donpeters

Oftentimes in no-limit hold’em tournaments you’ll find yourself seated at a table with opponents making extreme opening raises to five or more times the big blind. In a recent discussion with a friend of mine, Mike, he questioned how he should handle such situations. He understood that when players are making these large opening raises, his playable hand raise narrows and his question was geared towards those times when you pick up a premium hand. For sake of this article, here’s how he phrased his question:

“What do you think is the best line of action when facing an opening raise of five to six times the big blind when you’re holding a pair of kings? Do you reraise or just flat call here knowing you do have position, but could let him catch?”

Like almost all poker questions, the answer is that it depends. Before committing yourself to one course of action, you need to consider all of the factors that will have weight in your decision such as reads, stack sizes, your opponent’s tendencies, and players with pending action. Each of these factors will help you to determine the best line to take, but keep in mind that it’s not going the same line every time against the same or different opponents.

The first option I proposed to my friend Mike is flat calling. Right away when people think of flat-calling, the idea of letting other players in with greater odds comes to mind. What you need to remember is that the original raise was larger than the norm in these situations. Therefore, it should be enough to keep others out of the pot just from an odds stand point. I’m not talking about implied odds with deeper stacks; I’m talking about immediate odds. This is one reason why I believe flat-calling is a very good option against certain opponents. The opening raise is too large that others will feel they have odds to call cheaply, so you can usually rest assured that you’ll be taking a flop heads up and in position against the over-raiser.

Mike then questioned whether this would be a good spot for another player to squeeze and steal the pot. I responded that it would be much harder to pull off a successful squeeze play here. First of all, with a large opening raise, the squeezer’s fold equity is minimized. Secondly, most aware players at the table will see a flat-call in position of an oversized raise and steer clear because of the hand strength is usually takes to be able to flat in this spot.

It’s also important to consider your opponent’s hand range in these instances. Some people will make large raises like this with their entire range, while others will make it with hands they may deem as “trouble hands” such as pocket tens or pocket jacks. Many players find it difficult to take a flop with these hands, hoping to just like to take it down preflop despite leaving themselves wide open for some exploitable play. Against the players that do this with their entire range, you’d want to slow play less often because more boards may hit them and put you in a tough spot. Against players that only do this with a narrowed hand range such as medium-big pairs, you can flat more often and more safely.

You must also assess your opponent’s abilities and understanding of the game when thinking about flatting. If you read your opponent to be a solid player with knowledge of what he is doing, you might not want to flat. Simply put, he’ll know that someone would be very apt to flat there with a big, premium hand. Even when I make a standard raise and see a knowledgeable opponent flat behind me, a little light goes off in my mind that indicates they could have flatted with a strong hand. Flatting in position is something I consider myself capable of doing with a big hand, so it’s important to understand and take into account your opponent’s level of thinking. I’d much rather flat in these spots against weak opponents as opposed to strong ones because the chance of getting paid off on later streets is greatly increased.

The second option you have here is to make a reraise with your premium hand. Of course, this is the more ABC, by-the-book play. I’m not knocking this standard play, but there’s a lot more to it than just making a raise.

Most players that make these big raises will frequently be committed to calling a raise or a shove, depending on their stack size of course. It’s also important to know if a player has tendencies to feel committed or not. For example, a player may raise to 5,000 with the blinds 50-100, but have a stack of 100,000. If you shove your stack into the middle and have him covered, he might feel he is committed because of the size of the opening raise he made when really he is not.

As a new approach to these situations recently, I’ve taken the raising approach with a little twist. Instead of making your more standard three-times reraise, I’m opting for a min-raise. Some opponents have the awareness and ability to get away from their hand if they face a big three-bet, but won’t fold to a min-raise. Even if I pick up A-K in this spot, I can min-raise pretty confidently knowing that they won’t come back over the top of me with a medium-big pair. The min-raise really does put them in a tough spot though. For the majority of the time, these large open raises aren’t big premium pairs such as aces or kings, so players won’t reshove on you. That is one reason I can get away with making this play with A-K included in my range. Other times when you do so with a huge pair as opposed to A-K, they’ll call as well. The idea of feeling committed to only a min-raise is generally too much for them to fold. This can give me some extra value with a hand like aces or kings.

A lot of poker players will aggress that it’s a pain in the ass to play these medium-big pairs in big pots where you are out of position. Combined with the many unfavorable board textures you tend to receive with medium-big pairs, it can really be a headache to play them out of position. This will really put your opponents in tough spots despite having yourself made more of an unexploitable play. I tend to use this min-raise tactic when both my opponent and I are deeper stacked and I feel he might have the ability to fold out sometimes. This also puts you in a great situation to exercise good post-flop play against a weaker player.

The other aspect of raising is the standard three-bet you can make which is often a shove for all of your chips because the stacks permit it. I am all for making this play when I feel his stack or misunderstanding of pot commitment will force him to call me. There’s really no need for trickery when things line up this way. You can make the obvious play and a player will either have to call you or call because he feels he has to.

I will say that if you do decide to reraise an opponent that has made a large opening raise, pay attention to stack sizes of both yourself and your opponent. With deeper stacks, you don’t necessarily need to make a big reraise because there will still be a good amount of play left if you are called. With short stacks, you’d more than likely just want to get the money in preflop.

So in the end, what’s the answer I gave Mike? Well, there wasn’t one. I laid out these possible options and the reasoning behind those options, but as stated before, it always depends in poker. Knowing your opponents and understanding the factors such as reads, stack sizes, and your opponent’s tendencies will help you to make the best decision. Hopefully I gave you good insight as to why each play may or may not work.

Everyone talks about it, yet so many poker players seem to toss it out the window; sometimes it's an ego thing, other times recklessness. It's also never enough to simply understand how to manage a bankroll; it's applying that knowledge where people go wrong. I've certainly been one of those people a few times throughout my poker life.

When it comes to maintaining a bankroll, one must first assess how risk adverse they are. Simply put, a player that can handle the gamble more mentally and emotionally will be able to work with a smaller bankroll. I choose to have greater bankroll requirements than most people I know. I enjoy feeling a little bit more comfortable knowing I will always be able to handle the tough swings that variance can put a poker player through. I cannot stress enough how any decent player with solid bankroll management skills has the ability to make a lot of money playing poker. All it takes are some guidelines to adhere to and discipline. I've seen many friends swell their bankrolls playing over their head and constantly moving up in limits, only to lose it all when their luck runs out.

Some of the greatest bankroll management skills that I have ever seen came from Chris "Jesus" Ferguson when he chronicled turning a starting bank of zero into over $10,000 in less than a year. Here are the rules Ferguson went by while trying to complete his challenge.

- Never buying into a cash game or sit-n-go with more than 5% of his total bankroll, but he was allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less.
- He would not buy into a multi-table tournament for more than 2% of his total bankroll, but is allowed to buy into any tournament with a buy-in of $1.00 or less.
- If at any time during a no-limit or pot-limit cash game, the money he had on the table represented more than 10% of his total bankroll, he would have to leave the game when the blinds reached him.

Sticking to these rules with great discipline, Ferguson was able to reach his goal of $10,000 in less than a year. This was a truly awesome job in exercising bankroll management and I hope everyone out there will strive to do the same thing.

With that said, I'd like to lay out the guidelines I use for my bankroll. Generally, I use what I know as "The Rule of 30" for cash games. Basically, for no-limit or pot-limit games, I must have 30 buy-ins or more for a given limit and for limit games, I must have 300 big bets in my bankroll. When I buy into a no-limit or pot-limit game, I always enter with the maximum amount allowed, generally 100-200 big blinds. I know players that have taken this as a starting point and adopted it to fit their style of play. Some players can work with less buy-ins, others would like more. I prefer to keep this as the general guideline for the lower limits and plan on increasing my requirements the higher I go in stakes. The reason for this being that when you're playing for more money, I'd rather feel extra comfortable and it may take some getting used to a limit as you move up. So, it's always a good thing to be on the safer side of things as you improve and climb the ladder.

For tournaments, I aim to have 50 buy-ins in my bankroll for given stake. Playing multi-table tournaments can be a great way to increase a bankroll exponentially, but one must remember the amount of variance that these tournaments can have. Players can go through extremely long streaks of not cashing or barely cashing and really crush their bankroll. It's also important to move up more slowly in tournaments. One day you could hit a score playing some of the smaller buy-in events and decide to jump to a higher stake. Without being careful, you could lose a bunch in a row without cashing and be out a good portion of your bankroll.

Another important philosophy about bankroll management that a lot of players have backwards is how to handle their bankroll based on its size. Players with smaller bankrolls tend to really be nitty when it comes to playing because they know they only have a small amount of money to play with while players with larger bankrolls feel more careless because of the amount of money they have. It should be the complete opposite. For example, if you're bankroll is $100 total, don't be afraid to play slightly above your head if you feel you are good enough because even if you lose the $100, it's only $100. Now let's say you had $100,000 to play with. It's more important to stay conservative with $100,000 because taking a shot with that high a bankroll could cost you tens of thousands. After the fact, it's going to be much easier to replenish the $100 than it is the tens of thousands.

If Chris Ferguson was able to build a five-figure bankroll starting from zero using those three simple rules above then why can't you? It's going to take time and there will be bumps in the road, but as long as you make a plan, stick to the guidelines, and above all, exercise discipline, you'll be climbing up in stakes before you know it.

Admist of the great ongoing debate of the legality of online gambling, Bluefire Poker has issued a challenge to President Barack Obama himself and any other active member of the United States Congress. Headed by high-stakes online poker professional, Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond, the online training site's team is willing to put up $1 million against $1 from the President or another member of Congress. The goal is for the pros to prove once and for all to members of the United States Government that poker is a game of skill, not luck.

The challenge comes at a time when Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) prepares the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Also just recently, poker was ruled a game of skill, not luck, in a Pennsylvania court hearing. If the pros lose the challenge, the $1 million will be donated to a charity of choice.

Although the game structure is not yet known, the folks at Bluefire Poker had this to say in their official press release, "The specific terms of the game are to be announced but the format will include an equal number of chips at the start of the game. The length of the game must also be long enough to demonstrate the advantage of skill because Poker prowess and experience demonstrate themselves over time – in the long-run, the better player wins the game because the player’s skills increase the odds of success."

The press release also mentioned, "The legislative debate centers on whether or not Poker is a game of chance or skill, and this debate determines the legality of online gambling, according to legal and legislative experts on the subject. No one in their right mind would turn down this challenge if Poker were a game based on luck, because the odds are so far in their favor – putting up $1 for a chance to win $1,000,000 for the charity of their choice." (The official full press release can be viewed here.)

Despite the amazing odds being laid out, much of the poker community doesn't seem to believe that the challenge will take place, including Galfond. "Although I think it's unlikely we'd get taken up on this, I'd love to play to prove that poker was a game of skill. I really hope that the word gets out. Even if no one takes us up on it, the fact that we're legitimately offering $1,000,000 to $1 should convince some people that there's more to this game than just luck (or that we're out of our minds)," said Galfond in a recent blog entry on the website.

Much to Galfond's wishes, it looks like the word is spreading. Fox News received news of the challenge and talked about it recently on one of their broadcasts. Presenting the story for Fox News was former World Poker Tour hostess Courtney Friel. It's also fitting that the deadline acceptance has been set for March 17, 2009, St. Patrick's Day.

It's certainly no big secret that President Obama plays poker occasionally, as he's openly stated himself. That may just be the catalyst needed to get the challenge off the ground. It will be interesting to see if the politicians take the pros up on this offer and how things play out.

A good friend of mine from Australia has a site called Tilted Behaviour and he recently posted a few hands from his latest tournament Down Under. It’d be most beneficial if you read his entire summary on his site and then went on with the analysis I’ll provide here. He sets the stage for each hand nicely and also provides some background information that isn’t included here. I took some excerpts from what he wrote and included them as a little preface to each hand I break down.

The tournament was part of the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series held at Crown Casino in Australia. Players began with 10,000 chips and the blinds at 50-100. Levels increased every 25 minutes.

Q7o Hand:

“The table began fairly limp happy and I didn’t pick up my first hand until I was dealt Qh 7c in the small blind and completed for 50 more following a few limpers. The flop fell down 7d 7s 5s and I led out for 250 and got one caller on the button. The turn landed the Kd and I made it 550 to go with the button player again making the call to see me check the fairly insignificant Jc on the river prompting a 1,100-chip bet which I quickly called. When showed the losing 6s 6c to see me chip up to 12,175 I thought about the hand and how I played the river badly, not putting in a check-raise; even though it most likely would have yielded nothing.”

I think a complete from the SB with Q7o is marginal as your hand won’t flop too good most of the time, but I understand your a solid player so you can handle taking a shot completing here getting a good price with all the limpers. I like the flop line and the turn line as well. I also really like the river line despite your claim to having possibly misplayed it.

The first thing that pops out is the flush draw on board. Seeing as your opponent has been calling you down the entire way, I’d include flush draws in his range, 86 and 64 for open-ended straight draws, 22-99, and then combinations of 7s (A7, 76, 87, 97, etc) that he would limp the button with after a few limpers. That said, I think the river here is a common way-ahead/way-behind spot. You’re either crushing his range after the flush doesn’t get there or his seven might have you beat. He also might be slow playing fives full, but that’s a really tiny part of his range here I believe simply because of the board.

A river check does a few things successfully that I really like. First, it could induce a bluff from hands like busted flush draws and straight draws, or even from flush-draw hands that could have paired the turn or river (KTss, QJss, etc.). I’m also not going to be check raising here on the end because I think that it’s going to serve little purpose. You have to ask yourself: What hands will my opponent bet here that he’d call a check raise from me? I think that might significantly narrow his range down to just hands with sevens in them and because that makes up a much smaller part of his range, it’s not going to happen too often.

Second, what are you going to do if you fire the river and your opponent raises? That would be a really terrible spot, in my opinion. Anything that you beat your opponent wouldn’t be raising you with, unless he is an advanced player and can successfully take a shot at raising you off a seven by turning his hand into a bluff. That said, you save money those times your opponent has you beat. I’d much rather check to induce a bluff and then call as opposed to betting and being raised this early in the tournament. It’s always important to plan ahead for a possible raise you may face and in this case, I would hate to be raised. And like you mentioned, a check raise from yourself serves little purpose because he’s not calling with a ton of hands that you beat.

76s Hand:

“A few hands later in the hi-jack I saw two weak players limp ahead of me before raising to 350 with my favourite hand (disregarding the suits - diamonds one time!) 6c 7c. The blinds both passed as did the limpers and right there I decide to try and use this play regularly when in position against a few of the players that oozed weakness.”

Not sure I’d be raising this to isolate from the hijack seat. I would almost certainly do so on the button and also mix in a raise once in a while from the cutoff . In the hijack though I might be more inclinced to limp behind and wouldn’t mind inviting some other limpers in on the hand. This hand will play fine in a multiway pot with deeper stacks.

Another reason I wouldn’t attack hard here is because there aren’t any antes in play yet and the blinds are still in the first level. That said, you’re risking more with a raise to win less in these earlier stages. A Negreanu-style approach to this hand preflop might be the better option, but your play isn’t something I can say I’ve never done or wouldn’t do. Also, if you know that the players still to act behind you in the cutoff and on the button are fairly tight and won’t limp preflop, you should be able to limp this most of the time and still have position on the hand.

On the other side of the coin, the blinds although being in the first level are still 50-100 as opposed to most starting levels of 25-25 or 25-50, so the raise will pick up a few hundred chips most of the time and others I’m sure you’ll be able to easily win the pot using position against weak/passive opponents post flop.

A2o Hand:

“Bancroft limped under the gun as did some others as it was folded round to me in the small blind and I completed for 75 more holding As 2d and followed it by leading out for 600 on a flop of 2s 5s 2h. With the action on Bancroft he made it 1,500 to go which put me to a decision once everyone passed. I thought that calling here would really leave me out in the dark, because if a spade falls on the turn I can’t really fold to bet due my re-draw nut-flush draw and book draw, so consequently (after considering some of his previous play) made it 4,200 to go. He mulled over it for a little before folding and I decided not to table my hand to the disappointment of the remaining players on the table as I stacked up to 15,075 as we jumped to the 100-200 level.”

The lead again here is pretty standard, but I think there’s a couple points to point out where I’d argue for checking this flop. First of all, you led last time you flopped trips out of the small blind. Why not mix up the play a little bit here and check it, especially with a seemingly aggressive player in Bancroft now at your table? The flop last time contained more straight draws that I believe this flop would have. Also, you recently saw Bancroft raise with a flush draw so there’s no reason to believe he won’t use his big stack and bet a flush draw if this is checked to him. Knowing that, I don’t think a free card will be given here so a check is safer. You also remembered that you have the As which can count for a redraw if you decide to slow play your hand on the flop.

As played, I do like the reraise you put in after Bancroft raised you. With his aggressive nature, he’d be apt to make this play with flush draws and some smaller pairs where he feels he has the best hand. He could also just be putting you on a naked five and hoping to muscle you around with A5, 85, 75, or 65.

Knowing that his range for raising your bet could be pretty wide would more want me to cold call. Yes, if he has a flush draw you’re giving him a free chance to hit it, but other than the eight spades that could come off, you’re likely way ahead of his range.

KK Hand:

“Dealt Kh Kd in early position I opened to 550 and was called by Bancroft and a short-stack in the big blind. The flop fell down 8c Jc 3h and the big blind moved all-in for his last 1,700 putting the action on me before I just made the call. Now this can be seen as bad play just flatting the all-in with someone else to act, but there isn’t a whole lot I’m scared of, and it kind of works as a trap if Bancroft wants to get tricky with one of his many possible holdings. Bancroft now sat with 20,000-plus following a nice double with bottom set and put in a raise to 4,500 immediately putting me to a decision for my tournament life. Tournament life you may say? Well yes, because it is terrible to just call here so my decision is either to fold or to raise all-in. Now after my 1,700 call I have 12,950 behind so folding leaves me with an above average stack, moving all-in will see my double to three-times average or send me to the rail. Considering what to do I played out all the hands that Bancroft may have and how he would have played them - a set is likely, and he is even capable of playing Aces, Kings or Queens in the same way, but I felt that he was more likely to be holding something marginal such as a straight-draw or flush-draw or maybe top-top with Ace-Jack or King-Jack. Eventually made the decision to move all-in hoping that I could sweat out a draw, get lucky or stay ahead in a tournament where 100,000 chips would see you cash and a further 500,000 to make the final table.”

The small blind that shoved all in could have sucha wide range of hands he attempting a stop-n-go play that I’m not too worried about his holding. With 2,075 in the pot and his all-in bet of 1,700, there’s a side pot of 375 between you and Bancroft.

The first thing that pops into my mind when you flat is that you’re letting Bancroft in with so many hands: Flush draws, straight draws, and many one pair hands like Jx and 8x. All those hands could be in his range to call here with the increased odds he’s not getting to take one off because the two of you are so deep. You gave some background information about him raising with some draws, but I’m sure he’d be raising most of those hands with an all-in player. I think he raising range would be much narrower given the all-in player and also because of you flatting.

I guess I’d like to find what your raising range would be here and just what type of hands you’d be flatting with. Would you flat here with AK, AQ, KQ for just two overcards? Would you flat if those hands were clubs giving you two overs and a flush draw? Would you flat with a set? Would you flat with a combo draw like QTcc or T9cc? I ask because I think it’s important to understand what you’re capable of with your own range of hands to correctly be able to analyze Bancroft’s raise.

If you’re calling here to trap, it’s fine, but then you should probably reraise Bancroft and get it in if that’s the case. If he happens to wake up with aces, two pair, a set, or some sort of big combo draw and you lose, so be it if you played your hand to trap Bancroft. I feel like that’s the way you played your hand because you said you’re not scared of much and your hand will serve as a trap if Bancroft wants to get tricky.

I disagree that you’re playing for your tournament life simply because you’re still pretty deep on the flop. After the action and your calling of the flop shove by the short stack, you still have over 12,000 in your stack (12,950 to be exact). It would cost you an extra 2,800 to call the raise from Bancroft, leaving you with 10,150 at the 100-200-25 level. That gives you an M of roughly 19 and a stack of over 50 BBs. With those numbers, I think it’s plenty safe to call the flop bet and reevaluate on the turn. If you call the flop and then check the turn trying to get to a showdown, Bancroft might give up or he’ll fire again. If he fires again, you’re most certainly going to be behind here as someone that seems like the solid player he is will check behind with most hands that don’t beat kings. He’d most likely even check behind and unimproved AA if he had happened to flat with that preflop.

What else does he play this way? JJ, 88, 33, J8, AA, T9cc, Q9cc+ seem to be the only hands that he’d want to raise here thinking he held the best hand. You’re behind all of those holdings minus the combo draws, but even those you’re not a massive favorite. You also fail to fold the Kc in your hand. I think you either call this raise hoping to get to a cheap showdown or fold. If you put him on a draw, I don’t think there’s too much harm is flatting his raise to see a safe card on the turn and then getting it in.

You’re too deep here to get it in on the flop holding only one pair. And I doubt he calls off with anything worse. He’s already folded after raising weak to you once before so you’re somewhat turning your hand into a bluff to make it look like JJ or 88. You said he’s solid so I’m sure he’d pick up on this and not call of light.

You bring up the point of stack sizes needed to cash and make the final table. I’m sure it really matters. This isn’t a satellite so you’re not trying to maintain an average stack to win the prize. You’re trying to win the tournament here, not just just, and not just make the final table. That said, sometimes survival is better than trying to double your stack. What’s more important: the chips you gain or the chips you save?

Just by doubling up here you’re not going to double your equity in the tournament. You may increase your equity, but it won’t double. Each chip you win is worth less than the chip won before it. You’re not going to need 100,000 to reach the money, you could do it with 1,000 or 1,000,000. The same applies for the final table.

That’s right, there’s a bright side to running bad. I know how it feels. You’re constantly getting your money in good with the greater percentage, but things just aren’t going your way. All poker players experience it, but it’s the ones that put in a high amount of volume that will get hit with the crap end of the stick more often. Whether you’re getting your money in as a 4:1 favorite, having your sets drawn out on, or constantly losing those ever so profitable times when you have your opponent dominated, it’s not all that bad. I’m here to tell you that there is a bright side to all of the bad luck.

If your opponents are constantly getting their money in bad against you and stuck having to get lucky, aren’t you doing the right thing? So snap out of your depression for the moment and see the light, you’re actually running better than you believe. If you want to be a serious poker player, you need to be focused on the decisions you make and how your opponents react to those decisions. By getting your money in good, your putting yourself in profitable situations more often than your opponents are against you. You may have a losing session or go through streaks where you drop money over a few sessions, but in the long run things will turn around. Trust me, they will.

Every poker player believes they are the worst running player in history. Well, most recreational, amateur, and losing players think this way. If that’s you and you want to excel, you’re going to need to snap out of that mind frame. So much of poker has to do with your confidence level and if you’re not playing at the top of your game and believing in yourself as a player, you’re not going to be able to focus on making the correct decisions while you play. It’s better you learn this now because things are only going to get worse. Not that I’m trying to deter you, but the more poker you play, the more beats you will will endure and the crazier some of them will seem. The greatest winning players out there all have confidence in their games and they know that in order to beat great players, it’s going to take a lot of luck. It’s just part of the game.

There’s another aspect to running bad and that’s when you are constantly running your good hands into better hands and your monsters are smashed by bigger monsters. That’s also going to happen in poker, but once again, it’s not all terrible. I believe Chris “Jesus” Ferguson wrote an article on Full Tilt’s website a while back arguing that it’s bad if you’re always getting your money in good. There are going to be times in poker when it’s correct to gamble and to take shots at pushing some of your weaker, more marginal holdings. Winning players don’t just hold the nuts every time. Even some of the best players get lucky once in a while.

The key is to balance getting your money in good with once in a while getting it in bad. I’m not advocating that every once in a while you just ship it in with complete air, but you’ll need to steal sometimes, bluff sometimes, pull squeeze plays, and make some moves. Sometimes, these moves get picked off and you’ll be stuck having to get lucky. Don't beat yourself up if you find your hands getting smashed by better ones. You must play to win and make the best decision in the long run, so be it if someone wakes up with a better hand sometimes… that’s poker.

When you get hit with the variance stick that we all do, take a step back and evaluate your play. If you’re honestly playing solid poker, it’s okay to smile and keep pushing through it. The luck will change and your hands will hold more often than not.

I wrote this about four years ago. Just figured I toss it up here for everyone to check out.

I. Introduction

In short-handed games, it tends to be only two players going to the flop. Short-handed and heads up poker play is a very different game than a full ring game. Heads up play has deeper psychological strategy involved than there would be when playing in game at a full table. Many of the factors involved in a game at full table come into play when discussing how to play heads up in poker; starting hand selection, betting, bluffing, playing styles, reading your opponents’ cards, and knowing their styles of play. It is the strategy behind these factors that evolves. I’m sure you’ve encountered countless times when you have had to adjust your style of play to fit the game in which you are involved, and most of these changes you make are very small ones. The game of poker changes drastically when playing heads up and you should be able to change along with it. In fact, you must change. When down to the final few opponents, you need to alter your strategy, thoughts, actions, and overall play to fit the heads up style of game you are now in. When playing heads up, failure to adjust your style and mix up your play would be stubborn; it would be as if you’ve already given away most of your stack.

II. Preflop

a. Starting Hand Selection

When at full tables, most players generally like to play good, quality starting hands: that will allow them to have the advantage over most other hands that other players may hold. These “good, quality hands” at a full table are different than the ones labeled as “good, quality hands” when playing against only one opponent. At full tables, solid players will tend to play mostly premium hands such as pairs 77 through AA, and powerful big cards such as AK, AQ, AJ, KQ. When playing heads up, any pocket pair, ace in the hole, and middle to high connectors (89 and above, even if unsuited) generally tend to be good, quality hands to play. The chances that you are holding a better hand than your opponent are good at this point and you have to remember that when heads up, you’re against only one other person and only one random hand. This is something that you should use to your advantage. When you’re looking at what would be a marginal hand at a full table, you’ll often find it to be a good hand heads up.

The concept behind playing more hands boils down to the fact that you want to see more flops when heads up. Don’t get too carried away though. You need to loosen up, but not too much. When you begin playing every hand before the flop for the sole purpose of “what if I hit something,” or “anything can happen on the flop,” you’ll begin to get careless and reckless with your play. Be aggressive, but be selectively aggressive. You will also need to play good enough hands to be able to support the bluffing and semi-bluffing you will most likely do when playing heads up. A big aspect of playing heads up is knowing when and how to bluff. More often than not, the flop will miss you, so be prepared. Even if your opponent senses you are bluffing at a pot, your cards may still hold up at the showdown as aggression generally pays off. This is a good reason why it is a good idea to play almost any ace you are faced with; ace high will win you a decent amount of pots. It is also a good reason why you should refrain from playing weak hands.

b. Betting

The style of your opponent’s play when heads up and the actions he has taken before the flop will help you the most in determining how to play each hand. Sometimes it will be all right to call, sometimes check, and sometimes bet or raise. Heads up play rewards those players that will embrace a smart and aggressive style. There are a few ways to be aggressive. One, you can bet when you believe that you have the better hand or if you believe your opponent will fold. Two, you can selectively check-raise and trap your opponent to try and get the most chips you can out of them. The reason why you want to do this selectively is because you do not want your opponent to catch on. If you are constantly slow-playing and check-raising, your opponent is going to be more likely to back off when he senses that you are trying to trap him.

Another way to be aggressive is to attack the blinds. In tournament style play, where the blinds increase at specific time intervals, you can make bets in hopes to steal the blinds from your opponent. Using this strategy against a tight, passive opponent will help you and your stack out when the blinds have gotten big enough to make a substantial difference in the game. Feel free to attack the blinds or bet aggressively when you have a naked ace, a king with a middle kicker, any pair, and even with middle to high suited connectors. Also act on this if your opponent seems weak, no matter what cards you hold. If your opponent shows weakness, now would be the time to capitalize from it. Like check-raising, do this selectively and not too often.

You can also be aggressive by playing back at your opponent. If you find yourself in a position where your blinds are getting attacked, don’t be afraid to raise or reraise when you feel that you have the best hand or simply when you feel your opponent is weak and making a move. Playing back at your opponent or coming over the top at him is good way to slow him in his tracks and should make him ask himself twice the next time around.

III. The Flop

When the flop comes down, be sure to be watching your opponent to see how he reacts. You will often miss the flop in heads up play. Even when you miss the flop, don’t get timid and back off; especially if you raised before the flop. It is often the correct move to bet on the flop if you raised preflop. When holding an ace or a king with a middle kicker, it is often best to come out betting even if you have missed the flop. From there you can react to how your opponent acts. If you get called, proceed with caution from here on out, as your opponent may have hit the flop. Your opponent may also be on a draw, which if he doesn’t hit it, you should win with your ace or king high. I like to refer to this method as “test betting.” You are testing out the waters before jumping in. When test betting, I don’t suggest over-betting. I suggest betting a small amount, enough to make your opponent think, but not a big enough amount that will get you into trouble. If you get called, you’ll need to try and determine your opponent’s hand and then make the correct plays for the turn and maybe the river. If your opponent comes out raising you, you can most likely believe that you are beat and you are still able to get out of the pot without having taken a huge hit to your stack. A good amount of times when you value bet your ace or king high, you’ll find that your opponent will fold if the flop has missed him completely. This will happen more often in heads up play than in full table play. You also have a chance of hitting your ace or king and taking the pot from there.

Bluffing is a huge part of playing heads up, selectively. Along with the plenty of times that the flop misses you, it’s going to happen to your opponent just a much. Don’t be afraid and back off from a hand, especially when you made a bet or raise before the flop. Although the flop may not hit you, you still have a good chance of having the best hand. Continue being aggressive until your opponent makes you think otherwise. Let’s take a look at this by example. If you have a couple high cards, like AJ for example, and make a good size raise before the flop and get called by your opponent to see the flop come 7, 3, 2 all different suits, don’t back off now. There is a very good chance that because your opponent called before the flop that he is also holding higher cards or maybe some middle suited connectors. By betting now on the flop, you opponent may sense that your hand is still strong (a middle to high pocket pair) and will usually fold. You know you have nothing, but your opponent doesn’t know that. He may think you could have hit a set or hold an overpair to the board. If you don’t come out betting, a mistake a lot of people make, you’ll be showing weakness in your hand and this will open the door for your opponent to make his move and put you to a decision that you don’t want to have to make. It is better to be the aggressor and make your opponent make the decision. Also, if your opponent does think you’re bluffing, he may call and you still have a good chance to showing down the best hand. Although you are bluffing, you have to remember that you are playing a good enough hand that will support your bluffing if your opponent also thinks you are bluffing and tries to out-bluff you. You could also pair either card on the turn or the river to improve your hand.

What if things happen the other way around, your opponent comes out betting? Depending on what happened before the flop, you can usually gather some information on how strong of a hand your opponent has. If you have hit the flop and your opponent has bet, you need to determine a few things before proceeding. First, how good your hand is and how good you think your opponent’s hand is. Second, whether to fold, call, or raise. And third, how likely you are to improve your hand if you are to call. Folding when your opponent has bet shouldn’t be that hard. If you believe that you are beat, fold. If you believe that you are beat, but have an opportunity to draw to a hand that you believe would be better than your opponent’s, call if the odds dictate you to do so. If you have hit top pair on the flop and your kicker is an over card, I would suggest raising your opponent. If your kicker is an under card, then you may just want to call, but it would be all right to also raise in this situation if you believe that have a better hand than your opponent. Top pair heads up is generally the best hand. A good amount of the time, any pair is the best hand. With hands that have great drawing value, don’t be shy to raise. Semi-bluffing is a great strategy and will help you to take down more pots. It is often the more profitable play to bet your big draws.

If the flop comes out and you don’t hit it dead on, but rather get a piece of it, it also may be a good time to bet out. If you flop an open-ended straight draw, a flush draw, or those times when you are open-ended with a flush draw also, play them strong. You have to figure that you are drawing to the best hand out there. Even if your opponent comes out betting strong, you have to ponder a call because of how well you can improve your hand. If your call offers good pot odds, then go for it. Otherwise, muck your draws when forced with a big bet, big raise, or big re-raise by your opponent if you suspect being beaten.

What if the flop comes out and it is paired? Before you make any decision you need to analyze how the flop has helped you out, if it has at all. If you have made three-of-a-kind, a lot of players will slow play this hand. If you feel that you know your opponent well enough and you know he will bet if you check, then go ahead and slow play. If you feel that your opponent will call you, I would suggest betting in order to get more money into the pot. If you are sure your opponent will fold, you should probably just check and let your opponent check behind you. If you bet and he folds, you’ll essentially only be winning the same amount as if you both check. Doing so could allow your opponent to catch a card to give him two pair and then he could think he has you beat and you’ll have him in a good position. If the flop’s pair doesn’t hit you, but the other card does, you’ll have two pair. A strong hand heads up. I would suggest betting out on this and seeing how your opponent reacts before proceeding. If he calls, don’t back off and check on the turn, keep betting until you get raised. Without a raise, there is no apparent reason to be scared. What if the flop misses you completely, but it is paired? If you feel that you have a good enough hand to take down the pot without having made three-of-a-kind or two pair, feel free to bet. Be a little cautious if your opponent hangs around, but still play strongly. These are just some scenarios to keep in mind if the flop comes out paired. By no means am I telling you how to play the hand. You must analyze what has happened throughout the entirety of the hand from the time the dealer cuts the cards until the time the action is on you. Knowing and watching your opponent while analyzing the situation will help you to make the correct play in this situation. I know that may sound vague in sense, but you need to remember that every poker hand is different, played differently, and, most importantly, all players are different. Think things through, especially in situations such as these that can win or lose you a good amount of chips. Also, if you know your opponent is one to trap, be careful and don’t give him the opportunity to trap you.

The flop is a key ingredient to how you will play the hand from here on out. Along with the scenarios above, you need to also decide what to do when the flop hits you big. If you flop two pair, a set, a straight, or a flush, you need to make a decision as to how you want to play this hand. If you believe that you can rope in your opponent, then just check. If he bets, you may want to just call instead of raising if you know that you have the best hand. If the pot is big enough that you wouldn’t mind taking it down right then and there, bet big. If your opponent calls you, you can still believe that your hand is the best hand and it gets more money into the pot. If he folds, take it down and start stacking. A great time to check-raise and trap people is when playing heads up because betting is such an important factor when heads up. Generally, if you check, your opponent is going to bet and try and get the upper hand. Knowing this and your opponent’s style will help you to get the most chips you can from his stack. Also, not betting at all and allowing free cards isn’t as bad in heads up play as it would be at a full table. Checking behind your opponent to make him think you are weak when you have a monster may be to your benefit. But with marginal hands such middle and low pairs on the flop, checking behind your opponent may show weakness in your hand. This could mean last farewell to some of your stack, as you want to be sure not to show when you are weak.

IV. The Turn

The fourth card comes down and it’s a scare — possibly making your opponents flush or straight that he might have been drawing to. If you bet on the flop, don’t be afraid to bet on the turn, even when this may happen. The turn card may end up scaring you, but you cannot show weakness in your hand by checking after you have bet the flop. By checking, you’re opening the door for your opponent. You need to come out betting once again. If your opponent makes the call, fine. You should still believe to have the best hand unless you are raised. If you find yourself betting the turn only to be raised by your opponent, your sirens should go off. The scare card now has seemingly helped your opponent out and you need to be cautious. If your opponent was slow playing from the flop, it is doubtful he would have called the bet on the flop and then raised on the turn. If this were a trap, the more likely play by your opponent would be to call the bet on the turn. Making you think he is still weak by not raising you. You also have to take into account that when heads up, there are only two players. This makes the chance of the turn making your opponent’s hand less likely. Knowing this, always come out firing on the turn when you have bet the flop and simply have been called. More than enough, it will pay off in the end.

If you pulled a check-raise on the flop and your opponent called, it is suggested that you come out betting on the turn. This may let your opponent know you have a good hand, but you shouldn’t mind taking the pot down right there as your opponent could have been on a draw. Do this especially if the turn card isn’t a scare card that could have made you opponent’s hand. If you check, your opponent may check behind you to be able to see the river for free. With a decent sized pot formed from the bet, raise, and call on the flop, it would be nice to just take the pot right then.

If your opponent checks a flop that misses you and you check behind him, be careful of a failed check-raise attempt by your opponent if you know he likes to check-raise. When this happens, I would not suggest trying to bluff on the turn when your opponent checks. If you have hit the turn and it gives you a hand, then it might be good to come out betting if you know your opponent is weak. If you are raised, be cautious and only make the call when you know your hand is good enough to take it down. If the raise seems suspicious and you have a good feeling you are beat, then just fold. You’ll have checked the flop and made a small bet on the turn, causing you not to fall into the trap and lose too many chips.

V. The River

The final card comes out and you have bet all the way through with your opponent just calling. The river isn’t a scare, what should you do? Bet. By betting again, your opponent will probably call again with his weak hand and you’ll take down a good pot. If you bet and your opponent was drawing the whole time, he may fold, which still delivers the pot to your side of the table. When the river comes out and it has paired the board or made a straight or flush possible, don’t be afraid to back off and check if you’re unsure that your hand will win. If your opponent bets after you check, you will be correct in calling, unless the bet is an enormous amount that is unjustifiable to be called with your hand’s strength. Checking on the river is a good play when you have a hand that is worth calling with if your opponent may bet. If it comes down to the river and you know that if your opponents bets behind your check that you will fold, it may be in your best interest to come out betting. This can be known as a defensive bet. Your opponent may have a good hand, but with your bet, he may fall timid to your hand and think that maybe you have him beat. Doing this will more than likely make your opponent call with good, but not great, hands. I call this a defensive bet, because it allows you to make the move and put your opponent to a decision. More often than not, it will make your opponent just call with a better hand than yours, which saves you more chips than if he were to raise.

If you have been slow playing a hand the whole way through and your opponent has checked behind you each time, come out betting on the river. Your opponent may look at this as a bluff and raise to try and take down the pot. Little does he know that you have been trapping the entire time and that you have him right where you want him.

If you have been calling along with a marginal hand and the river comes out to make your two pair or three-of-a-kind, come out betting strong. Hopefully, your opponent will make the call because his hand is good and he may be unsuspecting of what you hold. If you have been drawing the whole time to a straight or flush and make it on the river, it may be a good idea to check if you know for sure that your opponent will bet again. If he does, fire a raise at him. If you are unsure if your opponent will bet because of the scare card, you may want to come out betting yourself, trying to induce a call to get the most from your now made hand.

VI. Conclusion

In the end, being successful at heads up play will be greatly influenced by how you can adapt yourself to the new style of game that it is. Heads up poker involves a great deal more skill than that of a full table game. The psychological involvement becomes greater and is a major key to coming out a winner when heads up. Knowing when to check, bet, or fold during heads up play is much different than a full table. When it’s just you and your opponent one on one, you will find it profitable to come out betting when you would normally check at a full table and either fold or raise instead of just calling. I believe that you need to mix up your game more and become more aggressive when heads up. You are against only one opponent now and you must take try to gain an edge at every moment. Remember that your opponent is only playing against you and you need to keep him on his toes. Playing smart by mixing up your game and simply outplaying your opponent along with being more aggressive than you normally would will help your heads up skill increase greatly. And with that, may your opponent’s pockets be empty and your aces full.

Is it laziness? Blindness? Or do people really just not care? These are the things I was caught asking myself today after I did a little reading on some forums. What I’m talking about is the vast expanse of material that one can learn from to improve their poker game located right in front of their eyes. I’ve been a part of a nice core group of friends that enjoy the game and really love to play it. Most of them are also very solid players withenough skill to post small win rates. With that said, I see a lot of potential in these players, but I just don’t get why they don’t want to progress.

Oftentimes, we discuss various hand histories and some strategies, but I believe it needs to go beyond just our core group. There are plenty of forums out there on the web where people can talk strategy and ask questions to further improve their game. I myself love giving advice to my friends, but I also try and advise them to seek other forms of advice. You shouldn’t be happy with just one or two answers. The more critiquing you receive, the better off you will be. Besides the forums, there are plenty of video training sites, books, and magazines. You can even simply log into an online poker site of your choice and watch the regular, better players. All of this will greatly help out your game and can further the gap between you and weaker opponents.

Another big mistake I see with people is not using tracking software when playing online such as Poker Tracker. I understand many players can be timid of all the numbers, graphs, and data that the porgram offers, but all it takes is a few days or a week to learn the software and what it can do for you. Poker Tracker doesn’t just give you stats on other players. It greatly helps you to realize leaks in your game. This is where I believe it comes in handy the most. Even within my group of poker-playing friends, a lot of them fail to use this software and I am hoping to push it on them to “get with the program” because I want them to be able to improve as much as possible.

Beyond the learning materials available to players out there, I also find it amazing that people don’t take advantage of staking sites such as ChipMeUp.com. ChipMeUp is a great tool for players looking to play some bigger stakes without investing a larger portion of their bankroll. It’s completely legitimate and endorsed by such pros as Tony G, Billy “The Croc”, and David Saab. You can even buy shares of these players when they play in the huge stakes tournaments around the world. It’s just a great way for you to take shots and hopefully improve your game and bankroll. I’ve been trying to push this site hard with my friends and encourage everyone interested in poker to check it out and give it a shot.

The final thing I’m amazed that people don’t take advantage of is rakeback offers and other bonuses. With so many sites nowadays offering rakeback, sign-up bonuses, and referral bonuses, it’s a shame players don’t take full advantage of this. Rakeback helps cut down on the costs of playing, especially if you put in a high volume while bonuses are easy ways to boost a bankroll just by playing regularly and clearing them.

With Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun located all the way down in Connecticut, one might be inclined to make the long haul from the likes of northern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine to find a quality poker room. Instead, I suggest traveling a much shorter distance to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire to find The Poker Room tucked away at Seabrook Greyhound Park. Located in Seabrook, NH and once known only for its seasonal greyhound racing, The Poker Room at Seabrook Greyhound Park aims to provide another form of gambling to the public: poker.

Home to the New England Poker Championships, The Poker Room provides a weekly schedule filled with single-table and multi-table tournaments ranging in buy-ins from $30-250. You can also find limit cash tables boasting $1-2 and $2-4 games of Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha H/L, Stud, and Stud H/L. Once in a while, you’ll even stumble across a group playing some Crazy Pineapple or mixed game combination. And if the poker itch doesn’t grab you, there are blackjack and roulette tables spread around the room as well.

You might be questioning yourself about the legality of poker and table games in New Hampshire. Well, it’s not completely legal, but The Poker Room is set up to aid local charities in fundraising. A portion of all the tournament buy-ins are withheld for the given charity sponsor. The Poker Room does guarantee a payback of 75% on all tournaments, with 80% payback coming from certain special events. When it comes to the cash games, NH recently passed a new law stating that the maximum bet for a poker game or table game to be $4. This may not seem like a lot, but it is double the $2 maximum from the old law.

The room itself is set up quite nicely. It’s actually broken up into two rooms. When you walk in and go left, you’ll find the cash tables, black and roulette games, along with the single-table tournaments. If you were to go right, you’d enter the tournament room where as many as three of the daily scheduled multi-table tournaments may be running. In each room, you’ll find plenty of space between tables so you won’t feel cramped and there’s an abundance of televisions around each room showcasing sporting events, horse racing, and greyhound racing from all over. The dealers may not be the quickest or most efficient in the business, but they get the job done quite well and understand how to keep excellent control of the game. You’re also allowed to order food and drinks while at the tables from one of the waitresses on duty, which is nice until someone gets their greasy fingers all over the cards.

Even though the room opens during the afternoon every day of the week, you’ll find the majority of the crowds file in around 5:00 or 6:00 PM. Many come to play the nightly tournaments, which always seem to fill the tournament room close to capacity. On the weekends, the fields are a little larger with a special $150 buy-in tournament scheduled every Saturday as the “Main Event.”

With a quality floor staff and decent structures when it comes to tournaments, I’d say this room is a must for the avid player in Northern New England. The play itself can be very weak, but the prize pools are worthwhile as long as you’re not looking for life-changing scores. I live in New Hampshire myself and have frequented The Poker Room at Seabrook Greyhound Park many, many times. I highly recommend stopping by and giving some of the games a go if you’re close by. I will remind you though that the dealers work for tips only, so you should feel a little bit more inclined to tip well if you happen to take down one of the events.

For a complete list of all of The Poker Room at Seabrook Greyhound Park’s tournaments and other information, please check out the room’s website at http://www.seabrookpoker.com.

As one of the largest casinos in the world, it’s only fitting that Foxwoods also boasts one of the largest poker rooms in the world. With over 100 tables spread out around the spacious room, Foxwoods never seems to have a shortage of games going. Even though Mohegan Sun just recently reopened their poker room a few months ago, the players are still packing the poker room at Foxwoods as they always have.

A couple of years ago, the room was located upstairs adjacent to the race book in a space now filled with numerous slot machines. The room was surrounded by enormous windows that, unlike most casinos, provided a view of the outside world. It was a great place to play and always good to watch the sun rise on the horizon after a long session, good or bad. After moving downstairs, the room got a little darker and a little larger, and the priviledge of being able to eat while playing at the table was taken away as well, which some will still say is for the better.

Before Mohegan reopened their room, Foxwoods had somewhat of a monopoly going — and they knew it. There was no bad beat jackpot and many of the games charged time, instead of taking a rake. Since the opening of Mohegan’s room, the $1-2 NL Hold’em game has moved to a rake scenario and there is a bad beat jackpot running. Money isn’t taken out of the pot for the jackpot, so it’s not as big as some other poker rooms, but it’s enough to ease your pain a little bit if you happened to be on the wrong end of thing. The main qualification of the bad beat is that aces-full-of-jacks or better must lose.

When it comes to the actual poker being played in the room, Foxwoods has a lot to offer. Some of the common games spread throughout the room are limit and no-limit hold’em, omaha, omaha 8-or-better, stud, and stud 8-or-better. You’ll find all kinds of stakes as well, ranging from $2-4 limit and $1-2 no-limit, all the way up to $25-50 no-limit and $150-300 limit games. The games are good, the players are fishy, but the dealers could use a little work. I believe that because all of the dealers pull thier tips together, they don’t really work as hard as they should. Not that they don’t do the job well, but some of them are very methodical and really lack the color and personaltity that most excellent dealers possess.

If you’re in the New England area and looking for a game, Foxwoods is surely the place to be though. With the plentiful amount of cash games previously listed, daily and nightly multi-table tournaments, and sit-n-gos running around the clock, you’re sure to always find a game, or two, or ten at Foxwoods. The busiest times to play are during weekends, specifically the nights. On any given week night though, there’s plenty of action to go around. The holidays are also a good time for the poker room. The games really tend to be crammed full during holiday seasons when people have some extra money to spend and a few more days off to play poker. And don’t forget about the big WPT events that Foxwoods holds twice a year. During these two times, the cash games really flourish and the games are packed with big action and big bets.

I regularly play at Foxwoods and despite some of the issues I find with the room, it’s a great place to play. I recommend it to anyone in the upper Northeast and all other poker-playing travelers seeking some of the juiciest games.