Poker Academy Blogs

Nobody has a good hand all the time. Anybody who does is probably getting the cards from up their sleeve. So when the player to your right seems to always be stealing the pot when you’re in the big blind, you can either assume he gets the best hand in the world whenever he is in that particular position or he is bluffing most of the time.

If the aforementioned player continues to try to steal the blinds when you’re sitting in the big blind position, this means that they have picked up on something about you that indicates to them that you’re likely to give in when they get aggressive. Continuing to fold until really good hole cards just happen to show up when you’re sitting in the big blind position will do nothing to discourage this behavior. It will just validate that they can push you around with their bets. To stop this behavior, you need to stand up to this player.

We have all been told that to beat a bully you must stand up to them. In the real world this is a good way to get a free ride to the hospital: bullies are usually bullies because they are bigger and stronger than most people in their peer group. At the table a bully is only fueled by your weakness. Because they can’t have the nuts every time you are in the big blind, you can logically conclude they are mostly bluffing. In this case you can feel good about playing with a lower quality hand, because you can bet that the chances are pretty good that they are lying about the strength of their hand. So when they try to steal the pot, match their aggression - bet and raise with impunity. This is the best defense to this situation.

Online and live poker are obviously two different variants of the same game. Despite the fact that the game itself is exactly the same, the different environments it’s played in, give birth to particularities that clearly set the two variants apart.

While this difference is not all that accentuated in Limit Texas Holdem, it becomes obvious in No Limit. Those players who have only played online poker (the vast majority of those playing online, fall into this category) also easily recognize the difference in approach, Limit Holdem and No limit Holdem require.

Contrary to common belief, the average skill level of online poker players exceeds that of real live poker players. Commonly, it is thought that players who go to real card-rooms are all world-class, like players you see on TV in the WPT or WSOP. The fact, though, that they play in real brick-and-mortar establishments, doesn’t guarantee that they’re outstanding or any better than their online counterparts. The average online poker player spends a lot more time playing poker, because of the widespread nature and fuss-free accessibility of the game, ( plus he plays more hands/ hour than any live poker player) whilst many real poker players only play the game for fun.

This difference in the average skill levels, calls for a change of strategy, and it also brings a bunch of other changes to how the game is played.

First of all, (we’re talking about No Limit Holdem here) the preflop bustle is completely different online than offline. In live poker, you seldom see people raising preflop, while in online poker you’ll not only see players raise, but some of them even going ‘all in’ preflop. (they usually have a high pair in the pocket when they do this) Bottom line is, the preflop environment in online poker is a lot more hostile than in live poker. What this means for you, is that limping doesn’t pay online. While you may have gotten used to a slow pace and plenty of limping offline, you won’t be able to do the same online. Offline poker games are often turned into some kind of bingo-like game, when all you have to do, is see plenty of flops till something good hits you.

Online poker won’t grant you this luxury. Limp along in online poker and your bankroll will go down faster than a cast-iron bathtub with a 10 inch hole in it.

What you need to do, is tighten up. Forget about seeing the flop on offsuit one-gappers, or even offsuit connectors. You need to whip your starting-hand selection into shape, and only move on pocket cards that show some true potential.

In online poker you need to step up aggressively from the first moment. You need to show constant solid play from the blinds and attack as many blinds as possible. Blinds stealing becomes a lucrative business because it will give you a small edge over the opposition. In online poker, small edges will be worth to chase down. As a matter of fact, if you manage to turn enough such small edges to your favor, you’ll be a winning player.

Offline poker is slower, and in the same time a lot more passive. Stealing the blinds here is also something worth doing, but the edge that this will represent, will be much smaller than in online poker. A simple explanation to that would be the raw number of hands played in a hour. That number is going to be a lot smaller in offline poker than in online poker, so there’ll be fewer blinds to steal and defend. Thus, the amount of money you’ll be able to rack up by successful blinds-play will also diminish.

Open raising will also provide much more value for you in online poker than it does in live poker, but then again, that’s also part of being more aggressive.

On the other hand, limping along in live poker is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s been said, that limping is a sign of weakness, but in live poker it’s much less so.

Remember, because of the difference in speed between online and offline poker, small edges add up faster, and small mistakes have a bigger impact on your game.

Chilipoker.com has introduced its new free statistical database so players can follow their online poker performance and learn how to best maximize their earnings. Free statistical database allows Chili Poker players can follow their online poker performance, including Frequent Player Points earned, number of hands played, as well as wins and losses.

Chilipoker.com Stats are more than just an interesting tool, but are designed to help the player’s game and keep also to keep an exhaustive and clear history. Poker statistics track the number of Frequent Player Points (FPP) earned, number of hands played, as well as the traditional wins and losses.

The poker stats can be categorized by the type of game – cash game, Sit’n’Go or tournament – and identify which are strengths and which are weaknesses, and concentrate on their strong points to increase their winnings:

· See results by type of game, buy-in or date.
· Players can learn when they win money, and when the opponents are best them
· Find return on investment (ROI) and Big Bet per 100 hands (BB/100), two methods used by experienced players to figure out their winnings in just a few seconds.

Statistics are available for free for all players, at all levels, no matter how much they play. The statistics do more than just help players win. They also help determine when a pastime has turned into an addiction. Chilipoker.com is determined to promote responsible gambling, which is why they have formed a simple partnership with Adictel, a leader in controlling addiction.

Players can keep track of their stakes and their duration, all signs of addictions. Players can place an automatic limit on their account by contacting Chili Poker support staff or by contacting Adictel. Online poker should remain first and foremost a leisure activity.

About Chilipoker.com
Chilipoker.com has become a leading poker and lifestyle site. Chilipoker.com is available in five different languages, all providing professional and friendly support.

The poker room offers disposal five different poker variants to choose from. Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 5 Card Stud offering $12.5M in monthly guaranteed and almost $10,000 worth in monthly freerolls.

Players can FPP points to be used whenever at the gift shop, earn seats at Chilipoker.com tournaments and win special reserved freerolls.

• Alex Kravchenko
• Allen Cunningham
• Annette Obrestad
• Announcing Mike Sexton
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Barry Greenstein
• Chau Giang
• Chip Reese
• Chris Ferguson
• Daniel Negreanu
• Dave Ulliott
• David Benyamine
• David Sklansky
• Dennis Phillips
• Erick Lindgren
• Erik Seidel
• Evelyn Ng
• Fabrice Soulier - Fabsoul
• Gus Hansen
• Huck Seed
• Jamie Gold
• Jennifer Harman
• Joe Hachem
• John Juanda
• John Phan
• Layne Flack
• Mike Matusow
• Patrik Antonius
• Phil Hellmuth
• Phil Ivey
• Phil Laak
• Poker Diva Liz Lieu
• Scotty Nguyen
• Theo Tran
• Tiffany Michelle
• Todd Witteles
• Tuan Le

A massive hand between Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius on Fulltiltpoker.com Million Dollar Cash Game.

This has been the 2nd biggest pot in television history.

Patrik shows us what it's like to live life as a poker pro.

A nice hand between Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren during the Pro-Am Equalizer.

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While the chip leader, Dag Martin Mikkelsen knocks out a player with a royal flush.

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1.5k Rebuy No Limit Hold'em - World Series of Poker 2008

Here you will find all 5 videos, enjoy...

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This is from the final table of the WSOP 50k HORSE event. Doyle shows why he is one of the best ever. Nice laydown Doyle.

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Former Maltese three time world boxing champion Jeff Fenech talks about how he fell into poker, his World Series campaign and hopes for furthering his poker career.

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Phil Hellmuth's Brown Belt Poker Course:

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First look at Phil Hellmuth's White Belt Poker Course

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This is a look at Phil Hellmuth's Black Belt Poker Course

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A week on the beach with the UB Army. The chance to party with Phil Hellmuth and the pros. And a shot at a million bucks.

We're sending a ridiculous number of Ultimate Bet players to the Aruba Poker Classic - FOR FREE. Your chance to secure an $8,500 prize package and live in paradise for a week on us starts right here, right now.

STEP 1 - Play poker at UltimateBet.com between 12:00:01am ET on August 15th and 11:59:59pm ET on September 11th.

STEP 2 - Follow your rank on our Aruba Giveaway leaderboard. Climb your way to the top by earning RAI$E Status Points through play in any real-money poker Sit 'n Go, ring game or multi-table tournament at UltimateBet.com.

STEP 3 - On September 12th, we'll take a look at the leaderboard and award prizes as follows:

• 1st place - Congratulations, king of the leader board. You're on your way to Aruba to play in the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic this September. The prize package is worth $8,500 and includes the $5,500 Main Event buy-in and $3,000 for travel and accommodations.
  
  
• 2nd through 70th - Kudos are still in order. You've secured a spot in our exclusive freeroll at 1:30pm ET on September 13th where you'll have a 1 in 10 chance of scoring an $8,500 prize package. That's an additional 7 Aruba Poker Classic prize packages at stake.
  
  
• 71st through 225th - You've earned a spot in our 50-seat Guaranteed Tournament (a $500+30 value) to be held on Saturday, September 13th at 5:30pm ET. For those keeping track, that's a whopping 155 seats in the 50-Seat Guarantee.
  
  
• 226th through 1025th - You've secured a spot in a freeroll at 11:15am ET on September 13th where you'll have a 1 in 5 chance of winning your $500+30 seat in the 50-seat Guarantee.

UltimateBet offers the next level in online poker rewards programs with RAI$E.
Get better rewards faster when you play with us.

RAI$E is UltimateBet's brand new player appreciation program that gives those that play at our online poker tables the rewards they deserve With RAI$E, you'll find it easier than ever to earn valuable rewards that go a cut above most other online poker rooms. From playing poker to Phil Hellmuth to getting the chance to fly a fighter plane, this new poker loyalty program gives you rewards above and beyond the norm.

The main difference between RAI$E and other poker rewards programs is the way that RAI$E grows with you. As you progress through the program's five levels, you earn more points for better rewards, faster. Get to the upper levels of RAI$E and you'll get exclusive access to free poker tournament play, amenities that are go above and beyond the norm, and even the chance to go to some of the best live events in the world of poker. 

The Free Card
When you are in late position or last to act, you can raise with a drawing hand on the flop. This will likely make your opponents check to you on the turn, thus giving you the opportunity to check (if your hand does not improve) or bet (if you hit your draw). This will save you money if you do not improve and will reward you with profit if you hit. However, this move will backfire when you are re-raised on the flop. In these situations, it will cost you money but it remains a good play since you obtained information and have a good draw to a better hand.

The Check-Raise
When you posses a good hand and it is you turn to act, check in the hopes that an opponent will bet so that you can raise when your turn comes again. For example, you are in early position and have Ah-Qs. The flop is As-Qh-6c. You check and two players in middle position also check. A player in late position bets and you then raise. The reason for check-raising is to create a situation in which you can potentially hit a better hand, like a straight, but where it is too expensive for your opponents to call since, in this case, they do not have the correct pot odds with hands like gut-shot straight draws. If they still call, at least you have obtained information regarding the strength of their hands and forced them to pay as much as possible for trying to outdraw you.

The Semi-bluff
Semi-bluffing is when you bet or raise with a hand that is not likely to be the best (at the moment) but you have many outs to outdraw your opponents if you get called or raised, although you are actually hoping to win the pot right there. For example, you are in late position holding Jh-Th and the flop shows Ks-6h-2h, thus giving you a flush draw with 9 outs. There are three other players in the pot and they all check to you. You bet without having the best hand but since they all checked, they indicated weakness and might fold pocket-pairs, a pair of 6's or 2's. Even if you do get called, you have 9 outs to the flush and maybe an additional 6 outs to win if you hit a J or a T, 15 outs in total. If called and it is checked to you on the turn, you have the option of taking a free card in case your hand did not improve.

I'm almost a year into an experiment on Full Tilt Poker. I'm attempting to turn $0 into a $10,000 bankroll. With no money to start with, I had no choice but to start out playing Freerolls. Starting out, I'd often manage to win a dollar or two, but I'd quickly get busted and have to start over again. It took some time but, after awhile, I was eventually able to graduate to games that required an actual buy-in.

Even today, people don't believe it's really me when I sit down at Full Tilt's small stakes games. They ask what I'm doing down here, and often tell me stories about how they turned $5 into $500 or $100 into $1,000. Usually, these stories end with the person telling me that they went broke. There's no surprise there. These folks tried to quickly build a bankroll by gambling. They'd play in a game that was beyond their bankroll and, if they happened to win, they'd move up to a higher limit and risk it all one more time. Inevitably, they'd lose a few big hands and go broke.

For me, this experiment isn't about the money. It's about showing how, with proper bankroll management, you can start from nothing and move up to the point where you're playing in some pretty big games. I know it's possible because I did it once before, turning $1 into $20,000.

To ensure that I keep my bankroll intact, I've adopted some key rules:

• I'll never buy into a cash game or a Sit & Go with more than 5 percent of my total bankroll (there is an exception for the lowest limits: I'm allowed to buy into any game with a buy-in of $2.50 or less).
• I won't buy into a multi-table tournament for more than 2 percent of my total bankroll and I'm allowed to buy into any multi-table tournament that costs $1.
• If at any time during a No-Limit or Pot-Limit cash-game session the money on the table represents more than 10 percent of my total bankroll, I must leave the game when the blinds reach me.

I think a lot of players would do well to apply these rules. One great benefit from this approach to bankroll management is that it ensures you'll be playing in games you can afford. You'll never play for very long in a game that's over your head because, when you're losing, you'll have no choice but to drop down to a smaller game. You can continue to sharpen your game at that lower limit until your bankroll allows you to move up and take another shot. These rules also prevent you from being completely decimated by a bad run of cards.

Dropping down and playing lower limits is difficult for a lot of players. They view it as a failure and their egos get in the way. Many want to remain at the level they'd been playing and win back their losses. But this can lead to some pretty severe tilt - and that can go through a bankroll in a hurry. I know that dropping down was difficult for me in my run from $1 to $20,000. When I first played in the $25/$50 game, I lost. Sticking to my rules, I dropped down to the $10/$25 game. I had a losing streak there and had to go down to $5/$10. That was tough. After playing $25/$50, a $5/$10 game was boring to me.

But I had the discipline to stick to my rules, and that motivated me to play better at the lower levels. I really didn't want to lose any more because I knew the consequences: I'd have to play even lower and work even harder to get back to where I'd been, which could take as long as a month. If you ever find yourself bored or frustrated playing at the lower limits, you're obviously not playing well. Take a break from the game. Often, stepping away can give you a fresh perspective and heightened motivation to play well when you return.

There are a couple of more tips I'd like to share regarding bankroll management. First, you should never play in a game that is beyond your bankroll simply because the game seems to be soft that day. It's never soft enough to risk money that puts your bankroll in jeopardy. The other point is that you should avoid playing in games that are at the top of your bankroll limits, when a lower game offers more opportunity for profit.

I'm confident that by sticking to these sound bankroll management rules, I'll make it to my $10,000 goal. These rules are sure to help you as well, as you pursue your own poker ambitions. So, if you want to start your own quest - or play against me while I'm continuing with mine - come open a free account at Full Tilt Poker and look for me online. But hurry, because I'm hoping I won't be in the lower limits for too much longer.

This week, Full Tilt Poker launched Cap Games - a version of our Pot- and No-Limit games in which no player can commit more than 30 big blinds to any pot. The biggest cash games in the world, the ones that Jennifer Harman and Phil Ivey play in, use a cap when they play No-Limit Hold 'em or Pot-Limit Omaha, and we thought you'd enjoy the experience as well.

For this tip, I am going to discuss some of the advantages of Cap Games over traditional big-bet poker, then I'm going to cover some strategic points that should help you when you first sit into a Cap Game. For even more information on Cap Game strategies, you can read my recent Pro Chat transcript.

Most players reach a point where they grow uncomfortable with the thought of risking all the money they have on the table in a single hand. For example, say that a player in a $.50/$1 No-Limit game has done well and has built his stack from $50 to $300. He's certainly happy with that turn of events but, if there's another big stack at the table, he may be unwilling to stay at the table for fear of losing a very large sum on a difficult hand. In a Cap Game, however, this player can keep his seat, knowing that he can't lose more than $30 on any single hand.

When a cap is in place, there tends to be a lot of action. Players open up their games when they know their losses will be limited and will commit for the cap on hands they might be more cautious with in a standard No-Limit game. So Cap Games can be action packed and a lot of fun.

For the most part, Cap Games play just like other big-bet games. But there will be some key pots where you can use the cap to your advantage. You'll be able to take some shots at pots that you probably wouldn't take in deep-stack games.

In particular, Cap Games offer great semi-bluffing opportunities. For example, say that you're in a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold 'em Cap Game and a player opens for a $6 raise. You think he's weak and decide to re-raise to $20 with the 9c-Tc. The blinds fold and the raiser calls. The flop comes 2c-6c-Js. He checks to you and you decide to bet about the size of the pot - $40 - with your flush draw.

With this bet and the pre-flop action, you've reached the cap; you can't commit any more money to the pot. That makes this flop bet a pure semi-bluff. There's a good chance that you'll force a fold and, if you don't, you've still got about a 1 in 3 chance of hitting your flush on the next two cards. In a standard No-Limit game, however, this play could go very badly. You could be check-raised or called. If called, you could face a large bet on the turn after missing your flush. Either way, you might be forced to fold without having the opportunity to hit your hand.

Also in Cap Games, you can play some medium-strength hands more aggressively than you would in a traditional No-Limit game. For instance, you might be reluctant to commit 100 big blinds on a middle pocket pair, even if you felt your opponent was playing overcards and missed the flop. But in a Cap Game, you might play for the maximum on something like pocket 9s if you feel it is, in fact, the best hand.

In addition, there are more opportunities for slow-playing in Cap Games. Say that you hit a set of 5s when the flop comes 5d-7d-9c. You could be up against some sort of draw here and, in a standard No-Limit game, you'd probably want to bet so that you didn't risk letting a flush get there for free. But in a Cap Game, you might give the free card. The draw will probably play for the cap no matter what you do, and if an opponent had overcards and missed the flop, he'd only commit money if he connects with the board on the turn.

In general, you don't need to be so concerned about super-fine reads or making big laydowns in Cap Games. If you think there's a reasonable chance you're ahead, you can play for the cap without putting an excessive amount at risk.

Give our new Cap Games a shot. I think you'll enjoy the more open style of play that accompanies these games. They really are a lot of fun.

Cap Game Strategy

Advantages of Cap Games

In the middle and later stages of tournaments, there are often times when you're forced to make a pretty big commitment on a relatively weak holding. These are uncomfortable spots because you never want to risk a large percentage of your chips with a mediocre hand. Things get even more difficult when you're playing from the blinds and out of position.

For example, say you're playing late in a tournament. The blinds are $500 and $1,000, and there's a $100 ante. You're in the small blind with $18,000. It's folded around to the button, an aggressive player who raises frequently in late position. He has $30,000 in his stack and he raises to $3,500. You look at your cards and see Ad-9s.

You know that A-9 isn't a great hand, but you can't ignore it in this situation. First off, given your opponent's history, he may very well be raising with a hand that is far worse than yours. In fact, in this spot, he could very well have two rags. Another consideration is that there are a lot of chips in play. Between the blinds, antes, and your opponent's raise, you stand to pick up over $5,000 in chips if you can take down this pot, which would be a nice addition to your short stack.

So, you're probably going to want to play this hand. But what's the best action?

At first, it might seem that calling is a reasonable course, as it would keep you from getting overly committed on this marginal hand. But calling has some pretty big downsides. With a hand like A-9, you're usually not going to like the flop very much. In fact, you'll fail to make as much as a pair about two-thirds of the time. If you do flop a pair of 9s, how are you going to proceed if the flop also has an over card? Even on an Ace-high flop, you'll have a tough time knowing if your hand is good.

What's more, if you miss the flop completely, you leave yourself vulnerable to being outplayed. It's going to be very hard to bet if the flop contains three cards that don't help your hand. If you check, your opponent will likely make a continuation bet, and you'll be hard-pressed to continue, even though Ace-high might be good.

In spots like this, your best move is to press an edge while you have it - before the flop. Re-raise all-in pre-flop. Your opponent probably won't have a hand that he can call with and, if he does, you'll have plenty of outs. You still have about a 25% chance against AK, for example. Not good, but not dead.

The important thing to keep in mind is that, in the later stages of a tournament, you don't want to make many decisions after the flop when you have a medium-strength hand like Ace-middle kicker or middle pocket pair, and you're playing out of position. Put your chips in while you think you have the best of it, and hope for the best. If you let these marginal but good situations pass you by, you might regret it later when your stack has been whittled down even further.