Roy Rounder Tips

**KManDeuce** · 11-11-2009, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by spaceboy761

OK, how exactly is staying at a table for so long that everybody knows your betting patterns more profitable than constantly working on a fresh table? Even if you answer, "That's not a problem for me because I constantly switch up my style of play since I'm the greatest player ever.", the chances of giving a tell on a new table are zero by default.

As for the morality of hit-and-running, it's debatable. I've seen some pretty nasty fights break out over this in casinos and it's probably the issue that causes the most heat at the table. I always thought it was scummy but legitimate.

Nor can you pick up a tell (if that matters much to you....it probably doesn't much in either direction) nor learn any betting patterns of others, etc. And it has nothing to do with how good or not good I am.

People argue about a lot of stupid things. A guy pays his blinds, makes wagers that you can choose to be involved with or not. He wins or he loses, just like everyone else at the table. Where's this magic amount of time you need to stay to make it OK to leave? Of course, this is not taking into account how the cards and dealers and chips know who has been at the table the least amount of time and favor them inherently.

**KManDeuce** · 11-11-2009, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by spaceboy761

I think he's just saying that it's important to understand implied odds. Like any other EV play, there's still a point where you have to give it up if the raise is high enough. Of course, we care about raise size and position and a dozen other things... that's not what he's trying to get across.

Perhaps he should have said that if that's what he meant rather than just spewing cliches and saying something else....like "bet your draw and muck it if you get raised."

**spaceboy761** · 11-12-2009, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by KManDeuce

Perhaps he should have said that if that's what he meant rather than just spewing cliches and saying something else....like "bet your draw and muck it if you get raised."

I just think that he didn't want to drag a discussion of implied odds (which is fairly advanced topic unto itself) into a discussion about something else. Normally, implied odds are enough to change your initial fold/call decision but not your decision to call a reraise. It would have to be a minimum reraise with you in very bad position for implied odds to tip the scales that much. Possible, but fairly rare.

**spaceboy761** · 11-12-2009, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by KManDeuce

People argue about a lot of stupid things. A guy pays his blinds, makes wagers that you can choose to be involved with or not. He wins or he loses, just like everyone else at the table. Where's this magic amount of time you need to stay to make it OK to leave? Of course, this is not taking into account how the cards and dealers and chips know who has been at the table the least amount of time and favor them inherently.

I don't know. I agree that anyone sitting at the table should be allowed to play any style they want, but there is an amount of ettiquette involved in the live game as well. Poker is still entertainment, not profiteering. Hit-and-running is basically the admission that you don't care about the game and just want to make a quick buck. Some people won't take to that too well.

**WinJStar** · 11-20-2009, 04:20 AM

And another doozie...

The Right Time To Chase A Straight

Chasing straights and flush draws will BURN you... there's
no doubt about it.

The term "chasing" means you stay in the hand... hoping to
catch a certain card (or cards) that will complete your
straight.

The problem with chasing is that the ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU.
And as you know, successful Texas Holdem poker is all about
keeping the odds in your favor.

But sometimes chasing a straight IS the right thing to do.

SOMETIMES.

Let me explain...

First off, let's look at the two different types of straight
draws:

1. GUTSHOT - This is when you're trying to make an INSIDE
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-8 and you need the 7.

2. OPEN-ENDED - This is when TWO cards can "make" your
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-7 and need EITHER the 3
or the 8.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster", which is
actually like two gutshots at once. We'll talk about this a
little later.

OK, so how should you play a gutshot straight draw? Let's
look at the odds... if you FLOP an inside (gutshot) straight
draw, the odds of making your straight are 16.47%.

If you have an inside straight draw after the TURN... with
just the river card to go... your odds are 8.70%.

So the odds aren't good. 16.47% might SOUND like it's worth
it... but you've got to ANTICIPATE the bet after the turn
card.

For instance, let's say you flop an inside straight draw and
someone makes a big bet. If you call and then miss your
straight on the turn, what then?

Your opponent makes ANOTHER big bet... do you call to see
the river card? You feel pot committed, but you know the
odds are against you...

This is how you get into trouble with gutshot straight
draws. You become pot committed and you chase a hand that's
not worth chasing.

As a general principle, you should NOT chase gutshot
straight draws... especially on the river.

When I flop a gutshot, I might call a small bet but that's
it. And that's only when the odds are worth it.

As we'll discuss in a moment, you must also factor in the
IMPLIED ODDS... but first, let's look at how to play
open-ended straight draws.

For an open-ended straight draw, your odds of making your
straight are MUCH better. If you flop an open-ender your
odds of hitting are 31.45%.

If you have an open-ender with just the river card to go,
your odds are 17.39%.

Notice that you have BETTER chances of completing an
open-ended straight draw just on the RIVER than completing a
gutshot straight draw on both the turn AND the river.

Interesting, huh?

OK, so what's the right way to play an open-ender?

Many players will just CHECK with an open-ended straight
draw... and then CALL any bets.

This is REACTIVE card playing... and it's the WRONG thing to
do.

You need to be PROACTIVE... and here's why:

Let's say you've got 6-7 of diamonds and the flop hits:

4-5-K

You've got the top half of an open-ended straight draw...
either an 8 or a 3 will give you the nut straight.

The NATURAL TENDENCY here is to check. You don't have
ANYTHING yet... no pairs, no high cards, nothing. So
obviously you'd LOVE to wait to see if you make your
straight before you risk any chips, right?

Wrong.

If you just check, you're making three dangerous mistakes:

Mistake 1: You're showing weakness.

Mistake 2: You're not increasing the pot size.

Mistake 3: You're giving your opponent a read on you.

There's a strange analogy I like to use for this.

If you're ever in the forest or wilderness and you encounter
a mountain lion, bobcat, or other similar PREDATOR, the
NATURAL TENDENCY is to get scared.

Most people would run away!

However... the RIGHT thing to do is to SHOW AGGRESSION and
NOT show fear.

I'm dead serious here.

The right thing to do if you see a bobcat is to make a lot
of noise, to raise your hands in the air and possibly hold
up a coat or jacket (in order to appear bigger), and to
snarl or growl.

It's counter-intuitive... but it's what you MUST do if you
don't want to get attacked (or eaten).

Now... back to Texas Holdem... LOL.

Your OPPONENT is your PREDATOR. Show them weakness and they
will likely attack you.

When you have an open-ended straight draw, you want to see
the next two cards... and you don't want to risk a lot of
chips to do so.

So the RIGHT PLAY is to BET or RAISE the pot.

In our example above, you want to throw out a
reasonably-sized bet. Your opponents might fold right there.
Or you might get one or two callers.

NOW, when the TURN card comes, your opponents will probably
check to you. So basically you're getting a FREE CARD. You
can check and see the river for free.

If you HADN'T taken control of the betting, your opponents
would have made you PAY A LOT to see the river card. And you
might of been forced to FOLD your open-ended straight draw.

By taking control of the betting and coming out strong after
the flop, you're actually investing LESS money overall to
see the next two cards.

Now... the other reason taking control is important is
because it doesn't give your opponent a read on you.

Say your opponent checks the flop and you also check. The
turn card comes and it's a 3... giving you the straight.

Your opponent checks again and now all of the sudden you
come out betting strong.

Obviously, your opponent will SEE what's going on here and
will have a hunch that you just made your straight... and
he'll fold.

If you DON'T bet after the 3, the odds of you making any
real money off of this hand are slim, and you've let your
straight go to waste.

So the key is to bet EARLY... that way if you HIT you're
golden and you'll get paid. And if you DON'T hit you won't
have to invest any more chips.

Say you took control of the betting after the flop and your
opponent called with A-5. He's probably putting you on the
King, but isn't sure... He's got middle pair along with an
Ace.

The turn card comes and it's a 3, so you bet again. Your
opponent calls again.

Finally the river hits and it's an Ace, giving your opponent
TWO PAIR. By now he's confident that you have the King...
and not the straight... since you were betting consistently
after the flop.

So your opponent puts you ALL-IN with his hand... not
knowing that you've got him DOMINATED. You win a big pot,
all because you played the open-ender properly.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster" straight
draw. A regular (single) belly buster is simply an inside
straight draw. A DOUBLE means there are TWO different cards
to make your straight... but it's not open-ended.

For example, if you were holding A-5 and the flop hit 3-4-7
you would have a DOUBLE BELLY BUSTER.

Either a 2 or a 6 would give you a straight.

Double belly busters are great because your opponents will
often never see them coming... and your odds of hitting are
the same as an OPEN-ENDED straight draw.

When an opponent doesn't put you on a hand, THAT is when
you'll be able to win the most chips. This is known as
IMPLIED ODDS.

Implied odds means that when you make your hand, you're
going to get paid a LOT for it.

Implied odds is a very important part of making decisions in
Texas Holdem... just like regular odds. Except the key
distinction is that implied odds doesn't necessarily involve
numbers or math percentages.

Implied odds is more about getting a SENSE for how big the
pot will be if you make your hand.

When your implied odds are HIGH, you can often bet more
early in order to build the pot size.

An example of high implied odds is when there's a straight
draw on the board with HIGH CARDS. For instance, let's say
you're holding J-10 and the flop comes Q-K-3.

You've got an open-ended straight draw... but you might face
opponents who have a REALLY GOOD HAND right now... something
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

An opponent with a big hand is going to be very aggressive
with his bets... and if a 9 or an Ace hits, you're going to
win a ton of chips. Those are high implied odds.

On the other hand, this type of flop is BAD for you because
it means you'll probably have to PAY DEARLY to see the turn
and river cards.

Be careful... don't chase the straight if it's going to
break your chip stack.

An example of a straight with LOW implied odds would be when
it's all low cards on the board. After all, if no one has
anything decent, no one is going to give you a lot of
action.

When you have an open-ended straight draw with low cards and
you sense weakness in your opponents, the best move is to
act aggressively and take the pot down right there.

After all... nearly 70% of the time you are NOT going to hit
your straight. So if you can win the pot by betting, do so.

If you do get a caller, that's OK too, because you still
have a lot of outs and a good chance at busting your
opponent (and now the implied odds are higher since he's pot
committed and must have a good hand).

Another example of low implied odds is when the straight
draw on the board is OBVIOUS. This is especially relevant
when there's only ONE card needed to make the straight.

For instance, let's say you have K-7 and the board reads
3-4-5. And then the turn card comes and it's a 6.

Of course, with 3-4-5-6 on the board, your opponents WILL be
suspicious that someone has the straight. This type of
situation is sometimes good for a check-raise... or a strong
bet to make it LOOK like you're buying the pot. (It just
depends on your table image.)

With straight draws, be extra careful to pay attention to
what ELSE is out there on the board. You will often
encounter hands that BEAT you and wipe out your entire chip
stack.

For instance... look for possible FLUSH draws. If your
opponent might have made a flush, back off. Muck the hand if
you need to and live to see another day.

Full houses are dangerous too. If two cards on the board
pair up, be careful.

And last but not least, always think about what OTHER
straights are possible. For instance, if you're holding A-2
and the flop hits 3-4-5, you have the BOTTOM end of the
straight. Someone could have 7-6, or maybe 6-2, and would
have you beat.

It's the same way with our double belly buster example. In
that example the flop was 3-4-7 and you had A-5. Let's say a
6 hit the board.

Even though you have the straight (3-7), it's NOT the best
possible straight. Your opponent could be holding 8-5...
which would be the nut straight.

It's the same way with FOUR consecutive cards on the board.
If the board reads 5-6-7-8 and you've got the 9, that
doesn't mean you have the "nuts".

The nuts would be 10-9... which would give someone the
straight (6-10).

The possibilities are ENDLESS... and you'll soon discover
that the more you play Texas Holdem the more IMPORTANT every
possibility becomes.

For the most part, keep in mind that you want to only
"chase" a straight when the odds of hitting are most
favorable, when the implied odds are good, and when you
think you can see a cheap (or free) river card.

**WinJStar** · 11-20-2009, 04:20 AM

And another doozie...

The Right Time To Chase A Straight

Chasing straights and flush draws will BURN you... there's
no doubt about it.

The term "chasing" means you stay in the hand... hoping to
catch a certain card (or cards) that will complete your
straight.

The problem with chasing is that the ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU.
And as you know, successful Texas Holdem poker is all about
keeping the odds in your favor.

But sometimes chasing a straight IS the right thing to do.

SOMETIMES.

Let me explain...

First off, let's look at the two different types of straight
draws:

1. GUTSHOT - This is when you're trying to make an INSIDE
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-8 and you need the 7.

2. OPEN-ENDED - This is when TWO cards can "make" your
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-7 and need EITHER the 3
or the 8.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster", which is
actually like two gutshots at once. We'll talk about this a
little later.

OK, so how should you play a gutshot straight draw? Let's
look at the odds... if you FLOP an inside (gutshot) straight
draw, the odds of making your straight are 16.47%.

If you have an inside straight draw after the TURN... with
just the river card to go... your odds are 8.70%.

So the odds aren't good. 16.47% might SOUND like it's worth
it... but you've got to ANTICIPATE the bet after the turn
card.

For instance, let's say you flop an inside straight draw and
someone makes a big bet. If you call and then miss your
straight on the turn, what then?

Your opponent makes ANOTHER big bet... do you call to see
the river card? You feel pot committed, but you know the
odds are against you...

This is how you get into trouble with gutshot straight
draws. You become pot committed and you chase a hand that's
not worth chasing.

As a general principle, you should NOT chase gutshot
straight draws... especially on the river.

When I flop a gutshot, I might call a small bet but that's
it. And that's only when the odds are worth it.

As we'll discuss in a moment, you must also factor in the
IMPLIED ODDS... but first, let's look at how to play
open-ended straight draws.

For an open-ended straight draw, your odds of making your
straight are MUCH better. If you flop an open-ender your
odds of hitting are 31.45%.

If you have an open-ender with just the river card to go,
your odds are 17.39%.

Notice that you have BETTER chances of completing an
open-ended straight draw just on the RIVER than completing a
gutshot straight draw on both the turn AND the river.

Interesting, huh?

OK, so what's the right way to play an open-ender?

Many players will just CHECK with an open-ended straight
draw... and then CALL any bets.

This is REACTIVE card playing... and it's the WRONG thing to
do.

You need to be PROACTIVE... and here's why:

Let's say you've got 6-7 of diamonds and the flop hits:

4-5-K

You've got the top half of an open-ended straight draw...
either an 8 or a 3 will give you the nut straight.

The NATURAL TENDENCY here is to check. You don't have
ANYTHING yet... no pairs, no high cards, nothing. So
obviously you'd LOVE to wait to see if you make your
straight before you risk any chips, right?

Wrong.

If you just check, you're making three dangerous mistakes:

Mistake 1: You're showing weakness.

Mistake 2: You're not increasing the pot size.

Mistake 3: You're giving your opponent a read on you.

There's a strange analogy I like to use for this.

If you're ever in the forest or wilderness and you encounter
a mountain lion, bobcat, or other similar PREDATOR, the
NATURAL TENDENCY is to get scared.

Most people would run away!

However... the RIGHT thing to do is to SHOW AGGRESSION and
NOT show fear.

I'm dead serious here.

The right thing to do if you see a bobcat is to make a lot
of noise, to raise your hands in the air and possibly hold
up a coat or jacket (in order to appear bigger), and to
snarl or growl.

It's counter-intuitive... but it's what you MUST do if you
don't want to get attacked (or eaten).

Now... back to Texas Holdem... LOL.

Your OPPONENT is your PREDATOR. Show them weakness and they
will likely attack you.

When you have an open-ended straight draw, you want to see
the next two cards... and you don't want to risk a lot of
chips to do so.

So the RIGHT PLAY is to BET or RAISE the pot.

In our example above, you want to throw out a
reasonably-sized bet. Your opponents might fold right there.
Or you might get one or two callers.

NOW, when the TURN card comes, your opponents will probably
check to you. So basically you're getting a FREE CARD. You
can check and see the river for free.

If you HADN'T taken control of the betting, your opponents
would have made you PAY A LOT to see the river card. And you
might of been forced to FOLD your open-ended straight draw.

By taking control of the betting and coming out strong after
the flop, you're actually investing LESS money overall to
see the next two cards.

Now... the other reason taking control is important is
because it doesn't give your opponent a read on you.

Say your opponent checks the flop and you also check. The
turn card comes and it's a 3... giving you the straight.

Your opponent checks again and now all of the sudden you
come out betting strong.

Obviously, your opponent will SEE what's going on here and
will have a hunch that you just made your straight... and
he'll fold.

If you DON'T bet after the 3, the odds of you making any
real money off of this hand are slim, and you've let your
straight go to waste.

So the key is to bet EARLY... that way if you HIT you're
golden and you'll get paid. And if you DON'T hit you won't
have to invest any more chips.

Say you took control of the betting after the flop and your
opponent called with A-5. He's probably putting you on the
King, but isn't sure... He's got middle pair along with an
Ace.

The turn card comes and it's a 3, so you bet again. Your
opponent calls again.

Finally the river hits and it's an Ace, giving your opponent
TWO PAIR. By now he's confident that you have the King...
and not the straight... since you were betting consistently
after the flop.

So your opponent puts you ALL-IN with his hand... not
knowing that you've got him DOMINATED. You win a big pot,
all because you played the open-ender properly.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster" straight
draw. A regular (single) belly buster is simply an inside
straight draw. A DOUBLE means there are TWO different cards
to make your straight... but it's not open-ended.

For example, if you were holding A-5 and the flop hit 3-4-7
you would have a DOUBLE BELLY BUSTER.

Either a 2 or a 6 would give you a straight.

Double belly busters are great because your opponents will
often never see them coming... and your odds of hitting are
the same as an OPEN-ENDED straight draw.

When an opponent doesn't put you on a hand, THAT is when
you'll be able to win the most chips. This is known as
IMPLIED ODDS.

Implied odds means that when you make your hand, you're
going to get paid a LOT for it.

Implied odds is a very important part of making decisions in
Texas Holdem... just like regular odds. Except the key
distinction is that implied odds doesn't necessarily involve
numbers or math percentages.

Implied odds is more about getting a SENSE for how big the
pot will be if you make your hand.

When your implied odds are HIGH, you can often bet more
early in order to build the pot size.

An example of high implied odds is when there's a straight
draw on the board with HIGH CARDS. For instance, let's say
you're holding J-10 and the flop comes Q-K-3.

You've got an open-ended straight draw... but you might face
opponents who have a REALLY GOOD HAND right now... something
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

An opponent with a big hand is going to be very aggressive
with his bets... and if a 9 or an Ace hits, you're going to
win a ton of chips. Those are high implied odds.

On the other hand, this type of flop is BAD for you because
it means you'll probably have to PAY DEARLY to see the turn
and river cards.

Be careful... don't chase the straight if it's going to
break your chip stack.

An example of a straight with LOW implied odds would be when
it's all low cards on the board. After all, if no one has
anything decent, no one is going to give you a lot of
action.

When you have an open-ended straight draw with low cards and
you sense weakness in your opponents, the best move is to
act aggressively and take the pot down right there.

After all... nearly 70% of the time you are NOT going to hit
your straight. So if you can win the pot by betting, do so.

If you do get a caller, that's OK too, because you still
have a lot of outs and a good chance at busting your
opponent (and now the implied odds are higher since he's pot
committed and must have a good hand).

Another example of low implied odds is when the straight
draw on the board is OBVIOUS. This is especially relevant
when there's only ONE card needed to make the straight.

For instance, let's say you have K-7 and the board reads
3-4-5. And then the turn card comes and it's a 6.

Of course, with 3-4-5-6 on the board, your opponents WILL be
suspicious that someone has the straight. This type of
situation is sometimes good for a check-raise... or a strong
bet to make it LOOK like you're buying the pot. (It just
depends on your table image.)

With straight draws, be extra careful to pay attention to
what ELSE is out there on the board. You will often
encounter hands that BEAT you and wipe out your entire chip
stack.

For instance... look for possible FLUSH draws. If your
opponent might have made a flush, back off. Muck the hand if
you need to and live to see another day.

Full houses are dangerous too. If two cards on the board
pair up, be careful.

And last but not least, always think about what OTHER
straights are possible. For instance, if you're holding A-2
and the flop hits 3-4-5, you have the BOTTOM end of the
straight. Someone could have 7-6, or maybe 6-2, and would
have you beat.

It's the same way with our double belly buster example. In
that example the flop was 3-4-7 and you had A-5. Let's say a
6 hit the board.

Even though you have the straight (3-7), it's NOT the best
possible straight. Your opponent could be holding 8-5...
which would be the nut straight.

It's the same way with FOUR consecutive cards on the board.
If the board reads 5-6-7-8 and you've got the 9, that
doesn't mean you have the "nuts".

The nuts would be 10-9... which would give someone the
straight (6-10).

The possibilities are ENDLESS... and you'll soon discover
that the more you play Texas Holdem the more IMPORTANT every
possibility becomes.

For the most part, keep in mind that you want to only
"chase" a straight when the odds of hitting are most
favorable, when the implied odds are good, and when you
think you can see a cheap (or free) river card.

**WinJStar** · 12-10-2009, 04:26 AM

Heads Up Play by RR

YOUR WINNING STRATEGY FOR HEADS-UP poker can be "boiled
down" to three simple steps:

1. Push The Action
2. Set The Stage
3. Trap Your Opponent

Let's take a look...

Step one is to PUSH THE ACTION. In heads-up poker, the
blinds are often substantial.

And the FASTEST way to build your stack and gain momentum is
to win the blinds as much as possible.

Be the player to push the action...

Consistently raise when you're the dealer. This is a
wonderful position because you get to act FIRST pre-flop but
last post-flop. You can represent a hand by raising... and
then get a read on your opponent after the flop.

The more you push the action, the more blinds you'll win.

Of course, this behavior will also keep your opponent OFF
BALANCE... while he tries to adjust to YOUR GAME.

As soon as he gets a hand, he'll start coming back over the
top of you. And that's when you back off.

Step two is to SET THE STAGE...

Now that you've been aggressive, it's time to set yourself
up for some BIG pots.

Heads-up poker is usually determined by one major hand...
maybe two. You want to SET YOURSELF UP for that hand.

In normal multi-player poker, those "big hands" usually
occur when two or more players have great cards-- like a
straight versus a flush, or trips versus two pair.

In HEADS-UP POKER, this doesn't happen nearly as much,
because the odds of someone catching a hand like a straight
or flush or whatever is much lower.

That's why the SET UP is so powerful.

Here's how to set yourself up for victory...

First of all, realize that what your opponent is trying to
do is "figure you out". He probably KNOWS that he needs to
take control and steal blinds in order to win the match.

After setting the tempo and stealing blinds from HIM, it's
time to give him a false sense of "hope" and "control". And
it's time to show your cards once or twice...

After stealing a pot, show your bluff... just casually. You
can say something like, "Jeeze, I'm bullying you here, you
didn't have 9-5 offsuit beat?"

Or maybe what you can do is "ACCIDENTALLY" show your cards
after winning a hand...

(This is sneaky.)

Toss your hole cards into the muck after winning a hand so
that they just "happen" to turn face up.

"Oops."

LOL.

This will surely get your opponent riled up.

Then what you do is PRETEND to fall into a consistent
betting pattern. Start checking the flop-- or betting very
small amounts consistently.

Every time your opponent bets, let him steal the pot. But
only let him steal it with BIG BETS... no "wuss" action
allowed.

In other words, when you don't have a hand, bet on the flop
the SAME EXACT AMOUNT a few times in a row. When your
opponent RAISES, muck it.

The goal is for your opponent to think, "Wow, I've finally
got this sucker figured out. He plays aggressively and bets
a lot, but folds when I crank up the pressure."

Once he's thinking that... it's time for the KILL.

Step three is to TRAP YOUR OPPONENT...

What you do is wait for a good hand-- or a hand you're
confident will be the winner.

Then play it EXACTLY LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING YOUR BAD
HANDS.

This is important. This principle is the "secret" that pros
use for all heads-up poker.

When you catch something really good, play it like it's bad.
Let your opponent come to you.

Bet small, check the flop, or do whatever it is that will
get your opponent to try to steal the pot.

Then go over the top of him.

Act is if you're TIRED of getting pushed around.

Of course, there may be no need to go over the top of him.
Often times in heads-up a single raise is already all-in...
and if that's the case, you've won the game.

If not, then you just need to get your opponent to go all-in
trying to bluff this pot from you. (Or maybe he has
something OK.)

Remember-- your opponent must think you have NOTHING. That
way he'll risk a lot of chips to win the pot... trying to
"bully" you.

Obviously, your strategy is to make him feel pot-committed
with the worst hand... that way his only way to win the hand
is to go all-in.

Any time I win a heads-up match because my opponent goes
all-in on a bluff when I've got a real hand, I know I've
played the match well.

For whatever reason, most players make too many loose all-in
bets heads-up... and that's exactly what you want to
capitalize on.

So remember...

1. Push The Action
2. Set The Stage
3. Trap Your Opponent

This step-by-step process and these techniques are BEST USED
when you go heads-up against someone with about the same
starting amount of chips as you...

And of course, every heads-up situation is different,
because every OPPONENT is different.

But the key is to know the OBJECTIVE in each stage of your
match... and the ways to ACHIEVE that goal for any given
opponent.

**WinJStar** · 12-15-2009, 10:54 PM

Big Slick in Late Position

Big Slick has the reputation for being a MONSTER hand... a
hand that most players LOVE to get dealt.

And with good reason.

After all, it's got a TON of potential.

Think about it:

If you have Big Slick and a King or Ace hit the board,
you've automatically got top pair. And not only that, but
you've also automatically got the highest kicker possible.

And...

Big Slick is connected, which means it has the POTENTIAL to
become the highest STRAIGHT on the board.

Then again, if you're an experienced poker player, then you
KNOW that Big Slick is often HIGHLY OVERRATED by most
amateurs and beginners.

Because if you REALLY think about it, Big Slick by itself is
NOT a good hand.

By itself, it's an Ace high with a King.

Period.

It can be beat by just about ANYTHING... from a flush to a
3-of-a-kind to a pair of deuces.

What Big Slick has is the POTENTIAL to be a great hand...
but that doesn't mean it IS a great hand.

And this distinction is VERY important in order to learn how
to play A-K properly.

If you play Big Slick the RIGHT way, you can with it about
75% of the time. If you play it the WRONG way, you'll end up
losing all your chips and whining about your bad beat...

The decision is yours.

So let's approach our strategy for Big Slick with LATE
positioning... which is the equivalent to GOOD positioning,
as you know.

Since the hand can get run down easily, your strategy is to
GET RID of as many players as possible BEFORE THE FLOP.

In other words, SCARE AWAY everyone who doesn't have a pair
or face cards...

If you let too many players stay in, someone with rags is
bound to catch great cards on the flop and steal your chip
stack.

But if you go up against players with face cards, then YOU
have the advantage and the odds are in YOUR favor.

This is accomplished, of course, with a pre-flop raise,
which will also give you control over the table... as you'll
see in a minute.

Let's use a real-life hand I played to demonstrate... this
is from last night, actually.

I was in a $1-2 no limit cash game with some friends and got
A-K on the button. Don was first to act and made it $7 to
play.

The action went around the table and every single one of the
next five players called.

Now the action was to me.

How would you handle this situation?

Call, raise, or fold?

The correct answer is RAISE.

"Make it another $50", I say.

And here's why...

Let's say I call. That means there's SEVEN guys in the hand.
Amateurs might say, "Oh, that means there's more money in
the pot."

NO.

WRONG.

What seven players means is that I am virtually GUARANTEED
to have my A-K run down... because EVEN IF I catch a King
or Ace, there's a good chance someone else will hit a flush,
straight, trips, or two pair.

And besides... CALLING doesn't give me any idea where I
stand in the hand, and it doesn't allow me to know what to
put my opponents on.

So I make the pre-flop re-raise.

The other players fold, and Don calls.

That means I know he has a real hand... he wasn't just
bullying the table.

It also means he probably doesn't have cowboys or rockets,
because if he did he would've come back over the top of
me... maybe with an all-in.

So now I've got a read on my opponent, and I've forced out
all the other guys, which means I don't have to worry about
someone getting "lucky" on the flop.

AND, I've achieved something else here:

I've taken control of the table.

Instead of Don coming out firing after the flop, he'll
probably check to me... to see what I do.

This gives me control. If I miss on the flop, I can do one
of two things:

1. I can see a free card.

Or...

2. If I'm confident with my read on Don I can try to buy him
out by representing a big hand.

And sure enough... the flop hits:

9-4-2

What an UGLY flop, right?

Actually, I kind of like this flop.

Because I'm pretty sure Don doesn't have any of these cards
on the board.

He could be holding pocket 9's, but I can't put him on 4's
or 2's, because of my strong re-raise before the flop.

I'm putting him on two over cards or a pair. It actually
wouldn't surprise me if he has Big Slick, just like me.

Anyway, now it's time to find out, because Don taps his fist
against the table and checks to me.

Just like I expected.

I COULD see a free card here, but I'd rather play this
aggressively and find out EXACTLY where I'm at.

If Don calls a strong bet from me, then he's probably got
trips or a high wired pair. If that's the case, I'll back
off after the turn card and minimize my losses.

I throw out a $100 black chip with my Ace high.

Don looks at his down cards for a few moments and then
decides to muck his pocket 8's for the world to see.

"Yea... I had Kings", I say as I turn my cards face down for
NOBODY to see.

Don replies, "Yup, that's what I put you on" and he nods his
head.

Little does he know, his 8's had me beat, and I just stole a
nice pot...

That's how you play Big Slick the RIGHT way in late
position... You've got to:

1. Scare away as many players as you can before the flop.

2. Take control of the board and action.

3. Find out where you're at in the hand.

Even if Don (or anyone else) came back over the top of me
after my pre-flop raise, I'd be okay... Because then I could
put my opponent on Aces or Kings, muck my Big Slick, and
live to see another hand without catching a "bad beat."

So play A-K aggressively when you've got good positioning,
and back up your pre-flop raise with a post-flop raise, even
if you've hit nothing on the board.

Of course, you can't play Big Slick like this in every
position... this is simply how you play it with good
positioning.

**KManDeuce** · 12-19-2009, 12:09 AM

I feel 1% dumber pretty much every time I read one of these by this guy. But what's more upsetting is when I realize I brought it on myself by reading each one.