Hold Em Authority - Texas Hold Em Strategy and advice for all levels of players

I dabbled into the wonderful world of Full Tilt Poker the other night, and let me tell you, I was on more than Full Tilt by the end of the night. I’ll explain why in a little bit, but for right now, let’s get to the nuts and bolts of the site.

Full Tilt Poker is backed by quite a few very prominent poker players, ranging from Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to Phil Ivey to Clonie Gowen.

The site itself is pretty easy to navigate, and a picture of the lobby can be found here.

I’ve included a screenshot of a typical Full Tilt table setup down below.

Full Tilt has one of the best selections of games out there, and they really do promote these games because they feel being a diverse poker player can provide more benefits and opportunities for the poker player down the line. Some of the games include Razz, HOSE (Holdem, Omaha, Stud, Omaha 8/B), and HORSE (R for Razz).

There is a good selection of tournaments on Full Tilt, and the blind structure for these tournaments goes up fairly slow, which is a good thing if you are a tighter player. The increases go from 30/60 to 40/80 to 50/100, so as you can see, the increments are quite small. Full Tilt holds a Sunday evening tournament that guarantees a $200K prize pool - it’s a $200 buyin. Also, a monthly $500K tournament with a buyin of $500 can be found in the middle of every month. Obviously the low stakes are covered, but if you’re more of a high roller, Full Tilt has you covered as well.

I have found it to be true that, on the whole, this site has the sneakiest poker players on the net. What do I mean by that? Well, a lot of the players play just like me - very tight, but aggressive when they’re in a hand. That in itself isn’t very sneaky, but many players on Full Tilt like to trap. They will play AA very quietly so as not to attract attention, but by the end of the hand, they will have all your chips. I was trapped more on Full Tilt this past weekend than I have been in a month on other poker sites.

As for the bonus - it’s hard to beat. You get a Full Tilt Poker Bonus all the way up to $600. Obviously, as with other sites, you have to play on the site to extract the bonus, but if you play break even poker you’ll make a nice amount of money. From the site, this is the amount of money you earn with each raked hand: “For each dollar raked from a pot, every player who was dealt cards for that hand will earn one point. You can earn partial points if less than one dollar is raked, and you can earn up to three points per hand. Each point is worth $.06, so you can earn up to $18 per hundred hands.”

If you’re a beginning poker player, you can definitely learn a lot by playing on this site, but you may lose a lot in the process. However, if you have the discipline to stay at really low stakes and move up the ladded extremely slow, then I think this is the best place for you to play. If you don’t have that discipline, you may want to consider a different site until you either get better or obtain more discipline.

As an intermediate or advanced poker player, I think this is a great site to play at. The players are good enough that tournaments won’t be an all in fest (especially with the good blind structure), and you will always be challenged by those players that try to stay under the radar and then BAM, make a sneaky play on you.

I think that the most vulnerable players on this site are the megalomaniacs, the players that will play any two cards at any time. It seems that any player is willing to execute some sort of trap at any point during a SNG or MTT. If you are one of these players, you might want to tighten up just a bit to make sure you aren’t walking into these traps left and right.

Overall, I say Full Tilt is a must see. Check it out, and as an added bonus for reading all the way to the end of the article, I’ve included a picture of Clonie Gowen that might be of interest for any straight male between the age of 10-90.

This is the first in a series of online poker site reviews, and I chose UltimateBet because it is the site I have the most experience with. These reviews are designed to not only review the site in general, but to give you a sense of how one specific site can cater to your needs much more than another can. For example, some sites’ tournament structures are different than others, and your task is to find which structure you are most comfortable with.

The first thing you’ll notice when you sit down at the tables is the clarity of UltimateBet’s graphics and their smooth animations. The gameplay itself is a very pleasant experience, although losing money still sucks despite the great interface.

An image of the table layout can be found here.

An image of the UB lobby can be found here.

The biggest knock on UB, and one that I have found myself to be a problem, is the customer service. It sucks, and has sucked for a long time. If you have any financial problems on that site, you will have to wait for a long time to get your problems resolved. Email communication is impossible, as emails get returned that are so generic in nature they may as well be automated.

The table games at UltimateBet used to be filled with very tight players, but as time has progressed and this new wave of players have come to the forefront, these tables have become a bit more loose. On the whole, however, I think UltimateBet’s players are still a bit more tight than most of its’ competition. The table game selection is very good, with just about every limit represented, along with a strong selection of no limit games. A knock on UB, however, is the fact that they can’t pull any kind of poker player besides Holdem players. This is reflected in their other games. While their selection is decent, almost no one is making use of those tables.

As for their tournaments, the selection could be better. UB carries far too many satellites and turbo tournaments, offering their players very few opportunities to play in a regular cash tournament. One good thing about UB tournaments, however, is the fact that their blind structure caters to a player like myself. Their blind structure goes up every 12 minutes (every 15 for a $100+ tournament), and the blinds increase at a reasonable rate. I feel like for a tight player, this is the best structure you will find, period. You typically have enough time to pick your spots, and against an aggressive table, that extra time can become very valuable.

UltimateBet’s SNG selection isn’t too bad at all, with 6 and 10 man SNG’s running from $1 to $500 at all times. The structure is very comparable to the MTTs, with the blinds in SNG’s typically going up every 10 minutes. One thing that UB doesn’t have much of, or much interest in for that matter, is Multi-Table SNGs. Their multi-table SNGs end after the $20 level, and very little interest can be created with the MT SNG’s even at the lower levels.

All in all, I really do feel that this is the best site to play if you are a tight poker player. If you can stay away from any problems with the site and find a couple tournaments a day that fit in with your bankroll, I highly recommend giving them a try. They run a 100% first deposit bonus, but unfortunately, the way they run their bonus dollars program is a bit absurd. Even so, I still think it’s worth a shot, and if as a tight player you still don’t like it, I think Full Tilt might not be a bad call. That will be the next in a long line of poker room reviews coming at you in the near future.

How bout this for a promotion: deposit $1100 into Mansion’s sports betting site and put all that money on the Steelers to cover the spread on September 7th.  If you lose, Mansion will refund your money.  If you win, Mansion will pay out $1000 (plus your initial investment of course) to use however you want to.  Are you kidding me?  This is ridiculous, and I’m heavily contemplating doing this for myself.

Don’t take my word and my word alone on it, check out these sources and educate yourself.

1.  Mansion’s Web Page

2.  PocketFives Open Thread

I don’t know about you, but it sounds too good to be true.  Typically, that usually means that it is too good to be true, but in this case, I can’t find any evidence that even implies “you’re gonna get screwed”.  If you’re a beginning poker player that has $1100 laying around, you might consider taking advantage of this, because $1000 is a really nice bankroll to start your poker career with.

Go Steelers.

Who knew that I could find a poker image of the web that tied so closely to my obscure title? Anyway, I must admit, this site revamp has taken it out of me, so I am going to send you elsewhere, at least for today, for your poker information. Soon, I hope to have reviews of various online poker rooms that will not only be informative, but will help you choose your best fit through the information that I give.

Ok, on to the links that are more than worth reading today.

1. Adam LaBare has a new site running, and I think that it is worth a look-see, if not a join. (I’m a member now, name, checkitdown). PokerXtreme is the name, and the basic premise of the site can be found on Adam’s most recent post. The site is still in the very beginning stages, but even so, it seems to be running almost glitch-free. As it becomes more popular (and it will become more popular) I hope to have a more in-depth review of the site.
2. GCox has a great post on low limit sit and go strategy. After all, he proclaims himself a low limit grinder, so he should know about things such as this.

3. You thought the knowledge from GCox was done? Check out this article he wrote a little while back if you need some reinforcement, or, especially, if you’re new to the game.

4. Finally, check out an article from Jordan at High on Poker for another take on Heads Up Strategy. I’ve got my theories, he’s got his - that’s what’s great about the game of poker, there’s no one correct way to play any type of game!

Bodog has a great summary of which hands can be played in which position, generally. As a beginner, I would recommend playing no more hands than this until you get a feel for what’s going on. Don’t think that position is the only factor that weighs on which hands you play, but it is a good starting point. Other factors that determine which hands you play when are your stack size, the other playeres at your table, what kind of action has occured behind you, and the style of play you like to incorporate. We’ll worry about that later after you have a better grasp of the game.

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OK, you’ve decided to play these hands, but what do you do with them? Do you raise, or call? Different situations call for different solutions, but generally, the rule of thumb is that it is better to raise or fold than it is to call. If you’re ever in doubt on whether you should play a hand, fold it. If you are unsure of whether you should raise or call, raise it up.

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Next, a must for the serious poker player: odds. All shapes and forms of odds… get out your calculator.

This is the next review in a line of books I hope to review in the future. This time around, it’s Harrington on Hold Em Volume 2. I raved about volume 1 of this book, and I’m not going to stop with Volume 2. I think this is a must have a for a serious NL Holdem tournament player. I’ll try to give just a wee bit of insight on each chapter, but I don’t want to give away too much, because you need to read this book cover to cover at least 14 times.

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Alright, topic 1, making moves…..
Harrington talks about a plethora, yes, plethora of things in the making moves section. Bluffing, continuation bets, defending against the continuation bet, probe bets, the squeeze play, the no-limit semi-bluff, the back alley mugging, the dark tunnel bluff, slowplaying, massaging the pot, the check-raise bluff, the post-oak bluff, and the BSB play. If you don’t know what some of these things are, might I suggest buying the book? As tight as you might think Harrington is, he’s got a TON of weapons in his arsenal, and this chapter gives a great in-depth look at what he does to become a winner. Read this section carefully, as it will help you understand the complexities that the next chapters have to offer.

Topic 2: Inflection Points

This section was the most helpful to me, because it addressed the issue of going all-in late in a tournament and when the time was right to do so. The bulk of this chapter was dedicated to a player’s ‘M’, a number found by taking chip stack divided by blinds + antes. For example, if my stack was 1500, and the blinds were 150/300 with a 25 ante at a 10 person table, my M would be just over 2 (1500/(150+300+25(10))). Harrington goes into detail about the range of M’s in which you can play your normal game, where you should be concerned, etc.

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Topic 3: Multiple Inflection Points

Harrington gets more in detail about the previous chapter, citing specific scenarios.

Topic 4: Short Tables

My shorthanded game sucks, so this chapter really helped me out. Harrington taught me to be a bit more aggressive in these situation. Harringtonalso discusses strategies to eliminate short stacks so your overall winnings increase. Harrington also suggests in this chapter that when you’re on the fence about a decision, to just let the pot odds dictate your answer.

Topic 5: Heads-Up Play

I’m a huge heads-up guy, so this chapter didn’t help me a ton, but gave me some confirmation that I’m playing correctly, or at least the way a world champion does. Harrington goes into great detail in some of his examples in this chapter. It’s a really good read for anyone, regardless of your heads up skill level.This really is the whole book in a very very condensed nutshell. As in the first volume, Harrington gives fantastic examples, and those help just as much as his strategy advice does. I HIGHLY recommend this book, because it will not only teach you some new tricks, it will give you more confidence!

We just got done learning about pot odds, and now it’s on to something a little more complicated, but along the same line of pot odds. Implied odds are factoring in to pot odds the extra amount of chips you expect to win later in the hand.
There is a great example on PokerSavvy of implied odds that shows math isn’t as important as it is in pot odds.

These odds rely a bit more upon feel, but again, the math isn’t as complex, because most of the time, the answer will be pretty obvious, as you can see from the PokerSavvy example. Now, on to another example.
Here’s my example. Using the example from pot odds but adjusting the numbers a little bit, assume that your opponent bets 500 into you instead of 100. Since there is 500 in the pot (1000 now that your opponent has bet 500), and you only have a 20.45% chance of hitting your nut flush, pot odds (500/(1000+500)) 33% are not dictating a call. However, you figure that since your opponent bet so aggressively on the turn, he/she will not lay down his hand for anything on the river, and will end up with all his/her chips in the middle. If your opponent has as little as 1000 chips left, implied odds show that it is right to call, because the odds have gone from (500/(1000+500)) 33% to (500/(1000+1000+500)) 20%.

Our final part in the odds series will touch on effective odds. Effective odds aren’t as vital as the others, but can be an (dare I say it) effective tool when thinking about your odds with two cards to come.

Erin: posts small blind $10

Tim: posts big blind $15

** Note here that the small blind isn’t half of the big blind, this isn’t too common, but happens sometimes.

We’re going to be playing as Joe here

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to Joe [Ah Js]

Johnny: calls $15 – matching the blind

Bridget: calls $15 – matching the blind

Larry: folds – he’s out of the hand

Joe: raises $15 to $30 – raises the initial bet of $15

Erin: folds – she’s out of the hand
Tim: calls $15 – matching the raise
Johnny: calls $15- matching the raise
Bridget: calls $15 – matching the raise

*** FLOP *** [7s 8s Ts]

Tim: checks – has the option to bet, but declines
Johnny: bets $15 – he doesn’t raise because no one has bet yet on the flop.
Bridget: folds – out of the hand
Joe: raises $15 to $30 – now it’s called a raise.
Tim: folds – out of the hand
Johnny: raises $15 to $45 – another raise
Joe: raises $15 to $60 – another raise
Johnny: calls $15 – matches my raise

*** TURN *** [7s 8s Ts] [Kd]

Johnny: bets $30 – bet, not raise
Joe: calls $30 – match the bet

*** RIVER *** [7s 8s Ts Kd] [9s]

Johnny: bets $30
Joe: raises $30 to $60
Johnny: raises $30 to $90
Joe: raises $30 to $120
Johnny: calls $30

*** SHOW DOWN ***

Joe: shows [Ah Js] (a straight flush, Seven to Jack)

Moving along now - betting structures is the topic.

This is from Checkitdown, a blog about my personal poker experiences. I think it is a very important article, not just for a beginning poker player who thinks it’s all about the cards, but for the intermediate and advanced players who may be struggling with their emotions as well.

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“I recently deposited some money into PokerStars. I’ve consistently lost on PokerStars, but I used to play there when I was much less experiened and much more stupid. This time I felt like I could really take advantage of some of the fish that were swimming around out there. The first night I ended down about 15 bucks. The second night I ended down 50 bucks. I lost the first sit and go on the third day and lost what confidence I had left. At that point, I should have pulled the rest of my money out, because a lack of confidence is never found in an equation of winning.

Confidence is vital in so many different things in life; sports, academics, socially, and I believe it pertains to poker as well. I entered the next sit and go expecting to lose because of all the bad beats I’d taken and the poor plays I’d made, and that’s exactly what I did. I changed my game plan because I was afraid to get beat. I tightened up, folded a lot of very strong hands, and eventually was forced to go all in at an inopportune time. This became a pattern, and I eventually lost all my money. As stupid as it sounds, I looked to my lack of success as a result of the site I was playing on, beacuse “I can never win on PokerStars.” I am not blaming the site for forcing bad beats upon me, but when I’m up almost $8000 on one site and down $600 on another, I feel like I’m jinxed on that site.

I hated doing it, but I put more money back into UB. I feel more comfortable at that site, and in turn that gives me more confidence. The first sit and go I played, I sat down at the table feeling I was the best player there. I didn’t win, but I felt a helluva lot better about my play than I did with any of the tourneys I played on Stars.

I think one of the toughest things in poker is to remain confident even when luck isn’t on your side. Just because you are losing does not mean you are playing poorly, and when the chips continue to go in the wrong direction, it’s easy to feel you are doing something wrong.

In summary, ya gotta have confidence if you want to win at poker. If you’ve lost it, stop playing for awhile, if you’ve never had it, stop playing forever.

I believe that this article addresses a couple extra issues that I will write on in the future: staying in your comfort zone, and dealing with bad luck. Remember, this game isn’t all about the cards. If it were all about the cards, you could stick the poker tables right next to blackjack.

As I mentioned in a previous article on tournament hand selection, it is better to raise or fold than it is to call. I didn’t elaborate on why that is true, so hopefully this article will give a little more insight on the advice.*******

First and foremost, raising gives you much more information about your opponents hand than a call would. For example, let’s say you called a raise preflop with A 10. The flop comes 10 5 2. Regardless of your position, you’re faced with a pot-sized bet. If you just call here, what do you know about your opponents hand? He/she represented strength preflop and now on the flop, so it’s very possible he/she has an overpair to the board. What are you to do if he/she makes another pot-sized bet on the turn? At this point, it’s getting very expensive, and you still don’t know where you’re at in the hand.

Now let’s assume we are in the same situation on the flop, but we elect to raise instead of call. Our opponent will do one of three things in response: reraise, call, or fold. If he reraises, chances are we’re beat. I don’t care who you are, maniac, rock, whatever; if you’re reraising like that, chances are, you’ve got a monster hand. Moving on, if he calls, depending on the player, we could be ahead or behind. This is really the only scenario we have to worry about, as the information doesn’t become very clear to us. If he folds, that’s fine, nice pot. See all the information we were able to gather with a raise? So simple, yet sometimes it’s easy to overlook.

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Secondly, a raise may eliminate a suckout. Let’s take the example from above. If our opponent makes a pot-sized bet on that 10 5 2 flop and we just call, what are we going to do if a J, Q, or K comes on the turn? The situation becomes more complicated then, not to mention we still don’t have a clue what our opponent has. If you raise and he/she folds, you don’t have to worry about a suckout.

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Finally, and this applies a bit more preflop but can be applied postflop as well: isolation. If we get dealt AA preflop and we just call, we’re running the risk of butting heads with anywhere from 1-6 other hands. Against 1 person, AA is a huge favorite, against 6 others, we’d be lucky to win 1/3 of the time. A raise helps eliminate opponents so we can focus on a single, or maybe 2 opponents. It reduces our thought process when we have to worry about less people.

Again, raising or folding is better than calling, so work that raise into your poker arsenal, and don’t be afraid! By raising, you’re actually making life easier on yourself!