Integral Keys to Success

Prior to playing high stakes poker games, a key to success is to know who your opponents are. This is key in playing any form of competitive poker. A player should have a general idea of the playing styles and trends of his or her opponents. By doing this, a player greatly increases his or her chances of playing well and winning money. Although it is not always possible for a player to know who his opponents are, as is the case in random tournaments, it is possible to know this information when playing amongst a group of friends or notable players.

Another key to success is to prioritize. What is your motive of playing in a tournament? Can you financially afford playing aggressive during the beginning stages, or would you rather play a little tighter to avoid losing money? By figuring out this, players can adapt to their own playing styles and can avoid giving off non-verbal cues. If opponents figure out that you are playing over-aggressive by over-betting, they could respond in a bold manner. As mentioned in previous posts, over-aggressive playing can be detrimental. Being over-aggressive can be easy for experienced players to catch.



An important thing to remember here is that one should never play poker when upset or frustrated. This puts the player at risk of getting carried away into playing for higher stakes than he or she intended to. Not all people can separate emotion from poker, and that's why it's important for players to be able to avoid the poker table when they are in an emotional state.
According to an article on pokermaster.net, "it’s not a good idea to play poker when you are upset or angry as you really do need a clear head for poker". In other words, players should avoid playing poker when they are upset at all costs because they are more susceptible to making bad decisions because of their feelings.

And finally, another vital key to success is to play poker with caution. Poker is one of the most addicting forms of entertainment in the entire world. As thrilling as it is, it can be dangerous for players who show no self-control. Despite of what people think, playing incessantly can have severe consequences. Real people get into bad situations in a hurry because of how addicting poker can be. Psychology plays a huge role in poker and must be taken into consideration when playing poker.

Sources:

http://www.pokermaster.net/poker_strategy_playing_poker.htm

http://pokerfastcash.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Multi-table-poker-tournamen.jpg

Flush Draws

Getting that fifth heart, club, spade, or diamond is by far one of the best feelings a player could experience when playing poker. In most instances, a flush will be the best possible hand. There are several exceptions: when the board pairs, a player could potentially have a full house. A player could also have a higher flush. As promising as a flush draw is, however, the percentages indicate that a player only has a thirty-five percent chance of catching the fifth suite.

This can be calculated by using simple mathematical probabilities. There are 13 of each suite in a deck: If a player has two hearts in his hand, and flops two hearts, four hearts in total are being used. Therefore, there are nine hearts left in the deck. In a standard table, nine people are dealt two cards each. Four cards are used on the flop and the burn card. Out of forty seven unknown cards, there is a thirty five percent chance of a player completing his flush. This number is reduced significantly if other players have the same suite or are also on a flush draw.

The numbers indicate that players should not proceed to call large bets when they are only on flush draws. 65 percent of the time, statistically, the player would miss his flush. Here, I would either encourage a player to lead out and semi-bluff the pot, or fold if another player is betting aggressively enough.



According to an article written by Jordy Pujol on pokerwants.com, "I would suggest that you always semi-bluff with a two down flush draw." In other words, Pujol is suggesting that it is in a player's best interests to lead out betting when on a draw, so other players perceive him to have a stronger hand than he raelly does. However, the player himself must figure out the pot odds. Calculating pot odds is the process of calculating whether or not a player is getting his money's worth by making a call.

There's a difference when the chip leader is leading out and betting on a flush draw, compared to when the short stack is betting. In terms of the chip leader, there's a chance the person chasing a flush could take a large portion of his stack if he hits his flush. The player chasing the flush, however, is not getting good odds because at most he'll just get the short stack. Flush draws can make or break a player's tournament and should be played with caution.

Sources:

http://pokerwants.com/strategy-tips/intermediate/semi-bluff-with-the-flush-draw/

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Short Stacked Situations

There will always be days where a player simply has bad luck: other players will get lucky, bluffs will go bad, and simple pots will seem nearly impossible to win. It takes a great amount of mental strength and perseverance to break out of a short stacked situation. A lot of players would push "all-in" in anguish, representing that they officially give up. In short stacked situations, I advise players from simply going all in and leaving their tournament to be decided by luck. Unless players are short stacked to the point where there's simply no hope of competitively returning, a better strategy to utilize is to raise a lot pre-flop without pushing "all-in".

Unless somebody else raises before you, and you have a really good hand, I would not advise blindly pushing all in. It would be embarrassing to be called by somebody who has a monster of a hand. Although it wouldn't be wrong to push all-in, it's better to do so with caution. According to an article on thepokerbank.com, "with a short stack, most or all of the action will be taking place on the pre-flop and flop betting rounds". In other words, the majority of betting that a player does with a short stack should take place prior to the flop or post flop. The article advises against letting opponents see a turn card or a river.


If a short stack constantly raises and bets pre-flop, this puts pressure on the rest of his opponents. Although nobody likes being in a short stacked situation, it allows players to test their resiliency. After all, most competitive poker players are placed in that situation at one point or another. Again, the best way to approach that situation is to play tight-aggressive: play winnable hands and avoid hands that could potentially cause trouble. Any hand with an Ace is a serviceable hand, yet should still be played with caution. A pocket pair should be an automatic raise or all-in push. Marginal hands should be thrown away. Suited connector hands should be called or raised.

The best poker players of our era have built their instincts in these situations. Being short stacked taught them how to bet, when to bet, where to bet, and how to bet. It also teaches patience and to go slow and steady. The mark of a good poker player is his instinctual ability to know what hands to play and what hands should be mucked. Although it can be tempting to try to win back everything on one hand, that's not a plausible approach in trying to get back into the poker game.

Sources:

http://www.thepokerbank.com/strategy/general/short-stack/

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The Art of Raising

Too often in poker, players miss out on an opportunity to steal a pot because they don't throw out a bluff. At the very least, it's important for players to bluff t to mix up their style of play and avoid becoming predictable. On a more serious note, players who can win those little pots are the ones who build a strong enough stack to win tournaments.

As I mentioned in my last post, players who only play their cards usually fall woefully short in tournaments. By boldly throwing out a raise or a re-raise, a player could garner respect at the table amongst his peers. Phil Ivey, who is considered the greatest poker player of our decade, commands the respect of his opponents because of his aggressive method of playing. If a player is able to get respect from his opponents, he'll be able to push them around and intimidate them in a poker game. Ivey, for example, often times draws his opponents off of better hands because they fear his ability.



In order to deliver a proper bet, raise or re-raise, the most important component is to be confident. Believe in yourself and your ability. Whether or not your bet or raise works, it's important to know that there will always be another hand and another opportunity to win. Most players get carried away and put all their chips on a raise or a re-raise; however, try to avoid raising more than two to three times more than your opponent. Even if you have the nuts ( a poker term for the best possible hand), try drawing your opponent into the hand by betting slowly and steadily. If you have the better hand and come off as too aggressive, your opponent will likely fold. Therefore, as i also mentioned in a previous post, play to maximize your profits.

However, the biggest factor that separates amateurs from pros is the ability to fold good hands. Amateurs spend too much time contemplating decisions, giving their opponents non-verbal cues of their hand. Pros, on the other hand, raise and bet with no hesitation, yet know when they are beat. According to Camilla Goodman on pokerworks.com, "The ability to throw away a strong hand in certain situations is a sure sign of a skilled player". Goodman is basically pointing out that great players know how to fold hands.

Granted, it can be infuriating when a player hits a card on the river. However, the ability to look past this takes time to get accustomed to. In conclusion, the best way to get better at raising is through practice and experience, along with the ability to fold good hands when they aren't good enough.

Sources:
http://pokerworks.com/poker-strategy/beginner-poker-strategy/raising-in-poker.html

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Heads Up Poker

A form of poker that is becoming more popular by the day is "heads up" poker. Playing "heads up" includes only two players that clash head to head, one on one. This form of poker differentiates significantly from tournament style poker. When two players clash head to head, the chances of one of them having a "monster" hand is not likely.

On the other side, in tournament style poker, players often do have really good hands. Therefore, good pre-flop hands, like Ace five, Ace six, Ace seven, and Ace eight, normally aren't strong after the flop. Other players could not only have an Ace, but also a better kicker. In tournament style poker, middle pair also isn't usually too strong. In heads up, however, having an Ace is a significant advantage for one of the players.



Playing heads up takes years to master, especially for players who feel more comfortable playing in a tournament setting. According to an article on tightpoker.com, "The weak of heart get steam rolled with extreme prejudice in heads-up poker." In other words, inexperienced players and players who simply crumble to aggressive bets would have an extremely hard time keeping pace in a heads up poker game. The format of playing heads up requires a player to constantly be aggressive, while maintaining his or her composure.

In regards for players who don't normally play heads up frequently, it is easy to get carried away. Most players don't realize how big of a discrepancy exists between playing in a tournament and playing heads up. In a tournament, the entire table is your enemy. You are forced to outcompete every other player at the tournament through wit, aggression, strategy, and even intimidation. In tournaments, players can usually succeed by playing their cards right and maximizing profits. However, in heads up, every hand is a toss up: a game of heads up is usually player one versus player two, whereas in a tournament, players won't raise the pot with bad hands.



In tournament style, players hardly ever bet or raise a lot with middle pair. However, in heads up, catching middle pair could potentially be a huge advantage. In a recent tournament that I played, my opponent raised 3 times the big blind pre-flop. I look down at my hand and see a suited 7 and 8 of clubs. I put my chips in and called his bet, already expecting him to make a continuation bet regardless of the flop.

The flop comes: 8 J 3. My opponent raises about half of the pot, I call. The turn card is a 4. This time he checks, and in my haste I throw out a bet about three-fourths the pot in a semi-bluff. Although I know I hit my eight, there is that chance that he could have trapped me with a monster hand. My opponent, however, took one last glance at his hand and folded. In heads up, I often raise with suited connectors: seven-eight, five-six, etc. However, in tournaments, players usually don't play these hands with large raises.

Sources: http://www.tightpoker.com/articles/heads_up_poker.html

http://media.cardplayer.com/

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Pros and Cons of Tournament Style Hold'em

A lot of people world wide prefer playing heads up or even a 4 or 5 person table. However, the majority of people prefer playing a 9 person table because it provides a a greater variety. It also increases the money pool, as each player buys in a certain amount prior to sitting down at a tournament. Tournament style is the most sophisticated way of playing Texas Hold'em. It allows players to capture the true beauty of playing in tournaments and the joys that go along with it. Every player's tournament individually has a climax. Certain players begin tournaments better than others. However, a tournament truly is more about the journey than the finish line.

It's important for players to not get caught up in looking ahead to the prize of the rewards before they get through the tournament. In the World Series of Poker, for example, the majority of chip leaders on day one in the past few years failed to get to the Final Table. It's easy for a person to play more loosely when he or she has a lot of chips. A tournament is a game of stamina, and requires players to brace themselves for a long, grueling battle.



Most tournaments begin with a standard small blind and big blind. Blinds are expected to raise after pre-determined increments of time. In a lot of tournaments, the blinds raise every fifteen to twenty minutes. Therefore, players need to constantly be alert and active during tournaments. Tournament-style is not for faint hearted, conservative players; conservative players, or players who only play "good" hands, often times find themselves at a disadvantage. They won't often be dealt extremely good hands.

Conservative players are also highly predictable. Most tournament winners are players who are known to switch up the style if their play, manipulate their opponents, and play aggressively. According to Steve Badger from playingwinningpoker.com,"Your tournament actions should be dictated by one consistent goal -- maximizing your financial expectation". In other words, Badger is stating that the key goal to winning a poker tournament consisted of being efficient enough to maximize the amount of chips and money.

In order to do this, one must attempt to gain the most out of every winning hand. Joe Cada, who recently won the World Series of Poker Main Event, had less than one percent of the chips in play at one point during the tournament. However, he maximized his financial expectation, which enabled him to maximize his net gain in chips. Although tournament style poker takes some time to get used to, it's the most rewarding form of playing around the world.


Sources:
http://maltapokerevents.com/Portals/4/images/events/Monthly%20Tournaments%20-%20October/October%20Edition%20Main%20Event/aMRK_4755.jpg

http://www.playwinningpoker.com/poker/tournaments/winning/