Happy New Year from Full Tilt Poker. We wish you a prosperous poker year in 2009. Kick off the year with Sit & Go Madness January 9th - 11th, when you can share in an additional $75,000 of cash and prizes.

January is also a good time to start your Iron Man Challenge and get rewarded for playing in your favorite ring games and tournaments.

One of your first and more profitable New Year's resolutions might be to take notes on your opponents. In this week's tip, Paul Wasicka stresses the importance not just of note taking - but doing it right.

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172
Taking Online Notes on Opponents
Paul Wasicka
1st January 2009

When you’re at the table playing live poker, the only notes you can take - at least inconspicuously - are mental ones. Online, however, you’re granted a tremendous opportunity that doesn’t exist in live play. It’s important to take advantage of this and keep notes on your opponents. If you’re going to do this, you need to do it right. This means including key details to give the notes relevance when you find yourself calling upon them later.

One thing that many poker players overlook is the importance of including the date. I always type the date alongside my note on a player so that if I come across that note when playing against him six months later, I’ll know to follow it with caution because a player’s style can change greatly in that time span. On the other hand, if I were to play him again a few days later, chances are he hasn’t overhauled his game too drastically in that time period.

The first time that I observe a specific trait about someone, I’ll follow it with a question mark. So if I saw someone try to bluff with King-high after being checked to twice, I could make a note like: “Feed this player some rope and they won’t be able to resist?” Since I’m basing the note on a sample set of only one hand, I use the question mark. If I see the player bluff like that two or three more times, I’ll delete the question mark. Just because you see something one time, it doesn’t mean it’s a staple of that person’s game.

It’s also important to make your notes as detailed as possible. Something like “has no clue how to handle short-stacks” is a decent starting point, but you want to follow it up with specifics so the note resonates in the future. You’ll want to add more information, such as: “Called a short-stack’s $70 open out of position with pocket 4s and check-raised all in with three over-cards and no draw.” A note like that says it all.

One thing that I always make a note of is any player who posts blinds the instant they sit down at a cash game instead of being patient enough to wait for it. Are they really that desperate to play a hand? Posting out of position is terrible play, especially under the gun. It demonstrates impatience. I prefer to write a note and include their stack size, something like: “2nd position post with a 20 BB stack.” That tells me a lot about how impatient this person is.

Of course, there are two sides to every aspect of poker; always remember that other people may be taking notes on you. This serves as an excellent reason to constantly mix up your play. It’s crucial to adapt your game, especially online, because people are looking for patterns much more than in live play. If you get caught bluffing and lose some money, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you think your opponents paid attention to that and might have taken a note on it, use that knowledge against them. Let them think you’re aggressive and then get them to pay off your value bets when you make a hand.

You can go so far as to take notes on how you think your opponents view your play; that’s how comprehensive and advanced they can be. Start by simply taking notes on your opponents’ tendencies. If you include the right details, you’ll be rewarded in future pots with those players.


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Pokerstars World Record Results

We may be in the middle of PokerStars' World Record Week, but this weekend was where the biggest action happened. In just the span of one day, we saw the world's biggest ever poker tournament, the biggest ever Sunday Million, the biggest ever Sunday Warm-Up, and more than $12 million in real cash tournament prizes awarded to PokerStars players.

Oh...and while we're mentioning broken records, we should also mention that Sunday around 3:30pm ET, we saw the biggest number of people ever logged into PokerStars. As you can see, the number topped out at more than 250,500 players.

Perhaps the most talked about attraction all week long was PokerStars' attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest ever poker tournament. The players came through--all 35,000 of them. Not only was it a win for PokerStars, it was a pretty significant win for stan34powa who topped the field of 35,000 to win the Guinness World Record tourney and $30,000.

The Guinness World Record attempt may have been the tournament with the most players, but the PokerStars Sunday Million dwarfed everything with its prize pool. The tourney pulled in a whopping 6,260 players who played for a $3,252,000 prize pool. Not only was it a monster Sunday Million, it was also one where the winner cut no deals and collected a $331,378 prize. Many congratulations go to lp_Saki Saki from Sweden. Read how he did it in the 12/28/08 Sunday Million report.

If that's not enough broken records (and yes, I'm perfectly aware I'm starting to sound like one), the Sunday Warm-Up eclipsed its largest ever number of players this weekend. When the tournament finally settled on a total number, it looked like 5,836 playing for a $1,167,200 prize pool. Hr_Herman went into the final table with one of the smaller chip stacks but emerged with the victory and $147,067. Read all about it in the 12/28/08 Sunday Warm-Up report.

Oh, that should be enough, right? Well, it's not. Not only was PokerStars rocking and rolling in the record-breaking department, it was also celebrating the last Sunday of the month (and year). That meant it was time for the PokerStars Turbo Takedown and the Battle of the Planets Triple Shootout. Turbo Takedown honors (and $100,000) went to perky246 (read the full report HERE). In the Battle of the Planets showdown, el cuCut ran the table and came out with the victory (full report HERE).

You think that's it? Well, it's not.

This weekend also marked the time when the members of Team PokerStars Pro would face off against each other and determine the team's captain. Who won? After a tough heads-up battle with Daniel Negreanu, Victor Ramdin walked away with the win. We provided full coverage of the match. You can see the whole live blog HERE or read the Team PokerStars Pro Championship match wrap-up.

You think that's all? Well, that's all we have room for here, but there were still tons of other major tournaments on Sunday. For a full breakdown of winners from the big weekend, visit the (12-28-08) PokerStars Sunday Tournament Results page.

Congratulations to PokerStars for its record-breaking weekend. Moreover, congratulations to all the players who raked in the big cash

World Record MTT

PokerStars Tournament #126551369, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
35000 players
$150000.00 added to the prize pool by PokerStars
Total Prize Pool: $500000.00
Tournament started 2008/12/28 15:30:00 ET

Dear KarmaKrazy13,

You finished the tournament in 4328th place.
A $30.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

You earned 57.18 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/leader-board/


Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.

You gotta see this!!

My newest video

World Record!!!

I am signed up and ready to play!! Are You??

If you do not have an account at pokerstars click the banner now!!

10,000 player Sit & Go’s

Also running during World Record Week will be a series of 10,000 player Sit & Go’s, with extra cash added to the prize pools. We expect these to fill up very quickly, so be sure not to miss out.

$1 buy-in
Up to 10 tournaments will run during the weekend of December 27-28, 2008
$10,000 added to each Sit & Go
Tournaments will appear in the Lobby on December 27 and begin when 10,000 players have registered. Once one tournament is full, it will start immediately and be replaced by another event
To find the tournaments, go to the PokerStars Lobby and select ‘Sit & Go’ and ‘All’. These tournaments can also be found by using the Sit & Go Filter.

Satellites!!!

Extra Sunday Million Satellites
PokerStars is running extra FPP qualifiers for the World Record Week Sunday Million. Take your shot at an incredible $2.5 million prize pool.

50 FPP MTT Turbo, Wednesday-Saturday at 15:00 ET and Sunday at 13:30 ET, 99 tickets awarded
1,300 FPP Turbo, Saturday, December 27 at 14:40 ET, available to SilverStar VIPs and above
2,500 FPP Turbo satellite Sunday December 28 at 14:30 ET, PlatinumStar VIPs and above
1,000 FPP MTT Turbo, Wednesday-Saturday at 21:00 ET, 99 tickets awarded
50 FPP satellites at 15:00 ET on December 24, 25, 26 and 27
500 FPP satellites at 23:00 ET on December 25, 26 and 27
1,000 FPP satellites at 21:00 ET on December 24, 25, 26 and 27
To find the satellites, go to the PokerStars Lobby and select ‘Tourney’ and ‘Satellite’. You can also search for the satellites using the Tourney Filter.

Guinness World Record Attempt

This is your chance to play in the largest online poker tournament in history, and to be part of a Guinness World Record. We’re aiming for 35,000 players, and with a buy-in of $11, it’s easy to take part.

Sunday, December 28 at 15:30 ET
$500k guaranteed prize pool
$11 buy-in
35,000 capacity
Registration is now open!
To find the tournament, go to the PokerStars Lobby and select ‘Tourney’ and ‘Regular’ or ‘Special’. Or simply use the Tourney Filter in the Lobby to search for the tournament name. To use the Filter, open the PokerStars Lobby and enter a word or words from the tournament title. The Filter will then search all tournaments and provide you with the relevant results.

Pokerstars Reload Bonus!!

To celebrate the holidays, PokerStars is giving players a special gift - a 25% Reload Bonus. Make a qualifying deposit during World Record Week to qualify for the bonus cash.

25% up to $150 reload bonus
Qualifying period is from December 24 at 14:00 ET to December 31 at 23:59 ET
To receive the bonus you must enter the code PS25 into the bonus code area of the Cashier when making your qualifying deposit
Players must earn 20 VPPs per bonus dollar to earn the bonus (example: to earn a $150 bonus you must earn 3,000 VPPs). Required VPPs must be earned within 6 months of your qualifying deposit. To earn the entire $150 bonus, your first eligible deposit during the bonus period must be $600 or more

POKERSTARS WORLD RECORD WEEK!

For the final week of 2008 PokerStars is doing something very special. With your help, World Record Week will see PokerStars try and break yet another Guinness World Record, as well as host a series of fantastic tournaments and cash giveaways. So get festive and settle in for a brilliant week-long blow-out at PokerStars.

On December 28, 2008, 35,000 PokerStars players, will attempt to break the World Record for the ‘Largest Online Poker Tournament’ and become part of an actual Guinness World Record. It’s a great opportunity to do something special during the holiday season, as well as compete for a $500k guaranteed prize pool.

We also want to celebrate the end of another fantastic year by giving away cash, by staging special money-added tournaments, as well as a Team PokerStars Pro exhibition event. And that’s not all. We’ll also be increasing the guarantees in some of our major Sunday tournaments, we‘re offering our players a special Reload Bonus, and we’ll be hosting some amazing Sit & Go’s with cash added.

For full details, follow the links below to find out more about the incredible action coming your way.

Turbo MTT Tips

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In the early stages of a tournament, many players believe that it is best to stay patient and wait for big hands. But what about in a turbo Multi-Table Tournament? In this week's Tip, Michael Craig warns that too many players overcompensate in the early stages of turbo events and make foolish moves.
171
How to Play the Early Stages of Turbo MTTs
Michael Craig
22nd December 2008

When playing a turbo Multi-Table Tournament online, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is overcompensating for the fact that it’s a turbo by playing too fast and loose during the first several rounds. Because the levels are shorter and the starting stacks smaller, you’ll see players rushing to get all their chips into the pot with a hand like A-9 or pocket 5s. Since these tournaments actually play like normal tournaments during the first few levels, it’s important to remain patient and wait for big hands.

In the first 15 or 20 minutes of a turbo tournament you should play the same way you would in the first hour or hour and a half of a regular tournament. You should be looking to play quality hands aggressively from late position, but if you meet any resistance you need to pull back. At this point in the tournament it’s not worth losing all your chips with A-J offsuit or pocket 5s if an opponent comes over the top of your raise.

There’s also very little point in trying to steal the blinds in the early stages because they’re so small relative to the size of the starting chip stacks. Stealing the blinds becomes much more important in the later rounds after the antes have kicked in. The other argument against trying to steal the blinds early on is that you’re more likely than usual to get called because players tend to play faster in turbos. The big blind will be looking for a reason to call your raise from late position, and he might even make a move, pushing all in with a marginal hand. As a result, trying to steal the blinds becomes much less profitable than usual.

What you should be looking for in the early stages are opportunities to play small hands that could become big hands. When you’re in good position, you should be looking to see as many flops as possible with small pocket pairs and suited connectors because these are the types of hands that can win big pots. If I have a hand like pocket 6s, I’ll rarely fold to a raise before the flop because I know that one time in eight I’ll catch a 6 on the flop and double up off a player who can’t let go of his big pair.

If you do choose to call a raise before the flop with a small pocket pair, it’s important that you make sure your opponent has a large enough chip stack to justify the eight-to-one odds of you hitting a set. Ideally, you should be looking to make this call against a player who has at least twenty times the size of the preflop raise. If your opponent only has five times the size of the raise in his chip stack, you can’t win enough to make the call mathematically correct.

Another important difference between turbo and regular tournaments is that in a regular tournament I’ll be a little more aggressive in the early stages, trying to project a certain image. I’ll often raise with hands like J-9 suited or Q-8 suited in late position, but that tactic doesn’t work as well in turbo tournaments. In turbos I’ll often pass up opportunities to make an opening raise with these sorts of hands because I don’t want to put myself in the difficult position of having to play a big pot with such a weak hand.

Let your opponents be the ones to overplay their weak hands early on because they almost certainly will. They’ll raise or call raises before the flop with hands like pocket fours, and even if the flop comes Q-J-7 they’ll keep on pushing. Such players also tend to overplay strong hands like A-K. After raising before the flop with that hand, many players will refuse to let it go after getting check-raised on a flop like J-7-4. Even though they’re obviously behind, they’ll call a big bet, hoping to catch an Ace or King on the turn.

Some players will even push all their chips into the middle in this situation. All they have are two overcards, but I guess they figure that after raising before the flop and betting on the flop they’ve already invested a healthy chunk of their chip stack and they might as well go all the way with the hand. They’re impatient because of the nature of turbo tournaments − starting with smaller chip stacks and playing quicker levels − but this is obviously a huge mistake.

The most important thing to remember in the early stages of an online turbo tournament is stay patient and wait for big hands. Too many players overcompensate for the fact that it’s a turbo and make foolish moves that cost them half their stacks. Don’t be one of those players.

Look for special holiday triple points periods with 3Xmas Happy Hour through January 1st, including Happy Hours which last for up to 12 hours.

Win your share of The Holiday $100K on December 27th - or The Extra Holiday $100K on December 28th - by playing in a satellite tournament for as little as 50 Full Tilt Points or buying your way in directly for 2,000 points.



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Pokerstars Freeroll

The holidays are coming and to celebrate PokerStars is rewarding first time depositors with some fantastic freerolls opportunities. In December, we're giving all our players who make their first real-money deposit the chance to win big in a series of exclusive freerolls. With a total prize pool of $75,000 up for grabs, this is a great opportunity to develop your poker skills AND build your bankroll.

There are five $500 freerolls per day from December 8-27. If you cash in any of these tournaments you´ll win a ticket to one of five $5,000 freeroll finals on December 28.

To enter, just make your first real-money deposit, using any of our convenient payment methods, and enter the code “FDF1” into the bonus code field at the cashier. You'll then be able to play in as many of the daily freerolls as you wish. In addition, you'll also get our 100% First Deposit Bonus of up to $50.

You have from now until December 27 to make your first deposit and get in on the action!

To find the freerolls, go to the PokerStars lobby and click Tourney, > Freeroll.


Click Here to get in the action now!!!

Happy Holidays

My X-Box

Three-Bets

170

Interpreting Three-Bets

Jordan 'iMsoLucky0' Morgan

December 18, 2008

We all know that a three-bet is supposed to mean strength. When a player three-bets before the flop, he’s saying that he believes he has the best hand. One of the keys to making money at the poker table, however, is being able to interpret when the three-bet means what it’s supposed to mean, and when a player is only representing a big hand and making a move.

The fact of the matter is that you’re not getting the right odds in most situations to call a three-bet with a small pocket pair. When there’s been a raise and a re-raise in front of you and you look down at a hand like pocket 6s, you normally want to fold it and move on. You can sometimes get away with making the call with a very deep stack, but you really have to have a strong read that you’re going to get paid if you make your hand. I might call with pocket 9s or 10s in the right spot against the right opponent, but hands like 8s or 7s just don’t play well enough, especially out of position.

One exception, of course, is if a particular player three-bets repeatedly. This suggests he isn’t always doing it with strong hands and it might be worth playing back at him. However, when I say “repeatedly,” I don’t just mean a couple of times early in a session. If a guy three-bets you twice early on, you might be inclined to think that he’s picking on you and doesn’t have a hand. But it could also be that the guy got dealt big hands twice. Until he has three-bet you relentlessly or shown down a weak holding after three-betting, you don’t want to try to make a play at him. Once he has done it several times, then it’s worth making a play at the pot if he puts in another three-bet, because he’s not going to have the premium hand that he’s representing that often.

Another thing to watch out for is the tiny three-bet. Say it’s a $1/$2 game, I raise to $6, and another player raises to $10 or $12 instead of something more standard like $15 or $18. When people make a tiny three-bet, I’ll usually call that. I don’t give a lot of respect to those plays. Sometimes they will be huge hands, but more often they’ll be very weak hands that you can take the pot from out of position.

A very small three-bet is not a tactic that I’ll use very often – there isn’t much reason for it. If you’re trying to steal a pot, you want to make it more difficult for your opponent to call. If you actually have a big hand, you want to get value for it when your opponent calls, so a bigger three-bet is a better idea.

Facing a three-bet can be a daunting prospect at times – be certain you have a good read on your opponent before making your next move.

Consistency

Consistency and Chip Reese

The greatest poker player that ever lived passed away last year at the age of 56.

David “Chip” Reese wasn’t the most famous name in poker, but he certainly was the consummate poker pro. More than any player in the world, he understood the importance of balance and consistency in his life. To Chip’s everlasting credit, he always put his family first.

Now, there’s no such thing as a perfect poker player, but Chip came about as close as you’ll ever get. Friends told moving stories about him at his funeral. There was one particular story that really stood out to me.

It seems that Chip was frequently asked the question, “How can you play in the toughest games, against the best players in the world, and still win on a regular basis?”

Chip answered that when those other guys played their best games, they were fantastic. In fact, at their best, their A-games might have been better than his.

But, as Chip said, “My worst game just isn’t much different than my best, and that’s where I get my edge.”

Think about that for a moment. There’s a lot of wisdom in those words, because at the poker table, you’re only as good as you are on your worst days.

It’s all about consistency.

No surprise, poker players tend to perform at extremely high levels when things are going well. Many of those same players, though, lose their cool and go on tilt when the cards suddenly turn against them. It’s a phenomenon that’s left too many talented players in the poorhouse.

It’s simply not good enough to play your best some of the time. You have to bring consistency to your game, just like Chip Reese did, day in and day out.

The first step to build poker consistency is to recognize what causes your game to suffer performance swings from high to low. Then, do something about it!

That takes introspection on your part. It means learning what makes you tick and having the discipline to make the right decisions in regards to your playing style and bankroll.

Study your poker sessions and look for any troubling patterns. Even though you might think you play just as well when you’re losing, chances are you’re not.

Figure out what situations most adversely affect your game.

For many players, bad beats will send them reeling from their best game to their worst. Streaks of bad luck can cause players to get emotionally involved. They start chasing their money and then find themselves in full-scale tilt mode.

You can’t let that happen. Don’t ignore what you know to be fundamental poker and make incorrect plays in an attempt to quickly get back to even.

Too much time at the table can also destroy an otherwise solid poker game.

Chip could play 24-hour sessions at the felt without his game faltering. That ability is rare, almost superhuman. Don’t expect that type of endurance from yourself.

Instead, vary the length of your sessions and monitor your performance over time. Don’t be afraid to quit when you feel your game beginning to tank, and consider putting a loss limit on your session to protect yourself when it does. Extend your playing time only when you’re winning.

The one element that best demonstrates successful long-term performance is consistency in results. No one knew that better than Chip. So, keep track of your poker wins and losses. If your average loss is greater than your average win, you’ve got some work to do.

© 2008 Card Shark Media. All rights reserved.

4

The Script

Phil Gordon

April 4, 2005

In an effort to simplify my decisions, every single time it's my turn to act, I try to run through the same script in my head:

Are my opponents playing conservatively? Aggressively? Tentatively?

What are some of the hands my opponents are likely to hold?

What do my opponents think I have?

Once I have the answer to the first question, and feel confident about my range of answers for the second and third questions, I move on to the most important question:

Should I bet or raise?

If I think I have the best hand, I nearly always answer "Yes" and I bet or raise.

If I think I can force weak opponents out of the pot with this bet or with future bets, I nearly always answer "Yes" and I bet or raise.

If I don't think betting or raising is the right decision, I move on to the last question:

Should I check (or fold)?

If I think I have the worst hand, I nearly always answer "Yes" and I check or fold. If I think my opponents are strong, I nearly always answer "Yes" and check or fold. After a careful analysis, if I'm not sure if I should raise and I'm not sure I should fold, I feel confident that calling a bet (or checking) is correct.

I find that even in straight-forward and obvious situations, by running through the script I often find opportunities that other players might miss. And by asking the "raise" question before the "fold" and "call" question, I ensure that I am playing aggressive, winning poker.

Try using this script next time you sit down at the table, and see if simplifying your inner dialog forces your opponents into making more complicated decisions.

Tricky Poker

Tricky Poker

Other players will eventually catch on to your style of play if you play with them on a regular basis. You’ll need to find clever ways to outwit them.

Running an elaborate bluff isn’t necessarily the answer. Instead, try playing strong hands the same way you would ordinarily play marginal or drawing hands, and then hope your opponent attempts to run you off with a big bluff of his own.

I faced this situation at the 2008 BC Poker Championship in Canada last month. 690 players started the tournament but only three remained when the following hand took place.

The blinds were at 40,000-80,000 with an 8,000 ante. I had about two million chips and my opponents had around four million each.

Sitting on the button, I found pocket eights and raised to 178,000. The small blind folded and the big blind called. The flop was a good one: Ad-8c-6c.

My opponent checked and I fired out 210,000 and got a call. The turn card was another ace giving me a full house. Then, my opponent, a young kid, bet 350,000.

Obviously, I felt like I had the best hand but decided that calling was the best play. I did it in such a way, however, that the kid wouldn’t think I was so strong. I played it a bit Hollywood, acting as though I had a hand like 10-10. I was hoping my award-winning performance would entice him to make a big move at the river for all of my chips.

I liked the call for two reasons.

If he was on a draw, he couldn’t win regardless what card he caught. Why not let him catch the card he thinks he needs? If he gets lucky, it only increases the chances that he’ll bet it all on the river.

Or, if he does have an ace, he’ll play to the turn or river anyway. I can wait until the river just in case another ace or a six hits. If one does, my full house becomes weaker and I can fold my hand if he makes a big bet.

You see, I knew the kid’s tendencies and correctly understood his perception of me. He clearly had the guts to run a big bluff because he’d done so earlier in the tournament. I also sensed that by smooth calling the turn, he’d assume I was on a draw or had a mediocre hand at best.

Now, if I actually did have pocket tens, I probably would have called on the turn and folded to a river bet. I guessed that the kid knew that, too, so my ploy was the perfect set up.

I was being tricky by not really doing much at all.

Okay, so a jack comes on the river and the kid bets my remaining 1.3 million chips. I deliberated for a while and finally made the call.

The kid turned over 4d-5h for absolutely nothing!

There was no chance that I could’ve gotten that last 1.3 million chips had I decided to raise on the turn. However, by consciously playing my monster hand much like I would a mediocre one, I baited the kid to try to bluff me out.

A common mistake made by amateurs is that they fail to take advantage of players who bluff excessively. Instead of playing possum and letting their aggressive opponents continue to bet, beginners raise too early with monster hands, allowing their opponents to fold.

Playing tricky poker doesn’t have to mean making bizarre moves or playing way out of character. Rather, it’s simply about taking advantage of what you know about your opponents and how they perceive your style of play.

Editor’s note: Daniel Negreanu won the 2008 BC Poker Championship title in November, 2008. He took home first place prize of $371,910.

© 2008 Card Shark Media. All rights reserved.