Taking Notes in Sit and Go's

Basically every poker site online allows players to take notes on other players. Doing this will give you an advantage in future hands against the same opponents. Because players are often very loyal to their site, you will see the same players quite often even on large sites such as Poker Stars.

When you take notes you should be looking for the best players and the weakest players. The reason for this is because you’re looking to avoid the best players and take advantage of the weakest players. Here are some good things to look for when taking notes:

Are the players tight or loose? For example, do they like to call often preflop with weak hands, or do they only play premium hands for raises?

Passive or aggressive? Aggressive players will be betting on the flop with nothing, raising often preflop, and playing many draws. Passive players will just be calling constantly.

Another good thing to note is if the player defends their blinds or not. If you notice a player always folds in the blind to a raise, you should start raising them in late position when they are in the blind.

Obviously, you can note if the player is winning or losing. This is an easy note to take, and can help you identify good and bad players.

The final thing you should be looking for is if the player is playing straightforward or trying to pull tricky moves. For example, do they like to semi bluff, check raise, and slow play strong hands, or do they just bet with good hands, and fold with bad ones?

Taking Beneficial Risks In Poker

Generally you shouldn’t enter a pot unless you feel you have an advantage. However, in certain cases you want to take a chance when your payout will be well worth it. Eventually you will hit a flop and win a monster pot. Consider it this way, have you ever gotten busted with AA because you let people limp in preflop?

When to Take a Risk

You want to take a risk when you have the potential of winning a big pot without sacrificing much money. For example, when most of the table limps in preflop you need to reconsider folding certain hands. Even if you don’t have much of a hand, you could get lucky and flop anything.

If you happen to flop a strong hand you will get paid off very well, as there are so many players in. Of course this won’t happen often, but when it does you will reap the benefits. By occasionally limping with suited connectors into multi way pots, you can hit a flop hard, and get paid off very nicely.

Specific Hands

If you are one of the last to act at the table, and most people have limped in, you want to play almost all suited cards as well as connecting cards. As you know, you aren’t likely to hit a flush or make a straight, but when that time comes, you will get paid off. One example of this is if you hold 34d in late position, and six people have limped in. This is an easy call, as your hand has great potential to become a monster.

Also, if you’re in the big blind with the same hand, and multiple players have called a small raise, you should call this as well. You’re the last person to act, so you know it won’t be reraised, and you have great pot odds to try and hit a flop.

When you Make a Flop

If you actually hit a flop, let’s say with the 34d, you still need to be cautious. If the flop is 34K, you need to play the hand aggressively. Anyone with a hand like KQ has a great chance of outdrawing you. If someone in early position bets the flop, and a few players call, you need to put in a large raise. Your goal is to take the pot here, as your hand is vulnerable.

If the flop comes A25, it is another story. Now your hand is very strong, and can only lose to a full house if the board pairs. On the flop you should just call a bet, and if no one bets, check. Depending on what the turn brings, you may have to bet to force draws out. If the turn is a 6, or makes 3 of a suit, then you need to bet out fairly strong, so any long shot draws are forced out.

Final Lesson

If you are late to act and almost everyone at the table is in (and assuming there hasn’t been much of a raise), you’ll want to limp in with any cards that have some sort of potential, such as suited cards, or connecting cards. You can’t expect to win all the time, but it’s worth the risk due to the reward you could get. So remember that if you can get into a big pot cheaply, go for it, but don’t stay in unless you hit or have good odds.

STRATEGY GUIDE FOR HIGH CARD FLOPS

Texas Hold’em is a big card card game. We all know that, or at least we ought to. Hole cards such as pocket Aces, Kings, Queens, and A-K dominate the average overall winning percentages. Naturally, we gravitate toward playing these big hands and your opponents will add hands like K-10 suited, K-J, or Q-J into the mix despite their position or their hole cards’ trapping nature. This means that flops containing these big cards are likely to hit lots of players and amount to big pots in no-limit Hold’em. My goal in this article is to help you make the most and lose the least when one of these monster tricky flops arises.

Tip #1: Protect heavily with two pair or a set. When you play two big cards like A-K or K-Q and you hit two pair on a flop like K-A-10 or J-Q-K you have to play extremely carefully in order to both protect your hand and/or find out if you’re already beaten. You should naturally be more suspect and cautious when 3, 4, or more players are contesting the pot. When you hit top two pair on a big flop you probably have the best hand but you need to protect against straight draws and perhaps flush draws. For some reason, hold’em players love to draw to broadway straights (10-J-Q-K-A), even if they’re only using one of their hole cards. When you make two pair the next card could always give your opponent(s) a better hand so I recommend betting out or raising at least the size of the pot. The same risks apply when you flop a set. A big card flop is likely to have helped your opponents as well so you’ll probably get plenty of action while protecting against draws.

Tip #2: Don’t slowplay anything. The only exception to this would be when you flop something like quads or the nut flush. Even the nut flush is vulnerable to a full house draw if your opponent hit a set with his big pocket pair. When you see a high-card flop against multiple opponents, slowplaying a big hand essentially only kills your own value. Since your opponents will also be playing big cards it’s very likely that they flopped a worse hand than yours. When you flop a set, a straight, or top two pair you’ll usually get action from straight draws, top pair top kicker type hands, or flush draws depending on the board. Why give them a free (or cheap) draw to make a better hand? Instead, make a sizeable value bet on the flop, build what appears to be your pot, and protect against bad beats in the making. Bottom two pair on any flop is even more dangerous as the next card could counterfeit your hand or give your opponents a higher two pair.

Tip #3: Watch out for one-card straight draws and flush draws. As mentioned above, you’ll often run into loose players willing to gamble on their one-card straight draw. For example, I’ve seen countless players draw with a hand like A-8 on a 10-J-Q board. Despite the fact that it is a gutshot straight draw with 12-1 odds against hitting, poor hold’em players routinely draw to broadway straights using only one big card. The big blind may have 9-2 offsuit on that same board and he will probably call a decent-sized bet with his open-ended straight draw (of considerably better odds). When you’re holding pocket Queens or J-Q, you need to be vary wary of a fourth-connecting card coming on the turn or river. Bet out at least the size of the pot and definitely slow down if that scare card does hit. Even if you have the nut straight with A-K on that 10-J-Q board, you have to protect against some other fish holding a A-2. Why? If a K comes on the turn, you’re both only playing your Ace for a split pot. Of course, don’t overlook the weak flush draw if there are two (or more) suited cards.

Tip #4: Know when you’re beat. Big card flops make for big hands. Top pair doesn’t hold up very often against a big connected board, especially against multiple opponents. If you run into heavy resistance with a hand like A-K on a board of K-J-10 you need to have the discipline to lay it down. Weak hold’em players will limp in with any two face cards and cripple your chip stack with bottom two pair or a freak straight. If you don’t hold top two pair or better, you’re better off playing defensively and keeping the pot as small as possible. If a major scare card hits such a fourth connector or a completed flush with 2 or more opponents, you’ll probably need to be looking for reasons to fold unless you have an excellent read on a weaker hand. I see too many players who don’t give up on their two pair or even top pair when it’s obvious that a straight is out. When it’s a high-card board, it makes it that much easier to know that your opponents are playing correlating cards.

Some situation not to bluff in a poker game

Bluffing is general in poker and many people think they can bluff more in online poker because there are no gestures, they are hidden behind their computer. But there are moments when you should not bluff. We are telling you when, just read on.

When you bluff keep in mind that everyone else is also looking for an opportunity to bluff. You can spot them, but beware they can spot you too! You have to use bluffing sparingly.
So when no to bluff in poker?

Other players are expecting you to bluff

I suppose you don’t want to be the fish at the table. When you bluff and are caught you reveal your playing style to the others, so you will be vulnerable. Always consider this before you bluff.

You have been caught bluffing recently

If you were caught as a poor bluffer recently you should not bluff but start to build your reputation back.

Bluff when the flop is dangerous

You have to recognize whether is a flop dangerous or not. I know, it is a difficult task, but for example the flop contains an Ace, you could be sure that someone has an Ace at the table. People love their Aces and keep them almost until the end of the hand.

Lots of players at the table

With a lot of players at the table there is a great chance that someone has something that he will stick with. It is not worth the money to bluff in this situation.

Against bad players

It is much more profitable to play straight up in these games. They will bluff a lot, but will keep en eye on you too.

You have just lost a big pot

Not only might you be on a bad run, but other players will expect
you to be on a bad run, and will more readily call you.

In the blind positions

You really have to evaluate the flop, but generally other players
will think you have a poor hand and expect you to bluff.

To summarize: be careful with bluffing, always take into consideration when you bluff you could be caught.

Single Table Sit n Go Basics

Single table sit n goes are the fastest growing game in online poker. A standard sit n go consists of 9-10 players with the top 3 making the money. Recently, different forms of sit n goes have come into play. One new type is the shorthanded sit n go, where 5-6 players enter and the top 2 finishers make the money.

Also, satellite sit n goes are becoming popular. In these sit n goes 9-10 players enter for a certain buy in, and the top finisher wins his/her way into a larger buy in tournament.

Step Tournaments

Another common form of single table sit n goes are “step tournaments”. In these, players start out at step 1, which may have a $5 buy in, and the top 2 finishers advance to a step 2 tournament, which may have a $25 buy in. There are usually around 4-5 steps before the final tournament, where cash prizes are awarded.

In sit n goes players enter the tournament for a fixed buy in. Besides the buy in, there is also a small tournament fee, which is usually 10% of the tournament buy in. This means that if you enter a $5.50 sit n go, $5 is going to the tournament prize pool, and $.50 is going to the poker site for hosting the tournament. It is similar to the rake of cash tables.

Chip Structure

When the tournament begins the players are all given the same amount of “play chips” that they use to play in the tournament. The chips you have aren’t real money, but you have to use them to try and outlast all of your opponents. When players get out that are in the money they are awarded their cash prize. In the most common form of single table sit n go, the 9-10 man, the top 3 finishers get paid with payouts as follows:
1st Place Finisher 50% of the prize pool
2nd Place Finisher 30% of the prize pool
3rd Place Finisher 20% of the prize pool

Some of the advantages of single table tournaments are as follows:

Single table sit n goes are very quick, because the blinds are continually raised. Usually blinds are increased every ten minutes, and as the tournament progresses an ante may be added as well. This puts pressure on everyone, as they are blinding away, so the tournament progresses quickly.

Sit n goes can be entered at anytime. They are literally running non stop at just about every single online poker site. This means that as soon as you bust out of one sit n go, you can join another instantly. This feature attracts many weak players, as they want to play without waiting in line for a ring table, so experienced players can take advantage of them.

Another advantage is the fact that you aren’t playing with chips that aren’t real money. At a cash table you can lose all of the money you have at any time. In a sit n go however, you can only lose what the buy in was for the tournament. This reduces the variance for sit n go players.

Single table sit n goes are a great way to increase a skillful players bankroll. At the lower levels the players are almost all fish, so if you learn the proper strategy you can win consistently.

Position in No Limit Hold'em

Position in No-Limit Holdem refers to where you are in the order of betting either before or after the flop. The player with the ‘dealer button’ (to the immediate right of the blinds) will act last on each betting round once the flop is dealt. Acting last conveys many advantages in No-Limit Holdem games, the main factor being that you get to see what your opponents do before you decide on your own action.

The best way to look at taking advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem is that you are able to win the most when ahead and loose the least when behind. At the end of the day the strongest hand will win a showdown regardless of where at the table the holder of this hand is sat.

Hand Selection

Before the flop you are able to take advantage of late position by playing a wider selection of hands. For example if you are in early position (one of the first to act) in No-Limit Holdem you may not be able to profitably play hands such as suited connectors, small pairs or unsuited high cards.

The reason for this is that all of these hands need high ‘implied odds’ to be profitable. They will not hit the flop too often and so need to be cheap to play in the early betting rounds. In early position most of your opponents have yet to act. The risk here is that one or more will raise you forcing you to lay down your hand.

Compare this to being in late position you have seen most of your opponents limp or fold and can now play these hands with little risk of a re-raise. Even when raised you may choose to call having the advantage of seeing your opponents act before you do on the flop may also mean you can steal the pot.

Betting Rounds

The real advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem comes from being last to act on the flop, turn and river betting rounds. Compare holding a medium pair when first to act to being last. In order to find out where you stand you will need to bet. Betting when first to act risks being re-raised by any opponent, or even flat called as a bluff.

Betting when last to act gives you the advantage of seeing your opponents check first, making your bet more likely to succeed. Sure, an opponent may be trapping with a strong hand but check-raising you ‘out of position’ will show a lot of strength and allow you to get away from your medium strength hand.

Bluffing Advantage

If you completely missed the flop then being last to act may enable you to pick up small pots with a bet on the flop. If an opponent who is in the habit of betting every flop acts before you then you can even choose to call taking away the pot with a bet on the turn instead.

With a strong holding last to act you are able to decide whether to check, enabling your opponents to ‘catch up’ in the hand. You may also be in a position to flat call a raise, thus building the pot, or to re-raise an amount that you expect to be called by at least one opponent. With strong holdings you want to build the pot, the advantage of being in last position is that you can do this without arousing too much suspicion from opponents.

To summarize, taking advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem involves being able to play hands you might otherwise have folded, steal pots that nobody has shown an interest in, build a bigger pot when you are strong and get away from a medium strength hand early when the action in front of you gets heavy. This is quite a list, and explains why profitable poker players make sure that they play the majority of their hands from late position.

POKER STRATEGY - TOURNAMENTS

In most of my first online poker tournaments, my best finishes were just in the money. The way most online poker rooms structure their tournaments, this pays you just over what you paid to get into the tournament. Even though playing poker is always fun, there is something quite frustrating about playing for 2 or 3 hours to get your money back.

This is why tournaments can be tough on tight-aggressive players, who, in my opinion, are best suited for cash games. I would wait until I would get strong cards and raise them. Unfortunately, you don’t always get action on your good hands, especially if you aren’t playing very much. Unless you consistently get hit over the head with the deck throughout the tournament, tight players don’t usually end up with the top prize.

If you tend to play a tight game, you might want to loosen up a bit and become more aggressive as the tournament continues. I recommend staying out of the action early on since the blinds are so low and you can afford to play tight. But if you’re not getting any hands and the blinds are creeping up, you probably should consider playing more hands than you normally would. If you can get in cheap, try playing any pocket pair and go for the double-up if you hit a set.

Also, if your table is short-handed (less than 7 players), you definitely should play more hands and raise more pre-flop. Playing more aggressively can cost you bigger pots and might bust you out earlier, but I would rather have a better shot at winning the tourney than making my money back.

Why play if you’re not going to play to win?