Posts Tagged ‘World Series of Poker’

Various Questions

Hello,

Just want to ask some questions. I hope you have time.

1. How often do you play against world class talent? And what would you normally consider world class?
2. Do you think it’s a good idea to put people to the test by going all in earlier with the possibilities they will later on call or bust you?
3. In no limit, do you think it’s actually a good thing to sometimes raise your draws despite the fact that you could be re-raised all in or the betting player would place bets lower than your raise?

I’ll be glad to hear from you in no time. More power!

Many thanks,
Xander
Xander,

1. World class talent are those that play in the highest level games in the world such as the World Series of Poker, the WPT, etc. I personally play against such competition a couple of times a year, most specifically at the World Series of Poker.
   
2. It depends on the hand. If I have a big hand that I don’t want to have to make a decision about, I will push. I will also do the same if I think I can get them to lay down or if I think that it is the best way to double up.
   
3. You definitely should raise your draws on occasion when you think doing so will get you a free card to draw at your hand. This is a move best done in position. You must also have a good read on your opponent.

Couple of Questions

Hello,

I’m here to ask couple of questions. But before I lay them down let me first thank you for creating and maintaining a site like this one. It has been a great help to me and to many others. Keep up the good work!

Now, here are my two questions:

1. You once said that the odds of a pair pre-flop are 6% but the odds of AA or KK preflop are 9%. Why is this so? Is there any difference?
2. Why do you think poker is getting more and more popular? Do you think the Rounders movie has something to do with this? How about the power of television?

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
James
James,

1. The odds of being dealt a preflop pair are around 6%. The odds of being dealt Aces or Kings is no different than being dealt deuces.
   
2. The popularity of poker has been mainly due to ESPN’s World Series of Poker and Chris Moneymakers win in 2003. Rounders is a great movie, but only helped make Holdem popular in a small way. Thank Chris Moneymaker for the current poker boom.

Any Idea About Wilson Poker Software?

Hello,

For sure you have already heard of the Wilson Poker Software, anything to share about it?

I’ll be glad to hear from you in no time.

Many thanks,
Davis
Davis,

I actually own all the variations of Wilson Software. These are excellent programs to use to improve your game. You can use the software to assist you in making the appropriate plays in certain situations and you can also use the software to practice playing on your own against different types of players. I used the tournament holdem software to help me improve my poker game and less than three months after using it, I cashed in a Limit Holdem event at the World Series of Poker. I highly recommend it.

Small and Big Blinds Going Up

Hello,

I love watching poker of all kinds over the Net and television. But though I’m already used to watching, I still can’t figure out when, why and for how much do the small and big blinds go up in no limit and limit games. Any idea on this one?

Thank you so much.

Regards,
Jinn
Jinn,

The blinds go up at the end of a level. The length of the level is determined by whomever designs the particular tournaments. It varies from tournament to tournament. At the World Series of Poker, most events have 60 minute levels. The amount they go up depends on the structure picked for the particular event. Blind levels vary from tournament to tournament.

Maybe Just a Wrong Interpretation of His Action

Hello,

I regularly play with some friends. In one of our games, an argument about the move of a certain player at the table came up.

At some point, only two of us were left in the hand. I remember I’ve stated that I was all in. Other player then tossed over his cards to show what he had. I figured then out that maybe he finally folded and so I flipped my cards over and started gathering the chips. I saw him then having a peek at my hand. Consequently, he called my all-in. He then said his intention was to think for a while if he would call or not. However, for me his gesture really meant he finally folded. Any thoughts? Who should take home the pot?

Thank you.

Regards,
Joe Darwins
Joe,

In this case, if he had the better hand, he wins. Sorry.

Reshuffle or Not

Hello,

In a certain tourney, there were two players involved in a particular hand. At the turn, both checked. Player 1 checked at fourth street however player 2 placed a reasonable bet to put player 1 all-in.

Later, dealer thought player 1 folded and so placed the rest of the cards into the muck and then pushed the following cards to the following dealer. Afterwards, player 2 started to have the pot down however player 1 expressed he wanted to call the bet. Well, none of the players had mucked a hand at such point and so two cards were conceived to be still at the top of the pile.

In the end, though no one was totally sure which cards should be dealt, it was agreed to eventually burn and turn over the river card. Player 1 as a result had the winning hand. Because it was already mixed up with the mucked cards of the other players, deck could not be shuffled anymore.

Thanks for your time.

Wiederstein
Wiederstein,

I personally have not come across this situation so I asked help from a friend that is a tournament director for the World Series of Poker. She told me that in the event the deck was mixed up, take the entire muck pile, shuffle it, and then burn and deal out the rest of the hand.