Defending Jeff Shulman's 9-9 Fold at the November Nine

Defending Jeff Shulman's 9-9 Fold at the November Nine

Let's continue reviewing the lesson plan I created for Jeff Shulman at the World Series of Poker November Nine final table.

Starting play with $20 million in chips and blinds at $125,000/$250,000 plus a $20,000 ante, I advised Jeff to play super-tight and make five times the big blind opening bets when entering pots. Jeff's father, Barry Shulman, who recently won the WSOPE using this same strategy, agreed that this was the best way for Jeff to proceed.

By the way, I correctly predicted that Phil Ivey would also play super-tight poker. Why wouldn't he? Jeff and Phil were clearly the best players; they had ample opportunity to play patiently and wait for great situations to develop. Just let the amateurs melt down, blow up, and give away their chips!

Keep in mind, the pressure on all players was massive. Playing in front of a live audience and ESPN cameras for millions of dollars would surely cause a couple of the final table players to self-destruct.

With the blinds at $200,000/$400,000, Shulman opened for $1.75 million on the button with pocket nines and Ivey moved all-in from the big blind for $6.9 million more.

A little history: Shulman had already folded several times on the button when Ivey was in the big blind. This time, when Jeff raised it up, he assumed that Ivey knew that he had at least a semi-strong hand.

On the live internet broadcast, I said, "Ivey doesn't look super-strong. I think he would move all-in here with A-9 offsuit. Jeff should call with A-Q and maybe even A-J."

Well, Shulman actually folded his 9-9. Word rapidly spread that Ivey had K-Q, which happened to be true.

Pro players Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, and Howard Lederer all opined that it was a clear call situation for Jeff and his pocket nines. Not me, I'm in total agreement with Jeff. I think it was a clear fold.

I look at the whole story when I make poker decisions. Did Jeff's 9-9 figure to be good? Yes. Would I make that call in a side game? Yes. So, on the surface, it didn't appear to be a good fold.

But it was a fold that would leave Jeff with $14 million - more than enough chips considering the deep structure in place at the final table. With $14 million chips, Jeff could easily wait for a better situation where he could go against one of the weaker players.

A call, however, would leave Shulman with either $7 million or $25 million. The former would cripple him, put his tournament in jeopardy, and probably force him to play big pots with weaker holdings.

I love the fold because I love to protect my chips. Better to fold and wait until some other players are eliminated and then put your chips all-in when you know you have the best hand. That's how to make a big lay down.

Jeff followed his plan perfectly. A few hours later, he was able to move all-in with A-K against Joe Cada's A-J.

One all-in pot in ten hours of play is the definition of risk-free poker!

Then, with only five players remaining, Jeff again had Cada all-in with J-J against Cada's 3-3 but Cada got lucky and outdrew Jeff as a four-and-a-half-to-one underdog.

There's no doubt in my mind that Jeff's 9-9 fold was solid, especially when you consider the complete story. One thing's for certain, Jeff Shulman deserved a better outcome.

Next week, I'll discuss an even more controversial fold by Shulman with A-K pre-flop.

-Phil Hellmuth

Karmakrazy13 Pokerstars Multi Table Tournament Part 2

Karmakrazy13 Pokerstars Multi Table Tournament Part 1

205

Being Focused

Huckleberry Seed

November 24th, 2009

In the world of Full Tilt Poker avatars there are no bad hair days.
Not the type of thought I want to be having at an FTOPS final table. I want my mind absorbing and processing just the right information the best it can to put my creative mind in position to "play Mozart" to the ears of my opponents who I deem capable of appreciating it. I want to be focused. In the moment. In the flow of the game. In the "Zone".
A great way to enhance one’s ability to focus in my opinion is fasting. On a 15 minute break early in a 500 player field NLH tournament at Foxwoods several years back, I walked to the food court, in a conversation with an old school player from my table. I procured a calorie laden sandwich. "Want anything?" I asked. "A hungry dog hunts best" the wise old man replied. I took the saying to heart. I didn't eat the sandwich or anything else the rest of the tournament. I played very well, especially near the end (it was a one day tournament that lasted 22 hours) and won the tournament.
David Williams didn't need a wise old poker player to teach him the value of fasting for poker focus – he figured it out on his own. I was not surprised after his tournament successes to hear him tell me that he would eat nothing during his tournaments and just drink a bit of tomato juice here and there throughout the tournament to ensure his brain was getting sufficient glucose to function at its best.
Yoga and meditation can also be great ways to clear your mind and get you ready to focus on the game. Weeding through a yoga class that was just starting on our way out of the gym after a hoops session, we decided to jump in. We then headed to the casino and after that night’s poker session, my friend Joe said he had never played with such clear-minded focus, and accredited that to yoga. David Hayden, a Seven-Card Stud poker pro, swears by yoga to improve your poker game, golf game and most aspects of your life.
Dan Harrington attributes much of his ability to stay focused down the stretch of a poker tournament to his competitive chess career before he became a poker player. A competitive chess match can be quite long, six or even eight hours sometimes. In chess, one mistake can cost you the game, just as in NLH where one mistake can cost you your whole stack.
If the mental toughness Dan developed that kept him from making blunders in chess was transferred over to poker, your skills and mental focus developed at other endeavors may too. Try to be aware of any mental focus related skills you have and see how they relate to poker. Perhaps you’re just not too mentally tough yet. If something bad happens at the poker table you usually crumple immediately, and after an hour or two your mind always starts to wander. Maybe you need to try standing on your head for an hour while staring at a dot on the wall (I did it for a bet once).
As for meditation, I was first introduced to the world of Zen Buddhism by well rounded intellectual Howard Lederer. I really think practicing various forms of meditation will greatly help your ability to focus at the poker table. After experimenting a bit with various forms of meditation you could try to make poker your form of meditation! Personally, I enjoy the writing of Vietnamese Buddhist monk poet and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, as well as contemporary spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle (author of the bestseller "The Power of Now") and I would like to thank them for improving the quality of my life as well as the focus of my poker game.
I think simple desire and motivation go hand in hand with focus. Young players who have a strong desire to win or compete or improve their game are super focused without realizing it and probably don’t know what it means to be unfocused. It just comes naturally when you want it badly enough.
Well let’s leave it at that before I say "focus" more times than Alan Iverson can say "talkin’ about practice". I hope my writing has lead you on the path to be more focused in your poker and in so doing find that place deep in the flow of the game where plays that amaze are made and the joy of the game is found.

Lessons with Jeff Shulman - Part 2

Lessons with Jeff Shulman - Part 2

Last week I wrote that Jeff Shulman had asked me to coach him in preparation for the World Series of Poker November Nine final table.

To recap:I advised Jeff to play super-tight poker at the beginning of the final table, come in before the flop by raising about five times the big blind, and play low-risk poker because with $20 million in chips and blinds at $125,000/$250,000, there was ample time for him to sit back and let other players bust out of the tournament.

I built an advisory team comprised of Diego Cordovez, a WSOP bracelet winner in No Limit Hold'em, Barry Shulman, Jeff's father and winner of this year's WSOPE Main Event, Cy Young award-winning pitcher Orel Hershisher to sharpen Jeff's mental edge, and a few others to allow us to simulate final table action.

We played for dozens of hours.We reviewed every single hand that had been played by the other members of the November Nine.We watched every Main Event episode on ESPN, rewound and reviewed every bluff and every super-strong hand while looking for physical tells and discernable betting patterns.

All this so Jeff Shulman would have a great feel for his opponents once final table play began.

We set up chipstacks at a poker table in accordance with the seat order of the final players, including a picture of each player in front of his respective stack.We played countless hours of seven-handed, six-handed, five-handed, four-handed, and three-handed poker, with each of us assuming the identity of one of Jeff's competitors.

Whenever Jeff entered a pot, action paused while we dissected his tactics in detail.Was he playing tight enough?Was he moving his chips well?Were there alternative plays that better suited the particular situation?

I even pulled a new tactic out of my bag of tricks.I advised Jeff to make big pre-flop raises in order to keep the other players out of the pot with their small pairs and suited connectors.I wanted to deter other players from bluffing Jeff pre-flop.The plan was correctly based on the fact that it's next to impossible to bluff a guy like Jeff who's playing super-tight poker and raising big whenever he does enter a pot.

We wanted to keep Jeff in the game for as long as possible by winning small uncontested pots and keep him away from major catastrophes.

By the time Jeff sat down at the Main Event final table, with ESPN cameras rolling and thousands of spectators observing in the Rio's Penn and Teller Theatre, he was remarkably calm and confident.

Jeff stuck to the game plan.He pushed all-in only once in the first ten hours of play, with A-K against Joe Cada's A-J.When his hand held up, it appeared that the rest of the field was in real trouble.

Only fifty minutes later, however, Cada moved all-in with pocket threes and was called by Jeff with pocket jacks in a pot worth over $22 million.Win this one and Jeff would have $30 million at the start of four-handed play!

It didn't happen.Cada hit a miracle three on the flop and Jeff was left crippled with about $7 million chips and five players remaining.Then, Shulman lost a race with 7-7 against A-9 and was out in fifth place.

Would I have changed a single tactic regarding how I coached Jeff Shulman?No way.

If not for an unlikely three to hit on the flop for Cada, Jeff may very well have won the 2009 WSOP Main Event.Well played, Jeff!

-Phil Hellmuth

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204

Using Aggression Wisely

David Oppenheim

November 17th, 2009

In the game of Hold ‘em, especially No Limit, aggression is usually rewarded. By being aggressive, you are putting your opponent in an uncomfortable situation and forcing him to either make a hand or make a bluff. You take over control of the pot and put yourself in the driver’s seat.
And yet, for as much good as aggression can do, I still see far too many players either being too aggressive or misusing aggression altogether. Aggression is one of the biggest tools a poker player has, but it needs to be used wisely at all times.
For instance, I see a lot of young players getting out of line and being overly aggressive with hands like A-Q and A-J. They put in huge raises with these hands thinking they’re making a smart move, but really they’re just scaring the dead money away. There are so many bad players in tournaments these days that there’s just no excuse for not being patient – eventually these players will make a mistake and ship you a lot of chips. There’s no need to risk such a large portion of your stack with a hand like that.
Many newer players are guilty of misusing aggression. They see their favorite player on TV pulling off a huge bluff or dominating their table with aggression, and they want to follow suit. The problem is that these newer players really have no idea how to be aggressive. You can’t just be randomly aggressive and hope to take control of the action; your aggression needs to be calculated.
Knowing when to be aggressive is something that comes with time and experience. If you lack that knowledge and have no feel for the game you’re playing, that aggression is going to come back to haunt you.
I would advise all newer players not to focus their game on aggression at first. You want to start out by playing solid, ABC poker. Focus on the basics and, when you have those down, you can start thinking about bringing aggression into your game.
Being aggressive in poker is a very fine art. Watching a player like Phil Ivey at the poker table can be every bit as awe inspiring as looking at a Picasso. But players like Ivey have honed their aggression over time, using their experience at the tables to shape the way they play. Put in your time at the tables, and you too may one day paint a masterpiece.

203

Don’t Waste Money on Advertising

Steve Zolotow

November 11th, 2009

Table image can be a very powerful tool at the poker table, especially in ring games where you can expect to play a long session against the same opponents. But when it comes to tournament play, trying to project a certain table image can often times prove to be a futile endeavor. Your attempt might end up costing you precious chips now without gaining a later advantage, since you may be at a different table against different opponents a few minutes later.
Many players try to project a table image that is exactly the opposite of how they actually play. Tight players might try to project a loose table image by showing a bluff early on, while loose players trying to project a tight image aim to showdown a hand with the nuts so other players think they only play premium hands.
While doing this might result in winning a big pot somewhere down the line, it can also cost you chips to “sell” this specific table image. You really have to ask yourself if losing this equity early in a tournament is worth the potential equity that may or may not be gained later. It is usually not worth making a suspect early bluff to convince your opponents that you’re a maniac. Even if they believe you, you might move tables. Are you really willing to invest more chips to sell that image again?
My advice, especially for novice players, is to let your cards determine your table image. If you’re running hot to start a tournament and winning a lot of pots without going to a showdown, you’ll develop an aggressive table image. This can lead to winning a few big pots down the line, especially if you run into a situation where you pick up a monster hand but your opponent puts you on a bluff. But be cautious about trying to steal pots, since your opponents are more likely to suspect your bets and raises.
Likewise, if you start a tournament by getting bad hands and folding a lot, you’ll develop a tight table image. If you pick your spots right, this tight image will enable you to pull off a few nice bluffs and pad your chip stack with some extra ammunition. You might also pick up a good hand that doesn’t get called. If you show it, it will reinforce their perception of you as a tight player, and create more bluffing opportunities.
I am by no means advocating playing poker strictly based on what hands you’re dealt. You always need to be aware of the other factors in play at your table. But letting the cards do the work for you is a risk-free and effective way to establish a table image. Otherwise, you’re essentially paying for a billboard above your head that either says, “Loose Player: I will bluff you,” or, “Tight Player: I’m waiting for Aces.” Image creating plays work best against moderate opponents who don’t know your game very well. Superior players will quickly work out your style – loose, tight, or a combination (gear-shifter). Playing well is a lot more important than creating an erroneous image.
Or, to put it another way, don’t waste your money on advertising. You are not a salesman, you’re a poker player.

202

Stack Size Limbo

Jeff Madsen

November 3rd, 2009

When you’re playing a tournament and sitting on around 15 big blinds, you can face some seriously tough pre-flop decisions. Welcome to stack size limbo. It feels likes you have too many chips to push all-in, but a standard pre-flop raise can prove disastrous if an aggressive player comes over the top and puts you to the test.

So, is it best to push or to raise in this kind of situation? First of all, it depends on what type of table you’re playing at. If it’s a table full of aggressive players who are likely to make a move if you come with a standard pre-flop raise, then pushing all-in is probably your best bet.

If you’re at a table that is playing tight, you might be able to get away with making a standard raise. Keep in mind, though, that if you do get re-raised at a tight table, it’s time to let that hand go.

I recently played in a tournament at the Bellagio where I found myself in stack size limbo. I was sitting on approximately 15 big blinds and, unfortunately, at a table full of aggressive players.

The action was folded around to me in late position, and I looked down to see pocket 4s. Not a bad hand, but also no reason to jump for joy, especially at a table full of players who have no problem re-popping you with something like 5-6 suited.

So, it was decision time. If I put in the standard pre-flop raise, there was a pretty good chance that someone would re-raise me and I’d have to make a decision for all of my chips. On the other hand, pushing all-in would pressure the other players and force them to make the tough decisions. Basically, going all-in takes the play away, which is to my advantage.

I decided to push and, although I wouldn’t have hated a call too much, wound up winning the pot when the rest of the players passed. If I’d had 20 big blinds in that situation, I would’ve felt more comfortable putting in a standard raise, since I’d still have enough chips left if I was forced to fold.

So, 20 big blinds for me is definitely too much to just push all-in. There are plenty of online players out there who’ll push with stacks as deep as 20 or even 25 big blinds, but I still feel like you have enough chips left at that point not to get trigger happy and ever have to make that decision.

If you read your table correctly and play your cards right, you should be able to move out of stack size limbo and into deep stack comfort.

Going With Your Gut

By Brandon Cantu

Although poker is a game of math, odds and optimal strategies, sometimes it all comes down to a feeling. Being able to trust that instinct and go with your read can be the difference between being a good player, and being a great player.

Let‘s look at a hand I played during the recent World Series of Poker Europe.

The blinds were 100/200 with a 25 ante and at my table was a Full Tilt red pro whose name escapes me. I was sitting on about 45,000 in chips and he had a little bit less with about 30,000. The action was folded around to me in fifth position and I made my standard preflop raise. The person in the cutoff called, and so did the pro that was on the button. The flop was 10-10-6, and although I missed it I felt that my opponents most likely missed as well, so I bet 1,600. The gentleman in the cutoff folded, and the red pro on the button just called.

As soon as he called my bet, my gut told me was floating. For those unfamiliar, floating, is calling a bet with absolutely nothing on the flop in hopes of either picking up a hand, or a draw on the turn or also to simply try and outplay their opponent, in this case me, on the turn or river.

Assuming he was going to play back at me no matter what the turn was, I decided to check raise before even seeing the turn card, which was an off-suit deuce. As I anticipated after I checked my opponent bet 3,000, a little smaller than a pot-sized bet and I raised it up to 10,000 total. My opponent than did something I was not quite expecting and put in another raise, making it 17,500 and leaving himself with 10,000 behind. Even though I had nothing in this situation, my instinct could not get past the initial feeling that he was floating the turn, and I decided to move all in causing my opponent to quickly fold his hand and watch I as I flipped over my ace-high with a seven kicker.

Playing this type of poker can be very stressful, as if you do get called a lot of the time people will give you odd looks and question your sanity. However when you do go with your gut, and it‘s correct it can give you a huge deal of confidence, which can help you focus even harder at the task at hand; winning the tournament.

Here are some tips to help you get your poker instincts finely tuned:

1. Don‘t be afraid to fail: So often you will here “I know your bluffing, but I just don‘t have a hand.” or I‘ll let you get away with it this time.” Instead of giving up, why not put your opponent to the test and go with your read. Sure there will be times that you are wrong, but that‘s OK. It‘s all part of the process of getting better as a player. Play some lower limit sit-n-go‘s or MTT‘s on Ultimate Bet and practice following your instincts. You‘ll be surprised at often your opponent will fold.


2. Understand the Situation: Its easy to get caught up in the moment when you are deciding to go with your gut, but be aware of all the factors at hand. If you move all-in, does your opponent have enough chips behind to fold, or will he have to call you? Is the player tilting due to losing a big hand just prior to this? Are there softer players at the table to pick on? Analyze everything, because although your read my be dead on, there are times when no matter what your gut says your opponent will call you, and his junky hand may even be ahead of your junky hand..


3. Mix it Up: Utilizing moves like this with no hand is extremely dangerous, because you can then use a similar play, or move when you actually have a monste.. In these cases, you‘ll still be using your instincts, but instead of feeling out if a player is weak, try and feel how strong he is. If you get a sense he can‘t get away from it, put him to the test, you‘ll happily take some huge pots on occasion.


4. It‘s ok to fold: Some times going with your gut means folding. We‘ve all been there wanting to just stick it in with aces, knowing full well our opponent out flopped us, but we still make the crying call. Stop it. If you think your beat, fold your hand and wait for a better spot. There is no reason to go broke when every ounce of you is screaming “Fold!”

Becoming a winning poker player does not happen over night. While using your instincts is an imperative part of the game, like anything else you need to practice and hone in on your skills before putting them to use on the biggest stages. So get out there on the tables and play, but remember to use some of that time to work on new ways to improve your game and if that means going with your gut, then go for it.

150

Playing Over-Cards

Andy Bloch

June 11th, 2008

For many players, there's nothing prettier than peeking at their hole cards and seeing paint. A-K. K-Q. Q-J. They're all big hands and, often times, very playable ones, especially in position. Sometimes though, your masterpiece of a starting hand can lead to a very ugly result.

The fact is over-cards can be some of the trickiest hands to play well if they don't connect with the board. So how do you avoid going broke when you whiff with your overs? In the words of Kenny Rogers, "you gotta know when to hold 'em and you gotta know when to fold 'em."

Let's say you're in late position or in the blinds with over-cards and are facing an all-in bet after seeing a ragged flop like 8-5-3 rainbow. What do you do? The answer is an unequivocal "It depends". First of all, what could your opponent possibly be betting here? Top pair? An over-pair? A set? Your read of your opponent's hand should greatly influence your decision because if he's holding anything but a set, you may have odds to call.

That brings me to the next question: how much is he betting? If your opponent's all-in bet is worth half the pot or less, I think you have to call with any two over-cards so long as you think they're still live. Over-cards give you six potential outs to the board, meaning that you're only about a 3-1 dog against top pair if you have no straight or flush draw possibilities. Your over-cards may even be ahead if you think your opponent is pushing all-in on his own draw or is bluffing at the pot.

In situations where you're not facing an all-in bet, the decision becomes a little harder because you must not only consider the size of your opponent's current bet, but also the size of his next potential bet. If you're both deep stacked and you call on the flop, you could find yourself facing a sizable bet on the turn. In this situation, I believe mucking your hand and looking for a better spot is the preferred option.

Another thing to consider in this type of situation is your position relative to your opponent. If you're playing from position, you may want to consider staying in the hand even if you miss the flop – especially if you can do so cheaply. For one thing, calling a cheap bet on the flop might let you hit one of your overs, giving you what may likely be the best hand. For another thing, being in position can let you try and steal the pot away on the turn or river if your opponent shows further weakness on those streets.

Facing this same situation out of position is much riskier as your opponent has control of the hand and gets to act behind you on every street. I'm much more likely to throw my over-cards away here and look to play a better hand later on.

While position can be a key factor in determining if you carry on with your over-cards, the texture of the board is also something to be considered. On a flop like the one earlier – 8-5-3 rainbow – I'm much more likely to at least see the turn with my two over-cards than I am if the flop is more coordinated, like 9-8-7 or something that brings flush or straight draw possibilities. Why? Because unless my opponent is holding a pocket pair, it's just as likely that he missed the flop the same way I did. On a more coordinated flop, there are more ways for my opponent to connect and, even if I hit one of my cards, I could be drawing dead against a flush or straight.

If I'm in a pot with multiple opponents, I'm even more likely to play my over-cards conservatively because there are that many more hands that can easily beat me. Where I might try to continuation bet the flop against a single player, I'll almost certainly check against multiple players because I don't want to give someone the chance to raise behind me and force me to give up chips I don't need to waste.

If someone does bet and another player calls, I can very easily give up my hand without having lost too much. If, on the other hand, someone else bets and the action folds back to me, I can determine whether I want to fold, call or possibly even raise in an attempt to steal the pot myself.

When all is said and done, the key to playing over-cards successfully is not to fall in love with your starting hand no matter how pretty it may first appear. Play your hand smart after the flop and you can avoid an ugly result.

Playing Against Limpers

Playing Against Limpers

It’s common for beginners to set themselves up for disaster by misplaying hands before the flop. Then, they complain about their bad luck when they lose.

Well, bad luck has nothing to do with it. Rather, they likely committed a critical error by misplaying a pot against limpers who called their too small pre-flop raise.

Here’s an example from a recent tournament.

The blinds were 100-200 with a 25 ante. A beginner was in the small blind with pocket aces. He didn’t want to scare off the other players so he tossed in a very modest 300 chip raise.

Two players limped in and called, as did the big blind. They correctly believed it was worth risking a mere 300 chips to try to crack any hand, even pocket aces.

Here’s the first tip: When any player shows interest in a hand by calling the initial bet, they almost certainly will call a tiny pre-flop raise, too.

Okay, so the rookie is now in a four-way action pot. He has exposed the strength of his hand by his pre-flop raise yet has failed to gather any information about what hands his opponents might have. To make matters worse, he’ll need to act first after the flop.

The flop comes 10c-8d-5c. This time he decides to make a stronger bet, throwing out 2,000 chips. The first two players fold but the next player shoves all-in for 10,000 more. The beginner calls.

His opponent turns over 8s-5s to win the pot. The beginner moans about his back luck and berates his opponent for playing a bad hand.

Let’s dissect this hand.

I rarely use the term never when it comes to poker but I’ll use it here -- never make a stingy raise before the flop after someone has called in front of you. If you want to raise, make it meaningful.

With two players already calling the 200 chip big blind, a post-flop raise to around 1,000 would have been considered standard. But the beginner’s initial small raise only served to reveal that he had a decent hand. With that knowledge, other players simply wouldn’t play the hand after the flop unless they’d caught a big piece of it.

Another error in the beginner’s play was that he raised from the small blind. It’s the worst seat at the table because you are forced to act first on every street after the flop.

Remember, position is a powerful tool. Avoid getting tangled up in tough situations after the flop when you are out of position. That, of course, doesn’t mean you should automatically fold pocket aces. But make a sizable raise that protects your hand.

Professional players would never play this hand the way the rookie did. Instead, they’d punish limpers by raising large amounts before the flop, especially when they had position. They’d use the power of position to isolate weak players and then try to outplay them heads-up after the flop.

Say a weak player limps in for 200. A pro in position would raise the bet to 800 with a hand like J-9. He wouldn’t necessarily be hoping to catch a straight or a full house; he’s simply trying to knock everyone else out of the hand and steal the pot away from the weakest player at the table.

Position in poker is similar to being the dealer in blackjack. The dealer has a big advantage because if you bust, he wins. At the poker table, when a weak player busts by missing the flop, a skilled player will go for the win with an aggressive bet on the flop.

© 2009 Card Shark Media. All rights reserved.

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.

Misplaying Low Pocket Pairs

By P0ker H0

For the beginning player, I would have to say the most common mistake is either in bet sizing or misplaying low pocket pairs. I can even remember what it felt like to get dealt 44 UTG, and not have any clue how to best play it. Know that I know folding is most likely the best option, although definitely not always. I’d like to share with you why.

Early in tournaments, I am never folding a low pocket pair in early position if it is an unopened pot. This is because in most tournaments you start with at least 100 big blinds, and you can always afford to see some flops and set mine, to try and win a big pot. What is tricky is late in tournaments with the same hand. Let’s say you are dealt 44 UTG, and you have 80k in chips at 1500 3000 blinds. The players in front of you all have 40k or less, and there are 5 of them. What do you do? Let’s say you open raise to 9k. Know there are 5 people in front of you , who if they re-shove all in, it’s not going to be a ton more to call, and you will more than likely force yourself to call with a pair, as you feel you are getting odds.

So honestly the best thing you can hope for is a fold from all players as you are essentially bluffing with 44. I try and just muck small pocket pairs in early position, in these situations, because I hate pricing myself to call short stack shoves in a situation where I am most likely racing at best. To be honest, someone who is shoving an early position raiser with little fold equity, almost certainly is ahead of 44, if not barely behind. For me, I have decided that raising Low pairs in early position, late in tournaments, just puts you spots where you are almost always unsure of your hand strength and how it matches up against your opponent.

Wow

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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.

201

Let the Maniac Hang Himself

Greg Mueller

30th September 2009

We’ve all played poker against those guys who are relentlessly aggressive, who’ll make moves with any two cards. The fact of the matter is that you have to make a stand against those guys sooner or later. The key is picking the right time to do it. There’s nothing more painful than being the sucker who pays him off when he finally has a monster. But it’s a gamble you have to take on occasion in order to be the guy who gets all of the maniac’s chips when he runs an ill-advised bluff.

At the 2008 Aussie Millions, I had one of those aggressive players at my table on Day One. He was an 18-year-old online guru, I think he was from Norway. It didn’t take long for me to realize that he was playing loose: involved in a lot of hands, making some big calls and making some big re-raises. He was seated two positions to my left, so I had to be careful about entering pots and prepared to make a stand against one of his re-raises eventually.

That opportunity came with blinds at 150/300. I had roughly an average stack, about 19,500, and the Norwegian was the big stack at the table with about 44,000. I was two off the button, and he was on the button. The under-the-gun player raised to 800, the next player called, I looked down at Kc-Jc and called, the cutoff called, and then it came around to the aggressive kid on the button. I’d noted that almost every time there had been five or six callers, or a raise and several callers, he had put the squeeze play on. Something in my mind was telling me he didn’t have anything most of the time and had just been making this move to pick up some dead money.

So of course he did it again on this hand, raising another 4,000 to 4,800 total. Everybody folded around to me, and I had to consider how much it was going to hurt my stack to call. I didn’t have a lot of chips and would be committing about a quarter of my stack. But something just told me that this guy had NOTHING. So I made the call.

We were heads-up, and the flop came Q-J-8, rainbow. I checked, and I made my mind up that I was calling a flop bet no matter what. But he checked behind, and the turn came another Jack, putting two spades on the board. I checked again, and he bet 4,000 chips. I tanked for a little while, making it seem like a difficult call with a marginal hand, but eventually I called. I didn’t think he had anything at all, so raising would have made absolutely no sense.

Then a King came on the river, giving me a full house. Again, I checked, and he put me all in for about 10,000 chips, and I insta-called. He didn’t even want to show his hand, but eventually he did and turned over 10-7 off-suit.

I was proud of the way I played the hand on two fronts. First, my read was dead-on that he was wanting to make a move with absolutely nothing, and I trusted that read and made a tough pre-flop call. Then, when I turned a big hand and rivered a monster, I continued to trust my read and fed him rope to hang himself. If I had bet out on any of those streets, I might have lost him. But these aggressive players often think they can bully you off of pots with all-in bets, so when I made my full house, I let him use his aggression to my advantage and I doubled up through him.

Navigating a Huge Field

By Brandon Cantu

I have had a lot of success in my career in tournaments with enormous fields; from my first bracelet victory in 2006 which had over 2,000 entrants, to my second bracelet and my recent runner-up finish at this past years WSOP, and of course my deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event. While it’s important to approach these events just as you would any other tournament, you need to be able to dissect the various stages of the tournament, and how to optimize your play for each of them.

Shuffle up and Deal

In the early stages of a tournament with large field sizes I like to get involved in a ton of pots. I tend to play somewhere in the range of 80% of the hands dealt to me as I am trying to win every pot. In tournaments where there are relatively small stacks to begin, it is of the utmost importance for me to get my stack above average as quickly as I possibly can. I achieve this by manipulating my weaker opponents from the beginning and force them into making mistakes for their tournament lives. I’ll often find weak players are willing to commit their stacks with just over-cards or a weak top pair on the flop. You can certainly take advantage of these plays with your speculative hands. Sure there will be times when you get knocked out rather early using this strategy, but with UltimateBet running tournaments non-stop, you’ll be able to jump right into the next one.

Many players will throttle back after doubling up, but that’s not my style. I think it’s important to keep pounding the table, and playing the role of table captain, if all the conditions are ripe, that is (See previous article). Since many players, especially in WSOP events will be doing their best to sneak into the money, it is beneficial to exploit these players and continue to accumulate all the chips your opponents are leaving on the table.

The Bubble

Though it’s been said hundreds of times, I can’t express enough the need to capitalize on the players looking to min-cash. Online, players have become much more aware of this strategy and it has become harder than ever to utilize. You need to be careful before raising every hand, as you’ll often find yourself on the rail. If the table is playing particularly tight, or you have enough chips to take some hits, by all means keep firing away on the bubble. However, if you begin seeing some pressure coming back your way, it’s ok to slow down.

In live events, the money bubble is often much greater, so a min-cash becomes more appealing for inexperienced players. This allows you to continue to turn the aggression levels up, and steal as many blinds, and antes as possible.

When the bubble bursts, players typically begin their move towards the final table, trying to double up their smaller stacks now that they have at least a small cash locked up. It’s important to mentally take note of this, and maybe slide the aggression down a notch, as players will be looking to gamble more. Once the majority of the short stacks have busted, you can go back to taking the lead and putting the pressure back on.

Approaching the Final Table

When play gets down to two to three tables, the number of opponents at each table is often approaching. During the WSOP this past year, I had a significant amount of chips in this spot, and was more than happy to stay at two short-handed tables, as opposed to converging on to one final table. Many players are not as experienced in end-game play, and are looking to just get to that final table, again allowing for you to put pressure on them capitalize on their desire to just survive.

As with any poker situation, you need to gauge the players; if there are experienced players still in the field, you may be limited to the amount you can raise, but if it’s an inexperienced field, take full advantage of that by raising with any two cards. You’ll find you will often be left alone and able to accumulate chips little by little. If there is pressure put back on you, don’t be afraid to let it go, as there will be plenty more opportunities down the line.

The Final Table

When you get to the final table, you should have a good read on the players that you have been playing with the final two, or three tables. If you happen to find yourself sitting on a shorter stack, let the game come to you and wait for a hand if you can. If you have an above average chip stack, you may also want to utilize that same strategy and back off a little, letting the game come to you. Your opponents will be expecting you to continue your aggressive strategy you’ve been using, and it will definitely confuse them. Remember the real money is in the top three spots, so you definitely want to either win it outright, or at least end up in the top three.

Getting three handed, and heads-up play can be pretty exciting. You need to start opening up your game even more than you previously have been. Looking at the payouts can be detrimental, so do your best to avoid knowing, as it will help you focus on your game, and not the money. I have a pretty simple strategy in these spots, if you feel like you are the more experienced player then play small ball, keeping pots small, further enhancing your edge, and allowing your opponent to make mistakes that will cost them the tournament. If you feel as if you are the weaker of the group, then you should be in there trying to get all-in with small edges; don’t be scared to push your weak Ace heads-up or get involved in bigger pots with not as strong a hand. Let lady luck become more of a factor.

Poker tournaments are a marathon; it’s important that although playing solid poker is obviously the number one priority, you also need to be constantly aware of each stage the tournament is in, and how to properly optimize your play to enhance your shot at winning.

200

Winning by Checking and Calling

Nick Schulman

September 22nd, 2009

It’s been said many times that the weakest play in poker is calling – that it’s better to be raising or folding. In my opinion, there are situations where that statement simply isn’t true. I recently played a hand online at Full Tilt Poker that served as a perfect example of how checking and calling can win you a hand that you would have lost by folding (obviously) or raising.

The key to the situation is that I recognized I was up against an aggressive opponent and I had a marginal hand. I was playing $10/$20 6-max No-Limit Hold ’em, and the action folded around to me on the button with two red nines. I was pretty deep-stacked with $2,447 in front of me, and I made a standard raise to $60. The player in the small blind, who was even deeper with $3,356 in his stack, raised it to $210. The big blind folded.

It was an interesting spot. I obviously wasn’t going to fold there, but I feel pocket nines is the type of hand where calling is preferable to raising. Consider: If I raise there and get re-raised, I really don’t like my hand anymore. So I prefer the call.

The flop came 5d-8d-Qh, and although it wasn’t a great flop, with only one over-card to my nines, I figured I would call just about any bet. There was $437 in the pot and my opponent bet $280. I figured his range of hands could be pretty loose. He was a good player and an aggressive player, and while the Queen might have hit him, he could just as easily have a hand like A-J, J-10 suited or K-J suited. In that spot, I don’t really think you can fold nines, but I don’t recommend raising with them either. So I called, bringing the pot to $997.

The turn was the Jd, giving me a diamond draw and a gut-shot to go with my pair. My opponent checked, and I very strongly considered betting. But then I thought about it more carefully: What hand better than mine can I convince to fold? If he has pocket tens without the 10d, he probably folds that. But that’s about it. If he has Aces or Kings, he probably won’t fold. Other than pocket tens, the only hands I’ll get called by are hands that are ahead of me. And I could get check-raised and have to fold my hand without seeing the river. So I checked behind.

The river was the 8c, which paired the board, but was pretty much a blank. I hoped he’d check again and just let me check behind with what’s probably the best hand. Indeed, he checked, turned over Ad-Kh, and I won the pot.

Looking back at the hand, I think I was right to just check or call all the way. Pre-flop, who knows, if I’d re-raised, anything could have happened, including him shoving all in and me having to fold. On the flop, a raise probably would have worked, but that’s a really risky play. If I had bet the turn, that could have been disastrous. He had me covered, he’s shown himself to be an aggressive player, and he had the nut flush draw plus a gut-shot and two over-cards. There’s a very good chance he would have check-raised all in, which would have been an excellent play. I would’ve had to fold the best hand if he’d done that.

In that spot, I didn’t want to open myself up to getting outplayed, and I still had a lot of showdown value with my hand. Sometimes, against an aggressive player in a marginal situation, it’s best not to be aggressive back. Sometimes, aggression can cost you a pot that would have been yours if you’d been a little more cautious.