Lets Play Poker Lee Unknown

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Let’s play

P KERPressinal pker plaer and authr Lee Nelson teaches u hw t pla and beat pker turnaments.



2

LET’S PLAY POKER

ABOUT THIS BOOK

N Limit Texas Hld’em is a great game and it seems like it’s everwhere these das. But i u dn’t

knw what’s ging n, actuall tring t pla can be a rustrating experience. There are a lt gd

pker bks ut there but mst are aimed at peple wh alread knw a little bit r are at such a basic

level u’re almst n better having read them.

I u want t get better at pker, there are tw things u must d. The rst is t keep studing and

analzing the game. Read all u can and discuss hands with better plaers. The mre u learn, themre u’ll realize hw much u still dn’t knw. The secnd is t critique ur ke hands awa rm

the table, thinking abut what decisin u wuld make next time and learning rm ur mistakes s

u pla better in the uture. I make mistakes in ever turnament I enter, even the nes I win.

B analzing and learning rm these errrs, I rarel make the same mistake twice.

Mst imprtantl, have un plaing. Nw let’s pla pker!

Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson



3

5 CHAPTER 1The Histr Pker

8 CHAPTER 2The Useul Internet

11 CHAPTER 3Hw T Beat Pla-Mne

Sit-N-Gs (SNGs)

PART TwOREAL-MoNEy SIT-N-GoS

19 CHAPTER 4

Plaing Real-Mne Sngs

22 CHAPTER 5Ke Pker Cncepts

26 CHAPTER 6Hw T Beat $1 SNGs

32 CHAPTER 7Hw T Beat The $5 SNGs



47 CHAPTER 10Hw T Beat The $30 SNGs


58 CHAPTER 12$100 SNGs

PART THREE MULTI-TABLE ToURNA MENTS(MTTS)

61 CHAPTER 13Psitin, Psitin, Psitin

63 CHAPTER 14Dierences Between Live and

online MTTs

65 CHAPTER 15Start ing Hands Earl in the

Turnament

72 CHAPTER 16STAGE 1 – Turnament Preparatin

76 CHAPTER 17STAGE 2 – Earl on In The Pla

84 CHAPTER 18STAGE 3 – Middle Stages (With Antes)

91 CHAPTER 19STAGE 4 – Appraching The Mne

95 CHAPTER 20STAGE 5 – In The Mne

100 CHAPTER 21STAGE 6 – The Final Table

PART FOUR PSyCHoLoGy

104 CHAPTER 22Skill Versus Luck

107 CHAPTER 23Tells And Reads

111 CHAPTER 24Blung

114 APPENDIX AHw T Pla Hld ’Em

116 APPENDIX BHand Rankings

119 APPENDIX CPre-Flp Hand Rankings

120 APPENDIX DRecmmended Reading ; Glssar

Contents



4

About the author

Like man pker plaers Lee “Final Table” Nelsn has an intimidating nickname. Unlike man pker

plaers, his is well earned. Lee has ver 50 nal table appearances in majr pker turnaments t his

credit including winning the 2006 Aussie Millins turnament r $1.43 millin. His bks abut N Limit

Hld’em turnaments - Kill Phil and Kill Everyone - dramaticall leveled the plaing eld b making the

strategies the pressinals understandable b the average plaer.

ACKNOwLEDGEMENTS

I’m grateul t PkerStars.cm r prviding me with the pprtunit t write this e-bk.

M thanks t Sarne Lightman r his visin r this prject and his assistance.

As with ever bk I wri te, I’d like t thank m wie, Pen, r nt nl tping the manuscript, but als

putting up wi th me during the prcess.

M thanks t Tsen Streib, ne m c-authrs Kill Everyone, r his great help with the charts and

mathematical mdeling used in this bk.

I thank Dennis Waterman r his research n the histr hld ’em and r his review and suggestinsr the manuscript.

Thanks t m pker readers, the alwas helpul Matt Davidw and Peter Wng.

And a special thanks t all the avid pker plaers arund the glbe wh cntinue t make this great

game s challenging and un t pla.

T all u, m deepest gratitude.



5Chapter 1 The History o Poker

CHAPTER 1

THE HISTORY OF POKER

It’s bvius that pker can’t be lder than the cards used in the game, and decks cards were used

in China in the 13 th centur, arriving in Eurpe as a 52-card pack in Venice, Ital, mre than 700 ears

ag. B that time, three ther empires—the Indian, the Persian, and the Egptian —had alread

infuenced the deck. Frm ver earl n, t he card rankings were the same as the are in the mdern

game, with the ur suits cntaining 13 cards each, riginall being swrds, sticks, gblets, and cins,

tpped b junir vicer, senir vicer, and king. Hw the ace became higher than the king, when

n ne besides Gd was higher than the king, is a mster. Suce it t sa that at sme pint the

ace became the tp card, while maintaining it s abilit t make a lw straight and becming the mst

pwerul card in mst games.

The mdern game pker mst likel gt its name rm ne three surces: the German game

Pchen, r Pchspiel, which was ppular rm the 15th centur; the French game Pque, prbabl

derived rm the ancient French verb pquer, meaning t bet, where blung and betting were ke

parts plaing. This French game might have cme rm its German predecessrs. or lastl, the wrd

“pke” was used b underwrld tpes in the earl ears the United States as a cde wrd r a stash

mne. N matter hw it came abut, it’s a great name and perect r the game.

Where did the current craze ‘n-limit Texas hld ’em’ cme rm? Well, we have sme clues, but are

largel let t speculate. In an article in LIFE magazine dated August 16, 1968, A.D. Li vingstn (a knwn

pressinal pker plaer and nted authr related materials) talks abut the game, hw it’s plaed,

hw widel it’s knwn, and hw quickl it became a craze. This article drummed up interest in the

game, s that man the 40 millin estimated pker plaers the time started plaing it. Accrding

t Liv ingstn, in its earl das it was ten called “Hld Me Darling,” “Tennessee Hld Me,” r

“Texas Hld ’em.” As with ther nmenclature struggles, we nw knw which name wn the battle…

and the war!

Accrding t sme accunts, hld ’em was rst plaed in Rbstn, Texas, in 1905, but we’ll likel never

knw r sure. Here’s ne m avrite stries abut hw it all came abut:

During a lng ht suthern night cards, the game chice was stud, specicall a new-angled

versin stud plaed with seven cards. A cnsiderable amunt mne was wagered during this

marathn sessin and as the wee hurs rlled b ne plaer, knwn t be a sucker, cntinuall seemed t get the card he needed n the last card, dealt ace dwn. Hand ater hand the nal card made him a

winner. Fr his ppnents, blank ater blank came the deck, but Mr. Luck hit bing ater bing.

The ther plaers knew that Mr. Luck wuld eventuall lse … but when?

Finall, ne Mr. Luck’s ppnents culdn’t take it anmre. He snapped and blurted ut, “I u had

t pla the cards that I get u’d have n chance, n chance at all! yu wuld never, ever, beat me!

yu’d never, ever, win! Never!”

Mr. Luck laughed, “yu must be kidding! D u reall believe that? Let’s d it that wa and nd ut!

yu and I will pla heads-up with ne dwn card, and pla the same cards rm there n ut. I nl need

ne dwn card t beat u. Just ne!



6 Chapter 1 The History o Poker

Mr. Gran-and-Man realized he was in danger getting big-time fak rm the thers i he chased the

pr-plaing luck plaer ut their game, s ater spluttering r a mment r tw, he came up with,

“one card desn’t seem ver skillul t me, mre like shwdwn; hw abut using tw dwn cards …

and we dn’t have t keep anne else rm plaing. The mre the merrier!”

“Hmmmm,” replied Mr. Luck. “I guess that a bunch culd pla, i n ne else minds us changing

the game.”

“Let’s start with tw dwn cards, like we d in seven card stud, and then pla the ther ve cards as

cmmunit cards — just ne card at a time that we turn up in the middle the table and that anne

wh stas in the hand can use,” suggested Mr. Gran-and-Man.

“oka,” agreed Mr. Luck. “Tw hle cards and ve cards that anne with a hand can use, and a betting

rund bere each cmmunit card is turned up. Will that keep u rm cring abut ur bad luck?”

“yes it will,” answered a chastened Mr. Gran-and-Man, wh knew better than t cmplain in the

middle a run luck b a sh.

And s the game “hld them” was brn. Later n it was cntracted t hld ’em, and because it was

mst ppular in Texas, it became knwn as Texas hld ’em. The Texas rad gamblers, led b DleBrunsn , plaed the game table stakes, n-limit, and with the cperatin Benn Binin the

Hrseshe Casin in Las Vegas, NLHE became the game chice r the wrld champinship pker.

In act, it’s smetimes reerred t as the “Cadillac pker” — meaning that it’s cnsidered b man t

be the tp the line in cmplexit and skill.

Man elt that the game wuld be better and aster i the rst three cmmunit cards were turned up at

nce, with n betting runds in between them, thus the fp was brn. Nt cincidentall, this change

avred the better plaers, since the culd nw see 5 cards bere cmmitting themselves.

once the value psitin was understd, a buttn that traveled arund the table ne statin at a time

was intrduced, representing the dealer when a huse dealer was used, s that everne had the same

pprtunit acting last.

Alng the wa, sme terminlg has changed. Fr example, we n lnger call the fp the “turn,” as

the did riginall in Texas, and we tap the table t indicate checking instead when we’re all-in,

but the basic game remains the same.

Part the riginal ascinatin with hld ’em came rm the act that up t 22 plaers culd pla at

nce, s in hme games the number plaers didn’t need t be cut at 8, as in 7-card stud.. There’d

alwas be a seat r nice plaers, such as Mr. Luck, wh shwed up with their pckets ull mne.

N lnger did a special plaer, nw cmmnl reerred t as a sh, need t stand n the sidelines until

smene else let the game. Because the practical limitatins in delivering cards and seating plaers

arund a table, ew games ever had mre than 12 participants, but tables were built r 12, 11, 10, 9, andccasinall 8 r ewer plaers.

Hld ‘ em was brught t Las Vegas, Nevada, in the 1960s and was rst plaed as an ante-nl game.

At the Glden Nugget, in the dwntwn area, the biggest game was 10-20 limit hld ‘em with a 50-cent

ante. Sn a $5 blind was added and it traveled arund the table, ne spt t the let the buttn.

Demanding a aster game and lathing the requent disputes that arse ver wh hadn’t anted, the

plaers replaced the antes with a secnd $5 blind. Then the regular game became 15-30 (blinds $5

and $10 in rnt the buttn) with the rst raise being t 25. Sn the big blind was raised t 15, with

the rst raise making it 3 0 t g. Finall, the lit tle blind was raised t $10, which is nw the standard r

15-30 limit hld ‘em and is unlikel t change antime sn.

No limitHold’em iscalled the

Cadillac opoker becauseit’s considered

to the be the topo the line in

complexityand skill.



7Chapter 1 The History o Poker

Limit hld ’em, with its xed betting structure, was the game chice until pker became ppular n

televisin in arund 200 2. N-limit hld ’em, with its big pt s and big drama, tk the public b strm.

New plaers saw the game n TV, s that’s what the wanted t pla in casins. The gd plaers

naturall llwed the bad and NLHE is nw b ar the mst ppular rm pker. NLHE was plaed

table stakes, meaning that a plaer culd bet everthing he had in rnt him at an t ime, but culdn’t

reach in his pcket r mre mne. Each plaer culd nl pla a pt up t the amunt he had n the

table. I he bet i t all, he was cnsidered t be all-in. I ther plaers had mre, a side pt was created

that invlved nl thse plaers wh had chips remaining.

The cus this bk is NLHE, s relativel little is said abut ther variatins, such as limit and

pt-limit hld ’em.

Structure drives the actin in all pker games. In NLHE turnaments, the blinds, r rced bets,

cntinuall escalate as the turnament prgresses. The relatinship the size the blinds t

ur stack chips and thse ur ppnents will strngl infuence ur actins. Imprtant

cnsideratins include: Hw big are the blinds? Hw big are the antes (i the game has them)?

What eects d these rced bets have n the actin that llws? Cnsideratins such as these,

and man thers, will becme practicall autmatic as u becme accustmed t turnament pla.

1. Poker dates back to the 13th century.

2. The game o no-limit hold ’em (NLHE) started early in the 20th century and evolved

over decades.

3. The structure o any poker game (the sie o the blinds and antes) drives the action.

Summary o Chapter 1



8 Chapter 2 The Useul Internet

CHAPTER 2

THE USEFUL INTERNET

It’s everwhere! A ew clicks and a ree dwnlad later, u’re n, up, and plaing at the stakes u

chse—rm cmpletel ree, plaing with un chips, all the wa t wagering thusands dllars n

ever card. yu can meet lks rm all ver the wrld, pla in ur rst games withut an reservatin

r embarrassment, and make whatever tpe aux pas u can cme up with. Can’t nd the right

buttn? Can’t gure ut what t d? Dn’t knw i u shuld call r ld? N prblem. N ne will

see ur ace. N ne will knw wh u are. yu’re just a screen name that u made up in the cz

cnnes ur wn hme r ce, r at the cee shp r airprt. others see nl ur screen name,with r withut an icn, bere taking actin n their screens.

yu can pla at an hur the da dressed as u like, spilling drinks and d n ur kebard—and

n ne will cmplain.

Fr a beginning plaer, the majr advantage nline pker is u can learn and practice r ree. While

u’d be hard-pressed t nd a casin that wuld allw u t pla pker r ree, the ten-millin-

plus plaers n PkerStars, a big percentage participate in the pla-mne games nl. This means u

can nd an tpe game at an hur and tr it ut, even i the game u want t learn is ra, ve-

card-dra high, r sme ther game that’s nt ppular where u live.

yu’re als ree t bserve the actin in an game that interests u, giving u rnt- rw seats t

watch and learn rm sme the biggest names in pker plaing sme the biggest games.

once u get amiliar with hw it all wrks, u can pla multiple games n multiple screens rm

anwhere arund the glbe. There’s n dwntime r changing dealers r shufing cards, s the hands

f the deck at amazing speed—at least twice as man as u’ll get in a bricks-and-mrtar casin.

online u can pla r as little as a ew minutes at a time, quit a winner, and n ne will even ntice.

Cme and g as u like.

S is there anthing nt t like abut the Internet? That depends n ur persnalit. Fr sme

plaers, nt being able t see their ppnents’ aces ma be thught as disadvantageus, but r

newer plaers, ppnents nt seeing ur ace is surel a plus. The wn’t be able t read ur acialexpressins and bd language—u can jump up and dwn, scream, ell, r beg r them t ld i

u’re blung, and n ne will knw. The wn’t see u umble chips nervusl, as all ur decisins

are dne with a click the cmputer’s muse. In shrt, it’s the perect wa r beginners t get started.

S m advice is simple - make use the Internet t learn and pla pker! Whether u’re a ttal

beginner r a plaer lking r mre actin, I recmmend lgging n t .PokerStars.com, the

wrld’s largest pker website, which has the best stware and the widest selectin games. This

bk will act as ur guide, taking u slwl up the PkerStars ladder rm ree pla, thrugh micr

limits, and nall t higher-level cash games when u’ve reached the requisite skill level.

Be careulchoosing your

screen name –it’s your onlinepoker identity

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/razz/

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/draw/


http://www.pokerstars.com/

http://www.pokerstars.com/



http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/razz/



9Chapter 2 The Useul Internet

The etiquette n the Internet is substantiall di erent rm that in a bricks-and-mrtar casin. yu can

thrw a tantrum, turn green, thrw ur avrite pil lw up against the wall, r curse ut lud and n ne

will knw. But u shuld never discuss the hand in prgress. Dn’t talk abut what u threw awa,

what u’re thinking, r what u guess sme ther plaer hlds. Dn’t make suggestins t smene

in the hand as t what curse actin he shuld take r give real r alse inrmatin abut what

ur intended actin will be when it’s ur turn t act. Even heads-up (nl u and ne ppnent)

ding an these things isn’t gd and can cause prblems, but in multiple wa pts (mre than ne

ppnent) it ’s fat wrng. oppnents ma cmplain t the site and i their bjectins are veried—ater

all, there’s a recrd anthing u sa n the Net—a warning email ma be issued. Plaers wh

persist in vilating rules that impact ther plaers ma be asked t cease and desist r even be barred.

PkerStars des its utmst t see that its rules are llwed and that the games are kept air and

hnest. It has sphisticated securit sstems designed t er u maximum prtectin.

Sme ther advantages nline pla are und under the ptins tab. Here u can chse the deck

clr, the pattern used n the back the deck, the table setting, the backgrund setting, the fr

setting, t use (r nt t use) icns, t use (r nt t use) sund cues, where at the table u wish t

sit even i that seat is taken, etc. Tpicall, u can chse (r nt) t use the ur-clred deck (ne

clr r each suit, making the verlking a fush much mre unlikel), alng with even the smallest

details, such as hw the cards are delivered t u—ne at a time r bth at nce.

yu have chat chices as well—u can chse t see everthing, rm trash-talking t instructinal

cmments. yu can have a philsphical discussin, r hear abut lcal casins in Arica r Krea. yu

can read gripes and cmplaints abut bad beats. Ater all, there’s surel a reasn wh ur ppnents

think the ’ve lst and it can’t pssibl be randm r their wn inepti tude. Sigh! S under “chat” u

have the ptin t see n chat, all chat, r a dealer summar (where, tpicall, the dealer annunces

ever actin). Chat ptins, hand histries, and sme ther chices are available b clicking n the

dealer tra. In additin, u can blck a particular plaer’s chat, i u nd an individual t be ensive.

This eature can be und b right-clicking n the plaer’s name r icn. other ptins appear b right-

clicking n a plaer, including ursel!

Three especiall marvelus bnuses that nline sites usuall er are: 1) the abilit u’ll have t

critique ur wn pla b clicking n a “stats” buttn that tells u hw man hands u’re plaing,

hw ar int the hand u g with them, hw man are shwn dwn, and hw man u actuall win; 2)

access t a “hand histr” where u can review hw u and/r thers plaed a hand, hw much u

and/r thers bet, and even what hand the held at shwdwn, even when it wasn’t turned up; 3) and

nall, u can take ntes n ever ppnent u ace r as lng as he keeps that screen name—as t

hw he plaed a sessin r hw he plaed in a particular circumstance r even a particular hand.

I’m ging t give u a winning strateg in the ne table sit-n-gs (SNGs), which are ne the mst

ppular eatures in nline pker. o curse, the advice I give u wn’t be limited t SNGs, but will be

applicable t ther games as well. one thing that u’ll discver n PkerStars is that the turnament

actin is available 24/7, s u wn’t have t wait lng t pla.

I recmmend that at ever step u keep recrds ur results. These can be useul even thugh u

ma start ut b plaing the 320-pla-dllar sit-n-gs. I als recmmend that u make a ew remarks

abut each ert, smething that makes each SNG special in ur memr. Usuall, it’ll be a ew ke

hands that u plaed where u had imprtant decisins t make, but smetimes it ma eature a

plaer and the pker persnalit he brught t the table.

In bth SNGs and in cash games, u can llw the plaers with whm u want t pla rm game

t game. Perhaps the’re plaers u enj plaing wi th r can cnsistent l beat. Game selectin can

becme an imprtant part a winning rmula.

I you can’tsay anythingnice, don’t sayanything at all.



10 Chapter 2 The Useul Internet

yu als shuld check ut the “reerll” ptin a ter clicking n the “Turne” tab. Freerlls are

turnaments that require n mne t pla, but ten have cash prizes. I knw a plaer wh started

plaing this wa and wn a turnament. He used that ree mne t start plaing in small cash bu-in

turnaments and has slwl wrked his wa up the ladder. He nw has several thusand dllars in his

nline accunt, and it all started with a reerll.

Finall, u need t be aware the pssibilit get ting int a satelli te where u might win a trip

t an extic lcatin smewhere in the wrld b clicking n the “Event s” tab. Here u’ll have the

pssibilit ging t the world Series o Poker (wSOP), the European Poker Tour (EPT), the AsiaPacic Poker Tour (APPT), the Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), the world Cup o Poker, r the

world Championship o Online Poker (wCOOP) that can be plaed rm ne’s hme. Tpicall, i u

win ne these satellites, ur prize is the entr ee int the main event, the htel rm, and cash r

the plane ride. S be sure and give this a tr. Ater all, Je Will iams rm Atlanta, Gergia, wn the

Eurpean Pker Tur Champinship in 2006 in Mnte Carl and mre than $1,000,000. I knw, because

I had the pleasure being the annuncer n the fr when he wn it. He was nl 19 ears ld—nt

even ld enugh t get int an American casin!

why I recommend PokerStars.During this bk u will ntice that I mentin PkerStars quite a lt. There’s a simple reasn r that

(and it’s nt just that I am a member Team PokerStars Pro). PkerStars is simpl the best place t

pla pker n the Internet. The have the mst plaers, the best turnaments, and the best supprt.

Dwnlad at: .pokerstars.com/poker/donload

1. The Internet is entirely anonymous.

2. Special etiquette on the Internet is strictly enorced.

3. Your options ith online poker are numerous and various.

Summary o Chapter 2

Freerolls cost

nothing toenter and giveaay real pries

– ho saidyou can’t get

somethingor nothing?

http://www.pokerstars.com/wsop/

http://www.europeanpokertour.com/

http://www.appt.com/


http://www.lapt.com/

http://www.pokerstras.com/wcp/

http://www.pokerstras.com/wcoop/

http://www.pokerstars.com/team-pokerstars/lee-nelson/

http://www.pokerstars.com/team-pokerstars/lee-nelson/

http://www.pokerstras.com/wcoop/

http://www.pokerstras.com/wcp/

http://www.lapt.com/



http://www.europeanpokertour.com/

http://www.pokerstars.com/wsop/



11Chapter 3 Ho To Beat Play-Money Sit-n-Gos

CHAPTER 3

HOw TO BEAT PLAY-MONEYSIT-N-GOS (SNGS)

As u’ll learn later in this bk, an imprtant cmpnent winning pker is t take advantage the

ther plaers’ weaknesses and tendencies. Plaers wh have n nancial investment (in ther wrds,

the pla wit h pla mne nl) are generall anxius t learn hw the hand turns ut. Cnsequentl,

the usuall pla t lse, calling bets with inerir hands just t bserve the utcme. Knwing this,

we can devise a winning strateg that capitalizes n this weakness.

The biggest mistake I cmmnl see when watching pla-mne SNGs is that bets and raises are wa

t small a ter the fp. Unless u’ve fpped a huge hand, such as quads (4--a-kind) , a straight

fush, r a ull huse, u seldm want t be called b mre than ne plaer, n matter what u have.

I recmmend that beginning players bet at least hal their chips in any hand they decide to play.

This is the dwn-and-dirt trick t winning pla-mne SNGs; it ’s explained urther belw.

I suggest that u tr this ut in the man pla-mne SNGs n PkerStars.net. This is the wa t

becme amiliar with what ges n in SNGs withut having t risk ne red cent! onl mve up t

real-mne games nce u’re cmrtable with the game and the stakes. T urther prepare ursel,

watch a ew SNGs at the next level bere jumping in.

I urge u t keep recrds. This will help u track ur imprvement, which can be un, as well as give

u an additinal tl r learning. At a minimum, recrd the tpe game u plaed and ur result.

Better still, make remarks and describe ke hands. This can be dne either b purchasing tracking

stware r the ld-ashined wa, with paper and a pencil.

While u’re plaing r pla-mne, u’ll prbabl run int man kinds ppnents. Sme are tring

t win and sme are amusing themselves b clicking the but tns. Cer tain plaers tr their best, while

thers just chunk bets int the pt t see what might happen, while the watch TV, chat n the phne

with riends, r get drunk. Get used t a variet stles while u’re plaing r ree, because the

same tpes plaers ten await u as u mve up the ladder t real-mne games. B plaing t

win in ever situatin, u’ll mre quickl gain the experience needed t advance.

winners playless hands thanlosers but makebigger betshen theydo play.



12 Chapter 3 Ho To Beat Play-Money Sit-n-Gos

Levels 1-3In the earl stages a ree SNG, it pas t be patient and pla ver ew hands. The imprtant nes, thse

that will win the mst chips r u, are the big pairs (AA, KK, or QQ) . With these hands, i the pot’s been

raised, bet all ur chips. I there’s been no raise, bet hal ur chips nw and when the fp (the rst 3

cmmunit cards) cmes, bet the rest ur chips regardless the new cards and actin. Because

ree-pla plaers call t requentl, u’ll ten get called b inerir hands and amass a pile chips!

During the rst 3 levels, i the pot has been raised bere it’s ur turn t act, ld all ther hands.

I you’re the rst to raise the pot (plaers wh’ve matched the big blind—knwn as limpers—are oK),

mve all-in with TT, JJ, and AK-suited. When u’re dealt an ther hands, ld.

Blinds are 10/20 and you have KK and a stack o 1,5 00. To players beore you just call the

big blind. There’s been no raise, so bet hal your chips no: 750!

Blinds are 15/30 and you have QQ and a stack o 1,470. One player raises to 120 and another

one calls him. All-in, baby!

Blinds are 15/30 and you have AQ-suited and a stack o 1,20 0. There are 8 players remaining

and you’re rst to act. Fold.

Blinds are 15/30 and you have a stack o 1,350. You’re on the button ith JJ and 3 players

have limped in or 30 each. All-in!

You have 1,500 ith blinds o 25 /50. The second player to act raises to 150. You have AK. Fold.

Limping in isn’t a recmmended ptin at the ree-pla level. In every case, you’ll enter the pot ith a

raise or a re-raise, commit ting either hal your chips or all your chips. Be patient: In Chapter 4, where

plaing in real-mne SNGs is discussed, ther ptins will becme available.

Seeing a Free Flop rom the Big BlindThe big blind is a situatin that might need sme claricatin. The big blind acts last bere the fp.

Ater the fp, the small blind acts rst (i still in the hand), the big blind acts next, and the buttn (dealer)

acts last. Smetimes when u’re in the big blind, thers will have limped in, but n ne will have raised,

allwing u t cntinue plaing withut putting an mre mne in the pt. I u’re hlding AA, KK,

QQ, JJ, TT, r AK (suited r unsuited), mving all-in is the best pla. With all ther hands, check and see

the fp. Ater the fp, i u have tw unique pair (where each ur hle cards matches a separate

card n the bard), mve all-in. T clari, i u hld 33 and the fp cmes KKJ, u have nt fpped

tw unique pair, because everne else has at least the KK. I u hld K8 and it cmes K82, u’ve

fpped the kind 2-pair we’re discussing; i u hld 82 and it cmes K82 u’ve als fpped a plaable

2-pair. Furthermre, mve all-in i ur fp trips r a set. “Trips” means u hld ne card in ur hand

and tw that rank cme n the bard; r example, u’re hlding 96 and the cmmunit cards are

66K. A “set” means u hld a pcket pair and anther ne the same rank cmes n the bard. I, r

instance, u hld 44 and the cmmunit bard reads K84—u have a set 4s.

I u fp a ull huse an size, a fush (i u hld tw diamnds and the bard is Jd 6d 3d, r

example), r a straight, (sa u hld 63 and the fp cmes 754) , then bet ne-hal ur chips nw

and the rest n the turn (the urth cmmunit card, which is llwed b the next rund betting)

n matter what card cmes the deck. I u fp a straight fush r quads, check and then raise t

ne-hal ur stack i u get the chance, then bet the rest ur chips n the turn. I everne checks

behind u n the fp, bet hal ur chips n the turn and the ther hal n the river. (The “river” is the

nal cmmunit card and signals the nal rund betting.) I ur hand is an wrse than tw unique

pair (this will be the case the great majrit the time), check and then ld t an bet.

Example

You need abetter handto call a betthan you do

to make one.




Avid plaing hands with 4 cards t a fush r straight. Fr example, ld Ah 6h when it cmes Jh 4d 2h

and an ppnent bets, even thugh u’d have the best pssible fush i a heart cmes n the turn r

river. Als, i smene bets, check and ld tp pair (a hle card matching the tp cmmunit card) with

tp kicker (the highest pssible side card t a pair; r example, i u have As Ts and the bard reads

Th 7c 4d, u have tp pair with tp kicker). A hand such as As Jd with a fp Jh 4d 2h, r example,

ma seem strng, and can be in the right situatins. Hwever, as a beginning plaer, u’ll struggle t

identi which situatins are prtable r u and which nes aren’t. o ten, with multiple ppnents

as u’re likel t have when u see a ree fp rm the big blind, there’s a ver gd chance smene

will have fpped 2-pair r better and has u crushed. Ater u imprve ur game b reading the rest

this bk and ther bks, plaing mre hands, and thinking abut thse hands, u’ll ccasinall

be able t pla n in the earl runds with such hldings. Fr nw, hwever, and as lng as u’re at the

pla-mne level, simpl check/lding these hands will be ur best pla.

Frm the urth level n, as u’ll read belw, tp pair with tp kicker is plaable n the fp rm the

big blind, but during the rst 3 levels, u shuld ld. yu culd easil have the best hand, but it’s best

t wait r anther time when u knw u’re a strng avri te. I’m remving all the guesswrk that I

can, since at this pint u’re prbabl nt t gd at guessing and that means I dn’t recmmend that

u pursue drawing hands, such as ur t the straight r fush, r ne-pair hands in pla-mne SNGs

just t see what might happen. Establishing gd habits nw will serve u well when u advance t

real-mne games.

Blinds are 25/5 0 and you have 1,425. You’re the big blind and hold 6c 4s. Three players limp

in, including the small blind. You check, and the fop is Kh 6d 4c. The small blind bets 200.

Push all-in! You have 2 unique pairs. Go or it !

You have Ac Qs in the big blind ith blinds o 15/ 30 and 1,470 chips. There are 4 limpers

to you. You decline your option to raise and the fop is Qs Th 9h. The small blind bets 100.

Fold. Although you may have the best hand here, the small blind has bet and there are still 3

players let to act ater you. The chance o someone having 2-pair or a made straight is too

great. There ill be better chances later.

Take a lk at the summar tables at the end this chapter. The list all the recmmended plas r

each stage the sit-n-g. I suggest u print ut these pages r have them pen n ur cmputer t

reer t while plaing.

Level 4 and HigherAs the SNG prgresses, the blinds and antes increase, csting u mre each rbit as the blinds mve

arund the table. Suppse u have apprximatel the same 1,500 chips u started with at the urth

level n PkerStars, when the blinds g t 50/100. What nw? yu still have enugh ammunitin r

rughl 10 rbits, which is the number that gives u just enugh t pla pker, as ppsed t simpl

pushing all-in r lding bere the fp. Despite ur smewhat cmrtable psitin, hwever, it’s nwcrrect t shit gears and pla mre aggressivel, because even winning nl the blinds is meaningul.

Anther wa t think abut it is that the preliminar runds are ver and the real turnament nw

begins. Ideall, u’ve been watching what the ther plaers have been ding, making mental r

written ntes. In mst cases, the ther plaers wn’t be changing their stripes, r rather, gears.

The tpe plaers the are has usuall been revealed and the kinds plas the’re likel t make

have ten alread ccurred, s use hand histries, ntes, and stats t ur advantage.

I u’re thinking that smene ut there has nticed that u’ve been plaing “tight” and nl entering

pts with excellent hands—great! I ther plaers think that u’re t timid t enter pts wi thut

a big hand, the’re making a big mistake, as u’ll nw be switching gears and plaing much mre

Example

when theblinds go upyou ill need toplay more handsotherise youill run out ochips too quickly.




aggressivel. The plaers wh have u pegged as tight and timid will nw almst alwas ld when

u bet. This is great r u! This being said, hwever, at the lwer levels it’s unlikel that anne will

be s bservant. Furthermre, it ’s als unlikel that the’ ll alter their pla because it.

Frm the 4th blind level nward, AK (suits are unimprtant) is als plaable i multiple plaers have just

limped in r i nl 1 plaer has raised. I there’s been a single raise hen you hold AK at the 4th-blind

level or higher, hether or not it’s been called by other players, your best play is to go all-in.

yu d this r several gd reasns—u might have the best hand right nw, but even i u dn’t,

AK has a ver gd chance imprving t beat better hldings b making a pair (nte that when u

make a pair with AK, it will alwas be the tp pair with tp kicker), and smetimes when u dn’t have

the best hand u rce ur ppnent [s] t make a tugh decisin r all their chips and the just might

make a mistake. when you move in, you have to ays to in the pot: yur ppnent can ld r u

can shw dwn the best hand when all the cards have been dealt. This is a ke cncept in n-limit hld

’em. I ur ppnent lds, wnderul!

As u can see, the idea here is t over-bet ur reall gd hands earl n, because ther plaers

will call u with garbage, especiall i their hand is “sted” (suited, when bth hle cards are the

same suit, is ten reerred t in jest as “sted,” because man plaers, especiall newer nes,

vervalue this distinctin) just t see hw the hand unlds when all the cards are ut. Curisit killed the cat—and man a pker plaer, as well! When u graduate t plaing ver small-bu-in real-mne

SNGs at PkerStars.cm, u’ll ntice this tendenc r inquisitive plaers t pla highl speculative

hands, risking ar mre their stack than their hand warrants. Their mistakes becme ur prts!

Winning pker is all abut making ewer mistakes than ur ppnents.

A hidden benet strict hand selectin in the earl ging is that the ther plaers are likel t be

plaing wildl and kncking each ther ut. Each time a plaer gets kncked ut, u get clser t the

tp 3, and the tp 3 are the winners in SNGs. Even thugh ne plaer might duble his chips, u gain in

ur expected return each time a plaer is eliminated.

Suppse 3 plaers have been eliminated. Even i u haven’t plaed a single hand, u’re nw ahead

the game. Dn’t wrr abut nt having the mst chips. yu’ve still gt lts time t duble ur stack

and be right in the thick things. yu might nt even need t duble ur stack. It’s pssible t win 3rd

r even 2nd place in an SNG withut ever winning a single meaningul pt. I’ve nished 2nd in SNGs

withut ever having mre chips than I started with. Patience is trul a virtue in the earl stages.

Play More Hands rom the Fourth Level OnFrm the urth blind level until nl 4 plaers are let, u shuld becme mre aggressive b adding

sme hands t ur repertire. I an opponent has already raised, move all-in ith any pair 99 or

higher, any AK, or AQ-suited. An time the actin gets t u and n ne has et raised, u shuld

raise all-in ith any AK, any AQ, AJ-suited, AT-suited, KQ-suited, and any pair 77 or higher. I u’re

the rst ne int the pt ( n raisers r limpers) as the but tn r the small blind, als move all-in

with an hand that has any pair, or 19 or more blackjack points in it (an picture card and the tensare wrth 10 pints, aces are 11, and 9s and 8s are wrth ace value) — these are (in addition to the

aorementioned) A8, A 9, AT, AJ, KQ, KJ, K T, K9, QJ, QT, Q9, JT, J9, T9. Remember, there are to ays

to in hen you go all-in!

when You Have Feer than 10 Big BlindsI u have ewer than 10 times the big blind at an time and the pt hasn’t been raised (multiple limpers

are oK), u shuld additinall mve all-in with an hand that equals 20 pints in blackjack s lng as

it’s suited. Fr example, Kh Th is ka t mve in with, while Ks Td isn’t. I smene raises bere u,

mve all-in with an pair 77 r higher, AK , r AQ-suited. I tw (r mre) peple raise bere u, mve

all-in with pcket queens r higher, r AK.

winning pokeris about makingeer mistakes

than youropponents.




when You Have Feer than 5 Big BlindsI u have eer than 5 times the big blind at an time and the pt hasn’t been raised (multiple limpers

are oK), u shuld mve all-in ith any ace, any pair, or any hand that equals 20 points in blackjack.

Fr example, i u hld, 2c 2s, Ac 4h, Qs Js, Jh Td, etc., bet all ur chips. I smene calls and shws

a better starting hand, u can still get luck. Understand that u’re increasing the number hands

u’ll pla, because u’re desperate, with the blinds and/r antes eating awa precius pieces ur

stack. Waiting r big hands is n lnger a viable ptin. I smene raises bere u, move all-in ith

any pair 66 or higher, AK, AQ, AJ, or AT-suited. I tw peple raise bere u, move all-in ith pocket

tens or higher, or AK.

See the summary table at the end o this chapter.

Blinds are 25/5 0 and you have A3-suited and a stack o 220 . Six players remain and one

player limps. You have less than 5 times the big blind, so it’s time to push it in and hope to

get lucky.

On the ourth level and beyond, i you get to see the fop or ree in the big blind, push all-in

i your hand is at least as strong as the top pair ith the top kicker. Note that this is slightly

dierent rom the advice given or the rst 3 levels. So i the fop comes 762, push all-in ith

A7, a pocket pair o eights or better, any 2-pair, or any set. I only 1 or 2 people see the fop ithyou, push all-in ith the top pair and any kicker. All orse hands should check and old.

Four Players Remaining – The BubbleWhen u get t 4-handed pla and the pa 3 spts, u’ve arrived at what’s cmmnl called “the

bubble” (meaning that thse wh advance ne mre spt get paid, whereas the ne wh nishes ne

ut the mne, and is usuall reerred t as the bubble plaer, gets nthing). The mst imprtant

thing t realize is that all ur decisins can be reduced t tw simple actins— move all-in or old.

At this stage the blinds and antes are high and u can’t ard t limp in, then ld ur hand i

smene raises, r make a raise and la ur hand dwn i u get re-raised. It’s all-r-nthing time

and u’ll need t be curageus and bld. It’s time t thrw cautin t the wind and pla a wide range hands. At this stage, earlessness is a virtue.

In pla-mne games, n ne is tring t just squeak int third place and make the “mne.” There’s n

mne here, nl the eg victr rst place. Hwever, the cmpletel lunatic, wild, and lse plaers

are mre likel t be ut than still in. There ma be ne r tw let, but ur ppsitin will prbabl

be a bit saner. yu might see pla tighten up a tad near the end, but nt as much as it prbabl wuld i

there was real mne invlved.

As a result, an time u’re the rst t enter t he pt (everne bere u has lded), move all-in ith

any ace, any pair, or any hand that equals 15 points in blackjack. yu’re hping t pick up the blinds and

antes and being the rst ne in the pt makes this jb a lt easier. I anne has limped r raised bere

it’s ur turn, stick t ur tighter deault strateg.

Blinds are 200/40 0 and you have QJ ith a stack o 3,600. Four players remain; the rst

player olds and the second raises to 800. You’re in the small blind. Fold. Someone else

raised beore you, so stick ith your tight-play strategy.

Blinds are 150/30 0 and you have 9c 6d ith a stack o 2,60 0. Four players remain and you’re

rst to act . You have 15 blackjack points, so push all-in and pray everyone else olds.

when you’re the rst one to enter the pot , you’re hoping that you can push people out ith

your big move. It’s much easier to in the pot by pushing all-in than by calling an all-in.

That’s hy e’re aggressive ith our pushes, but tight hen someone else comes in rs t.

Example

Example




Three Players Remainingyur aggressive pla will carr ver as u mve tward the tp. When u pla 3-handed, u’ll be “in

the mne,” but everne is ging r rst , s dn’t be araid t mve all -in and put ur ppnents t

the test . I the allw u t win the blinds a ew times, u’ll likel build up an insurmuntable lead.

Heads-up PlayWhen u pla 2-handed, u’re rced t pla even mre hands. The simplest all strategies is just t

mve all-in ever time u’re rst t act r whenever he limps. This puts the nus n ur ppnent and

rces him t make a big decisin, ten r all his chips. That’s right! Time r the mantra: when you

move in, there are to ays to in.

Antime u get called and turn ver garbage (a randm hand), u ma get sme verbal abuse. Just

smile and mve n. I that persn nw enters the next SNG with u, he might well call in the earl

stages when u mve all-in and have him smashed.

At all ther stages the turnament, the small blind is directl t the le t the but tn and must act

bere the buttn n the last three runds. In heads-up pla, the small blind ges t the buttn, s that

n the rst rund pla (bere the fp) the buttn has the disadvantage acting rst. This is dne

t set sme the pwer the but tn acting last ater the fp. Dn’t let it surpr ise u the rst time

u see it.

What happens when he’s rst and cmes in r a raise? What k ind hand d u need t re-raise him

with r call his all-in? Re-raise all-in with an pair (rm the lwl 22 t the lvel AA) and with an hand

that ttals 20 r 21 in blackjack. Thse hands are AK, AQ, AJ, AT, A9, KQ, KJ, KT, QJ, QT, and JT. All ther

hands can be mucked. B mving all-in with these hands, u’ll put ur ppnent n his hind t. It’s

a airl big selectin hands and is designed t give u the ptimal chance winning. Unrtunatel,

u’ll smetimes run int a bigger hand r a luck ppnent, but dn’t let that persuade u t begin t

pla in sme ther wa. Sta the curse and u’ll be happ with ur results in the lng run.

I ur ppnent’s riginal raise is an all-in rm the buttn bere u’ve acted, the same hands listed

abve can be used t call r t re-raise all-in.

I ur ppnent nl has enugh chips r 4 big blinds or less, u shuld call his pre-fp all-in with

an tw cards. Similarl, i u’re in this si tuatin, mve all-in with any to cards.

1. The most important thing to notice is that your hand values change dramatically as you go

rom nine star ting players don to to. Additionally, the blinds and antes get much larger,

hich means that the reard or inning the pot becomes progressively more signicant.

Both o these changes cause a change in your play rom cautious at the beginning to loose

(you play a lot more hands) later on. Simply put, you no longer have the luxur y o aitingor good hands, because the blinds and antes eat you alive i you ait or top hands.

So you rely more on your opponent ’s ear o losing by acting aggressively in short-handed

situations. when you push all-in, you’re opponents can old and you’ll in immediately

or you might have the best hand hen the hand is dealt ou t. This is a poerul one-to

punch! while playing, reer to the charts provided or guidance.

2. Try not to get too caught up in results. what do I mean by this? well, oten you’ll thro

aay KJ, or 85,or K 2, or 22, and notice that had you played all the ay, the cards ould

have made you a inning hand. That doesn’t mat ter. Your goal is to in the event and you

do that by continually putting your money at risk ith the best hand. Damon Runyon once

said, “The race is not alays to the sit, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the ay

to bet!” Ho true!

Summary o Chapter 3

Poker is aboutmaking the

right decisions.Sometimes these

don’t pay o but

don’t let thatdiscourage you.




Nw u’re read t beat pla-mne SNGs. As sn as u’re a cnsistent winner, I encurage u t

mve up t real-mne pla, but r ver small stakes. Depsiting just $10 int ur PkerStars accunt

is enugh t get u started. See u at the nal table!

Pre-Flop, Levels 1-3

No Limpers or Raisers One or More Limpers One or More Raisers

From the big blind yu win! All-in with AA, KK, QQ,

JJ, TT r AK

All-in with AA, KK,

r QQ

From any otherposition

Bet hal ur chips

with AA, KK , r QQ.

All-in with JJ, TT, r

AK-suited

Bet hal ur chips

with AA, KK, r QQ.

All-in with JJ, TT, r

AK-suited

All-in with AA, KK,

r QQ

Post-Flop, Levels 1-3

Your Hand Post-Flop Action

AA, KK, r QQ as pcket pair All-in

2 pair (each card matches a card n bard) All-inTrips r set All-in

Full huse, fush, r straight Bet hal ur chips nw and hal n the turn

Straight fush r quads Check and raise t hal ur chips. Bet the ther

hal n the turn. I the fp is checked thrugh,

bet hal n the turn and hal n the river

Anthing else Check and ld

Pre-Flop, Level 4 and Higher (5 or more Players Remaining)

No Limpers or

Raisers

One or More

Limpers

One Raiser To or More

Raisers

More than 10BB

Frm the big blind yu win! All-in with 77+, AK,

AQ, AJ-suited, AT-

suited, KQ suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

All-in with AA,

KK, r QQ

Frm the small

blind r buttn

All-in wit h an pair

r 19 blackjack

All-in with 77+, AK,

AQ, AJ-suited, AT-

suited, KQ suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

All-in with AA,

KK, r QQ

Frm an ther

psitin


AQ, AJ-suited, AT-

suited, KQ suited


AQ, A J-suited, AT-

suited, KQ suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

All-in with AA,

KK, r QQ

10BB to 5BB

Frm the big blind yu win! All-in with 77+, AK,

AQ, r 20 blackjack

(suited)

All-in with 77+,

AK, r

AQ-suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

Frm the small

blind r buttn

All-in wi th an pair

r 19 blackjack


AQ, r 20 blackjack

(suited)

All-in with 77+,

AK, r

AQ-suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

Frm an ther

psitin


AQ, r 20 blackjack

(suited)


AQ, r 20 blackjack

(suited)

All-in with 77+,

AK, r

AQ-suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

wait untilyou’re beating

the Play-MoneySNGs beoreplaying or real.




Less than 5BB

Frm the big blind yu win! All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 20 blackjack

All-in with 66+,

AK, AQ, AJ, r

AT-suited

All-in with TT+

r AK

Frm the small

blind r buttn

All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 19 blackjack

All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 20 blackjack

All-in with 66+,

AK, AQ, AJ, r

AT-suited

All-in with TT+

r AK

Frm an therpsitin

All-in with anpair, an ace, r

an 20 blackjack

All-in with anpair, an ace, r

an 20 blackjack

All-in with 66+,AK, AQ, AJ, r

AT-suited

All-in with TT+r AK

Post-Flop, Level 4 and Higher

Your Hand 1 or 2 Opponents 3+ Opponents

Tp pair, tp kicker, r better All-in All-in

Tp pair, less than tp kicker All-in Check and ld

Anthing else Check and ld Check and ld

Pre-Flop, 3 or 4 Players Remaining

No Limpers orRaisers

One or MoreLimpers

One Raiser To or MoreRaisers

More than 10BB All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 15 blackjack

All-in with 77+,

AK, AQ, AJ-

suited, AT-suited,

KQ suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

All-in with AA,

KK, r QQ

10BB to 5BB All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 15 blackjack

All-in with

77+, AK, AQ,

r 20 blackjack

(suited)

All-in with 77+,

AK, r AQ-suited

All-in with AA,

KK, QQ, r AK

Less than 5BB All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 15 blackjack

All-in with an

pair, an ace, r

an 20 blackjack

All-in with 66+,

AK, AQ, A J, r

AT-suited

All-in with TT+

r AK

Heads-Up

You Are on Button or He Limps He Raises

More than 4BB All-in with an tw All-in with an pair r 20 blackjack

Less than 4BB All-in with an tw All-in with an tw

Play onetable at rst

till you get usedto the system,then try to addanother table.



19Chapter 4 Playing Real-Money SNG’s

PART TwOREAL-MONEY SIT-N-GOS

CHAPTER 4

PLAYING REAL-MONEY SNGS

S u’ve decided t make the leap int plaing r real mne. Things get a little mre serius nw,

since it reall matters i u win r lse. Here are a ew acts u shuld be aware bere u start

tackling these games.

Track Your ResultsI u dn’t track ur results, u’ll never knw i u’re a winner r a lser. Sure, u can check ur

bankrll at the cashier, but s man peple use selective memr t l themselves that wa. yu ma

lse track ur depsits r withdrawals r u ma l ursel b saing, “I lst that mne plaing

cash games, but I’m a winner in the turnaments.” Start tracking ever single game u pla and start

ur tracking nw:

What u plaed (1-table regular SNG, 2-table speed SNG, etc.)

The bu-in

What place u tk

Hw much prize mne u wn

I u’re super serius abut tracking results, u can als track the llwing, but it’s nt essential:

The time and date the turnament

Ke hands r review later

I suggest keeping a running spreadsheet n ur cmputer, where u can just ll in this inrmatin

ater ever sessin. yu’ll be ding ursel a avr i u track this religiusl and hnestl.

There’s a lt shrt-term luck in pker. yu can’t get arund it. But in the lng run, skill alwas wins

ut. Unrtunatel, it can ten take a lng time t reach that pint. I’m cntinuusl cming t the

cnclusin that the “lng run” is lnger than I previusl thught. As a result, u can’t tell hw gd

a plaer u are with nl a ew results. yu’ll have streaks gd luck and bad. Even expert plaers

have streaks 10 r 15 turnaments in a rw where the ail t reach the mne. on the ther hand,

u ma win the rst 3 turnaments u pla. yu reall have t lk at a large number turnaments

t have an sense where u stand. Even 100 turnaments aren’t enugh t give u a gd idea

Skill alaysins in thelong run.

The long runis longer thanyou think.



20 Chapter 4 Playing Real Money SNG’s

ur strength as a plaer. A great plaer can still be lsing mne ater 100 turnaments; a ver pr

plaer can make hundreds dllars. Tw hundred turnaments is prbabl enugh t give u a sense

hether you’re a inner or a loser. It’ll take several hundred mre r u t tell rughl ho much

o a inner or loser u are.

Ho Good is Good?The ke statistic r u t track is ur Return n Investment (RoI) given b this equatin:

Ttal Prize Mne Wn – Ttal Bu-ins = ROI

Ttal Bu-in

You’ve played 200 tournaments and on a total o $ 4,500 in prie money.

The buy-ins or those tournaments total $4,000.

4500 – 4000 = 500

500 / 4000 = .125 x 100% = RoI 12.5%

A breakeven plaer will have an RoI 0% and mst plaers have a negative RoI due t the cmmissin

(rake) taken b the site. An psitive RoI is gd. I ur RoI is abve 25%, it ’s prbabl nt sustainable

in the lng run. yu’ve hit a ht streak and have had sme gd results. This desn’t mean that u’re

nt a great plaer, but u’ve been luck t and can’t expect t make that amunt mne lng term.

yur RoI desn’t have much meaning until u track it ver a ew hundred turnaments. As u pla

mre and mre turnaments, ur RoI will becme increasingl accurate.

Don’t Get DiscouragedI u start plaing r real mne and start lsing, dn’t give up. Everne, even the prs, ges thrugh

lsing streaks. Mve dwn in bu-ins s u dn’t eel pressured abut the mne. PkerStars.cm has

real-mne turnaments r as little as ne dllar. I encurage u t start at the ne-dllar level and

nl mve up nce u eel cmrtable enugh t handle the increased bu-in.

Make Sure You’ve Got the ‘RollHw much a bankrll shuld u have t pla SNGs? There’s n ne right answer, as the bankrll

u need varies with the prtabilit ur pla. Abut 30 bu-ins wuld be in the ballpark r a gd

plaer. S t pla a turnament with an $11 bu-in, u shuld have abut $330. N bankrll is big

enugh t sustain a lsing plaer, but 30 shuld be gd i u’re cmrtable with ur game. Make

sure u’ve gt mre than that (50 r mre bu-ins) i u’re unsure abut ur perrmance. A useul

alternative is t have an active bankrll 30 bu-ins that u keep in ur PkerStars.cm accunt and

a reserve bankrll anther 30 that u hpe u never have t draw n, but is available t u rm

smewhere else shuld u require it. When u mve up t the next level, make sure u have enugh

mne in ur nline accunt and in ur reserve bankrll as well. yu culd get awa with ewer bu-ins i u’re willing t step dwn t a lwer level i u hit a lsing streak. Sme peple’s egs wn’t let

them d that— I’l l leave it up t u t decide.

Turbo or Regular?Man nline sites, including PkerStars.cm, er “regular” turnaments and “turb,” “speed,” r

“ast” turnaments. The main dierences between the tw are as llws: the length each rund (5

minutes versus 10 minutes); dierent time banks r extra time that can be used during the turnament

(30 secnds versus 60 secnds); and less time t make a decisin in a turb (12 secnds versus 15).

Bth are quite plaable and have their advantages and disadvantages. Regular turnaments allw u

t use mre skill when plaing, especiall in the earl blind levels. I this is where u think ur main

advantage lies, then regular games are prbabl the wa t g. The turb games get t the push-r-ld

Example

Everyone goesthrough losing

streaks. what’simportant

is to not getdiscouragedand use it asmotivation toexamine the

eaknesses in

your game.



21Chapter 4 Playing Real Money SNG’s

stage, with plaers ging all-in r lding, much sner, s there’s a bit mre luck invlved. Knwing the

crrect strateg, hwever, can pa huge dividends. Man winning plaers bserve that their absolute

ROI is lwer in turb games, but the still earn mre dollars per hour, since the can pla mre games.

yu shuld tr bth and see which ne better ts ur stle.

1- or 2-Table Tournaments?Single-table turnaments are ar mre ppular than their 2-table cunterparts. This bk cuses n

the 1-table variet , but the same strategies can be applied t the 2-table games. There are SNGs wi th

mre than 2 tables, but I cnsider all thse t be multi-table turnaments (MTTs), which I cver in

ther chapters. The 2-table games usuall pa the tp 4 spts 40%/ 30%/ 20%/10%, while the 1-table

games pa the tp 3 spts, 50%/30%/20% . This means that the mst intense bubble situatins in

2-table games ccur when 5 plaers remain, rather than 4. In additin, the paut structure is fatter r

the 2-table games, making it even mre impr tant just t make it t the mne. That means prper pla

r 2-table turnaments is even tighter than I recmmend here.

1. Keep accurate records.

2. Due to short- term luck, it ill take several hundred SNGs or you to determine ho

good you are.

3. Maintain an adequate bankroll or your level o play.

4. Decide here, hat, and ho ast (turbo or regular) to play.

Summary o Chapter 4



22 Chapter 5 Key Poker Concepts

CHAPTER 5

KEY POKER CONCEPTS

Pker is a unique blend math and pschlg. In rder t be prcient, it’s imprtant t have a

wrking understanding bth. First, let’s take a lk at the critical math cncepts, which include

expected value, uts, pt dds, and implied dds.

Expected ValueExpected value is the average all pssible utcmes weighted b the chance that each utcme will

ccur. It lets u knw i an uncertain wager is wrthwhile and prtable t pursue.

Fr example, let’s sa that a riend asks u t draw ne card rm a air deck. I it’s a club, he’ll pau $2; i a red card, he’ll pa u $1; i a spade, u we him $3. Shuld u take him up n his bet? We

need t calculate the expected value (EV) plaing:

EV = (1/4) x $2 + (1/2) x $1 – (1/4) x $3 = +$ 0.25

yu’d expect t gain an average 25 cents ever time u plaed. Since this is better than ur

alternative ($0 r nt plaing), u shuld take him up n his er and u shuld pla as man times

as he’ll let u! Nte that ur expectatin is 25 cents n ever card drawn regardless the actual

utcme. The greater the number trials, the mre likel ur average result will be 25 cents per draw.

I u nl draw 10 times and happen t draw 4 spades, 3 hearts, 2 diamnds, and 1 club, u’ll

actuall be $5 behind, when ur expectatin is t be $2.50 ahead. This dierence is accunted r b

fuctuatin, r in pker parlance, variance. The greater the number draws, the less the variance and

the clser the actual resul ts wil l be t the expected value.

This is a ke cncept that applies t ever kind advantage gambling. I u have an edge, the mre

u pla, the mre likel ur edge will maniest.

Outsouts are the number cards that can turn ur hand rm a lser int a winner. I u have Ac Td, ur

ppnent has As Kh, and the bard reads Ad Jc 8s 4h, u have nl 3 uts t win n the river. onl the

three tens le t will save u. I u have 7h 6h against As Ac n a Ks Qs 3h 2h bard, u have nine uts

– the nine hearts let in the deck. The mre uts u have, the strnger ur hand. outs are strngl

cnnected t pt dds, explained next.

Pot OddsPt dds rm the backbne almst ever decisin u make in pker. Put simpl, the pot odds are

the ratio o the amount o money in the pot to the amount ith hich you’re required have to call. I the

pt cntains $200 and ur ppnent bets $100, ur pt dds are 3-t-1. The $20 0, plus the $100 ur

ppnent just bet, makes the pt $300. Divide $3 00 b the $100 u have t call and u get 3.

The pt is 3 times as much as the amunt u have t bet in rder t call. I the pt starts at $150 and ur

ppnent bets $100, u wuld be getting 2.5-t-1, since u nl stand t win $250 r ur $100 call.

Math is easierthan it looks, andvery important to

an understandingo poker.



23Chapter 5 Key Poker Concepts

When u pla nline at PkerStars, the amunt in the pt is cnvenientl displaed n the screen.

Knwing the amunt the pt, u can determine ur pt dds b simpl dividing the size the pt

as displaed n the screen b the amunt that it csts u t call.

The bigger the pt dds, the mre attractive it is t call, as there’s a bigger pt t win r the same

amunt mne.

The pt dds ten determine whether u can prtabl call with a draw. I the bet is all-in, ur

chance cmpleting the draw has t be higher than the pt dds. Fr example, let’s sa u have 6s

5s and the bard is Ks Th 4d 3c. yur ppnent ges all-in r $2 00 int an $ 800 pt , making it a ttal

$1,000. yu’re getting 5-t-1 pt dds, which is mre than enugh t call with an 8-ut draw (an 2 r 7

gives u a sure winner—the nuts). Wh? There are 46 unseen cards let in the deck, which 8 give

u a win, netting u $1,00 0. Thirt -eight cards leave u $200 lighter than i u ld instead call.

yur expected value r the draw is:

(8/46 ) x $1,000 + (38/46) x (-$200) = $8.70

Actuall, calling is best as lng as ur pt dds are at least 4.75-t-1 in this example, because with

thse dds ur expectat in r calling wuld be zer, the same as lding. Put anther wa, with pt

dds 4.75 and this draw, u’d expect t break even in the lng run, s either plaing r lding areequivalent chices. With pt dds belw 4.75, ur expectatin is negative and calling is a mistake,

csting u chips/mne in the lng run.

I ur ppnent ges all-in and u have a draw (a hand that needs t imprve in rder t win), u can

use the table belw t determine i u’re getting gd enugh pt dds t call. Nte that the minimum

pt dds, the breakeven pint, are identical t the dds against making ur hand.

Number oOuts

Minimum Pot Oddsto Call on Flop

Minimum Pot Oddsto Call on Turn

1 22.5 45

2 10.9 22

3 7.0 14.3

4 5.1 10.5

5 3.9 8.2

6 3.1 6.7

7 2.6 5.6

8 2.2 4.75

9 1.9 4.1

10 1.6 3.6

11 1.4 3.2

12 1.2 2.813 1.1 2.5

14 an 2.3

15 an 2.1

16 an 1.9

17 an 1.7

18 an 1.6

19 an 1.4

20 an 1.3

21 an 1.2

I the Pot Oddsare higher thanthe odds againstcompleting yourdra then it isprotable to call.



24 Chapter 5 Key Poker Concepts

You have 4 spades (a fush dra) ith 1 card let to come. Nine spades are let in the deck.

(Since e can’t see the other players’ cards, e don’t kno hether or not they’re spades,

so e can’t count them either as spades or non-spades and e just ignore them.) Checking

the above chart, the odds against you making your fush on the last card are just over 4-to-1.

I your opponent no bets all his chips, the amount in the pot including this last bet must be

more than 4.1 times the chips required or you to call to make your call protable. Less than

this and you should old.

In the above example, i the bet on the turn isn’t an all-in bet leaving both o you ith chips,

“implied odds” become a consideration (see next) .

The pot odds given or calling on the fop assumes that your opponent never improves to a hand

that could beat your made dra. In reality, this isn’t alays the case, but it’s a minor eect.

Implied Pot OddsStrict pt dds appl nl when either u r ur ppnent is all-in and there’s n mre betting.

I u’re nt all-in, u can cnsider the chance that u ma get additinal chips as well. This is

called implied pt dds.

Let’s g back t the example where the bard is Ks Th 4d 3c and u have 6s 5s. This time ur

ppnent bets $ 500 int a $1,000 pt and he has $1,500 let in his stack. yu have him cvered (meaning

u have mre chips than he des). Let’s sa u estimate that i u hit ur straight, there’s an 80%

chance that u can get him t call the additinal $1,500. yur nrmal pt dds are nl 1500-t-500 r

3-t-1, which isn’t enugh t call with ur draw (remember, u need 4.75-t-1). But i u think u’ll

get his stack 80% the time, then u can add 80% $1,500, r $1,20 0, t the pt u’ll win.

yu wn’t put in an extra mne i u miss, s ur implied dds are 2,700-t-500 r 5 .4-t-1—mre

than enugh t call.

N-limit thrives n implied dds, especiall when the blinds are ver small. That’s wh during the earl

levels, it can smetimes pa dividends t chase gd draws. Weaker plaers wh can’t let g a hand,

even ater the think ur draw might have cme in, shuld be ur targets. I u hit ur straight

draw, the’ll still pa u with their tp pair.

Can a Dra be a Favorite?on the fp with 2 cards still t cme, a draw can be a avrite ver a hand that’s ahead at the mment,

such as tp pair. The ke is the number uts. whenever you have 14 out s or more on the fop, you’re

the avorite. It’s crucial t understand this cncept. As we’ll discuss later, i u’re able t bet and get

an ppnent t ld smetimes, u ma be a mne avrite when u bet, even i u have ewer than

14 uts, because u’ll win the pt when ur ppnent lds, withut the number uts cming int

pla. This is knwn as semi-blung, a tl we’ll discuss in detail later.

As ur number uts increases, u becme a prgressivel bigger avrite. With 2 cards et t

cme and 15 uts, u’re a 6/5 avrite (u’ll win 6 times in 11 trials). With 18 uts u’re 8/ 5, and with

20 uts u’re a 2/1 avrite. (yu’ll nd a gd uts chart in Kill Phil. )

Example

A dra can bethe avourite to

in and a strongdra can be a

70-30 avourite.



25Chapter 5 Key Poker Concepts

You have Jh Th and the fop is 3s 9h 8h.

Your opponent has Ac 9c, giving him top pair ith the best possible kicker (side card) . You’ll

in or sure ith any heart , any 7, any queen, and ill also in ith any jack or 10 hen your

opponent doesn’t improve. Counting your outs, you have 9 hearts, 6 straight cards (three queens

and three 7s—you’ve already counted the queen and 7 o hearts and can’t count them tice),

three jacks, and three 10s, any o hich ill convert your hand rom loser to inner. You have 21

outs and ill in more than 2 out o 3 times you play this hand out. Specically, you’ll in 69%o the time and your opponent ill in 31% o the time. Though you don’t even have a pair at this

point, you’re a big avorite!

Example

1. Understand the concept o expected value (EV).

2. Outs are cards that can change your hand rom a loser to a inner. Outs are stronglyconnected to pot odds.

3. Pot odds are the basis or many poker decisions. The bigger the pot odds, the more attractive

it is to call.

4. whenever you have 14 outs or more on a dra, you’re a avorite.

Summary o Chapter 5



26 Chapter 6 Ho To Beat $1 SNG’s

CHAPTER 6

HOw TO BEAT $1 SNGS

As u prgress t higher and higher bu-ins, u’ll need mre real pker skills. Beating pla-mne

SNGs is prett rmulaic; u either get all ur mne in with a gd hand r u ld. The $1 games

use a similar rmula, but we need t alter it a litt le, because ur ppnents’ st rategies will be dierent.

In the pla-mne games, ur ppnents didn’t care i the wn r lst their pla mne.

The were tring t take 1st place r bust ut tring. Cming in 2nd r 3rd and winning sme pla

credits is meaningless. But r real mne, cming in 2nd r 3rd wins u mne. In the 9-handed SNGs,

the pauts are 5 0% r 1st , 30% r 2nd, and 20% r 3rd. That means when it gets dwn t 4 plaers,

n ne wants t be the next ne t bust, because i just ne mre plaer is eliminated, the’re in the

mne. The turnament is said t be n the bubble. Peple tend t be ver cautius and pla timidl.

In cntrast, plaers are usuall t lse in the earl levels the turnament and make bad calls with

weak hands and draws. T take advantage bth these weaknesses, we empl the llwing stle:

Pla super-tight earl and wildl aggressive late.

Levels 1-3yu shuld pla ver ew hands during the rst 3 levels pla. The blinds are s small that the wn’t

be wrth ging ater and u dn’t want t risk the turnament withut a great hand. Let everne else

knck each ther ut—it desn’t matter i u all behind in chips.

Thrughut this bk, I reer t the llwing categries pre-fp hands when giving pre-fp advice.

Nte that all recmmendatins are r the specied categr r better. Fr example, Categr 8

includes nt nl the hands listed in Categr 8, but all the hands listed in Categries 1-7 as well.

Thse u wh ma have read Kill Phil will ntice a dierence in the hand categries. This is due

t the act that Kill Phil is a push-all-in-r-ld strateg, whereas this isn’t. When pushing all-in with

a marginal hand, it’s preerable t have a hand such as 76 suited than KT suit, because u’re less

likel t be dminated b hands that are likel t call, such as AK. In Kill Phil, 76s is a Categr 6 hand

and KT suit is a Categr 10 hand, whereas bth are Categr 7 hands in this bk. It might be a gd

idea t memrize as much this as pssible, r t print a cp r eas reerence when plaing nline.

Category 1: AA, KK

Category 2: QQ, AKs, AK, JJ

Category 3: AQs, AQ, TT, 99

Category 4: AJs, KQs, 88, 77

Category 5: AJ, ATs, AT, KQ, KJs, 66, 55

Category 6: A9s-A2s, KJ, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, 44, 33, 2 2

Category 7: A9-A 2, KT, QJ, QT, JT, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s

Category 8: K9s, K9, K8s, Q9s, Q8s, J9s, T8s, T9, 97s, 98, 86s, 87, 75s, 76, 64s

s = suited

Learning thehand rankings by

heart ill help

you use this bookmore easily.



27Chapter 6 Ho To Beat $1 SNG’s

These hand rankings are a useul apprximatin r turnament pla. Fr a mre detailed analsis,

see the rankings develped b ne m c-authrs, Tsen Streib, in ur bk Kill Everyone.

In Levels 1 thrugh 3, u shuld pla nl the premium hands Categries 1 and 2. I n ne has

raised bere u, cme in r a raise o ve times the big blind. I peple have limped bere u,

increase your raise sie by one big blind or each limper. I a raise ould be one-third o your chips

or more, push all-in instead.

Blinds are 15/30 and you’re rst to act ith Qh Qd. You have 1,400 chips. Raise to 150.

Blinds are 25/5 0 and you’re on the button ith Ah Kc and 1,000 chips. Three people limp

beore you. Normally, you’d raise to 400 (ve big blinds, plus one or each limper), but

because that’s more than one-third o your stack, push all-in instead.

I someone has raised beore you, make a re-raise to our times the amount o their bet ith

your Category 1 or 2 hands. Again, i this is more than one-third o your chips, push all-in

instead. I anyone else calls the initial raise beore the action gets to you, or i the pot is

re-raised by anyone, push all-in.

Blinds are 10/20 and you’re in the small blind ith Ks Kc and 1,500 chips. Someone raisesto 80. Raise to 320.

Ntice that i u llw m pre-fp advice, u’ll never just call pre-fp. yu’ll alwas be the ne wh

puts in the last raise, unless u gt t see the fp r ree in the big blind. It’s ver imprtant t be

the ne t put in the last raise pre-fp, as thers will tend t deer t ur shw strength. The’ll be

mre likel t check t u n the fp and t ld when u bet. It’s gd t be the bull!

once u get t the fp, u’re lking t make tp pair r better. With AK, u’re hping that an ace r a

king cmes. I it desn’t , just check and ld t an bet and be dne with the hand. With a high pcket pair,

u’re hping that the fp cmes with cards lwer than ur pair, giving u an verpair. I an vercardcmes n the fp (u hld QQ and the fp has an ace r a king in it ), be prepared t just check and ld.

yur hand might be the best, but it will be t expensive t nd ut. Plaers in the $1 SNGs are ver lse

and will call u with ver weak kickers. Dn’t tr t bet with KK n a fp A73. A plaer with a hand

such as A2 will prbabl call u t the river. It’s much better t bet nl when u’re airl cndent u

have the best hand—u’ll be paid b these lse plaers ten enugh t make the wait wrthwhile.

I u’ve made tp pair r better n the fp, bet the size the pt i it’s checked t u. I smene

bets bere u, raise the size the pt. Remember that when raising the size the pt, u cunt the

amunt ur call as being in the pt bere calculating hw much t raise. I an bet r raise is 1/3

ur remaining stack r mre, push all-in instead. I ur raise is re-raised, push all-in.

An time u bet r call ne-third ur chips r mre, u shuld cnsider ursel pt-cmmitted.

This means that u’ve invested t much ur stack t ld at an pint in the hand. Usuall, u’ll

put in the rest ur chips n the turn r river, but u can check and/r call i u think that’s the best

wa t pla the hand. But never ld, n matter hw scar the next card is!

You have Ac Kc and raise pre-fop to 150. The button and big blind call. The fop is Qd 7s 2h

and there’s 465 in the pot. The big blind checks to you. You should check. I the button bets,

just old. I he checks as ell, check and old the turn (the next community card ) i someone

bets, unless it’s an ace or a king. I an ace or king come on the turn, bet the sie o the pot.

I this amount equals 1/ 3 o your chips or more, move all-in instead.

Example

Beare theovercard – youare probablybeaten.




You have As Kc and the fop is Ks 8s 7d. The pot contains 200 chips and you and your opponent

have about 1,400 let in your stacks. He bets 100, making the pot a total o 300. Normally you’d

make a pot-sied raise here, hich is a raise to 500. You need to raise 400 more, not 300

more, as the 100 you use to call the bet gets counted in the pot sie. But 500 is more than one-

third o your chips, so you’re pot-committed. Because o this, rather than raising to 500, move

all-in instead.

You have Js Jc and the fop is Ks 8s 7d. Again, the pot contains 200 chips and you and youropponent have about 1400 let in your stacks. This time you’re rst to act. You should check

and old i he bets.

You have Ad Kd and the fop is Kc 9h 8c. The pot contains 330. Your one opponent checks the

fop and you bet 330. He calls. The pot no contains 990 and you both have about 1,000 le t in

your stacks. The turn is the 7c. He bets 400. You should old. He probably called ith a dra

and it most likely came in. Save your chips or a better situation!

Other General Pointers on Levels 1-3:

Beare o check-raises! In $1 turnaments, a check-raise almst alwas means a strng hand,usuall 2-pair r better. Alwas ld t a check-raise unless u have at least tp 2-pair (AK n a AK7

fp) ursel. I u have AK and the fp is KJ4, ld i u’re check-raised. Strnger ppnents ma

d this n a blu with a hand such as QT, but rarel in lw-level turnaments. Just ld.

Don’t slo play! Plaers call t ten in the earl levels. I’m recmmending that u virtuall never

slw pla r check-raise. I u have AA and the fp cmes AQ8, dn’t tr t check-raise r just

fat call. Bet r raise, then laugh when he calls u with QJ. The nl pssible exceptins are thse

exceptinall rare instances when u fp quads r a straight fush. Shuld this ccur, u can

slw pla b checking the fp, but make sure that u tr t get all ur chips in n either the turn

r river.

Don’t blu! The call t ten… the call t ten… Just keep repeating that t ursel.

When the’re t lse, u get paid when u bet ur big hands. But it makes blung a

lsing prpsitin. Just give it up.

Use cautin and cmmn sense when u fp a draw while in the big blind r a ree fp.

open-ended straight draws and fush draws can usuall be called i u’re getting 3-t-1 pt

dds r better. Inside-straight draws (gutshts) shuld alwas be lded.

Nt all pen-ended draws are created equal. Hlding 98 when the bard is 763 is a much better draw

than when the bard is JJT. In the rst case, u’re drawing t the nut straight and u have tw

vercards. yu might even win i a 9 r an 8 cmes. In the secnd case, u’re drawing t the bttm

end the straight and the bard is paired. Even i u make ur straight, u culd: lse t a higher

straight; lse t a ull huse; r nt be paid , since the pair n the bard scares ptential callers.

Dn’t wrr abut lding hand ater hand. Smetimes u wn’t pla a single hand during the rst

three levels. That’s ka. The blinds are s small that u prbabl haven’t lst that man chips.

The pts are generall small enugh that it’s nt wrth risking getting invlved unless u’ve gt a

premium hand. Get ver it and let the small pts g.

Pa attentin t hw the ther plaers are plaing. D the like t limp int a lt pts? D the

alwas cme in r a raise? Ater the fp d the call with weak draws? D the make big blus?

When the fp a set r trips, hw d the pla it? D the bet, tr r a check-raise, r just check

and call? Take ntes n hw ther peple pla. It’ ll be time well spent.

Dn’t assume that the ther plaers are paing attentin t hw tight u are. Dn’t think that just

because u’ve been plaing s tightl r the last ew hands, it’ll let u pull this blu just nce.

The call t ten… the call t ten…

Example

“They call

too oten” –remember this

and you illkno hat

to do.




Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)At Level 4 and abve, u shuld ten mve all-in pre-fp r ld. yu’ll almst alwas have 15 big

blinds r less in ur stack, which means that a standard raise 5BB (ve times the big blind) will

be ne third ur stack. In thse cases u shuld adpt an “all-in-r-ld” mentalit. Again, you’ll

never just call pre-fop (unless the other player is all-in); you should alays raise or old. The blinds

will nw be wrth stealing, s u’ll be raising with weaker hands than Categries 1 and 2. The best

time t raise is when everne has lded t u. I this is the case:

Frm the buttn r small blind, raise with Categr 6 r better.

Frm ne r tw seats the buttn, raise with Categr 5 r bet ter.

Frm an earlier psitin r i u’re in the big blind and n ne has raised, raise with

Categr 4 r better.

I u have beteen 5BB and 10BB, raise with ne Categr weaker than nrmal.

I u have 5BB r less, raise with tw Categries weaker than nrmal

Fld everthing else; never limp.

All the abve pints are summarized in the chart belw.

I ne r mre plaers have limped bere u, act as thugh u’re in earl psitin (push with

Categr 4, 5, r 6, depending n stack size).

I smene raises bere u, push all-in with Categr 3 r better. Push with Categries 4 r 5 i u

have less than 10BB r 5BB, respectivel.

In summary:

Criteria or Raising Depending on Stack Sie ($1 Games)

More than 10BB 10BB to 5BB Less Than 5BB

Everyone Folds to YouSmall Blind r Buttn Category 6 Category 7 Category 8

1 r 2 Seats o But tn Category 5 Category 6 Category 7

Earlier Psitin Category 4 Category 5 Category 6

One or More Limpers

An Psitin Category 4 Category 5 Category 6

Someone Raises


I u raise (but nt all-in) and smene re-raises, ur decisin shuld be based n pt dds:

I u’re getting 2.5-t-1 r better, call with anthing.

I u’re getting 2-t-1 r better, call with Categr 5 r better.

I u’re getting 1.5-t-1 r better, call with Categr 4 r better.

I u’re getting wrse than 1.5-t-1, call with Categr 3 r bet ter.

yu ma need t d a bit creative math in these situatins. I the raise is mst, but nt all, ne

ur stacks, u shuld gure the pt dds as i it’s all-in, since u’ll be pt-cmmitted.

The less chipsyou have themore aggressiveyou should be.




Blinds are 50/100, you have 1,800 chips, and are one o the but ton. Everyone has olded to

you. You have 6c 6d, a Category 5 hand. Raise to 500.

Blinds are 75/150, you have 1,400 chips, and are to o the button. Someone limps beore

you. You have Ah 6h, a Category 6 hand. Fold. with less than 10BB, you need a Category 5

hand or better to push hen someone limps.

Blinds are 50/100, you have 2,0 00 chips, and are on the button. Everyone olds to you ith KcQd, a Category 5 hand. You raise to 500. The BB has a stack o 3,00 0 and raises to 1,500. Your

strict pot odds are 2050-to-1000 or slightly better than 2-to-1. Hoever, this raise essentially

puts you all-in, so you should imagine that the raise is to 2,000 instead. That gives you 255 0-

to-1500 or 1.7-to-1. You need a Categor y 4 hand or better to call that. Muck.

Pst-fp u shuld als be mre aggressive i the chips aren’t all-in et. Bet with tp pair (an kicker)

r better, usuall all-in. I he bets bere u d, u’ll need t cnsider the pt dds. yu can alwas

call with a hand such as tp pair and a gd kicker. Getting 2-t-1, u can call with tp pair and a

medium kicker. Getting 3-t-1, u can call with tp pair and a weak kicker, middle pair and an vercard,

r pen-ended straight r fush draws (n the fp).

Four Players Remaining—The BubblePla as u did with 5 r mre plaers remaining, except push with 1 categr weaker and call with

1 categr strnger than bere.

Criteria or Raising On the Bubble Depending on Stack Sie ($1 Games)


Everyone Folds to You

Small Blind r Buttn Category 7 Category 8 Category 8

1 Seat o Buttn Category 6 Category 7 Category 8

One or More Limpers


Someone Raises


Three Players Remainingyu’ve made it t the mne! Give ursel a quick pat n the back and start tring t win the

turnament .

Heads-up Play

M recmmendatin r heads-up pla is simplicit i tsel:

I u’re n the buttn, push all-in n an tw cards.

I u’re in the big blind and he just limps, push all-in n an tw cards.

I he raises n the buttn, push with Categr 6 r bet ter; therwise ld. I either u has 4BB r

less, call with Categr 7 as well. I ei ther u has 2.5 BB r less, call with an tw cards.

Example

Don’t try tosneak intothe money.




Pre-Flop, $1 Games-All-in Strategy or Heads-Up Play

Relevant Stack Sie You’re the Button orYou’re Big Blind, He Limps

You’re Big Blind,He Raises

0 t 2.5 BB An Tw Cards An Tw Cards

2.5 t 4 BB An Tw Cards Category 7

4+ BB An Tw Cards Category 6

And that’s hw u beat the $1 SNGs. Make sure u get a lt games under ur belt and are

cmrtable with plaing bere u advance t the $5 games. Remember, 10 games aren’t a lt.

1. Play super-tight or the rst e levels and let everyone else knock each other out.

2. Don’t call pre-fop and rarely call post-fop. The right move is to raise or old, not call.

3. Never blu in levels 1-3.4. Push aggressively hen it gets short-handed, but call only ith your strongest hands.

5. Push every hand heads-up unless he raises rst. The blinds you steal ill more than makeup

or the times a better hand calls you.

Summary o Chapter 6




CHAPTER 7

HOw TO BEAT THE $5 SNGS

I recmmend that u pla ver similarl t the strateg u used t beat the $1 SNGs, with nl a

cuple adjustments. I n changes are mentined here, assume that the same actins are prescribed

as r the $1 games.

Levels 1-3Cntinue t pla ver ew hands during the rst 3 levels pla. Unless u’re n the buttn r in the

“cut- ” seat (1 bere the buttn) , cntinue t pla nl Categr 2 r bet ter. I u’re n the buttnr cut- and n ne has raised bere u, raise with Categr 3 and 4 as well. I there’s a raise

bere u, ld the Categr 3 and 4 hands and re-raise with 1 and 2. yu can make ur standard raise

slightl smaller as well: Raise t 4 big blinds i u’re the rst t enter the pt. I thers have alread

limped in, add 1 big blind t ur raise r each limper.

No Raise Beore You Raise Beore You

On Button orCut-O

Any Other Position Any Position

Category 1 Raise Raise Re-Raise

Category 2 Raise Raise Re-RaiseCategory 3 Raise Fld Fld

Category 4 Raise Fld Fld

Category 5 or orse Fld Fld Fld

Pst-fp, pla the same as bere. Make pt-sized bets and raises nl, nt mre r less, and rarel

just call i smene else bets. on the fp, i u have tp pair withut the tp kicker, put in a bet i

everne checks t u. I smene bets rst r i u get raised, ld the hand. Get in the habit

deciding i u like ur hand n the fp, then raise r ld, rather than calling and having anther

dicult decisin later with mre chips at stake. Cntinue t resist the urge t blu!

Blinds are 15/30, you have 1,500 ith Ad Jd, and are on the button. To players beore you limp.

You should raise to 180 (4 big blinds + 1 or each limper) ith your Category 4 hand. The big blind

calls and everyone else olds. The pot is no 435. The fop comes Ac 9s 8s and the big blind

checks. You should bet 435. I he bets rs t or i he raises you, old.

Example

Don’t blu.

Your opponentsaren’t smartenough yet to

think theyare beat.




Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)Since ur standard raise is nw 4BB, push all-in whenever ur stack is 12BB r smaller, since a

standard raise wuld be a third ur stack. The lgic r this is simple: whenever you raise a third

o your stack, you’re pot-committed. What I mean b this is that i u’re re-raised, u’ll be getting

at least 2-t-1 pt dds. Thse dds are gd enugh that u shuld call the re-raise with an hand

strng enugh t raise with riginall. Therere, u might as well put ur whle stack in nw, t put

maximum pressure n ur ppnents and increase the chances that the’ll ld, which is generall

what u want them t d in turnament pla.

Pla as u were instructed in the $1 games, with the exceptin that i everne has lded t u,

make a raise with 1 categr weaker than bere:


Everyone Folds to You

Small Blind r Buttn Category 7 Category 8 Category 8

1 r 2 Seats o But tn Category 6 Category 7 Category 8

Earlier Psitin Category 5 Category 6 Category 7

One or More Limpers


Someone Raises


yur ppnents in the $5 games are a little tighter, s it pas t raise mre ten. I there’s a limper r a

raise bere u, pla as instructed in the $1 games.

Four Players Remaining—The Bubbleon the bubble, pla tightens up. oten ne plaer pushes all-in and everne else lds. As a result, u

shuld tighten up ur calls, but push much mre requentl when rst in. It als becmes criticall

imprtant hw big ur stack is relative t the thers.

As the big stack, raise with Categr 8 r better rm the small blind r buttn and with Categr

7 r better rm the cut-. I u’re cnsidering calling smene else’s push, u can call a 10BB

push with Categr 2 r better. yu can call 8BB with Categr 3, 6BB with 4, 4BB with 5, and 2BB

with 6. I u’re in the big blind, u can call ne categr weaker (r with an tw cards i the raise

is nl t 2BB). I there are to big stacks that both have a similar number o chips, avoid each

other like the plague! Dn’t put in a lt chips against the ther big stack unless u have the

nuts, r clse t it!

As a medium stack, u need t watch the bigger stacks. I all the bigger stacks have lded, act

like a big stack ursel. I smene wh cvers u is still in, tighten up tw categries when

pushing. yu can als act like a big stack i u’re calling a smaller stack and there’s nt much

chance a bigger stack calling as well. I u’re thinking abut calling a bigger stack’s all-in, be

careul! Tighten up 2 mre categries than u wuld as the big stack, althugh u can alwas

call with aces and kings.

As the small stack, act like a medium stack when pushing, but u can call like a big stack. yu can

als use ur wn stack size as the size the raise, even i smene else pushed in r mre. I u

get reall small, sa under 3BB, then push all-in n an tw cards whenever u’re in a blind.

Going all inmeans youropponentscan’t raise youout o a pot.




The ollowing charts summarize this.

Pushing All-In on the Bubble ($5 Games)

You’re the biggestunolded stack

An active player has abigger stack

Your PositionCut- Category 7 Category 5

Buttn r Small Blind Category 8 Category 6

Calling a Push as a Medium Stack on the Bubble ($ 5 Games)

Pusher’s Stack Sie 10BB 8BB 6BB 4BB 2BB

In the Big Blind Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 Category 5

An other Psitin Category 1 Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

Calling a Push as a Big or Small Stack on the Bubble ($5 Games)


In the Big Blind Category 3 Category 4 Category 5 Category 6 An 2 cards


Blinds are 200/400 ith a 25 ante. You’re the big stack ith 5,000 and are on the button ith

7h 6c, a Category 8 hand. Push all-in and try to pick up the blinds and antes.

Blinds are 200/400 ith a 25 ante. You’re a medium stack ith 2,300 and are in the small

blind. The big stack pushes to 5,000 rom the cut-o and you have As Qc, a Category 3 hand.

Use your on stack sie o 6BB to determine i you can call. I you had a big stack, you could

call a 6BB raise ith a Category 4 hand. But as a medium stack you need to tighten up to

categories. Fold. The bubble is a unny time. The medium stacks need to play possum and try

to slide into the money.

I to o your opponents are all-in and you’re considering overcalling (that is, being the 3rd

one in the pot ), think tice on the bubble. The only times you should consider overcalling

are hen:

1. You’re the biggest stack still in the hand.

2. You’re the second-smallest stack and the smallest stack is all-in.

In these cases, you can overcall ith JJ or better (and AK i the middle stack beteen the

three o you has 6BB or less). I you aren’t in one o these to cases, old no matter hat you

have, even AA.

Blinds are 200/400 ith a 25 ante. You’re in the big blind as the small stack ith 2,000. The

second smallest stack ith 2, 500 pushes all-in. The big stack in the small blind calls. Fold

kings, old aces, old the laundry, old everything! You’re being given a chance to alk into

3rd place and you should take it.

Example




Three Players RemainingPush with the same hands u wuld with ur plaers, but u can start calling with hands ne

categr weaker than u did n the bubble. The medium stack als nl needs t tighten up ne

categr when pushing int the big stack.

In other words:

Pushing All-In with 3 Players Remaining

You’re the biggestunolded stack An active player has abigger stack

Buttn r Small Blind Category 8 Category 7

Calling a Push as a Medium Stack (3 Players)

10BB 8BB 6BB 4BB 2BB



Calling a Push as a Big or Small Stack (3 Players)

10BB 8BB 6BB 4BB 2BB



Heads-up PlayMve all-in with an tw cards heads-up, as lng as either u r ur ppnent has 8BB r less. When

bth stacks are abve 8BB, pushing all-in n garbage hands is prbabl a little riskier than necessar.

S I’ll revise m heads-up recmmendatins t the llwing (in all cases the stack size reers t the

shrter the tw stacks):

When n the buttn :

I 8BB r less, push all-in n an tw cards.

I 8-12BB, push all-in with an Categr 8 r better hand.

I mre than 12BB, raise t 3BB with an Categr 8 r better hand. I re-raised, call with an

Categr 5 r bet ter hand.

When in the big blind and the buttn limps:

I 8BB r less, push all-in n an tw cards.

I 8BB-12BB, push all-in with an Categr 7 r better hand.

I mre than 12BB, raise t 4BB with an Categr 6 r better hand. I re-raised, call with an

Categr 4 r better hand. Ntice that u make a bigger raise when u raise rm the big blind.

This is t cmpensate r ur inerir psitin pst-fp. The bigger raise is designed t win the

pt pre-fp.

When in the big blind and the buttn raises.

I 2.5BB r less, call with an tw cards.

I 2.5BB- 4BB, call with Categr 7 r better.

I 4BB-12 BB, push r call all-in with Categr 6 r better.

I mre than 12BB and he makes a raise 3BB r smaller, quadruple his raise with Categr 5 r

better and just call him with Categr 6 r 7. I this raise cmmits 1/3 either ur stacks, push

all-in instead. I he raises mre than 3BB, push all-in wit h Categr 5 r bet ter.

Ater thebubble breaksyou should beplaying to in.




Pla ater the fp:

Bet as u did shrt-handed (an pair and gd draws), but als bet an ace-high hand as well.

I he bets rst, lwer ur calling standards as well. Call with middle pair r bttm pair with an

vercard kicker. Fr example, i the fp is Q72, u can call a bet with A2 r K2.

A summary o heads-up play:

Pre-Flop, No Raise to You-Push or Raise as indicated

Relevant Stack Sie You’re the Button You’re Big Blind, he Limps

0-8 BB An Tw Cards An Tw Cards

8-12 BB Category 8 Category 7

12+ BBRaise t 3BB with Category 8

Call a re-raise with Category 5

Raise t 4BB with Category 6

Call a re-raise with Category 4

Pre-Flop, the Button Raises

Relevant Stack Sie

0-2.5 BB An Tw Cards2.5-4 BB Category 7

4-12 BB Category 6

12+ BB, He Raises t 3BB r smallerQuadruple his raise with Category 5

Call with Category 6-7

12+ BB, He Raises t mre than 3BB Push all-in with Category 5

Post-Flop Play

He hasn’t bet Bet the pt n an pair, ace, fush draw, pen-ended straight draw,

r i u have tw ver-cards with an inside straight draw.

He bets Call r raise with middle pair r better,r bttm pair and an ver-card.

1. Make your standard pre-fop raise 4BB plus 1BB or each limper.

2. Post-fop bets should be the sie o the pot.

3. Play more hands rom late position.

4. Pay attention to your stack sie as ell as everyone else’s. Be a bully ith a big stackand be cautious as a medium stack unless the big stack has olded.

5. Stop pushing your orst hands hen heads-up.

Summary o Chapter 7

Headsup play

is usually quiteshort-stacked,

so knoingthe rules reallyhelps you play

optimally.




CHAPTER 8

HOw TO BEAT $10 SNGS

When u mve up t $10 SNGs, u’ll need t rene the strateg u used in the $5 games b adding

a ew mre weapns. At the $10 level, ur ppnents are a little smarter; the’ve learned nt t be

s lse. As a result, since u alwas want t adjust ur pla based n ur ppnents’ pla, start

betting mre requentl. Against the lser ppnents the lwer bu-ins, u nl bet ur strngest

hands and u tried t get the mst value ut them b betting big. But nw u can als ard t bet

a smaller amunt than bere t minimize ur risk. I include a little blung in ne particular situatin,

which is when u start plaing sme real pker.

Levels 1-3on ccasin, u shuld nw fat call pre-fp. I n ne has entered the pt bere u, pla as u did

bere: raising with Categr 1 and 2, plus 3 and 4 in late psitin. But nw u can smetimes call with

smaller pcket pairs.

The Rule o 2 through 10: Here’s a simple rule r beginning plaers that prvides guidelines r hw

much ur stack u shuld risk either raising r calling a raise with a pcket pair. When u’re

dealt 22 t TT, u shuld call r raise up t the same percentage ur stack as the size ur pair.

The specic examples this are 2% r 22, 3% r 3 3, 4% r 44, 5% r 55, 6% r 66, 7% r 77, 8% r

88, 9% r 99, and 10% r TT. This gives u exact guidelines r situatins that arise in ever game.

Bigger pairs, star ting with JJ, are dierent than their smaller cusins. With small pairs u’ll usuall

need t imprve t win. Big pairs can ten win withut imprvement, s i u’ve been raised, u can

requentl re-raise. yu can even mve all-in. Cnsideratins include ur psitin, ur stack size,

ur ppnents’ stack sizes, whether the initial raiser is cnservative r aggressive, and ther bits

inrmatin u ma have gleaned.

When using the Rule 2 thrugh 10, alwas bring it in r a standard raise 4 times the big blind i u

have sucient chips t meet the criterin. otherwise just call the amunt the big blind (limp in ).

Fr example, with blinds 15/ 30 and a stack 1,400, raise t 120 with T T, but just call r 30 with 44

and ld 22.

I u limped in with ur pcket pair, check and ld ater the fp unless u fp a set r an verpair.

An verpair is better than fpping tp pair, but is still vulnerable. Pla it as u wuld tp pair with

the tp kicker. Dn’t re-raise n the fp with tp pair r an verpair. I u bet and are raised, jus t calland reevaluate ur situatin n the turn. Hpeull, u’ve been paing attentin t hw peple pla

thrughut all ur t ight sessins. D u think he has u beat? What k ind pt dds are u getting?

Are u in r ut psitin? These questins will all aect hw u cntinue t pla the hand.

A set is a ver strng hand and can be ver deceptive, especiall when smene else raised pre-fp.

The best situatin r fpping a set is when u call smene’s pre-fp raise with smething like 55

and the fp cmes AT5, r similar. yu fp a set and he’s ver likel t have fpped tp pair. yu ma

be able t pick up his whle stack n this hand.

With a set, u want t get all the mne in i pssible. I u’re the last ne t raise pre-fp r i n

ne raises, u shuld alwas bet ur set n the fp. Dn’t slw pla. I smene else raised and u

At the $10 levelyour opponentsare a littlesmarter – you’llhave to startto mix thingsup a little to

beat them.




called, there are a number was t get the mne in. out psitin, the best wa t d this is b

betting ursel when the fp cntains an ace r a king and hpe u get raised. I the fp is all lw

cards, it’s prbabl best t check-raise. Checking and just calling is anther ptin, but u risk letting

him draw ut n u. I u’re in psitin, u shuld bet i he checks and raise i he bets.

In all cases, dn’t slw pla ater the fp; alwas put in a bet n the turn and usuall n the river t. I

the river is extremel scar with lts straights and/r fushes pssible (Ah Kh Qs Tc 5d r example),

dn’t bther betting ur set. I he bets n that bard, u’ll have t decide i u want t call. Cnsider

the pt dds as well as his previus bet ting actins . Hw likel is he t have made his hand?

Blinds are 10/20 and you have a 1,300 stack ith 9c 9s. To players limp beore you. You limp

along as ell, as does the but ton. I you have T T, you’ll raise to 120, since that’s less than 10%

o your stack. Five players see the fop o 8c 7d 4c. Three players check to you. Bet 55, the

sie o the pot , ith your overpair.

Blinds are 15/30 and you have a 1,600 stack ith 6d 6s. One player ith an 1,800 stack raises

to 120. You’re in the big blind and have to call 90 more. Call, since that’s less than 6% o your

stack. The fop is 7d 6h 4c. Try or a check-raise. Bet the turn no matter hat card comes.

I the fop is Kd Jh 6c instead, you bet rst on the fop, hoping your opponent raises. Neverorry about an opponent having a higher set than you. I it happens, it happens, but set-over-

set is too rare to get orked up over.

Continuation BetsStart blung in ne particular circumstance—when u make a pre-fp raise, but the fp misses ur

hand. This is called a cntinuatin bet r c-bet. The bet n the fp is a continuation the strength u

represented bere the fp. The raiser is mre likel t have a strnger hand than a caller, s i bth

hands miss the fp, which happens airl ten, man times the pre-fp raiser can pick up the pt with

a bet. I the fp is K76, u can bet at it with smething such as AJ. Since u raised pre-fp, ur

ppnents will prbabl suspect u have AK and ld. I the fp is 752, the might still ld t ur bet,

thinking that u might have a big verpair r at least bigger vercards than the d. yu can als make

cntinuatin bets i u raise with a pcket pair and there are ne r mre vercards. I u raise with

99, u can put in a cntinuatin bet when the fp cmes AQ5.

This is the nl time I recmmend blung at the $10 level. I u miss the fp and ur cntinuatin

bet is raised, just ld. I it’s called, just check and ld n the turn, unless that imprves ur hand.

I u were abut t c-bet, but smene bets bere u, ld. I recmmend that u make a c-bet in

the llwing circumstances:

I u get 1 pre-fp caller:

C-bet all the time.

I u get 2 pre-fp callers:

Last t act, c-bet all the time i the rst 2 plaers check.

First r secnd t act, c-bet i the fp cntains an ace, a king, a pair, r trips.

I u’re last t act and have a straight draw, dn’t c-bet.

I u get 3 r mre pre-fp callers:

Dn’t c-bet. There ma be times when this is crrect ater u becme an expert plaer.

Example

At the $10 levelyour opponents

are a littlesmarter – you’ll

have to startto mix thingsup a little to

beat them.




You raise ith Ac Qc and get 2 callers behind you.

C-Bet Don’t C-Bet

K75 J64

994 754

TTT 432

BET SIzING

Prior to reaching this level, you alays bet and raised the sie o the pot. I the pot as 40 0 you

bet 400. No you’ll be bet ting more requently, and your opponents ill be slightly tighter.

Both o these changes require smaller bets. I recommend betting about 70% o the pot sie

rom no on, no matter i you have a real hand or are just c-bet ting ith nothing. So no ith

a pot sie o 400, you should bet either 250 or 300.

Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)Pla the same as the $5 games.

Four Players Remaining – The BubbleAgain, ur pla shuld be ver similar t the $5 games, but u can be slightl mre aggressive i

u’re the biggest stack let in the hand. I u’re in the small blind r n the buttn (and n ne has

cme int the pt), u can raise with an Categr 8 hand r better, plus an hand where bth cards

are 5 r higher. Frm the cut-, raise with an Categr 8 hand r better. Since u have a bigger

stack than the remaining plaers, use the largest stack size ur ppnents wh still have cards

(haven’t alread lded) t determine i u shuld g all-in r raise t 4BB. I the biggest stack still

in the hand has 12BB r less, mve all-in. yu can als make these aggressive raises when u’re a

medium stack and all the bigger stacks have lded.

Pushing All-In On the Bubble ($10 Games)

You are the biggestunolded stack

An active player has abigger stack

Your Position

Cut-o Category 8 Category 5

Button orSmall Blind

Category 8 plus an hand with

bth cards 5 r higher

Category 6

Calling a Push as a Medium Stack On the Bubble ($10 Games)




Calling a Push as a Big or Small Stack On the Bubble ($10 Games)




Example

You can be evenmore aggressiveon the bubble iyou’re the biggeststack let in thehand.




Blinds are 100/20 0 and you’re a medium stack on the button ith 3,500. The small blind has 1,700

and the big blind has 2,250. The big stack ith 6,050 in the cut-o olds and you have 9h 5s. As

a medium stack ith the biggest stack o the remaining players, you should act like a big stack.

Since you’re on the button and both o your cards are 5 or higher, you should raise. Even though

you have 17.5 big blinds in your stack, your biggest active opponent only has 11.25. This means

you should push all-in instead o raising to 80 0. Since your additional chips that cover your

opponents aren’t “in play” this hand, you should act as though your stack is only as big as your

largest active opponent.

You may nd that there are times here all the chips don’t go in pre-fop and you’ll have to

make some post-fop decisions. Since play is short-handed, you on’t need as s trong a hand to

compete post-fop. Assuming you raised pre-fop, bet the pot in any hand here you have at least

1 pair (either a pocket pair in your hand or you matched one o the board cards). You can also bet

the pot on any fush dra, any open-ended straight dra, or i you have t o overcards ith an

inside-straight dra. Again, i a pot-sied bet is 1/3 o your stack or more, push all-in.

I your opponent bets rst , be much more selective in calling. Don’t call ith orse than top

pair and rarely call ith dras unless you’re getting great odds. On the bubble, especially as a

medium stack, it doesn’t pay to take unnecessary risks. Don’t put your tournament on the line bycalling ith a dra. Betting ith a dra is, o course, another matter.

Blinds are 100/20 0 ith a 25 ante and you’re the big stack ith 6,00 0. You’re on the button ith

Qc Jd and you raise to 800. A medium stack ith 3,000 calls in the big blind. The fop comes 9h

8h 4h. The big blind checks to you. You have to overcards ith an inside straight , so you ould

normally bet the pot, 1,800. But that’s more than 1/3 o your opponent’s remaining stack (2,100) ;

push all-in instead. Don’t be scared o a possible fush — i he’s got it , he’s got it. But i t’s more

likely that he’s orried about you and doesn’t ant to nish in 4th place. You’ve got enough chips

that you can aord to take chances and push the other players around.

Three Players RemainingN changes rm the $5 games.

Heads-up PlayN changes. G rth and cnquer!

Example

Example

1. Call ith lo pocket pairs i the percentage o your stack required to call is less than the

number o your pair.

2. I you just call ith a pocket pair, give up the hand post-fop unless you have a set or an

overpair.

3. Make a continuation bet on most fops hen you raised pre-fop. Your bets post-fop should be

about 70% o the pot . I you missed the fop completely, give up on the turn unless your hand

improves to top pair or bet ter.

Summary o Chapter 8




CHAPTER 9


Nw we’re ging t start plaing sme mre pker. I u’ve gtten this ar, u hpeull have

several hundred SNGs under ur belt. yu’ve been plaing tight, but u’ve still seen a lt dierent

situatins and plaer tpes. yu shuld nw be experienced enugh that u can start plaing mre

hands in the rst ew levels. But rst, I want t intrduce a ew new cncepts.

CPR and CSIEarlier, we were evaluating ur stack size b the number big blinds it cntained. But this ignres the

antes when the appear. T be mre precise rm nw n, I use tw imprtant numbers: the cst-per-

rund (CPR) and ur chip-status index (CSI) .

Calculating CPR: The cst-per-rund, as riginall described in Kill Phil b Blair Rdman and msel,

is the amunt mne it wuld cst u t sit thrugh an entire rund pla as the buttn makes ne

rbit arund the table. It’s the ttal bth blinds and antes (i there are an). yu can als think it as

the amunt mne in the pt bere anne plas. Fr example, i there are n antes and the blinds

are 25/5 0, the CPR is 75. I the blinds are 75/150, the CPR is 225.

With antes u have t add in the ttal all the antes, s multipl the ante b the number plaers

and add it t the blinds. S i there are 4 plaers with blinds 100/200 and a 25 ante, the CPR is 100 +

200 + (4 x 25) = 400.

Calculating CSI: yur chip-status index, as dened b Blair and msel, is ur chip stack divided b the

CPR. Exact precisin isn’t necessar; an apprximatin will usuall d. Fr example, i the CPR is 150

and u have 1,085 chips, u dn’t need t knw that u have a CSI 7.23. Simpl knwing that it’s a

little mre than 7 is ne. We’ll use CSI rm nw n as ur measure stack size. It’s useul t nte that

i there are n antes, ur CSI is 2/3 the number big blinds in ur stack.

The Rule o 5 and 10Nw that ur pker skills are imprving, u can drp the Rule 2 thrugh 10 in avr the Rule

5 and 10. This rule, devised b pker pr and authr Bb Ciane, applies t small and medium pairs

and suited cnnectrs. This desn’t appl t suited hands with ne r mre gaps. The rule stipulates

t alwas call a raise up t 5% ur stack and alwas ld r 10% ur stack r greater. Between

5% and 10% it’s a judgment call. I u have psitin n ur ppnents, i u have a gd medium pair

(77-99), r i u cnsider an ppnent t be particularl weak, u can raise r call a raise r up t

10% ur stack. Fr example, with 7h 6h in earl psitin, be prepared t risk 5% ur stack, but

with the same hand in the cut r n the buttn, u can cmmit up t 10%.

Alwas remember when evaluating these percentages that u must cnsider the cst versus the

smaller the stacks between u and ur ppnent. I ur ppnent bets 150 a stack 1,000 and

u have 5c 5s and a stack 3,000, althugh his bet is nl 5% ur stack you can’t call, because

it’s 15% his stack and u wn’t be getting adequate implied dds i u fp a set. Because u’re

vulnerable t a raise r re-raise when u enter the pt in earl psitin, I advise cautin in plaing

small pairs and suited cnnectrs. I u have enugh chips t raise within the cnnes the Rule 5

Hoever muchis in the potbeore the rstbet is ho muchone orbit o playill cost you.




and 10, d s. Fld t a re-raise. I u nl have enugh chips t limp under the rule, just ld and save

ur chips r raising. Aggressin is alwas preerable t passive pla.

The Rule o 3 and 6This rule applies t suited hands that are nt cnnected (separated b ne r tw gaps) and t suited

aces. Hands such as Td 8d, As 3s, and 9c 6c all under this rule. With these hands u can alwas call

r 3% r less ur stack, but shuld alwas ld i it csts mre than 6% ur chips t pla. In

between it’s a judgment call. Avid plaing these hands rm earl psitin. I u have gd psitin

and have either a suited ace r a 1-gap suited cnnectr, lean mre tward cmmitting up t 6%; with

2-gappers, stick with 3% .

Suited cnnectrs are mre dicult t pla than small pairs ater the fp. Nt plaing them at all in

the rst 3 levels in SNGs is a simpler apprach and will cst u ver li tt le in expected value. I knw

an expert SNG plaer wh plas 10 SNGs at a time in the $200-$500 range each and never plas suited

cnnectrs in the earl levels, althugh he’ll push all-in with them in the later stages. The tin bit

equit he gives up is mre than cmpensated r b the act that he desn’t have t pnder dicult

pst-fp decisins while plaing s man games simultaneusl.

Bttm line: Plaing suited cnnectrs under the Rule 3% and 6% can be un and is gd training r

MTTs, but nt plaing them is als a viable ptin, especiall i u’re plaing mre than ne SNG at a

time, an ptin we’ll review in an upcming chapter.

Reverse Implied OddsIn Chapter 4 I dened implied dds as estimating the amunt mne that u might win i u make

ur hand; it assumes u wn’t put in an additinal mne i u miss ur draw. The ther side

the cin is called “reverse implied dds.” This applies when u alread have a made hand, but there

culd be draws against u. In this case, u ma have t put in additinal mne later i smene else

cmpletes his hand. It als applies in cases where u might be dminated and have t pa multiple

bets t see i u’re “gd,” meaning u have the best hand.

Everyone has about 1,500 stacks and the blinds are 10/20. A player in mid-position raises to 60.

The small blind calls, as do you in the big blind ith As 5s. The fop comes: 7h Td Ac. The pot is 180.

Both you and the small blind check. The pre-fop raiser bet s 90 and the small blind olds. You’re

being oered 3-to-1 pot odds, so at rst glance it looks like you only need to have a 25% chance

(3-to-1) o inning in order to call. He could have a orse hand than you, like a pair o tens or

some pocket pair. The problem is your reverse implied odds. Your hand is unlikely to improve and

you have to orry not only about this bet, but possible bets on the turn and river. Are you going

to call those bets too? This hand might get too expensive to call ith top pair and a eak kicker.

Note that i there’s no more betting and his bet o 90 is an all-in, you can probably call, since you

only have to in 25% o the time to break even.

Levels 1-3In additin t calling raises with speculative hands, u can nw start plaing mre ten bere the

fp. I recmmend the llwing strateg as lng as ur CSI is at least 20.

Example

It’s OK to notplay suited

connectors hen

deep stackedi you ant toavoid dicult

decisions.




I everne has lded t u:

Position Usually raise ith Usually limp ith

Earl (5 r 6 the buttn) Category 3 88-5 5 and 0-gaps dwn t 65s

Mid (3 r 4 the buttn) Category 4 66-22 and 0-gaps dwn t 65s

Late (1 r 2 the buttn) Category 5 r better and

n-gaps dwn t 65s

nthing

Buttn Category 7 r better and 1- and2-gaps dwn t 75s and 85s

nthing

Small Blind Category 6 All ther suited cards that are

bth 5 r higher

Ntes:

I u’re in a psitin where u smetimes raise and smetimes limp, u shuld ccasinall d the

ppsite t disguise ur hands. I u ccasinall limp with ur raising hands and ccasinall raise

with speculative hands, u’ll be much mre dicult t read.

I u nd ursel with ver aggressive ppnents, stp limping in earl and mid psitin.

Usuall ld these hands, but ccasinall raise.

I smene limps bere u:

Position Usually raise ith Usually limp ith

Earl (5 r 6

the buttn)

Category 2 r better and AQs T T-22 and 0-gaps dwn t 65s

Mid (3 r 4

the but tn)

Category 2 r better and AQs

and AQ

TT-22 and 0-gaps dwn t 65s

Late (1 r 2

the but tn)

Category 3 r better and ATs+

and AJ

88-22 and 0-, 1-, and 2-gaps with bth

cards 5 r higher

Buttn Category 3 r better and ATs+, AT+,and KQs

88-22 and 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-gaps withbth cards 5 r higher

Small Blind Category 2 r better and AQs

and AQ

An suit hands with bth cards 10

r higher and an tw suited

Ntes:

Ater a limper, u shuld pla mre straightrward. yu shuld still ccasinall mix up raising and

limping, but less s cmpared t being the rst ne in.

Due t all these pre-fp changes, u’ll nd ursel in man mre marginal situatins pst-fp

where u’ll have a lt mre pprtunities t pla draws. I encurage u t pla the draws when

getting gd dds, but cntinue t sta awa rm medium hands that dn’t have much rm r

imprvement. yu alwas want t be in a psitin where u knw where u stand, nt ne that

leaves u saing, “Mabe I’m ahead, mabe I’m nt…”

Let’s sa that the fp is Qs 7h 6s and m ppnent bets hal the pt. I’d much rather have a hand like

9s 5s than a hand like Ad 7d, even thugh the middle pair is mre likel t be best. With the rst, I knw

where I am in the hand and I have implied dds wrking r me. With the middle pair I’ll alwas be let

wndering, with nl 5 uts t imprve. This is a reverse implied dds situatin and unless ne us

has a ver shrt stack, I shuld ld the middle pair.

In the rst ew levels nl pla gd made hands (tp pair with a gd kicker r better) and gd draws.

Marginal hands withut gd draws shuld be abandned. There’s simpl n reasn t tr and see i

I youropponents arevery aggressiveyou ill haveto tighten upand play moreaggressivelyyoursel.




u’re gd. Wait it ut. Pla the gd made hands aggressivel and pla the gd draws when u’re

getting gd (implied) pt dds. yu can als semi-blu b betting ur draws. It’s called a “semi-

blu,” because u have 2 was t win the pt:

1. yur ppnent( s) can ld.

2. yu can make ur draw and win the pt at shwdwn.

A nrmal blu withut much chance r imprvement (r an blu n the river) nl has the rst wa

winning the pt. I recmmend that u ccasinall semi-blu and rarel make a stne cld blu (ne

where i u’re called, u’re essentiall certain t lse the hand).

Blinds are 10/20 and everyone has about 1,500. You’re one o the button ith As 5s. To players

limp beore you and you limp along. The small blind makes a small raise to 60 and both the

limpers call. You call, getting 5.5-to-1 on your call and great implied odds. The pot is no 260 and

the fop comes Ks Qd 4s. The small blind bets 120 and both the limpers old. You call. He bet less

than hal the pot. when I have a dra and am presented ith good odds against poor or marginal

players, I usually just call rather than try a semi-blu raise. The pot is no 500 and the turn

is the 7c. The small blind checks. Here’s your opportunity to try a semi-blu . He hasn’t shon

much strength and, hile he might have a good hand such as KK or QQ, it’s more likely he hassomething marginal, such as AJ, Qh Jh, JJ, TT, or 99. I he had AA, AK, or AQ, he ould probably

have bet more on the fop. The best time to blu is hen your opponent has either a very good

hand or a bad hand, but not a hand in beteen, such as AA, AK, or AQ, in this example. A good bet

sie is probably about 70% o the pot ; betting more is unnecessary because you aren’t orried

about him having a fush dra (you have the nut dra, meaning the best possible dra) and most

straight dras are to only 1 card. Hoever, you shouldn’t bet less, because a smaller bet may

look suspicious enough to him that he may decide to call out o curiosity ith a hand such as JJ.

You bet 350 and he olds. Your semi-blu has orked. Even i he calls, you still have 9 outs to an

unbeatable hand on the river.

Blinds are 10/20 and everyone has about 1,500. Again, you’re one o the button ith As 5s.

To players limp beore you and you limp along. This time it’s the but ton ho raises to 100.

Both o the limpers call. No you’re only getting 4.4-to-1, but it’s still orth the call, despite

being out o position against the raiser, because stacks are deep and you have good implied

odds. The pot is 430 and the fop is again Ks Qd 4s. One limper checks and the other bets 200.

No you should old your dra, despite the act that he bet less than hal the pot. The pre-fop

raiser is behind you and there’s the strong possibility that he could raise i you call.

That possibility cuts don your implied odds signicantly, making this a poor dra to chase.

It as a good fop or you, but a bad betting situat ion. A much more common situation is or

everyone to check to the raiser, alloing you to see hat the limpers do and act last.

Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)At Level 4 and higher, ur CSI will rarel be abve 20. And thse times where u’re abve 20, u’ll

rarel i ever have an ppnent abve 20 as well, s u have t shit tward shrter- stack strategies.

This means u have t stp limping, since it begins t get t expensive t call the bigger blind.

Plus, the blinds becme mre valuable t steal, which takes precedence ver tring t see a cheap

fp. Revert back t the raise-r-ld strateg u used in the $10 games.

Four Players Remaining — The BubblePla the same as the $10 games, but nw I’m ging t intrduce the cncept prize equit, smetimes

called prize EV r $EV. Prize equit is simpl ur expected value (EV) the prize pl, r the average

prize u wuld expect t win. yur prize equit depends n ur chip stack as well as the chip stacks

the ther plaers.

Example

Rather thantry to put your

opponents on aparticular hand,

think about hatrange o hands

they might have.




At the start the turnament, 9 plaers put in $20 t create a prize pl $180. I everne starts wi th

1,500 chips and everne has the same skill level, ur prize equit is $ 20. Later in the turnament, i 4

plaers are let and u’re the shrt stack with the same 1,500 chips, ur equit is mre than $2 0. Even

thugh u’re the shrt stack, u have a gd chance surviving and making mne.

Nw imagine that nl 3 plaers are let and u still have ur 1,500. yur equit is mre than $36,

since u’re guaranteed that (the prize r third place is 20%) and still have a sht at mre. The equity

that you can make in tournaments by doing nothing and letting the other players knock each other out

is substantial and oten underrated. yu need t make ur decisins n what’s best r ur prize EV,

not ur chip EV. What matters is hw man dllars u bring hme, nt hw man chips u had.

An anmal in turnaments is that chips dn’t have a cnstant value. There’s a nn-linearit in chip

value, s each chip u gain is wrth less than the chip bere it.

This nn-linearit chip value exists because multiple places are being paid in the turnament. I u

win all the chips, u dn’t get the whle prize pl. That’s wh ur prize EV is determined nt just b

ur wn stack, but als b everne else’s. When smene is eliminated rm the turnament, ur

prize expectatin ges up, even when u dn’t gain an chips. Prett cl!

This nn-linearit gets mre and mre prnunced as u apprach the bubble. What it means is that

because dubling up gives u ar less than twice ur prize EV, u can’t rel strictl n pt dds t

make ur decisins—u alwas need t be mre cnservative than pt dds dictate. It’s pssible

that a certain decisin n the bubble is psit ive in chip EV and negative in prize EV, and prize EV is

all that matters. That’s wh u alwas call much tighter n the bubble r appraching the bubble,

especiall as a medium stack, where this distrtin is biggest.

Fr a thrugh analsis prize equities, bubble eects, and hw ur decisins shuld depend n the

prize structure, see m bk Kill Everyone. It will give u mre detailed insights and strategies r nt

nl SNGs, but multi -table turnaments and satellites as well.

Each chip youadd to your

stack is orthslightly lessthan the onebeore it.

V a l u e

Chips




Three Players RemainingN changes.

Heads-up PlayN changes.

1. when your CSI is 20 or higher, you can limp ith many more hands than beore. Occasionally,

do the opposite hen you’re sometimes raising or limping. This helps disguise your hands

and makes it much more dicult or your opponents to put you on a hand.

2. Use the Rule o 3 and 6 or calling raises ith suited connectors and the Rule o 5 and 10 or

calling ith pocket pairs.

3. Be aare o reverse implied odds and hen they apply (most applicable hen you have a

made hand ith a pot that’s small relative to the remaining stacks).

4. Occasionally semi-blu ith a dra.

5. Tournament chips have a non-linear value, so each chip you in is orth less than the one

beore it. All your poker decisions should be made on your EV o the prie pool, not the EV in

the number o chips.

Summary o Chapter 9




CHAPTER 10

HOw TO BEAT THE $30 SNGS

we ill no spend more time atching our opponents and t rying to characterie their

personality styles.

Levels 1-3I u like t keep things simple as I d, keep betting abut 70% the pt size pst-fp. This is an

excellent deault strateg and I knw man winning plaers wh rutinel make this size bet, and nl

this size bet , n the fp. Keeping things simple has a lt t be said r it . I u cnsistentl bet 70%

the pt with ur made hands, draws, and c-bets, u’l l give nthing awa abut the strength ur

hand based n the amunt ur bet n the fp. An alternative tactic that sme winners utilize is tbet smewhere between hal the size the pt and the ull pt (s, with a 400 pt , between 200 and

400 ), depending n the fp texture.

What d I mean b texture? It’s the amunt draw ptential. A fp Js Ts 9s is at ne extreme and

fps such as Kh 7c 2d r Qs Qd Qc are at the ther. Draws t straights and fushes abund n the rst

fp, but are nnexistent n the secnd tw.

when you have a made hand that you think is best, betting serves to purposes :

1. To extract value rom lesser made hands.

2. To make dras pay to see the next card.

The less likel it is that ur ppnent has a draw, the less imprtant the secnd purpse is. At the

lwer levels u alwas bet ull pt, because u culd get a lt value rm peple calling with bad

hands. Furthermre, a ull-pt bet was alwas enugh t den draws sucient dds t chase. But nw

that u’ve had sme mre experience, u can adjust thse dds based n hw likel it is an ppnent

has a gd draw.

With n straight r fush draws pssible, bet hal the pt, giving ur ppnents 3-t-1 pt dds, nt

enugh t chase with a weak hand like bttm pair. on a draw-heav fp like 7h 6s 5c (3 cnnected

cards), As Ts 3s (3 fush cards), r Jd Tc 4d (2 cnnected cards and 2 fush cards), bet the ull pt. That

gives ur ppnents 2-t-1 pt dds, likel making it a mistake r them t call. Flps with sme draw

ptential, such as Jd Tc 4s, 7s 7c 6d, r Kh Th 4d, require a bet in between, like 2/3 r 3/4 the pt.I mre than 2 plaers see the fp, u ma want t bet a larger amunt t discurage vercalls, which

get better dds than the riginal caller, i smene decides t call ur bet.

It’s very important that you vary your bet sie only ith the texture o the fop and not ith the

strength o your hand. I the fop is Kh Th 4s, you should bet the same amount i you have KQ, 44,

88, or A7. I you change your bet sie ith the kind o hand you have, observant opponents may

pick up on this and exploit it.

watch youropponents tosee ho many

hands they raiseith and homany theycall ith.




Exception 1: I u raise pre-fp with AK r AQ and u suspect that ur ppnents are weak plaers,

alwas make a ull-pt bet when the fp cntains an ace. Man weak plaers can’t bring themselves

t ld a pair aces, n matter hw weak their kicker. Ex tract as much as u can rm these plaers

bere smene else des!

Exception 2: I u suspect that ur ppsitin is weak and unbservant, u can tr betting a smaller

amunt with ur cntinuatin bets that miss the fp. yu can tr t make thse blus as cheap as

pssible, but dn’t tr this against bet ter plaers.

Shuld u g with the graduated fp bet, depending n texture, r shuld u stick with the cnstant

70% bet, i u decide t bet n the fp? It depends n ur eel and cmrt with the game. yu can

win using either tactic.

Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)once u reach the 4th level, drp ur standard pening raise rm 4BB t 3BB. Pla will be a little

tighter, s there’s n need t risk s man chips. The “mve-in” stage starts at abut 7 CSI, s an time

u’re belw that pint, it ’s all-in r ld. Mst the rules rm the $20 games still hld, but u shuld

start getting int the habit characterizing ur ppnents and bending the rules where apprpriate.

What’s imprtant t me when characterizing ppnents in SNGs are 2 simple questins:

1. Ho oten does he raise rom his position?

2. Ho strong o a hand does he need to call my raise?

Answering these questins will help u decide i u need t raise r lwer ur requirements r

plaing an particular hand. The mre ten ur ppnents raise, the mre ten u shuld call.

But the mre ten ur ppnents are willing t call, the less ten u shuld raise. We’ll see that

exemplied in the next sectin n bubble pla, where characterizing ur ppnent becmes much

mre critical.

Four Players Remaining — The BubbleFrm nw n I’ll be talking abut pushing and calling hands n the bubble in terms “tp % hands.”

This wrks much better than sticking t the hand categries that are ptimized r earl pla. I making

reerences such as “push with the tp 20%” r “call with the tp 15%.” T see which hands are in these

categries, reer t Appendix C. Dierent hands are best r pushing cmpared t calling. Bth the

lists in Appendix C, the hand rankings b % i u’re the raiser r the caller, have been ptimized t be

as accurate as pssible in man dierent situatins.

The bubble is the mst imprtant time t adjust ur pla based n the thers’ plaing stles. Let’s take

an example where all 4 plaers have equal stacks 3,375 and the blinds are 200 /40 0 with a 25 ante.

yu’re n the buttn, debating i u shuld push r ld. Hw des ur decisin depend n hw likel

the blinds are t call? Since the big blind is mre likel t call than the small blind, let ’s see hw ten

we shuld push as a unctin hw likel the big blind calls. The graph belw assumes the small blind

alwas calls 8% the time (66 +, AJ+, ATs+, KQs).

The more likelyyour opponent

is to call theless oten you

can push all inagainst him.




Ho Oten You Can Push From the Button

when All Players Have 3,375 and Blinds are 200 /400 /25

As u can see, the right mve varies quite a bit depending n an ppnent’s stle. I he calls 8% r

less, it’s right r us t push with an tw cards (100%). But i he’s ver lse, we can nl push ur

best hands. I he calls 20%, we can nl push 13% (apprximatel 44+, AJ+, A9s+, KQ, K9s+, Q 9s+,

J9s+, T9s).

As ur ppnents becme lser in calling, we need t be tighter in pushing. This makes sense,

because the lser he is, the less ten we’ll steal the blinds with n cntest. But the ppsite is true

when he’s the ne pushing. The lser his pushes, the lser we can be in calling him. I we switch

places with the big blind, let’s see hw ten we can call depending n hw ten he pushes:

Ho Oten You Can Call From the Big Blind Against a Button Push

when All Players Have 3375 and Blinds are 200 /400/25

Bubble playis quitecomplicatedbut it’s heregood playersget a lot o their

advantage.

0%

H o w O

f t e n S h o u l d Y o u P u s h

Percent Chance the Big Blind Calls

5% 10% 15% 20%

100%

90 %

80 %

70%

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10%

0%

0%

P e r c e n t O f H a n d s Y o u C a

n C a l l

Percent o Hands He Pushes

20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

20 %

18%

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%




There are a ew wiggles, but it’s a surprisingl linear relatinship. In act, prett much ever time u’re

getting less than 2-t-1 pt dds, the number hands u can call will be a cnstant ractin the

hands he pushes. In this case, we culd call abut 1/6 his push requenc.

Use the 2 tables belw t shw what percent his range u can call, depending n ur pt dds and

the situatin :

Ho High Are Your Bubble Eects?

Opponent’s Stack

up to 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500

0 Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo

1000 Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Lo Med Med Med

2000 Lo Med Med Med Med Med Med High High High

2500 Lo Med Med Med Med High High High High High

3000 Lo Med Med High High High High High High Extr

3500 Lo Med Med High High High High High Extr Extr

4000 Lo Med Med High High High High Extr Extr Extr

4500 Lo Lo Med Med High High Extr Extr Extr Extr

5000 Lo Lo Med Med High High Extr Extr Extr Extr

5500 Lo Lo Lo Med Med Med High Extr Extr Extr

6000 Lo Lo Lo Lo Med Med High High Extr Extr

Y o u r S t a c k

Here’s hw u read these tables. on the rst table, nd the stack sizes that crrespnd t u and ur

ppnent. This will tell i ur bubble eect is lw, mderate, high, r extreme. Then lk at the secnd

table and nd the pt dds u’re being ered and lk under the apprpriate clumn. The percentage

listed there is the ractin his pushing range that u can call with.

You have 2,500 and your opponent has 3,000. That’s dened as a “moderate-bubble-eect”

situation. This player goes all-in, giving you 1.8-to-1 pot odds. You can call ith about 50% o the

hands he’s illing to push ith. I he’s pushing 60%, you can call 30%.

You needn’t get anatical about these calculations. A rough approximation ill do. I you study

these tables, you’ll get a good eel or the interrelationship beteen your opponent’s range o

raising hands, the pot odds, and the bubble eects. I don’t expect you to do these calculations at

the table. I certainly don’t. But you can examine your hand histories ater the game and see i you

made the right choices. That’s a onderul ay to learn this complicated subject.

Ho Oten Can You Call?

Pot Odds Lo Bubble E ectsModerate Bubble

EectsHigh Bubble

EectsExtreme Bubble

Eects

2.0-t-1 100% 65% 40% 15%

1.8-t-1 90% 50% 35% 10%

1.6-t-1 75% 40% 25% 6%

1.4-t-1 60% 30% 20% 4%

1.2-t-1 40% 20% 10% 3%

1.0-t-1 30% 15% 4% 2%

Example

This table shoshat percentage

o the hands heis illing to pushith that you can

call ith.




Important adjustment: I exactl 4 plaers remain and there’s a stack (nt invlved in the hand) with

1,000 chips r ewer, raise ur bubble-eects categr up ne ntch.

These tables are r when there’s a ttal 13,500 chips in pla (like there is at PkerStars) .

I u’re plaing elsewhere, multipl ur stack b 13,500, then divide b the ttal number

chips in pla. That will cnvert ur stack int a PkerStars equivalent.

These tables can be used an time 4 r mre plaers remain.

With 3 plaers remaining, lwer the categr b 1 ntch and dn’t increase it i there’s asub-1,000 stack.

When it’s heads-up, there are n bubble eects, n matter what the chip stacks. yu can call abut 1.5

times as ten as the “lw-bubble-e ects” case.

The abve bubble-eects table is a lit tle simplied, but airl accurate. I u’re interested in a much

mre detailed analsis, including hw the eects change in dierent situatins and turnament tpes,

see the wrk n bubble actrs develped b m c-authr, Tsen Streib, in ur bk Kill Everne.

Three Players RemainingUse the same plaer adjustments and calling strategies that I’ve advised previusl.

Heads-up PlayFr the mst part, use the same heads-up strategies, especiall i ur ppnent desn’t seem t

aggressive. yu ma want t reerence the llwing tw charts r heads-up pla, which are a

simplied versin the detailed strateg in Kill Everne. In Kill Everne we present an unexplitable

strateg, as lng as ur CSI is 8 r belw, and there’s nthing ur ppnent can d t take advantage

u. The charts belw will help u cme clse t this strateg.

RAISING STRATEGY (ALL-IN OR FOLD)

AA AKs AQs AJs ATs A9s A8s A7s A6s A5s A4s A3s A2s

AKo KK KQs KJs KTs K9s K8s K7s K6s K5s K4s K3s K2s

AQo KQo QQ QJs QTs Q9s Q8s Q7s Q6s Q5s Q4s Q3s A2s

AJo KJo QJo JJ JTs J9s J8s J7s J6s J5s J4s J3s J2s

ATo KTo QTo JTo TT T9s T8s T7s T6s T5s T4s T3s T2s

A9o K9o Q9o J9o T9o 99 98s 97s 96s 95s 94s 93s 92s

A8o K8o Q8o J8o T8o 98o 88 87s 86s 85s 84s 83s 82s

A7o K7o Q7o J7o T7o 97o 87o 77 76s 75s 74s 73s 72s

A6o K6o Q6o J6o T6o 96o 86o 76o 66 65s 64s 63s 62s

A5o K5o Q5o J5o T5o 95o 85o 75o 65o 55 54s 53s 52s

A4o K4o Q4o J4o T4o 94o 84o 74o 64o 54o 44 43s 42s

A3o K3o Q3o J3o T3o 93o 83o 73o 63o 53o 43o 33 32s

A2o K2o Q2o J2o T2o 92o 82o 72o 62o 52o 42o 32o 22

CSI 6 to 8 3 to 5 0 to 2

There is stilla mild bubbleeect iththree players

let as secondpays morethan third.




Find ur hand in this grid: Suited hands are n the tp right, -suit hands are n the bttm let ,

pairs are alng the diagnal. The clr-cding shws the CSI where it’s crrect t push. As lng as the

shrt stack between the tw u is this CSI r shrter, push! Mst plaers u meet are tighter than

this strateg, bth r pushing and calling. Therere, against t pical plaers u shuld push mre

ten and call less ten than this strateg suggests. Hwever, the mre skillul (r aggressive) ur

ppnent is, the mre u shuld stick t the abve strateg.

These charts are a simplied versin the true ptimal slutin. I u want t learn the detailed

slutin, I suggest u pick up a cp Kill Everne. Reading it will prvide u with the next steps

in ur develpment as a winning pker plaer.

AA AKs AQs AJs ATs A9s A8s A7s A6s A5s A4s A3s A2s

AKo KK KQs KJs KTs K9s K8s K7s K6s K5s K4s K3s K2s

AQo KQo QQ QJs QTs Q9s Q8s Q7s Q6s Q5s Q4s Q3s A2s

AJo KJo QJo JJ JTs J9s J8s J7s J6s J5s J4s J3s J2s

ATo KTo QTo JTo TT T9s T8s T7s T6s T5s T4s T3s T2s

A9o K9o Q9o J9o T9o 99 98s 97s 96s 95s 94s 93s 92s

A8o K8o Q8o J8o T8o 98o 88 87s 86s 85s 84s 83s 82s

A7o K7o Q7o J7o T7o 97o 87o 77 76s 75s 74s 73s 72s

A6o K6o Q6o J6o T6o 96o 86o 76o 66 65s 64s 63s 62s

A5o K5o Q5o J5o T5o 95o 85o 75o 65o 55 54s 53s 52s

A4o K4o Q4o J4o T4o 94o 84o 74o 64o 54o 44 43s 42s

A3o K3o Q3o J3o T3o 93o 83o 73o 63o 53o 43o 33 32s

A2o K2o Q2o J2o T2o 92o 82o 72o 62o 52o 42o 32o 22

CALLING STRATEGY (ALL-IN OR FOLD)

CSI 6 to 8 3 to 5 0 to 2

1. Either make a standard 70%-o-the-pot bet post-fop or vary your post-fop bet sie according

to the texture o the fop, not the strength o your hand.

2. Start characteriing your opponents depending on ho they play. Everyone has a eakness

and you should adjust your play according to the best ay to take advantage o the others .

Be aare that people can change their behavior as the number o players goes don and/or

the blinds go up.

3. Push more oten and call less oten against tight players.

4. Be aare o hat situations constitute high and lo bubble-eect situations. Play more

cautiously hen you have high bubble eects, but take advantage o people playing tight

because o their on bubble eects.

5. The minimum strength needed to call an all-in is a raction o the number o hands your

opponent is illing to push. This raction depends on the pot odds you’re get ting, as ell as

ho high your current bubble eects are.

6. Follo the equilibrium push/old strategy or heads-up play against a good and/or aggressive

opponent. Against typical opponents, push more o ten and call less oten than equilibrium.

Summary o Chapter 10

The tighter youropponent is the

more you shouldpush and the less

you should call.




CHAPTER 11


At the $50 level, things are getting much mre serius. There are still a ew recreatinal plaers here,

but mst ur ppnents have plaed hundreds r thusands turnaments. Man them have

als plaed multi-table as well, plaing 2, 4, r even as man as 40 tables at nce (true str)!

I u haven’t started plaing mre than 1 table at a time, it’s prbabl abut time t start. I’m sure u

get prett bred lding s man hands in the rst ew levels. Plus, u’ve seen enugh situatins t

have a prett gd eel and t respnd quickl. It’s best t start 2-tabling at a level u’re cmrtable

with, s pla tw $30 tables instead ne $50 SNG. Then, nce u get used t 2, u can add a third

and s n. Dn’t add mre than u can keep track . The mre tables u add, the harder it’ll be tkeep track ur ppnents’ plaing stles. Therere, I dn’t recmmend that u pla mre than 2 r

3 at nce, unless u becme u becme reall adept at this.

Levels 1-3Mst plaers at the $ 50 level nt nl knw abut cntinuatin bets, but \use them regularl. yu’ll

ten be c-bet against, and ur wn c-bets will be called mre ten. T adjust t ur ppnents,

u’ll have t call mre liberall when ur ppnent makes a c-bet and u’ll have t “re a secnd

bullet” (make a secnd blu) n the turn ccasinall.

I ur ppnent is a habitual c-bettr (and mst plaers at this level are), then u’ll eecti vel

alwas have psitin n him. I u alwas check, he’ll bet, and then u can decide what t d

aterwards. Check-raise airl ten n the fp t make him pa r his perpetual c-bets. Lwer ur

standards r calling and raising a c-bet. Tp pair shuld almst alwas at least call n the fp, as

shuld a pcket pair when there’s nl ne vercard. A check-raise ten lets u knw where u are

in the hand; i he re-raises, u can let the hand g i u dn’t hld a mnster. I the fp cntains an

ace, he’s mre likel t have hit the fp, s u shuld be mre careul in these instances. yu culd

tr leading ut wi th a bet i t he fp cntains an ace t see i ur pair is gd; mst ppnents will

raise with tp pair and a gd kicker. Leading with a set is als a gd idea when the fp cntains an

ace, as we saw in Chapter 7.

yu’ll als nd that peple call ur cntinuatin bet mre ten than at the lwer levels. Smetimes

the’ ll have a real hand and smetimes the’ll call just t see i u were c-betting and plan t give up

n the turn. Against these plaers, u shuld make 2 adjustments:

1. occasinall re a secnd bullet b cntinuat in betting the turn as well, even when u miss.

2. Check-raise the turn with ur gd hands mre ten than bere. This traps the plaers wh were

just waiting arund t see i u check n the turn, s the culd take it awa rm u with a bet.

Rather than moveup in levels, youmay increaseyour prot more

and get moreexperience byplaying morethan one tableat once.




Blinds are 15/30 and most players have around 1,500 chips. You’re 1 seat o the button and

everyone olds to you. You have Ks Qs, raise to 120, and the big blind calls. The fop is Ac Td

8h. The big blind checks, you bet 150, and he calls. The turn is the 5d and he checks again.

Don’t automatically give up here. You should occasionally bet about 70% o the pot and hope

that he olds. He may only have a pair o tens or a medium pocket pair and is seeing i you’re

just c-betting. You are, but don’t let him kno that. I he calls you again, I’d give up on the

river unless you hit your straight. Firing a third bullet is usually just a aste o chips.

Blinds are 25/50 and you have 2,000 chips. You raise rom mid-position ith Ad As to 200 and

the button calls o a stack o 1,800 chips. The pot is no 475. The fop is Qs 8c 7d, you bet

350, and the but ton calls, making the pot 1,175. The turn is the 7c. This is a good opportunity

to try and check-raise. The button is unlikely to have called ith bottom pair and your check

looks eak. This may induce him to bet , perhaps even all-in.

Blinds are 10/20 and everyone has 1,500 chips. A mid-position player raises to 60 and you call

rom the small blind ith 8h 6h. The fop is Kh Ts 5h. You check and he bets 60. This looks like a

eak continuation bet. You could just call, but I preer the semi-blu check-raise. I raise to 200.

Level 4 and Higher (5 or More Players Remaining)Pick up ur aggressin when pla is dwn t 5 plaers. I u’re ne the tw biggest stacks, raise

mre requentl, unless the ther big stack is in the blinds. yur ppnents usuall understand bubble

eects t sme degree, s u can pla clse t ur 4-plaer strateg when dwn t 5 plaers.

Plaers knw t avid ging up against a big stack and t be especiall careul when smene has a

ver small stack. yu shuld llw this advice as well, but u’ll be taking advantage their timidit.

onl a ew ur ppnents will pen up their aggressiveness enugh. That’s where ur advantage

will be; u’ll s teal rm them mre ten than the’ll steal rm u.

Four Players Remaining – The BubbleFllw the mre advanced bubble pla I utlined r the $20 and $30 games. Recgnize which plaers

are plaing tightl and seem t understand bubble eects.

One o the most important things you can notice about another player is hen you see him make a

eak call in a bubble situation. I you ever see a player do this, make immediate note o it and stop

pushing eak hands hen he’s in the big blind.

yu shuld think abut nt nl what bubble eects u’re experiencing, but als what ur ppnents

ace as well. I ur ppnent experiences high bubble eects rm u and u’re lw against him, it

gives u the perect pprtunit t push him arund. Fr example, i the blinds are tpical and tight r

this level, u can usuall push 100% ur hands when u’re the big stack. This is because the’re

under mre pressure rm the bubble than u are. Their chips are much mre valuable t them and

the wn’t cnrnt u withut a premium hand.

Part the reasn u have tremendus pwer as the big stack is because u have lts ld equit.

Fld equit is additinal value u gain when ur ppnents dn’t ght u r their “share” the pt.

I u have tw ppnents wh nl call abut 10% the time, it means that abut 80% the time,

u take the blinds withut a cntest. When the blinds are as big as the are n the bubble, each stlen

rund blinds is valuable and adds 1 CSI t ur stack.

Even thugh u have enugh ld equit t push 100% the time as the big stack, I recmmend that

u nl push 80% r 90%. I u’re called and are rced t shw dwn a garbage hand, a lt ur

ld equit will disappear. yur ppnents will knw that u push with nthing and will start calling

much mre ten.

Example

Be careul o

players ho calltoo much on the

bubble. Don’tpush on their

big blind.




Medium stacks shuld still be ver careul when bigger stacks are in the blinds and pen up when the

big stacks have lded. Small stacks shuld be careul, because man stacks will call u just t tr t

bust u and end the bubble. As the shrtest stack, I recmmend that u push abut the tp 20% rm

the cut- psit in (1 the but tn) , the tp 30 % rm the but tn, and the tp 60%-100% i i t’s lded

t u in the small blind. The smaller ur CSI, the mre ten u shuld push rm the small bl ind. yur

stack size has less an eect rm t he nn-blind psitins, unless u’re reall shrt (under 2 CSI). In

that case u need t push much mre ten, as u are in danger being blinded ut .

Remain ver tight with ur call strateg until u gather sme evidence that ur ppnent is pushing

with ver weak hands. Best t assume that he’s nt stealing at the start. I he shws dwn a weak hand

r i he’s raising almst ever single time it’s lded t him, lwer ur estimatin his pushing range,

and thus ur wn calling range.

Blinds are 200/4 00 ith a 25 ante and the stack sies (beore blinds and antes) are given belo:

POSITION STACK

Cut-O 5,000

Button 1,500

Small Blind (you) 3,000

Big Blind 4,000

The cut-o pushes all-in and the button olds. The cut-o doesn’t appear to be playing the part

o the big-stack bully. He plays occasionally, but isn’t pushing most hands. You have Ad Td in the

small blind. Do you call?

Looking at the tables on pages 62-63, e’re in a high-bubble-e ects situation. we have to call

2,775 into a pot o 3,700 (e can’t count the 2,000 chips that the cut-o has in excess o our

stack), hich gives us pot odds o 1.3-to-1. The second chart shos that e should be calling

ith about 15% o his pushing range (since 1.3 pot odds are right beteen 1.2 and 1.4). I e go to

Appendix C, e see that ATs is a top 6% calling hand. Since e should call ith about 15% o hisrange, that means e should call i e think he’s pushing 40%, or more (15% o 40% is 6%) . This

player doesn’t seem that active, so it’s correct to old.

Same situation as above, except no the cut-o has been very aggressive and is raising almost

every hand. No ATs is an easy call. Hoever, notice that even i e kno or a act that he’d

be illing to push ith 72o, e can only call him ith the top 15% (33+, A9o+, A4s+, KQo, K Ts+,

QJs) . I he’s really only pushing 70%-80% instead o 100%, then e need to be even tighter.

Three Players RemainingSme plaers make a huge adjustment in attitude nce the bubble breaks. The smallest stack is much

mre likel t becme ver active and start gambling. Smetimes the middle stack des the same,

while ther plaers with the middle stack remain cautius. Watch the wa ur ppnents are plaing

and empl the best cunter-strateg. Steal rm the tight plaers and slightl lwer ur calling

standards against the gamblers.

Heads-up PlayI hpe b this pint u’re ver cmrtable with ur heads-up pla when ne u has a CSI 8 r

less. This is m mre advanced pre-fp strateg r deeper stacks taken rm Kill Everne:

Example

Ater the bubblebreaks a lot oplayers tend tobecome muchmore aggressive.




On the ButtonPre-fp raises shuld usuall be 2 t 2.5BB, perhaps 3BB against a ver lse plaer.

Tp 50% hands: Usuall raise, but just call smetimes. “Usuall,” in these heads-up cntexts, means

abut 60%- 80% the time. The mre straightrward and unbservant ur ppnent is, the less u

need t mix up ur pla. An exceptin shuld be made r ver strng hands (QQ+ and AK). With these

mnsters, usuall just call, but ccasinall raise. This wa, ur strng hands prtect ur weak nes.

I u raise and are re-raised, u need t weigh three actrs:

1. Pt dds.

2. His aggressiveness (and his view ur aggressiveness).

3. Stack depth – pla tighter with deeper stacks.

Depending n hw these actrs stack up (n pun intended), u shuld prbabl nl call with

the tp 10% -20% hands, unless u’re being ered bet ter than 2-t-1. With ver deep stacks,

aces with medium kickers shuld prbabl be lded. Whether t put in a third raise with ur ver

strng hands is a judgment call. yu culd just call r deceptin, r raise it up i u think ur

ppnent can’t let g a hand.

Bttm 5 0%-90% hands: Usuall call, raise smetimes. I ur ppnent raises ater u’ve limped,

mst these hands shuld be lded, unless the raise is airl small. I ur hand is suited and u’re

getting better than 2-t-1, call mst the time. Bttm 10% hands: Usuall ld, unless ur ppnent desn’t seem t raise ten when u limp. I

he’s passive, call and tr t see a fp. Even 72 is a 60% avrite against a randm hand when a 2 fps

and a 66% avrite when a 7 fps. yur ppnent might als hit the fp, s u shuld be prepared t

let the hand g i he indicates pst-fp strength.

On the Big Blind Pre-fp raises shuld be t abut 4 times the big blind. yu’re ut psitin and it’s best t end the

hand quickl. The value psitin heads-up can’t be ver-emphasized. With ur better hands, but ut

psitin, u must pla aggressivel pre-fp.

I he just limps, raise almst all the time with the tp 30% hands. I he raises t 3BB, call r re-raise with the tp 30%, plus 0-gap suited cnnectrs dwn t 54s, plus 1-,

2-, and 3-gap suited cnnectrs with bth cards 5 r higher.

I he raises t 2.5BB, call r re-raise with the tp 60%, mixing up ur calls and re-raises.

I he raises t 2BB, call r re-raise with the tp 80% .

N matter his raise size, usuall re-raise with ur best hands (the tp 10%-20% hands, depending

n his aggressiveness). Against a cnservative plaer, narrw ur re-raising range; against an

aggressive raiser, widen ur range, but be prepared t call an all-in when u re-raise a hper-

aggressive plaer.

I he desn’t seem t be raising requentl rm the buttn, increase ur minimum calling standards

cnsiderabl.

Pst-fp, I recmmend a ver aggressive strateg, betting almst ever fp unless he shws strength.

The mst cstl mistake plaers make heads-up is lding t requentl. Give ur ppnent a chance

t g wrng. An pair, even bttm pair, is air l strng heads-up. Be reluctant t ld an hand where

u have a pair. Ace-r king-high ma be gd smetimes as well.

The morestraightorard

and unobservant

your opponentis, the less youneed to mix up

your play.




1. Occasionally make a continuation bet on the turn as ell as the fop, even hen you totally

miss the fop.

2. Check-raise your good hands on the fop airly oten.

3. Call other players’ bets that look like continuation bets more oten. Raise or check-raise

suspected c-bets as ell.4. when playing near the bubble, alays be aare o the bubble eects impacting you and your

opponents. I they’re under a lot o pressure, don’t be araid to push close to 100% o the time.

The bubble is here the good players shine. Be aggressive and pick up some chips. Very

oten, I ’ll start the bubble ith an average stack or small chip lead and nish the bubble ith

a massive lead.

5. when heads-up ith deeper stacks, raise about hal the time and limp the other hal.

6. Mix up your play, but stay aggressive. Pounce on eakness ater the fop and bet, bet, bet!




58 Chapter 12 $100 SNG’s

CHAPTER 12

$100 SNGS

When u reach the $100-SNG level and bend, u’ll ntice a large jump in the skill level ur

ppnents. While u’ll still nd recreatinal-tpe plaers, a signicant number the plaers at ever

table will be pressinal t pes whse main gal is earning mne. Because this, plaing at this level

requires additinal skill .

As Your Opponents ImproveHw will u ntice the better plaers? The’ll be plaing a lt like u! Earl in the turnament, the’ll

pla ver tight and cnservative, but as the blinds g up and the number plaers ges dwn, the’ll

becme much mre aggressive. In $50 SNGs and mre s in the $20 SNGs, u had man pprtunities t be the rst pre-fp raiser in level 4 and bend. Nw, hwever, in man games u might nl get

ne chance per rund t be the rst raiser—when u’re under the gun!

As u can see, in this tpe game u’ll have man mre pprtunities t call an all-in and man

less t raise all-in. S u’ll need t bne up n the prper calling strateg. Make sure u have a gd

understanding the bubble eect. Als, i u plan t pla a signicant amunt time at this level

pla, I urge u t read the bk I c-authred, Kill Everyone, r a cmplete discussin advanced

SNG cncepts, including an in-depth strateg r pushing and calling n the bubble.

The Re-Raise Steal

Up t this pint, u nl re-raised with an excellent hand. That’s because even n and near the bubblewhen prper pla calls r aggressin and wide raising ranges, ur ppnents plaed wa t tight.

Their raising ranges were small and even when the did hld a less than great hand, the were ver

likel t call ur re-raise. Starting at the $100 level, hwever, man ur ppnents have wide (and

prper) raising ranges when the’re rst t enter the pt , particularl in late psitin. The’ll als be

capable lding them t a re-raise. Therere, when an aggressive ppnent makes a standard raise,

mabe 2.5 t 3 BBs, rm late psitin and bth u and he have enugh chips t give u ld equit,

u shuld ten re-raise him all in.

Requirements or this Play1. Bth ur stack and the raiser’s must be big enugh t give u slid ld equit. This means that

u must have at least 4 times the riginal raise in ur stack and he must have enugh chips let

ater his raise t call at least 3 times his riginal raise.

2. The cnditins must be such that ur ppnent will ld at least hal the hands that he’ll raise

with. This means that his raising range needs t be wide and his calling range narrw. Mst

pressinal-tpe plaers will all int this categr. Mst recreatinal plaers wn’t.

3. yu must be able t raise enugh s that ne u will be all-in i he calls.

4. All the ppnents behind u, part icularl the BB, must have enugh chips t ld.

As youropponents

get better youill nd less

opportunities toraise so you

ill need to getbetter at knoing

hen to call.



59Chapter 12 $100 SNG’s

Other Factors to Consider1. Hw strng are the bubble eects? As alwas, the lwer ur bubble eects, the mre ten u

shuld be gambling. His is mst imprtant, thugh. The higher the raiser’s bubble eects, the mre

ten u shuld re-raise him.

2. What ’s ur hand? When he calls, he’ll usuall have a Categr 3 hand r better. S a hand such as

KT is vulnerable. Ideall, u’d like t have a suited cnnectr, giving u a ghting chance against

AK and big pairs. This desn’t mean that u can’t re-raise with KT r an hand, but when u get

called it’s benecial when u have a hand that isn’t likel t be dminated.

3. Hw man plaers are behind u and what are ur bubble eects against them? The ewer

plaers and the lwer ur bubble eects, the better r re-raising.

4. What ’s ur image at the table? The tighter ur image, the mre ten the raiser will ld, the

better r re-raising.

Nte that ur better ppnents will be keen t use this pla against u, as well. Therere, i u’re

n r near the bubble and at least ne plaer behind u is capable this pla and has enugh chips

with which t d it, never make a standard raise. Either mve all-in r ld. This means that when u

have mre than abut 8 CSI, u’ll be plaing smewhat tighter than u were at the lwer levels, since

u’ll ten have a hand that can’t stand a re-raise, but u have t man chips t mve all-in.

Five players remain ith the blinds at 100/ 200, no antes. It’s olded to a good and aggressive

player on the button ith 2,600 chips. He raises to 500. You’re in the SB ith 2,00 0 chips,

holding the 4h 6h, and haven’t raised or a round. Move all-in.

Four players remain in level 7, ith blinds/antes o 200 /400/ 50. The SB has 1,200, the BB

has 1,600, the player under the gun has 4,100, and you have 6,600 on the but ton. A reasonable

player under the gun raises to 1,000. Move all-in. You don’t even need to look at your cards.

The raiser likely only raised to 1,000 so that he can old i you move all-in. His bubble eects

are so high here that he can only correctly call ith a premium hand, even i he knos you

haven’t looked at your cards hen you raise. This is an incredibly poerul use o this play.

with 4 players remaining in level 6 , 100/200 blinds and 25 antes, it ’s olded to you in the SB

ith 2,80 0 chips. The proessional player in the big blind has 4,800. You have As9h. Fold!

That’s right, old, even though you have a decent ace in a SB-BB situation. You have a high-

bubble-eect situation and you can’t risk 2,800 chips trying to in 400 ith this hand. I you

make a standard raise to 600, the BB is likely to re-raise you all-in and no you’ll have to old

600 chips lighter.

The Squeee Play (or Poer Re-raise)

An pprtunit r a squeeze pla presents itsel when smene raises and at least ne ther plaercalls. I u re-raise, u’re squeezing the initial raiser; he nt nl has t wrr abut u, but abut

the caller behind him as well. Ver ten u’ll have mre ld equit using the squeeze pla than when

there were n callers.

Blinds are 50/100, 6 players are let , and all the stacks are beteen 1,500 and 3,000. One player

raises to 300 and another calls. You’re on the button ith 6h 4h. This is a time hen you can

occasionally move all-in. This is the squeee play or poer re-raise. The initial raiser probably

on’t call ithout a poerul hand and it’s unlikely the caller has a strong hand either, or else he

ould have re-raised. I one o them calls ith a good hand, you’ve got a nice suited connector

that might get lucky.

Example

It’s better totry to steal ith76s than KTo asyou are muchless likely to bedominated i youget called.



60 Chapter 12 $100 SNG’s

yu can make a squeeze pla rm the blinds as well as in psitin, but I recmmend that u nl d it

i ur raise is all-in. I stacks are deep and ur re-raise might be called, ur psitinal disadvantage

becmes a majr actr. The all-in push remves this prblem.

Four Players Remaining—The BubbleKeeping the Small Stack Alive: I u’re the big stack and there’s a ver small stack still at the table,

u have enrmus ld equit with the tw medium stacks. yu shuld be raising ever single time

there’s n actin bere u and ten everne will give up withut a ght . But i u bust the small

stack, the bubble will be ver and u’ll have lst mst ur ld equit. Cnsider lding in a slightl

prtable situatin against the shrt s tack, just t keep him alive a little lnger. I he stas alive a litt le

lnger, u ma pick up anther cuple runds blinds rm everne else. yu’re giving up a small

prt here in exchange r a chance at larger prts rm cntinuing t steal r the next ew hands.

I’m nt suggesting that u ld a premium hand, but lding a marginal hand, such as a small pair, ma

be prtable.

Blinds are 200/400 ith a 25 ante. You’re the big stack ith 6,000 in the small blind. The big

blind is the short stack ith 1,100. Both o the medium stacks old, as they have or the last

e orbits. You have 4d 4s. Fold and give the small stack a git.

Same situation as above except that you are in the big blind and the small stack moves all-in

rom the small blind. You have As Qc. Call. The small stack ill be pushing a lot o hands

here, as he’s desperate to get some chips. Your edge is too big in this situation to give up.

Take his chips.

Three Players RemainingN changes.

Heads-up Play:

N changes.

Example

1. At this level your opponents ill be correctly raising more aggressively prior to the action

reaching you.

2. Players ith a high bubble actor ho make a standard raise are candidates or a re-raise steal.

3. Never make a standard raise hen you’re on or near the bubble and good players ith big

stacks let act behind you. Move in or old.

4. Occasionally, try a squeee play hen the opportunity presents itsel.

You need to be condent that:

a. The original raiser is capable o olding a good hand.

b. Your raise sie is large enough to have some old equity.

5. On the bubble as the big stack, occasionally old in a marginally protable situation against

the small stack, in order to prolong the bubble.




61Chapter 13 Position, Position, Position

PART THREE MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS(MTTS)

CHAPTER 13

POSITION, POSITION, POSITION

Bere delving int the varius stages MTTs, let’s examine the enrmusl imprtant value

psitin.

In n-limit hld ’em, the value psitin can’t be stressed t strngl. When u have the advantage

acting last n the fp, turn, and river, u have critical inrmatin at ur dispsal t use in

decisin-making. Acting last allws u t pick up a lt pts when bth u and ur ppnents have

missed the fp.

The best plaers in the game pla a wide range hands when n r near the buttn. The’re betting

their psitin rather than their cards. I the happen t hit the fp —great! I the miss, thugh, the’ll

lk r pprtunities t win the pt b using their psitin, cmbined with the pwer their chips.

oten, a well-timed bet r raise, based n inrmatin gleaned rm acting last, is what makes this tpe

eective manipulatin pssible.

Even inexperienced plaers shuld pla a wider range hands n r near the buttn than the’d pla

rm earlier psitins. Frm the buttn, I recmmend limping, even with Categr 8 hands, i several

ppnents have alread limped in. yu can als call a small raise rm mid-psitin r later, with hands

as weak as Categr 8. I ur ppnent checks n the fp, bet abut 70% the pt whether you’ve

improved on the fop or not . I ur ppnent bets the fp and u’ve cmpletel missed, ld.

I ur ppnent bets and u’ve caught a piece the fp, whether t call, raise, r ld depends alt n ur hand and the texture the fp. Fr example, i rm the buttn u called a small raise

b a plaer in mid-eld with 7h 6h, the fp cmes 7d 4s 2c, and ur ppnent makes a hal-pt-sized

bet that’s ten a cntinuatin bet as he wuld with tw vercards, cnsider raising. A raise in a spt

such as this usuall wins u the pt i he des, indeed, have tw vercards t the fp. I he hlds an

verpair instead vercards, he’ll generall re-raise u and u can nw sael ld, knwing that

u hld the inerir hand. As u can see, psitin gives u the fexibilit and inrmatin needed t

select the apprpriate pla t win the pt.

Against straightrward plaers, i u’re n the buttn, call a raise rm an psitin, and a ter the fp

it’s checked t u, u shuld bet regardless the strength ur hand. I als recmmend calling

a pst-fp bet rm a pre-fp raiser, i u have secnd pair, s lng as the bet is hal the pt r less.

You can play armore cards inlate position thanyou can in earlyposition becauseacting last aterthe fop is suchan advantage.



62 Chapter 13 Position, Position, Position

Man plaers have nw read Dan Harringtn’s excellent pker bk, Harringtn n Hld ’em Vlume 1,

in which he recmmends r plaers wh’ve raised pre-fp t cntinue betting pst-fp, even i the

cmpletel miss n the fp. He recmmends betting abut hal the pt, whereas I’m suggesting u bet

70% the pt until u get a better eel r the dierent situatins that arise. These cntinuatin bets,

as Harringtn reers t them, have nw becme s ppular that the value hands such as secnd pair

shuld nw be upgraded against a single ppnent making a bet arund hal the pt. I u call and

he checks t u n the turn, bet abut 70% the pt; he’ll usuall ld.

I he bets again n the turn, u’re aced with a tugher decisin. I the bet is 2/3 the pt r mre, I’d

ld, but i he makes an undersized bet (sa 1/3 the pt), I’d interpret that as weakness and wuld

prbabl raise. Because he’s made such a small bet, I dn’t have t raise much, relative t the size

the pt, t have the raise appear signicant . Fr example, suppse ur ppnent bets hal the pt

n the fp and u call, nw bringing the pt up t 1,000. on the turn, he nw bets 300. This tin bet

usuall cnntes either weakness r a mnster. But it’s much mre cmmn t have a weak hand than

t make a mnster, s I presume, until prven ther wise, that he’s weak. With secnd pair and this

betting sequence, I’d prbabl raise that 300 bet n the turn t 900, i I had secnd pair. I he’s weak,

as I suspect, he’ll ld and I’ll pick up a nice pt. The minrit the time when he’s gt a big hand, he’ll

re-raise me and I’ll ld. But as I said, this will happen ar less requentl. on balance, I’ll make mne

b raising plaers wh shw weakness.

Better still are thse less-experienced eas-t-read plaers wh bet when the hit the fp and check

when the dn’t. As Amarill Slim sas, “yu bet, I ld. yu check, I bet.” Against plaers wh dn’t

knw hw t disguise the strength their hands, such direct thinking wrks like a charm!

Buying the ButtonPsitin is s imprtant in n-limit hld ’em that smetimes it pas t bu the buttn. Let ’s sa u’re

tw seats t the right the but tn, tw plaers have alread limped in bere the actin gets t u,

and u have a hand such as Th 9h r 44. With these hands, u’d nrmall llw suit and limp alng,

but i u d, it’s likel that at least ne the tw plaers with a psitinal advantage (the cut-

and buttn) will be tempted t call, taking awa much ur psitinal advantage ater the fp. In

situatins such as this, cnsider raising. yu’re nt raising based n the value ur hand, u’re

raising primaril t “bu the buttn.” yur raise will prbabl chase ut the cut- and buttn, making

u last t act pst-fp, eectivel making u the buttn. Even thugh these tpes hands shuld

generall be plaed as cheapl as pssible pre-fp, being last t act n ever rund rm the fp

nward justies a raise t “bu the but tn.”

1. Position is o great importance in NLHE tournaments

2. Position gives you the fexibility and inormation to make the best play.

3. Learn to recognie and deend against continuation bets.

4. In some instances it pays to “buy the button” so that you’ll have the advantage o acting last

on each round o betting ater the fop.


Your opponentsill be

continuationbetting too, so

against justone opponent

even eakmade hands likesecond pair may

be orth a callon the fop.



63Chapter 14 Dierences Beteen Live and Online MTT’s

CHAPTER 14

DIFFERENCES BETwEEN LIVEAND ONLINE MTTS

Several signicant dierences between nline and live turnaments call r adjustments in the wa

u pla. Awareness these can make a big dierence in ur results.

Players Online Play LooserFr bvius reasns, plaers are mre relaxed plaing nline. online the’re in the cmrt their wn

hmes, n ne is staring them dwn, and the’re nt being scrutinized b crwds r TV cameras. Thisrelativel mre secure envirnment, cmbined with the ease clicking a muse rather than having t

cunt ut chips and put them in the pt, leads t looser calls and more blung than in live events.

Cntributing t lser and mre aggressive pla nline is the act that plaers usuall have less an

investment in nline turnaments than in live events. online, bu-ins are generall lwer and there

aren’t an travel expenses invlved. Higher bu-ins and travel expenses incurred in live turnaments

raise the incentive r mst plaers t mdi their decisins tward a mre cnservative survival

strateg, instead implementing a higher-risk aggressive apprach.

Nwhere is this dierence mre marked than in the lwer-bu-in NLHE events at the Wrld Series

Pker. In these events, pla is generall much tighter than nline, except r the lse-passive “calling

statins” wh als requent these events.

I plaers get kncked ut an nline turnament, the can jump right int anther ne shrtl

therea ter. Either the build up enugh chips t have a sht at winning r the bust ut tring, then start

resh in a new event.

Adjustments to Capitalie on These Dierences:Blung: Because pla is generall lser and plaers call mre requentl, u shuld blu less online.

Here, plaers are ten reluctant t ld i the fp tp pair and a halwa decent side card. yu’ll

requentl see plaers cmmit all their chips with hands such as QsJs n a bard Qh 9h 4c, even

thugh their ppnent bets aggressivel at ever pprtunit . In live pla, it ’s ar mre likel that a

plaer will bail ut lng bere cmmitting all his chips with such a marginal hand.

T take advantage this, blu less, but overplay your big hands b betting a greater amunt than

usual. I u fp a set, bet 70% the pt instead checking t a pre-fp raiser. I he raises, just call.

on the turn, bet again, but make it lk weak, betting 1/3-1/2 the pt. I he mves in (this ma be n

a blu r with tp pair), call. I he nl calls n the turn, mve all-in n the river. I he’s gt tp pair r

better, mst the time u’ll get all his chips.

Because pla is tighter live, u shuld blu mre requentl. yu have greater ld equit, s u need

t win less requentl at shwdwns t have psitive EV. This makes semi-blu ng mre prtable in

live pla. outright blus when scare cards hit, such as fush r straight cards, are als likel t be mre

successul live than nline. Hands u represent live will cmmand greater respect.

Many live

players hateshoing dona “bad” hand soyou should blumore than youdo online.



64 Chapter 14 Dierences Beteen Live and Online MTT’s

C-bets: C-bets are mre likel t be successul in live pla than nline and shuld be used mst the

time i u’ve raised pre-fp. online, C-bets wi ll be challenged mre requentl, especiall i the fp is

crdinated, s the shuld be empled a bit mre sparingl.

Over-betting: over-betting is an eective pla nline. Since plaers call mre requentl, u can

smetime bet mre than the size the pt when u have a winner and still get called. As I said, man

nline plaers seem t have a phbia abut lding. I the’re glued t their cards, keep ring awa.

Als, i u suspect the’re n a fush r straight draw and are unlikel t ld, betting mre than the

pt will give them ver pr pt dds r their draw. “Calling statins” get hrrendusl pr pt dds

when u ver-bet in this ashin, increasing ur EV.

1. Online players tend to call more loosely and blu more requently than in live events.

2. You should blu less online and overplay your big hands.

3. Continuation bets (C-bets) are generally more eective in live play than online play.

4. Over-betting can be an eective online tactic.




65Chapter 15 Starting Hands Early In The Tournament

CHAPTER 15

STARTING HANDS EARLY INTHE TOURNAMENT

When cnsidering start ing hands, it’s imprtant t address each particular situatin. It’s nt pssible t

make sweeping generalizatins. Hwever, a ew questins can be asked ever time. Sme these are:

What stage the turnament are u in?

What actins have ccurred in rnt u?

What psitin are u in? Remember t think psitin as the number plaers behind u, nt thenumber wh have alread lded.

What tpe plaers are the ppnents n ur let wh have et t act?

Hw man chips d u have?

Hw man chips d the ppnents t ur let have?

When deciding n ur curse actin bere the fp, think abut the answers t these questins.

Hand CategoriesThe hand categries r MTTs are identical t thse used in SNGs and listed n page 30. Fr

cnvenience, I’ll rei terate them here. A wrd cautin—i u start plaing n-limit , dn’t mix it wi th

limit pla until u’re ver prcient. Hand selectin and apprach in limit is dierent. Cmbining the

tw, especiall initiall, is likel t lead t cnusin.

Category 1: AA, KK

Category 2: QQ, AKs, AK, JJ

Category 3: AQs, AQ, TT, 99

Category 4: AJs, KQs, 88, 77

Category 5: AJ, ATs, AT, KQ, KJs, 66, 55

Category 6: A9s-A2s, KJ, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, 44, 33, 2 2

Category 7: A9-A 2, KT, QJ, QT, JT, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s

Category 8: K9s, K9, K8s, Q9s, Q8s, J9s, T8s, T9, 97s, 98, 86s, 87, 75s, 76, 64s

Hands that aren’t n this list shuld generall be avided, unless u’re either in the big blind and

get t see the fp withut calling an mre bets r u’re in the small blind with multiple limpers and

can’t resist the dds u’re getting t put in an extra hal-bet t see the fp. Anther time u might

pla hands lwer than Categr 8 is when ur stack equals ur times the cst per rund r less,

everne’s lded arund t u, and u’re within tw seats the buttn. At such times, u shuld

strngl cnsider mving all-in with any to cards. N-limit hld ’em is nt r the aint-hearted!

s = suited

Limit and NoLimit are verydierent gamesespecially intournaments.



66 Chapter 15 Starting Hands Early In The Tournament

Early in the TournamentUp until the time when antes are required, there’s nt much pint in tring t steal a lt blinds.

Generall, u’ll have sucient chips t pla and the amunt that u might steal is incnsequential.

yur bjective at these earl stages shuld be t fp a big hand that wins a big pt. T accmplish

this missin, it pas t see fps as cheapl as pssible with medium-strength hands, but I dn’ t

recmmend slw plaing big pairs. The nl premium hands in hld ’em are AA and KK. The reasn I

call them premium is because nt nl are the rare, but the als stand a gd chance winning the

pt withut imprving. yu nl rate t get s man premium hands in each event and when u d,

the challenge is t get as man chips as pssible int the pt bere the fp. Even hands as strng as

these dn’t d well against multip le ppnents in n-limit hld ‘em, s limit ing the number plaers is

benecial. Raising aggressivel ullls bth these gals.

The three ther highl valued dminant hands are QQ, JJ, and AK. The’re called dminant because

the’re avrites against 97% al l star ting hld ’em hands. QQ and JJ are the third and urt h best

starting hands, respectivel. The’re greater than 4-t-1 avrites ver an smaller pair. Even against

AK, the’re 13-t-10 avrites. Ace-king dminates hands such as AQ, AJ, and KQ, making it a 3-t-1

avrite against thse hands. yu can raise r re-raise with an these hands. Hwever, i anther

plaer gets risk and puts in a third raise, the nl hands with which I’d eel cmrtable cntinuing

are AA and KK, and all m chips are ging in right then with either hand. Unless u reall knw ur

ppnent is a certiable maniac, ld these Categr 2 hands t a third raise earl in the turnament.Hwever, with hands as strng as TT r AQ-suited, I’d just call a raise, attempting t fp a well-

disguised mnster that might bust smebd. It als makes sense t pla an pair r suited cnnectrs,

i u can pla them r a small percentage ur stack. Here, u’re lking t fp a set with the

pairs (3--a-kind with a pair in ur hand) and a straight, a fush, 2-pair, r a mnster draw with the

suited cnnectrs.

I u’re just beginning, I recmmend llwing the Rule 2 thrugh 10 I described in the SNG sectin

in Chapter 7. once u have mre experience, I recmmend the rules 5 and 10 plus the Rule 3 and 6

I described in Chapter 8. G back and review these rules i u need t.

With this verall scheme in mind, let’s lk at each categr:

Category 1 (AA, KK)With these hands u can raise r re-raise rm an psitin. Sme plaers ma tell u hw smart

the are b having lded KK pre-fp in sme arcane situatin. Fuhgedabutit ! I u can get all ur

mne in pre-fp with this hand, g r it. Cnversel, sme plaers will tell u t milk AA r all its

wrth b making piss little bets n each street. This is a recipe r disaster. Pla them this wa and

u’ll requentl have a bad-beat str t tell ur riends. Giving plaers prper dds t make a draw,

then calling r all ur chips when the nall d make their hand, is bad pker and bad thinking. I

pssible, tr t get at least 30%-5 0% ur chips in pre-fp, then bet the rest n the fp regardless

what cmes.

I u get invlved in a multi-wa pt with A A earl in the turnament, I advise cautin pst-fp. Bet

the size the pt, but i u get called, and it ’s checked t u n the turn, check it right back! I u’re

rst t act, just check and call. I ur ppnent bets n the river, simpl call, dn’t raise. Aces are a

hard hand t ld, s tr nt t get in a situatin with them earl in the turnament where u’re put t a

tugh decisin r all ur chips. Keep the pt small!

Later n, nce the antes have started and ur CSI is lwer, aces can be plaed much mre

aggressivel pst-fp. yu’ll rarel be up against mre than 1 ppnent and ur aces are prbabl the

best hand ater the fp. F ire awa!

As a ruleo thumb,

don’t botherstealing theblinds until

you startpaying antes.




You hold Ac Ad in middle position, the blinds are 100/200, and you have 4,900 . You raise to 600

and the button makes it 1,800 o a stack o 6,100. what should you do?

Count to 20 and move all-in. You’ll see “clever” plays, such as just calling the re-raise, in spots

such as this, but ith only 3,700 let over rom calling the 1,200 raise, not to mention a sorely

needed 3,900 already in the pot and ripe or picking, don’t get cute. Move all-in! You may have

been re-raised by QQ and the turn may bring an ace or a king, killing your action. Remember, the

idea is to get as much money as possible into the center o the pot pre-fop. Push! You’ll usually

get called and be looking at KK, QQ, JJ, or AK.

You hold Kc Kd in the cuto ith blinds o 100/200 and a stack o 4, 900. A player in early position

makes it 600 o a stack o 5,300 and a tight player calls rom middle position.

Move all-in. A pot-sied raise is 2,700, hich is 51% o your stack, so clearly you’re never olding

in this hand and should get your chips in no hile you strongly suspect you have an advantage.

I you “only” in the 1,500 that ’s already in the pot, you’ll increase your stack by more than 30%.

Oten, one o the players ill call and usually you’ll have a big edge.

In the $215 weekl Sunda Millin MTT at PkerStars.cm that cncluded just prir t m writing

this, a plaer (ur her) seated 3 seats t the right the but tn raised t 1,8 00 a stack 23 ,000

with blinds 300 /6 00. The buttn with 12,00 0 chips called and the big blind nw raised t 4,600. The

riginal raiser thught until his time clck started ticking (a cunt t abut 20 —sund amiliar?), then

pushed all-in. The buttn thught r ages, then called, and the big stack in the big blind insta-called!

The hands: big blind-AK; her A A; but tn 77. When the smke cleared, ur her had 60,000 and was the

table leader. Sweet! That’s the wa t pla aces.

Category 2 (QQ, AKs, AK, JJ)These hands can be plaed in almst an pt. I u’re the rst t enter the pt, u can raise. Earl

n in turnaments, it’s oK t just call nrmal raises with these hands, hping t fp a well-disguised

mnster. Alternativel, u can als re-raise. I u raise and get re-raised, call. I u have QQ and

smene has raised, re-raise. otherwise, mix i t up between these tw alternatives (re-raise 50% the

time r an time that an aggressive ppnent is plaing 40% the hands r mre) and it ’ll be di cult

r cmpetitrs t read u.

I u have AK and fp either an ace r a king, make a bet abut 70% the pt n the fp. I

anther plaer bets bere the actin cmes t u, raise the size the pt, remembering t include

the amunt required t call bere calculating the crrect amunt t raise. I this raise requires mre

than 1/3 ur stack, just mve-in. I u miss the fp entirel , bet abut 70% the pt i u have

nl ne ppnent r i the cards are uncrdinated, such as J73 r 862, and u have tw r ewer

ppnents. otherwise, check and give up withut a ght. I u have AK and make a cntinuatin betn the fp and get raised, u als need t give up the hand i u ailed t make a pair. Ater all, u

can’t kiss all the girls. Ever nw and then, u’ll have t relinquish a pt.

I u have a hand such as QQ r JJ and the fp cmes with three uncrdinated cards belw that,

pla it the same as with AK abve. I a king cmes n the fp, make a bet abut 70% the pt, but

ld i raised. I an ace appears, bet int 1 ppnent but check int 2 es. I anther plaer bets rst,

simpl ld.

Example

An Ace or a Kingcomes about 50%o the times onthe fop.




A player in early position raises to 600 o a stack o 9,00 0 ith blinds o 100/200. You have QQ,

both black, and 10,000 chips. Raise to 2,100. A ter you match the initial 600 raise, there ould be

1,500 in the pot ; raise the pot or 2,100 total.

Your opponent calls. The fop is Jh 9h 5c. He checks. what do you do?

All-in! Any reasonable bet ill commit more than 1 /3 o your chips. Move all-in and put maximum

pressure on him i he’s draing to a st raight or a fush. A big bet like this ill give him much

the orst o i t i he’s on a dra. Note that your only to realistic choices ith this stack andthis pre-fop action are all-in or check and old, so pick one or the other in this type o situation,

depending on the fop. I you’re in doubt, stick the chips in hen you’re the bettor, and keep them

or later hen you’re the caller. There’s no doubt in this example. All the chips are going in.

Same situation as the last example and once again you have QQ. The pre-fop bet ting is the

same. The fop is Ah 9h 5c. Your opponent bets 3000 into a pot o 450 0. Fold! That 3,000 bet clearly

commits your opponent to the pot. He’s going all the ay ith his hand and most probably has

you beat.

Category 3 (AQs, AQ, TT, 99)These hands pla best against nl ne ppnent, s u shuld enter ever pt where u’re rst in

with a raise. I smene else has raised, call. I there’s a raise and a re-raise bere the actin gets t

u, muck an these hands.

You have Ac Qc in the cuto and a stack o 5,400, ith blinds o 100/ 200. UTG raises to 600

and the player 2 seats to his let re-raises to 1,800 o a stack o 7,800. Fold. Your hand is

dubious in this situation and you have to commit 20% o your stack to see a fop. The UTG

raise represents strength and the re-raise is even stronger. wait or a better spot.

You have Ac Qc in the cuto and a stack o 5,400, ith blinds o 100/ 200 ; it’s passed around

to you. Raise to 600. You’re the rst act ive player in the pot, have excellent position, and a

poerul hand. Step on the gas!

You have Ac Qc in the cuto and a stack o 5, 400, ith blinds o 100 /200. The player in the

3-seat makes it 600 o a stack o 4800 and it’s passed to you. Call. You have a strong hand in

good position, but not strong enough to re-raise.

Category 4 (AJs, KQs, 88, 77)These hands are blind-stealing hands with sme pwerul ptential. I n mre than ve plaers are

acting behind u and u’re the rst ne in the pt, u shuld cme in with a raise. With Categr 4

hands, call i the pt’s been raised bere it gets t u and see hw pla develps, llwing the rules

r plaing pcket pairs with ur 7s and 8s. Althugh these are decent hands with which t call raises,

be leer them pst-fp unless u fp a big hand r draw. Hands such as 88 and 77 pla prl i

vercards cme n the fp, unless u fp a set. What u’re lking r, and in act what ur earl

strateg r medium pcket pairs is underpinned b, is t fp a set. I u d s and anther plaer has

made tp-pair/tp kicker r perhaps 2-pair, u have a chance t duble ur chips earl.

Anther acceptable ptin with Categr 4 hands is t limp behind ne r mre plaers and dela

the decisin hw t prceed unti l u see the fp. The pint here is that these hands have great

ptential, but the generall need t imprve t win, s i u can get in cheap against several

ppnents, wh nt seize the pprtunit?

Example

Example

Category Fourhands ill need

help i you aregoing to in at

shodon.




You’re in the cuto ith 8h 8c and a stack o 6,900, ith blinds o 100 /200. The 3rd player to

act makes it 600 to go o a stack o 6,100 and everyone passes to you. This is close. I you’re a

beginner using the Rule o 2 through 9, you should old. That 600 raise is a bit more than 8% o

your stack and is about 10% o your opponent’s. I you’re a touch more experienced and using

the Rule o 5 and 10, call. You have excellent position and a good enough hand to call up to

10% o the lesser o the to stacks and see hat develops.

You have Ah Jh in the hijack and a stack o 6,400, ith the blinds o 100 /20 0. It’s passedaround to you. Raise to 600. You’re the rst one into the pot ith good position, and you’ve an

excellent hand. Enough said.

Category 5 (AJ, ATs, AT, KQ, KJs, 66, 55)These hands are ar abve average hands and it’s ne t raise with them i n mre than ur plaers

are et t act behind u. I u’re in ne the rst ur psitins in an earl stage the turnament,

just let mst these hands g, since the’ve cst u nthing and ma get u int truble. With 66

and 55, llw the applicable rule.

With the exceptin the pairs, u dn’t want t call raises with Categr 5 hands; the’ll usuallcause u headaches, get u brke, r bth.

The big questin is what d u d when u raise with 66 rm the cut and the buttn makes a large

re-raise? The truth is that there isn’t a clear answer and u’ll have t decide at that mment. yu’ll

usuall be avred i the hld tw vercards, but u’re greater than a 4-t-1 underdg, i the hld a

higher pair. o curse, i u call and the turn ver a smaller pair, u’ll be thrilled! I u want a rigid

guideline, ld earl in the turnament. yu’d certainl ld i the plaer appears t be cnservative.

Later n, u ma have t make a stand with these hands.

You have As Tc in the 3-seat and a stack o 11,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/200/ 25.

It’s passed to you. Fold. Your position is poor and 6 players are yet to act. I you have the

same hand in the hijack (2 seats to the right o the button) . raise to 600.

You have 6s 6d in the 5-seat and a stack o 11,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/200/ 25.

It’s passed to you. Raise to 600. This is ithin the restrict ions o the pocket-pair rules and

the hand has potential i you get called.

Category 6 (A9s-A2s, KJ, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, 44, 33, 22)Raise when entering the pt with these hands i u’re rst in and n mre than three plaers are

behind u. I u get re-raised b a cnservative plaer, u have t give these hands up.

You have As 5s on the button and a stack o 11,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/ 200/ 25. It’s

passed to you. Raise to 600.

You have 4s 4d in the cuto ith a stack o 11,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/ 200 /25. It ’s

passed to you. Raise to 600. You’ve got good position and the Rule o 5 and 10 applies.

You have 4s 4d UTG ith a stack o 11,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/200 /25. Muck. A

standard raise is over 5% o your stack and your position is the orst. Give it a pass.

Example

Example

Example

There are nopries or makinghero calls early.You usually haveenough chips toalk aay.




Category 7 (A9-A2, KT, QJ, QT, JT, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s)Raise ith these hands hen you’re rst to enter the pot and are on the but ton. Fld t a re-raise rm

either blind, unless the Rule 5 and 10 applies. Dn’t pla these hands in an ther situatins unless

u’re empling the Rule 5 and 10, which applies t the suited cnnectrs.

You have 9s8s on the button and a stack o 12,400, ith blinds and antes o 100/200/25. As rst in,

you raise to 600 on the but ton and the little blind passes, then the big blind re-raises to 1,800 o a

stack o 11,800. what to do?

It depends on your read and your instinct. I the big blind is a tight-aggressive player, old. But i

he’s a loose-aggressive and you think he may be re-s tealing, then all-in is the best play. Turn up

the heat and be the maniac they ear! Even i he calls your all-in ith a hand such as AK osuit,

you’ll only be about a 7-to-5 underdog. All those times that he’ll old hen you move all-in more

than compensates or this.

Suited Cnnectrs: With the suited cnnectrs T9s, 98s, 87s, 65s, and 54s, I recmmend limping rm

an psitin and calling a small raise, prvided that it’s r 5 t 10% ur stack, accrding t the Rule

5 and 10. This is a reasnable risk r the ptential fpping a hand that can win a big pt.

Category 8 (K9s, K9, K8s, Q9s, Q8s, J9s, T8s, T9, 97s, 98, 86s, 87, 75s, 76, 64s)These are mstl hands that might get u int truble. Nnetheless, the have sme value and I

recmmend plaing them under the llwing circumstances.

The Rule 3 and 6 applies r the 1-gap suited cnnectrs, such as J9s, T8s, 97s, 86s, etc., in the

llwing instances:

Frm the buttn, i there’s been ne r mre limpers but n raise and it csts a tin percentage ur

stack.

Frm the small blind, i there’s been ne r mre limpers.

With these hands, u’re hping t fp either 2-pair r better, r a big draw such as bth a straight and

a fush draw, a pair plus either a straight r fush draw, r a straight r fush draw with vercards.

You have 7c 5c in the cuto ith blinds o 100/200 and have 14,000 chips. An opponent in early

position raises to 600 and everyone olds to you. Call. The Rule o 3 and 6 applies. The fop is Ah

7h 5d. Your opponent bets 1,500. what ’s your play?

Move-in! I your opponent has a hand such as AK, it ill be very hard or him to old. Since 2 hearts

are on the board, he may think you’re on a fush dra. I he has AK, you’re a 3-to-1 avorite. Push.

Blinds and antes are 100/ 200 /25 at a 9-handed table. You’re on the button ith 10,00 0 chips and

2 players have limped in, but no one has raised. You have 7h-6s. Call. You’re getting good odds

(about 5-to-1) on the 200 it costs you to call, no one has shoed any strength, and you’ll act last

on all rounds. It’s costing you 2% o your chips. It’s orth the risk to try and fop a big hand or to

take a stab at stealing the pot by bett ing, i everyone checks to you on an uncoordinated fop.

The fop comes 4c 5d 7h, giving you top pair and an open-ended straight dra. The rst player

bets 1,000 and the next player calls. what should you do?

Example

Example

Category 8

hands are onlyorth stealingith unless you

can get in verycheaply as they

don’t have a lot ovalue ithout a

nice fop.




This is a great fop or you. with about 3,0 00 already in the pot and a good chance that both

players ill old i you move-in, it’s time to get aggressive. Any 3, 6, 7, or 8 are likely inners i

you get called. I not, you’ll increase your stack by 30% . Push all-in!

Blinds and antes are 200 /400 /25, 8-handed. The UTG player and the button have limped in.

You have 6h 4h in the small blind and a stack o 5,000. what’s your play?

Call the extra 200. You’re getting an irresistible 8-to-1 odds on your 200. This is an easy call, even

though you’ll be rst to act on each round rom the fop onard.

1. By playing, you gain experience that can’t be taught.

2. Learn the eight hand categories or print them out or easy reerence.

3. Early in the tournament, try to fop a hand that can in a big pot.

4. Go or potential over current status. For instance, early in the tournament call a raise ith 77

(based on the Rules) , but don’t call a raise ith AJ.

5. Early in the tournament consider just calling a raise, rather than re-raising, ith hands

as strong as TT or AQ-suited, in an attempt to fop a ell-concealed monster. Later in the

tournament you’ll usually be re-raising or moving in ith these hands.

6. Use the Rules o 2 through 10, 5 and 10, and 3 and 6.

7. Play big hands and big dras aggressively. I you think a player is re-stealing, be prepared

to ght the bully by moving all-in. You’ve got to have heart and be illing to go broke in orderto succeed.




72 Chapter 16 Tournament Preparation

CHAPTER 16

STAGE 1TOURNAMENT PREPARATION

Prperl preparing r an nline turnament is imprtant. First all, clear the decks! Turn the

televisin, put awa ur papers, put t he phne n answering machine, and turn ur mbile. Have a

bttle water and a light health (nt ptat chips r cand bars) snack hand; get sme cushins r

ur chair and prepare t settle in r what might be a ew hurs pla.

A pker turnament needs t be viewed as a marathn, nt a sprint, s u need t start with a lng-

term view. Dn’t have sme ther plan later in the da that wil l cnfict wi th winning the turnament.

Wh start smething that u can’t nish? What’s the pint beginning a prject with the idea that

u’re ging t ail? Begin with the idea that u’ll win and allt the time necessar t d s. Fr this

reasn, u ma want t get ur eet wet with the 45-plaer turnaments available at PkerStars.cm.

These are classied as SNGs, but nl because the start as sn as the ll up. The pla like a MTT

and the small maximum-eld size ensures that the’re nished in a ew hurs.

I u use medicinal aids, have them nearb. Dn’t stress ur bd with mre cee, sugar, r

carbhdrates than it’s used t (I realize that culd be a lt). While these ma give u an initial li t,

this wil l sn wear . Jangled nerves rm t much cee r sugar can lead t bad decisins.

Fluctuatins in bld sugar and insulin levels can be atiguing later in the turnament when energ and

cus cunt mst. Alchl is a central nervus sstem depressant. While sme plaers, such as BlairRdman, claim that a single beer helps their game b lsening them up a tuch and making them mre

earless, an mre than this is cunterprductive. Fr me and mst peple, an alchl at all cluds

awareness. Missing a subtle sign can be the dierence between winning and lsing.

Fcus is paramunt imprtance, s relieving bth mind and wrk space clutter sets the stage r

ur best er t. I rutinel meditate prir t bth live and nline turnaments, using high-tech brain

entrainment CDs. other rms meditatin are als eective. Whatever clears ur mind and fats

ur bat will wrk.

Nw that u’re mentall read and rganized, it’s time t d a lit tle preparatr wrk. First , nd the

blind-structure sheet that‘s published n the turnament lbb page; g t the turnament lbb, then

t the “turnament in” tab. This tells u nt nl hw much time u’ll have at each level, but als

the schedule r increases in the blinds and antes. As described earlier, nce u knw the structure,

u can easil cmpute the cst-per-rund (CPR) r each level pla. Simpl add up the tw blinds

plus the ttal antes r all 9 plaers. Fr example, i the small blind is 200, the big blind 400, and the ante

is 50, the CPR is (400 +80 0+( 9x50 ) = 1,650. This is the cst each cmplete rbit at this level, i u

dn’t pla a hand.

Next, prepare a wrksheet, taking the CPR r each level and multipling it b 10. This is the amunt

chips u’ll need t have a CSI 10, an amunt sucient t last 10 cmplete rbits at this level withut

plaing. Belw, I explain the signicance this number. D this r all levels up t the secnd break,

then cntinue t update as the turnament prgresses, staing ne break (4 levels ) ahead.

I you’re notquick ith maths- calculate theCPR and a e

key CSI numbersor each level in

advance.



73Chapter 16 Tournament Preparation

In the weekl $215 Sunda turnament n PkerStars, r example, u’ll start with 10,000 chips and

blinds 25/50, r a CPR 75; each level is 15 minutes. 75x10=750 , s put this n the sheet. The next

level is 50/100—a CPR 150, r 1500 chips required r a CSI 10. Cntinue this table r each level

thrugh the secnd break. yur sheet shuld lk like this.

LEVEL CPR CSI-10 MINUTES

25/50 75 750 15

50/100 150 1,500 15100/200 300 3,000 15

150/300 450 4,500 15

BREAK

200/400 600 6,000 15

300/600 900 9,000 15

400/800 1200 12,000 15

400/800/50 1650 16,500 15

BREAK

This takes u thrugh the rst tw breaks, r 8 levels. At the rst break, add ur mre levels t ur

table, at the secnd break add anther ur, and s n, s lng as u’re sti ll alive in the turnament.

S what’s the purpse the “CSI-10” clumn? The amunt chips required t pla ten rbits is the

cut, abve which u’re cmrtable, and belw which u’re beginning t eel the pinch the blinds.

Put anther wa, i ur stack chips is abve a CSI 10, u can pla mre speculative hands and make

mre mves t accumulate chips; belw this CSI, u’ll need t adjust ur pla. While I st ill recmmend

aggressive pla, u’ll n lnger be able t pla speculative hands in raised pts withut cmmitting t

much ur stack t make this line pla prtable. Experts agree that CSI-10 is the pivtal pint r

this change in apprach, s cus ur attentin n this critical juncture and act accrdingl.

once u’re seated at the table, check ut the ther plaers. Nte where the’re rm, as this magive u a line n their pla. In m experience, plaers rm Scandinavia, r example, tend t pla

aggressivel, while plaers rm the U.K., as a rule, tend t pla mre cnservativel.

o curse, these are nl general guidelines, but it’s a piece inrmatin that might give u a

valuable clue as t hw the’ll pla. This initial impressin can either be cnrmed r denied b direct

bservatin. yu’ll add ther bits inrmatin as u g alng, rming impressins as t the tpes

plaers u’re up against. This ma help later in decisin-making.

Next, check t see i u have an recrded ntes n an the plaers at ur table. yu shuld

make ntes as u g alng, using the “Ntes” tab t identi each plaer and recrding what tpe

plaer he is, including his weaknesses, strengths, and tendencies. Lk r patterns in the wa urppnents pla and make nte them. over time, u’ll put tgether an extensive inventr ntes

that u can use t ur advantage.

yu’re nw read t pla. Time t cus, cus, cus! Watch ever actin in ever hand intentl,

whether u’re in the hand r nt. It’s ten pssible t glean ar mre inrmatin abut a plaer when

u’re nt invlved in a pt than when u are. Pa particular attentin t hands where the hle cards

are shwn, making ntes where applicable. Fr example, i a plaer raises rm under-the-gun (rst t

act) and, ater all the cards are dealt, shws dwn a hand such as Td 8d, u nw knw that he desn’t

necessaril need a premium hand t raise in rst psitin. Make a nte. I a plaer raises requentl,

but backs dwn when re-raised, make a nte. I a plaer gets caught blung, jt it dwn. Recrd all

bservatins that will help u build a prle n each ur ppnents.

Make notes onother players,you never knohen they illcome in handy.



74 Chapter 16 Tournament Preparation

This tpe inrmatin ma prve t be ver useul when u tangle with them later and ma be aced

with a critical decisin. At times such as this, ur bservatins ma allw u t make a big call r t

ld a hand that, had u plaed it, wuld have busted u. As u watch, tr t predict the hle cards

the plaers. Start t think in terms a range hands that u think a plaer ma have, then ntice

the result s the hand checking the accurac ur “read.” over time, this exercise in dil igence will

hne ur hand-reading abilit, enabling u t distinguish a blu rm a mnster.

The turnament-lbb page prvides a wealth inrmatin—the size the pauts, hw man spts

are paid, the length and requenc the breaks, hw lng until the next break, hw lng the turnament

has been running, hw man entrants there were riginall and hw man are let, and mre.

Additinall, sites such as PkerStars prvide u with the average chip stack r the remaining

cntestants, updated instantl as plaers are eliminated. The largest stack and the shrtest stack in

the turnament are n each side the average stack. This data is als available r each individual

table. yu can even watch anther table while u’re plaing. This is useul when, r example, there’s

a ver lw stack at anther table and his eliminatin means that all remaining plaers (including u)

are in the mne.

An imprtant pint t nte, i u’ve allen belw the average stack, is that u needn’t eel pressured t get t average quickl. Mre imprtant, keep an ee n ur sheet and be ull aware ur CPR

and CSI. It’s this, and nl this, that shuld dictate ur actins. I ur stack size drps belw CSI-10,

then u’l l be ardentl lking r pprtunit ies t increase it and t take sme risks t duble up ur

stack. At CSI-7, ur decisins becme binar—meaning that ur decisins are reduced t all-in r

ld. Much the excitement pker n televisin—big all-in cnrntatins—is actuall driven b an

understanding the math that applies t the situatin.

I u have a stack size CSI-7 r less (10 times the big blind is abut equivalent) and make a standard

raise three times the big blind, u’ll have cmmitted 35% r mre ur stack. once u put this

much ur stack int the pt, u’re prett much cmmitted t calling a re-raise. This being the

case, it’s a mre pwerul pla r u t push all-in straight awa, rather than making a smaller raise.

Nt nl des this remve the pssibilit re-raising u ut the pt, an idea that man aggressive

plaers ma have, it als puts ur ppnents t a guess as t the strength ur hand.

yu shuld make this same all-in mve with ur marginal hands, such as AT r 44, and with ur strng

hands, such as AA and KK. Remember this idea—pla ur ver strng hands in exactl the same wa

that u pla ur weakest hands— cnstant l put ting ur ppnent t a guess as t the strength

ur hand.

What u dn’t want t d is t give awa the strength ur hand b ur betting pattern. Fr

example, i u have chips equal t CSI-7, it wuld be an errr t raise t 3 times the big blind with a big

pair and t mve all-in with ur medicre hands, tring t steal the blinds and antes. Sharp plaers will

ntice this pattern and start calling when u push in, while lding when u make a standard raise.Standardizing ur bets disguises the strength ur hands. Prs, such as Hward Lederer and Chris

“Jesus” Fergusn, chse t disguise the strength their hands b plaing all them in exactl the

same wa. This is a gd habit r new plaers t develp.

Playing yourstrongest hands

the same asyour eakerhands keeps

your opponentsguessing.



75Chapter 16 Tournament Preparation

1. Clear the decks o all distractions beore starting each event.

2. Don’t start an event you’re not prepared to nish.

3. Don’t jack your energy around by using articial input.

4. when you’re not in a hand, closely observe hat cards other players sho in order to get a

line on the ay they play.

5. Keep your CPR and CSI calculations at least our levels ahead.

6. Check any notes you have on opponents, and continually add ne ones.

7. Play your strong hands exactly the same your eak hands.




76 Chapter 17 Early On In The Play

CHAPTER 17

STAGE 2EARLY ON IN THE PLAY

This bk is abut NLHE turnaments—the game that’s taken the wrld b strm. Here are sme basic

principles that will imprve ur chances winning.

one ke principle is t develp an understanding the varius persnalit tpes ur cmpetitrs.

There are 4 basic persnalit prles that I’ll describe here.

The Loose-Passive Player (LPP)Als called the “calling statin,” because that’s all he des (call call call), This tpe plaer is

stubbrn and lish, hanging arund in hands lng ater wiser plaers wuld have lded. Because

this trait, he’s ten dergatril and dismissivel reerred t as a “dnke.” Dnkes have spawned

a whle new pker vcabular—dnkish, dnkid, dnking chips, dnkastic, dnkest, etc. The

like t pla lts hands pre-fp, especiall i the can limp. Pst-fp the cntinue t be t lse,

plaing marginal hands and draws.

Dn’t ever tr t blu the calling statin, but watch ut i he ever takes aggressive actin. He usuall

desn’t bet unless he has a hand. I he ever shws strength and u have a pwerul hand ursel,

dn’t slw pla against him. He’s likel t have a hand that he wn’t la dwn (remember he’s a dnke),

s raise him up and dn’t be araid t raise a larger amunt than nrmal. The key to playing against

donkeys is never to blu, but to over-bet your good hands at every opportunity, including ging all-in n

the river, as his curisi t will ten get the bet ter him and he’ll pa u . Lse passive plaers are

the best t pe plaer t pre n t build ur chip stack in turnaments, but will be lng gne and hard

t nd when the prizes are given ut.

The Loose-Aggressive Player (LAG)There are man favrs the lse-aggressive; sme are crat, sme are bullies, and sme are

just certiable maniacs. But the all lve t pla hands and the all lve t bet. The ke against these

plaers is nt t let them run u ver. Because the pla s man hands, b denitin the requentl

must have a weaker than average hlding. Since the lve t bet, trapping and slw plaing wrk well

against them. S des ghting re with re. Take a stand and pla back at them with a hand that ugure is ahead their wide range. As a guideline, re-raise them with hands in the tp 50% the range

hands u assume the’re plaing. It ma take sme curage, thugh. I the plaer u stand up t

is ultra-hper aggressive, u ma nd ursel risking all ur chips! Be prepared r him t re-raise

all-in and make up ur mind in advance that u’re ging t call.

Lse-aggressive plaers are mst likel t be ung wannabe stars, ung sn-t-be stars, r ung

stars. The ten band tgether and discuss mst situatins that cme up in turnaments. The’re

the mdern versin the ld-time tight-aggressive plaer, but wit h an edge. That edge cmes rm

inrmatin—pker ma be a game incmplete inrmatin, but this grup gets it, chews it ver, and

decides what the best plas are that the can make. Excellent examples this kind plaer include

Patrik Antnius, Carls Mrtensen, and Phil Ive.

The LoosePassive Player

is very obliging.He’ll call all your

bets but rarelybet himsel

ithout a verygood hand. Thismeans you cantake his chips.



77Chapter 17 Early On In The Play

Crat plaers are ten ld veterans the cash-game wars. The knw hw t make a lt plas and

mves, all with the intentin misleading u as t the strength their hand. once the have ur

head spinning, the swp in r the kill. The’re great hand readers and make big calls i the smell a

blu. Examples plaers wh use this stle are Fredd Deeb, Barr Greenstein, and Samm Farha.

The Tight-Passive Player (TPP)The tight-passive plaer has learned that gd plaers are tight, but he just desn’t have the curage

t put in a lt mne withut a gd hand. This plaer ma nt realize hw valuable i t is t steal the

blinds (when the get large) r hw successul a cntinuatin bet can be. He might raise pre-fp with

AK, but when the fp cmes all lw cards, he’ll give up and curse his luck. “Wh desn’t AK ever win?”

he thinks. He ma g thrugh phases where he desn’t raise with AK, just because he desn’t want t

lse the extra mne.

Man plaers in the mid-range SNGs ($20 t $ 50 games) are tight-passive. The ten nish 3rd r

4th and man them make a small prt. Smetimes plaing tight is all u need, but t make a big

prt, u need t learn t run ver ur ppsitin. Against the tight-passive plaer, make requent

small bets ater the fp whenever he shws weakness. Rb him a lit tle bit at a time, taking lts small

pts awa rm him. Give up i he ever bets r raises.

The Tight-Aggressive Player (TAG)This plaer desn’t pla man hands, but when he des, he plas them t the max. once he shws

strength, he usuall cntinues his aggressin n matter i he hits the fp r nt. This is the right tpe

plaer t be, at least in the earl stages, and he’ll pla ver similarl t the wa I’ve utlined in this bk.

Tight-aggressive is the ld-schl plaer wh used t be the biggest wrr in a pker turnament,

but LAGs are nw cnsidered t be a bigger threat due t their unpredictabilit. Still, TAGs are n

un t have in the game, because the pla well, the’re ten in there with the better hand, and mre

imprtant, u wn’t make an plas against them that the haven’t seen bere. The adjust what the

d t the situatin and read ur mves r what the are—mves. Examples are TJ Clutier, Dewe

Tmk, and Tm McEv.

The Situational PlayerA sub-categr the TAG is a tugh new breed knwn as the “situatinal” plaer. Situatinal plaers

pa clse attentin t what u’ve dne in the past and will prbabl take advantage ur tendencies

and weaknesses. The tpicall pla the situatin mre than their cards. I the smell weakness,

the’re nt araid t push. The careull pick their spts and the ’re nt lish wi th their chips. T get

them u likel have t have a bet ter hand r make a multi-s treet pla. yu have t bet cnvincingl r

shw them the gds. Examples wuld be Dle Brunsn, Allen Cunningham, Andrew Black, Nenad

Medic, and Paul Wasicka.

The best persnalities r u t adpt are tight-aggressive earl, then shit tward lse-aggressive

as the turnament prgresses. The gd plaers will make a shit in persnalit with u, but thers

wn’t adjust their game enugh. Dn’t assume that a plaer wn’t change his persnalit when the

turnament gets shrt-handed r i his stack gets lw. Watch hw he plas, take ntes, and adjust ur

pla accrdingl.

Playing Against Passive PlayersB shwing up at the start a turnament, u’ll get a read n the wa ur table as a whle is

plaing. Fr example, i u’re at a “raise-and-take-it” tpe table, where tpicall everne lds

when smene raises, u’ll likel pla dierentl than i u’re at a table that is plaing “ram-and-jam”

stle with a lt chips ging int ever pt. I ur table is passive and plaers are plaing tight ( tight-

passive), an e ective cunter-strateg is t raise mre requentl, but generall back i u get

re-raised. I ur table is passive but lse (lse-passive), u can cnsider taking cheap fps with

speculative hands, hping t fp a big hand and “stack” (bust) an ppnent.

The TightAggressivePlayer is no unto play against ashen they are inthey oten havegood hands andare raising them.This is the kind oplayer this bookteaches youto be.




Playing at Aggressive Tablesyu’ll need t be mre cautius at aggressive tables than at passive tables. Aggressive plaers can

be either tight r lse, but bth are mre dangerus than tight r lse passive plaers. yu can pla

mre hands against passive plaers, because the dn’t raise nearl as much. It’s mre dicult t

pla a wide variet speculative hands against aggressive plaers, because their requent raises will

chase u ut t man pts where u’d be getting the wrng dds t pla.

Tight-aggressive plaers select premium starting hands r ld. When the pla, the put in a

substantial raise. The’re als ten sucientl disciplined t avid get ting stacked b pssible

fushes, straights, r 3--a-kinds. An e ective cunter-strateg against this tpe plaer is t

substantiall tighten ur entrance requirements in the earl ging. Later n when the size the

blinds is mre appetizing, u can pen up and steal blinds rm this tpe plaer. I u get re-raised,

thugh, duck r cver!

Lse- aggressive plaers are prbabl the tughest t deend against. The pla a lt hands, betting

and raising requentl. Their plaing requenc makes them dicult t avid. yu can pla mre hands

against this tpe plaer than against the tight aggressive, but u’ll need t be mre selective than

when u’re up against a lse-passive plaer. I u’re rtunate enugh t fp a big hand, such as

2-pair r better, against this tpe e, give him enugh rpe t hang himsel. Like a martial artist, u

can use the rce his aggressin against him b letting him unsuccessull tr t bull u ut the

hand, then zapping him with a big raise n the fp, turn, r river. This is knwn as “trapping.” Lse-

aggressive plaers can be trapped. The less threatening the bard, the later in the hand u can wait

bere springing ur trap.

Adjusting Your Strategy or Your Opponents’ TendenciesThe guiding principle is that i the table is plaing tightl, raise a bit mre than usual i n ne has

raised, but be war calling a raise withut a premium hand. I the table is plaing lsel, pla ew

hands, but pla them aggressivel. The crrect strateg is t pla ppsite rm the path chsen b

mst ur tablemates. In ever case u want t be alert as t hw ur ppnents are plaing and

react accrdingl. At rst, adjust ur pla abut 10% based n the tpe ppnents u encunterand let the cards u hld make up the ther 90% ur decisin. As u gain experience u’ll be

able t adjust these percentages—situatinal pla will cntinue t gain in signicance and u’ll need

t rel less n the strength ur hand.

Observing Correctly and Understanding Your Table Imageyur “image” is the wa ur ppnents perceive ur stle pla. This image will change as the

turnament prgresses. Which categr plaer are ur ppnents currentl putt ing u in? D

the think u’re aggressive r passive, lse r tight? The impressin u give ur ppnent s is

dependent n the qualit hands u shw dwn, ur level aggressin based n the requenc

with which u bet r raise, and the verall number pts in which u’re invlved. other plaers

can’t see ur cards i the aren’t shwn dwn. Als, the weren’t there when Big Bubba lded hisset t u last week. S the haven’t and wn’t take thse things int accunt when making decisins.

The mre pts u enter, the lser u’ll appear; the mre u bet r raise, the mre aggressive u’ll

seem t be. Nte that this appearance r image will be created whether its “true” r nt. Fr instance,

u ma have just bet r raised in 4 the past 6 hands, with all ur ppnents lding each time. yur

image will be lse and aggressive, even i ever ne ur hands was aces!

A mistake a lt beginners make is t tr t create a certain image. Earl in a turnament the g

ut their wa t pla either ver lse r ver tight, but ten at the expense making less than

ptimal decisins in rder t ulll an image bjective. These decisins cst them EV, which is ten

ver dicult t make back. Their table ma change later in the turnament and the’ll be plaing

with dierent plaers wh weren’t there t witness their “shw.” Even when the nd themselves

Don’t just thinkabout hat type

o player youropponents are,

think about hattype o player

they think

you are.




acing sme the same plaers, the might nt get the prper hands r ace the prper situatins t

prtabl take advantage the image the created.

yu can, hwever, have it bth was. The superir wa t use table image t ur advantage is t

cntinuall make the best pssible decisin in each situatin based n ur cards and hw ur

ppnents view u at that mment. Allw ur image t develp and change naturall, an sht

hw ur recent decisins lked t ur ppnents. When u get a ew gd hands in successin,

ur image will naturall becme lse and aggressive. yu can take advantage this b plaing ur

better hands mre aggressivel. Smetimes u get ver bad hands r hurs at a time and ur image

will be tight and passive. Use this image t steal r re-steal with marginal hands t get back in the game.

You’ve raised pre-fop in 3 out o the last 5 pots and on unchallenged. You’re dealt Ah Td

three seats rom the but ton and it’s passed to you. while you ould normally raise here, in this

instance you should old. It’s likely that your opponents ill assume you’ve been stealing due to

your number o recent pre-fop raises and ill re-raise ith much eaker hands than normal,

because their current impression o you is loose and aggressive. Since you can’t call a re-raise

ith this hand and they’ll re-raise more requently than normal, it’s best not to get involved.

Evaluating and Taking Notes on Your OpponentsThe rst ew hands against smene u’ve never seen bere are ging t make a ver strng

impressin n u, ne that ma take man sessins, r even ears, t alter. Tr nt t put t much

emphasis n an ne hand, since ur ppnent might have hit the wrng buttn r was just distracted

b smething. Dn’t ignre what u see, but dn’t get swept awa b it either.

It takes hurs pla t see peple in varius situatins and pick up clues as t hw the’re likel t

act. I u pla nline at an ecient site such as PkerStars, it’s eas t take ntes n hw that persn

plaed a particular hand. I u pla with smene awhile, u can make multiple entries that can easil

be accessed when u’re aced with a dicult decisin. over time, u ma be able t create a dssier

n a plaer that nt nl makes it easier t remember him when u encunter him in the uture, but als

prvides u with the elements a plan t cunteract and take advantage his likel plaing pattern.

Luck Versus the Quality o Your DecisionsDn’t rel n luck t get u t that nal table. It’s the qualit ur decisins that gets u there. In

rder t successull navigate the path t success, u need t be at the tp ur game—at all times

aware what’s ging n at ur table. Even when u pla ur best, u’ll lse part the time, s

regard ever success, ever win, as a special git.

When u arrive with better weapns than ur tablemates and cnsistentl make better decisins,

u’ll als get t the nal table mre ten than thers. Even then u wn’t alwas get there…it’s just

that u’ll get there mre requentl than mst ur ppnents. over t ime, the luck actr will unld

in a trul randm wa that avrs n particular plaer. Image, cus, cntrl, patience, earlessness,

and strategic planning are the legs the nal table. Luck is the thin laer elt n tp.

Ho the Sie o Your Stack Infuences Your PlayPker events run with the idea eventuall ending up with ne winner. The cntinual narrwing

the eld is accmplished b peridicall raising the blinds (and antes) in pre-annunced time rames.

These incremental increases in the CPR (cst per rund) prevent plaers rm just sitting back and

waiting r aces bere getting invlved. The eect this cnstant raising the CPR is t take sme

the chips rm ever plaer at the end ever time rame. I the blinds duble, it’s equivalent t

smene ging arund and taking hal each plaer’s chips! yu just can’t sit rever and wait.

Example

To in atournament youill need to get

lucky but i youconcentrate onmaking the rightdecisions youill need to getlucky less oten.




When u have a shrt stack, ur ptins are greatl reduced. oten, the ptimal pla is t either ld

r push all-in. The reasn r this is that a standard raise will cmmit such a large percentage ur

chips that u’ll be mathematicall bliged t put the rest ur chips in the pt i u get re-raised.

As previusl discussed, it makes sense t mve in r ld, rather than betting a smaller amunt, when

u have a CSI 7 r less.

Having chips puts u in psitin t make speculative and situatinal plas. yur big stack will threaten

ther plaers wh’ll realize that i the mess with u, the ma be firting with eliminatin. Als, u

can ard t see mre fps with speculative hands in hpes fpping a disguised pwerhuse.

yur primar gal in the earl part each turnament is t be in gd shape r the middle part

the turnament—I dene that as having mre than 10x CPR r a CSI greater than 10 as explained

previusl. Keep an ee n ur stack and dn’t wait t lng t becme mre active when ur stack

begins t dwindle under a CSI 10. Each ld becmes mre cstl as ur CSI diminishes.

Trapping ith AcesSmene makes a pre-fp raise ahead u and u have aces—nthing is sweeter! But smetimes

u can make it even better b just calling pre-fp and nt re-raising. I ur ppnent hits the fp, he

ma have truble letting g the hand. And in an case, u’ll usuall get anther cntinuatin bet ut

him. The best time t d this is when the raiser is in earl psitin—he’s mre likel t have a real

hand and isn’t just stealing the blinds.

Anther variatin this is t just limp in earl psitin ursel with aces. Then i smene else raises,

u can re-raise r cntinue t trap b just calling. The disadvantage just calling is that u might nt

get the mne in as a avrite. Plus, u’ll have t pla the hand ut psitin. Als, when smene

limps and then re-raises, the rst thing the ther plaers will think is, “oh, he’s gt aces r kings.”

A reall sneak pla is t take advantage that assumptin and tr the limp-re-raise with ther hands,

such as AK, 55, r 65s. The’ll naturall put u n a pwerul hand and u can pick up a lt pts,

either bere r ater the fp.

The Short-Stack LureImagine this scenari. yur ppnent has a CSI smewhere in the range 8 t 12 and u have him

cvered. He makes a nrmal-sized raise in late psitin and u’re in the blinds with a pwerul hand

such as AA r KK. I u re-raise, essentiall putting him all-in, he’ll requentl ld a weak hand with

which he was just tring t steal the blinds. Hwever, i u just call pre-fp and check n the fp, he’ll

requentl tr t c-bet (ten all-in) , even when he missed the fp. This allws u t cllect all his

chips when he tries t blu .

Some Poker wisdomAphorism #1: “You can’t in a tournament in the rst hour… but you can lose it!”

The reasn that it’s nt pssible t win the turnament right awa is the simple practical limitatin

that i 210 plaers enter an event, nl nine ppnents are l ikel t be at ur table. Even i uculd smehw eliminate all nine ppnents n the ver rst hand the event, u’d still have 200

ppnents let that u’d have t vercme. o curse, u’d have an enrmus chip lead, but there

wuld be man hurs and man decisins ahead u. B the time the nal table arrives, ur success

at ur rst table will mean relativel little. yu’ll have less than hal the chips needed t have an

average stack at the nal table.

Lking at the ther side the cin, u culd be ne thse nine plaers that gets eliminated n

hand 1. In this case, ur turnament is bviusl ver, hence the aphrism. Man tp plaers have

suered the ignmin deeat n hand 1 in sme big event r anther. I escaped this ccurrence r

man ears, but while writing this bk, it happened. I fpped tp 2-pair and was stacked b a set n

the ver rst hand the pening event the Victrian Champinships at Crwn Casin in Melburne.

Sometimes it’sbetter to just callpre-fop against a

short stack as alot o players ill

push regardless

o the fop.




Understanding prbabilities helps sten the blw. I it happens t u, dn’t let it bther u t much.

Sme plaer that u’ve never seen bere ma mve all-in n the rst hand the main event the

Wrld Series Pker and u lk dwn at the best pssible starting hand in hld ’em —AA. Calling

here is alwas crrect. on average, u’ll duble up ur starting stack mre than 4 ut 5 times and

get t a fing start, but u’ll still lse smetimes. Thse 1-in-5 chances d hit abut 20% the

time (unn hw that wrks) , and there’s nthing u can d abut it , ther than t unders tand the

prbabilities, grin, and mve n.

Aphorism #2 : “In order to live… you have to be illing to die.”

This great qute abut turnament pker is attributed t pker pr and WSoP bracelet winner, Dr. Max

Stern. yu must vercme ur ear perishing and put ur chips, all them, int the pt i that’s the

right pla. Fearlessness is a huge asset in NLHE. Man times plaers tell me hw the “knew” that i

the pushed in a certain si tuatin, their ppnent culdn’t have called, but the didn’t have the curage

t d s. This is an area where the best in the game excel. I the smell weakness, the’ll put enrmus

pressure n their ppnent, rcing him t ld. Cnversel, i a plaer’s bets dn’t add up and the

think he’s blung, the ’ll r isk ever thing n the strength their cnvictin. Plaers wh run scared

generall can’t win pker turnaments.

Aphorism #3 : “It takes a stronger hand to call a raise than to make a raise.”

This adage can be prven mathematicall. Let’s sa u nl have sucient chips remaining t pla7 rbits arund the table (CSI-7). Let’s urther assume that ur ppnent is an IBM supercmputer

and plas perectl. What percentage hands shuld u mve in with and what percentage hands

shuld the cmputer ptimall call with? The crrect answer is r u t mve in with the tp 57%

all hands and r the cmputer t call with 36% the hands. I either u r the cmputer deviates

rm this, u’d be giving up equit. Detailed discussins situatins such as this g ar bend the

scpe this bk, but are discussed in detail in Kill Everyone.

THE FIRST FEw LEVELS IN A MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENT

yur missin is t accumulate chips and it’s much easier t get ur chips rm inexperienced plaers

nw than it will be tr t pr them lse rm Phil Ive, Patrik Antnius, r an Internet-turnament

wunderkind later n. S hw can this be dne?

Play Hands That Can win Big PotsLk r hands that can becme mnsters and win big pts i u hit the fp, while csting u precius

litt le i u miss. our bjective is t tr t make sets, fushes (especiall nut fushes), and straights, as

these tpes hands have the ptential t stack an ppnent, while hands such as a pair dn’t.

Try to Flop a SetSmall t medium pairs als pla easil earl n. Here u’re tring t fp a set. Remember, when u

have nl 1 in ur hand and 2 are n the bard, that’s knwn as trips and isn’t a set. When u start

with 4c 4d, smetimes u’ll make a pwerul ull hidden hand n a fp, such as 9h 4s 2s, where u

might well bust a plaer with an verpair r even a hand such as A9. on the ther hand, i u miss the

fp entirel, r example Ah Ks Jc, it’s eas t muck the pcket 4s when aced with a bet and mve n.

I’ll give u a practical example. yu start an nline turnament with 2,000 in chips and the blinds are

10/20; ur CSI is ver 66 ! A plaer in rst psitin (UTG) makes a standard raise t 60 and it ’s passed

arund t u n the buttn. Accrding t the Rule 2 t 9, u can pla r up t 4% ur chips

with 44. With nl the blinds let t act and given the act that the raiser has shwn strength b raising

under-the-gun, u dubt that either blind will re-raise, s u call r 3% ur stack. At this pint

u’re hping—na, u’re praing—that the raiser has AA r KK. Wh? Because i u fp a set u

can bust him, and all he can win rm u is that measl 60 that’s alread in the pt. I u dn’t fp a

set, adis! I he has AK r AQ and desn’t make a pair, u wn’t stack him when u fp a set, but u

ma cllect sme mre lt i he tries t blu.

In order to live…you have to beilling to die.You have to beilling to put allyour chips at riski that’s the right

play or you illnever in.




Sa the fp cmes Qh 4s 2s. Perect! Nw beside aces and kings, i he has AQ he’s like a at man n

a thin limb! I he’s gt AA , KK, r AQ, hw can he release it? yu’ve invested 60 t win 2,00 0. Nte

that even i the fp cmes with all lw cards, but wi thut a 4, such as 7h 5s 2d, u shuld ld i ur

ppnent bets. I a single ppnent checks t u, hwever, g ahead and make ne, and nl ne, bet.

Playing Suited AcesFlushes, especiall ace-high fushes knwn as “ nut” fushes, are ver pwerul hands in NLHE.

With As 5s, u can make a fush much easier than with Ac Qd. Because this ptential, earl in the

turnament I ’d rather have the weaker A5s than the AQ . This might seem cunterintuitive at rst ,

because s man times u’re taught t pla big cards—and I’m nt saing that u shuld thrw

ur big cards awa. I’m merel suggesting that the smewhat mre speculative hands such as A5s

are mre valuable in certain deep stack situatins. The A5s is less likel t get u in truble than the

AQ when the blinds are small. AQ is dminated b AK, a hand virtuall all plaers will pla. When u

tangle wit h AK and an ace fps, u’re in a wrld wrr. yu ma think u’ve gt t gd a hand t

ld, even in the ace heated betting rm ur ppnent. Bere u knw it, u ma becme pt-

cmmitted and get busted.

A5s is much easier t ld under pressure. I u’re plaing prperl, u wn’t lse a big pt with A5s,

but u can win a big ne. Besides pssibl fpping the nut fush, u culd make a well-disguised

small straight i a 234 hits the bard. Als, a fp such as Ah 5h 2c will lk inncuus t an ppnenthlding AK and u might be able t get all his chips. A fp Ah Qh 2c, n the ther hand, will lk

much mre threatening t an ppnent hlding AK, especiall i the betting gets ast and urius. The

A5 is mre deceptive.

With As 5s u als have the ptential fpping a big draw. A fp such as Ah 4s 2s gives u a pair

aces, plus the nut fush draw and a gutsht straight draw. I ur ppnent has AK, he’s ahead r the

mment, but is an underdg t win the hand ater all 5 cards have been dealt. yu’ll win i an the 9

remaining spades r an 3 shw up. Since u’ve alread cunted the 3 spades, add 3 mre winners.

yu’ll als win whenever ne the three remaining 5s cmes (unless a king cmes as well). With 15

prbable winners and 2 cards et t cme, u’re abut a 6-t-5 avrite t prevail. This is the tpe

hand that calls r aggressin. Bet the fp and i ur ppnent raises, mve in! yu ma win the pt

right then, but even i he calls, ur chances winning are better than his (see Fld Equit).

Playing Suited ConnectorsMving dwn the ladder we arrive at suited cnnectrs. These have value, because when the stacks

are deep, u’ll use them t make a big well-disguised hand and stack ur ppnent. Smetimes, it’s

oK t risk ur entire stack withut a made hand, s lng as u’re the ne ding the betting r raising.

When u risk ur entire stack n a draw, u usuall want t d s n the fp when there are tw

cards et t cme and u might pssibl be the avrite even when called. With nl ne card t cme,

an draw will be a substantial underdg. yu have ld equit wrking r u and i u take a ve-wa

fp with 8c7c and it cmes 9c6s4c, r 8d 6c 5h, r Jc 8s 2c, etc., then mving in is ten the best chice.

Nte that in these examples, u have mre than the nrmal 9 uts u’ d have with a fush draw.

The mre uts u have, the mre willing u shuld be t mve all-in n the fp rather than checking

and calling a small bet r lding t a big ne. Furthermre, pla nl the suited cnnectrs. I ur

cnnectrs aren’t suited, the wn’t be able t make enugh big hands t be prtable.

I u chse nt t mve all-in and check instead, u’ll mst likel be acing a bet at sme pint. yu’ll

want t call nl i the bet is small cmpared with the size the pt (hal the pt r less) and a urther

raise b anther ppnent is unlikel. Base ur call n the pt dds and implied dds (see page X and y).

I u dn’t fp a straight draw, fush draw, r 2-pair, check and ld ur suited cnnectrs pst-fp.

In the earl ging be careul with hands that might win a small pt, but lse a big ne. Cnversel, risk a

small percentage ur chips n hands that ma lse a small pt, but ma win a big ne!

Suited Aces area good hand totry and in big

pots ith in theearly stages asthey can make

the nuts.




1. Understand ho your table image appears to others at various times and learn ho to take

advantage o it.

2. It takes a stronger hand to call a raise than it does to make a raise.

3. In the early going, try to in big pots by taking fops cheaply ith speculative hands, but be

ary o hands that may in a small pot but lose a huge one.4. Remember to keep old equity on your side, henever possible.




84 Chapter 18 Middle Stages

CHAPTER 18

STAGE 3MIDDLE STAGES (wITH ANTES)

The antes have begun. Nw the turnament gets a lt mre serius. The CSI is lwer, rcing u

t pla r perish. “Hw d u get mre chips?” Lk t ur right . That’s exactl where ur next

inusin chips is likel t cme rm—the plaer n ur right r n his right. I u have a passive

plaer n ur let, perhaps he’ll als make a signicant cntributin t ur stack.

Chips Flo around the Table in a Clockise FashionChips tend t fw in a circle arund the table in a clckwise mtin. Wh? Simpl put, plaers seated

n the let have psitin and wield the threat urther actin ver thse plaers n their right. I

u had a chice abut where t sit at the table, u’d alwas pt t be behind the lse- aggressive

plaers, with the tight-passives n ur let. This is the tried-and-true rmula r success in pker

and thse wh tell u therwise are n their wn ver strange vages. S lk t the right t see

wh’s likel t back dwn and wh u can requentl bull b raising r re-raising; lk t the let t

determine i he’s timid and whether u can steal rm him. I s, raise nearl ever time u’re in the

small blind and he’s in the big blind when everne else has lded, regardless ur hand.

Action in the Late PositionsIt’s pssible r u t have a ke cnrntatin rm an psitin, curse, but mst likel u’ll be

in ne the last ve psitins when u mve all-in and risk ur entire turnament lie. Thse ve

psitins (start ing tw t the right the buttn and cntinuing in a clckwise directin) are called the

hijack, the cut, the buttn, the small blind, and the big blind. A lt times smene in the hijack, the

cut, r the buttn brings it in r a raise with medicre hands, hping t take the pt dwn right awa

withut a cnrntatin—the have nl ur r ewer plaers t beat, s their hand requirements are

much weaker than r smene wh ma have raised rm an earlier psitin. years ag, this tactic was

quite successul, since the’d nl be re-raised i smene in the ew spts behind them picked up a

premium hand. In the mdern game, hwever, the range hands used t re-raise a late psitin raiser

has expanded greatl.

The Simple All-in Steal

When ur CSI is 7 r less, ur nl actins are all-in r ld. Man times when everne lds t u,u’ll have a chance t push and pick up the blinds. Stealing blinds is immensel prtable, since mst

plaers dn’t call as ten as the shuld. In act, smetimes it’s right t steal s ten that here I’m

adding 3 mre categries, with weaker hands, that u shuld nl cnsider plaing when stealing r

re-stealing the blinds.

Categr 9: K2-K7s, K5-K8, Q3-Q7s, Q9, J6-J8s, J8-J9, T5-T7s, T8, 95-96s, 85s, 74s

Categr 10: K2-K4, Q2s, Q2-Q8, J2-J5s, J4-J7, T2-T4s, T6-T7, 93-94s, 96-97, 84s, 86, 43s

Categr 11: Everthing else, even 72, the wrst hand in hld ‘em!

The llwing table is m estimate the hands with which the big blind is likel t call u, depending

n hw big ur stack is and the psitin u raised rm. This is bviusl a rund estimate, using ur

dened-hand categries, but I believe it’s reasnable.

The mostimportant playersto understand arethose in the threeseats to your let

as you ill belooking to steal

their blinds.



85Chapter 18 Middle Stages

Assumed Calling Requirement or Big Blind Based on Your Position

Pusher’s CSI

P u s h e r ’ s

P o s i t i o n

7 6 5 4 3

SB Category 5 Category 6 Category 6 Category 6 Category 8

Button Category 4 Category 5 Category 5 Category 6 Category 7

CO Category 4 Category 4 Category 5 Category 5 Category 6

2-4 o button Category 3 Category 4 Category 4 Category 5 Category 6


Plaers besides the big blind will call less requentl than the categries given. I these calling

assumptins are true, then an ptimal strateg can be calculated t determine which hands t steal

the blinds with. The details these calculatins are bend the scpe this text, but the resul ts shw

that i ur ppnent s call this ten, u can push quite a lt! The table belw shws hw ten u

can push.

Best Pushes Against Previously Assumed Calling Requirement

Pusher’s CSI

P u s h e r ’ s P o s i t i o n

7 6 5 4 3






As u can see, when it’s lded t u in late psitin, u have a prime pprtunit t take the

blinds. onl a ew plaers have a chance t call u and the usuall dn’t call ten enugh t make

it incrrect r u t push with garbage. Smetimes it can be quite scar t see tw lw cards, then

drag the slide bar ver t the right and press raise. But nce u d it a number times, the ear

wears —just remember, the can’t see ur cards and have n idea u aren’t pushing with AK.

T be successul at turnament pker, u’ve gt t be willing t g brke, prviding u’re making

mathematicall sund and aggressive decisins.

Nw smetimes u’ll get called and mst likel it will be b a strng hand. That’s ka. yu still have

a chance t get luck. I u win, there’s sme gd and bad news. The gd news is that u’re still

in the turnament and u’ve nw dubled up. The bad news is that the whle table has seen that u

pushed with a weak hand. The’ll prbabl start calling mre requentl and wn’t let u get awa

with it as much. That means u’ll have t ease up n the thrttle just a bit.

S i the table knws u’re a thie ater seeing u shw dwn a sub-par hand (r suspects it since

u’ve been raising a lt in the last several hands), push nl with the llwing hands:

Once people seeyou steal a etimes – even i

you actually hadgood cards – theyill start to callmore so you mayneed to tightenup a little.




Best Pushes Against More Frequent Callers

P u s h e r

’ s P o s i t i o n

Pusher’s CSI

7 6 5 4 3






Tning dwn ur aggressin just a bit shws everne that u d ccasinall ld, and prevents u

rm having t ace a shwdwn with the abslute wrst hands.

What i u’re n the ther side and it’s a shrt stack pushing against u? one the things u shuld

nt d is assume he’s pushing as much as I recmmend here. Almst nbd des. As we saw in

Chapter 8, the less ten he’s pushing, the tighter we have t be in calling. Actuall, the assumptins we

made r hw ten peple call is prbabl a gd recmmendatin r when t call the tpical plaer.That requenc is abut right when peple aren’t pushing ver ten.

And what i u suspect that smene at ur table is an inveterate blind stealer and he keeps ging

ater ur big blind? Mabe u’ve seen him raise nearl ever time he’s in late psitin, r perhaps

u’ve seen him shw dwn a cuple weak hands. Mabe he’s even read this bk! I that’s the case,

u need t call him mre ten t punish and discurage his rampant stealing. I u cntinue t ld

meekl, that’s all the mre incentive r him t keep stealing. I recmmend u call this ten:

Calling Criteria Against Very Aggressive Players

P u s h e r ’ s P o s i t i o n

Pusher’s CSI

7 6 5 4 3






Naturall, plaers have dierent degrees aggressiveness between passive and ull speed ahead.Depending n ur evaluatin his level aggressin, the right hand t call him with ma lie between

this table and the deault calling strateg in the rst chart abve.

The Re-stealCurrentl, i u make a raise rm ne these late psitins, ten an aggressive plaer, smelling

weakness and still t act rm ne the blinds, will re-raise (re-steal) b making a raise that threatens

all ur chips! He knws that u’ll have t like ur hand a lt t call when ur turnament lie is n

the line. What tpe hand might he have in rder t make this large re-raise r all-in maneuver? Well ,

i he’s cndent enugh in his read, he desn’t even need t lk at his cards, as tw napkins will d! I

he’s cnvinced, r example, that u need at least a pair nines r better, AK, r AQ t call, hands that

man slid ld-schl plaers wuld require, it’s usuall crrect r him t push with an 2 cards!

Most shortstacks do notpush as much

as I recommendso you ill needbetter hands to

call someoneelse’s push thanto push yoursel.




This ma make u understandabl uncmrtable, r as pker-pr mve-in specialist Ht Crkins

aptl puts it, he “likes t have a little pp when he puts it all in.” I u eel mre cmrtable with a

mdicum value, as Crkins sas he des, u can use the llwing guidelines r re-raising: AK, AQ,

AJ, AT, A9, A8, KQ, KJ, KT, K9, QJ, QT, Q9, JT, J9, (19, r greater pints in blackjack), an pair, and suited

cnnectrs dwn t 54 suited. yu’re still reling n ld equit, but u’ve gt a all back psitin, i

called. Smetimes u’ll run int a bigger hand r even get called b a hand that dminates u. yu ma

have ne cmmn card and be behind n the ther ne, such as KJ versus AK. That’s pker! yu can’t

win ‘em all. yu gave ursel a chance t win and that’s what this game is all abut. I u’re lking

r certaint, take up chess. In pker, i u sta aggressive and take calculated psitive EV risks, u’ll

eventuall get the mne. It’s as simple as that. Timid plaers, hwever, get lst in the shufe.

I the she’s n the ther t and u’re getting re-raised b the blinds when u steal-raise rm late

psitin, u’ll have t make a stand at sme pint t stp this undesirable behavir. Hw strng a hand

des he need t re-raise? Weigh this against ur pt dds when cnsidering a call. This is ver similar

t what we did in Chapter 8 r SNGs. Mst situatins in MT Ts have lw bubble eects cmpared t

SNGs. S put him n a range and call accrding t this table:

Calling All-In Recommendations or Most Tournament Situations

All-In Pot Odds

2.0-to-1 1.8-to-1 1.6-to-1 1.4-to-1 1.2-to-1 1.0-to-1

O p p o n e n t ’ s

R a i s i n g R a n g e

Category 1 Categor y 1 Category 1 Category 1 Category 1 Category 1 Category 1

Category 2 Category 2 Category 2 Categor y 2 Categor y 1 Category 1 Categor y 1

Category 3 Category 3 Category 3 Category 2 Category 2 Category 2 Category 1






Category 9 Category 9 Categor y 9 Categor y 8 Category 7 Category 6 Category 6



As the bubble appraches, we’ll adjust these calling standards, as discussed in the next chapter.

Blinds are 100/20 0 ith a 25 ante or a star ting pot o 525. A very aggressive player in mid-

position raises to 700. You have a stack o 2,000 on the button and are considering moving all-in.

Ho strong do you need to be? I you push, you’ll be giving him 3,225-to-1,300 or almost 2.5-to-1.

That’s enough or him to call ith anything, so you have no old equity. But your pot odds aren’t

as high. You should calculate them as i he raised to 2,000, putting you all-in rom the start .

That’s 2,525-to-2, 000 or a bit over 1.2-to-1. A very aggressive player rom mid-position is probably

raising ith Category 6 hands. That means you need a Category 4 hand (AJs+, KQs +, 77+) to move

in. I he’ s a tighter player, raising only Category 4 hands, you’ll need a Category 2 to move in.

Example

The bubbleeects in mostMTTs are muchloer thanor SNGs




To Negatives Can Make a PositiveWhat makes this pla (the re-steal) s valuable is that it labels u as earless and willing t risk it

all. Believe me when I tell u that pressinal plaers will hate this situatin (I sure d) and, i the

see this mve a cuple times, the’ll give u a wide berth. The pr will prbabl put u int the

“maniac” categr and wn’t want t dance with u unless he’s gt a mnster. Phil Hellmuth is amus

r laing dwn hands where he thinks he’s a 3-t-2 avrite earl in turnaments, whereas I’m telling

u t put all ur chips in when u might be an underdg mathematicall!

There are several reasns r this, but the mst imprtant is ld equit. When u mve all-in and

there’s a 25% chance that ur ppnent will thrw awa a bet ter hand than u, suddenl a hand

that ’s nl 45% t win, i the hand is plaed ut, has psit ive EV. Cmbining the mne wn when ur

ppnent lds with what u’ll win when ur hand prevails makes the verall return prtable, even

i ur ppnent calls 75% the time and is a avrite when he des s. This is cunterintuitive and

dicult r sme t grasp, but it’s accurate. Fld equit is a pwerul all.

In 2007 a gd ung plaer ging t the nal table in a majr event in Asia, withut a dminating chip

psitin, cnded t me that the rst time the plaer n his right raised, he intended t mve all-in

withut lking at his cards! He’d pretend t lk, but wuldn’t, s that he culdn’t give anthing awa

i scrutinized. He did just that and his ppnent lded! The next time the plaer n his right raised, he

mved all-in again! Successul again, he’d nw gained respect rm the entire table, as well as greatlincreasing his stack, and he culd nw pla pker. He’d becme the table captain b demnstrating

that he was will ing t mve all-in, risking ever thing t win. Cautiusl mving up the paut ladder

was clearl nt part his game plan. This is the tpe plaer wh thers with a lw tlerance r

ambiguit want n part , including mst pressinals. He was eared b everne, but especiall b

thse plaers wh were n his right, as he might cme ver the tp, even all-in, at an mment, when

the brught i t in r a raise. His ppnents became deensive, ear ul, and ar mre select ive in their

hand selectin bere getting invlved. Reducing the aggressiveness and increasing the predictabilit

ur ppnents’ actins are valuable assets at the nal table. yu can read mre abut this cncept,

which I’ve dubbed “Fear Equit,” in Kill Everyone.

Antes Have Started—Steal!When antes are added t the blinds, the dnamics change. Nt nl des it cst mre t pla

each rund (increased CPR), but beginning pts are nw juicier and ripe r the picking. Earl in

the turnament the blinds were pun and nt that meaningul. Nw the ’re wrth stealing. I ur

ppnents are timid and scared u, steal them blind!

Enter Pots ith a RaiseOnce the antes start , i you’re rst in, alays enter the pot ith a raise. Dn’t limp in. Find the minimum

amunt u must raise t get them t ld. Usuall this is abut 3 times the big blind, but smetimes at

tight tables even as lit tle as twice the big blind is su cient t pick up pts pre-fp. Plaers such as

Antni “The Magician” Esandiari raises just under 3 big blinds rm an psitin with a wide variet

hands. With blinds 200 /40 0 and a 50 ante (1,050 in pt 9 -handed), he might make it 1,100 t g. I

everne lds, as the ten will, he’s gtten virtuall a 100% return n his 1,100 investment. I he gets

called, he still has the pprtunit t fp a big hand r t utpla his ppnents. B making the same

size raise with bth his strng hands and his speculative nes, it’s impssible r his ppnents t

evaluate the strength his hand based n the size his raise. I he gets re-raised, he’ll ld his weaker

hldings, but re-raise with his strnger nes.

When u raise rm ne the steal psitins (hijack, cut, r but tn), u shuld knw in advance

what u intend t d i u get re-raised. Cnsider nt nl ur actin, but als the mst likel

reactin, bere u put ur rst raise int the pt. I’ve seen Chris “Jesus” Fergusn raise rm late

psitin, get re-raised, and call with marginal hands such as KT suit, J8 suited, 55, etc. Wh? He

wants t indelibl inscribe the idea int his ppnents’ minds that i the re-raise him, the will get

called. This puts them n ntice—re-steal at ur peril. once plaers believe that their ld equit has

been cmprmised and the’re likel t get called, the’ll usuall nl re-raise with sund values. When

As a rule othumb it’s not

orth stealingthe blinds untilthe antes start.




the get called the must pla the hand ut psit in, a daunting prspect when the have a weak

hand against an aggressive plaer.

The Mini-RaiseMan plaers lath getting mini-raised and are requentl unsure hw t deal with it. Mini-raising is

making the minimum raise, just duble the amunt a bet. I dn’t recmmend mini-raising pre-fp

(except when heads-up), but pst-fp it can be a cheap and pwerul weapn. I u start mini-raising,

I recmmend that u d it bth with pwerul hands and big draws. I u nl d it with ne r the

ther, ur ppnents ma be taking ntes—u take ntes, dn’t u?

When lw-level plaers mini-raise, it’s almst alwas a pwerul hand, requentl a set. But high-level

plaers d it with pwerul hands, gd draws, r nthing at all. It smetimes is used, in cmbinatin

with a turn bet, t pick cntinuatins bets. Fr example, he bets n the fp, u mini-raise, and he

fat calls. on the turn, he checks, u bet, and he lds i all he has is vercards. yu dn’t necessaril

have t have a hand—u just have t hpe he desn’t have ne.

This mve practicall rces the riginal bettr t make a decisin n the fp i he wants t cntinue

with the hand. I u want t tr this mve as a blu, the best time is when the fp cmes up lw cards.

A c-bettr with vercards will have a dicult time. I hate being mini-raised even when I have a strng

hand, such as tp pair, because i I’m behind I have ver little chance t imprve.

Mini-raises have multiple uses, but the basic idea behind them is that when u have a strng hand, u

want t er ur ppnent tast pt-dds s he’ll be tempted t pla n. This wa, u can perhaps

suck mre mne ut later in the hand. Aces pre-fp r a set pst-fp are the usual candidates r

mini-raises. At least that’s hw it used t be. These das it ten means that the threat ne thse

hands allws the mini-raiser t steal pts with a large range hands. There are a lt psitive

reasns t make that mini-raise!

Committed to the PotAs we discussed in the sectin n sit-n-g’s, i u put 1/3 ur chips r greater int the pt, u’re

cmmitted t pla the hand thrugh. Flding is n lnger a viable ptin. I u’re acing a bet r raise

that wil l create this si tuatin i called, decide i u’re willing t g all the wa with this hand prir t

calling. This same principle applies t ur ppnent. I he makes a bet that cmmits 1/3 his chips

r greater, assume he’ll call u i u push all-in. In ther wrds, ur ld equit is clse t zer. Pla

smart, plan ahead, and act accrdingl.

Value-Bettingon the river bet tp pair/tp kicker r better, i ur ppnents haven’t shwn an aggressin. This is a

bet r value, as man ppnents will call u t the river with secnd pair r even wrse. I the turn r

river cmpleted an bvius draws, u shuld be mre careul, especiall i the cme ut betting. An

ppnent wh checks t u likel didn’t cmplete a draw—usuall i he makes it, he can’t help but bet.

I u’ve been the ne shwing strength n the fp and turn, he’ll need a gd hand t bet n the river,

mst likel 2-pair r better. one pair is prbabl n gd, nt even tp pair. I u have 2-pair r better,

u can usuall value-bet the river mst the time, unless the bard is ver scar (like 4 cards t a

fush r straight).

Continuation BetsAnther cncept we discussed in the SNG sectin is the cntinuatin r c-bet. C-bets are mre

prevalent in MT Ts than SNGs. In act, based n the extrardinar (and well-deserved) ppularit the

Harringtn n Hld ’em series bks, c-bets have nw becme the nrm, rather than the exceptin.

Having said this, it’s still crrect t bet n the fp the majrit the time, i u raised pre-fp. I

ur ppnent has tw unpaired cards, he wn’t hit the fp 2/3 the time, s a bet will ten win i

ur ppnent has missed. A c-bet is reall betting that ur ppnent has missed the fp and can’t

I your opponentsput 1/3 o theirchips in, they

are probably potcommitted soassume you aregoing to see ashodon.




call. Because 50% the pt is the published standard r c-bets, I suggest betting 70% the pt, s

it lks mre like a value bet than a c-bet. Even thugh this lks less like a c-bet, innvative (ten

ung) ppnents ma be suspicius and will either raise t see whether r nt u have a real hand r

call t see what u’ll d n the turn. Depending n what tpe plaer u’re up against, u’ll ten

have t either bet again r check and ld, i the bet.

Betting Tactics Ater the Flopon the turn u shuld pla similarl t the wa u plaed n the fp. I u still have tp pair r better,

make a pt-sized bet i it’s checked t u. I u had an verpair n the fp, but an vercard cmes n

the turn, dn’t autmat icall give up the hand. Bet i it ’s checked t u, but ld i he bets rst r raises

u. I he calls again n the turn when u have an underpair, check n the river and ld i he bets.

With tp pair, i u were called n the fp and the turn card cmpletes an bvius draw, cnsider

lding i he bets r raises.

Pot ControlSuppse u have AA in middle psitin and u’re the secnd biggest stack at ur table with 42,000

chips and blinds and antes 200 /40 0/ 50. yu raise t 1,200 and get called b the table leader in the

big blind with 50,000 chips. The fp cmes 862 rainbw. He checks, u bet 1,000, and he calls (pt =

3,250). The turn is a 9. He checks again. Nw what? yu shuld check. yur ppnent has sucient

chips t bust u and he called n the fp. Nw a pssible straight card has cme. Bere acting, ushuld cnsider what u’ll d i he raises. yu culd bet arund 2,000 and see what he des, but u’ll

hate it i he nw puts in a big raise, representing a hand that’s better than urs (straight, set , 2-pair).

B checking u keep the pt small and avid pssibl being aced with a dicult decisin r all ur

chips. when you’re either ell in ront or ay behind, it makes sense to control the sie o the pot,

keeping it small. yu’ve increased the chance that ur ppnent will make a better hand n the river,

but even i this happens he’s unlikel t mve all-in. Frm his perspective, ur hand appears t be

smething such as AK r AQ and he’s likel t make a smallish bet in hpes getting paid , i he’s gt

a hand that beats u. yur check n the turn als gives u the pprtunit t pick a blu n the

river. Call i he makes a reasnable (up t pt-sized) bet.

I he checks again n the river, u can bet arund 75% the pt. Given this sequence bets, ver

ew plaers will check again with a hand that beats ur AA, s i u’re checked t n the river u

can make a value bet almst withut an thught being beaten. As u see, checking n the turn is

actuall a clever pla that ten gains u mre chips, while keeping the pt under cntrl and csting

u less when u’re beaten.

I ur ppnent had 5,00 0 instead 50,000 it’s a dierent str. All -in, bab!

1. The natural fo o chips around the table is clockise.

2. Stealing and re-stealing occur predominately rom late position and are more prevalent once

the antes commence. You can loosen your standards or stealing and calling aggressive re-

stealers. when you need chips, consider re-raising all-in against an aggressive blind stealer.

3. You can have positive EV even hen your all-in bet is called the majority o the time and

you’re an underdog hen called.

4. Mini-raising both ith very strong hands and dras can be an eective tactic.

5. Control the sie o the pot hen you’re either ay ahead or ay behind.


Although you

can usually oldhen a dracomes on the

turn, be aarethat smart

aggressiveplayers ill otencall the fop ith

nothing hopingto take the pot

aay i a scarecard comes.



91Chapter 19 Approaching The Money

CHAPTER 19

STAGE 4APPROACHING THE MONEY

The BubbleIn SNGs the bubble is when nl ne mre plaer needs t be eliminated r the remaining three t

make the mne. In large turnaments with mre than 500 entrants, an extended bubble begins at the

table bere the mne. S i the turnament pas 45 spts, rm 54 t 46 is the extended bubble . I i t

pas 100 spts, then 109 t 101 is the extended bubble, et cetera.

Althugh technicall the bubble is still dened as ne rm the mne in MTTs as well as in SNGs, in

the mdern game with big elds it desn’t adequatel address the pressure plaers are under when

their gal is t get t the mne. online, u run int plaers wh’ve wn satellites and wh’re nl

interested in making the mne, s the pla exceedingl cnservativel and slwl. The same thing

can happen in bricks-and-mrtar events, curse, but smehw having the annmit nl a

screen name gives sme plaers mre curage. In persn the have t pretend n ever hand t be

interested in what the hld, ar harder r them t d. Ultimatel, i the’re blatant enugh abut what

the’re ding, the can be warned r penalized. In sme extreme cases, the’ve even caused the rules

t be changed s that the plaing eld is mre level .

Hand or HandAs a gd example this, several ears ag a plaer rm Las Vegas/oklahma used t sit r man

minutes while “deciding” what t d, while ther tables cntinued t pla hands. This resulted in

the hand-r-hand rule that ’s nw implemented ne spt rm the mne in mst turnaments. This

requires all tables still plaing t cmplete each hand bere the next hand is dealt. This is seldm

applied t mre than ne spt rm the mne, thus unrtunatel allwing the angle-shter t stall

when tw rm the mne. online, this is less a prblem; the plaers are alwas n a clck, which

begins t tick abut 15 secnds ater the actin mves t a plaer. The can, curse, use their ull 15-

secnd alltment withut lsing an time rm their extra-time clck and sme plaers will d s ever

hand. The turnament clck that determines when the blinds and antes g up keeps ticking, s ewer

hands are usuall plaed near the bubble.

Deep Stacked … or Noto curse, there’s a big dierence in turnaments: In deep-stack events, u have time t select ur

situatins, hands, and plas. oten, these are multi-da events. In the tpical “ast” structure used n

the Internet r in smaller bu-in bricks-and-mrtar events, u ma be rced t “push and pra,” as

the ten sa in the trade. In ei ther case, I strngl suggest that u use CPR and CSI t decide where

u stand and what actin u shuld take.

Playing Aggressively on the BubbleSince man plaers tighten up n the bubble, sme plaers take advantage this situatin b plaing

ver aggressivel. At the 2007 Aussie Millins I was at the table with Patrik Antnius at this stage

(ne rm the mne) and he raised ever single hand! N ne challenged him r smething like 13

The bubble ishere pros gaina lot o theirexpectation asthey aren’t araidto play veryaggressively.



92 Chapter 19 Approaching The Money

cnsecutive hands. Phil Hellmuth has als been knwn t raise ever hand. In the Main Event the

Aussie Millins several ears back, I raised abut 2/3 the time during an extended bubble perid,

ging rm a shrt stack t chip leader. This is a time when aggressive prs g t wrk!

The Psychology o the BubbleWhen the smell mne appraches, mst plaers begin dividing themselves int tw camps:

1. Thse wh are tring t hld n and make it t the mne.

2. Thse wh have their sights n the tp prizes.

Plaers in the rst camp will tighten up, ten t an extreme, and never get invlved withut a premium

hand. Medium and shrt stacks (as lng as the’re nt extremel shrt) are mre likel t want t avid

cnrntatin. Als, i this is a big turnament, especiall i lts peple earned their bu-ins thrugh

a satellite, u’ll see mre plaers tring t hld n r a pada that ma be huge cmpared t the

paltr nline-satellite bu-in that gt them there. Pla is much tighter n the bubble the WSoP Main

Event than in a $5 turnament nline.

In the 2006 Aussie Millins that I went n t win, with 53 plus plaers let Phil Ive asked hw much

48th paid (the lwest spt that paid mne). He asked this with a straight ace, even thugh he clearl

culdn’t have cared less, having abut the 5th biggest remaining stack and risking ar greater amuntsnearl ever hand in his everda cash games. Wh did he ask this questin, which he repeated again

as we lst mre plaers? I therize that he wanted t make sure that the ther plaers at the table knew

the were appraching the mne and hw much the were in line t win. He wanted t emphasize

what was at risk, s he culd steal rm them mre reel with his aggressive pla. This wrked r him

r a while, but he went ut abut 50th when he tried t run ver the unbluable Jamil Dia b ring at

the pt wi th all ur barrels (bet ting n ever card) n a cmplete blu . Ive shwed a wil lingness t g

brke in this spt in rder t acquire a muntain chips that culd enable him t win the turnament.

The ke pint t these stries is that as u apprach the mne, the tp cmpetitrs step n the gas

and get even mre aggressive.

Jhn Juanda wrte a magazine article abut raising a lt when u’re near the mne, as it gives an

aggressive plaer the pprtunit t replenish his stack. The deense against this strateg is t re-

raise, but i u decide t stand up t against hper-aggressive plaers, it’s prbabl best t push all-in.

I u just re-raise, be prepared r them t mve in. I the think the can push u the hand and

have signicant ld equit, the wn’t hesitate t pull the trigger!

Avid Re-raising Cnservative Plaers

I strngl recmmend that u dn’t tr t run ver a cnservative plaer wh’d raised r re-raised u

at bubble time. It’s ne thing t stand up t a bull; it’s quite anther t take n a tight plaer. I a tight

plaer raises, r wrse still re-raises, ur AK is a piece Swiss cheese! A re-raise almst certainl

represents AA r KK ; what else wuld be wrth risking his turnament lie?

Examples or Bubble Play in MTTs

You’re our spots rom the money and have Ah 9h in the cuto at an 8-handed table, ith blinds

and antes o 400/800/100 (CPR 2,000) and a stack o 14,800 chips (CSI is around 7.5). The tight-

aggressive (TAG) player UTG raises to 2,800 o a stack o 22,000. what should you do? Pass.

A tight-aggressive player has raised UTG and you’re not desperate ith a CSI o more than 7.

Your A9 suited is probably behind. Even though you have position, it ’s best to old.

Example

Getting to thebubble is a rare

opportunity.Don’t aste it

by playing to getyour money back.




You’re our spots rom the money and have As 9h on the button, ith blinds and antes o

400/ 800/100 and a stack o 14,800. The cuto raises to 2,400, o a stack o 18,000. what do you

do? Move in! You don’t love your hand, but he’s in a steal position and ill give up the pot about

90% o the time, because i he loses it, he’ll be crippled. Even i he calls, you can still in. The

combination o old equity and the chance o inning i you’re called makes this a positive EV play.

You’re our spots rom the money at a 9-handed table and have the Kc Qh on the button ith

blinds and antes o 600/1200/200 (CPR = 3600) and a stack o 52,000 (CSI o about 14.5).

A player raises to 4,000 rom mid-position o a stack o 11,000. what do you do? Pass. You’re

not committed, but he is, and ill call any re-raise. You have no old equit y and probably have

the orst hand. Look or a bet ter spot to invest your money.

You’re our spots rom the money and have Kc Qh on the button ith blinds and antes o

600 /1200 /200 and as stack o 52,000. The player sitting in the hijack seat raises to 3,600 o his

stack o 26,400. The cuto no calls this raise o his stack o 31,000. what do you do? Move in!As I’ve said beore, no-limit isn’t or the aint o heart. This is an ideal situation to make a move.

They both have enough chips to pass and are still likely to make it to the money. I the blinds old

and the raiser has anything besides a top 2% hand (JJ-AA or AK), you’ll probably in 10,800

uncontested. Occasionally, you may get called by a medium pair (66-TT) and be in a “race” as

a small underdog. Even so, i you lose, you’ll s till have chips let. Occasionally, you’ll run into a

hand that dominates you, such as AK. Even i that happens, you can get lucky. Don’t let ear o the

orst scenarios keep you rom making the right play.

Calling All-in Raises Near the BubbleAs I’ve been saing, mst plaers tighten up t much near the bubble. Sme tightening up is called

r, but nt as much as u might think. During the table bere the mne, I suggest u tighten ur

calling requirements b 1 categr. I u’d nrmall call with a Categr 4 hand, call with Categr 3

nw. I u have mre than an average stack and are cntemplating an all-in r at least 80% ur

chips, tighten up anther categr. Since s man plaers are mre reluctant t push near the bubble,

u might be acing a strnger than nrmal raising hand.

Fr ver large eld turnaments, tighten this wa during the table bere the nal table as well. In man

big turnaments, the “nal table bubble” can be even mre signicant than the mne bubble. This is

especiall true in the WSoP Main Event, where making the nal TV table is a particularl big deal.

Learning rom Your MistakesWe all make mistakes in turnaments. In ever turnament I pla in, I lk back and realize that

I’ve blundered. T cntinue develping as a plaer, I tr t be brutall hnest with msel in pst-

turnament intrspectin. I I dn’t recgnize that I ’ve erred and instead chse t cmplain abut m

“bad luck” r tr t justi a wrng decisin, I’m hurting m grwth as a plaer. It’s incredibl hard t

pla reall well and mst mistakes g unnticed at the time. Remember them and tr nt t make the

same mistake twice.

Mistakes cme in varing guises. In a turnament in which I recentl nished urth and nl the

tp three places were paid, I made a mistake b nt heeding the paut structure clsel enugh.

First paid $50,000; secnd $30,000 and third $20,000; urth paid nthing. Unlike mst turnaments,

the jump between urth and third was as big as an ther step and twice that the dierence

between third and secnd. Additinall, it was clear t bth msel and m ppnents, wh plaed in a

Becausetournamentpayouts areso top heavy thenal table bubblemay be evenmore extremethan the moneybubble.




straightrward manner, that I was the mst cmpetent and experienced plaer at the table. The paut

cmbined with these avrable intangibles shuld have persuaded me t make sure I had at least third

place lcked up bere taking an big risks, but as I said, I made a mistake.

one plaer had 50,000, the ther t w had just ver 15,00 0, and I was marginall lw-stacked with

13,40 0. The blinds were 400 /800 with a 100 ante, s it was csting 1,600 per rund. I had a CSI 8+ and

was in medium-stack territr when I picked up KQ -suit in the small blind, a Categr 5 hand. It was

passed arund t me and I raised t 2,400. The Kill Phil pla with m hand and this stack size wuld be

t mve in. I rejected this, hwever, because I thught a smaller raise wuld d the trick r I might well

be able t utpla m ppnent pst-fp, since I had a lt mre experience in this tpe situatin than

he did. The big blind, a TAG, re-raised 5,000. Calling this bet wuld pt-cmmit me, s I thught awhile

bere making m decisin, then decided t mve in. Nte that this is practicall an autmatic call

r m ppnent, cnsidering the pt dds he’s getting, s m all-in mve here has practicall n ld

equit. Indeed, he called, shwed me pcket queens, and m lng da came t a sudden unrewarding

cnclusin. yu culd just stp at thinking I was unluck, but the truth is I made a mistake.

In refecting n this hand ater the turnament, I realized m errr. There was virtuall n hand m

tight-aggressive ppnent culd have against which I’ d be a avrite. The best I culd hpe r wuld

be a pcket pair, JJ r lwer, against which I’d be abut a 6/5 underdg. I’d be getting a gd price

against these hands as the pt was ering me 16,200 (1,600 + 2 ,00 0 +1,600 +11,000) t m 11,000, rabut 1.5 t 1 dds. But ther hands, such as AK, AQ, A A, KK, and the ne he actuall held, QQ, wuld

put me in bad shape. Against ther pssible hldings, such as AJ r AT, I’d be abut a 3/2 underdg,

almst exactl what the pt was ering.

The math here makes the decisin brderline, but m mistake was greater than a brderline errr nce

u add in the intangibles. I I pass the 5,000 re-raise, I still have enugh let r abut 7 rbits—still

a medium stack and nt in an immediate danger. The ther plaers were all plaing ver tight and,

had I passed, I’d still have plent pprtunities t pick up chips. I was clearl the mst aggressive

plaer let and their ear me wrked in m avr. Given m table image, in rder t take me n m TAG

ppnent had t have a big hand in this spt that was likel t have me crushed.

I culdn’t rel just n pt dds. Adding in the fat paut structure, which at the time I ailed t cnsider,

magnies m errr. Usuall putting mne actrs aside and plaing r rst place is an asset, but in

this case, it was a detriment . When there’s an all- in cnrntatin in such circumstances, the expected

value the plaers nt invlved in the hand dramaticall increases. In retrspect, given all these

actrs, it was a clear pass.

This isn’t a mistake that I’m likel t make again. Hnest refectin n plas such as this is likel t pa

uture dividends.

1. Be more aggressive on the “bubble” table hen your goal is to nish as high as possible.

2. Take into account ho your opponent is playing. Can you control him?

3. Observe ho your table is playing. Are you in control o it?

4. Analye your mistakes and learn rom them.


while you’relooking to build

your stackaggressively you

shouldn’t takestupid risks. Justmaking it into the

money is muchbetter than just

missing

the money.




CHAPTER 20

STAGE 5IN THE MONEY

The CSIsoK, u made it t the mne. What nw?

Step back r a mment and take stck the situatin—gure ut ur CSI. Nte the CSI everne

at ur table. Wh has medium-sized chip stacks, big stacks, and shrt stacks? These cunts dn’t

need t be exact; clse is gd enugh. What’s the average chip cunt r all plaers remaining in the turnament? I u’re plaing nline at PkerStars.cm, this inrmatin can be btained b clicking

the in tab. In live pla it ’s ten displaed n a screen that als tells u hw man plaers remain and

hw much time is let at the current level. At ur table, is the average stack sucient t pla pker

(CSI 10 r greater) r is everne appraching “push-and-pra” time, where the have t mve all-in

n ever hand the pla? (Remember that i u’re cmmitting mre than 1/3 ur chips b raising,

it’s best t push all-in.) All these actrs have a majr eect n what curse actin u shuld take.

Siing Up the PlayersNt surprisingl, u’ve entered a stage where man plaers will g brke. The’ve made the mne

and there’s palpable relie in the air. The dnamics have nw changed in ptentiall advantageus

was. Sme the shrt stacks wh hung n like grim death and lded their wa int the mne will

nw pen up, sticking it all-in with a wide range hands and the attitude, “I’m ging t gamble and

duble up …r g hme!”

What tactics shuld u empl t take advantage this? In general, u want t avid plaers wh

prbabl have real hands and gamble a bit mre with thse likel t have randm hands. yu’ll need

t decide wh’s wh and nthing I sa can prvide an exact guideline. B careull bserving the

ppsitin, hwever, u ma unearth sme helpul clues. Here are sme things t lk r nline:

1. Pa careul attentin t hands that are shwn dwn. I a plaer is raising with weak hands, u

can expand ur range calling hands. Cnversel, i a plaer has a liberal range calling hands,

u’ll need t tighten up ur raising requirements.

2. Identi plaers wh dn’t seem t have regard r psit in r dn’t take advantage psit in.

A plaer wh’ll pla a marginal hand ut psitin is a gd ne t target. Plaers wh have

psitin, but dn’t have the curage t bet withut having a gd hand i it’s checked t them, are

als prime candidates r plucking. A big part plaing psitin is the abilit t pick up pts b

betting when everne else has checked. Plaers wh can’t bet withut a decent hand lse a lt

the advantage that cmes with being last t act. When the check behind u n the fp, u can

usuall pick up the pt b betting the turn. Plaing pts against these plaers is lucrative.

3. Lk r plaers wh dn’t seem t understand pt dds. A plaer wh tries t cmplete a draw

when he’s being ered pr dds is making a mistake. Fr example, i u bet the size the pt

n the turn and ur ppnent is drawing t a fush, he’ll nl be getting 2-t1 pt dds as a 4-t-1

underdg. yu want t get invlved with gamblers such as this.

Try to play morehands against

bad players andless againstgood ones.




4. Identi thse wh dn’t seem t understand implied dds and let u in cheapl when u can

make a hand that can bust them. Inexperienced plaers with a hand such as AA ma make tin bets

attempting t suck mne ut u, while giving u a ver gd price t draw t a straight r

fush. Then when u make it, the’ll call when u mve in. Perect!

5. Earmark plaers wh seem t be plaing t man hands. I a plaer is raising 30% -40% the time,

he can’t have that man premium hands. These are gd candidates r re-steals, usuall b mving

all-in. Mst the time, their hand wn’t be strng enugh t call.

You hold Jh Jd and have a stack o 54,000 in the hijack seat ith blinds and antes o

600 /1200 /100. A loose-aggressive player to your right makes it 2,40 0 to go o a stack o 32,000.

what should you do? Re-raise to 7,20 0. You don’t have to move all-in here to play the hand

properly. You also don’t ant to just call and let those behind you enter the pot cheaply. The

chance that the L AG player has a big hand are quite small. Not only is it much easier or him to be

shing around or a cheap fop, but he made this mini-raise ater the rst three players passed.

I it goes back to the mini-raiser and he moves all-in, I’d call or multiple reasons. First, you have

more chips than he does. Second, he might make this play ith AQs or 77 or any other hand that

has some value, in hopes that you’ll lay your hand don, or that he’ll get lucky. Third, his play

makes little sense ater 3 passers. Fourth, our hand is Category 2 and is only inerior to a e

other hands. And last, this player is a LAG, so his actions are suspect. The result o this analysisis an easy call, even i it’s hard to verbalie all the reasons until you gain more experience.

Picking O the DesperadosWh’s likel t have a randm hand? Smene with a CSI less than 3, r example, is desperate t

nd a plaable hand. An example this might be smene with 6, 400 when the blinds are 600 /1,200

with an ante 100. Fr a chart that will help u understand which hands t raise and call with at a CSI

ver 10, see Appendix C. o curse, u dn’t want t duble up an shrt stack unnecessaril, but

nce u recgnize hw desperate the ther plaer is, a call is crrect in man cases.

When smene ges all-in r n mre than 2.5 times the big blind, it’s crrect t call with any tocards. N hand is mre than a 3-t-1 underdg against a randm hand, s i the pt’s ering u

bigger dds than this, u shuld call in ever case, n matter what u hld! I encurage u t call

bere u lk, s that a garbage hand desn’t give u secnd thughts. I u pass, u might

survive lnger, but u’re giving up value that culd lead t an intimidating presence.

You have Ah 4s in the big blind ith a stack o 34,000 and blinds and antes o 600/1,200 /100

(CSI =12). The cuto moves all-in ith a stack o 5,500. No one else is in the pot. Call. He has

a CSI o 2 and should move in ith many hands. Your ace-high is strong enough to call. Even

i he shos up ith K K rom time to time, you can still in the hand. I you lose, you on’t be

severely damaged.

You have 7c2h in the big blind ith 19,000 chips (CSI o 7) ; the blinds and antes are

600/1,200/100 and the button moves all-in or 2,900. No one else is in the pot. Call. It’s not

necessary to even look at your cards. It costs you 1,700 more to in 5,600. Even ith this, the

orst o all starting hands, you should call.

Isolation PlayAt this stage the turnament, there will be times when a shrt stack mves-in. I u and ther

plaers behind u have substantiall larger stacks and u have a plaable hand, u’re aced with a

decisin. Shuld u raise r just call?

Example

Example

The smallersomeone’s stackis the more likely

they are to havea random hand

hen they moveall in.




I u call, ther plaers wh have et t act ma als call. It’s a cmmn miscnceptin that this

imprves ur equit, since tw u are nw ganging up n the all-in plaer. yu’re ten better

isolating the all-in plaer, wh’s requentl desperate and has nl a marginal hand., b raising and

chasing ther cmpetitrs, maximizing ur chances winning the pt. Calling rather than raising

als ers aggressive ppnents the pprtunit t re-raise and chase u ut the pt.

The result these dnamics is that u need t use ur strngest hands t prtect ur mre

vulnerable nes when calling, while re-raising with ur medium-strng hands. I suggest the llwing

apprach i u’re in psitin (bet ween the raiser and the buttn):

Call with AA, KK, QQ, and Categr 4 and 5 hands. I u’re n the buttn, call als with Categr 6 hands.

Re-raise with AK, AQ, JJ, TT, and 99.

I u’re out o position in the small blind:

Call with AA , KK, QQ , and Categr 6 hands.

Re-raise with AK , AQ, JJ, TT, 99, and all Categr 4 and 5 hands.

Ntice that u pla mre aggressivel when ut psitin than in psitin. This is due t the act that

u’ll have t act rst pst-fp i the big blind calls, s u want t discurage the big blind rm plaing.

When u d call, u’ll d s with ur strngest and weakest hands, leaving ur ppnents guessing.

You hold Ac Jh and have a stack o 28,400 on the button ith blinds and antes o 600/1200/100.

A loose-aggressive player to to your right moves all-in or 5,400. what should you do? Call.

It’s incorrect to either re-raise or to old. Some players ould move all-in, but that ould be a

mistake. The pot has been raised already and by calling, you keep a lot o options open. You have

position throughout the play o the hand i someone does over-call and i you make a strong hand,

you might be able to punish him.

No you’re in the little blind and everything else is the same as in Example 1 above. No hat?

Move-in! Because you have to play the hole hand out o position i the big blind enters the ray,

pushing all-in is no your best move. Notice the importance o position in making the correct play.

You have 32,000 in the little blind ith blinds and antes o 600/1,200 /100 and a hand o 6h 6d. The

cuto goes all-in or 5,300. I t’s passed to you and the big blind is an aggressive player ith 38,000

in chips. what’s your play? Move all-in. You don’t ant to call, only to have the big blind over-call

ith position behind you or the rest o the hand. Unless you fop a set , your hand is unlikely to

play ell ater the fop. I your aggressive oe re-raises pre-fop, it’s even orse. No you may

be put to a tough decision or all your chips. Guess rong and you’ll likely be alking to the exit,

replaying the possibilities in your mind and thinking there must’ve been a ay to in the pot.

Instead o opening all these unappetiing options or your opponent, just move all-in and put him

to the test. The only pair he’s likely to lay don that beats you beore the fop is 77, but he on’tbe calling ith hands such as Q9s and KJo that you’d rather he didn’t play. It’s hard enough to

beat the all-in player, much less expose yoursel to the problems the big blind might give you.

Only 4% o the time ill the big blind ake up ith a bigger pair than 66.

Deending Against the Isolation PlayFactrs t cnsider when deending against the islatin pla are ur chip stack, the strength ur

hand, and the tendencies ur ppnent. Here are a ew examples that illustrate the integratin

these cnsideratins.

Example

Be aare thatyour opponentsmay be makingisolationplays too so

just becausesomeone re-raises an all inplayer doesn’tnecessarily meanthey havea monster.




A player in middle position makes a standard raise to 3,600 o a stack o 10,400 ith blinds

and antes o 600/ 1,200 /100. The cuto moves all-in or 31,000. You’ve just come to the table

and kno nothing about the playing styles o these to players. You have Ac Kd in the small

blind. whether or not to call depends on the sie o your chip stack. I you have a CSI o either

more than 25 (67,500 ) or less than 10 (27,000) , call. Beteen these to extremes and lacking

any additional inormation, old.

Everything is as in Example 1 above, but no you hold 9c 9h in the big blind. Calculate yourapproximate CSI and use the same guidelines. I you have a big stack o more than 25 CSI or a

smallish stack o less than 10 CSI, call. I your CSI is beteen 25 and 10 the best play is to let

it go.

Same situation as the t o above examples only this time you’ve identied the player in the

cuto as a loose aggressive player (LAG). You’re in the big blind ith 9c 9h and a stack o

39,000. Call. Even though you may have to beat to players, your ocus in the hand is the LAG

ith the bigger stack. It’s likely that he’s making a play here and ill sho don a small pair

or, at best, t o over-cards such as KQ. I he had a bigger pair than you, ould he play it this

ay? Unlikely. It’s a lot more likely he’d raise it to 10,000 and hope to get a customer.

Attacking the Short StacksThis is the ne stage a turnament where I recmmend activel ging ater shrt stacks. Whenever

u have the biggest stack that has et t act ut-chipped b abut a 4-t-1 margin, u can put n ur

bull hat and mve all-in. Push all-in with ever hand u pla, s u’re certain t have ur ppnents

cvered, while giving awa nthing abut ur hand. yu can make this pla with an pair, an ace,

an tw suited cards, and an hand that has a blackjack value 15. Fld equit is what makes this pla

crrect. oten, ur ppnents will ld a better hand than urs.

I You’re the Short-StackWhen u have a CSI that has dipped belw 5, cnsider ursel shrt-stacked and mve all-in at an

time with an tw cards i u think there’s a gd chance that u wn’t be called. I there’s a limper

in rnt u, ignre him i ur all-in is at least six times his initial bet. I tw r mre limpers have

entered the pt bere u act, add ne big blind r each limper t the abve requirement—with 3

limpers u need at least 8 big blinds t mve in. Althugh it might be mre dicult t get past three

limpers, n ne has shwn an strength and it’s likel the’re all tring t see a cheap fp. I the d all

ld, u’ve picked up sme precius extra chips.

This is an eas pla t make i u have sme value in ur hand. Value can be an pair, an ace, suited

cnnectrs (even thse with a gap), and an hand with 19 blackjack pints in it, but i u’re at a tight

table and have a big enugh stack t stil l be threatening, u can lsen up ur standards a bit mre.

It’s best t err n the side aggressin and g ut in a blaze glr with sme hpe winning, rather

than t be eaten alive b the r ising blinds and antes wi thut put ting up a ght.

yu need a better hand t call a raise than u need t push when u’re rst in—Categr 5 r better

i u have a CSI 5; Categr 6 r better i u have a CSI 4; Categr 7 r better i u have a CSI

3 r 2; and Categr 8 r better i u have a CSI 1.

You hold 9h8h in the hijack position ith a stack o 10,700 and the blinds and antes are

600/1200 /100. It’s passed to you. what should you do? Move all-in. The standard raise ould be

to 3,600 and that’s more than one third o your remaining stack. Moving all-in increases your old

equity, eliminates all decisions, and maximies the chance that you’ll in it right no.

Example

Example

I you’re short-stacked move in

henever youthink you on’t

be called.




You hold As Js in the cuto position ith blinds and antes o 600 /1,200 /100 and a stack o

13,000. It ’s passed to you. what should you do? Move in your entire 13,000 stack. Hopeully,

you chose this option ithout a lot o hesitation. Looking at Appendix C, you’ll see that AJs

is in the top 10% o all hands dealt. I you’re called, you’ve a reasonable chance to in and i

you’re not called, you’ll increase your stack signicantly.

You hold Qs9s in the cuto position ith blinds and antes o 600/1,2 00/100 and 10,400 chips,

a CSI o 4 . It’s passed to you. what should you do? Move in. You’re desperate to acquire chipsand should take this opportunity to try to pick up the pot.

1. Evaluate the remaining eld, and your table in particular.

2. Play situations, adjusting to hat your opponents are likely to do.

3. Use the isolation play, and kno ho to play against it.

4. Attack, and conront, short stacks.

5. Play aggressively hen you’re the short stack, especially hen no one has raised.




100 Chapter 21 The Final Table

CHAPTER 21

STAGE 6—THE FINAL TABLE

Initial AdjustmentsoK! yu’ve arrived at the nal table! “Final Table” is a nickname given t me ears ag b the

turnament directr at Crwn Casin in Melburne, Australia, wh said that I get there s requentl.

I’m like “nal-table urniture.” I still get a buzz ever time I reach the nal table. The nl mre

exhilarating eeling is winning! The turnament has mved rm tw shrt-handed tables t the nal

table nine r ten plaers. What adjustments are necessar?

yu’ve just cme rm a 5- t 6-handed game, where n ne wanted t get kncked ut and aggressive

pla was prtable. The rst adjustment that u need t make is this ne—u’re nw at a ullgame and u need t be mre aware the act that when u’re up against nine ther hands, rather

than ve, the chances are excellent that smene will actuall star ted with a gd ne. Pla ewer

hands rm the rst psitins, repairing an vestiges the maniacal image u ma have created

at the previus table. yur bjective is t lull the cmpetitin int a alse sense securit with ur

cnservative pla, s u can pen up again when u get dwn t 5-handed.

Adjusting to a Shrinking FieldAt the nal table, psitinal cnsideratins becme even mre imprtant. Pla ewer hands rm the

rst ve psitins, but sta aggressive in late psitin, especiall i the re-draw t the nal table has

put a ew the mre passive plaers n ur let. As plaers get eliminated, graduall increase ur

range plaable hands. This might seem cunterintuitive at rst, but the ewer plaers wh remain,

the lwer the hand value required t raise the pt. F rm nine plaers until u’re heads-up, ever pt

u enter shuld be with a raise. Fold or raise, make thse ur chices. I it’s gd enugh t pla…

raise it up!

Playing ith Five Players LetMan the ther plaers will pla t tight, just hping t mve up the pa scale r t “get hit with

the deck” (pick up a lt gd hands), s that the can sta alive. yu’re nt a avrite t nd a “n-

brainer,” a premium hand that plas itsel, s dn’t assume u will. on average, u’ll start with AA r

KK nce ever 110 hands. Sure, u might get them in tw cnsecutive hands, but I wuldn’t cunt n it.

The dds against this happening are mre than 12,000-t-1!

Having re-established ur tight image, it’s nw time t step it up. Pick n the medium-size stacks.

The’re nt desperate and wn’t want t tangle with u withut a premium hand. Lk r situatins

where u can re-raise a cnservative plaer wh raises rm the buttn r the cut. Hands such as

8c 7c r AQ are strng enugh t put a tight plaer t the test. Make the same re-raise even i there’s

a raiser and a caller in rnt u. This pla, knwn as the pwer re-raise r squeeze pla, is a strng

mve. The initial raiser must cncern himsel nt nl with ur re-raise, which prbabl represents an

extremel strng hand, but als with the caller, wh ma have been trapping with AA r KK. I u get

b the rst plaer and the secnd plaer desn’t have AA r KK, as is mst requentl the case, u’ll

pick up a ver nice pt. Mves such as this win turnaments!

Re-raise with suited cnnectrs i, and that’s an imprtant i, the raise has cme rm a tight plaer

with a medium stack seated n ur right. Ntice hw circumstances have changed dramaticall.



101Chapter 21 The Final Table

There were times during the preceding stages when u wuldn’t even enter the pt in a similar situatin.

Instead hping t cnnect n a fp, be aggressive bere the fp. I u get called, llw up with

a cntinuatin bet ater the fp, and I dn’t mean a wimp c-bet. Ater mst fps, bet 70% the pt,

with tw exceptins: 1) I u’ve picked up a tell based n ur ppnent’s reactin t the fp. In

live pla, perhaps u’ve nticed him glancing dwn at his chips when the fp came dwn, r u’ve

bserved that when he likes the fp he quickl lks awa. 2) I the fp has reall pr texture.

Suppse u have Ac Kc with a fp such as Jh Th 9c, r 8d 7d 6d. Check and ld i ur ppnent bets.

otherwise, sta aggressive!

Be AggressiveAggressive plaers win turnaments. That’s a act. When was the last time that an ld-schl plaer

wn a WPT event? Mike Sextn gave himsel this label (“ld schl”), but having seen everne’s hle

cards n the WPT r several ears, he’s nw changed his game and wn sme events b being mre

aggressive. Even seeing the edited versin televisin hands has dramaticall changed the game r

man plaers and dangled big carrts in rnt budding ung pker champins. “yu mean I can pla

a game…and make a lt mne when I get gd at it? Send me in, Cach!”

When u d pick up a big hand, tr t get all the mne u can int the pt. At a 5-handed nal table,

sa u’ve raised with 8c 7c, As Ts, and 9h 9c, in three the last ve hands, and u raise again n thenext hand. At this pint sme ur ppnents ma be getting highl suspicius and will pla back at

u with weaker than nrmal hands. This is when having a premium hand pas big dividends. I I pick

up AA ater raising the previus three hands, the timing culdn’t be mre perect and m nl prblem

is hw t get as man chips int the pt as pssible, especiall bere the fp. Nw I’ll raise the exact

same amunt that I’ve been raising, even thugh I picked up the hl grail pker hands. I want t

re-emphasize the llwing pint, because s man inexperienced plaers make the mistake nt

llwing this precept:

Play your eak hands and your strong hands exactly the same ay!This nt nl will allw u t pla mre hands, it ’ll prvide u with a deceptive image. It’ll make it

ver hard r an ppnent t analze ur betting pattern and make plas against u based n urchice bets—especiall when he sees markedl dierent hands at shwdwn ater similar betting

patterns. B the wa, never vluntaril shw ur hand when u’ve wn a pt unchallenged.

Make ur ppnents pa r inrmatin.

SettlementsAt mst nal tables there will cme a time when smene ma suggest a settlement. A settlement

is a redistributin the remaining prize mne amngst the cntestants wh are let . Factrs that

infuence a deal are the respective chip cunts, the expertise and image the plaers, the imprtance

the mne, and even the psitin the blinds. The best material n making a deal can be und n

pages 168-171 Kill Phil.

yu’re under n bligatin t accept an prered deals. I u have an dubts abut the deal, just sa

n. Saing n is quite acceptable. yu might sa n r a variet reasns—u like ur psitin at

the table, r u want the thers t be under mre pressure i a deal isn’t cut , r u want the thrill

plaing it ut t see i u can g all the wa. yu aren’t required t give the ther cntestants a reasn

r declining r r demanding mre than ur air share based n the respective stack sizes.

oten the plaers will agree t pla r part the prize. In m view, this is a gd idea, because it

preserves the excitement the mment and when u win, u’ll eel u earned it. At the PkerStars.

cm Sunda Millins weekl turnament, leaving part the prize r the rst place nisher is

cmpulsr. Althugh the “standard rmula” is t divide the prize pl in accrdance with chip cunts,

this is air nl i nl 2 plaers remain. With three r mre plaers, an equitable set tlement wuld

award the smaller stacks a bit mre than the chip cunt dictates. With this in mind, I recmmend the

llwing guideline when making a deal:

Aggressive

players intournaments.



102 Chapter 21 The Final Table

I u have the biggest r ne the biggest stacks, negtiate r a deal based nchip cunt. I u have ne the smaller stacks, demand mre than a prprtinaldistributin.

one caveat: Alwas remember t deduct the amunt that’s allcated t the lwest nisher bere

ding the split. I 3 plaers are invlved, the amunt 3 times the third-place prize shuld be deducted

rm the remaining prize pl, because each participant is entitled t at least this amunt. The balance

shuld then be split under the negtiated terms. Fr example, i rst prize is $ 100,000, secnd is

$60,000, and third is $40,000, then $120,000 shuld be deducted rm the $200,000 prize pl, since

all plaers must get at least $ 40,000. The deal negtiatin shuld revlve arund hw the remaining

$8 0,000 is split.

Heads-Up PlayHeads-up u’re in a dierent wrld. Even 3-handed u culd thrw mst ur wrst hands

awa. Heads-up u’ll nl be thrwing awa abut the bttm 10% ur hands, adjusting the

actual percentage and ur pla t the persnalit ur ppnent. Hand values must be upgraded

substantiall r heads-up pla. The idea that K6 suit is a gd starting hand and that KT suit is a

great hand ma be dicult r sme t understand. Lk at the charts in Appendix C t discver what

the bt tm 10% hands lk like. I hpe the’re never dealt t u!

Please re-read pages 39-41, which prvide specic guidance abut plaing heads-up. Plaing this wa,u’ll be a rmidable adversar t ur ne ppnent at the nal table..

I ur CSI alls t 8 r belw, use the charts und n page 63 t make ur nline decisins. The

prvide simplied guidelines as t which hands t pla at varing CSIs. At these CSIs, pushing all-in

r lding is the crrect strateg. Fr a strateg that even the tp prs, such as Phil Ive r Daniel

Negreanu, can’t explit, see Kill Everyone. Pla this wa and u’ll be plaing like a pr, ptimizing ur

chances t win. Fr live pla, u ma need t memrize them, but at hme it’s eas t put them n a

screen in rnt u. Man card rms nw have a n “cheat- sheet” rule. Althugh paper and pencil

are still universall allwed, advice sheets are n lnger tlerated in the majrit card rms.

Psitin is a huge actr in heads-up pla, where the small blind is the buttn and acts rst n the pre-

fp betting rund, but last n each subsequent rund betting. This means that mathematicall it’s

crrect t pla the tp 90% hands when u’re the small blind. Whether t limp r raise depends n

ur verall evaluatin the situatin. It’s best t mix it up in rder t keep ur ppnent balance.

I u’re in the big blind, raise aggressivel with strng hands, such as an ace with a decent kicker

and small t medium pairs. I the buttn has raised t 2-3 times the big blind, re-raise b 4-5 times this

amunt. yu’re bjective is t win the hand pre-fp s that u dn’t have t pla it ut psitin. I a

raise means cmmitting 1/3 ur stack r mre, mve all-in instead.

I u chse t raise almst ever hand that u pla, u wn’t be making a big mistake. In heads-up

pla the mst aggressive plaer ten wins. Err n the side being verl aggressive rather than t

passive. yur bjective is t weaken ur ppnent b keeping him under cnstant pressure. He ma

keep lding hping t pick up an elusive mnster and bust u. Hpeull, u’ll have a big hand whenhe nall des pla back at u, but mst the time u’ll chip awa at his stack, weakening him and

setting him up r the kill.

Heads-up pla is ten a mind game and usuall the mst aggressive, curageus, and bservant plaer

wins. Jhnn Chan (twice the wrld champin) sas that when it gets heads-up, he desn’t want t

make a mistake; it’s s hard t get there that he desn’t want t waste the pprtunit.

Hand valuesgo ay up

shorthandedas you’re only

competing ithone opponent.

K6 is no a goodhand and KT is

practically Aces!



103Chapter 21 The Final Table

1. You just moved rom 6- or 5-handed to 10- or 9-handed. Adjust your game accordingly.

2. Play your strongest hands exactly like your eak hands.

3. I you play, a lot o hands, expect to be challenged.

4. Aggressive players have a much better chance o inning than timid ones.

5. when you raise multiple times ithin a short period, tighten up your raising requirements.

6. In general agree to chip-chop settlements i you’re the big stack, and demand a premium i

you’re not.

7. when heads-up, play most o the hands.

8. Position is super-important in heads-up play. when out o position, raise and re-raise

aggressively ith strong hands.

9. Heads-up battles are oten on by the most aggressive player. Err on the side o aggression.




104 Chapter 22 Skill Versus Luck

PART FOUR—PSYCHOLOGY

CHAPTER 22

SKILL VERSUS LUCK

oka, u just wn a big turnament, u’re all pumped up, and u can’t wait t pla anther event.

yu plaed well—u had t read situatins crrectl and make sme ke blus and sme ke

ladwns, but u als undubtedl wn a number all-in cnrntatins, sme which wuld have

resulted in eliminatin. It’s imprtant t realize that there are tw cmpnents t winning—ur skill

level and luck.

Luck undubtedl plaed a signicant rle in ur victr. It ’s eas t rget, as u wish t beat ur

chest and declare ursel the greatest, but the truth is …u were luck! Nw this desn’t mean that

luck alne will take u t the tp because it wn’t—skill, experience, and adept decisin-making put

u in psitin t get luck. Turnament pker cmbines shrt-term luck with lng-term skill. yu need

bth t win. M Kill Phil c-authr, Blair Rdman, wn a cveted bracelet in a $2,0 00-bu-in NLHE

event at the 2007 WSoP. In a number previus turnaments he gt unluck in ke hands and gt

kncked ut. This time, he admits that he gt luck in ke spts. What a dierence! Fr tunatel, luck

has a wa balancing ut. He didn’t pla an bet ter r wrse than in previus events, but this t ime he

gt the cards he needed when it cunted.

Luck cmes in varius guises. When u’re dealt a slightl bet ter hand than an ppnent, such as

Jamie Gld when he was dealt QQ several times versus JJ in the 2006 WSoP Champinship Event,

that ’s luck ! When I was deal t KK in a high-s takes 6 -handed $ 120, 00 0 winner-take-all event while

heads-up against Jasn Gra wh held QQ, that was luck. Nt nl was i t luck t be dealt the

better tw pwerul hands, it was als rtunate that the ppnents in the abve hands didn’t

imprve and win.

Twice in the 2006 Aussie Millins Main Event that I was rtunate enugh t win, I was all-in with

pcket kings against Kenna James, wh held A9 and AQ, respectivel. Bth times m kings prevailed.

Did I have the best hand bth times? Abslutel! Was I luck? Abslutel! The chance me survivingbth encunters was abut 50 /5 0—a cin fip. Heads I’m ut; tails I g n t win the Aussie Millins.

Hw much turnament pker is skill and hw much is luck? overall, I’d sa it’s abut 75% skill and

25% luck. In an given hand, thugh, luck is a big actr. Even i u’re a 3-t-1 avrite, such as with AK

versus AQ, u’ll still lse 1 ut 4 times. That’s a act. Having a 75% chance winning is a big edge,

but it’s nt a lck. Sme plaers act as thugh their ppnent has just wn the ltter when their AQ

prevails ver AK. Far rm it. Statis ticall, u’ll lse 25% the time with this match-up, s it’s mre

cnstructive t take lsing with i t in stride, maintaining ur equanimit.

There’s a amus Curt case that dates back 20 ears r mre, in which Bill Baxter, a pker plaer,

tk n the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. tax authri t, at a tr ial. The U.S. tax ce reused t

The harder youork on your

poker game theless lucky you

ill need to get.



105Chapter 22 Skill Versus Luck

accept “pressinal” pker as an authentic pressin, claiming that it was all luck, n skill. Ater

hearing the evidence, the judge in the trial in Ren, Nevada, lked ver at the prsecuting attrne

and asked him, “D u reall think that plaing pker is all luck?” and the trapped attrne respnded,

“yes, ur Hnr.” T which his Hnr respnded, “yu ma think that u’re telling the truth, but I can

guarantee u that i u sit dwn at a pker table with Mr. Baxter, u have n chance winning!”

The realit is that in ears past, the nvice had n chance beating a pressinal pker plaer at the

pr’s wn crat. Currentl, thugh, a lt inrmatin is ut there—instructinal bks, articles, and

DVDs; nal tables reprted hand r hand; televisin shws where u get t lk at the pressinal

plaers’ hle cards; and Internet games that click b s ast the can make ur head swim. online

services, such as cardrunner.cm, r cardacadem.cm, allw u t watch prs plaing in real-

mne situatins, while explaining ever mve the make. The learning curve r a nvice plaer has

accelerated the tp the chart. A ung gun can nw learn in mnths what lder cmpetitrs

might have needed decades t achieve. T a great extent, the game n-limit hld ’em, b its ver

nature with a prevalence all-in bets levels the plaing eld r earless new cmpetitrs, increasing

fuctuatins that, in the trade, are reerred t as “variance.”

A wealth knwledge is available in bks and clumns that nl the prs used t knw. When I

write a bk, I tr t present as cmplete a picture as pssible, much t the chagrin sme m

clleagues. I reveal secrets the prs dn’t want u t knw. Wh? Because the cntinued grwth

pker is gd r everne. The game will cntinue t evlve and there will alwas be a hierarch plaers with varing levels skill. Thrugh the miracle the Internet, we all have mre inrmatin

literall at ur ngertips than exists in the Librar Cngress. It ’s just a matter knwing where t

nd it and hw t use it.

T becme gd in anthing takes stud. yu have t stud the wrk thse wh’ve gne bere u,

watch the mves the make, pla man hurs in ur game chice. Talk, thugh benecial, is cheap.

Until ur rear end is in the chair and ur mne is actuall n the line, it’s just talk and ther. Hw d

u eel when u have an oK hand—nt a great hand, but an ka hand—and ur ppnent makes

a large bet? Hw d u eel when u knw u’re suppsed t blu at a pt in a particular situatin?

Can u pull the trigger? I s, is ur breathing cntrlled? Is ur heart racing? Are ur ees blinking

t requentl? Are u earless and int imidating? or are u a tender fwer that wilts at the rst

sign heat? D u have the curage t evaluate ursel? These are serius questins r aspiring

pker plaers. o curse, pker is als a great rm relaxatin. online pla avids man the tugh

questins abve. B selecting turnaments with bu-ins that are within ur budget, u can relax,

have un, and learn.

I’ve nticed that repeat winners are thse that nt nl have the desire and cmpetitiveness t keep

n winning, but als actuall wrk n their game. It’s oK, even welcme, t be luck, but i u want t

be a great plaer, make sure u put in the required time. Lad Luck ma lve u, but she likes t see

sme sweat n ur brw…

Here are a cuple examples luck in turnaments. In m rst majr turnament win at the St.

Maarten open, when dwn t three plaers, I was the shrt stack and mved all-in with 9h 8s. I was“insta-called” b a plaer hlding pcket tens! The fp J77 lked hpeless, but a 6 n the turn and

a 5 n the river gave me a miracle straight (nte that a ten was n gd t me, as it wuld have given m

ppnent a ull huse). Frm there, I went n t win. M gd luck!

While plaing a n-limit hld ’em event at the Aviatin Club in Paris, France, a cuple ears later, we

were dwn t 5 plaers at the nal table a 1,000-eur-bu-in event. I’d been raising aggressivel and

the ther 4 plaers were gett ing tired i t. I ’d cme rm urth in chips t secnd and was nw n the

buttn, having raised unchallenged the 3 previus pts, when I picked up tw red aces! I raised again,

but this time, the chip leader decided t take a stand and call. The fp: Ks 3d 2d.

No matter hogood you areyou’ll get luckyand unlucky atthe same rate as

everyone else inthe long run.



106 Chapter 22 Skill Versus Luck

T m surprise, the chip leader pushed all-in! I called and he shwed me Qc Js! He was n a ttal blu.

Winning this hand wuld have given me 80% the chips, making me the verwhelming avrite t win

this event . The turn : As; river Tc! His Bradwa straight tpped m trip aces. M bad luck! Just the

ppsite side the cin rm when I made that 9-high straight in St. Maarten.

In the lng run, luck balances ut and skill prevails, s n matter what result u achieve in ur rst

tries, be mdest and realize that u have a lt t learn. I u get t the mne r even win an event,

it means that u were luck at the right mments. It’s a great accmplishment, but just the beginning.

Tr nt t rget, in ur mment glr, that u’re a student the game, nt et a master. The

best plaers knw that there’s alwas mre t learn and never stp studing. Sta cused and stud.

Regard pker as bth a science and an art. The mre u learn, the mre u’ll realize hw much mre

there is t learn.

1. winning a tournament requires both skill and luck.

2. Luck comes in many guises. Getting the right hands at the right times is crucial.

3. You need to play ell to position yoursel to get lucky.

4. Even the court system o the United States has had to recognie that poker is a game that

requires a signicant amount o skill.

5. Poker is about inormation. The more inormation you have about the game and the other

players, the more successul you’re likely to become. Read and play as much as possible.


The more youlearn the more

you’ll realise

ho much thereis to learn.



107Chapter 23 Tells and Reads

CHAPTER 23

TELLS AND READS

yu stud ur ppnent, scanning r inrmatin. The fp cmes dwn and she quickl lks awa,

ater glancing urtivel at her chips. yu’ve sptted a cuple tells—mannerisms, bd language, r

ther specic parcels inrmatin that reveal the strength r weakness a hand. Based n what

u’ve bserved, u think she’s laded. Sure enugh, she cmes ut ring! yur attentiveness has

paid . yu’ve ddged a bullet.

A tell is a specic bit inrmatin that ma reveal the strength r weakness an ppnent’s hand.

Careul , thugh! Tells are ten highl accurate when the’re inadvertentl prjected b amateurs,

but the’re just as ten deliberate and deceptive when bserved in a pr. Tells are smetimes veruseul, and u need t be aware them, but be war buing int them when u’re staring dwn a

nrmall steel-eed expert.

A read is dierent than a tell. A read is an agglmeratin multiple bits inrmatin gathered ver

time that al lws an attentive bserver t create a “gestalt ,” an rganized whle impressin that’s mre

than the sum its parts . Vir tuall all great p laers have the abilit t snthesize plas the ’ve seen an

ppnent make with hands shwn dwn, betting patterns, past cnversatins and expressed pinins,

and a multitude ther actrs, withut cnscius discursive thught t make an intelligent read and

act accrdingl. Nte that reads are mre art than science and require a lt experience t perect.

I recentl plaed in the New Zealand Champinship event. Earl in the secnd da an interesting hand

came up. I was in the small blind with blinds 400 /800 and a 100 ante. I had arund 45,000 chips, a

health CSI 22.5, s I wasn’t under an pressure. M ppnent had mre chips than I did. It was

passed arund t me. I had Ts 8h and limped in. An aggressive plaer in the big blind whm I knw well

declined his ptin t raise. The fp was Qc Tc 8c.

I had bttm 2-pair, but curse, a fush was pssible and I had n clubs. I bet 1,200 int the 2,400 pt

and m ppnent quickl raised t 3,600. What t d? M read was that he didn’t have a made fush.

This read was made withut cnsciusl analzing all the bits inrmatin at m dispsal, as I’m

ging t d r u nw, but the gestalt that clearl came tgether was “n fush.” In this battle the

blinds, m aggressive ppnent wuld have raised pre-fp with an pair, an ace, and mst kings, s it

was unlikel that he fpped a set r was hlding either the ace r king clubs; he’d als have raised

pre-fp with QT, and prbabl als with Q8, a better than average hand. I he fpped a fush that didn’tinclude the ace r king clubs, knwing the plaer, his raise n the fp wuld have been greater than

2,400. I he didn’t have a fush, a set, r 2-pair, what culd he have? His mst likel hlding was tp pair,

either with r withut a club draw, r just a draw. Hands such as Qh5c, Td9c, Jc3h, r smething similar

were in the range hands that I put him n. I decided that I had the better hand.

Knwing that m ppnent was enamred with the cncept ld equit, I decided t re-raise enugh

t shw him that I was willing t cmmit t this hand and t tr t cnvince him that he had n ld

equit and was an underdg, i he was drawing; I re-raised t 15,000. I he called, and anthing except

a club came n the turn, m plan was t mve in. T m surprise, he quickl went all-in! Even with m

turnament li e n the line, I was cndent in m read that he didn’t have a made fush, straight, r a

set, althugh his chance having Q8 escalated a bit in m mind. I he didn’t have this precise hand, I

Unlike in themovies, tells arenot anyherenear 100%accurate.



108 Chapter 23 Tells and Reads

was cndent that I was ahead, s I called. He turned ver Jc7d, a fush draw and a gutsht straight

draw, giving him 12 uts. I was a 55%/45% avrite t becme ne the chip leaders with nl abut

25 plaers let. A 3h n the turn catapulted me t abut a 4/1 avrite, but a atal 2c n the river had me

walking. Bad luck! Even when u make the right read and have wa the best it, desn’t mean it will

alwas pan ut. That’s pker.

A tell is mre specic than a read. It invlves bservatin a distinct sign that indicates either

strength r weakness. oten, but nt alwas, this sign has been intentinall created t cnvince an

ppnent t make a desired actin. Fr example, a plaer ma slam his chips int the pt when he’s

blung in an attempt t cnvince u that he’s strng (see “Live Tells” belw).

Live r nline, ne the mst imprtant parts analzing the likel hlding a persn whm u

knw nthing abut is his bett ing pattern—des it make sense? Des it tell a str? Is i t cnsistent

with hw he might pla a hand that beats urs? I nt, u shuld be mre likel t call. I s, it

militates against calling, althugh u ma need mre persuasin t be cnvinced enugh t ld.

one the direct insights int ur ppnents’ thinking is bserving the hands the shw r that u

can quietl lk up nline. T quickl check what an ppnent mucked n PkerStars, click n the chip

rack, then click n “Instant Hand Histr,” and nd the hand u want. Think back thrugh their actins

and put the str their hand tgether, nticing hw the pla varius hldings. Jt dwn a nte. Thisinrmatin will help u read them later when u lck hrns.

ONLINE TELLS

online, u’re nt lking r a shaking hand, crssed arms, r urtive glances, but there are still

sme patterns t bserve. The mst cmmn ne is simpl hw lng an ppnent takes t respnd. o

curse, we dn’t knw i the bab just turned breakast ver, r the drbell rang, r the curtains are n

re … but in mst cases a lng pause adds emphasis t the actin being taken. I a plaer thinks a lng

time, then checks, he likel has a weak hand and wants t see anther card, hping that u think he’s

cnsidering betting. He’s lking r a “ree card.” Dn’t accmmdate him. Bet!

I a plaer “ges int the tank,” activating his time extensin, and then bets … lk ut! oten, he’s

gt a huge hand and is just pretending t have needed an eternit t think. He ma be thinking abut

hw big a bet u’ll call. The mst likel scenari, thugh, is that he’s just “hllwding,” acting up a

strm, and hpes u’ll think he’s weak. This is ne the situatins where it’s mst useul t be able t

take ntes. yu might be unsure the rst r secnd time u bserve this pat tern, but b the third t ime

u’ve likel picked up an imprtant tell.

A amus nline plaer whse name I’ll keep t msel rutinel stalls when he has a mnster, making

sure his time clck has been activated prir t putting in a substantial raise. In ever instance, he’s

shwn a big hand when called. Mst amateurs act right awa with bth ver strng and ver weak

hands, but think abut the hands that the’re unsure abut.

Pressinals are harder t pigenhle, but mst generall tr t take the same amunt time n each

decisin, a la Chris “Jesus” Fergusn. Against amateurs, thugh, the ma tr t sneak in a curve ball i

the think i t might wrk , b making either slwer r quicker decisins, depending n the circumstances.

Keep several ther things in mind. o paramunt imprtance is psitin. Wuld u have called with his

hand rm the ve-hle with ur plaers et t act? Wuld u have called a raise with his hand rm

that psitin?

one clue t a plaer’s expertise is whether the math invlved in a decisin infuences him. Did he

even pause in calling a plaer where he’s likel t be a 10-t-1 underdg and the pt is ering him

nl 4-t-1 dds? I nt, wh nt? Mst cmmnl, the reasn is that he’s blivius t the dds, but

I you made the

right decision behappy even i theresults didn’t go

your aythis time.



109Chapter 23 Tells and Reads

is listening t his gut, his intuitin. A ter all, ever situatin is 50-50 r him—either he’ll win r lse.

Make a nte abut these weak plaers.

Next, bserve whether implied dds infuence a plaer. Des he understand the cncept and make

decisins based n it? Des he call with a draw, getting the wrng price, when his ppnent is all-in

(n implied dds here)? I an ppnent hits his draw and mves in, will he pa him ? These patterns

and tendencies ma win u a big pt later.

Frequenc pla is imprtant bth nline and in persn. I ur ppnent is in 80% the hands, then

u’re dealing with smene wh’s taking the fp with a lt weak and vulnerable hands, such as 9c

7h. yu ma be able t trap a plaer such as this r all his chips, especiall i he verplas his hands n

the fp and bend. Pa part icular attentin t hw this tpe plaer plas draws and hw u can

best explit his tendencies.

Putting ut a bet an dd amunt that visuall lks impsing is anther ptential tell. An example

this wuld be a bet 99 dllars (a stack three $25 chips, ur $5 chips, and ur $1 chips). The ther

is that mst plaers are much mre willing t call the smaller lking bet than the mre threatening

lking big stack chips—even thugh in actualit the $ 99 bet is less than a $100 bet.

Live TellsWhen u can stud plaers live, u’re priv t an nslaught inrmatin that’s nt available t u

in nline turnaments. Plaers must nw lk at fps unemtinall, put chips int the pt instead

clicking a muse, and ace lng stare dwns when the’re blung. Changes in psture, acial

expressins, chip handling, and ee mvements are there r all t see. Knwing that the’re under

intense scrutin, plaers ten tr t mask their actins b acting in a manner ppsite t the strength

their hand.

The classic tells can be described in a simple wa—a weak acting plaer is strng and a strng acting

persn is weak. What d I mean b that? Well, peple wh appear nt t knw that it’s their turn t

act—the ma be watching televisin r rdering drinks; the ma ail t put their bets ver the line

int the pt r seem mre interested in fir ting with the ccktail waitress than plaing the hand—usuall are hlding a mnster … especiall when taking a break rm these “distractins” t bet.

on the ther hand, i smene stared at u, splashed his chips int the pt aggressivel, r talked t

smene at the table, he prbabl desn’t want u t call. Mike Car has written an excellent bk n

tells that includes phts. Tells, and reverse tel ls, are als discussed in bth Kill Phil and Kill Everyone.

(See the appendix r recmmended reading).

Cmmn tells in inexperienced plaers include preparing t discard their hand bere it’s their turn t

act, staring at the fp i it hasn’t helped them, and glancing dwn at their chips ater seeing the fp.

These are s cmmn and imprtant that a brie discussin each is warranted.

Preparing to Discard Beore It’s Their Turn to ActMan new plaers are eager t see their starting hand. I it’s unplaable, the immediatel lse interest

and prepare t discard. I u’re seated a ew seats t the right the buttn and bserve a cuple

plaers t ur let preparing t muck their hands, this ma be a gd time r u t steal the blinds.

T avid this tell ursel, alwas lk at ur hand nl when it’s ur turn t act. This wa, u’ll be

able t stud the ther plaers when the check their cards and see their reactin, picking up valuable

inrmatin that can help u decide hw t pla ur hand.

Staring at the FlopInexperienced plaers wh stare at the fp generall have n part it. When the hit the fp, the

usuall stare awa. Watch r this when u’re nt invlved in a hand, cmparing ppnents’ reactins

Bets o oddamounts maybe blus as theplayer is tryingto make animposing pile ochips to reducethe chances o

a call.



110 Chapter 23 Tells and Reads

t the fp with their actins and cards shwn. I u pick up a pattern, i t can be an extremel rel iable

tell. I t’s almst as i the “tell” u, “I missed that fp, s u can sael bet ,” r “I hit that fp, s lk

ut!” Thank u ver much!

Glancing Don at Their Chipsoppnents wh urtivel glance at their chips like their hand and are preparing t bet. yu can use this

tell in sme advantageus was. I u have a medicre hand, ld. I u have a strng hand and want

t be raised, just limp in. yur ppnent will t hen usuall raise and u can cme ver the tp (re-raise) .

A crllar t glancing dwn at chips is called “lading up.” Sme plaers actuall rganize their

intended bet in advance. I u see a plaer lading up, it’s similar t glancing dwn at his stack. It’s

best t get cnrmatin this tell prir t reling n it, as sme seasned plaers use this pl t tr t

scare u ut betting.

When u’re plaing against prs, it’s best nt t rel n tells. The knw what the’re ding and, like

a baseball manager sending ut alse signs, the can eed u a lt misinrmatin, depending n

their evaluatin ur level exper tise. Several ears ag, I was plaing in a 6-handed turnament.

Ben Rberts, a smth U.K. pr seated n the buttn, had his cards the table and ccked between

his thumb and index nger, in classical discard psitin. As it was lded arund t him, nticing that

everne had lded, he drew his cards back and raised. It appeared as thugh he was abut t thrw

his hand awa, but seeing that everne had lded t him, he’d nw decided t steal the blinds. I wasin the big blind and decided t challenge him. At the end the hand he shwed me pcket aces! I’d

been well and trul duped.

At the 2007 Aussie Millins, we were dwn t 36 plaers rm a starting eld mre than 700 and well

int the mne when this hand came up. I raised rm mid-psitin with Kc 9c and was called b Gus

Hansen in the big blind. The fp cntained tw queens and tw clubs. Gus checked and I made a small

bet 25,000, arund 35% the pt. Gus nw raised t 75,000 . As he made the raise, his hand was

visibl shaking. A slight tremr can mean tw distinctl di erent things. In inexperienced plaers, it

can indicate a mnster, since the’re unable t bridle the rush adrenaline. Mre cmmnl, thugh,

it indicates slight nervusness when blung. Gus is a pr and I culdn’t bring msel t believe that he

was shaking with excitement, et I was cnvinced that the tremr wasn’t an act. I decided that there

was a gd chance that he was blung. I had the secnd best pssible fush draw and decided t mve

in. Gus insta-called and shwed me Ac Qs! I had ttall misread his tremr and was unceremniusl

relegated t the status bserver.

1. A tell is a specic trait or mannerism; a read is an agglomeration o various bits o inormation.

2. Delayed action emphasies strength to a bet or eakness to a check.

3. Acting eak oten means a strong hand; acting strong oten indicates eakness.


Players hosneakily look at

their chips arepreparing to bet



111Chapter 24 Blung

CHAPTER 24

BLUFFING

Blung! T man new plaers, this is what pker is all abut. There’s n better rush than sticking it all

in with abslute rubbish and having ur ppnent dutiull muck his hand.

It ma surprise u t learn, hwever, that big blus, the kind that get ur adrenaline fwing, are

relativel uncmmn. Plaers requentl make small blus n the fp r turn, but big blu s require

a lt mre curage. Sure, the d ccasinall pull a big blu (especiall at a TV nal table), but a

pr’s bread and butter is taking small pts awa rm his ppnent with small bets and raises. I dn’t

mean t sa that big blus dn’t happen and aren’t an imprtant part the game. The d happen

and the are imprtant. But the vast majrit the time, plaers wh make big bets have big hands.Gd plaers ma shw u sme small blus and when the shve it all-in u ma believe the have

nthing. Dn’t cunt n it.

The rst thing t understand abut blung is that u need a reall bad hand. With medicre hands

that ma be gd, it ’s usuall best t check and call r t make a “blcking bet” in an at tempt t keep

the pt small. I u bet, u’re likel t chase awa hands wrse than urs, but better hands will

rarel ld. T blu, u need t have next t nthing, at least r the mment.

Semi-BlungThe mst cmmn (and the best) blu s are what are called “semi-blus.” A semi-blu is made with

a hand that’s prbabl behind at the time the blu, but has a chance t imprve t a winner. Fr

example, suppse u have Ah Jh and the fp is Th 5s 2h. yu dn’t even have a pair at this pint, but

ur hand has great ptential. I u catch a heart n either the next tw cards, u’ll have the nut

fush (best pssible fush), and i either an ace r jack cmes, there’s a gd chance that u’ll als

have the best hand. With this hand, u’re actuall a small avrite ver hands such as QT r KT with

tw cards t cme. When u add ld equit int the equatin, making a big raise (perhaps all-in ) has

a lt merit. I ur ppnent lds, u’re happ. I ur ppnent calls, u’re still a avrite t win a

massive pt.

Semi-blus are a great wa t keep ld equit n ur side. Remember that all-imprtant pker

precept, which b nw shuld be secnd nature. It’s prbabl the single mst imprtant thing u can

learn rm this bk:

When u bet r raise, there are tw was t win a pt. When u call, there’s nl ne wa t win—shw dwn the best hand.

yu dn’t even have t be a avrite t have the best it when u semi-blu. I u have 14 uts

r mre, u’re a avrite, but suppse u have nl 12 uts and put ur ppnent t the test b

pushing all-in? He desn’t knw u’re drawing. yu ma have a set r 2-pair and alread have him in

big truble. He’ll ld sme percentage the time. I his turnament lie is n the line, he’ll ld mre

requentl than when he has a big stack and can ard t call. The cmbinatin the uts that will

make ur hand a winner, cmbined with the chips u’ll pick up i he lds, makes ur big semi-blu a

mne-winning pla in the lng run. Remember, tw negatives can make a psitive.

It’s alays betterto be the playerbetting andraising than it isto be the playercalling.



112 Chapter 24 Blung

T be sure, smetimes ur semi-blu will be called and u’ll lse signicant chips, perhaps even get

kncked ut. That’s part the game. Remember that bit pker wisdm: You’ve got to be illing to

go broke to have a chance to in. But ten ur ppnent will back dwn t ur semi-blu and u’ll

take dwn the pt , r he ma call and u make ur 12-uter, winning a huge pt. These are the kinds

calculated gambles that can take u t the nal table!

Hands that may arrant semi-blung include:

1. A straight, r fush, draw with ne r tw ver cards t the fp.

Example: yu have Kh Qc and the fp cmes Jd Ts 5h.

2. A fush and a straight draw.

Example: yu have 8h 9h and the fp cmes Th – Jc – 4h

3. A fush r straight draw plus a pair.

Example: yu have 6s 7s and the fp is 4 5 6.

4. A fush draw and a gutsht .

Example: yu have 8h 6h and the fp is 5h 9h Ac.

Beside semi-blung n the fp, at times u might semi-blu n the turn. Suppse u have Ad Jd

and the fp is Kd Qc 8s. yu raised pre-fp, made a c-bet 70% the pt when checked t (u have

psitin), and ur ne ppnent called. The turn card is the 3d. yu nw have 8 mre cards t make

the nuts (u’ve alread cunted the ten diamnds) , 12 ttal uts when u include ur gutsht .

yur ace als ptentiall prvides u with 3 additinal uts i ur ppnent has nl 1-pair withut

an ace kicker. Nw he bets 60% the pt n the turn. Sure, he might have smething reall gd like

2-pair and be in trick mde, but he mst likel has ne pair, hping t nd ut where he’s at in the hand

withut risking all his chips. He’s testing u. Test him back. All-in !

Even i u’re called, sa b AK, u’ll still win 27% the time b making ur fush r straight n the

river. The cmbinatin the chance making ur hand, plus ld equit, makes semi-blung a ver

strng pla that u need t integrate int u game plan.

Outright BluMuch less cmmn than a semi-blu is a blu made with n hpe winning, i called. Fr this tpe

blu t be successul, a scare card must cme that desn’t help ur ppnent and u must represent

a hand that’s cnsistent with the wa u’ve plaed the hand. Here are a cuple cmmn examples.

Representing a straight or fush, or both: Suppse u have Td Tc n the but tn and u call an earl-

psitin raise t 2,400 rm a tight-aggressive plaer. The blinds are 400/ 800 /100, and bth u have

abut 40,000. N ne else calls. The fp is 2d 4h 7d. yur ppnent bets 3,000 and u raise t 10,000.

yur ppnent calls, which u read as a prbable pcket pair bigger than tens. The turn brings the 9s

and u bth check. The river is the Ad and he checks again. This is an ideal spt r a blu. It’s unlikel

u’ll win b checking. Wrking thrugh the hand, u can eliminate a number hldings. yu knw that ur ppnent is a TAG and raised rm earl psit in pre-fp, then he bet the fp and called a

substantial raise. I he had a single ace in his hand, he wuldn’t have called ur raise n the fp. I he

had AA, he wuldn’t have checked n bth the turn and river. I he just made the fush, the nl hand

that might meet his pre-fp raising requirements is exactl Kd Qd, and he wuld have had t pass up a

lucrative betting pprtunit n the river—an extremel imprbable parla. All-in!

The secnd highest card n the bard pairs n the turn: Since man plaers will call the fp with

secnd pair, i a repeat the secnd highest card n the bard cmes n the turn, it means ptential

truble r a plaer with tp pair. Sa the bard is Ks 9c 7d, ur hand is As 7s, ur ppnent makes a

small bet n the fp, and u call. The turn is the 9h. I ur ppnent bets again, g ahead and raise,

particularl i the stacks are deep. yu culd have easil had the 9s in ur hand instead the 7s.

I you are goingto blu make

sure you haveplayed the rest othe hand in a aythat suggests you

have hat youare representing.



113Chapter 24 Blung

This is technicall a semi-blu, as u have 5 uts (three aces and tw 9s) i u’re up against a pair

kings. Because ur chances winning when called are slim, u need a high chance r the blu

t be successul bere u pull the trigger. A wimp blu in a spt like this wn’ t cut it . I u think

there’s a gd chance ur ppnent will ld tp pair, raise at least the size the pt . I u bth have

deep stacks, a pr-like creative alternative might be t mini-raise n the turn (shwing strength), then

i ur e checks n the river, push all-in!

A wrd cautin abut blung—dn’t verd it. Pick ur spts, then make a cnvincing (ten all-in)

blu, i u decide the cnditins are right. Remember, blung with uts (semi-blung) is alwas

saer than utright blung.

1. Blung is an essential part o poker.

2. In big pots, players blu less than you might imagine.

3. Blung to in small pots is ar more common than blung to in big pots.

4. Keep old equity on your side, as much as possible.

5. Semi-blung keeps old equity on your side and gives you to ays to in a pot.

6. Outright blus are sometimes possible i the board is consistent ith the ay you’ve played

the hand and you make a convincing bet hen a scare card comes.


I you’re going toblu ith nothingmake a strongbet. Hal heartedblus are just

giving yourchips aay.



114 Appendix A Ho To Play Hold ‘em

APPENDIX A

HOw TO PLAY HOLD ’EM

THE GAME: Hld ’em is a rm pker plaed with a 52-card deck.

THE RANKINGS: Standard values hands are used—i u’re unsure what the are, review

Appendix B.

BUTTON: A buttn representing the dealer is randml placed in rnt ne the plaers and mves

clckwise ne spt ater ever hand.

BLINDS: Tw blinds r starting bets are placed int the pt in rnt the buttn t create actin.

ANTES: Ever plaer als puts up an ante when mst turnaments have run r a while. Hw much and

when this happens varies, s cnsult the structure sheet.

PLAYERS: There are usuall 8, 9, r 10 plaers at the table. When ewer than hal the chairs are lled,

the game is shrt-handed.

SHUFFLE: The standard shufe gives a randm mixing the cards.

DEALING: The dealer nw delivers tw cards t each plaer, ace dwn.



115Appendix A Ho To Play Hold ‘em

PRE-FLOP: Ater all plaers get their cards, the have the pprtunit t ld, call, r raise, in turn,

starting ne spt in rnt the big blind and mving arund the table in a clckwise ashin. A ld is

releasing the cards ace dwn, in a rward ashin. A call matches the biggest blind and is a minimum

bet. A raise is duble the biggest blind, r previus raise, r mre. The maximum raise is t mve all-

in, in ther wrds t bet all the mne and chips in rnt ne immediatel. An raise between the

minimum raise and the all-in is still a raise.

BURN: The tp card the deck is placed aside ater each betting rund bere cmmunit cards are

turned up.

THE FLOP: The dealer brings turns three cards up in the middle the table. These are cmmunit

cards and can be used b anne that still has a live hand ater the rst rund betting. This event is

cmmnl called the fp.

A ROUND OF BETTING AFTER THE FLOP: Nw that three-sevenths ur hand has arrived in ne

bundle, u have t decide whether r nt t cntinue. The secnd rund betting ensues.

THE TURN: Ater the secnd rund betting is cmpleted, the dealer delivers ne cmmunit card

ace up. It’s cmmnl called the turn.

ROUND OF BETTING AFTER THE TURN: The third rund betting takes place.

THE RIVER: The dealer nw turns the nal cmmunit card ace up in the center the table. It’s

cmmnl called the river.

FINAL ROUND OF BETTING OCCURS AFTER THE RIVER: Pssibl using their wn hle cards, available

nl t them, all plaers chse their best ve-card hand and bet ne last time.

SIDE POT: This happens when there are three r mre plaers and at least ne them is all-in. An

all-in plaer can nl be invlved r as much as he has in rnt him. When the ther plaers bet

mre than the all-in plaer has, a side pt is rmed. onl thse plaers invlved in the side pt can win

what’s in it. Smetimes, the amunt in the side pt exceeds what’s in the main pt.

SHOwDOwN: Plaers with live hands nw turn them up.

ELIMINATION: When smene is all-in and lses, he has busted ut that event and must

leave the table.

Signing up n the Internet at Pkerstars is ree, ater which u can pla r ree r watch live games

r real mne. I recmmend that u d this in rder t gain amiliarit with hw the hands ccur and

what u’re likel t see.



116 Appendix B Hand Rankings

APPENDIX B

HAND RANKINGS

1) The best pssible hand is a ral fush: the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, all ne suit.

2) The next best hand is a straight fush, cmprised 5 cards in sequence and all the same suit, ranked

b the highest card. The smallest pssible straight fush is made 5, 4, 3, 2, ace all ne suit. Ntice

that the ace can be used as a 1 t cmplete a straight as well as being the highest card in the deck.

3) Next is 4--a-kind, r quads—ur cards all the same rank. Fur kings alwas lse t 4 aces and

alwas beat 4 queens. The kicker is alwas unimprtant when u have ne the quad cards as ne

ur hle cards.

4) Next is a ull huse, 3--a-kind plus a pair. The highest pssible ull huse is A AAKK and the lwest

pssible hand is 22233. Full huses are alwas ranked b the three cards the same rank rst, and the

pair secndl.

5) Next is a fush, cnsisting ve cards an suit. The strngest fush is A, K, Q, J, 9 ne suit.

The smallest pssible fush is 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 all ne suit. Suits have n bearing n the strength a fush.

I u hld the ace an suit in ur hand and make a fush with it, u’ll have the best pssible fush,

knwn as the nut fush, unless a straight fush is pssible, and the best pssible hand, unless the bard

is paired.

6) Straights are next and cnsist ve cards in a rw an suit.

is a straight, r example, but remember that

is als a straight, because the ace is nt nl a high card, but can be used as a 1 in a 5-high straight.

I it’s used as a ne in a “wheel,” r 5-high straight, it can be beaten b an ther straight, such as a6-high straight. I t he hld ’em laut is:

then hand ne will beat hand tw,

because when plaing the best ve cards the bth make a straight, but hand ne’s straight

will be higher.



117Appendix B Hand Rankings

7) 3--a-kind is still a ver strng hlding and it cmes next. The biggest 3--a-kind is A AA and the

smallest is 222. In hld ’em, there are three was t make 3--a-kind. The rst is when the bard

shws 3--a-kind. This is the weakest 3--a-kind t have, as all ur ppnents will have it als; i it

cmes t the side cards, ur best pssible hlding wuld be AK. I smene has better than this (an

pair), he has a ull huse, which beats 3--a-kind.

Hand 1 lses t the ull huse hand 2.

The secnd wa t make three a kind is t hld ne a categr in ur hand and have tw

matching cards appear n the bard. This is called “trips” and is a strng hlding.

The nal wa t have 3--a-kind is t make a “set.” This means that u hld a pcket pair and anther

that same denminatin appears n the bard. This is a ver pwerul hlding and ten results in a

lt actin, since the strength ur hand is disguised.

8) 2-pair is the next strngest hand. The highest pssible 2-pair is AA KK and the lwest pssible 2-pair

is 3322; u ten hear 2-pair described as the bigger pair rst as in “aces up r in ur secnd example,

“threes up.”

This culd be read as “nines up,” althugh smetimes u’ll hear “2-pair” r “nines ver urs.”

9) The highest ne pair hand is ace-ace and the lwest pssible pair is 22. Man hld ’em hands are

wn b ne pair.

10) “N pair” is the last stp r ur valuatins. The best pssible n pair is AKQJ9 mre than ne suit.

Never assume that u have a winner r that u’re beaten n the river. The saest thing t d in ever

case is t turn ur hand ace up n the table. online, i ur hand is still live, the best hand will be

chsen autmaticall b the cmputer.



118 Appendix B Hand Rankings

1. In ascending order, ith each hand that ollos being able to beat all the hands that are

mentioned beore it, e have: no pair, one pair, 2-pair, 3-o-a-kind, straight , fush, ull house,

quads, straight fush, and royal fush.

2. You’ll make some ull houses, but the hands that beat ull houses are quite rare. Don’t expect

to see quads and straight fushes in every play! Some people play or years beore they make

their rst royal fush.

Summary o Appendix B



119Appendix C Pre-Flop Hand Rankings

APPENDIX C

PRE-FLOP HAND RANKINGS

The rst chart rates the hands r raising, the secnd rates them r calling a bet r raise.

HAND RANKINGS BY % IF YOU’RE THE RAISER

Percentile Hands

Top 2% JJ+, AKs

Top 4% 99+, AK, AQs+

Top 6% 99+, AQ+, ATs+, KQs

Top 8% 77+, AQ+, ATs+, KTs+, QTs+, JTs

Top 10% 66+, AJ+, A9s+, KTs+, QTs+, JTs

Top 15% 33+, AT+, A7s+, KQ, K9s+, Q9s+, J9s+, T9s

Top 20% 22+, A9+, A3s+, KJ+, K9s+, Q J, Q9s+, J9s+, T8s+, 98s

Top 25% 22+, A7+, A2s+, KT+, K9s+, QJ, Q9s+, JT, J9s+, T8s+, 98s

Top 30% 22+, A3+, A2s+, KT+, K8s+, QT+, Q8s+, JT, J8s+, T8s+, 97s+, 87s

Top 35% 22+, A2+, K9+, K5s+, QT+, Q8s+, JT, J7s+, T9, T7s+, 97s+, 86s+, 76s, 65s

Top 40%22+, A2+, K8+, K 2s+, Q9+, Q5s+, J9+, J7s+, T9, T6s+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s +,

65s, 54s

Top 45%22+, A2+, K7+, K2s+, Q 9+, Q4s+, J9+, J5s+, T8+, T6s+, 98, 96s+, 85s +,

75s+, 64s+, 54s

Top 50%22+, A2+, K4+, K2 s+, Q9+, Q3s+, J8+, J4s+, T 8+, T6s+, 98, 95s+, 87,

85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 54s

Top 60%22+, A2+, K2+, Q6+, Q2s+, J8+, J3s+, T7+, T4s+, 97+, 95s+, 87, 84s+,

76, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, 43s

Top 70%22+, A2+, K2+, Q 2+, J4+, J2s+, T6+, T2s+, 97+, 94s+, 86+, 8 4s+, 76,

74s+, 63s+, 53s+, 43s

Top 80%22+, A2+, K2+, Q2+, J2+, T2+, 94+, 92s+, 85+, 84s+, 76, 74s+, 63s+, 53s+,

43s

Top 90% 22+, A2+, K2+, Q2+, J2+, T2+, 92+, 83+, 82s+, 74+, 72s+, 64+, 62s+, 54,

52s+, 43s

Top 100% An 2



120 Appendix D Recommended Reading & Glossary

APPENDIX D

RECOMMENDED READING

Kill Phil, b Blair Rdman and Lee Nelsn. Huntingtn Press, 20 05.

Kill Everyone, b Lee Nelsn , Tsen Streib, and Kim Lee. Huntingtn Press, 2007.

Harringtn n Hld ‘em: Vlumes 1, 2, 3, b Dan Harringtn and Bill Rbertie. Tw plus Tw Publishing,

2004, 2005, 2006.

Pot Limit and No Limit Poker, b Stewart Reuben and Bb Ciane. 1999.

Tournament Poker or Advanced Players, b David Sklansk. Tw Plus Tw Publishing, 2003.

The Ther Pker, b David Sklansk. Tw Plus Tw Publishing, 1994.

No Limit Hold ‘em [Theory and Practice], b David Sklansk and Ed Miller. Tw Plus Tw Publishing, 2006.

GLOSSARY

Act: T ld, call, r raise when it’s ur turn t d s in a pker hand.

Action: Lts chips ging int the pt during the pla a hand.

Aggressive: T bet, raise, and re-raise requentl.

Air: A hand wrth nthing; it implies actin with a bad hand.

All-in: Betting all ur remaining chips at an time during a pker hand.

Ante: An bligatr amunt that all plaers must put int the pt bere the cards are dealt.

Around back: T be in late psitin.

Bad beat: T lse a hand in a mathematicall imprbable wa.

Backdoor fush: Making a fush b catching tw cnsecutive cards the same suit n the turn and river.

Bet: T make a wager during a pker hand b placing chips int the pt.

Betting line: A line behind which u can rganize ur chips prir t betting. An chips that g ver

the line ten cnsti tute a bet that can’t be taken back.



121Appendix D Recommended Reading & Glossary

Big-bet: Pt limit r n-limit pker where u can bet an amunt equal t r greater than the size the

big blind ever time i t’s ur turn t act.

Big blind: The largest the mandatr bets int the pt bere the cards are dealt, the purpse

which is t stimulate actin. It’s usuall tw places t the let the buttn.

Bingo: T catch a winning card.

Blank: A card that desn’t imprve an the existing hands.

Blind: Frced bet that’s put int the pt bere the cards are dealt t stimulate actin. In n-limit hld

’em, the small blind is hal the size the big blind.

Blocking bet: A smallish bet, ten n the river, t discurage ur ppnent rm making a larger bet.

Blu: T wager with an inerir hand hping t win the pt b getting ur ppnent t ld.

Board: The ace-up cmmunit cards available t everne still active in the hand.

Bricks-and-mortar: A phsical lcatin, such as a casin, where u g t pla pker.

Broaday straight: A straight cmprised AKQJT—the highest pssible straight.

Bubble: one place ut the mne.

Burn: Placing the tp card ace dwn bere dealing the cmmunit card(s).

Busted: als Bust-ut: A plaer wh has been eliminated rm the cmpetitin.

Busted fush dra: A hand with fush pssibilities that misses making the fush.

Button: An acrlic disc that smblizes the dealer (all games plaed in a casin r nline use a

pressinal dealer). The buttn mves clckwise arund the table ater each hand is cmpleted,

dictating where the dealing begins r each hand, as well as the lcatin the blinds.

Call: T match a bet that has been alread made.

Casino; card room; club; host; house: The lcatin pker games.

C-Bet: Cntinuatin bet.

Chasing: Calling in hpes catching a card that will allw an inerir hand t win.

Check-raise: T check initiall, then raise ater anther plaer bets.

Chip-chop: Settlement n the nal table that uses the plaer’s chip cunts as a guideline.

Chips: Cla disks that represent mne and cme in varius denminatins.

Chip Stack Index (CSI): The cst a rund pker (blinds and antes) divided int ur stack.

Chop: T split a pt when tw r mre ppnents have the same hand ater all the cards have been dealt.

Chopping: T win man small pts against ur ppnent.




Cold call: T call ne r mre raisers when u have nthing in the pt prir t ur actin.

Come: Frm ‘n the cme’ describing bets, raises, and semi-blus that are made with a hand with li ttle

current value, but great ptential.

Come over the top: T re-raise r re-re-raise.

Community cards: Cards placed ace up n the table that can be used b an plaer with a live hand.

Continuation (bet) : A bet n the fp ater raising pre-fp, regardless the value ur hand.

Cost per round (CPR): The cst a rund pker including the blinds and antes.

CPR: Cst per rund.

CSI: Chip stack index.

Cut: T place the upper part the deck n the bttm the deck, as is custmaril dne prir t dealing.

Cuto (CO): The psitin exactl ne t the right the buttn.

Dead Money (noun 1): A plaer entering an event withut much a chance winning it. (nun 2):

Chips let in the pt b plaers n lnger invlved in the hand.

Deal (verb): T deliver the cards. (nun): An agreement made t divide a pt in a cash game r the prize

mne in a turnament.

Dealer: The ne wh delivers the cards t the plaers.

Dominate: Tw hands that hld a cmmn card, but ne has a bigger kicker. Example: AK dminates AQ.

Donkey: A stubbrn plaer wh calls mst bets.

Double through; Double Up: T win a hand when u’re all-in, thereb at least dubling ur chip stack.

Doncard[s]: Cards that are seen and can be used nl b ne plaer. Als called “hle” cards.

Draing dead: When n card r cards can pssibl cnvert ur hand rm a lser t a winner.

Draing hand: A hand that needs a particular card t cme r it t becme a winner.

Dry pot: A pt with three r mre plaers, where ne plaer is all-in and the ther plaers are

cmpeting in an empt side-pt.

Early position: one the rst plaers t act; the rst three psitins ater the blinds.

EV: Expected value.

Exposed card: A card that was accidentall turned up r all t see.

Fear equity: Value achieved b instilling ear in ppnents b plaing aggressivel and unpredictabl.

Felted: T bust smene. Brught int use b Phil Laak.




Fish: A sucker. A plaer wh lses regularl.

Flop: The three cmmunit cards turned ace up ater the rst rund bet ting.

Flush: Five cards ne suit. See Appendix B.

Fold: T act b chsing nt t pla at the required price.

Fold equity: The value realized when an ppnent lds t either a bet r raise.

Forard motion: Mving tward the pt with chips.

Free card: T allw the next card t cme withut betting.

Full house: A pker hand cmprised three a kind and a pair.

Gappers: Hands where numbers are skipped. Example: 97 is a ne-gapper, J8 is a tw-gapper, and 73 is

a three-gapper.

Gestalt: An understanding that is larger than the sum its parts.

Getting busted: Lsing all ur chips.

Ghost: A persn wh makes seemingl weak plas that win cnsistentl.

Gutshot: A straight draw that nl ne specicall ranked card will cmplete. Example: 3567. onl a 4

will cmplete the straight.

Hand: The cards u start wi th.

Heads-up: Plaing pker with nl tw plaers.

Hijack: The seat tw t the right the buttn.

Hole: A plaer’s psitin at the table.

Hole cards: The exclusive dwn cards that each plaer receives.

Hollyooding: Acting.

In the tank: The time it takes t have a lng think, ten several minutes lng.

Inside Straight: T have a straight draw that can nl be made in ne wa. See Gutsht.

Insta-call: T call instantl, usuall indicating a strng hand.

Kicker: The side card an hlding.

Late position: one the last plaers t act bere the fp.

Lay don: Flding a hand.

Leading at the pot: Being the rst ne t bet at an pt.




Limit: Pker where the betting limits are preset r ever rund.

Limp: Calling the minimum amunt bere the fp.

Live hand: A hand that can be plaed (nt et lded).

Live player: A plaer wh plas a lt hands.

Loading up: T rganize a bet r raise bere putting it int the pt.

Look you up: T call anther plaer.

Loosey-goosey: A plaer wh’s in ar t man hands.

Maniac: A persn wh plas a lt hands with reckless abandn.

Micro-limits: Ver small limits, invariabl plaed nline. Lwer stakes than culd be und in a bricks-

and-mrtar casin.

Middle position: Usuall the 4th and 5th plaers t act ater the blinds.

Mini-raise: The minimum raise.

Misdeal: A cancelled distributin cards because a mistake.

Monster: A ver pwerul hand r a huge draw.

Move: T make a pla at winning a pt, pssibl withut having the best hand.

Muck (noun): The discard pile. (verb): T thrw awa a hand.

No-brainer: A hand that virtuall plas itsel.

No-limit: Being able t bet everthing in rnt u at an time.

No pair: The lwest hand ranking. See Appendix B.

Nut-fush: The best pssible fush.

Nuts: The best pssible hand.

Osuit: T hld tw unsuited cards in the hle.

One-gapper: A hand with ne number missing, such as 97.

Open-ended: A straight draw that can be cmpleted b catching a card n either side the sequence.

Example: 6789.

Over-bet: T bet mre than expected, perhaps ar mre than the pt.

Over-card: T have a card bigger than an n the bard.

Over-pair: T hld a pair in the hle that’s bigger than the highest card n the bard.




Over the top: T raise, re-raise, r mve all-in ater anther plaer has alread bet r raised.

Pair: Tw cards the same rank.

Play back: T re-raise a raiser, usuall a raiser wh’s in a late psitin.

Ploy: T intentinall misrepresent the value ur hand b an legal means.

Pocket pair: Tw dwn cards the same rank.

Poke: A stash mne.

Position: Where u’re in relatinship t the blinds r t ther (active) plaers.

Post-fop: Ater the fp.

Pot: The chips, r mne, that have been put int pla.

Pot-committed: Making a bet r raise that’s sucientl large that i t’s incrrect t ld. In this bk,

cmmitting 1/3 ur chips r greater is enugh s that lding is n lnger a recmmended ptin.

Pot-limit: A tp-end bet that’s limited t the size the pt.

Pre-fop: Actin taken bere the fp arrives.

Proling: A wa categrizing ppnent’s plaing stles.

Quads: 4--a-kind. See Appendix B.

Rainbo (fop): A fp three cmmunit cards all dierent suits.

Raise: T wager at least twice what the bettr r blind has in the pt.

Read: Putt ing tgether a number bits inrmatin t wrk ut an ppnent’s mst likel hldings

and t act accrdingl.

Represent: T bet r act in a manner that leads ppnents t believe u have a hand ther than what

u reall have.

Re-raise: T raise a raiser b putting in at least twice the amunt his raise.

Re-steal: T re-raise a plaer u think is raising with less than a premium hand, such as a late-psitin

raiser u suspect is tring t steal the blinds with a weak hand.

Ring game: A ull, r nearl ull, cash game (nt a turnament), usuall with 8 r mre plaers.

River: Cmmn slang r the nal cmmunit card in a hld ’em hand.

RNG: Randm number generatr.

ROI: Return n investment.

Royal Flush: The best pssible hand in hld ’em, an ace-high straight fush. See Appendix B.




Runner-runner: Catching an essential card n bth the turn and the river that cnverts a lsing hand t

a winner.

Rush (noun): T win a series hands, r several big hands, in a shrt perid time. (verb): T get a

“high” r “jul” eeling rm making a gd pla.

Satellite: A turnament where the winner ges n t a mre expensive turnament.

See: T access and pla uture streets b calling a bet r raise.

Set: A pcket pair plus a card the same rank amngst the cmmunit cards.

Semi-blu: T make a bet r a raise with what is likel t be the wrst hand at the time, but has the

ptential t imprve t a winner.

Shorthanded: Pla with 6 r ewer plaers.

Shodon: Turning the cards ace up t see wh wins ater all betting has been cmpleted.

Shufe: Mixing the cards s that their distributin is randm. online, this is accmplished b using arandm number generatr.

Side pot: A secndar pt that’s established when ne plaer is all-in and tw r mre additinal

plaers still remain in the hand.

Sit-n-go (SNG) : A ne- r tw-table turnament.

Slo roll: T turn up a winning hand ater a length dela. Cnsidered t be ver pr etiquette.

Small blind: A mandatr bet hal the size the big blind psted b the plaer immediatel t the let

the dealer nce each rund.

SNG: Sit-n-g.

Sooted: Slang r suited. oten used when reerring t peple verplaing suited cards.

Spike: T hit a winning card.

Stack: 1) Twent chips a particular denminatin.

2) The ttal amunt chips that u have.

Stacked: Mdern slang in n-limit used t cnnte winning all an ppnent’s chips.

Standard raise: In n-limit hld ’em, when a plaer raises t three times the big blind.

Stare-don: T stare at an ppnent r a prlnged perid time, searching r inrmatin in rder

t make a decisin.

Steal: T attempt t win a pt withut hlding the best hand.

Steal position: A late psitin, usuall the buttn, hijack, r cut seats.

Stone-cold: Abslute. oten used t describe a blu, r the best hand. “He was n a stne-cld blu.”

or “He had the stne-cld nuts.”




Straight: Five cards in successin regardless suits. See Appendix B.

Straight fush: Five cards in successin, all the same suit. See Appendix B.

Street: A rund bett ing that llws each revealed cmmunit card(s) .

Structure: The schedule r escalatin the blinds and antes in a pker turnament.

Stud: A rm pker with sme cards revealed and thers cncealed.

Suited: Tw cards the same suit.

Suited ace: A hlding an ace with anther card the same suit.

Suited hand: A hlding tw cards the same suit.

Table stakes: Betting that ’s limited t the amunt u have in rnt u at the start a hand.

Texture: The make-up [the hand][the bard][the game].

Three bet: A re-raise. Raising subsequent t a bet and a raise.

3-o-a-kind: T have three cards an rank. See Appendix B.

Tilt: T pla prl because u lst a prir hand r hands, ten as the result a bad beat.

Trap: T get smene else t put chips int the pt when u have a big hand.

Trips: T have tw an rank n bard and a third ne ( that rank) in ur hand. See Appendix B.

Tournament: An event where entrants are prgressivel eliminated until nl ne plaer has all the chips.

Turbo: An accelerated turnament where the blinds and antes prgress aster than usual.

Turn: Smetimes called urth street. Slang r the single cmmunit card expsed when the betting

that llws the fp has been cmpleted.

2-pair: Tw sets tw cards the same rank, such as 9944. See Appendix B.

Underdog: The hand that has less than a 50% chance winning.

Under the gun: The rst persn t act ater the cards are dealt.

Unsuited: Tw cards in ur hand dierent suits.

Up card[s] : The expsed part ur hand.

Up ront: one the rst three plaers t act in a pker game.

UTG: Under the gun.

Value bet: A bet made b a plaer with a hand that he believes is best.

wCOOP: Wrld Champinship online Pker.



weak lead : T make a small bet int a pt ater the fp r turn.

weak-tight: A passive plaer.

wheel : A ve-high straight.

wPT: Wrld Pker Tur.

wSOP: Wrld Series Pker.

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