Despite spending a decent amount of time studying, getting in shape, and finding my way into a tranquil mindset, the 2015 $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event did not go well for me. I felt like I played my best but the cards simply did not cooperate at all. However, I did get off to a nice start. Today I will share with you a hand that may seem straightforward, but in reality, it is a tricky spot that I think I played in the most profitable manner.   …

Choosing the correct river bet sizeRead More »

This hand I was told about from a $500 buy-in tournament clearly illustrates an important concept you must master if you want to succeed at poker.

With blinds at 800/1600-200 with a 45,000 effective stack, the button, an unknown player who seems to be a bit too aggressive and splashy, called. Our Hero raised to 4,000 with Ah-6s from the small blind. The big blind folded and the button called.

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Checking for ValueRead More »

The fact that the players who made the WSOP final table used to have four months to prepare created an interesting dynamic that diligent players could exploit. If you happened to make the final table with a short stack, you had four months to study exactly which hands you should be willing to go all-in with when the action folds to you. This high-risk all-in or fold situation just so happened to occur on the second hand of the 2015 WSOP final table.

Without going into too much detail, there were two short stacks at the table, Chan and Butteroni, both with 15 big blinds. The next shortest stack had 30 big blinds. This typically implies that Chan and Butteroni should try to outlast each other. However, the WSOP Main Event has a bizarre payout structure: …

Interesting Hand from the WSOP Main Event Final TableRead More »

This week was a whirlwind. Watch the video to see! Also, enjoy a little Mister James at the end.
(Spoiler: It ends with a nice cash!)
(Spoiler: Next week will be even wilder!)

The WSOP is right around the corner, so today I would like to share with you a hand I played in a $1,500 buy-in event last year. With blinds of 100/200, I raised to 500 out of my 20,000 stack from early position with J-J. A good, tight, aggressive kid, who was down to 5,000 chips due to recently losing a big pot with Q-Q to A-K, called from middle position. A loose, splashy player with 20,000 called from the big blind. …

Failing to get value with an over pairRead More »

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 »