For a year or two, I’ve been playing poker. Well, I love playing online. In quite a short span of time, I was able to familiarize myself about position and odds.

Just recently, I introduced some of my friends to poker and as of now we are planning to be into regular events. But there’s a problem. All of them seriously want to call stations, my style which basically works online won’t be effective.

Say in middle position I had ace queen and then for four times the BB I raised. Four callers appeared. To be honest, I knew then that I should tighten up and wait for premium hands however my premium seemed not so strong when the field just can’t be narrowed to one opponent. Any thoughts?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Reilly
Reilly,

When you are against calling stations, you need to push your advantages. There are times that they will draw out against you, but the other times you will just punish them for extra bets.

You can also try and play small ball poker where you see a lot of cheap flops with them and when you connect strong with the flop, punish them with extra bets.

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I have a bunch of questions to ask. But before I start, I would like first to commend you and thank you for this nice, very helpful site. It has been a great help to me. It has been providing me very useful info, tips, etc. Thank you very much!

Now, here are my questions:

1. At the table, is there any action or mannerism you keep record of?
2. While in a hand, is there any specific question you ask yourself?
3. Say bottom pair BB check or bet instead?
4. In tourney, when should one go all in or not with short stack?
5. What’s the best or most effective way to spot bluff?
6. Say small pocket pair middle position with or without raise before to your seat, what will you do?
7. In the event you’re leading in terms of chips, see many pots several pots?

I’ll be glad to hear from you in no time.

Thanks again for the site!

Cheers,
Jack
Jack,

1. I keep track of betting patterns of my opponents. I also take not of the physical way they bet different hands. I look for body language, listen to them talk, and what they say or don’t say during hands. I also pay attention to what they do while they are in a hand and see if it changes during situations such as bluffs, monster hands, etc.
2. What are the potential hands that my opponent may have right now. How does my opponent view me right now. Should I check or bet this flop. What is his stack size compared to mine. What are the odds for this hand improving?
3. If you flop bottom pair and you are in the big blind, you will usually want to check unless you were the aggressor preflop. Then you want to make a continuation bet.
4. With a short stack, try and find a reasonable hand that you can push your stack with. You really want to try to be the aggressor to allow yourself the best option to win. A pair, big ace, two big cards, or any reasonable ace are good hands to move in with. If the blinds and antes are about to go up, wait a little bit and move in after the level changes to try and pick up some extra money, especially if you have antes.
5. The most effective way to catch a bluff is to learn your opponents betting patterns. Also watch how they bet when they show hand that are the nuts and when they show bluffs. Try and notice differences in body language and the way they bet.
6. You want to try and limp in with small pocket pairs in middle position. If you are facing a raise, if the raise isn’t huge and if you have at least one other caller, take a look at the flop and try and hit a set.
7. You can open up your hand ranges some, but be careful of tangling with big stacks. You want to use your chips to bully other players.

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I’ve been into local free rolls in my area. Well, I play two or three times a week. Most of the time, I face bunch of players with different approaches.

Majority of the players I come to face are loose type making it hard for me to steal pots even with a preflop raise and a continuation bet. On the better side, I still can make it to the final table in just almost half the time. There’s just one situation I can never forget.

In early position back then, I had a decent hand, AKs, AK, AQs, AQ. For approximately three times the BB I raised and then got several callers. Flop came but of no help. Later, turn came but of also no help to me, I haven’t made a hand still. At such point, I was in doubts if placing another bet will be a good move.

If you were me, will you place another bet? Well, personally I want to place another one to obtain more info. Also, if I was back in position, how would the situation change? Do you think for free card, I should just check it down to the river and then wait and see if other player place a bet on the river? What do you think?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

John
John,

If you raised preflop, you need to make a continuation bet on the flop. If you get called, then you must make a decision to either fire a bluff on the turn or check. The same goes for if the hand is in position except for the fact that on the turn, you will want to almost automatically fire a second bet into the pot to play your position.

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Well, I want to share something actually. I’ve been playing holdem at home games in tournament format along with some friends. Recently, we started playing the blinds. A friend of mine went short of funds when he was in the big blind as well as in the small.

Now I’m wondering in the event the big blind goes broke, should the next hand be played by the button and the big blind or someone might get in the way? Similarly, in case the small blind goes broke, on the next hand does the button remains on the same person as the former hand and the blinds will go on as usual? Or else, does the button goes to the person who was the big blind beforehand and then get lucky for not paying the small at such round?

Thanks for your time!

Barry
Barry,

In the event the big blind in the current hand is eliminated, the next hand the next player that is supposed to get the big blind will still play the big blind, but there will not be a small blind. If the small blind busts, then the next players that are supposed to post the blinds will post and the button is frozen. In the event both blinds bust, then the button is frozen and the player that is the big blind gets the big blind and the small blind is dead.

Nobody should ever post both blinds at once.

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I’ve arranged a NL tournament several weeks ago. It was a single table tournament with 10 players. I’m happy with the result of the event as it went pretty well and almost all of the players who joined want another one. But I’m not sure of having a tournament again as I’m troubled of something.
Well, we have already 3 consecutive tournaments and wanted each to run for at least 90 min. We started then with $600. Our blind structure went as follows:

5-10
10-20
25-50
50-100

100-200
200-400

400-800 -capped

Every after 15 minutes, blinds increased. Later, 2-3 players were left. At such point, blinds then appeared very high and no strategy became visible, most especially that the blind structure was capped.

As of the moment, I want to do 2 tournaments that would run for approximately 2 hours. I’m planning to start with $800 each with blinds moving up every 20 minutes then eventually cap it at around 200-400. I’m wondering if there is any formula for such or perhaps rules. Please, I need to hear from you.

Thank you very much!

Sipiere
Sipiere,

The blind structure that you use depends on how long you want the event to last. Using a doubling blind structure may help. Start with 5-10 and then move to 10-20 and then 20-40, and then 40-80. Then you could do 50-100, 100-200, and 200-400 if you so desire.

When blinds get to a certain point, strategy gives way more to luck.

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I don’t know how exactly I should play in no limit Texas Hold’em tournaments and eventually win. Can you help me?

Thank you in Advance!

Regards,
Monnier
Monnier,

I would recommend that you pick up a book or Dvd about playing Texas Holdem tournaments. Phil Hellmuth and Howard Lederer both have DVD’s on tournament poker, and Dan Harrington has a great series of books about NL Holdem tournaments. Harrington on Holdem is a great set of books on learning tournaments.

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Assume that you are in a no limit tourney or a sit and go with 800 chips and with blinds 15/30. Then at some point, perhaps in the third hand, you see AQs and so you raise it up to 60. You then have several callers however they’re not the blinds. Consequently, flop came Qxx rainbow and so in early position I placed a bet around 60-90. Behind me, somebody went out and moved all in. Do you think I should call such or just give away the 120-150 chips and then flip the high pair?

Another thing, say you are on a certain money table with some maniacs, would you still play and then have the risk of losing money just to have more? Any thoughts? How about advice?

Thanks!

Knutson
Knutson,

In a tournament with a low amount of chips like you were in, I would call. In a sit n go I would call as well. You are trying to make it to the top three spots. You need to push your advantages when you can. Chances are you are against a weaker queen or a lower pair. If not, there is always next time. With the short stacked nature of the event, you needed to pick up chips.

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For some time now, I’ve been playing low-limit. Well, I love being at both play money and real money tables, $.02/.04. But just recently, I was invited to be in a local no limit tournament. I was really troubled as I haven’t tried no limit still back then.

There were 10 players at the table. The cost of entry was $10 for $50 in chips while 3 re-buys at first 2 rounds would be $10/$50 then. Double re-buy at 2nd round turned $10/$100.

At first round, the minimum bet was 10, small blind-5, big blind-10. Second round, minimum bet was 20, small blind-10,big blind-20. I remember each round lasted for 45 minutes. Following rounds, 3, 4, 5, lasted for only 20 minutes each. 3rd round, 25-50-50. 4th round, 50-100-100. Finally, 5th round, 100-200-200.

Any thoughts about the game?

Thanks in advance!

Jones
Jones,

This is a strange structure. I wouldn’t play it. It gives a lot of time in the rebuy round and then cuts the time more than half for the rest of the event. It makes the event a total crapshoot. Don’t play it.

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Just recently, I was in a one-table tourney online. Luckily, I made it to the final three players. If I remember it right, one of the two others was tight. I was a little looser then because I was the short stack. I believe the other one of the two was a tight aggressive; as he actually thought also.

With marginal hands, I took a few pots from him at some point. Eventually, I became the chip leader which caused him to drive nuts. Player A then folded, he was on the button. I then called the big blind 400 with K 8 off suit. Player C was next and raised to 800. I was in for 400 so I didn’t mind seeing the flop for another 400.

Finally, flop came and brought 989. I then placed 1,000 bet while player C went all in. I then called him. Later, he flipped A Q off suit over. Turn and river came however both of no help at all so I just took him out. He then went nuts and called me a fish and so on.

Now, in such situation, was calling his preflop raise just right? Another thing, in a tourney situation, do you have to play differently than you would more or less play in a regular event? Any thoughts?

Habin
Habin,

You do have to play differently in a tournament situation than you do in a cash game. When you are down to three players, it is right to call down with weaker hands. His main mistake was not raising enough. If he raised to say 1,500, I don’t see you staying in. I don’t know how much he had, but it may have been right to call for pot odds.

You weren’t a fish. He is just a weak player.

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I have some questions to ask. Kindly bear with me.

In tourneys that are quick and have blinds that raise every minutes or so, how would you play? Also, how much do you bluff on average chase your draws and your starting hands, how loose are they?

Thank you in advance and nice site!

Regards,
Keegen
Keegen,

In turbo style tournaments, I try and play very strong early on. If I get a big hand, I will push my advantage to build chips. In the middle part of the tournaments, I either continue to play solid if I have picked up chips, or I try and find a hand to double up with. Late in the tournament I play somewhat loose and try to see a lot of cheap flops. Then I punish my opponents when I hit.

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