You can most certainly play poker with a straightforward approach. Play the Top Ten hands, pocket Aces through tens with Big Slick and Big Chick tossed in with the occasional foray with an A-J- or A-10, but eventually that will become recognizable, especially by your opposition. Thus, when you come in for your raises, the… Read more »
In sitting at the poker table, players will try to mix up their game lest their opposition gets locked in that they are taking an ABC approach to playing. One of the more popular ways to deviate from the norm but with still apparently strong holdings is to play paint cards. “Paint” cards – any… Read more »
There are several things that make poker enjoyable. Sitting down with friends for a home game or even heading to your local casino to take on other players you know emphasizes the camaraderie of the game. The strategies and mindsets employed in playing the game help to keep your mental wits about you. Finally, there’s… Read more »
There is one kind of player that I seem to have success against in the heads-up portion of a tournament: the massive overbettor. This type of player is super-aggressive post-flop with any sort of decent, yet not monster, hand. Really, unless the board looks ultra-scary, he is not likely to take his foot off the gas once he becomes the aggressor. Read more »
One of the most common lines I heard uttered by players, almost exclusively amateurs, was, "I'm folding everything until I make the money. Even pocket Aces." Most people who say this are not serious, but every year, without fail, I hear about someone who actually did fold Aces pre-flop and showed them to the table to prove it. The question that inevitably comes up after something like this is, "Is it ever reasonable to fold pocket Aces pre-flop?" Read more »
Adam "Roothlus" Levy is a professional poker player from Orlando, Florida with well over $1 million in online tournament earnings. But like many of his internet cronies, Levy has made a smooth transition to live poker and his results certainly back up the argument that the online crowd has some serious game. Read more »
Football season is in full swing (well, as I am writing this it is – if it is late spring as you, yourself, are reading this, then just bear with me) and anyone who follows the game knows the importance of an offensive line to a team's offense: the linemen protect the quarterback, taking on charging defenders to keep him from getting pummeled, and they also open holes for the primary running back, helping him get to the end zone. In poker, there is a betting strategy that plays a similar role to that of the offensive line: the blocking bet. Read more »
Coming off his bracelet win in the World Series of Poker $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, Matt "mattg1983" Graham went on a tear toward the end of the summer of 2008. He picked up wins in the $33 rebuy on Full Tilt for more than $6,000 and the star-studded $215 Sunday Second Chance on Pokerstars for $53,330. Then on August 5th, Graham won the $109 rebuy on Pokerstars for $38,390. Read more »
Scott "dorinvandy" Dorin goes over a crucial hand at the final table of his WCOOP victory. With an overwhelming chip lead, he got involved in a pot with a well known pro that proved to be "the" hand of the tournament. Read more »
A common mistake that many poker players make is that they are too passive. This isn't to say that you should become an over aggressive maniac, but there is a fine balance that needs to be reached. Read more »
