Online Poker Secrets» Pot

Being the Big Stack

jen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:04:47 +0000

Phil Gordon gives some great online poker secrets in regards to how to play when you are the big stack at the table in a poker tournament:

1. Never limp into a pot
2. If the blinds consist of tight players with average stacks, play almost any hand in position
3. Punish limpers with big raises from position when you think they are weak
4. Call from position more often when an opponent with an average stack enters the pot with a raise
5. Rarely, if ever, confront a short-stacked opponent without a premium poker hand
6. Try to win more hands before the flop

Time out

jen — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:55:03 +0000

You dont always know how a poker player will react to what has happened to them at the table. Take a time out when the below circumstances take place to determine how the table has been affected:

1. A player just won a big pot
2. A player just lost a big pot
3. A player at the table just got caught bluffing
4. A player was just eliminated
5. A player is tilting
6. A player has likely changed gears
7. The blinds have been increased

First to the pot

jen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:17:13 +0000

“When the board is paired, the chance of someone having actually ‘caught a peice’ of the flop is much smaller than if there are cards of three different ranks on the board.” – Phil Gordon

The online poker secret here is: Regardless of what you have, if no one else has bet, BET!

Opponents & Pot Committed

jen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:43:25 +0000

“When a player enters a pot before the flop and has more than half of his chips in action, I consider him 100% pot committed. Given the opportunity, he’ll put in the rest of his chips before the flop. if he doesn’t get that chance, he’ll likely use them all to chase the pot after the flop.” – Phil Gordon

And the online poker secret is: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE A BLUFF AT THIS POKER PLAYER!!!!!!

All-In Before the Flop

jen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:37:51 +0000

“Moving all-in before the flop is one of the most powerful plays in No Limit Hold’em. It’s also one of the most dangerous” – Phil Gordon

When is it right to move all-in before the flop?

- When you have the best hand and believe your opponent will call.
- When you have the worst hand and believe your opponent will fold (The pot must be big enough to steal)
- When you have the worst hand, but even if your opponent calls, you are getting great odds on your money
- When you are getting the right pot odds no matter what your opponent holds
- When you have the best hand, and your opponent has the right pot odds to call, but an all-in bet might scare him into folding.

Raising Guidelines

jen — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:29:17 +0000

Here are some good guidelines on how much to raise and when:

In Early Position: Raise 3x BB
In Middle Position: Raise 4x BB
In late position: Raise 5x BB
In Small Blind: Raise 3.0xBB
In Big Blind: Raise Pot

When first in the pot…

jen — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:29:13 +0000

There are many reasons for this, which I will outline below: When first in the pot, Raise!

1. Limit the competition
2. Take control of the betting
3. To better define your opponents hands
4. To hide the strength of our hands
5. To win the blinds

Blinds and Negative Expectation

jen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:25:21 +0000

Because you lose out on position, and also because you are forced to have money in the pot, you are generally going to lose money while being in the blinds. Do not invest money in the blinds if you do not have to. Fold your small blind, and accept that losing half the big blind is better than losing more.

Its not just the hands…

jen — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:37:23 +0000

Sure, getting great hands helps – but on top of having a great poker hand, you need to find the best situation to play them. Pay attention to your table. Find the situation and the players that you can best take advantage of. If a player just lost a big pot and raises - take advantage of his thoughts.

Late Position Raise OH8

jen — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:11:36 +0000

If you are playing Omaha High Low, it is important that you raise in late position with an Ace Deuce Suited. There are a couple reasons for this, but the main reason would be:

You should generally be playing a tight game in Omaha High Low. So if you are doing this, when you get the opportunity to pretty much guarantee doubling the pot, there is no better hand to do this than an A2XX suited! Make the best of your opportunities!