Question #6 - Same situation as question 5 -The UTG player raises (he’s a semi-solid player and would need AJ or better, or a pair of 9s and up to raise) everyone folds to you on the button you have KQs, the BB is a calling station- but you have 2 loose callers as well. what do you do?

A) Fold. The circumstances haven’t changed much, the UTG player still has a better hand than me.
B) Call. With the extra players I am getting better odds to hit a big hand.
C) Raise. A raise should eliminate the BB, and see how strong the UTG player is. If he re-raises it may fold the other 2 players, leaving me heads up with a lot of dead money in the pot. If he just calls I will be receiving great odds to hit a big hand, and I may get a free card, since I was the last player to show aggression pre-flop.

Question #7 - You have JTs in early position with a very loose aggressive player on your left who looks like he really likes his hand (almost a maniac, but his hand has to have some value for him to raise think 89/A6/57s type hands at the least). The game usually has 3-6 players seeing the flop for 1-3 bets, but not too many people will call 2 or more bets cold without a hand. What do you do?

A) Fold. JTs isn’t playable from early position, especially when the pot is likely to be raised.
B) Call. A lot of people are seeing the flop in this game and I have a very good multi-way hand. Even though the maniac may raise the other players know he is a maniac and will probably call with marginal hands giving me good odds to hit a big draw.
C) Raise. Not many people are playing for raises in this game and if the maniac re-raises I will probably be heads up against him.

Question #8 - Same situation only you have 88.

A) Fold. 88 isn’t playable from early position, especially when the pot is likely to be raised.
B) Call. A lot of people are seeing the flop in this game and I have a very good multi-way hand. Even though the maniac may raise the other players know he is a maniac and will probably call with marginal hands giving me proper odds to hit my set.
C) Raise. Not many people are playing for raises in this game and if the maniac re-raises I will probably be heads up against him.

Question #9 - You have KT offsuit in the SB, 4 average or lower skilled players have limped in, what do you do?

A) Fold. KT is not a very good hand and may get you trapped in a pot where you have a worse kicker.
B) Call. You are getting great odds here but your hand is not strong enough to raise with, especially out of position.
C) Raise. KT is a decent hand in an unraised pot, none of your opponents have shown any strength so it is unlikely if you hit a pair you will be outkicked.

Question #10 - Same situation only you have KTs.
A) Fold. KT is not a very good hand and may get you trapped in a pot where you have a worse kicker.
B) Call. You are getting great odds here but your hand is not strong enough to raise with, especially out of position.
C) Raise. KTs is a decent hand in an unraised pot, none of your opponents have shown any strength so it is unlikely if you hit a pair you will be outkicked. And with a big flush or straight possible you can increase the size of the pot so your opponents will not want to fold if they have a marginal hand after the flop.

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Question #1 - The UTG player raises (a loose player but would need AT or better or a pair of 7s to raise), a MP player calls (Loose Passive player, who could hold a variety of hands here, suited connectors, a pair of jacks or lower, AX, and such), and everyone folds to you on the button. You look down at AQ, What do you do?

A) Fold. I am most likely behind at least 1 of the players, and can find a better situation to get my money in the pot.
B) Call. I have a good hand but could be behind, and would like to see the flop before I commit more chips to this pot.
C) Raise. My hand rates to be better than both players, I have position on everyone, a raise should eliminate both blinds, and raising will give me more information about the UTG player’s hand by how he reacts.

Question #2 - The same situation only the MP player is a tight passive player.

A) Fold. I am most likely behind at least 1 of the players, and can find a better situation to get my money in the pot.
B) Call. I have a good hand but could be behind, and would like to see the flop before I commit more chips to this pot.
C) Raise. My hand rates to be better than both players, I have position on everyone, a raise should eliminate both blinds, and raising will give me more information about the UTG player’s hand by how he reacts.

Question #3 - You are in a loose passive game where 5 or 6 players will see the flop for 1 bet. You have JJ in early position and have the reputation of raising with only strong hands, what should you do?

A) Fold, JJ is not a good hand in a multi-way pot.
B) Call, I would like a lot of opponents in the hand in case I hit my set and a raise will probably eliminate all but premium hands due to my reputation.
C) Raise, JJ is a strong hand and in a loose passive game I should still get callers while at the same time increasing my chances of winning unimproved.

Question #4 - The same situation only now the game is tight aggressive, and a loose player has limped in before you.

A) Fold, the pot will most likely be raised and I am out of position.
B) Call, by limping in I will invite more players into this pot, and JJ plays well in multi-way pots.
C) Raise, I can isolate the loose player and limit the field, and at the same time I am not unhappy when more players enter the pot for 2 bets or even raise since I have a very strong hand.

Question #5 - The UTG player raises (he’s a semi-solid player and would need AJ or better, or a pair of 9s and up to raise), everyone folds to you on the button, you have KQs, the BB is a calling station, what do you do?

A) Fold, the UTG definitely has a better hand than you and even with your position and the BB in the game you are not getting very good odds.
B) Call, I know I am behind but I will be getting over 2 to 1 on my call if the BB calls.
C) Raise, To see just how strong the UTG players hand is and to eliminate the BB from the hand. I can then use my position to outplay him after the flop.

Answers to follow in future blog.

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In contrast to the recreational player, an experienced player will have very few tells. They will however have picked up some telegraphs. A telegraph is a repetitive act caused by constantly doing something. Think of a basketball player’s free throw ritual, after enough times they will go through the motions without even realizing it.

Experienced players have telegraphs: such as holding their cards a certain way when they plan on folding. It is not a natural reaction or tell, just a mechanical act (a bad habit if you will) that has been picked up through repetition. Most players don’t feel their telegraphs give anything away since they do the same thing all the time. However, if you carefully watch for these signals you will pick up some valuable information.

For instance, suppose you are playing $10/$20 Hold Em and are dealt 83 on the button and it is folded to you. Most players would simply fold here. But, what if you noticed the Big Blind holding his cards the way he always does when he is going to fold? Now you can raise, win the blinds, and collect $15 you wouldn’t have if you didn’t notice this telegraph.

Some telegraphs to look for are;

•    Does someone play with their chips in different situations?

•    Does someone check with his hand in one situation and say, “check” aloud in another?

•    Does someone hold their cards a certain way?

Watching for, and understanding, tells and telegraphs will give you a leg up on both your inexperienced and experienced competition.

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Envision a boxer or Martial Artist who no longer flinches when people throw punches at him, they have reconditioned their minds to act in an unnatural way. A new practitioner of martial arts, much like someone in their first fight, will have a hard time controlling their natural reactions and instincts. A poker player is no different, experienced players will have reconditioned themselves to not let a faint smile come through when they have a big hand, or not cover their mouth when bluffing. Whereas, recreational player’s true feelings will be noticeable.

Poker is a game of deception therefor most players will act opposite what they really feel. Their subconscious reaction is to deceive the other players. Mike Caro has written the best book to date on poker tells, Caro’s Book Of Poker Tells. This book pounds home the strong means weak, weak means strong, tells of recreational players such as;

•    Staring down a player when bluffing

•    Timidly putting chips in the pot with a big hand

•    The tsssk sound of disappointment when they have a huge hand

Caro’s book also discusses more general tells that have their basis in human nature such as;

•    Protecting a strong holding with you hands

•    Quick glances at chips when they hit a monster

I highly suggest picking up Caro’s book to familiarize yourself with these tells. On a cautionary note, do not place your decisions solely on these tells. Experienced players can fake them (a rare occurrence for a recreational player but possible) or there could be another reason for them such as a truly itchy nose.
In part 2 of this series I will discuss how to deal with experienced players, and the tells they exhibit.

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Game selection is one of the most overlooked aspects to becoming a winning poker player, or becoming an even bigger winner. Good game selection is quite simple: you simply choose the most profitable game available.

A profitable game has a certain look and feel to it. Profitable games are usually happy with a lot of chatter, have people liberally throwing their chips in the pot, and have a lot of money on the table. These games are not hard to find. Take a walk around the casino and you’ll see numerous games with these characteristics.

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About the only thing these two groups can agree on is that you should play tight! I am a firm believer in playing aggressively; a starting hand only exists before the flop! In this article I’ll give you my play-list, along with any adjustment you’ll need to make based on your opponents actions.

All of the following recommendations are for a typical Omaha Hi/Lo game: 4-6 people seeing the flop, with most of them being pretty passive.

In early position:

A2xx: Fold hands such as A279, A28T

A3xx: +suited Ace, Unmatched wheel card, or 2 cards T-K

AAxx: +suited Ace and a wheel card, double suited, or 2 cards T-K

In middle position:

A2xx: Play any A2 from MP for 1 bet

A3xx: Fold hands such as A37T

A4xx: + suited Ace and a 5

AAxx: + a wheel card, a broadway card, or a suited Ace

23xx: + 2 cards 4-6, or a pair of Tens+

Any 4 cards Ten - Ace

KKxx: + double suited and 2 wheel cards

In late position:

A3xx: play any A3 for 1 bet from LP

A4xx: + a 5, 2 Broadway cards, or a suited Ace and a 6

23xx: +an unmatched wheel card

Low mixed bags: 2456, 2245, 2445, 2455, 3456

Any 4 cards 9-King

KKxx: + 2 wheel cards, or double suited

When the pot is raised by an A2+ player you should only be calling (or re-raising, I’ll save this for another article) with hands you would play in Early position. If a maniac has raised the pot you can still use your normal playlist, since your hand likely rates above theirs.

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Basically it boils down to one question: When I hit my hand on the flop will it be vulnerable to being outdrawn?

Take AQ, and 66 for example; AQ is a very strong starting hand, but for every player in the pot it’s value goes down. On the other hand, for every additional player in the pot 66 goes up in value. The reason is its big hand potential. AQ will flop a pair about 31% of the time, while 66 will flop a set only 12% of the time. On the surface it seems like AQ is a much stronger hand.

So why would AQ go down in value while 66 would go up? The answer is how strong your hand is when you hit it. Hitting top pair on the flop is pretty good, but you’re far from a lock to win the hand. However, when you flop a set you will win the pot quite often.

This is why a hand like AQs is much stronger than AQ; the added big hand potential (the flush) allows you to play this hand aggressively whether you are heads-up, or if 4 people are contesting the pot.

By itself AQ will flop a monster (2 pair or better) about 4% of the time. If you’re suited you will also flop the nut flush draw an additional 11% of the time. This added big hand potential makes all the difference in the world. Being suited only adds about 4% to your winning percentage, but that 4% will be a monster hand; and monster hands can be played in monster pots! With top pair on the flop you are very happy to take down the pot immediately, with the nut flush you welcome callers.

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Some poker software is free, but most of the quality programs will cost you a few dollars, but they are well worth the investment! An example of a free software program that every player should have downloaded on their computer is PokerStove; PokerStove allows players to create virtually any scenario and run millions of hand samples in seconds.  Ever wonder how often AA will beat 99? PokerStove has the answer. Ever wonder How TT fares against someone who could have 55+, AT+, or KQs? PokerStove can answer that question as well.

PokerStove will do little to improve your game while you’re playing, but it is an invaluable tool to use both before and after you play. For more information on PokerStove, and some of the companies other free downloads, check out their website http://pokerstove.com/

In part 2 of this series I will discuss a couple of the software programs you will have to shell out a few dollars for: PokerTracker and SharkScope.

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Most authorities argue for keeping the bad players to your left, and the good players right. In general, this is a pretty sound theory, especially if the bad player in question is aggressive. Having a loose aggressive player on your right allows you to isolate them by re-raising their raises; forcing anyone else who is thinking about playing to call 3 bets.

However, there are also strategic advantages if you have this same player on your left, especially if the table is full of a bunch of calling stations.  What you can do is limp into pots with really strong hands, and let the aggro raise for you. The calling stations will call with all sorts of hands, and then you can pop it when the action gets back to you!

This is even a better tactic on the flop when you hit a really strong hand; you can trap multiple players for multiple bets.

If you’re playing no-limit there are even more benfits; you’ll be able to win many pots uncontested by re-raising in this manner. Think about this scenario: You have KK and limp in, the aggro raises to 4x the blind, 2-3 other players call, and you pop it to 20-25x the blind. You’ll either get action, with dead money in the pot, when you have a really strong hand, or take down a very nice pot of around 15bb! Win, win situation.

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