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 River Read 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 WSOP Read 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 Way Read More »
If you want to become great at anything, you should find people who are better than you and learn everything you can from them. It is not uncommon for an amateur student to come to me thinking they play great, and after one private coaching session, realize they have a lot to learn. Most of these players diligently apply the concepts I teach them and see an immediate improvement to their win rate. If you only talk poker with people who play the same games that you play, expect to stay stuck at that level forever. This is one of the main reasons why many small stakes players never progress beyond the small stakes games. …
What I learned writing Excelling at No-Limit Hold’emRead More »
What I learned writing Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em Read 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 image Read More »
A while back in preparation for my book Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Cash Games, I spent some time playing live $1/$2 no-limit hold’em. I learned so much from the games that I hosted an in-depth 4-hour long webinar explaining my findings. Near the end of the webinar, I discussed many mindset flaws that most of my opponents demonstrated. If could teach my opponents one thing, it would be to stop caring about losing money due in common, routine situations.
Early in one of my sessions, I was dealt As-Ks from middle position. I raised to $7 and a tight, passive 50-year-old guy went all-in from the small blind for $60. I made the easy call. My opponent showed 10-10. The flop came A-8-6-4-10, giving the pot to my opponent. …
#1 Mindset Flaw of Small Stakes Players Read More »
I was recently told about a hand from a $1,000 buy-in tournament that illustrates a fundamental mistake that many amateurs are unaware they are making. With blinds at 800/1,600 with a 200 ante, a loose, but straightforward player raised to 4,000 out of his 56,000 effective stack. A tight player called in the cutoff. Our Hero decided to reraise to 14,000 with 9-9. …
A Common Preflop Mistake Read More »
I recently witnessed a hand in a $1,500 buy-in live event that I think illustrates a key concept that many amateurs never fully grasp. With blinds at 2,000/4,000 with a 500 ante, a loose, aggressive player raised to 8,500 out of his 100,000 stack from the hijack seat, a player with 85,000 called from the cutoff, a player with 80,000 called from the button, and then the small blind went all-in for 45,000. …
Do Not Be Afraid to Gamble Read More »
In the process of running my exclusive bi-weekly Inner Circle Office Hours, I have the opportunity to review numerous hands from my best students. This hand from a small stakes tournament clearly illustrates an important concept you must master if you want to succeed at poker. …
Good Spot for a Hero Call? Read More »
I was recently told about a hand from a $1,000 buy-in satellite into the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event that illustrates a costly flaw in the logic of numerous amateur players. About 70 players remained in the satellite with 19 lucky ones winning their Main Event seat, so the players were nowhere near getting in the money.
With blinds at 1,200/2,400 with a 200 ante, a somewhat standard player raised to 6,000 out of his 110,000 stack from middle position with K-K. Another typical player 3-bet all-in for 25,000 from the cutoff seat. Another normal player on the button 4-bet to 50,000 out of his 150,000 stack and then the action folded around to the initial raiser (who has K-K). After some thought, he went all-in. …
Big Fold in a Satellite? Read More »
Learn how to beat small stakes poker cash games and tournaments with these 2 books! These strategies will help you win more hands and make more final tables.