I folded a hand this week that was reminiscent of one I posted last week. The villain in this hand is literally the tightest and most straightforward player I’ve ever encountered. His first, second, and third objectives at the table are simply to win the pot when he believes … Read full post
My latest video series is going up now at Tournament Poker Edge. It’s a hand-for-hand review of a $200 WCOOP “Sunday Warm-Up”. The notable thing about this tournament is that I late registered and had 30 – 40 BBs for most of the tournament, and I think I exhibit … Read full post
Recent podcast guest Keone Young found out the hard way. That’s what you get for calling my 3-bet with K6 offsuit, fish!
Don’t worry, folks. It’s all part of the show!
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Johannes Levemann is the head of Research and Development for the Snowie Group one of the creators of PokerSnowie, a neural net that has over the course of several years supposedly learned to play a nearly unexploitable no-limit hold ’em game. … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, He Has to Have Something, is now appearing in the November 2013 edition of Two Plus Two Magazine. It deals with a bit of sloppiness to which even otherwise good hand readers often fall prey:
… Read full post” The bottom line is that you need to
We were playing a $2/$5 game with a mandatory $10 straddle. A couple people limped, and then a tight and straightforward player raised to $60 with about $1000 behind. I had a pretty maniacal reputation and so was pleased to find a pair of Kings. I raised to $160, everyone … Read full post
Credit goes to my girlfriend for both the idea and the execution (and the photo, for that matter). You can’t really see it in this picture, but in dim lighting I looked pretty damn old.
Edit: Shrunk picture to fit on page.… Read full post
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It’s time again to catch up with our old friend Gareth Chantler. From Trondheim, Norway, he tells us about his new job as a Full Tilt Poker blogger and gets Triple Draw advice from Nate Meyvis. Plus Zoom/Rush Poker strategy, Ricky Gervais … Read full post
We’re interviewing a pretty strong PLO player tomorrow (Tuesday) night, and I totally forgot to prep for it. Let’s turn that into an opportunity: what do you want to hear about the game? Leave your questions as comments here and we’ll try to get to as many of them as … Read full post
Daniel Negreanu just won WSOP Player of the Year for the second time. That’s a great accomplishment, he’s a great guy who’s great for poker, and I’m very happy for him. But it doesn’t change the way I think about him as a player, and I doubt it changes the … Read full post
Carlos Welch, Sean Lango, myself, and hopefully some other podcast luminaries – though unfortunately not Nate – will be meeting up on Saturday, November 23rd at 10AM in the cafeteria area in the basement of the Borgata. If you’ve never been there before, there’s an escalator near the … Read full post
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Dave Thornton is one of the principals at SkillInGames and OneBillionHands, a recently-launched site with access to, well, roughly one billion hands’ worth of anonymized hole card data from real money online poker games. We talk about where these hands came … Read full post
Notice that I begin this hand with about 21 BBs. I’d often 3-bet larger than this from out of position, but here I’m not that worried about pricing something in. There aren’t many hands that can take advantage of those odds to play perfectly against me. At least as often, … Read full post
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Shane “Shaniac” Schleger was our very first guest, and he’s had quite a year since he last talked with us. From getting married to getting turned away at the Canadian border to final tabling the WCOOP Main Event, he shares the … Read full post
Before there was PokerStars or Planet Poker or any kind of online poker as know it today, there was the World Rec.Gambling.Poker Tournament, still played to this day by email over the course of several months. Registration for this year’s tournament is now open at http://www.wrgpt.org/registration/. There’s no money … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who commented on my first WCOOP review hand. Among other things, it helps me realize how the hand looks to people who don’t already know the results (though some of you probably assumed them from the way, and indeed the fact, that I posed the question). … Read full post
I’m reviewing my play in the WCOOP and figured I’d bring you all into the conversation for a few of these spots. This one was from a $200 6-max, I’d been at the table less than an orbit so no reads or history with anyone.
PokerStars – $200+$15|250/500 Ante 60 … Read full post
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Keone Young is a character actor whose decades-long career has spanned television, movies, theater, and even video games. He’s also a serious poker player and a regular contributor to the comments section of the Thinking Poker Blog. He joins us to talk … Read full post
Just wanted to let you know about some recently published stuff you might be interested in:
WSOP 2013 Trip Report, Part 4: The Main Event – Unfortunately this is a lot shorter than it’s been in past years, but I did get to play a pretty famous player: “Usually, tough … Read full post
In retrospect, I think that What’s Your Play? Turned an Underfull was a poor choice for this feature. The things I have to say about it are much too specific to a certain type of player, and to make matters worse I didn’t establish very well in the original … Read full post
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Sean Lango is the editor of the Thinking Poker Podcast and a member of Palmyra, the band you’ve been hearing on the show for the last few weeks. He’s also a professional musician who supplements his income with poker. We talk … Read full post
This is another $1/$2 Zoom hand. Villain has TAGgish stats over a small sample, 21/18 with a 3-bet of 11, with all of his 3-bets so far have come from the button or the blinds. Hero’s own stats are actually even tighter than that, though I don’t have any insight … Read full post
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After some brief reminiscences, Nate and Andrew dive into a strategy-rich show. Even if you’ve never heard of Courchevel before, you’ll want to hear what it can teach you about poker in general. If it piques your interest, you can read more … Read full post
Sorry for the short notice, but I made Day 2 of the $2000 NLHE event, which has just restarted for the day. Foucault82 is my screenname on PokerStars, if anyone wants to sweat. I have 90K and the average is 130K. It looks like I’ve got Johnny Lodden to my … Read full post
Only six comments on this week’s What’s Your Plan? – did I confuse everyone by posting it on Tuesday? That said, they were all very high-quality comments, so thanks to those who participated.
Pre-Flop Planning
“Which” makes the very good point that we ought to have a good idea of … Read full post
One of the biggest leaks I see, especially but certainly not exclusively among tournament players, is a failure to build big pots with big hands. I made a series about this called Getting Paid for Tournament Poker Edge that I think is worth watching even if you aren’t a tournament … Read full post
I had a note that Villain will fight back in position in a 3-bet pot, which explains at least some of this hand. And if his range on the river is all combos of AK, 77, 99, 86s, and T8s, then this is actually a good call. In practice, I … Read full post
This is from the Sunday $500 on PokerStars, a tournament that tends to draw a field of MTT specialists of varying skill. In the first hour, Villain 1, in middle position, has played 16% of his hands, 12% of them as the pre-flop raiser, and mostly in late position. Villain … Read full post
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Carlos Welch was one of our most popular guests, and he’s back to talk about his new life as a professional poker player. Find out why he didn’t move to Jamaica, what he’s doing instead, and how he’s dealing with a downswing. … Read full post
The situation in What’s Your Play? Weak Overpair, Four-Bet Pot demonstrates the importance of starting your hand reading early. If you aren’t already thinking about your opponents’ ranges pre-flop, it’s easy to misjudge once you see the flop and the action. The question to ask is not, “What hands will … Read full post
Last month, I visited the national memorial at the site where Flight 93, intended to fly into the US Capitol Building, crashed. There’s nothing to see, really, except for what has been built there. You have to know what you’re looking for to see any sign of the actual crash.… Read full post
Get a leg-up in this year’s WCOOP by watching me face off against four very different opponent’s in last year’s $700 heads-up no-limit hold ’em tournament. Part 1 of the new series is up now at Tournament Poker Edge, and Part 2 will go up tomorrow, with the rest … Read full post
I’ve been playing some small-stakes ZOOM alongside my tournaments whenever I’ve got spare screen space, and this is the most interesting spot I’ve encountered in any of my games in my first two days playing. I had to reformat my database, so I didn’t have a HUD running while I … Read full post
Sorry for the inconvenience, but there’s not going to be a podcast this week. There were some complications getting it together on time, so we’re going to take the opportunity to get ahead of the game so we hopefully won’t miss any more shows while I’m busy with the WCOOP.… Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Strategy? Overbetting Fiend. This is an extreme example of how important it is to adapt to your opponents. Although your “normal” game will surely have a positive expectation against this player, there is potential to do much much better if you … Read full post
Part 3 of my trip report from the 2013 WSOP is now appearing in the Two Plus Two Magazine. It deals with the only two preliminary events in which I made Day 2: the $3000 Mixed Max and the $1500 PLO8:
… Read full post“By the end of Day 1, I was playing
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Jennifer Newell, @WriterJen on Twitter, is a freelance writer who frequently covers the world of poker for Poker Scout, PokerStars Women, and others. Though she doesn’t play much herself, she loves the many colorful personalities and fascinating stories of the … Read full post
It’s level one of a small-field, $555 MTT at the local card room. The field will be extremely soft, re-entries are allowed for the first two hours, and including re-entries there will likely be fewer than 75 total entries.
Hero’s table is currently four handed with six stacks getting blinded … Read full post
The most important poker tournament of your life starts today. You registered for it and submitted payment months ago, and there are no refunds.
This tournament has a unique structure. It is a multi-day tournament, and each player is assigned to either Group A or Group B. At the start … Read full post
Today is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in my opinion one of the most significant events in American history. For those who don’t know, the March was part of the larger movement pushing for the expansion of civil rights for African-Americans, who even … Read full post
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Mike Stein, author of the excellent Quantitative Poker blog, joins us to talk about skill vs luck in poker, how tax implications and the declining utility of money should affect your game selection, and game theoretically optimal bluffing strategy across … Read full post
I’ve been toying around with this situation for a while, and although I want to retain some measure of caution simply because I have a history of making mistakes with this sort of thing, I’m pretty sure I’ve determined that the optimal bluffing frequency for Hero doesn’t change even if … Read full post
I know I promised earlier this week that I’d follow-up with more on optimal multi-street bluffing frequency. It proved to be a more thorny problem than I anticipated, and while I still don’t have a definitive answer, you’ll get a chance to hear me discuss the problem with two very … Read full post
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Leo Wolpert, who’s been both an interviewee and guest host on the show before, returns in the latter capacity. We talk cold war politics, getting value from maniacs, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? strategy, and the difference between good and great … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on What’s Your Play? Worst Card to Bluff, and sorry that I’ve been slow in getting this results post up. It’s possibly a result of the fact that I’ve been driving back across the country this week and not online much, and possibly a matter … Read full post
About three months ago, my girlfriend and I left Baltimore driving west. My destination was Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, hers Austin, Texas where she’d be working for the summer. I documented that trip here and was surprised by the positive reception it got.
I’ve since joined … Read full post
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It’s our first Pot Limit Omaha-centric episode, with guest John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez. John is a professional poker player who specialized in PLO and the author of the PLO QuickPro Manual. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2013 $1500 six-handed … Read full post
This one comes from a $5/$10 no-limit hold ’em game at the Venetian. I’m new to the table, initially bought in for $1000 but relatively quickly decided to load up enough to cover the table. I don’t think I’ve done anything else of note since I’ve been here, but that … Read full post
I’ve finally finished reviewing John Beauprez’s PLO QuickPro Manual, though I feel I’ve only begun reading it. It’s an extremely dense and thorough book, which is what you deserve for shelling out $297 though not always what the authors of expensive poker books deliver. If you’re willing to invest … Read full post
Pardon the spammy title, but I’ve got some seriously good material to share with you. First and foremost is the second installment in a series of free coaching videos I’m making with Andre Coimbra. Together we review his deep run in a Big $16.50 on PokerStars. This video, nearly … Read full post
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Faraz Jaka is one of the most consistent tournament players in the game. He was the 2009 – 2010 World Poker Tour Player of the Year and continues to appear at major final tables around the world.
He’s also one of the … Read full post
Thanks for all the comments on this week’s What’s Your Play?, and sorry that I’m late in getting results up. My weekend turned out to be a lot busier – in a good way – than I’d anticipated.
Preflop
I’ll start with a quick note on the raise vs … Read full post
The second installment of my WSOP trip report is now appearing in Two Plus Two Magazine. After a disappointing start to the series, my next few tournaments offer me some opportunities to regain confidence:
… Read full post“Phil probably forgot about this hand seconds after it happened, but although it was in some
Edit: I awarded John a bracelet in the wrong event.
John “KasinoKrime” Beauprez, winner of the 2013 $5000 pot-limit omaha $1500 no-limt hold ’em 6-max WSOP event, will be our guest on Episode 43 of the podcast. In addition to talking to him about his poker career and the excitement … Read full post
As you may have heard on Episode 41, our beloved Gareth Chantler is retiring from his post as Thinking Poker Podcast sound engineer. We’re looking for someone to fill the position, and even though one of us will likely end up doing it this week, Episode 42 won’t be … Read full post
Edit: Thanks to ThereYouGoAgain and others who pointed out the errors in my original post. Sorry for the confusion – Villain 1 (the open limper) did overcall the raise, and three of us saw the flop and turn (where pot size was wrong).
This hand comes from a $2/$5 no-limit … Read full post
I’ve got a new video series going up on Tournament Poker Edge which deals with strategy for playing the final table bubble. It will be a three-part series, with one part dedicated to each of big-, medium-, and short-stacked play. Check it out, and if you’re not already a … Read full post
Thanks for all the great comments on this week’s What’s Your Play? As I’d hoped, your suggestions have helped me to think more about both the river decision and my play on earlier streets.
One point I want to emphasize up front about playing against tough/tricky opponents is that I’m … Read full post
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Gareth Chantler talks about Norwegian family politics and covering tournaments for the PokerStars Blog. He also joins in discussions of the ethics of accepting an unsolicited chip dump, playing second pair in a limped pot, and playing Kings when an Ace flops, … Read full post
I’ve got a tough one for you this week. This is one of the trickier spots I’ve been in of late, and I’ll tell you up front that I’m not 100% sure about my play or my plan at multiple points in the hand. So with that said, we’ll zero … Read full post
I was very happy with the comments on What’s Your Play? Underrepresented Top Pair. Some of you thought it was an “easy call”, some an easy fold, and a few even wanted to raise, though I don’t recall anyone considering that an obvious or easy choice. So what’s my … Read full post
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Bill Ordine is the editor of PhillyGambles.com, an editor and writer for PressBox, and a former reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Baltimore Sun. In his capacity as a sports writer, Bill pushed for greater poker coverage in the … Read full post
My main event run came to an end early on Day 3 in unspectacular fashion. I do, however, currently have an above average stack going into the $5000 Venetian Deep Stacks main event. I don’t think any hands from those tournaments are as instructive as this one, though.
This is … Read full post
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Carlos “loxxii” Welch is a grinder if ever there were one. The former math teacher was happily learning the game playing small-stakes online tournaments until Black Friday complicated that plan. Undeterred, he now travels to casinos, sleeping in his truck or on … Read full post
Hopefully a lot of you follow me on Twitter, because I know I’ve been bad about keeping the blog up-to-date. The short version is that I’m still in the Main Event going into day 3. I’ve got about 20K chips, and blinds are 800/1600/200 when we return, so if I’m … Read full post
Thanks for the comments on the river bluffing What’s Your Play? I was actually surprised not to get more comments on this one, because the impression I get is that many people don’t feel comfortable in their ability to make good decisions about whether or not to fire a second … Read full post
