My latest poker strategy article, A Wide Range Situation From the Main Event, is now appearing in the August 2014 issue of Two Plus Two Magazine. It references an earlier article I wrote and analyzes the last hand that I played in the 2014 WSOP Main Event:
… Read full postAlthough
I played two big pre-flop pots with KK in Las Vegas cash games, one where I ended up folding and one where I got all in against QQ. A lot of people expressed curiosity about these hands when I first tweeted them, so I figured I’d post the details here.… Read full post
This is a conclusion of a series of posts that starts here with an introduction to who these people are and why I’m driving to Las Vegas with them.
Objective: Drop me off in Las Vegas. Optional: Continue on to Tahoe.
The drive from Zion to Las Vegas is … Read full post
On Episode #88 of the Thinking Poker Podcast Andrew Brokos andNate Meyvis break down two hands that were submitted from the audience. One is a cash game hand from an underground joint in New York with a favorable preflop rake, and the other comes from a tournament.
Nate and … Read full post
Objectives: Spend the day in Zion National Park! Complete an appropriately challenging family-friendly hike, swim in the Virgin River, and get back to the campground before the gate closes at 9PM.
The Emerald Pools
After five days of heavy driving, we’d covered enough ground that we could afford a full … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Nate is back on the program to discuss a hand he played in the World Series of Poker Main Event, then he and Andrew talk with Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah about mixed games, how he got into poker, backing, and more.
Objective: Drive approximately 8 hours from our campground near Golden, CO to the vicinity of Zion National Park. Find a place to camp on near the park.
Optional: Find a place to swim.
I woke around 3:30AM. Despite the fact that I was burrowed inside of my sleeping bag with … Read full post
Nate’s no longer in Vegas, but Andrew and Leo Wolpert sit down during Day 6 of the Main Event to talk about their own deep runs in the WSOP as well as some key hands from their 2014 tournament.
This is a continuation of a series of posts that starts here with an introduction to who these people are and why I’m driving to Las Vegas with them.
Objective: Drive approximately five hours from Hays, Kansas to a campground just west of Denver, Colorado.
Rigging and Hustling
Because we’d … Read full post
I’ve obviously been running this over in my head a lot, so I might as well post it here. It’s the last hand before break, blinds are 250/500/25. I have a little shy of 20K, Villain has 30 or 35K. He seems to be the only other pro at the … Read full post
After a cross-country drive, Andrew has finally reunited with Nate in Las Vegas for the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event! The two are joined by Carlos to talk about a few hands Nate played in a preliminary 10-game event, low-stakes tournaments in Vegas, and much, much more.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it. Nate ended up switching from Day 1C to 1B, and I was tempted to do the same, but last-minute changes tend to throw me off, as I’d already mentally planned some things I wanted to do yesterday. The only downside to this … Read full post
Objective: Drive about seven hours and camp at Kanopolis State Park in Western Kansas.
I woke around 6AM to find Jerica and Henry freshly showered and packing their things. A quick count confirmed that everyone was still alive and well, and I couldn’t find any itchy bed bug bites on … Read full post
If you’re in Las Vegas, please don’t forget to come meet Nate, Andrew, Carlos, and other Thinking Poker Podcast listeners and guests between 10AM – 1PM at the Gold Coast bowling alley tomorrow, July 5. Hope to see you there!… Read full post
Objectives: Drive approximately seven hours from Pittsburgh to Hoosier National Forest, where we’d camp for the night.
An Early Morning
Upon telling people about this trip, Jerica and I were both bombarded with advice about long drives with kids. Much of it would have required more planning than we were … Read full post
Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald joins Nate and Andrew on the Thinking Poker Podcast to talk about his childhood in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, winning and losing a fortune, abusing drugs and getting clean, and his new life in Costa Rica.
Sorry for the delay on this episode. I’ll get a … Read full post
Objectives: Finish Packing. Retrieve Rental Car. Drive to Pittsburgh. Keep kids out of apartment during my walkthrough with landlord. “Camp” in my empty apartment.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about or who these people are, see this post.
At my landlord’s insistence, I’d agreed to doing … Read full post
Leo Wolpert joins Nate and Andrew from Las Vegas to discuss safety precautions for staying in hotels and the Rio flu, and the trio beak down three hands that Wolpert played at the World Series of Poker.
It’s been a hectic few days. I wish I had more time to share some of the craziness with you, but the truth is that I’m not at all prepared for the Vegas road trip on which I’m about to embark. I think the kids’ mother is even less prepared … Read full post
I’ve got a new series now going up at Tournament Poker Edge. It’s a hand history review from the Sunday $500. There are a lot of tough players in that field, so you can watch me talk through some interesting spots against some pros you’ll recognize. If you aren’t … Read full post
I’ve driven from the east coast to Las Vegas several times, including in 2007 and 2013, but this year is going to be different. In the past, my girlfriend was my only companion. This year, I’ll have three children under the age of ten in toe.
I’ve mentioned several … Read full post
On this episode of the Thinking Poker Podcast, Nate and Andrew set the location for the meet up in Las Vegas, break down a cash game hand that listener Jason played at Maryland Live! Casino, and talk withAri Engel about how to travel the circuit profitably, the … Read full post
Act One: They Meet
One of the first hands I saw when I sat down at the 5/10 game was this guy (“Villain”, hereafter) 4-bet-jamming 54 (no draw) on a 9h 7h 4s flop. He actually won a “flip” against 8h 5h, and his opponent was pissed. Other than that … Read full post
The latest Thinking Poker Podcast hasn’t been released yet. When it is, I’ll post an announcement here, but it will be available only from PokerNews.
We’d had trouble finding a guest, it was a busy week for me, and we were thinking we might just take the week off. … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Bluff Target? A few people disagreed with my premise that a bluff of some sort is mandatory here. I think that Samael sums up the argument for betting something quite well: “we have absolutely no sd equity, and the villain has lots … Read full post
I’ve been busy of late. Actually I was busy a while ago, and people were slow to publish stuff.
Anyway, first up is Where Do the Weak Hands Go?, a Two Plus Two article that should help you think through situations where your opponent begins with a wide range:… Read full post
Starring Thinking Poker Podcast guests and regular contributors Breyer, Carlos Welch, Keone Young, and Piefarmer:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Nate and Andrew discuss strategies for the World Series of Poker that will assist you both on and off of the felt, and they also break down a hand from Nitcast favorite Gareth Chantler and another from the PokerStars Sunday Million.
This … Read full post
In this instance I think that bluffing is clearly correct, and the most interesting question is what to target and thus how much to bet.
First a little history. Villain is a nitty regular, so much so that it’s at least a running joke that he isn’t allowed to participate … Read full post
This week’s mailbag is special because the question was submitted to the podcast, and both Nate and I answered it.
Q: I started out as one of those players you often refer to who says “I don’t really need to balance my ranges in the games I play – … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
On this week’s episode of the Thinking Poker Podcast, Nate and Andrew discuss the gap concept in poker, break down an interesting hand from a charity tournament, and talk with battle rapper and poker player Peter “The Saurus” Morris about the similarities … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Ace on the River, and sorry that it’s taken so long to post the results.
Bet or Check?
An Ace on the river will generally be a better card for the aggressor in a heads up pot. Generally he’ll raise … Read full post
Nate, whom most of you know as the other host of the Thinking Poker Podcast, is looking to sell 60% of himself in the 2014 WSOP Main Event at 1.3 markup, meaning each 5% costs $650. Terms are below; please email backing@fastmail.fm if interested. I’m sure Nate will keep an … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
On Episode #79 of the Thinking Poker Podcast, Nate and Andrew offer a warm welcome to newcomers of both the podcast and the iBus Media Network, Andrew gets leveled by an eight-year-old, and the pair breaks down a hand from … Read full post
This is from a $5/$10 game at Maryland Live. Villain is an older guy, nitty mostly with regard to his pre-flop hand selection. Post-flop he isn’t just absurdly tight-passive, he’s capable of bluffing, value betting, etc. at least reasonably well. Probably he views me as a bit “wild”, as in … Read full post
The WSOP is right around the corner, so bone up on your live tournament skills with my new Tournament Poker Edge series, LOL Liveaments. It’s a review of key hands from a $1000 tournament that I final tabled at my local casino. Although I’m not the world’s biggest expert … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Big news from the Thinking Poker team! Starting next week, the best place to get our show will be from the PokerNews podcast feed. We’ll still post announcements here when there’s a new episode available, and we’ll keep the current feed … Read full post
Sorry for the lack of updates. I’ve just been playing all day every day, but I’ve decided to take today off so here’s the rundown:
Monday
I played all three of the Action Hour tournaments. For those who don’t know, these are tournaments where the blinds go up very quickly … Read full post
I’ve got about 23K coming back to a 1200 BB, and it’s going to be my turn to pay the blind, so it’s going to be touch-and-go from the beginning. It’s nice just to make a Day 2 though!
It restarts at 5, though I’ve already begun playing because the … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Daryl Jace dropped out of school in the seventh grade but that didn’t stop him from becoming a successful MTT pro, a Tournament Poker Edge instructor, and a lover of learning. We discuss his unconventional route to the top, his decision to … Read full post
There were a lot of interesting hands from this, more than I have time to post here (keep an eye out, though, TPE members!). This was probably the most critical. Thanks to more than a bit of good luck, I’d run up quite a stack, good at my high point … Read full post
As much as I love the SCOOP, I skipped it last year to play more of the WSOP instead (not that they overlap, but I can only afford to spend so much time focused more-or-less single-mindedly on poker), and it was looking dicey for this year as well. Then, a … Read full post
My latest for Two Plus Two Magazine is entitled “Hero Folding” and is about learning to feel good about folding:
… Read full postWhereas big bluffs and hero calls offer the dual rewards of feeling like you made a great play and seeing a mountain of chips shipped your way, plus sometimes the
I’ve got something a little different for this week’s mailbag. It’s a follow-up email from Yagasmurf, whose hand was featured on Thinking Poker Podcast Episode 77. You’ll have to listen to the show to hear everything I had to say about the hand the first time around, but here’s … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Kristy Arnett recently announced that she is stepping down from her long-time role as a producer, host, and writer for PokerNews. We talk to her about her career as well as her goals for the future, which include playing more poker, … Read full post
To supplement yesterday’s So Tilting moment, another sort of “bad beat” that irks me is when you make a good play that’s going to work against your primary target and then it turns out someone who will generally be a non-factor in the hand caught some unlikely hand and jacks … Read full post
The thing that tilts me the most these days is when terrible-for-the-game sour-faced nits get way more action than they “deserve” with their monster hands. I posted a few weeks ago a hand where I stacked off with QQ against the KK of a guy I suspected of being a … Read full post
I’ve got a new article on Learn.PokerNews that addresses one of my (many) pet peeves, the idea that satellites are a good choice for players with limited bankrolls:
… Read full postWinning $480 in a satellite doesn’t magically make it a good idea for you to buy into a $480 tournament any more
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You might know Pauly Maguire from his Tao of Poker blog. Or his Tao of Pauly blog. Or the Dope Stories podcast that he co-hosts with Shane Schleger (our interviews with Shane here and here). Or from his book Lost … Read full post
The new episode won’t be out until tomorrow night. Sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment that causes, but I think you’ll find it worth waiting for. Just to whet your appetite, here are a few of things we discussed: the need for rational conversation about drugs, the dark heart of … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on this week’s What’s Your Play?, and sorry for the lack of response on my end; it proved to be an unexpectedly hectic week.
Important Points About Multiway Pots
I want to start by making two observations about multi-way pots:
1. It is not … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sam Grafton’s post-graduate studies in critical theory make him the first guest capable of schooling Andrew on Foucault. We talk about staking and swapping, the importance of social capital to success in poker, the blurred line between poker and gambling, the extent … Read full post
This hand is from a $5/$10 game at Maryland Live, currently playing 7-handed. Both Villains seem pretty competent with regard to sizing, bluffing, value betting, etc and have no blatantly exploitable tendencies. My best guess is that they have a similar view of Hero.
UTG opens for $35. I call … Read full post
I’ve got a new series now going live at Tournament Poker Edge. It’s called Evaluating Bluffs, and it’s a hand history review with an emphasis on considering whether and with what range I should have bluffed in various situations. More than that, it’s a case study in how … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Clayton Fletcher, professional poker player and comedian, talks about growing up in a poker playing family (his mother is also a professional poker player!), how his two careers complement each other, and what he’s learned from each. Then, we talk about the … Read full post
I was pleasantly surprised by the great discussion of this week’s What’s Your Play? I nearly didn’t post it because it was “just a pre-flop spot”.
How Likely Are Better Hands?
Everyone was rightfully quick to recognize that it’s rare to see people overlimping the biggest pairs in late … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Dealing With Aggression in Tournaments, is now appearing in 2+2 Magazine. The title is pretty self-explanatory, but here’s an excerpt that gives you a better idea of how exactly I address the subject:
… Read full postThe key to minimizing these headaches is to anticipate and prepare
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Matthew “theginger45” Hunt is one of the newest video producers at Tournament Poker Edge. After several years of traveling and living abroad, he’s returned to his native England to focus on poker and writing. He talks to us about why he … Read full post
Sitting in a nitty, ten-handed $2/$5 game that isn’t even really worth playing but I’m out of the tournament and waiting for the $5/$10 to start so what else is there to do but collect hands to discuss with the good people of Thinking Poker Nation?
Villain ($725) is a … Read full post
Q: We are in a .25/.50 NLholdem home game, 5 players are left. Hero and villain are the two big stacks at the table.
Preflop 5 handed:
Hero ($77.75 from a $50 buy in) (KK) Raise $1.75
Villain ($58.25 from a $25 buy in) Call
Dealer Fold
SB call (after … Read full post
In case you didn’t hear the announcement on the latest podcast, Nate and I have just released more than five hours of tournament strategy podcasts that are available for $19 at www.nitcast.com. Though similar to the strategy discussions we have on the weekly podcasts, the content in these premiums … Read full post
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
After last week’s interruption, Nate and Andrew are back with an all-strategy episode plus exciting news about how to get even more strategy from us! You’ll hear our thoughts on Ed Miller’s new book (more from Nate on his blog), folding … Read full post
If you’ve seen my Bluffing series on Tournament Poker Edge, then you know that I’ve got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about people who claim they can’t bluff because their opponents “never fold”. It’s just not true, and yesterday I had the chance to demonstrate this … Read full post
Q: I am an active live player who plays in local games in NYC. This hand was from a $1/$3 NLHE game 9 player table with mostly fairly loose players but they are quite competent for this level. Most hands are played with 3+ players although hands are rarely limped … Read full post
That’s a coy way of saying we don’t have a new episode for you. We’ll be back with new material next week! In the meantime, we encourage you to catch up on recent favorites like Mike McDonald and John the Lawyer (seriously, if you skipped this one because you don’t … Read full post
I just realized I never plugged my latest poker strategy article, which went up at the beginning of the month. It’s called “Can Your Opponents Change Their Stripes?“, and it’s now appearing in 2+2 Magazine:
… Read full postAny adjective or category used to describe how someone plays should be thought
