Hi,

I’ve been into poker for some time now and I’ve already played in 3 various poker situations, casino, online and with friends in home games. Amongst the 3, I found playing with friends the most exciting.

Well, ever since, I have a group of about 12 men that get together and play. I believe because we are only 12, most of us can easily pick up habits of each other and then remember them quickly.

Now, do you think it is fair or ethical to discuss one’s tell, tendencies, habits, etc. with other guys not up for playing?

Thanks a bunch!

All the best,
Vincent
Vincent,

As long as you are not doing it during a hand, there is no problem with this. Actually, it may help you improve as a player as you are analyzing others play and your own. I encourage you to do so.

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1. Bluffing Weak Players
2. Had Fun!
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Hi,

I actually have two questions to ask but before I lay them down let me first share a bit of myself and my poker experience. Well, I am a beginner who play for small amounts with other couples. For the last 6 months, I’ve played online and lost for many times. The bad beats just actually ended when I started following your advices, tips, etc. Thanks to you!

Now here are my questions:

1. How do you quickly figure how much is in the pot when figuring pot odds? Do you normally keep track of it as you go or just make an estimation when it is already your time to make a move?
2. Say I have Ace 8 h and the flop is queen h 5h 3d. Then my outs are 9 h’s and 3 aces for a total of 12 outs. Later to hit 4th street I have around 24% chance and to the river I have around 48%. At such point, pot size is $100 and for me to stay it will cost me $25 or less. But I wonder, what if it will cost me $75 to stay to see 4th street? Will it be worth it?

Thanks in advance!

Warm regards,
James
James,

1. You need to either track it yourself or get good at estimating the pot size by sight.
   
2. A $75 bet is 42% of the pot. Since you have a 48% chance on the flop to hit your hand by the river, you have odds and should call.

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1. Pot Odds Problems
2. With Implied Odds
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Hi,

I’m here to ask this, how will you know you have the best hand? Recently I played online and had KQs. Well, it was a 1$ big blind table. At the position before the button, there were no raises preflop therefore I just raised 1$. Players who were in the hand called. Flop then came and brought 333. Checks all around followed. After a while turn came and brought Q, it then checked all around. River came and was K. It later checked around to me therefore I decided to place 5$ bet. Everyone else then folded except for one player who re-raised me 15$. I then called with the thought that everything was just a bluff. He then showed me K3 off suit and immediately taken down the pot.

Now as I try to analyze things up I can’t afford not to think that I maybe have misplayed the hand. Also, I’ve read in books and websites that “If the pot is laying you 6:1 and your no worse than that to win it, make the call”. But I don’t know how can I ascertain if I’m 6:1 to win the hand or not.

The other day I’ve seen plenty of examples on your odds of making a draw or improving your hand, but I wonder, what if you’re not drawing to the Nuts, how can you tell what your winning odds are?

Please I need your help. Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Tommy
Tommy,

First, that was a split pot. Both of you had three’s full of kings.

Next to determine whether your worse than 6 to 1 to win, when you 6 to1, you are around 17% to win the hand. If you are on the flop, figure out the number of outs to win the hand. Multiply it by 4. This will give you your percentage to win the hand by the river. If it is greater or equal to 17, then you are better than 6 to 1. On the turn, calculate your outs by 2 to get the percentage. If you are equal or better than 17% to hit your hand, then you are better than 6 to 1.

Related articles:

1. Turn or River Odds
2. When to Draw
3. Two Different Hands

Hi,

I want to be a pro but I don’t know if there are qualifications I need to consider first. Any idea? Well, I’ve been playing online for some time now and I’m withdrawing a grand a week. I usually play online at some sites but there are two sites I love most.

To me, it seems that when I play online, throw the book out, anything goes. But when I’m in B&M, the need to change the way I play appears. Your thoughts?

By the way, I really like your site. Congrats and thanks for everything you’ve done here!

All the best,
Marco
Marco,

To be a pro poker player, that means that your income comes solely from playing poker. Of course, some players skew that line due to business dealings, but that is usually the main requirement.

Playing online and live can be two different arenas, but most of the same concepts apply. The main difference is that you need to learn how to read your opponents inside of a live casino.

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Hi,

I’ve been playing poker for more or less 35 years now but in an on and off basis. For many years I haven’t played in high limit pots and haven’t shuffled a deck of cards. Just recently, I tried playing online particularly at Ultimatebet.com. Well, I notice that most of the freerolls at the said site do have 800 or more players and I’ve come in in the top 10 for several times and luckily won twice. Now I feel I’m ready to move up but I’m bothered of playing against computer generated cards. Also, I noticed something days ago, it was about the site’s algorithm. Whenever I have an open end straight on the flop the turn is either one card away from completing my straight or else it pairs a card of the flop. For an instance, I have 9/10 and flop is 8/J/3, turn is 6, K or pair the 8, J or 3. In case one tracks such open ends straights, it will be revealed 81 of 100 hands. At times river follows this trend if the turn paired a flopped card and will be one from completing my straight.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a ton!

All the best,
Dave
Dave,

All poker players at one time or another have noticed the abnormalities that you speak of. It is usually explained away by the fact that you see many more cards an hour online than you do live. However, there are times that things tend to run too much in a pattern to seem random. If at any time you don’t feel comfortable with the way a site is run or how the software handles, you do have the option of going to another site.

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Hello,

I’ve recently received mails from people with issues playing online and I’ve just already replied to some of the mails. But I’m curious about everyone’s opinions. In case you play online, kindly send me a mail that lists where you play and if possible also your feelings about the service. If you can include how long you have played and if you have played offline at all then good. I want to see how satisfied people are with the current online sites.

Thanks!

Unknown Player,

I tend to play at Pokerstars and Full Tilt poker. These two sites have proven to be the safest and most reliable overall. I have not heard any issues involved with them that they have not resolved, unlike some online sites that have recently received sanctions and are under investigation.

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Hi,

I was originally into neighborhood games and just tried online games recently. Well, on this site, random deals are present which later produced silly flops, turns and river combos not common in live brick and mortar game. Random deals on the site are said to be as random as present technology allows and actually have yielded favorable results when examined against a live deck.

Now, do you think there is a consensus among experienced casino and/or tournament players with regards to the validity of accepted poker probabilities against online play? I badly need to hear your opinion.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Luke
Luke,

Most players will tell you that live and online probabilities are the same. The difference is that with online poker, hands are played so much faster that there appears to be a variance in the numbers. Online poker is wildly popular with many pros. If they thought it was all rigged, they wouldn’t play.

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Hello,

I’ve started playing poker just recently. First I tried playing at poker rooms that offer free play. Right now I want to start playing online for real money but I’m bothered about the law, particularly about declaring my winnings. I know I look like paranoid and sound silly but I just don’t want to have any headache specially if related to taxes and all. Your thoughts?

Thank you.

Best regards,
Justin
Justin,

If you are a winning player, then you might want to consider hiring an accountant to do your taxes in regards to declaring your gambling winnings. By law, if you win more than $400 in a year, you must declare your winnings. Now, you can declare gambling losses against your wins, but only up to the amount of your wins.

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Hello,

Just 4 months ago, I started playing holdem at Poker Stars. First I was okay playing at play tables but later on was constantly being beaten. Well I know that playing on play money tables is unstable and erratic but still I want to try my luck. Luckily, I later discovered your site and after reading some of your writings, I improved a bit. Thanks to you!

As of the moment, I’m trying some real money sites. I’m more on no limit games in low games. I have already ventured into the $5/$10 games. I know it’s important to have perseverance at all times to eventually learn everything and so I’m trying to maintain it at all means.

I now live in Montreal Canada and unfortunately the casino here has no Holdem games at all therefore I just play online.

Now my question is, do the same probabilities apply in playing online through a computer program which deals the cards as playing live at a casino where there’s a manual dealing of the cards? At times I think so however I am not so sure. Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Kit
Kit,

The same odds and probabilities apply online as they do live. The only difference is that live you get way fewer hands than you do online. You can always download software or use certain calculators online to help you figure out percentages if you are stumped.

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Hello,

Any idea as to what % of players play profitable poker? At Party Poker, players there might say break even or win a little. However in reality I know that can’t be true. A player who bets always claim to win.

If I’ll be asked, maybe my answer will be 20% win, 20% lose and 60% break even. However I have nothing substantial to support my answer. Any thoughts?

All the best,
Trenz
Trenz,

To give you an idea, less than 5% of people that start out to play poker as a profession are truly successful. Most either end up break even players or go broke. I would venture a guess that maybe 20% of players online are truly winning players, about 20% break even, and the rest losing players.

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Hello,

Do you have any idea if it’s legal to play for real money on the internet in U.S.?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Dave
Dave,

It is not legal to play online for real money in the United States.

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Hello,

I’m actually here to ask something. Do you have a general catalog of all the hands, which listed hands a player would absolutely fold? I’m referring here to hands that players will fold more often, hands that players will always bet however not necessarily raise, and hands that players will always bet and at the same time raise.

Well, I’m not sure but you more or less raise group 1 hands always. But about the other groups, what do think players should do with them? And should you play hands in groups 6 & 7?

By the way, for the ones below what kind of general percentages would you expect to see? As a fairly new player I don’t know what will you expect aside from:

Saw the flop (90%)
Went to the river (41%)
Folded to a river bet (58%)
Showdowns won (42%)

I love playing online and of course I’m using play money. Just the other day I tried to play at some online $1-$2 tables and unfortunately lost. I must admit I’ve stayed on too many hands to begin with and let myself be trapped while trying to make a hand then.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Vincent
Vincent,

First, you are playing 9 out of 10 hands. You are playing way too many hands. You need to lookup general starting hands or buy a book or DVD about beginning holdem. Strong hands such as Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and A-K suited can be played in most positions for a raise. Medium pairs down to 9’s and A-Q, A-J can be played for a raise from middle position. Other pairs can be played for a raise from late position. In other positions, the hands can be limp hands.

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Hi,

I’ve been into poker for quite some time now. As of the moment, I consider myself a good player. I believe I can be like a pro if I just work on some of my weak areas like discipline.

Most of the time, I play online. And because I don’t have much money I oftentimes play in 25 and 50 dollar NL tables. I heard your three stages and they sound really interesting to me. Well, I believe I’m in the third stage but I don’t have enough discipline. Almost every time I find myself falling in love with trash hands, suited connectors especially from bad position.

Now, I want to know if you have any advice for me. And about trash hands and one or two gap connectors, is it worth the risk to play such hands and possibly go on hoping to break someone and eventually build a table image?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,
Devrick
Devrick,

As far as discipline, you need to go back to a tight strategy for a while. The only way to fix this is to develop a plan and stick to it. Being disciplined requires making correct choices and sticking with them.

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For more than 20 years now, I’ve been playing poker for more than 20 hours a week, mainly online. I play well in $2/4 6max NL holdem but then just recently I decided to try my luck in other level and so I moved up to $3/6NL.

I’ve tried to read some poker books and visit some forums and for several times I’ve encountered the idea about AT-AQ, and KT-KQ being a crap. And is true that tight-aggressive poker can be a winning poker and bluffing weak players is the dumbest thing one could do?

Before, I used to fire three bullets with over cards, typically would call raises with AJ out of position. I would also play unusually and would bluff a lot. I usually win with such kind of approach, normally win between $600-1000 a day. I was then considered as one of the most aggressive and best short handed players on my site. However, after I started the reading and all, some things have changed.

As of the moment, I’m having a trouble with regards to winning at $.10/.20 full ring games. I believe the golden rules below have something to do with my problem.

• Don’t play loose, tight poker is winning poker 2. Don’t bluff weak players, they simply won’t fold
• Don’t be weak/tight, be aggressive!
• Don’t call raises out of position with weak hands

I tried the Super System before and I would typically raise preflop with ATo then get called by the big blind. Flop would appear and would bring something like 9c7h2c. BB then would check and I would bet the pot. BB then would call and then turn would bring in something as 4s. BB would check and then I would place BB on a flush draw and then would bet the pot one more time. BB would call and river would be something like Jh. BB then would check and I would push all in, BB would fold. I would then win lots of money.

Right now, I played differently and winning is already an impossible thing. Many things are troubling me and my aggressive style before doesn’t work anymore. It doesn’t scare people like it used to. Please, I need your help.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks and more power to you!

Regards,
King
King,

Tight poker is winning poker and at lower limits, it’s nearly impossible to bluff. Your style will work better at more reasonable limits.

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I’ve been into online holdem for almost two years now. Well, I’ve been into no limit in general. Just recently, from full tables I moved to short-handed ones. The outcome of my decision was not that awesome but I promised to myself I’ll be good soon.

I know you’re the best person to help me. Do you know any good and effective strategy tips applicable in short handed tables?

Hope to hear from you in no time.

Thanks in advance!

Brent
Brent,

Don’t be afraid to play middle and even bottom pair if you think it is best. Players tend to miss the flop and 6 handed, when you flop middle pair, it is much stronger than at a full table. That’s not saying it wont be behind at times, but at times, middle pair and even bottom pair will win.

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Hello,

I’ve been into poker just this year. I guess I’ve been playing for just about 7 months now. Well, as of the moment, I’m more into no limit, mainly online. At times, I also play at the casinos.

Just recently, I was in an online no limit sit and go tourney. A certain hand came up and I think I have misplayed it.

I remember the tourney started with 10 players and with 1500 starting chip amount. Blinds were 10/20 at the beginning but then moved up later. After more than 20 minutes of play, tourney-blinds were 25/50 with 9 players.

At some point, I was in the small blind and was dealt K K, club and diamond. My stack was around $1900. There were three players who limped in, including the button who was the chip leader with around $3,500. He was actually playing aggressive on the post flop, normal preflop.

Later, I raised to four times the blind, thus masking it $200 to go. Flop then came and brought 9 which was a diamond, 7 another diamond, and 5 a heart. Afterwards, I placed $400 bet with a desire to take home the pot with a flush or straight draw on the board. After a while, button re-raised me to $800 and so I place him on one of these hands: nut flush draw (A-x diamonds), top pair strong kicker (A-9), a set (9s, 7,s or 5,s), and straight draw (JT).

I had so many things in mind then but later I chose to go all in. He then flipped over 8 which was a club and 6 which was a spades. Well, turn and river didn’t gave anything good so I was busted out.

Honestly, every time I remember such tourney I don’t feel really bad. However, what if I folded and picked my battles with the other more predictable tight players, could the results have been much better for me? What’s on your thoughts?

Thanks!

Regards,
Carron
Carron,

You pretty much got unlucky in my opinion.

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Hi,

I was in an online event early this morning. I was in mid position with the largest stack and was dealt AA. For ten times the big blind, first position raised. I thought of isolating him and so I raised him. However, the dealer and the two blinds called my raise, same thing with the original bettor. Flop came and brought JTJ rainbow. Original raiser then placed a bet by which was 3/4 of his stack however didn’t went all in. I then placed him on KK, QQ, or even AT. I then opted to fold as three bettors were waiting and any of them had a J. Others left folded.

Well, I honestly believe that with my position, I was at a major disadvantage and so I wanted to know if you have any strategies in mind about how I should isolate an opponent. At some point, I believe I should have went all in. What do you think?

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work on this site!

Regards,

Corbeil
Corbeil,

I think your fold on the flop was good not because of your position but due to your opponents bet. He bet ¾ of his stack. This looks like someone trying to induce a call or a raise. He probably had A-J or maybe even J-J. I think you made a fantastic fold.

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