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 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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I was in an online $50 no-limit tourney the other week. At some point, I was dealt Kd Qd while the blinds were 100/200. I remember I had 1800 chips while the BB had 8000, he was the table leader by the way. One caller appeared and so I raised to 400. SB then folded while BB called. Other players folded.

Later, flop came and brought Kh2d4h. Then I placed a 600 bet and BB called. Turn came and brought 4d. At such point, I had 2 pair with a flush draw.

To be honest, I was concerned of the 600 call. I want to ask, how would you play when you feel you have the best hand and your opponent is on a draw? Well, when I was at such instance, I went all in. As expected, I was called. River came however was not a diamond. BB then flipped his cards over, Jc4s, therefore he won the pot.

For several times, such situation happened to me. Most of the time, I don’t want the player to have cheap cards as he might be on a draw however in the event I bet too big and he made hand, big losses are ahead. Please, I need your advice on this.

Thanks,
Dornisch
Dornisch,

You played the hand properly. The fact that your opponent called with such a poor hand speaks about his poor play, not your ability. You had 2 pair and a flush draw. The only draw to beat you is an Ace high draw. I might have bet as a partial value bet and to disguise the fact I had a draw too.

When there is a draw possible, you do not want the players to get a cheap draw. You played well. You just got unlucky.

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I don’t like table tournaments so I tried $25 PL online. I’ve been playing such kind for some time now.

In one of the events I was in, I lost because of a certain hand. There were actually five players in back then. I had $64 and was considered the largest stack. At certain point, I got 10 10. Then I raised to $2.75 by which was the pot amount. Other four players called. Flop came and brought 10d Qc Kc. Player into me placed a $2 bet while I raised to $5. Player next to me also raised but at such point it was $10. Other two players followed and went all in for the money left to them, approximately $15. For $25, original bettor then went all in. Later, I followed my instincts saying I have to call. I wasn’t able to get the boat as well as any club. Player next to me had AJ.

In your opinion, did I make the right play? Or if not, I should have laid it down?

Well, fortunately, I got AA on next hand while the player who won the big pot had KK. For $28, both of us re-raise till I’m all in. Luckily I was able to somehow get back what I lost earlier.

Since I’m here, I’ll just grab the chance to ask this. Well, it’s something about the argument that me and my friend had just recently. He said that the 2004 WSOP is not over and that Greg Raymer and his $5 million win was only a preliminary. Is this true? And according to another guy I fairly know, it was the Vogel guy who won it.

Personally, I believe that the event lasted 6-7 days and actually started with preliminary tournaments. Those who won got a bracelet and go on to play. It just continued till the winner was determined. Please, I need clarity on this.

Thanks!

Regards,
Zaccano
Zaccano,

You flopped a set. There was a lot of action involved which meant that you might be behind. Of course, there is a good chance that you had the best hand. With so much money in the pot, you pretty much had to call here.

The 2004 WSOP concluded when Greg Raymer won the Main Event when he defeated David Williams. The World Series of Poker is a set of over 50 tournaments. Each award a bracelet. The events before the Main Event are preliminary events. The winners of the event does not automatically qualify for the Main Event. The players that play the Main Event must put up $10,000 each to play. The Main Event is spread out over around the course of nearly two weeks now. The entire WSOP lasts over 6 weeks.

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I’ve just started playing online limit holdem. Occasionally, I play low limit tournaments with $5-$10 buy-in.

I’ve always been a keen observer. Well, there was one thing that really bothered me for some time, many players always call terrible pre-flop hands and then go on calling bets as well as raises. Well, I strongly believe that such kind of play won’t ever be beneficial, however somebody will always have something on the turn or if not on the river.

Do you think playing NL holdem tournaments will be the answer? Will this eliminate such kind of players or I’ll just hope when I’m already in higher limits? What do you think?

Thanks!

Phillips
Phillips,

It depends on the hands. Limit Holdem is different than No-Limit Holdem. Some hands that are considered bad hands in NL become playable in Limit depending on position, number of players in the hand, etc.

Playing NL will help some, but I would recommend educating yourself on Limit Holdem. Howard Lederer has a fantastic Limit Holdem DVD and Ed Miller has a book on Small Stakes Holdem. I would get one or the other and read up on the game.

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I must admit it, I badly want to believe I’m an above-average player. I’ve played well before and I’ve already held a monthly poker game. Not to mention that I was invited several times to play at some local games. I believe the biggest one so far was the one with the biggest cash prize. However, there’s just one thing I don’t like about the game, its house rules are a little different than usual. Blinds move up every after 20 minutes till the final table. The problem I have encountered then was due to the blinds actually. I’m a tight player and when the blinds move such way, I’m headed to an uncomfortable zone, particularly when I have few chips.

Do you have any advice for me? I’m thinking of bluffing next time. What do you think? And what kind of hands should I consider when the blind is 3rd quarter of my chips? Any idea?

Thank you in advance!

I hope to hear from you soon.

Warm regards,
Schoonen
Schoonen,

You need to widen your hand range a bit when playing a tournament with such a high blind structure. You also need to play your position more. As far as bluffing, if you have some players that you think you can run a bluff against, then by all means, give it a try.

As far as a hand to put your chips in when the blind is ¾ of your stack, you need to pick any sort of reasonable hand and go. Any ace, any two big cards, any pair, and even suited connectors or suited cards are decent cards to play in this spot. Another thing I will do sometimes is that if there is a lot of action and I am super short stacked, sometimes I will move in with any two cards. The reason is that if there are several people in the pot already, I have great odds on my money. Yes, I am likely behind, but also I probably have two live cards.

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First, I would like to commend you for having a nice site. Congrats!

Well, just last night I was in a tournament with several friends. In late position, I got dealt pocket kings. Just one player then called the blinds therefore I decided to move all in.

At the table, there was one player in the hand who played aggressively. He had four times the amount of chips as I had then. Well, he had beaten several players so this was not that surprising. Later, a friend of mine who had A7s called the bet. Cards then came out and he ended up having an ace high flush.

Now, I’m thinking if I made a big mistake moving all in with pocket kings. Any idea? Also, I’m wondering if what were his reasons for calling.

Hope you can help me.

Thanks a lot!

Cheers,
Bratli
Bratli,

Without knowing more about the scenario regarding blind amounts and you stack, it is hard to say whether you should have went all in or made a strong raise. If you think that an all-in was the best way to take the pot down, that’s one thing, otherwise a strong raise may have done the trick in most situations.

As to why the player called your bet, it is hard to say. He may have thought you were on a steal and thought his suited ace was good. Not knowing more about your chip stack, the blind amount, and his stack makes it hard to gague whether this was a super poor call.

Taken in the context presented, he made a really poor call and you got unlucky.

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There were four players left for the pot. Player 1 had 10,000, player 2 had 8,000, player 3 had 5,000 and player 4 has 2,000. All figures were in chips by the way. At some point, all four went all in. In the end, player 1 won the pot. Who will take the titles 2nd and 3rd placer?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks!

Jim Hatter
Jim,

In a tournament when multiple players are eliminated, the eliminated player that had the most chips at the start of the hand gets the superior placing. In your scenario, player 3 would get third place, and player 2 will get 2nd place. Player 4 is the bubble boy.

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