This Journey is fun!

Having a lot more fun this time around, mixing in lots of different buy ins and game types.
#39 26TH/45 Lost A Race
#40 14TH/45 Super Card Dead
#41 12TH/45 Blind Vs Blind Gone Wrong
#42 10TH/45 Had to push, Got Unlucky
#43 4TH/9 SUPER SICK BAD BEAT
#44 16TH/45 I got in with 1 live card
#45 17TH/45 I Had To Call
#46 7TH/45 +$12.00
#47 5TH/45 +$44.00

Current Bankroll:$200

This is so much fun!!!

#33 3RD/6
#34 5TH/6
#35 8TH/9 LOST A RACE
#36 8TH/18 UNLUCKY I WAS DOMINATED
#37 9TH/45 UNLUCKY DOMINATED AGAIN!!
#38 2ND/45 +$60.00


Played 2 5 card draw games and got no cash :( But made it deep in 2 45 player games, got unlucky twice and that sums up the day so far for me, be sure to check here daily for updates!
CURRENT BANKROLL:$187

Bankroll Journey Update 8/28/08

Starting Bankroll: $130.00 Current Roll: $268.35 - $68.00 Cashout Bankroll = $200.35
#26 2ND/6 $4.20
#27 18TH/45 2 Live
#28 10TH/45 Lost A Race
#29 14TH/45 UNLUCKY!
#30 18TH/45 SICK FUCKING BEAT!
#31 12TH/45 LOST A RACE
#32 2ND/45 $110.00

Mix And Match

Mixed some other games into my playing, but still having the most success at the 45 player turbos.
Current Bankroll:$214
#1 30th/45 BAD BEAT
#2 19th/45 BEST HAND LOST
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45 LOST A RACE
#6 29TH/45 HORRIBLE BEAT
#7 17TH/45 BEST HAND LOST
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45 LOST A RACE
#10 17TH/45 LOST A RACE
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45 Bad move on my part
#13 34TH/45 BET HAND LOST
#14 26TH/45 BAD BEAT
#15 19TH/45 SUPER CARD DEAD
#16 15TH/45 UNLUCKY
#17 7TH/9 SICK BAD BEAT
#18 23RD/45 2 TERRIBLE BEATS
#19 11TH/18 NASTY BAD BEAT
#20 1ST/6 +$23.40
#21 10TH/18 HORRIBLE SICK BAD BEAT/ LOST A RACE
#22 4TH/6 BLIND VS BLIND
#23 5TH/9 I WAS DOMINATED
#24 2ND/45 +$60.00
#25 433/458 UNLUCKY

$208

Played 12 $6.50 turbo 45 players so far and here are the results:
#1 30th/45
#2 19th/45
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45
#6 29TH/45
#7 17TH/45
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45
#10 17TH/45
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45

$130...To???

Today I start a new quest to turn $130 into something big. I will be playing a mix of sit and gos maybe a few MTT's thrown into the mix as well. Keep check daily for updates.

Tips For Multi Tabling

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008

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Five Tips for Better Multi-Tabling

Online rulers like James "mig.com" Mackey will ask the same question: Why play one table when you can play 10?

By Daniel Skolovy

User rating: ( 9 votes )

Why play one table when you can play 10? That's what I always ask live-poker nits. Multi-tabling is probably the best thing about playing online.

Well, that and you can avoid dealing with the three S's of live poker: slow games, sloppy dealing and stinky degenerates.

But I digress. If you aren't multi-tabling now, you better start learning because if you're not, you're simply throwing money away.

For a more detailed look at multi-tabling, you can read a full article here. However, here are five quick tips to get you pointed in the right direction:

1) Use a four-color deck. The four-color deck is easily the most important option for multi-tabling. Red hearts, black spades, green clubs and blue diamonds. Sounds weird at first, but you'll get used to it quickly.

At first glance you can tell which flush draws got there and which missed. Two-colored decks are for grandpas and live poker. Get with the times.

2) Stick to the simplest themes. Many online poker rooms have several different themes for you to choose from, but you shouldn't try and use all the bells and whistles they have when you're multi-tabling.

Get rid of the distractions. PokerStars' hyper-simple theme is a great example of a nice table setup perfect for multi-tabling.

3) Take notes. Even if you can't pay attention to every single hand going on, make sure you watch the big ones and take detailed notes.

These notes will stay with the player and whenever you run into that player again you can refer to them. Try and make them short and sweet and informative; "Check-raises flop with combo draw" is a lot better than "Jackass sucks out with flush."

4) Figure out a system for organizing your tables. Some people stack the tables; others tile. Find out what works for you so you can quickly refer to whichever table the action is on.

A personal tip if you are multi-tabling tournaments: When I play 12 or more tables I will sort my tournaments by blind level.

Bad_IP: Multi-table master.

Highest blinds go in the top left with the rest of the tables sorted toward the smallest blinds in the bottom right.

5) Sit in the same seat. A lot of poker sites have options where you can always sit in the same seat and the software will just rotate the table around you.

This option is invaluable to a massive multi-tabler. Finding where you are sitting on all tables when you have to make split-second decisions can be a daunting task.

If, however, you are always in the same seat you know exactly where to look when the action is on you.

Unexpected

BANKROLL:$19.86
#57 Tournament #102337753/18TH/CARD DEAD!!!!
#58 Tournament #102338112/10TH/WOW!/HOW COULD I NOT HIT!!!/WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BANKROLL:$6.86
#59 Tournament #102357831/19TH/THE ONLY HAND I GOT THE WHOLE SNG
Ending Bankroll:$0.00

I played a 20 game series of $6.50 45 player turbos a week ago, that is what inspired me to do this, in that series I got 1ST place 2 times. In this journey 1ST 0 times, and 2ND only once.
I got deep a lot but just not deep enough.
I know I was playing outside of bankroll mangement but I took 18 buy ins and stretched it 10 59. I am proud of myself for getting this far, disappointed it is over. Thanks for being there, and thank you for the support, Good luck and see you at the tables!!!

Did the journey end???

#54 Tournament #102321345/34TH/I WAS DOMINATED
#55 Tournament #102321713/20TH/GOT IN WITH THE BEST LOST A RACE
#56 Tournament #102322021/6TH $18.00/ MY KK LOSES TO Q4 OFF/MY STRAIGHT LOSES TO A TIE/MY KK LOSES TO Q9SUITED /IN THE END CARD DEAD...VERY UNLUCKY SIT AND GO I AM SUPRISED I GOT 6TH
BANKROLL:$19.86

Going deep but not deep enough

#49 Tournament #102273802/20TH/BEST HAND LOST
#50 Tournament #102274267/4TH $30.00/CARD DEAD AT FINAL TABLE
#51 Tournament #102286291/32ND/LOST A RACE
#52 Tournament #102285887/17TH/2 LIVE CARDS FAIL
#53 Tournament #102285313/13TH/SUPER CARD DEAD BEST HAND LOSES
BREAK TIME $21 ROLL

Todays Progress

#38 Tournament #102081052/25TH/BUST
#39 Tournament #102084421/45TH/LOST A RACE
#40 Tournament #102081454/5TH $24.00/BUST
#41 Tournament #102087857/40TH/BUST
#42 Tournament #102088335/18TH/BUST
#43 Tournament #102088815/13TH/BUST
$55 Roll. BREAK TIME

Bankroll Journey Update

$70 ROLL. Break Time
#29 Tournament #101886466/12TH/OUTKICKED
#30 Tournament #101889512/39TH/OUTKICKED
#31 Tournament #101886732/BEST HAND LOST/LOST A RACE
BREAK
#32 Tournament #101940273/27TH/BUST
#33 Tournament #101940663/8TH/BEST HAND LOSE CARD DEAD BUBBLE BOY
#34 Tournament #101946131/18TH/THE BEST HAND I SAW ALL GAME
$31.50 ROLL. BREAK TIME
#32 Tournament #101989127/27TH/DOMINATED
#33 Tournament #101988705/6TH $18.00/BUST
#34 Tournament #101997536/17TH/LOST ANOTHER RACE
#35 Tournament #101997896/2ND $60.00/CLOSE
#36 Tournament #102012990/30TH/BUST
#37 Tournament #102012557/8TH/BUBBLE LOST A RACE

Finally made a big cash, but I am still getting deep and not making enough money.$71 in the roll going to sleep now will resume the journey in the morning.

$120 Roll

Starting with $120 playing $6.50 45 player turbos. When I reach $200 I am going to play $12 45 player turbos. If the bankroll hits $65 I will play $6.50 45 player turbos again until $200. Started on 8/10/08 3:00pm EST.
Here is my results so far.
8/10/08
Starting bankroll:$120.00
Tournament ID/ Place/ Cash
#1 Tournament #101341498/11TH/BUST
#2 Tournament #101341266/19TH/BUST
#3 Tournament #101359164/25TH/BUST
#4 Tournament #101358791/7TH $12.00/BUST
$106 Roll
#5 Tournament #101397031/16TH/BUST
#6 Tournament #101396756/15TH/BUST
#7 Tournament #101404320/19TH/BUST
#8 Tournament #101404662/8TH/BUBBLE BOY
$80 Roll Sleep, Resume in the morning.

1ST Day Of August

157

Early Tournament Strategies

Allen Cunningham

July 30th, 2008

Many players' first exposure to poker comes from watching WSOP and WPT tournaments on TV, and I think that's great. It's entertaining and you'll see some interesting plays, but viewers have to understand that they shouldn't model their games based on the action they see on TV.

Why? The answer is simple - what you're seeing is unrealistic and edited for television. Players in these televised tournaments often start with very deep stacks (sometimes 10,000 chips or more) and, most of the time, all you'll see on the broadcast is action from the final table where the blinds are high and play is fast. In contrast, the majority of the low buy-in ($1 to $20) tournaments you'll encounter online usually start with stacks of 1,500 and blinds of 10/20.

Because your approach to the early stages of these tournaments is key to whether you'll make the final table, the question is, what should your strategy be?

I suggest adopting a simple approach, especially if you're not a very experienced tournament player. Try not to play too many hands and aim to see a few cheap flops with small/medium pairs if possible because these can provide some the best chances for you to double or even triple up during the first couple of levels. There are many times when you may be able to put in 5% of your stack or less to see a flop and try and hit your set. You're 7-to-1 to flop a set, but you may be getting 20-to-1 implied odds early on since a flopped set will often be the best hand, and you'll have a good chance to double up against weaker players who may overplay top pair.

If you are expecting a few callers, you might want to limp with these hands pre-flop. You may also just want to flat call with these hands if there are already a couple of people in for a small raise when the action gets to you. But, if the action is folded to you in late position, you definitely want to raise and take down the blinds. If you want to play conservatively, you can safely throw away small pairs in early position. As I said previously, you don't want to commit more than about 5% of your stack pre-flop with small and medium pairs (maybe 6% or 7% max), and when you play from early position there's no guarantee that's going to happen.

Of course you also want to be playing your monsters like AA and KK, and other hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQ. Remember early on when stacks are deep, you're not going to get a lot of action for all of your chips unless you're up against a pretty strong hand.

There are no concrete rules as to how fast you should try to build your stack in the early going, but the main thing you don't want to do is go broke by playing too loose. In smaller online tourneys you will either be in the money or close to the money without having to win too many pots if you can just play tight and hang around for a couple of hours. If you speculate too much or take too many coin-flips when you don't need to early on, chances are that you'll end up on the rail and miss that opportunity.

Even if you make it to the fourth or fifth level with just a little above starting stack, you'll usually be in good enough shape to take a run at the money. Remember, getting into the money and beyond is what counts - so learn how to start your tournaments the right way and give yourself the best chance to be the last player standing at the end.

3 Betting

156

Three Betting in Omaha Hi/Lo

John Cernuto

July 23, 2008

Even though Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo is often considered to be a post-flop game, winning tournament players know that it’s important to regularly raise and three-bet their opponents before the flop, especially as the blinds and antes increase.

Why? Because applying pre-flop pressure against weaker opponents lets you create better post-flop situations and, on occasion, even lets you steal the blinds and antes with little resistance. With this in mind, the question then becomes, how often should you three bet? My answer is, as often as you possibly can without worrying about becoming short stacked.

Say you’re sitting on somewhere between 40 and 50 big blinds. This is the time when you should be accumulating chips, which means opening up your game and three betting the table in order to create heads up, post-flop situations. Your stack size is very important here because you want to make sure you can comfortably three-bet without becoming crippled if you have to give up on the hand after the flop. If you’re sitting on 35 big blinds or less, I’d recommend slowing down on the three-bet strategy unless you’re holding a monster hand like A-A-2-X.

Of course, there’s more to three betting than just throwing in an extra raise before the flop - you want to be smart about when you decide to pump up the pot. Let’s say a player in middle position puts in a raise and you’re sitting in late position with a hand like As-Qs-Jh-3d or Ad-Kc-Jh-2c. I don’t like flat calling with these kinds of hands here because I’m giving the players in the blinds better odds to follow suit and am creating a spot where four or five people could end up seeing the flop. That’s a lot of bullets to dodge.

Since these hands have a good chance of taking the high end of the pot, I think a better play in this position is to three bet in order to try and force the blinds out of the picture and to get heads up with the original raiser. (Read Perry Friedman’s tip on Omaha Hi/Lo Strategies to learn more about the importance of playing for the high end of the pot.) Once I’ve done this, I’m going to continuation bet after the flop every time, whether I connect or not. If my opponent plays back, I’m going to slow down since he’s almost certainly connected and may be well ahead. But, on the times he folds to my bet, I’m going to take down a nice sized pot.

Because of my aggressive approach in PLO Hi/Lo, I often get asked how to play back at opponents who, like me, try to three bet whenever possible. My answer is to call their extra bets pre-flop, assuming I have a playable hand, and hope to outplay them after the flop. The key is not to obsess about trying to see "cheap" flops because if you’re stealing enough blinds and antes with your own raises, you can afford to make calls that less aggressive players won’t.

Remember, even though post-flop play is arguably the most important aspect of PLO Hi/Lo, well timed pre-flop aggression can be a great way to pick up some extra chips on the way to the win.

Coin Flips

155

Two Sides to Every Coin (flip)

Team Full Tilt

July 16th, 2008

Poker is a game of choices. Some of these choices are fairly straight forward and simple while others take a lot of thought. The thing is that when all is said and done, there may not be just one correct path to winning a given hand; it's all up to you to decide what road to travel.

With that in mind, we asked Team Full Tilt's Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson to share their thoughts on one of poker's trickiest decisions – the coin flip. Should players be willing to put everything on the line in a coin flip situation? Here are two different sides to the coin flip question:

Chris Says:

For the most part, coin flips are something that I tend to avoid. You never want to take on a negative EV proposition, so you can pretty easily fold a hand like A-K when you're certain your opponent is holding a high pocket pair like Jacks or Queens. Some players are willing to take a negative EV coin flip early on in a big tournament in order to accumulate chips, but this is an incorrect decision (unless you're trying to catch an early flight or make like Ivey to the golf course).

Of course, there are a couple of situations where pressing a coin flip can be the right move. For example, if you think your opponents are better players than you, then it might be correct to take a coin flip. When you're outclassed in a game and are certain that you'll be outplayed after the flop, taking a coin flip can help even the playing field.

By that same token, you should be willing to press a coin flip situation every chance you get against a player who thinks he's better than you. Make him avoid taking the coin flip by raising and putting a lot of pressure on him to make that decision. If he really thinks of himself as the superior player, he'll want to avoid that situation and keep folding until he gets the chance to try and outplay you after the flop. He may think he's the better player, but if you put a lot of pressure on him, you may end up outplaying him.

Howard Says:

I think people try to avoid them too much, especially after they've already committed chips to the pot. If the pot has 1,000 in it and you have to put your last 500 chips in to make the call, you're getting 2-1 on your money – yet people dodge this situation all the time. It's just wrong; you should love to take 2-1 on a coin flip even if you only have a 48% chance of winning.

When you have a hand like A-K and you could be running into Aces or Kings, committing chips to a coin flip is obviously not something you should be looking to do. But at the same time, when you're getting 2-1 on your money in a likely coin flip situation, I think its right to take the flip. It's a pretty big disaster if you're holding Jacks and don't want to flip against something like A-K, but it turns out your opponent has pocket 9s.

The whole point of a coin flip is that yes, sometimes you have the classic A-K versus Queens race. But what about all the times you have A-K and the other player has A-Q. When you have a hand where you aren't in a coin flip, you likely have your opponent dominated, and you should take that proposition every time.

With that said, there are obviously times when you should not be looking to take a coin flip. When you're in a situation where you have a lot more chips than your opponent, this is a good time not to take that flip. The more of an advantage you have over the other player, the less willing you should be to take the coin flip. Avoid that situation by not committing too many chips to the pot and waiting until after the flop to outplay the competition.

As you can see, there's no one right way to approach a coin flip situation. There are always two sides to every coin.

154

Sealing the Win

Nenad Medic

July 9th, 2008

If you don't think poker is a competitive sport, chances are you've never made it to the late stages of a major tournament where the only thing higher than the blinds is the pressure of playing for thousands - or even millions - of dollars in prize money.

As a former basketball player, I can compare the pressure of a WSOP final table to the final minutes of a playoff game where every play is crucial and any mistake can mean the difference between walking away a champion or a runner-up. From the crowds on the rails to the lights, TV cameras and reporters running around the floor, everything around you is amplified. Let the pressure and the circus atmosphere distract you, and you can easily watch your tournament slip away.

Pros who have been in these situations before - whether they're athletes on the court or players on the felt - understand the key to wining in this atmosphere is to maintain focus on the task at hand and to block out everything else that doesn't matter. TV cameras? Forget 'em. Railbirds? Block them out. Bear down and play, and let the rest take care of itself.

Unlike other sports, poker has one more X factor that you have to learn to deal with - the money ladder where finishing just one spot higher can mean thousands or even hundreds of thousands of additional dollars in prize money. For players who haven't gone deep in major tournaments, thinking about the short-term money jumps can be just as distracting as any TV camera. Succeeding at this stage takes focus on a single goal. For me, that goal is winning.

In my experience, tournaments can be divided into two distinct parts; in the money and out of the money. Before the bubble, my goal is to make the money. I want to cash and, hopefully, put myself in a position to win. After the bubble breaks, I aim to win. For me, and many other pros, the real tournament doesn't start until after we've reached the money and its here where I really try to concentrate on making the smartest long-term strategic decisions I can in order to secure a win.

A hand from Event #1 of this year's WSOP illustrates my point. We had reached four-handed play where the difference in finishing first and fourth was more than $500,000 when I got involved in a pot with Andy Bloch. I was holding pocket 7s and led out at a flop of Q-Q-3 only to have Andy make a pot-sized raise behind me. Though I don't know what Andy was holding, I'm guessing that he may have had over-cards and, possibly, a flush draw. While my two pair of 7s and Queens may have very well been good, it would cost me my entire stack on what was essentially a coin flip in order to find out. In the end, I laid my hand down and looked for a better spot.

Why, you may ask. Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, I had a big enough stack at this point that I wasn't committed to continuing with the hand and, while folding to Andy cost me some chips, I could still fold and sit comfortably in second chip position at the table. Secondly, and even more importantly, even if I was ahead of Andy on the flop, my read gave him 13 outs (approximately, a 40% chance) to make his hand. With my tournament life on the line if I called, I just wasn't getting the odds to gamble.

While making the tough hero call in front of friends, family and the ESPN cameras may have been a great poker moment that earned me a few minutes of glory, I did my best to block all of that out of my mind and concentrate on the task at hand - winning the tournament. By focusing on the game plan I devised earlier, I was able to walk away from a marginal situation with only a small loss and move onto the next hand.

In the end, my decision to pass on the possible short-term gain I could have realized in this hand paid off, as I went on to defeat Andy after we reached heads-up play. I'll take a WSOP bracelet over a few minutes of television glory any day.

Online To Live Play

153

Moving from Online to Live Play

Jordan 'iMsoLucky0' Morgan

July 3rd, 2008

After honing their games online for awhile, many players decide to take the next step and test their skills in a live poker room. For some, the transition comes easily but, for others, the differences between playing at a computer and at a live table can be difficult to overcome.

For many online players, one of the hardest adjustments to make is to the speed – or slowness – of live play. Where you may easily see 50, 60 or more hands an hour if you multi-table at home, you’ll be lucky to see 20 or more hands during an hour of live play. The game just doesn’t move as fast. Some players adjust to the “boredom” of live play by listening to music and zoning out while they’re not involved in a hand.

While I don’t personally object to listening to music at the table, I prefer to chat with some of the players seated near me during the game. First of all, there’s a nice social aspect to playing live – if you have a good table – that you just don’t get online. Secondly, chatting with your fellow tablemates may help you to determine what kind of players they are. Is the guy next to you just killing time at a $5/$10 table while he’s waiting for a bigger game? Is he in town on vacation and just playing a little poker for the fun of it? Is he a regular?

These little bits of information can help you categorize your opponents and determine what kinds of players they might be; serious, casual, aggressive, etc. Remember, the more information you can gather, the better decisions you’ll be able to make when you’re involved in a big hand. This brings me to another important distinction between online and live play – focusing on your opponent.

When you’re playing online, you’re working with a much more limited amount of information than you are live. Sure, you may be able to calculate how often a player raises or re-raises from the button and keep track of their statistics, but when you get right down to it, you’re playing your game based on your two hole cards and the patterns you can establish about your opponents. When you’re playing live poker, on the other hand, you have a lot more information that you can factor into your decisions.

How is your opponent betting or sitting at the table? Are they confident? Do they look scared? Does your opponent’s demeanor change when they’re involved in a hand? Do they talk more? Less? Are they tilting? Drunk? Loose? Because of all of the extra information available to you at a live game, I believe it’s much easier to make reads on your opponents and, in turn, to put them on a very specific range of hands – or hand – if you’re really paying attention to what’s going on at the table. One of the biggest mistakes I see many online players make when they first start playing live is that they overlook this extra information and play a very “general” game rather than focusing in on a specific opponent.

My advice for these players is simple; slow down, focus, think. While you don’t want to take two minutes to contemplate every single play, there’s nothing wrong with going into the tank every once in awhile during a live game or tournament. If you’re paying attention to the action and your opponents, there’s a lot more information that you have to process and this sometimes takes some time. Think about how the hand has played out – and about how your opponent has played the hand – and you’ll find that your game will improve.

FTOPS IX

Get ready to go for the gold and play for FTOPS glory.

FTOPS IX is bringing you 25 pro-hosted events with a guaranteed prize pool of more than $15 million, including:

• The $2,500 Two-Day tournament on Saturday, August 16th
• The massive $2.5 Million Guarantee Main Event on Sunday, August 17th
• Four other tournaments, each with at least $1 Million in guaranteed prize money

The excitement kicks off on Wednesday, August 6th, at 21:00 ET with Event #1, a $1million guaranteed No-Limit Hold 'em tournament. You can buy in to this – or any other tournament – directly or satellite your way in for as little as $1 or just 50 Full Tilt Points.

Make sure to come back to Full Tilt Poker throughout the series for video highlights and commentary from the final table of each event.

Check out the full schedule to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of the action of FTOPS IX.

Iron Man

Have you got the determination to become an Iron Man?

If you've got what it takes to earn Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Iron status, you'll be rewarded with Iron Man Medals. Use your medals in the Iron Man Store to get satellite tokens, Full Tilt Points, exclusive Full Tilt Poker Iron Man gear, and even cash bonuses.

That’s not all. Players who qualify for Iron Man will have the opportunity to play in an exclusive Freeroll worth up to $30,000, depending on your Iron Man status. Take down a Freeroll and you'll be entered into a four-person, winner-take-all shootout for an additional $5,000.

If you win that shootout, you'll have the opportunity to play three Full Tilt Poker pros heads up for up to $100K in extra prize money! So prove your dedication and take Iron Man Challenge today.

Kenny Tran Is The Man

152

Overcards in Early Position

Kenny Tran

June 25th, 2008

Recently, Andy Bloch wrote about the perils and pitfalls of playing big cards - A-K, A-Q, etc. - when they don't connect with the flop. Like Andy, I think learning to play these kinds of hands well, adds an important weapon to any player's arsenal. Of course, like any weapon, you have to approach these hands carefully to ensure that they don't blow up in your face.

One of the most important safety tips I can give in regards to "big" hands is to be especially cautious when you're playing them from early position. I believe in this so strongly in fact that I won't even play A-Q unsuited from under the gun at a full table. It's just too easy to get into trouble with this hand and cost yourself valuable chips.

In my opinion, the smartest thing you can do with hands like A-K in early position is mix up your play as much as possible. That means you're going to sometimes want to raise with these hands and, at other times, you're going to want to limp with them. Why? Because by mixing up how you play in early position, you'll make it harder for your opponents to figure out what kinds of hands you really are playing. Of course, there are some other things to keep in mind when adopting this strategy, the most important of which is that if you're going to limp with big hands in early position, you also need to limp with small hands like 6-7 suited.

By the same token, if you're going to be raising with hands like A-K, you also need to sometimes raise with your smaller hands. Of course, you don't want to play complete garbage from under the gun, but you shouldn't be scared to sometimes pop the pot with a less than premium holding. If you get called, you may hit something like two pair on the flop and, if you get re-raised before the flop, you can easily throw your hand away without costing yourself too many chips. Again, it comes down to keeping your opponents off-guard.

While some players argue that you should always raise your big hands, I think limping with something like A-K in early position provides another potential benefit. For example, let's say I limp from under the gun and three other players limp behind me before the button puts in a raise. Because of the amount of money in the pot, it's likely that the button is raising with a very wide range of hands. Depending on my read, I might just flat-call his raise and try to out-play him after the flop or I might even re-raise before the flop and try to take down a substantial pot right then and there.

If I had raised with my A-K in this position, chances are that none of the limpers would have put any chips in the pot and I might only get flat called by the player on the button. By limping with my hand, I can get some extra money in the pot and put myself in a position to re-raise pre-flop. If the button was just trying to steal from position, he's likely to lay down and let me take the pot. If he calls, I can play the hand cautiously if I miss the flop and, possibly, take a down a monster pot if I connect.

Of course, there's no "right" way to play a hand like A-K from early position. Instead, look around your table and determine what kind of opponents you're facing, and how aggressively you want to play against them. Mix up your game and you should be able to make your big hands pay off at crucial times.

Control

151

Control Your Environment

Scott Fischman

June 19th, 2008

We've all had moments in good old fashioned brick and mortar casinos where our senses become overwhelmed by an environment that we have no control over. From uncomfortable chairs to overflowing A/C to the guy sitting next to you who obviously hasn't bathed since the last time the Cleveland Indians won the Series, playing live poker can be a less than pleasant experience at times. That's why one of the biggest advantages of playing online poker versus live poker is the ability to control your environment. By standardizing all the variables of game play and setting your poker playing environment to your liking, you can maximize your focus and take that next step toward becoming a winning player.

So how do you control your environment? Well, let's start at the beginning. If you're anything like me, you're going to be very anal about your poker playing environment. That means you turn off your phone and shut down whatever program you use for instant messaging. Even if you're just playing for fun, you should still be taking poker seriously (unless you're just looking to flip away your roll). Along those same lines, make sure to turn off the TV, stop surfing the web and answering emails. This is about minimizing distraction in an effort to maximize focus, and one of the pitfalls of online poker is all the readily available procrastination devices at your fingertips.

Now that you're distraction free, tune the other variables in the house to your liking. Is the temperature in the house comfortable? Check. Do you have water and soda within reach and a tasty meal ready to go in the fridge? Check. What about music? I always like to have some music going in the background, but nothing too loud or distracting (if you're singing along with the lyrics, it means you're not focusing on poker).

So you've got all the peripherals taken care of, now comes the game play itself. Go through the options in the game lobby and set everything to your liking. Most of it is up to you, but personally, I like to roll with the animation off (so the game runs smoother) and “highlight bet amount” turned on. For those of you who don't know, when you turn on “highlight bet amount” it makes it so the bet amount is always highlighted when it's your turn to act. That means all you have to do is type in the amount you'd like to bet when it's your turn − no having to manually highlight the number yourself or fumble around with the bet slider. I also like to set the game background to plain brown, especially when you've played down to the final table. That bright blue “hockey rink” final table background can be distracting, so I always switch it off.

Once again, you're doing all of this because it's to your advantage, not just because you're a control freak. By controlling your environment, you give yourself the best chance to maximize your focus on the game and be a winning player. This is far and away one of the biggest assets available to all online poker players.