as I started to play and he sat down to watch. Now this guy is a poker player, a very good NL Hold’em player in fact, and not interested in any other poker games.

When he sat down he said, “now what are you playing?” “You play weird games”. I explained the game to him and said you can play for me, just use my simple strategy rules, and he said, “sure” with lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

I told him these simple rules:

- When off the blinds play all hands that have at least three different cards that are 8 and lower and always raise the pot if no one else has come in to the pot behind you, otherwise call a raise

- Only defend your Small Blind if you have 2 different cards that are 8 and lower

- Be creative when in the Big Blind if it’s only one raise to you

- Play almost all hands as if there were an 8 qualifier! Lower this requirement when you get short handed (three-way and heads-up).

- Make notes on players when you know their low card requirements (example: do they Stand Pat on 9 low with two draws to go?)

- Know when to fold and don’t chase two cards to the River

- Be patient, the idea is to wait for the good hands and win big pots

That was pretty much all I told him, and he followed those rules to a T and amazingly enough he came in second place and my $11 investment turned in to $100, of which I cave him a cut for his time.

After the tournament I asked him if he liked the game and if he would play 2-7 Triple Draw in the future, and he said, “na, I like my NL Hold’em”. Ok… well… to each their own I guess. But I did learn that even an unenthusiastic player who has never played this game before could do well following this very simple strategy.

Any ways, if you haven’t played 2-7 Triple Draw yet or want to try a new strategy then try the tournament tips mentioned above and maybe, just maybe you’ll have the same results that I have been getting lately.

Remember, playing poker games other than NL Hold’em will only make you a better overall poker player… so try something different and discover that there is much more to poker than just NL Hold’em!

Now knock’em dead!

Ever find a player on your table that seems to only know one play; the check-raise?

At first, these kinds of players can really irritate you and may even change the way you play. Have no fear though, because you should really welcome this kind of player at your table.

Firstly, you need to observe them and find out if their check-raise is mostly a bluffing maneuver or if they usually hold the goods. You also need to identify these players as good players or as weak players.

Once you identified them as weak and their check-raises do have merit, then you should have no problem taking their chips!

For the most part, these players do have a hand when they check-raise you, so if you decide to play back at them, you really should have a good hand yourself.

One thing that these types of players fail to realize is that their constant check-raising is a tell. Think about it; if they check-raise you, you know they have a decent hand. If they only call, then they are probably drawing. And this is the one I like, if they bet, then what do you think they have? NOTHING!

Why would a constant check-raiser bet? More than not, it’s a bluff or they hold a weak hand. You should exploit this tell with a big raise (assuming you are heads up or your raise can isolate the play with the check-raiser).

Keep in mind though, that this kind of play comes from WEAK players and NOT good players. It’s the weak players that play one certain way and rarely deviate.

When it comes down to winning poker, it’s mostly about extracting the most you can from the weak players, the fish. And there are a lot of fish out there to fry!

Happy fishing!

Many No Limit Texas Hold’em poker players place AK (Big Slick) in the top premium hands, like AA, KK, and QQ. Sure it looks good to look down at your hole cards and see the AK, but statistically speaking, this hand is far too overvalued where the most likely outcome is a coin flip for this hand to win. The big problem with AK is that it is a drawing hand and when up against ANY hole pair, this hand is the underdog.

Here are some Big Slick stats that may open your eyes to what the real strength is of this dealt hand:

- Pocket deuces will beat AK 53% of the time.

- Against pocket 10’s, jacks or queens, the AK will win only 43% of the time.

- Against pocket kings, the AK will only win 30% of the time.

- Against pocket aces, the AK will LOSE 93% of the time!

So against small and mid pairs the Big Slick is a coin flip and against premium hands it’s a big underdog.

If you are in a NL Texas Hold’em tournament and look down to see AK, the Big Slick, you should try to be aggressive pre-flop and try to steal the blinds or isolate the small stacks. If however you find any resistance after the Flop and you missed the Flop, get ready to surrender.

Play the AK very cautiously and don’t gamble your tournament life with this ‘slick’ hand.

If you are new to poker or even an experienced player; Pacific Poker (an 888.com company) has a great free feature on their website that can teach you a few things about poker.

Pacific Poker’s free Flash Poker School has tutorials on: Getting Started, New to Poker, Experienced Players, and tournament strategy, including multi-table tournaments and sit and go tournaments.

You don’t need to be a member, all you need to do is go to the Pacfic Poker website and click on the Poker School link on the main page. Although it is mostly intended for beginners, there are some tips that will be beneficial even for the seasoned player.

Click here to check out Pacific Poker.

When I sit down to play some online poker I am always watching the other players whether I am in a hand or not. I am looking to see what kind of players they are; do they bluff a lot, what their starting hands are in certain positions, are they weak players, etc.

When I have some useful information on a player I make notes on them. All online poker rooms offer the ability to make notes on players. Make use of this powerful feature, because not only will these notes help you with the game you are currently in, but also when you play with that player again sometime down the road.

I currently have notes on over 10,000 players on PokerStars. Usually when I sit down at a table I will already have notes on one or more players. This small advantage will give you that extra edge and in turn, win you more money (or save you money!).

When I make notes I use my own system of abbreviations and meanings. I usually don’t make notes on players who are in late position or who are in the Blinds (we all get creative in these positions) or who are low-stacked.

My Player Notes:

AA (Any Ace) – A player who plays any low card (10 and below) with an Ace from early to mid position. Add an exclamation point when players play any Ace with a baby card from early position.
AS (Any Suited Cards) – A player who plays any two suited cards
SC (Any Suited Connectors) – A player who plays any suited connectors
CS (Calling Station) – A player who is a Calling Station and will call your bets with any made hand, regardless of what’s on the Board
RR (River Rat) – A player who calls any bets to the River (River Rat) who is looking to catch a card to make a hand
20 – A player who plays any two unsuited face cards
T – A Tight player
1 – A weak player who is new to the game or is simply a bad player
2 – A player who check-raises frequently
3 – A solid, good player
B – A player who Bluffs often
J (Jackal) - From Phil Hellmuth’s Animal Types: a reckless and unpredictable player
SP (Slow Plays) – A player who often slow-plays big hands
LF (Limps/Folds) – A player who limps in a lot and folds to any raise pre-Flop
SS# (SharkScope rating) - SS + a number between 0 and 5, with 5 being a very good player

These notes are generally for Texas Hold’em games. When I make notes on players in games other than Hold’em, I will add an abbreviation for the game next to the notes, e.g. a RR (River Rat) in Stud would look like, RR – Std, in Razz, RR – R, in 7-2 Triple Draw, RR – 7-2, and so on.

If I suspect that a player falls under one of the abbreviations above I will add the note along with a question mark next to it. When I am certain about the player’s style I will remove the question mark, and treat the note(s) as fact.

I believe that’s most of the ones I use. I also scribble miscellaneous notes on players when none of the above apply.

Making player notes will not only keep you busy in the game when not in a hand, it will also certainly help you make tough decisions when playing these players. There is nothing better than knowing who you are up against before you even start playing a hand!

The odds of being dealt specific Hold’em hands before the Flop (odds against):

AA – 220 to 1
2 Kings through 2 Jacks – 72.7 to 1
AK suited – 331 to 1
AK offsuit – 110 to 1
Ace Queen or Ace Jack suited – 165 to 1
Ace Queen or Ace Jack offsuit – 54.3 to 1
King Queen suited – 331 to 1
King Queen offsuit – 110 to 1
Any Pair – 16 to 1
Any two cards suited – 3.25 to 1
*Unsuited Connectors (stretched) - 14.8 to 1
*Suited Connectors (stretched) - 46.4 to 1

*Two connecting cards allowing for maximum chances for straights.

You hold AK suited and the probability that you will Flop…

4 of a Kind – 9,799 to 1
Full House – 1,088 to 1
Flush (excluding Royal Flush) – 119 to 1
Straight – 310 to 1
Any Flop with an Ace or King – 2.08 to 1

Absence of Aces before the Flop (nine handed):

The probability that no player has an Ace (including yourself) – 17.13%
If you have one Ace, the probability that no other player has an Ace – 30.53%
Your hand will have no Ace 85.07% of the time.

Hold’em Long Shots (odds against):

If you hold suited cards, a Flush will Flop – 118 to 1
If you hold a pair, Four-of-a-Kind will Flop – 407 to 1
Heads-up, both players dealt pair of Aces – 270,724 to 1

More Hold’em Odds:

If you hold any pair you will Flop Trips - 7.51 to 1
If you have four parts to a Flush after the Flop you will make it - 1.86 to 1
If you have four parts to an Open-End-Straight-Flush after the Flop you will make a Straight Flush - 10.9 to1
If you have four parts to an Open-End-Straight-Flush after the Flop you will make at least a Straight – 0.85 to1
If you have Two-Pair after the Flop you will make a Full House or better – 4.97 to 1
If you have Three-of-a-Kind after the Flop you will make a Full House or better – 1.99 to 1

Now the hard part; memorize the above!

What does it mean when an online poker player does a very quick check, bet or raise?

Quick Check

For the most part, if a player does a very quick check it means a sign of weakness, and the player is basically raising the white flag to get this hand done with. Any bet made to a player who checks very quickly usually results in winning the pot (assuming you are heads up).

The reason they may be very quick checks is that most online poker rooms have a checkbox where the player can check-on to automatically ‘check the next round’. Keep in mind though, that this online poker tell is basically on weak opponents. So if you know that the player who quickly checked is a weak player, then you should bet.

On the other hand, good players will use this move as a deception and may check-raise you after you bet. This is why it is very important to know what kind of players you are playing against on the table before making any move. That is why it is so important to make player notes on the players at your table! So whether you are in a hand or not, observe the players at your table and make the appropriate notes on them. These player notes will help you with tough decisions later on in the game.

If you classify a player as weak and they do this tell, and you are heads up, then bet. If you classified the player as a good player, then you may want to check if you don’t have any hand yourself, or make the bet small enough where you can easily fold if checked-raised.

Quick Bet or Raise

This online poker tell is a classic weak move that indicates strength. Again, this online poker tell comes from weak players who simply don’t know that they are giving their opponents a tell.

Weak players are generally not patient players and they want to get involved in a pot quickly when they have the goods. Most online poker programs have a checkbox where the player can check-on to automatically ‘bet or raise’ when it’s their turn to act.

This is a sign of strength! Unless you have a very strong hand, get out and fold. It may be hard to fold to a weak player, but when you know they have the goods, is it really worth losing more money to them?

A Golden Rule of Poker: When playing weak opponents you MUST play fundamental poker against them. That means you cannot play fancy with them, such as bluffing. You must play poker with the hands you are dealt, and not play the man. Weak players do not pick up on subtle moves made from good players, they are only concerned with their hand and they don’t think what you might be holding in your hand. Adjust your play against weak players and you will easily take their money!

With patients you will get a monster hand against these players and because they are generally Calling Stations and River Rats, you will be paid well for their lack of understanding the game.

There are plenty of fish online, so real them in!

Find the fish at PokerStars, free 100% new account deposit match bonus for all new accounts. Use PokerStars Bonus Code: First2007

Having more than one online poker room account can save you money and help your bankroll from quickly dwindling down.

My main online poker room is PokerStars, but when I can’t seem to catch a break and start losing money I will stop playing there for a day or so and play elsewhere, like FullTilt Poker. Instead of trying to recoup my losses, which usually does not work, (instead I seem to lose more when I try to get my losses back) I’ll play elsewhere to start fresh.

Usually when I switch rooms after a bad day of poker elsewhere I tend to do well at a different poker room. My point is this; when you find yourself losing at one poker room, stop playing there for a day or so and switch to another online poker room. This will save your other poker room’s bankroll from suffering even more losses and gives you a fresh approach with the other poker room.

And if you find yourself losing at the other poker room too, then I strongly suggest that you stop playing poker for a day or so to recharge your brain and maybe your body.

Knowing when to stop even more losses is an important aspect of managing your poker bankroll.

PokerStars has a 100% first-time deposit bonus and FullTilt Poker offers the same, a 100% deposit bonus for new real-money accounts. Take advantage of these great poker bonuses to start your two-room system.