Roy Rounder Tips

[WinJStar]

^^^hahah

Another one for critique


Let's discuss how to win when you're dealt Big Slick (A-K)
in early position.

First, let me clarify what is meant by the term "early
position".

If you're in an early position, it usually means you're one
of the first three players to the LEFT of the dealer.

Of course, if you're small blind, that means you're almost
last to act before the flop, but first to act AFTER the
flop.

If you're big blind, that means you're last to act pre-flop,
but second to act after the flop.

And last but not least, if you're the THIRD player to the
left, that means you are the FIRST to act before the flop,
and third to act after the flop... This position is also
known as "under the gun".

Ok. Enough with the definitions. Re-read those four above
paragraphs if you're confused. Otherwise, let's dive into
the strategy...

As we discussed a few days ago, Big Slick is a monster hand
that most players pray for... BUT... it can actually be a
TERRIBLE hand for you if you don't know what you're doing.

It can be terrible if...

1. You go "all in" (or bet a substantial pile of chips)
before the flop, but then don't catch anything...

Or...

2. You catch an Ace or King on the flop, bet a lot of chips,
but then get run down by another player who gets a better
hand.

Since even a pair of DEUCES can beat Big Slick by itself, I
recommend that you don't go all-in with Big Slick before the
flop with a lot of players in the game.

It's usually too risky. Because there are so many hands that
can beat you.

Going all-in with Big Slick pre-flop is the equivalent to
saying, "Hey, I'm not that confident I can win this game, so
I'm going to HOPE to get LUCKY and risk all my chips on the
CHANCE that an Ace or King hits, or that my Ace high wins."

Obviously that's not ALWAYS the case (especially if you're
short-stacked), but for the most part it's pretty accurate.

The second scenario-- getting run down by another player
even though you hit your Ace or King- can be EXTREMELY
frustrating.

For example, let's say you're holding Big Slick and the flop
comes out:

A-K-5

You're obviously excited because you flopped top two pair...
but what if Marty, that new guy who just learned how to play
Holdem a couple weeks ago, is holding a pair of fives?

Chances are, he's going to clean you out for all your chips.

Your strategy then, should be to DECREASE the chances that
someone at the table (like Marty) is going to get lucky on
the flop.

And you do that by making sure they don't even SEE the flop
in the first place, by making a pre-flop raise or strong
bet.

The ultimate goal should be to create "heads-up" action
before the flop when you get dealt Big Slick. Force players
like Marty to fold before the flop hits.

That will prevent the "bad beats" and allow you to focus on
a single opponent.

The most difficult way to win with Big Slick is if you're in
an early position AND you don't catch anything good on the
flop.

Here's how I play it:

Let's say I'm "under the gun" (first to act before the
flop... third player to the left of the dealer) in a no
limit cash game.

I look down to see A-K of diamonds.

Great hand, terrible positioning.

Instead of limping in and letting all the crap hands at the
table see the flop, I make a raise as we discussed.

"$15 to play."

Some players will limp-in with AK when they're first to act,
hoping someone ELSE will make the raise for them (which
gives them the chance to re-raise).

I don't like this strategy. Because if someone else makes
the initial raise, that means they get control over the
table and betting.

For example, let's say I limp-in and Josh makes it $25 to
play. Everyone else folds and then I come back over the top
of him for $100 more.

Without hesitation, Josh goes all-in and pushes in his stack
of $350 in chips.

See how this could get ugly?

Josh may be holding pocket 9's for all I know... which will
BEAT me if I don't catch the right cards on the flop. Then
again, he might be holding a pair of face cards... or maybe
just A-J.

No matter what, I really don't care.

Because I don't want to risk all my chips on A-K and leave
my night up to chance.

As much as possible, I want to be in FULL CONTROL of my
destiny at the card table.

There will inevitably be players who are more reckless with
their chips-- and these are the players who rely on LUCK
more than SKILL...

But not me... I know I can beat the game, which is why I
don't limp-in here when I'm first to act with Big Slick.

OK, back to the hand...

"$15 to play", I repeat.

I'm hoping to get just one caller, or two at the most.

The action goes around the table, and everyone mucks their
hands... except for Don. He splashes the pot and calls.

So I've created heads-up action and taken control of the
betting... exactly as I wanted to do with my monster hand in
this position.

The flop hits:

2h-9d-7s.

I'm first to act.

Obviously, this flop is terrible... the best thing I've got
going is a possible runner-runner diamond draw.

So what do I do now?

Should I check my Ace high?

No. This is where you should fire AGAIN, and continue to
play aggressively...

Because the flop probably didn't help Don either.

If I CHECK, Don will sense my weakness and might try to
steal the pot.

My bet will give him the impression I'm on on over-pair and
have the best hand... so he'll probably muck his cards now.

Even if he calls, I'm still in good shape.

If the turn card doesn't help me, I'll back down and
minimize my losses. I DON'T want to dig myself in a deeper
hole and try to bluff it out.

Or I may catch my top pair on the turn or river and be able
to win that way.

So no matter what happens, I'm not risking too many chips
and I'm putting myself in a great position to win the hand.

Now... rewind for just a moment. What if my $15 pre-flop bet
had multiple callers?

Having multiple players in the game would have increased the
odds that someone actually benefited from the 2-9-7 flop.

Which means I would NOT have made a strong bet after the
flop. Instead, I would have backed down and just checked. If
someone else bet strong, I would have mucked my A-K and
lived to see another hand.

So THAT is how you play Big Slick under the worst of
circumstances... with scraps on the board and bad
positioning... and STILL have a great chance at winning a
nice pot.

Of course... the chances of getting A-K are just 1 in 83.
And the odds of getting A-K suited are just 1 in 332. And
that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your
positioning.

[spaceboy761]

Today we will discuss how to play JJ out of middle position. JJ is one of the better hands you can have pre-flop, and it's always exciting to see two matching letters on your cards! First, let's define what cards are. Cards are the flat, colorful things that the dealer throws at you while you're at the table. Do not confuse these with the chips! The chips are also flat and colorful, but they tend to be round instead of rectangular. Don't get confused... a lot of people make that mistake!

[KManDeuce]

Today we will discuss how to play JJ out of middle position. JJ is one of the better hands you can have pre-flop, and it's always exciting to see two matching letters on your cards! First, let's define what cards are. Cards are the flat, colorful things that the dealer throws at you while you're at the table. Do not confuse these with the chips! The chips are also flat and colorful, but they tend to be round instead of rectangular. Don't get confused... a lot of people make that mistake!

Pretty dickhead move to steal the guy's next column like that. I mean...I obviously don't think much of him, but that's pretty dirty pool.

[WinJStar]

HERE'S A SIMPLE BLUFFING TECHNIQUE you can use the next time
you play Texas Holdem poker...

I call it the "Mini-Bluff".

The Mini-Bluff is an easy way to win BIGGER POTS when you
bluff... AND... decrease the chances that your opponents
will call your bluff.

It goes like this:

When you want to "buy the pot" and bluff out an opponent you
think is weak, what you do is make the MINIMUM RAISE
possible in the current round of betting.

After they call, make your REAL BLUFF on the NEXT round of
betting... and take down the pot.

Here's what I mean...

Let's say you're playing $1-2 no limit with good
positioning. Josh makes a pre-flop raise of $15.

The next few players fold... and the action is to you. You
look down at J-10 of diamonds. You know this is a "hidden
hand" that could bust Josh if something good hits on the
flop... so you call.

It's just you and Josh heads-up. The flop hits:

7h-9s-2c

Not exactly the flop you had hoped for. It gives you an
inside straight draw... which means you have outs... but YOU
KNOW BETTER than to chase an inside straight draw.

Josh represents the flop and bets $25. You know he doesn't
have anything... there's no way that flop helped him.

He's been representing the flop all night with that same $25
bet...

So YOUR READ on Josh is that he doesn't have anything, and
that YOU can buy this pot.

What do you do?

The answer is to make the MINIMUM RAISE.

Come back over Josh and make it $50 to play.

(This is your "Mini-Bluff".)

By doing this, you're taking control of the action and
finding out EXACTLY where you stand in the hand.

Most likely, Josh will call your raise. If he has something
really good, he'll re-raise you. And in that case you should
probably fold.

BUT IF YOUR READ WAS CORRECT-- and Josh DOESN'T have a
strong hand-- he'll just call...

The reason he won't fold is because HE made the original
bet. And since you only raised him the MINIMUM amount, it
won't be enough to scare him off.

OK, so Josh calls, and the turn hits:

7d

That pairs the board... but is no help to you.

Josh is first to act again, but this time taps his fist
against the table and checks.

Just as you'd hoped.

NOW it's time to make a REAL bluff and buy this pot.

You come out firing $100 in chips...

Josh shakes his head and says, "I can't call."

He flips over his A-J.

You throw your cards into the muck FACE DOWN... leaving
everyone wondering what you had. And you rake a nice pot.

Here's why the Mini-Bluff technique is so powerful:

1. It gives you control in the hand.

When you raise your opponent, you automatically assume a
level of CONTROL. If your opponent re-raises, he takes
control again...

The entire POINT of a bluff is to get your opponent to fold.
If he feels like he's in control, he won't fold... and your
bluff won't work.

2. You get a better read on your opponent.

In our example, Josh could have easily had something like
A-9 (and hit top pair) or an over pair or whatever.

You didn't THINK he had something good, but it's tough to
know for sure.

Your Mini-Bluff eliminates the confusion. If Josh had a
monster, he would have either gone back over the top of you
with a re-raise... or would have bet after the turn card.

Instead, he just CALLED and then CHECKED the turn. That's
pretty much a dead giveaway that he didn't have anything.

3. It builds the pot.

In this case, you won $25 more by "setting up" your bluff
with the Mini-Bluff. That's $25 more in your pocket at the
end of the night...

If you use the Mini-Bluff technique five times a game,
that's a nice chunk of change added to your wins.

4. There's less risk involved.

A MINIMUM RAISE is much safer than trying to buy the pot
outright... especially when you're not completely sure your
opponent is weak.

The Mini-Bluff prevents pot-commitment and leaves you room
to GET OUT of the hand if necessary.

5. Your bluff is more believable.

The Mini-Bluff raises "red flags" for your opponent...
mostly because he's not used to it.

It doesn't APPEAR that your bluffing-- and that's the whole
point, of course.

After he calls your Mini-Bluff, he's going to be weary of
you... confused about your hand. And THAT is the perfect
setup for taking down the pot.

So that's the power of the Mini-Bluff.

It's a great technique to add to your poker "bag of
tricks"...

But as with all strategies, use the Mini-Bluff SPARINGLY.
Don't get careless with it or use it too much.

The Mini-Bluff is NOT a replacement for your regular
bluffing patterns. It's meant to keep your opponents off
balance and MILK them for a few extra dollars once in
awhile.

Also, only perform the Mini-Bluff when you've got good
positioning and sense weakness at the table... the same
conditions as any other bluff.

[WinJStar]

Heads Up Play - Beating the Short Stack

Have you ever been in a heads-up poker match and realized
just how much DIFFERENT one-on-one poker is from
multi-player poker?

Most players learn strategies for winning no limit Texas
Holdem when there are 4... 6... 8... or 12 players at the
table.

Not 2.

Yet, you can't win a game or a tournament without MASTERING
heads-up play. In fact, heads-up play is perhaps the MOST
IMPORTANT aspect of Texas Holdem... and here's why:

If you can't win at heads-up poker, you'll never come in
first place.

Period.

And I don't know about you, but I play to WIN. Not to come
in second place.

Most players-- when they make it to a heads-up match-- are
COMPLETELY CLUELESS and don't know what to do. Especially
when it comes to DEFENDING a chip lead.

Why is that?

I think there are three main reasons...

1. Most players only make it to a heads-up match once in
awhile.... so they have very little EXPERIENCE playing poker
one-on-one.

2. The strategies for starting hands, odds, tells, and
betting are so RADICALLY DIFFERENT for heads-up poker
versus-- say, at an 8-man table-- that most players don't
have the KNOWLEDGE needed.

3. Most players don't get to watch and study poker GREATS
play heads-up Holdem, because even the greats will only make
it to a heads-up match once in awhile.

With that said, let me share with you a rather EMBARRASSING
story of how I got "schooled" in a heads-up match earlier in
my poker career... and how I learned the "secrets" to
winning in heads-up poker:

I had fought my way through a 100-man tournament, and found
myself heads-up with someone named Brandon.

Brandon was (and is) a very skilled poker player who loves
to push the action... but at the time, I wasn't intimidated
by him. Because I thought I had this baby in the bag...

You see, I had been catching monster after monster in this
tournament, and I had JUST finished knocking out two players
at once with trip kings.

My chip lead was HUGE. 10 to 1 over Brandon, actually.

I was on a roll.

I had over $100,000 in chips, versus Brandon's $10,000, with
the blinds at $500/$1000.

This thing is OVER, right?

The first hand I looked at was Q-9 while I was small blind.
I limped in, and the action went to Brandon.

"All in," he said.

I folded.

I didn't want to give him the chance to double up.

The next hand was K-4 offsuit. Once again, Brandon went
all-in.

I folded again, and Brandon raked in more blinds.

The next hand I was dealt was A-4. Brandon goes all-in
AGAIN.

This time, I called.

He threw over pocket 4's. The flop, turn, and river come
out:

K-7-9-2-Q

So I didn't hit my ace, and Brandon doubled up.

By this time, he was sitting on $24,000 in chips, and I was
at $86,000.

The next few hands played out... and Brandon continued to go
all-in time after time... and I continued to fold hands like
K-7, Q-9, J-8, and so on.

I just didn't want to risk doubling him up AGAIN with such
"mediocre" hands.

But before you knew it... it didn't matter.

Because I'd let Brandon right back into the game. He had
taken about 10 straight pots from me...

I was frustrated as all hell, and went on tilt. As you
probably guessed, I blew the rest of my chip lead and lost
the match.

Honestly, I think this CHOKE should go down in the history
books right next to the Yankees versus Red Sox in the 2004
ALCS.

Just writing this newsletter makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyway, what's REALLY IMPORTANT is what I did AFTER I lost
that tournament.

I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

We started playing at 7 P.m. and didn't finish until well
after 5 A.M. in the morning. We completed OVER 50 GAMES THAT
NIGHT...

Now let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that night for ANY
other experience in my poker career.

It changed EVERYTHING for me.

And here's why:

Because I crammed in YEARS of heads-up experience into that
one night...

I learned how to play with a big chip lead... how to play
when I was short-stacked... how to "lean" on my opponent
with a small chip lead... and so on and so on.

And since then, I've done this same exercise with TONS of
other poker players... to keep my skills FRESH and to master
the techniques needed to win against different playing
styles.

When I was up against Brandon in that tournament, I had made
a TON of mistakes.

You see, when you have a big chip lead in heads-up action,
the first secret is YOU MUST ATTACK.

To get a perspective on this, think about how you play when
you're the SHORT STACK...

You're prepared to go all-in as soon as possible, right?

Well, you must use this to your ADVANTAGE when you're the
big stack, and PUT YOUR OPPONENT ALL-IN right away... rather
than the other way around.

When you have a big chip lead, YOU must be the one to create
"coin-toss" situations... and fast.

A coin-toss situation is when both players have virtually
equal odds... and the winning hand is determined by whatever
the flop, turn, and river cards are.

In heads-up poker, any starting hand with a FACE CARD is
playable. Or any pocket pair. It's that simple.

If you've got a big chip lead on your opponent and he CHECKS
or LIMPS-IN (calls the blinds), then you should IMMEDIATELY
put him all-in.

He wouldn't be checking or limping-in if he had ANYTHING
DECENT at all...

If he folds, you've stolen the blinds from him, which is
crucial. If he calls, you've created a coin-toss situation.

Odds are you'll win at least one out of every two coin toss
situations. Or at the very least, you'll win one out of
three.

Here's a basic summary of the "rules" you should follow when
playing heads-up poker with a huge chip lead. When I say
"huge", I'm talking about 10 to 1 or more...

Of course, you won't START with a 10:1 chip lead very often
(like I did against Brandon), but you will frequently BECOME
the 10:1 chip leader in a heads-up match if you're a skilled
player.

And that's the exact moment when you MUST PULL THE TRIGGER
AND WIN THE GAME.

If you don't, the chip stacks can quickly even out again and
you may lose your chance forever.

Anyway... here are the RULES you should follow:

1. Any starting hand with a face card or any pocket pair is
good.

2. You should either FOLD or go ALL-IN every time. Nothing
else.

3. Force COIN-TOSS situations... In other words, leverage
the 50/50 ODDS as much as possible. Do this two or three
times and you will almost always win the match.

4. If you're playing against a tight player, it will be even
easier. Keep going all-in on just about every hand and let
the blinds eat him to death.

Read and re-read those four principles and you'll be
prepared the next time you make it to a heads-up match.

In the meantime, you should IMMEDIATELY do two things:

1. Call a friend or poker buddy and invite him over to play
you heads-up. Put $5 or even just $1 on each game... it
doesn't matter.

The point is to play game after game after game in a
heads-up setting. Play for as long as you possibly can.

When you're done, call a different friend and do the same
thing again. And then do it again next week. And keep doing
this over and over...

Trust me, your poker skills will SKYROCKET when you follow
this simple exercise.

[KManDeuce]

Heads Up Play - Beating the Short Stack


I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

Just in case anyone wondered if "Roy's" examples were real or a figment of his imagination.

[voodoo1215]

Drew is dons younger brother... Since Don was out attempting to get a little action from the girl next door, Drew decided he would help out...thats all... very simple..

[Minx]

this is better than the soaps

[spaceboy761]

This guy just gave an excellent tutorial on how to beat terrible poker players. I love the all in-or-fold concept... because a seven-year old couldn't read that after about three hands.

[WinJStar]

More crap from the man.

When To "Smooth Call" Your Opponents

Jennifer:

Hey, let's talk about the "smooth call".

A smooth call is when you're holding a REALLY GOOD hand and
someone bets into you... but instead of RAISING, you simply
CALL.

The smooth call is VERY POWERFUL, but a lot of players
totally mess it up. Here's how to do it RIGHT...

Let's say you're playing a cash game of no-limit Holdem at a
10-man table. The blinds are $5-10.

You're sixth to act before the flop (good positioning) and
you pick up pocket Aces...

Nice!

A couple players limp-in and the action is to Don, who's an
aggressive player.

He makes it $125 to play.

This is a rather large pre-flop raise at this table. The
normal pre-flop raise has been between $50 and $75 up to
this point.

You immediately put Don on something like pocket Jacks or
tens.

Why?

Because you know that if someone makes an UNUSUALLY large
pre-flop raise, it's probably because they have a hand they
DON'T want to play.

And quite often that hand is 10's or J's.

So anyway, the next guy folds and now the action is to you
with your monster American Airlines.

What should you do?

This is an ideal situation for a smooth call.

Here's why:

You know Don is going to bet again after the flop--
regardless of what hits-- since he made such a large
pre-flop raise.

And you also know that you've got Don beat right now. If you
call his bet, there's no way he's going to put you on Aces.

If you RAISE, Don is going to be scared. Because RAISING
after a big bet means you must have a monster. And that
basically gives away your hand.

OK, so you make a smooth call and put $125 in the middle.

Everyone else mucks their cards, so it's just you and Don to
see the flop.

The flop comes out a "rainbow" (which means there are three
different suits on the board):

8-7-4

This is the perfect flop for you. You figure Don has a
pocket pair HIGHER than the cards on the board, which means
he'll be confident betting his hand.

The only thing to be WORRIED about is if Don has pocket 8's,
since that would mean he just made trips. If he DID have
trips, he'd probably check after the flop and fake weakness.

So anyway, the action is to Don and... as expected... he
comes out firing a $250 bet.

What now?

Well, you could come back over the top of him and take this
pot right now. Or you can do ANOTHER smooth call and go for
the kill.

You think for a few moments... hesitate... then smooth call.

The turn card comes and it's a four, which is PERFECT for
you.

Don doesn't hesitate and puts his last $500 into the pot
now... thinking he has the best hand.

You call, and throw over your monster Aces.

Don shakes his head in disgust and throws over his pocket
Queens.

And you win a massive pot.

Now, that's basically the "ideal" way the smooth call works.
Let's discuss the RIGHT CONDITIONS when you'll want to make
a smooth call... and how you can add this powerful move to
your "poker toolbox"...


*** CONDITIONS FOR A SMOOTH CALL ***

The smooth call is the combination of two main components:

ANTICIPATION + SLOW-PLAYING

The INTENTION of the smooth call is to FOOL your opponents
while letting them dig their own grave.

Here's what I mean...

The smooth call operates on the fact that you ANTICIPATE
that your opponents will continue betting... AND... that you
have the best hand at the table.

When your opponents think THEY have the best hand, they'll
be confident with their betting. They'll become
pot-committed... and will get frustrated that you won't back
down.

That's when they'll make a mistake and go all-in, or simply
bet too much, and you'll come out on top.

There are four main "conditions" for performing a smooth
call... Here they are:

1. You don't need to figure out where you're at, because you
KNOW you have the best hand.

2. You ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent.

3. You have good positioning.

4. You're not worried about too many players getting in the
hand.

The first condition basically means you should only smooth
call when you have really good hands. We'll talk about the
EXACT hands to smooth call with more in a minute.

We've already gone over the second condition... you need to
ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent. Most of the time,
players who raise before the flop will bet AGAIN after the
flop.

The third condition is POSITIONING. You can't perform a
smooth call if you're first to act. Then what you're doing
is just check-calling your opponents... which ISN'T the same
thing.

And the final condition for a smooth call is that you're not
at risk of having lots of players in the hand.

This last condition is important because it will help you
prevent bad beats.

Basically, when you have a monster hand before the flop, you
want to narrow the field down to one or two callers...

If you have three or more players seeing the flop, your
monster will get run down by someone who gets lucky.

In the example I shared earlier, Don had made a large
pre-flop raise of $125. That meant there was no danger of
too many players calling...

If the pre-flop raise had been only $40 or so, it would NOT
have been a good situation to smooth call... because the
raise would have gotten multiple callers. And then you're at
risk of a bad beat.

OK, so those are the conditions that need to be present in
order to make a smooth call.

Remember, the REASON a smooth call is powerful is because it
"represents" something like a draw, low pocket pair, or hand
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

If you smooth call before the flop, your opponent will
probably put you on something like suited connectors, two
face cards, or a low pocket pair.

After the flop comes out and your opponent THINKS he has you
beat, he'll keep INCREASING his bet sizes to try to scare
you out. This is a fundamental poker principle...

For each successive round of betting, the bets and raises
will INCREASE. The bets after the flop will be larger than
the bets before the flop. The bets after the turn will be
larger than the bets after the flop. And so on.

In our example, if you came back over the top of Don BEFORE
the flop, he would have folded. That means you would have
won his $125.

At MOST he may have called a $125 raise from you... but then
would have check-folded after the flop. In that case, you
would have won his $250.

But by smooth calling, you got BOTH his $125 bet (pre-flop)
and $250 bet (post-flop)... and then by smooth calling again
you got his remaining $500.

The key is to trick your opponent into thinking he has the
better hand... and let HIM take the offensive. If you can do
that, you're money.


*** HANDS TO SMOOTH CALL WITH ***

You want to smooth call before the flop with hands like Aces
or Kings. You DON'T want to smooth call with something like
A-K or A-Q.

Big Slick is a great hand... don't get me wrong... but it's
not "complete". By itself, Big Slick is just an Ace high. If
the flop doesn't help you and your opponent comes out
firing, you're in trouble.

If you're going to smooth call after the flop or turn,
you'll want to do it with hands like trips, two pair, or an
over pair (like in our example).

Trips and two pair are usually "hidden" from your opponent,
which is why they make great smooth call hands. (Remember,
it's all about making your opponent think he's got the best
of you.)

OK, TWO MORE THINGS to keep in mind...

First off, there are DANGERS to smooth calls. The main
danger is if your opponent catches a better hand than you.

You should be ready for this if there's something on the
board like a straight draw, flush draw, or two face cards.

Let's say you smooth call before the flop with pocket Kings
and the flop comes out 3-Q-6, all diamonds.

If your opponent comes out firing aggressively, be careful.
He wouldn't come out betting UNLESS he felt like he's still
got you beat.

I mean, think about it: Those three diamonds are going to
SCARE him... unless they HELPED him.

It's the same way with flops like 10-J-Q, K-K-5, K-Q-10,
J-A-3, and so on. If there are two face cards out there,
your opponent might have just made trips or two pair. If
there's a straight draw on the board and he's not scared,
YOU should be scared.

The second thing to think about is how you can INTEGRATE the
smooth call into the rest of your game...

The smooth call is a "maneuver" or "play". It will bring you
tons of extra pots and winnings when added to the STRONG
FOUNDATION of your poker skills.

To build your foundation, I recommend that you PLAY poker as
much as possible and LEARN about the game as much as
possible.