Poker Academy Blogs

Pot control is the art of manipulating the size of the pot based on the relative strength of your hand.  “Relative strength of your hand” refers to how strong your hand is in comparison to the likely range of hands of your opponent.  This means that the tighter your opponent is, the stronger hand you will need to play a big pot and the looser your opponent is, the weaker your hand can be to play a big pot.

For example if you have top pair against a calling station fish, you would usually be correct to place bigger bets on the flop, turn and river.  With top pair against a tight nit, it’s more of a judgment call, but you still usually want to avoid a situation where you end up with all of your chips in the middle.

Pot control is one of the most important skills for no-limit players.  By keeping the pot the appropriate size, it becomes much easier to avoid mistakes.  Pot control both keeps you out of trouble and gets as much value for your hand as possible.

There are two parts to pot control:

1. Factors to consider

2. Implementation

Factors to Consider

When practicing pot control, there are several factors one must consider.  The easiest is stack sizes.  As a general rule the range of hands with which you’re willing to showdown with all the chips in the middle should be wider with a 50BB stack than with a 200BB stack.  This means you should be much more willing to put a 50BB stack all in with top pair top kicker than you would with a 200BB stack.

The second factor to consider is the strength of your hand vs. the range of your opponent’s hand.  This is more of a judgment call based on past experience, reads of the opponent, table dynamics, board texture and betting patterns.  There is a lot to consider when trying to figure the strength of your hand vs. the range of the opponent.  This is basically a problem of hand reading.  The more you play and the better you get at hand reading, the easier this step will become.

The last factor to consider is the style of the opponent.  This is closely related to the last factor but I have separated it for one reason.  Two different styles of opponents can have a wide range but you want to practice pot control differently for each one.  If you have top pair top kicker against a bad chaser, you will want to bet the hand aggressively and let him pay you off.  If you have top pair top kicker against a tricky, aggressive player who has a wide range that you can’t read, you will want to practice pot control to keep the pot small.  The aggressive player will be able to put you to difficult decisions in big pots if you don’t have a very defined range of hands for him.

Implementation

Implementation is the actual method you use to manipulate the pot to the size you want it to be.  Implementation can include the decisions of whether to bet or check, raise or call, and sometimes fold.

An easy example of this is the top pair top kicker vs. a calling station.  If you believe the opponent is on a draw or weak hand and will call any bet, it’s a good idea to bet the full pot on the flop, turn, and sometimes the river.  Occasionally, if you feel a weak opponent is on a draw that missed on the river, you can check to him on the river and call a bluff.  Other times you will want to go ahead and bet the river again for value against a weaker hand.

With top pair against an aggressive, tricky opponent, it becomes a little more difficult first on analyzing the factors and second on the actual implementation.  Aggressive opponents make it difficult to manipulate the pot size because they sometimes raise with strong hands and sometimes with draws, making it difficult for you to distinguish between the two.  That’s why I recommend playing for small pots against good aggressive opponents.  They usually aren’t going to pay 100BBs to you with a hand weaker than top pair.

Playing small pots against aggressive opponents means occasionally checking behind on the turn with your top pair and then betting again on the river.  This line is very common and recognizable but it still keeps the pot small and tempts your opponents to call with weaker hands.  It also means sometimes checking the flop – a common scenario for checking the flop is after 3-betting preflop with AK and then spiking a king.  Against certain players, checking top pair here is a correct way to play the hand (occasionally, not every time).  The logic behind this is that good, thinking players can pretty easily put you on AK, therefore making a continuation bet from you unprofitable – they will fold worse hands, and continue with strong hands.

Of course you don’t want to get into the habit of defaulting to a certain line every time you play a hand against tough players.  That would be easily exploited and therefore unprofitable.  The best way to protect yourself against these tough players is to mix it up yourself so that they are uncertain of your holdings and less confident in their reads of you to push you around.

There are a thousand ways to play a weak-ish hand for a small pot so I’m not going to get into them all in this article.  But I hope I have at least given you something to think about the next time you hit the poker tables.  Once you get into the habit of thinking like this, your results will improve dramatically.

We have seen them on TV. We have seen the grim focus of the sprinter preparing for a race; we have seen Barry Bonds step up to the plate just knowing that the ball is going out of the park. We have seen their winning expression, the look that just screams that they are going to win and nothing is going to stand in their way. They embody the winner mentality.

Their attitude is actually quite simple. They will succeed. And they know it.

It is a similar attitude a poker player should adept, especially when playing tournament poker. It is this mentality that the best players have. When the tournament starts and the first cards are dealt, at that very moment they know that they are going to win. All their focus and energy is on one thing and one thing only - winning.

Often it is impossible. The cards are against you, or you lose that critical coin flip, or bluff in the wrong spot. Afterwards, the disappointment sets in. And it is just natural that you get disappointed since you were so sure of winning.

But that is not a bad thing! It is out of this disappointment that the motivation to play even better, to excel to the next level, is born.

Poker is a game played by utilising those grey cells commonly referred to as "the brain". It is your brain that analyzes the available information about the opponents and their play; it is your brain that makes the decision. The brain calls the shots.

If your brain is convinced that you are a winner from the get-go, your chances increase dramatically. There is only one goal and it is to win.

The losses will be many and tough. But the best players analyze their losses, the situations that came up and hands they played, all in order to be even better prepared for the next tournament and have an even greater chance of winning.

This is the mentality of top athletes in all sports, so why would you as a poker player not try to embrace it?

Suited connectors are hands that often win big pots. As the name implies, a suited connector is a suited and connected hand, for example; JT, T9 and 65 of the same suit. These hands are often easy to play, because they are easy to fold the times we miss the flop.

So, when should we play suited connectors?

The answer is - almost always! When playing a full ring game, sometimes it is best just to call in early positions, but when first in from mid-to-late position, it is a raising hand. When playing shorthanded, we should always raise suited connectors first in. This is to balance our raising hand distribution; it gives good deception value and allows us to steal the pot on the flop, even if we miss it completely.

If someone has raised before us, in most cases it is correct to call the raise, especially if we have position on the raiser. A good rule of thumb is that it is correct to call up to 10% of our stack preflop, since it is about that often we will hit two pair or better. Preflop, our cards are not worth much. It is after the flop that things can become interesting.

Our goal is to flop two pair, three of a kind or a strong draw. Suited connectors are especially good for stacking over pairs, but they are playable in most situations. If we miss the flop, we simply fold, unless we have raised preflop. If we are the preflop aggressor and the pot is heads-up to the flop, we should continuation bet even if we miss in order to give us a chance to pick up the pot. If we have called preflop, we only continue playing if we flop at least a good draw.

The times we hit the flop hard our play depends entirely on the opponent, table image, table game play, stack size and position. To give a general advice for each situation that could arise would require an essay worthy of a Master's degree, so the only recommendation I really can give is to play the same way you usually play your good hands. The standard play, therefore, should be to play aggressive when hitting the flop hard.

To summarize:

Preflop:
Raise first in. In early position in a full ring game it is not wrong to limp, however I do think that most high suited connectors (that is JT+) are raise-worthy, but it is a matter of taste. Shorthanded, always raise first in. If someone else has raised - call for up to 10% of effective stack size.

Flop:
If you flop well - play hardball! When having raised first in and only one player has called, you should always continuation bet to try to pick up the pot. Otherwise, just use your common sense and skill and watch the money roll in!

Part of the charm of poker is the delicate and tough decisions we face when playing. We have a feeling that our top pair with a bad kicker is the best hand, but we are not sure. We think that our opponent might be bluffing, but how do we know? This insecurity gnawing at us when playing adds to the depth of the game and puts us on the edge of our seats when playing online poker.

A good rule of thumb is, when we are unsure, to either raise or fold. Let us assume that we called a preflop raise from a tight player with JTs after a caller in-between. The flop comes T73 rainbow. The early position raiser bets out, the player between us folds. What should we do?

First of all, we need to realize that our holding is very marginal. Sure, we have top pair, but our kicker is bad and we are facing a tight player. It is not exactly a hand to write home about (unless we have our mom on MSN and want some good parental advice).

In this situation, our options are to raise or fold. There is nothing wrong in folding. A bit on the tight side, sure, but if we put the tight player on a good hand there is no reason to continue playing. We can, however, test the tight player by raising. If the opponent re-raises we just fold, if he calls we do not put another cent in the pot unless we improve to two pair or three of a kind. Playing like this has its advantages: we avoid to pay off our opponents' good hands (for example, over pairs or sets), but we win most of the times he is continuation-betting with a hand like AK or 88.

The same is true for a hand like 87 on a flop like T76 - a very marginal holding indeed. Middle pair and a gutshot straight draw is not really a hand we like to get deeply involved with, but if we feel the opponent might be bluffing it is not wrong to test him with a raise. Folding is correct, but often, so is raising.

The common denominator for both hands is our action on the flop. Raise or fold. No calling! This allows us to avoid trouble later in the hand, on more expensive streets. If we face resistance, we are probably beat. If we are lucky, we draw out on the turn and get paid off, but otherwise we just toss our hand in the muck without losing too much money.

Should we just call the flop with a marginal hand, there is a risk of us trying to bluff should the opponent check the turn, or maybe it will be too alluring to call on the river just to see him turn over a better hand. It all boils down to avoiding trouble on later streets by acting on the flop. It both saves money and makes money, and is therefore a good play.

Four common beginner errors in No Limit Texas

Since we, unfortunately, are not born perfect, flawless and all-knowing, we are bound to make a lot of mistakes each and every time we try something new. We go through a learning curve where we identify the errors we commit and try to correct these to the best of our abilities.

This is also true for online poker. In this article, I will point out four common and costly beginner errors.

1) Playing too many starting hands

This is probably the most common, and one of the most costly, mistakes a new poker player makes. Most new players are so eager to just play that they fail to realize the value of sound starting hand selection. There are certain hands that should rarely be played and there are loads of hands that should never be played. Good starting hand selection is the foundation of solid play.

2) Betting too small

Another common mistake is betting too small. It is not at all uncommon to see people making tiny bets, even in large pots. This is almost always wrong. When you bet too little, people will not fold the times you bluff, and will have good odds to outdraw you when you have a good hand. A good rule of thumb is to always bet ½ - ¾ of the pot size.

3) Slowplaying too much

The rush of flopping a great hand, like three of a kind or a straight, is exhilarating. So exhilarating that many new players forget to bet their great hands! When you flop a great hand, the best way to get paid usually is to just bet it. Sure, there will be these annoying times when everybody folds, but those will be outweighed by the times when someone calls (or even raises!) your bet. By betting your great hands you give yourself the chance to win a huge pot instead of just picking up a small one.

4) Calling too much

The fourth mistake is calling too much. Beginners tend to never let go of a straight draw or a flush draw, regardless of the cost. The curiosity of seeing the other players hand is overwhelming on the river, so many beginners call in spots where all logic screams that they are beat, just ”to see their hand”. Calling too much is a very costly mistake. The next time you just feel that urge to call on the river just to see the other players’ hand – think it over once again and think of the money you will save by just folding.

Adjusting The Pot Size to the strength of your hand.

Sometimes, we just feel this irresistible urge to play a big pot. Unless we are drunk or tilted, this urge is usually when we flop a great hand. On other occasions, we like to play medium-sized pots, and this is usually when we have a good but not great hand. Sometimes, we want to play a small pot and get to showdown cheap, this is when we have a mediocre but probably-best holding.

This is why it is so important to try to adjust the pot size to match the strength of your hand. Let us assume that we raised 99 from late position and got called by both blinds. The flop is a dream for us - J93. This is one of those situations where our highest wish is to just get the money in the middle - and this is why it is so important to start building the pot right away!

If the blinds check to us, we should bet - about 2/3 to 3/4 of the pot is a good bet. Sometimes our opponents will have missed the flop completely and fold, but if they have hit a piece of it they will call - or even raise! - And the pot gets nicely bloated already on the flop, increasing our chances of stacking the opponent. By betting, we give ourselves the chance to win a huge pot whereas if we check behind, we will have trouble winning a big pot.

Building pots on early streets with good holdings is an essential part of good play.

Then what about the medium-sized pots? Well, let's say that we raised AQ preflop and again the blinds called. The flop comes QT3. If both check to us, we should bet for value, but at the same time a certain measure of care is necessary. If we don't have a good read, we probably do not want to play for stacks - the opponent could have two pair or a set. We are betting to extract money from a straight draw or a top pair with a worse kicker.

The standard turn play is to check behind if the opponent checks, with the intention of calling most rivers if bet into and value-betting most rivers if checked to.

With mediocre holdings, our wish is to keep the pot small. Let us assume that we, in an online poker game, limped A4 suited from late position after a few limpers (to try to flop a straight, flush or good draw). The flop comes AT8, giving us top pair with a lousy kicker.

In this case, it is in our interests to keep the pot small. If checked to, we should check and see a turn card (if we bet, we are likely only getting called by hands that beat us). If another player bets, we can call on the flop and re-evaluate on the turn (or just fold if it is a tight player doing the betting). If there is a bet and a call in front of us, we just muck this hand. We have no interest to play a medium-sized or big pot.

Adjusting the pot size to the strength of your holding is an important part of poker. Of course, sometimes it is necessary to mix up our play a bit to not make us too predictable, but the above lines are long-term winning standard plays.

I turned on my laptop first thing this morning and the Internet Connection was virtually dead. My ISP quickly gave me the standard excuse, the pipeline between Malta and Rome was "broken" again. 

I watched a video on Tedtalks about Bernoulli's equation. Perfect for people who play poker. I am on a line of thought. Humans take risks and that is why we have grown to be the dominant specie, we are always calculating what we will gain and how much effort is involved. Always comparing the past and thinking of the future.

Now it's Friday evening and I want to play poker online, I know it's broken, the connection is so slow that a heads up game that usually takes 15 to 20 minutes is takening over an hour. I have treated that last few months as a learning curve but this is different. I decide to try something different tonight. Very very interesting. Here is my notes:

- With 3 breaks the game lasted over 3 hours
- Heads up play
- Some how the blind levels did not increase
- Trying to maximize pots
- Found a tight player
- I decide to raise all my medium hands
- I also decide to not raise my good hands, then trap
- I bet on a paired board, straight draws and flush draws
- I go all in at the right moments
- I sence weakness and then make a nice bet
- I take alot out of the experince but its slow, painful and fun

Im not the same person when the internet is so bad.

Even though Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is often considered to be a post-flop game, winning tournament players know that it’s important to regularly raise and three-bet their opponents before the flop, especially as the blinds and antes increase.

Why? Because applying pre-flop pressure against weaker opponents lets you create better post-flop situations and, on occasion, even lets you steal the blinds and antes with little resistance. With this in mind, the question then becomes, how often should you three bet? My answer is, as often as you possibly can without worrying about becoming short stacked.

Say you’re sitting on somewhere between 40 and 50 big blinds. This is the time when you should be accumulating chips, which means opening up your game and three betting the table in order to create heads up, post-flop situations. Your stack size is very important here because you want to make sure you can comfortably three-bet without becoming crippled if you have to give up on the hand after the flop. If you’re sitting on 35 big blinds or less, I’d recommend slowing down on the three-bet strategy unless you’re holding a monster hand like A-A-2-X.

Of course, there’s more to three betting than just throwing in an extra raise before the flop - you want to be smart about when you decide to pump up the pot. Let’s say a player in middle position puts in a raise and you’re sitting in late position with a hand like As-Qs-Jh-3d or Ad-Kc-Jh-2c. I don’t like flat calling with these kinds of hands here because I’m giving the players in the blinds better odds to follow suit and am creating a spot where four or five people could end up seeing the flop. That’s a lot of bullets to dodge.

Since these hands have a good chance of taking the high end of the pot, I think a better play in this position is to three bet in order to try and force the blinds out of the picture and to get heads up with the original raiser.  Once I’ve done this, I’m going to continuation bet after the flop every time, whether I connect or not. If my opponent plays back, I’m going to slow down since he’s almost certainly connected and may be well ahead. But, on the times he folds to my bet, I’m going to take down a nice sized pot.

Because of my aggressive approach in PLO Hi/Lo, I often get asked how to play back at opponents who, like me, try to three bet whenever possible. My answer is to call their extra bets pre-flop, assuming I have a playable hand, and hope to outplay them after the flop. The key is not to obsess about trying to see "cheap" flops because if you’re stealing enough blinds and antes with your own raises, you can afford to make calls that less aggressive players won’t.

Remember, even though post-flop play is arguably the most important aspect of PLO Hi/Lo, well timed pre-flop aggression can be a great way to pick up some extra chips on the way to the win.

In this video i explain a bit of strategy!

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Winning the 100k event!

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Going pro!

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Random questions!

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Inside the poker mind.

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Just My Luck!

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Losing with Aces!

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Me at the 2008 WSOP: $1,500 No limit hold'em final table!

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All about my poker life!

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There are dozens of online poker rooms and with the popular sites, like Chilipoker, having well over 70,000 players playing. There is money to be made with quality online poker play but the shorthanded game opportunities offer a little better way to make good money.

Customarily a poker table in an online poker room has nine or ten seats, which are called a full ring table. There are also shorthanded games where a maximum of five or six players at the table. Though the rules are the same, the strategies are vastly different and you need to adjust to take advantage of the different conditions.

As stated in an earlier article here, no matter full table or short handed, the most important component to winning is starting hand selection. In limit poker at a room like Full Tilt Poker, there is something call EV (Expected Value). EV is the number of big bets you can expect to win per hand over time. Basically this is a numeric value for what must poker players call “the long run”. So, a +EV hand will make money for you in the long run so, obviously, sticking with these hands will make you a winning poker player.

An important concept that will come into play in shorthanded games is that some of the –EV hands common at a full table are actually +EV at a shorthanded game because of the fact that with fewer players the likelihood of running into a really strong hand is diminished.

This is the reason that the opportunity is so great in shorthanded play. Most players will not show sound starting hand play and play equally poor post-flop. Realizing the weak play at these tables is just part of the battle. Now we have to take advantage. How do you do that? Aggression. Not just blind haphazard bully aggression but a more dangerous controlled aggression. A solid hand must be pushed with raises and bets. Slow play is death at shorthanded play and if you play timidly or “cutely” you will pay.

Look at it like this, your hole cards if unpaired will not pair on the flop over half the time. (Actually over 60% of the time) If you can limit the number of players that are in the hand with you there is a good chance they missed also. Being aggressive gives you options though either way. If you hit the flop at Chilipoker and are playing solid hands, you are have a big advantage. If you miss the flop, being aggressive could get your opponent to lay down a possible winning hand, especially if you have played solid hands and gone to show down a few times. Of course you are in trouble if you miss and they hit, but that’s when you will have to rely on recognizing betting patterns and playing the player.

What hands do you play and raise with? This is where that old but true saying in poker comes in to play. It depends. Some of the factors that it depends on are your style of play, the number of opponents you have in the pot before you, the style and skill of your opponents, and most importantly your position. One concept though should be a staple when shorthanded. If you are given the opportunity to raise and isolate an opponent you put yourself in a dominating position and open up a variety of options for you to use.

This is just a brief foray into shorthanded poker play but hopefully you will understand that you shouldn’t be scared of playing shorthanded but after realizing the strategy differences, actually look forward to playing it.

Losing is part of winning, folks. If you hit the target every time, that target's too damn big or too damn close. So of course you're gonna lose sometimes. But if you go into a tournament or a big cash game afraid to lose, you're screwed. You won't play right. Fear will show, either in beads of sweat on your forehead or in the slightest hesitation when you're making a monster bet. You'll call when you should raise, fold when you should call, limp to a mediocre finish and wonder why you never grab any of the money. Think lose and lose. Think win and win!

Simple three-step guide to poker glory.

1. DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOSE MONEY
3. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOOK BAD

Really, it all boils down to don't be afraid. But you knew that all along, right?