I was recently told about a hand from a recreational small stakes player that illustrates two detrimental mistakes many players make on a regular basis. In a $1/$3 no-limit hold’em cash game with $160 effective stacks, the players in first and second position at an eight-handed table limped. Our Hero decided to raise to $16 with As-Qd from the button.

While I am fine with raising the limpers purely for value, Hero should make it a bit larger, perhaps $22. The difference between raising to $16 and $22 may seem trivial, but there is a ton of long-term …

Tough spot against a limp/3-betRead More »

It is astonishing to me how many players travel from destination to destination to play poker tournaments in an unintelligent manner. When it is time for them to go play a tournament series, they simply plan the trip with little to no preparation. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, in my opinion, if you are trying to get the most equity out of each and every tournament you play, you should ensure your mind is in a good place before sitting at the poker table. …

Preparing for a Tournament SeriesRead More »

I was recently told about a hand by an amateur player that illustrates a few detrimental mistakes that many players make on a regular basis. If you work hard to develop fundamentally sound strategies away from the table, you will not make these mistakes in game.

In a $.10/$.20 no-limit hold’em cash game with $35 effective stacks, the players in first and second position, as well as the hijack, limped. Our Hero decided to raise to $.70 with 7c-7s.

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The wrong way to play an under pairRead More »

The WSOP is just around the corner. That is exciting! The Colossus event, the smallest WSOP buy-in at $565, brings together more poker players than any other tournament, so you are bound to see some interesting plays. In this blog post, I am going to outline three leaks that I witnessed throughout my play of the event in previous years that I think most of the players could easily fix, giving them a much better shot of making a deep run. …

3 Leaks Colossus Players Should FixRead More »

This hand is from a $5,000 buy-in WSOP event I played in Las Vegas last summer. I looked down at As-Ac from first position, under the gun, at 100/200 with a 25 ante and raised to 600 out of my 20,000 stack.

While limping has some merit against the absolute worst opponents, against the competent players who are willing to buy in for $5,000, I prefer making a standard raise with all of my playable hands to disguise my range. …

Folding A-A on the RiverRead More »

The WSOP is right around the corner, so in this blog post, I am going to share with you the most frequent mistake I saw amateur players commit on a regular basis during the last WSOP. Most of these players don’t even realize they are committing this egregious error. This mistake is difficult to notice, especially for players in the small or middle stakes, because the vast majority of the player pool exhibits this flaw. Once the amateurs become aware of it, they will instantly be able to improve their strategies, allowing them to play in a much more profitable manner. …

A Frequent Mistake I Saw at the WSOPRead More »

Pocket Aces are by far the most profitable hand in poker, but that does not mean they are always easy to play. Many players consistently make mistakes that lead to them being much less profitable than they should be. …

Playing Pocket Aces the Wrong WayRead More »

I recently had the pleasure of traveling to the Borgata in Atlantic City for their $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour event. The following two hands illustrate a dynamic that I constantly strive to set up to give me the best possible chance of getting paid off when I happen to make a premium hand.

With blinds at 200/400-50, everyone folded to me on the button and I raised to 1,000 out of my 40,000 stack with Qs-9s. A tight, aggressive kid in the small blind 3-bet to 2,600 and I called. …

Setting up and profiting from your imageRead More »