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Poker Advices

The Hand Reading in Poker

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Hand reading is a very complex topic to talk about given everything that goes into hand reading well. Oftentimes it is experience that makes a player a very solid hand reader. Exposure to the game and logical actions and frequencies of the player types in the game will improve hand reading. This article aims to give some basic advice on improving this essential skill.

  • It's in the ranges. We are not trying to guess our opponent's exact hand. Very often we would just never know their exact holding. Instead, we care about putting our opponent on a range of logical hands. For tighter players this range is usually easier to deduce. For looser and more erratic players, this range can be very difficult to figure out.

Poker Odds and Expectations

Mathematical analysis in poker is a topic that you could fill a book or two with. Actually, a shelf full of books. Well, on reflection, more like a library of books. The good news is that many of these books have already been written.

For our purposes here, a brief introduction to the subject will suffice. But if you're serious about pursuing knowledge on the pure game of poker, you will definitely want to expand your reading.

As a beginning player, one of the most basic and useful mathematical concepts to have under your belt is the idea of pot
odds. Simply put, the term pot odds refers to the ratio of the amount of money currently in the pot to the amount of money it will cost you to call a bet.

Poker Playing Styles (Part II)

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Tight-passive player.
Tight-passive players are not a worry at all. They are rather easy to beat. How? Well, if they raise or bet, simply get out of there. The best way to isolate and take these players out, see a flop for cheap and try to hit a strong hand - trips, straight, flush, etc. However, don't take them too easy a target. Tight-passive players generally tend to "survive" in the game for a rather long time, as they hardly risk too many chips. But, hey, don't worry. They will "Blind Out".

Tight-aggressive player.
Attention! Now, we are talking about the best player for No-Limit Texas Holdem. Yes, tight-aggressive players are the "stars" of the game. What have they got that others don't?

Well, one of the admirable qualities of tight-aggressive players is their preflop hand selection. Most often, they either bet, raise or fold before the flop (calling is rare, but good for trapping maniacs or very tight players). And once the flop comes, they throw aggressive bets, if they have a hand or if they have raised before a flop.

he most effective playing strategy for poker is tight-aggressive.
Tight-aggressive players get the "thumbs up" because they don't just risk chips once they get hold of a good hand, but they risk chips in heaps. Thus, they only have to get a couple of wins to grab a mountain-sized stack. Every professional poker player in the world all possess the tight-aggressive style. Such player is also known as "selectively aggressive" or "aggressively smart" player.

Poker Playing Styles (Part I)

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Let us talk about the types of poker players that you would encounter while playing your cards. However, a few simple notes identifying your opponents style, will increase your chances of placing in the money ten fold.

There are 4 kinds of poker players:

  • Loose-passive
  • Loose-aggressive
  • Tight-passive
  • Tight-aggressive

What is this "loose" and "tight" all about? Well, it is definitely not the type of clothes that players wear while at the table! These two little words are of great significance. They refer to the hands that are being played. "Loose" refers to a player who plays a wide range of hands. "Tight" refers to a player who is choosy and plays only good hands.

The other pair of opposites "passive" and "aggressive" reflects the styles of betting. A "passive" player generally calls and stays at the safe side by not raising too much. An "aggressive" player is a master of betting and dares to raise the pot. Aggressive players force action.

Let us see what each player tends to do at the table. Once you know what kind of players are there on the table, it would be easy for you to throw your trap.

River Play in Pot Limit Omaha

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The decision to fold, bet if checked to, call, or raise on the river is dependent on math. There are no more cards to come so your implied odds are non-existent. If you are in position, you have the option to end the hand with the action of your choice. Because of this, position is very powerful.

The best rivers to bluff are obviously the ones that complete a draw. Because Pot Limit Omaha allows so many draws to complete on the river, it is easier to move your opponent off a strong hand. For some reason, people cannot fold top pair in NLHE but in PLO, they give up on a hand when a draw hits the river and they had the nuts on the turn. This isn't saying giving up on the river is a bad or a good play. It is just interesting how people are so afraid of the nuts in PLO. Thus, you should take advantage of this.

A common situation for bluffing the river is when Villain is potting the turn to represent a straight and the river completes a flush card or the river pairs the board. In this situation, you should highly consider bluffing whatever hand you are holding that can't beat a good straight. Most players aren't tricky enough to semi-bluff the flop and the turn and then decide to check-raise the river with the nuts. The most common line of thinking is, "I semi-bluff on the flop and turn. Now I got the nuts on the river, I have to bet it. I am going to look like an idiot if I check and he checks behind with a hand that might have called a pot bet." Therefore, when an obvious draw hits on the river, you should bet if Villain defined his range on the previous street. You will get more credit than you believe.

Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part II)

See also Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part I)

In the middle of the game.
The middle stage of the game comprises of the 4th-6th blind stages. When the game reaches this stage, about 6-7 players are left at the table. The number may vary, as some games go on for a long time.
This is the most crucial stage of the game. Blinds put a lot of pressure on the players. You will have to get aggressive at this stage, if you wish to build a substantial amount of stack for the later part of the game.

Building a sizeable stack.
One of the guaranteed ways to build a sizeable stack is to bluff intelligently. A keen player will have already scanned each player in the early stage of the game to conclude whom to avoid and whom to trap.
Suppose you possess 89 of clubs in the big blind. You have folded to the small blind. Now, your wit will tell you that this player is an amateur and, in the early stage, had folded on the flop to bets. The flop is 6-10-3 with one club. If this player checks, you should bet. Since this player is a passive one, there is every chance that he or she will fold. If he or she does not, you still possess a gut shot draw and a backdoor flush draw.
Suppose that the player calls your bet. The turn gives a Q, not a club, and he or she checks one more time. When the player does that, you have two choices: either place him or her on a straight draw, or put a low pair. He or she is a passive 
player, so, you should have no problem betting out again. The passive player will likely fold with a pot size bet. If he or she calls your bet, you will have to lend him or her credit for a hand. Also, it is wise to check/told the river, if you don't improve your game.

Making a continuation bet.
Here is another smart strategy: make a continuation bet. (This is unlike the example of the early stage game, where you could check or fold AK during a had flop).
Let us say you get the same hand. AK. You raise a 3x the big blind and get a call. The flop comes 642 and, at the same time, the big blind checks. There is a high chance that your opponent possesses a big unpaired hand such as KQ. At this stage, you cannot afford to be conservative, as the blinds are increasing and it is necessary that you build a stack. What to do now? Well, you must throw a pot size bet. If someone calls it, check or fold the remaining of your hand, if you do not improve your hand.

Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part I)

See also Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part II)

Most of the Sit'n Go poker games are single table. This article tells you how to handle the "monsters" of Sit'n Go and emerge as a winner at Texas Holdem.

At the beginning of the game.
When the game starts, the strategy. "Tight is right" rules the roost. The table will be dominated with hordes of maniacs, who will be busy competing with each other. One by one, as each maniac is knocked out, you have a golden opportunity to grab the pot! In some of the Sit'n Go tables, which involve low buys, you can take away lots of moolah without even throwing a sizeable bet.

The early stage of the game comprises of the first three levels of blind. As you enter the game, your first strategy should
be to "Strive to Survive" at the table. Don't jump into outsmarting people in the beginning, as you will get enough chance to do that in the later stages of the game, once you survive.

Although blinds are quite low as compared to the stack of chips, you should refrain from limping in by using marginal hands.
You will hardly hit a flop by doing this. Even if you manage to have bottom two pairs with marginal hands, you will end up in big trouble, if a draw hits or the hoard pairs.

Online Poker: Judging Sites For Quality

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We want to stress that we're not recommending the individual companies or groups we mention in this article; we just want to give you guidelines with a little bit of logic so that you can make better decisions for yourself in the future. Consider the following factors when choosing a poker site, in no particular order:

1. The country the site is based in and its licenses. Due to the way gaming restrictions work in the United States, all servers must be located outside America's borders. Until a few years ago, nearly all quality sites were based in Costa Rica. Subsequently, the Kanawake Indian Reservation in Canada has made site hosting attractive enough that most companies have moved there (those sites almost always boast a "Kanawake Gaming Commission" seal). Even more recently, the full-member EU nation of Malta established laws for Internet gaming licenses. Expect many of the best sites to be licensed in Malta until the UK enacts its online gaming laws, at which point Britain may become the jurisdiction of choice. In general, gaming licenses awarded by countries require operators to be held to higher standards. So if the site doesn't have a license, think twice. We expect fake poker sites to eventually start popping up with the sole intent to take people's money. Keep your eyes peeled and choose intelligently.

What Are Your Chances of Playing Against a Pro?

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It you should find yourself in competition against a famous pro player, you need to adopt the right mental attitude, and then you need to play poker as usual. Well, almost as usual ... Playing against a pro will help you elevate your game (who doesn't want to play their best against the best), which, in the final analysis, is another reason why playing against professionals shouldn't scare you; it should be viewed as an opportunity for learning and earning.

The first thing you need to do when you recognize (or discover) a poker champion at your table is realize you're going to be in awe of this player. It's a natural reaction, nothing to be ashamed of. Don't be afraid to exhibit a bit of hero worship and even deferential behavior to this living legend when you first meet him or her.

No-Limit Holdem: Table Dynamics (Part II)

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Let's consider another example of table dynamics.