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Originially posted on BetFirms

Much of what is correct for any poker player is down to what suits them personally not just as people but also as individuals. A players own poker history, their level of knowledge, their level of multi-tabling experience and also how they like to play poker all impact on what is the ideal number of tables for them to play.

I know players who do not like the thought of ever playing more than one table because to them, online poker is all about trying to replicate the live poker experience as much as possible. So it is not all about maximising earnings for many people and is more to do with the actual “feel” of playing poker.

But then again, many players could quite easily be maximizing their earnings by playing one table so they are literally killing two birds with one stone so to speak. Much of what we are talking about here also comes down to how you want to play poker. If you want to play heads up no-limit then you really shouldn’t be playing too many tables playing this form of poker.

It is the same with six max games although even at this form of poker, I know players who have successfully played as many as 24 tables and made money, I take my hat off to them. I don’t necessarily jump to the conclusion that just because I cannot do something personally that no one else can. If your objective is to make money by getting rakeback and playing half decent poker and exploiting novice players then playing as many full-ring games as you can could just be your optimal way to play.

Strangely enough this may suit players who are merely break even players or slight net plus players. Some people may argue that playing more tables does not allow you to watch your HUD or read your tracking data, but that’s just my point, if you are not doing this anyway simply because you cannot be bothered and you cannot be bothered to concentrate well enough to watch the other players then playing more tables will not handicap you. This is for the simple reason being that you are not taking advantage of those tells anyway and you are not making your money that way.

Originially posted on BetFirms

In many instances having good temperament and skill may get you an edge but in other instances it wont. But in poker, if you can take advantage of your three basic weapons and optimise them then you have a great chance.

1. POSITION

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people ignore the importance of position and certainly in cash games. If world class players cannot ignore positional difficulties then what chances have you got? Good position isn’t just something that is desirable, it is essential. So what if your opponents always see you raising from the steal seats or three betting apparent stealers.

You will always have your position as a weapon. Put yourself into your opponents shoes, you raise from the button. They suspect that you are raising with junk but they have junk too. If they re-raise and you call then they are in trouble as they have to make the first move after the flop and are doing so blindly.

Your position can induce fear and allow you to win pots in all kinds of different ways. So use it when you have it and respect the fact when you don’t.

2. CHIPS

Your chips are a weapon, but depending on your level of skill they can also be a handicap as well. This is why many players would argue that skill should be classed as a primary weapon. But yet it cannot be a basic weapon if skill is difficult to acquire. Position is something that all players have irrespective of skill level and chips also fit that category.

If you want to exploit mistakes from weak novice players then you need chips to do it and that means buying in for the biggest stack that you can.

3. CARDS

This may seem obvious but it still amazes me how so many players seem to think that they can take any old piece of cheese and use it to outplay someone. If your opponent has a hand then they are not going to lay it down and this accounts for if they are strong or weak in many cases. They could also have a hand that could hit the flop like AK. Your opponent raises with AK and you re-raise with 7-4 trying to be cute, the flop comes K-7-2, now look at the trouble that you are in. Respect your position, use your chips and don’t expand your range too wide, it’s as simple as that.

Originially posted on BetFirms

In six max play, you must not back down to the slightest aggression that comes your way from your opponents. This applies of course to any form of poker and limit play is no different. In loose aggressive games then you basically have two options, either leave the table or fight fire with fire.

I have seen numerous players let their VPIP’s fall below 20% in six-max limit play and this is getting into dangerous territory. This can sometimes be an inclination that these players are multi-tabling but in many cases they are simply getting pushed around by better and stronger players. If players who have VPIP’s of say 17% are playing too tightly pre-flop then the chances are that they will be playing too tightly post flop as well.

Playing too tightly post flop is a catastrophic error in limit hold ‘em and even worse than playing tightly pre-flop. At least when you play tightly pre-flop you are avoiding making post flop errors that cost entire pots. But the process of losing an entire pot is something that as a limit player can simply be the difference between being a successful player or not.

If you find that a particular game is too aggressive for you then do not fear, simply leave the game. This in my opinion is by far the best option. In no-limit play then a few bad players can still pay you off and especially in full-ring play but a tight player really has no place in a very aggressive six max game. This process of leaving the table may seem incredibly wimpy and it may feel like you are running away. But quite often, making money at poker often involves not playing poker rather than playing.

It is often the games that you don’t play in and the seats that you don’t sit in that makes you a winning player at the end of the year. So take my advice and don’t be afraid to leave the table because if you feel uncomfortable then you are feeling that way for a reason and that reason is usually because you are outgunned so swallow the pride and leave the game.

Originially posted on BetFirms

Where you have seen “I’ll call your twenty, partner, then after a swig of JD, the gambler utters, I’ll raise you another twenty” is most likely at the movies. You wouldn’t witness “I’ll call you twenty, and raise you another twenty” on Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour or ESPN’s World Series of Poker.

Calling a bet, then digging back into your chip pile and declaring a raise is called a string-raise. String-raising in never permitted in the above-mentioned tournaments nor public poker games.

String-raising allows a player to read the reactions of anyone already in the pot, or the feedback of active players yet to bet. No legitimate poker game would allow a player to put some chips in the pot, then decide to raise if he feels he has a better hand by how he just read his opponent(s). The hesitation in the betting action is the illegal part of the move.

If someone makes a string-raise, a dealer will inform the player that a string-raise has just occurred, and that player will have to withdraw their raise and just call the bet.

If you want to raise, Jeb, just declare “raise,” then go to your stack of chips and count the correct amount of chips needed and make the wager in one continuous motion.

Here’s a tip for string-raises at a kitchen table game. If someone states “string-raise,” but another player says, “It’s okay by me, let it stand,” you’ll first want to agree with no string-raising, but you’ll also want to FOLD. Even the two pair you might be sitting on is probably DOA. The player who allowed the string-raise in all probability has the nuts; an absolute cinch hand.

Originially posted on BetFirms

Since Hold’em is generally played among 2 to 10 people, you’ll only see a spread larger than that late at night when the poker room is short a dealer, in tournaments when they occasionally combine two tables, or if you have some kind of strange home game going where you like lots of players and lots of action in each hand.

I’ve never seen more than 13 players in a game at any casino, the tables aren’t big enough to hold that many. Also, if they have more players than that the casino will want to split them up into more tables, increasing the total number of hands played in the room and raising the total dollar amount in rake that they will collect.

As for myself, I’ve never sat in on anything larger than a 12-handed game. You definitely would have to mix up your strategy for it, since more people calling would give you a larger pot to shoot for and take a chance with for any kind of draw. Coming in with high cards and pairing them up would be less valuable with so many players in the pot. It would be pretty fun to see, but you would probably rack up some bad beats and heavy swings to your bankroll.

Originially posted on BetFirms

When you catch two more of the same on the flop, not only are you almost guaranteed to win the hand, but you are also catching 407 to 1 odds. This doesn’t seem to happen very often and now you know why.

Originially posted on BetFirms

Being a winning player isn’t only about playing good cards – it’s also about making good decisions. And there is one important decision you face every time you sit down in a cash game: Should I quit, or should I keep playing?

When should you keep playing?

I see so many players playing short hours when they’re winning, and long hours when they’re losing. It should be the other way around.

When you are winning in the game, at least a few of the other players must be losing. And when your opponents are losing, they often aren’t playing their best. But you are.

When you’re winning, other players fear you; you have a good table image. And when you have a good table image, you can get away with things that you can’t seem to when you’re losing. For one thing, you can bluff more. Usually a losing player is scared to get involved with a winning player, so it’s easier for you to pick up pots. You can represent more hands than you actually have because your opponents believe you’re hitting every flop.

The only time to quit when you’re winning is when you are tired, or when you start playing badly.

When should you call it a day?

Many players can’t seem to quit when they are losing. You have to remember that there will always be another poker game — if not tomorrow, then the day after, or the week after. I like to think of poker as one continuous game going on for my whole career. So, if I’m losing more than 30 big bets in the game, I usually quit.

There are a couple of reasons I do this: For one, if I lose a ton of money in one day, I don’t feel so hot the next day. That means if I go in to play the next day, I might not be able to play my best game. I might actually have to take a few days off to get my head straight. Another reason is that when I’m losing more than 30 bets, I might not be playing that well. I might think I’m playing my “A” game, but in reality, I’m probably not. You can’t be as objective about your play when you’re losing. After all, we are not robots; we’re just human beings.

Originially posted on BetFirms

Before we discuss the strategies for playing suited connectors, this article will discuss what suited connectors are. Suited connectors are basically any 2 cards that are suited and are close enough to each other that they can form a straight on the flop. So for example 7, 8 of clubs is a suited connector because it can form a flush and can form a straight on the flop. A hand like K, 3 of hearts is not considered a suited connector because although it is suited, the cards together do not help form a straight together.

This article will discuss the strategies with playing suited connectors but first will describe what suited connectors are best to play. The suited connectors that should be played are the ones with no or 1 gap in them. For example 7, 8 has no gaps in it and should be played, 6, 8 has a gap in and can also be played. Even 2 gapers such 8, J can be played but 3 gapers should be avoided. They should be avoided because a 3 gaper such as 7, J can get you into real trouble when a flop such as 8, 9, 10 flops. You will like that flop as you have a straight but you will be losing to J, Q. For that reason I recommend you stick to playing no and 1 gapers. The other advantage of playing the connectors with less gaps in them is that they have more combinations and hence ways of making a straight on the flop. This means you are more likely to hit a straight and so their value increases over other cards.

You should aim to play middle or high suited connectors. So for example hands such as 2, 3 and 4, 5 should be played less aggressively then hands such as 7, 8 and 10, J. In fact the best suited connectors are probably the middle ones because they have more combinations of straights to hit but also have more of a surprise value.

We will look at what you should do with these hands in the following 3 positions early, which is 1st or 2nd person to act, late position on the button or 1 off it, or in middle position.

Early Position:

To play suited connectors well you need other players already in the pot to give you better odds at drawing to your straight or flush. Therefore from an early position I will usually fold the suited connectors unless I am very confident people will limp behind me. I would never raise with them here as they are a drawing hand and are a horrible hand to play heads up.

Middle Position:

If there are 1 or more raises in front of me I will generally fold these cards unless a few people have called the raise and I am confident of a reraise not coming from behind. If I do flat call here I hope to hit on the flop otherwise I will fold unless I have a really good draw like a flush and straight draw. If people have limped in front of me I will generally just limp with them. If no one has entered the pot I might limp in here if I am confident of others limping behind me otherwise I will fold. I would not raise here as once again getting heads up suited connectors is a weak play.

Late Position:

This position plays the same as the middle position except I would never limp from this position if no one had already entered the pot. If I wanted to play I would raise to put pressure on the blinds and to make them think I had a big hand. If I did not want to raise I would just fold.

Originially posted on BetFirms

Before we look at how to play junk cards I will describe what junk hands are. Junk hands are just as the name suggest junk. That is they are unplayable hands that in the majority of circumstances should be folded preflop. They include hands not mentioned in any previous article. Junk hands include hands with only 1 face card, weak aces that are unsuited or 2 cards that are both lower then 10 and are not suited. Examples if junk cards include, A, 2 unsuited, 2, 7, 10, 7, K, 3 and J, 8 etc

So as you can see this includes a large list of cards. In fact the majority of hands you will get in hold’em will be junk hands and as boring as it might be the best thing to do with them is muck them preflop. If you play these cards you will only cause yourself to lose money in the long run. While you might get lucky once and call with J, 7 and flop J,7,3 the odds of this are unlikely. Do not let results like that fool you into thinking that playing junk is good, it is not and in the long run will cause you to lose a lot of money. You must have the discipline in poker to muck these cards repeatedly preflop.

That being said there are a few situations were playing junk cards can be a good idea. The first such situation is when you are in late position and there are lots of limpers in front of you, in this case it might be worthwhile to limp with junk hands. If you then however do not flop something big like 2 pair or the like you must fold on the flop or else run the risk of losing a large pot with a bad hand. This strategy works well when you are in the blinds, because you already have money invested in the pot. If you can see a flop for half a bet or so and there is already a lot of money in the pot it can worthwhile. If you miss you can check fold and if you hit you can come out betting or check and hope to check raise them on the flop.

Another situation when playing junk is to steal the blinds. If you are in late position you and no one has entered the pot in front of you, you can put in standard size raise and hope to steal the blinds. If the blinds reraise you, you should fold. If they flat call however, you have are last to speak and so might be able to bluff at the pot on the flop or easily fold if they bet.

The last situation were playing junk can be useful is to mix up your play. If you occasionally raise with junk and people can see this (because you show your hand when you fold), the next time you raise with big hand you might get more action because people believe you might are raising with junk again. This however should only be done occasionally and as above if you get reraised or should fold.

Originially posted on BetFirms