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Angela Bassa is the director of data science at iRobot and an occasional poker player with more than a passing interest in Libratus and its implications for artificial intelligence. In this interview, we talk about poker’s intersections with data science and … Read full post
This is the “absurd” hand I referenced on Twitter yesterday. I want to be clear that I’m not posting this as an example of a hand that seems bad but I think is actually good. It was a badly played hand, I don’t have any delusions about that. I do … Read full post
I never just post hands any more! I am curious in your feedback, but I don’t have a lot more to say about the hand myself, so I’m not going to construct it as a What’s Your Play? But here’s the situation:
Playing $2/$5 NL. Effective stack $600. Villain is … Read full post
In December of 2016, the Thinking Poker community raised over $8000 for the Bay Area Urban Debate League, and I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed! This hour of free poker strategy, with very special guest Matt Berkey, is part of my thanks to everyone who contributed. If you … Read full post
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Carlos Welch is no longer homeless! At least for the moment, he’s living with Alexander Fitzgerald in Bullhead City, AZ, and Andrew is paying him a visit! We catch on Andrew’s travels, Carlos’ new digs, and strategy!
Timestamps
0:30 = hello
23:05 … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Facing an Overbet on River.
Time for Some Game Theory
It’s probably impossible to find a game theoretically optimal betting strategy for me on the flop, and likewise a calling strategy for Villain, as there are more than two players … Read full post
In December of 2016, the Thinking Poker community raised over $8000 for the Bay Area Urban Debate League, and I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed! I promised a free half-hour of strategy video for every $500 we raised, and after releasing videos with Carlos Welch, Jamie Kerstetter… Read full post
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Christian Harder is a long-standing pro whose history with Nate and Andrew dates back to the early days of the 2+2 MTT forum. His most recent claim to fame is victory in the $5000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. We talk to … Read full post
Playing a 9-handed 5/10 game last week at Bellagio, effective stacks $1500. Decent recreational player opens to $40 UTG+2, mediocre pro calls MP, good pro calls HJ, I call with 9s 8d (Edit: added suited to clarify that I don’t have a heart) on Button (a little questionable, but can’t … Read full post
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Kyle Loman plays $1/$3 no-limit for a living, but it hasn’t always been that way. Years ago, he was grinding high-stakes with a six-figure bankroll. In this revealing interview, he talks about shot-taking, staking, bad loans, and coming to terms with his … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, “What Are the Best Hands to Three-Bet?”, is now appearing in the February 2017 edition of Two Plus Two Magazine. If you know anything about me, you know that that’s not a question I’m going to answer in just a few words! In … Read full post
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Wow! Two hundred episodes! In this special episode, we invite our most frequents guests as well as several of our most active community members to reminisce about the show’s past and help us dream about its future.
0:30 – Nate & Andrew… Read full post
Nate Meyvis and I will be co-hosting, along with the guys from Just Hands Poker, an event in the New York City area March 25th and 26th. Admission will include a meet-and-greet, a meal, a four-hour deep-stacked $1/$2 cash game session, and a video of us commenting on the … Read full post
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Matt Sienkiewicz, a professor at Boston College and Episode 103 guest, co-hosts with Nate. They compare the poker movie MISSISSIPPI GRIND with Nate’s recent trip to Biloxi. They also discuss a strategy hand and some colorful opponents from Nate’s victory in a
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Tim Bishop came to poker via the unconventional route of Motocross. We talk about how he got started in racing, why he got out, and how he’s dreaming of getting back in. Of course we also talk about his life as a … Read full post
Below you’ll find nearly a full hour of high-quality tournament poker strategy, a combination of hand review and general strategy talk. Best of all, one of the participants is the always-delightful Jamie Kerstetter, so you’re bound to get a few laughs as you learn. If you enjoy listening to her, … Read full post
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Patrick Leonard (pads1161 on PokerStars, plenopads on Twitter) is one of the most respected MTT players in the world and one of the head coaches at bitB staking. It’s too bad we lost some of the audio from our interview with … Read full post
Nate Meyvis is my guest for the latest free strategy video, and in his honor, I found a PLO8 tournament for us to review. It’s fun and informative!
We created this video as part of a year-end fundraising campaign for the Bay Area Urban Debate League. To unlock more … Read full post
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Chase Bianchi’s career as a professional poker player came in fits and starts, as we went back and forth between playing for a living and working as a dealer and supervisor. That all changed when he won a bracelet in a $1000 … Read full post
The 200th episode of the Thinking Poker Podcast is fast approaching! As part of the celebration, we’d love to get some thoughts or anecdotes from listeners like you. Which was your favorite episode and why? Do you remember being surprised by something you learned about one of our guests? Has … Read full post
This is the second and final part of the published as part of the free strategy video that Carlos and I created as part of a year-end fundraising campaign for the Bay Area Urban Debate League. If you enjoy him here, be sure to check Carlos out on Twitch… Read full post
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Eileen Sutton discovered poker later in her life, but that only heightened her passion for the game. In this interview, Eileen beautifully describes her love affair with poker and the strange set of coincidences that resulted in her learning from the likes … Read full post
Here’s the first video published as part of my year-end fundraising campaign for the Bay Area Urban Debate League. I’m joined by the incomparable Carlos Welch, be sure to check him out on Twitch. To unlock more videos like this one and get a shot at some great prizes, … Read full post
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Jamie Kerstetter, who first joined us on Episode 136, is back to talk about the latest poker Twitter drama, her new role as ambassador for the Borgata poker room, her dog Crouton, and the Humane Society of Atlantic County.
You can … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who participated in What’s Your Play? Flush With Redraw.
I folded, and I don’t think it’s close. The short explanation is #TheyAlwaysHaveIt. Here’s a longer one:
Is This a Bluff-Catcher?
The first question to ask is whether Villain could be raising worse for value. If yes, … Read full post
As I did last year, I’m once again raising money this holiday season for the Bay Area Urban Debate League, a non-profit organization I’m deeply involved with as a Board member, volunteer, and donor. Debating in high school and college changed my life, and in the 15 years that … Read full post
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Political scientist and Congressional Research Service analyst Matt Glassman helped us put the 2016 Presidential Campaign into context a few weeks ago. Now that the election is over, we need him more than ever!
We’ve got a great strategy segment, but … Read full post
Edit: Fixed pot size on turn.
Playing $5/$10 No-Limit at Maryland Live, a game that does not participate in the Bad Beat Jackpot and other promotions. I don’t have a lot of experience with either Villain, but there’s a good chance they know who I am (a lot of people … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Deep Thinking, was just published in Two Plus Two Magazine. Does this sound like you?
… Read full postPlaying with a short stack can be a good way to learn: it simplifies your decisions, minimizes the magnitude of your mistakes, and helps you focus on fundamentals like
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Danny Sprung is a trader and a long-time games player. He was a serious poker player even before the boom, and he’s also a world class bridge player. In this interview, we discuss how he relates poker to bridge and to trading, … Read full post
Edit: I originally reported a donor match that is apparently not happening. Very sorry about that, but I hope you’ll contribute anyway!
Edit2: Sorry for all the confusion. The match is apparently on and good for the rest of November (so, Tuesday and Wednesday).
Donations made to the Bay Area … Read full post
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Ryan LaPlante, who joined us on Episode 95, won his first WSOP bracelet this summer in the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha event. In this interview, he talks about his emotional victory speech, why winning matters so much to him, and the … Read full post
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Tommy Angelo is back to talk about “speech play”, stalling, and other ways your opponents can annoy you at the table, if you let them. Plus we’ll get an update on his latest book, Painless Poker, and his meeting with Carlos Welch… Read full post
Sorry to say there’s no new podcast this week. However, we recorded a great interview (is there any other kind?) with Tommy Angelo this morning that we’re excited to share with you soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, here’s my latest strategy article for 2+2 Magazine, entitled “Why … Read full post
This was a surprising little moment for me in reading The Autobiography of Martin Luther King: King was a gun owner prior to and in the early days of his involvement with the Montgomery bus boycott! After a bomb exploded on his front porch, his friends and family urged him … Read full post
I don’t often talk in terms of heroes and role models, but if you forced me to name one, I would choose the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I’ve written here before, I believe that he represents about as well as anyone in history what it means … Read full post
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Matt Glassman is a Congressional Research Service analyst, Political Science PhD, and perhaps most importantly, one of Nate’s college buddies. We talk about how poker can help us to understand politics (including the 2016 presidential election, of course!), how horse racing can … Read full post
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Is Carlos Welch settling down? Not quite. He’s still got the van, but he’s also got himself a new routine in Las Vegas that involves more live poker than ever before! Join us as we catch up with all-time favorite guest Carlos … Read full post
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William Kassouf will be familiar to you if you’ve been watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN. His constant chatter attracted plenty of attention and controversy during the final days of the Main Event. In this interview, we discuss his background … Read full post
Somehow it took me 12 years to get around to playing a World Poker Tour event, but I played my first one over the weekend at Maryland Live. Overall it was a well-run and well-attended event and I’m glad I played.
My Day 1A table draw was quite tough, I … Read full post
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With WCOOP still going on (at the time of recording), Nate and Andrew get together to answer some strategy questions from the mailbag.
0:30 – hello
11:06 – strategy
Strategy
Blinds 300/600/75. Hero opens to 1500 UTG+1 with AA. Folds around to … Read full post
Here’s an interesting pot from the $200 Rebuy 6-Max WCOOP event. You probably know that in theory, multi-street bluffing tends to involve building two ranges for each street, a “keep bluffing” range and a “give up” range, such that your bluffing frequency gets lower on each street.
In practice, though, … Read full post
Sorry but we don’t have a new podcast episode this week. That’s mostly due to my being busy with WCOOP stuff, so we should be able to get a show ready for next week.
I wanted to share a hand with you from the third event that I played, which … Read full post
I was hoping to post more hands during WCOOP, but detailed write-ups just aren’t what I’m in the mood for after a long day of playing. So, I’m going to start posting some hands without a lot of commentary.
I already posted one from the $200 Warm-Up, so here’s … Read full post
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Andrew’s busy with WCOOP, so he and Nate get straight to strategy, with a discussion of several hands from the No-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better event.
Timestamps
0:30 Hello & Welcome
10:42 NLO8 Strategy
Hand 1
PokerStars – $300+$20|400/800 Ante 100 NL Hi/Lo (6 … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who participated in Rate Our Play: Blind Battle. I hope you benefited from thinking about this spot. Blind battles and other spots where players have very wide ranges are tricky because, if you just try to apply heuristics and experience from other situations, you’re going to … Read full post
It’s called Rate Our Play. I’m going to post a hand featuring multiple decisions points for both myself and my opponent(s). Your job will be to comment on any mistakes (or choices that surprised you in a good way) that you think either of us made. I’ll participate in the … Read full post
I was not directly effected nor especially traumatized (no moreso, that is, than the vast majority of humans who were horrified by the suffering, death, and destruction) by the attacks of September 11. Far more traumatic, for me, was what took place in the weeks that followed, specifically the adoption … Read full post
Sorry for the lack of posts here. As you’ll see, I’ve had a busy few weeks.
It started nicely, with a trip to visit some old friends. As much as Emily and I have enjoyed living in San Francisco, there are some downsides, most notably the fact that most of … Read full post
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Alan Boston has long been known as a sports better, but now he’s back on the east coast, making a living in the Foxwoods Poker Room. Alan tells his stories with characteristic bluntness and candor, from Stu Ungar and 1980s Las Vegas … Read full post
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Billy Sharkey’s poker career has been a roller coaster that led him to mindfulness meditation, and that helps… except when it doesn’t. In this revealing interview, Billy discusses dealing with losses, the complex politics of high stakes home games, his struggle with … Read full post
I knew that my small turn bet in the recent Rate Our Play post would be controversial, and although I had reasons for doing it, they weren’t particularly exploitive, and I hadn’t actually used GTORB to look at the EV of betting larger. It turns out that even if you … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who participated in the inaugural Rate Our Play. I’ll take the blame for the low attendance, as I haven’t been actively blogging lately. That should change once WCOOP gets underway.
DP1: Uncontroversial.
DP2: Uncontroversial at this stack depth. With deeper stacks, this is a reasonable BB … Read full post
Q: I would love to hear your thoughts on zoom poker. It seems to me, at low stakes anyway, that the level of play is much higher than at regular cash tables at the same stakes. For some reason, it seems to attract much fewer fish and many more regs.… Read full post
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Chris Moorman, with over $10 million in cashes, is widely regarded as the winningest player in online tournament poker. This wide-ranging interview covers his beginnings as a competitive bridge and pool player, his struggles with staking, his role as 888Poker Ambassador, and … Read full post
In an effort to blog a bit more often (about topics other than new podcasts), I’m going to try out a new sort of post that hopefully will be similar to but less time-consuming (for me) than a multi-street What’s Your Play?.
It’s called Rate Our Play. I’m going … Read full post
The Backstory
I’m currently in Maryland visiting family and have been to Maryland Live a few times. It’s been quite busy; even when I arrived around 4 yesterday there was already a long list for 5/10 and 10/25 and no open tables to start a new game. So, I ended … Read full post
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Aaron Brown is a professional-poker-player-turned-Wall-Street-trader. You may know him as the author of The Poker Face of Wall Street, but he’s got a lot to say about gambling, economics, and our favorite, the “old days” of poker in private games and … Read full post
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Technical difficulties and vacation schedules nearly kept the show off the air for two weeks running, but there’s no keeping Nate and Andrew down! We’ve got a short, strategy-only show to tide you over until we return with an awesome guest next … Read full post
Sorry for the recent, worse-than-usual silence. Immediately after the WSOP, Emily and I moved out of our apartment (big job!) and then took a two-week vacation. There were also some technical difficulties with the latest podcast, though we hope to have resolved them and to be able to bring you … Read full post
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Ian Simpson is a former (and future) teacher in the United Kingdom. His fourth place finish in the 2012 Paddy Power Irish Poker Open proved literally life-changing, not only because of the money but because it presented the opportunity to spend a … Read full post
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Andrew, Nate, and THE Carlos Welch gather in a hotel room at the Gold Coast to discuss their first day in the WSOP Main Event. There’s loads of strategy talk, as Nate bet-folds the river, Carlos gets full value from a set, … Read full post
I’m playing Day 1C, starting a little over an hour from now! This will be my 11th WSOP Main Event, and although I can’t claim to be as excited as I was for my first, I don’t think I’ve been this pumped about poker since this time last year. You … Read full post
Nate and I played this together, what a great event. Nate said, and I agree, that this was one of the most fun tournaments he’s ever played.
There was such a great mix of types of teams! Of course in some cases it was just a few great players who … Read full post
This was a fun tournament and a great value. My starting table was amazing, and I managed to nearly double up with a set in the first few orbits. I was particularly proud of myself for not making a mistake I’ve been guilty of in the past, which is getting … Read full post
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The WSOP is obviously a busy time, so we just recorded a quick conversation this week, covering some general stuff about the World Series of Poker and a few of the first events/hands Andrew played. Please note that this was recorded before … Read full post