The Poker Lab Rat

Most players know that pre-flop position is important in hold ‘em. The earlier your position, the more players there are behind you and, unless you hold pocket Aces, the bigger the chance that one of them will have a hand better than yours.

There is another aspect to position: It’s better to act after your opponent(s) rather than before. But for this tip, I’m going to investigate the chances that a player behind you will have a better hand.

There is no universal definition of what “better” means when comparing hold ‘em starting hands. For this article, I needed some reasonable, quantifiable criterion. So in the following, I’m assuming that one hand is “better” than another if its showdown equity is greater. A hand’s showdown equity against another hand is the average portion of the pot it will win across all possible combinations of board cards. This is similar to the percentages that TV poker programs display next to player hands when the players are all-in. If you’re interested in investigating this for yourself, there are several free computer programs and websites which calculate the showdown equities of user-specified competing hands.

For example, Ah 2d all-in pre-flop against Kc Qc will, over all possible boards, win an average of 53.9% of the pot. So the A-2 is the “better” hand against K-Q suited by our definition. Obviously, it is not better for all purposes; at a full table I’d usually open-raise in early position with K-Q suited, but toss A-2 offsuit.

Given some specific hand category – such as K-Q suited – we’ll need to know the chance that a random hand dealt from the remaining 50 cards will be “better.” This requires that we have a showdown equity calculation for each of the 1,225 possible opposing hands and tabulate against how many of them the K-Q suited has the worse (less than 50%) equity. It turns out that 238 of the 1,225 possible opponent hands are “better” in this sense. So we say that the chance of a random hand being better than K-Q suited is 238/1,225 or 19.4%; conversely, the chance that a random hand will not be better is 80.6%. This tabulation would be too tedious to do by hand. For the example results below, I developed some simple software to do the calculations.

Suppose that you are considering an opening bet pre-flop. There are players yet to act behind you. I’ll denote the number of hands to play behind you as N. For example, if you’re on the button, then there are two hands - the blinds - behind you, and N would be equal to 2. What is the probability that none of some number of random hands will be better than yours? It is the chance that one random hand will not be better than yours multiplied by itself N-1 times, which is the same as saying it’s that probability raised to the Nth power. For example, if there’s a 40% chance that a random hand won’t be better (i.e., a 60% chance it will be better), then the chance that none of three random hands will be better is 40% x 40% x 40%, or 0.4 to the 3rd power, which equals 0.064. Hence, the chance that at least one of the three hands will be better is 1.0 - 0.064 or 0.936 or 94%.

I think the most interesting thing about these numbers is the difference between earlier and later positions. This is something to consider when you’re thinking of open-raising in early position.

Steve plays exclusively online at Full Tilt Poker and invites you to join him for a game online with and the rest of  team Full Tilt. You really can learn a lot from playing skilled players and these guys welcome player chat… so save up your curly poker questions, sign on to Full Tilt Poker and ask away!

>>GO TO Full Tilt Poker

There really are some good reasons to play poker online…and not many reasons I can think of not to! Certainly the fact it’s been recently deemed “illegal activity” (and right up their with gun running, child molestation and cattle rustling) surely must add to its allure?

Those of you who are still a bit stand-offish about computers and the “Internets” or the old school who think bluffing and the more intricate poker plays can’t be achieved online, should at least try it before you dismiss it and get on with your own preferred illegal activities.

Here’s some basics: (in no particular order…)

1. As long as you’re playing at a reputable, licensed poker room you can scarper with your winnings whenever you want. No dirty looks, no fearing for your life. No other player knows where you - or your family pet lives (unless you tell them). Which is good.

2. You can play from the comfort of your own home (or, if you’re a little bit naughty, no, I mean bored, office). No driving, no messing about with public transport (as if!), no looking for somewhere to park. Easy.

3. It doesn’t matter if you have a rubbish poker face. Develop sudden facial tics on receiving A-A, orgasm, whoop, or weep. No-one will ever know. Except your neighbours, and they (probably) won’t know why.

4. The rake at all poker rooms PokerLabRat.com rates and recommends is low (5% or under), and consistent. All sites publish this so you can’t feel too ripped off! All the sites we recommend also have a no flop no drop policy on rake.

5. No-one knows who you are. If you’d rather people didn’t know you liked a spot of poker, or indeed that you make $70K a month as a poker pro, there’s no need for anyone to ever find out. So that’s no awkward moments, no bumping into people down the local market.

6. If you’re new to the game, “online” is actually a relaxed and non-intimidating environment in which to play. There are no rough looking blokes who you’re frankly terrified of beating, and you won’t catch any snide glances if you make a mistake. You can even turn off the table chat at most good poker rooms if you get sick of the abbreviations. e.g. GHM (great hand mate…damned Aussies! Oi!).

7. Unlike many casinos or card rooms, there’s no dress code. Should the mood take you, feel free to play in your undies - or even less (just don’t tell us about it, at least not in detail unless you’re attractive!) No bad hair day hangups either!

8. You can play for as little or as long as you like. You don’t get kicked out because it’s late, and you don’t have to hammer down the door to get the poker room open in the morning. Great 24×7. Play for as long as you want, when you want.

9. Many of the top poker rooms give you bonuses on your first deposit. Some of the better ones run regular offers, competitions and promotions which mean you get more fun for your money. You don’t get this at your local card school. Having said that, they don’t give you free taco chips.

10. There aren’t any dealers to tip. This one’s often debated at casinos and card rooms and online there are no feelings of obligation, uncertainty or embarrassment.

11. There are always lots of poker tables and lots of willing opponents at a wide range of table stakes so you can always find a game that suits you. Add to this all the tournaments that are on offer, and there’s more poker action online than you can shake a stick at. (What the hell does that really mean?)

12. Online shuffling at online poker rooms has been proven to be more random than in the real world. Sophisticated software and tracking makes cheating and collusion difficult to get away with. So don’t try it. Ever.

13. Lots of online poker rooms have tables at stakes lower than you’ll find in a casino or real life poker room. With tables starting at $0.05/$0.10 and tournaments at $0.10, you can get your poker fun without having to risk the shirt off your back. Freerolls (with no raked hand requirements) also are an option until you get bored with the “all in all out” free roll munters.

14. If you rate yourself, you can play at multiple tables at once. Only attempt this if you’re an experienced player: if you’re playing at two tables you can double your potential winnings but you can also double your losses.

15. Playing online is much faster. Faster is better. Snappy spontaneous decisions, quick wins, no laboring the point. Life is just too short and quite frankly you improve at poker through EXPERIENCE (along with lots of LUCK), so the more you play the better your judgement and instinct (SKILL).

16. It’s easy to get started. Most poker room software guides you through the game telling you what to do and when so you can’t get things wrong and look like a total dork (unless you’re playing at Full Tilt and you’ve chosen a gnome, guppy or similarly stupid avatar). Using software also eliminates dealer error (really, it happens to even the best of them) and you can’t accidentally muck a winning hand.

>>Here’s a link to PokerLabRat.com’s poker room scorecard - chose a poker room from the 12 sites that made the grade in February!

>>Top rated for UK and European poker players: Bet365Poker

>>Top rated for US online poker: Poker.com

We’ve all seen the big poker tournaments on TV where famous players battle against Joe Schmuck for the big money at the WSOP & the WPT surrounded by TV cameras.  Well, you can get into poker tournament action in the privacy of your own home and for very small stakes. You can get a whole lot of entertainment for as little as $1.

POKER CASH GAMES – WHAM BAM – WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MONEY?
Let’s face it, while cash games may pay the rent for seasoned poker professionals, they’re not so much fun for the average Joe (or Josephine), as you’ll frequently find yourself facing off against some shark carrying a $500 bankroll & playing on the $1/$2 tables. If you’re carrying just $30 in loose chips then that puts you at a big disadvantage before the cards are even dealt. There is a simple way to make sure that you’re starting off on a level playing field though – play in online poker tournaments instead!

MULTIPLAYER POKER TOURNAMENTS – JUST THE TICKET FOR ONLINE MONEY MAKING!
Poker Tournaments are big news, & most online poker sites host as many as 20 tournaments an hour. Buy-ins (entry fees) range from as little as a buck to as much as $1000. The bigger the entry fee the bigger the prizes (& probably the smarter the opponents too). You pay your fee, grab the same amount of chips as everyone else & play against like-minded individuals on a series of tables battling it out for the final table and all the chips.

You don’t have to win the poker tournament to win cash -  usually the top 10% of players will be paid out in cash (credited to your poker account). No matter how many chips you have (& possibly lose) you can never lose more than your initial entry fee. So multiplayer poker tournaments are fun and exciting - and surprinsingly inexpensive to learn to play well at.

So who has the best Multiplayer Poker Tournaments Online?

OUR TOP 4 RECOMMENDED POKER TOURNAMENT SITES

Bet365Poker - UK-owned, Netherlands Antilles licenced, top site on the Microgaming Prima Poker Network - sorry, no US players
Spin Palace Poker - UK-owned, Kahnawake, Canada licenced, Microgaming Prima Poker Network - no US players
Eurobet Poker - Ongame Poker Network, huge European player base - no US players
Full Tilt Poker - stand alone, just FullTilt players (35,000+ at peak though so plenty of action at all levels) - US players welcomed

FREEROLLS.  PLAY ‘EM, LOVE ‘EM – THEN LEAVE ‘EM!
You can play for free in some online poker tournaments – they’re called Freerolls – and as the name suggests they cost nothing to enter. Freerolls vary from site to site (and not all poker rooms offer them). Usually you need to make a deposit, or play a certain amount of real money poker at cash tables to be eligible enter a Freeroll.

The problem with freerolls is twofold 

1. Firstly as they’re free the majority of players don’t care about risks & go all-in quickly to try & get as many chips as soon as possible. Yawn.
2. Secondly, Freerolls can have thousands of entrants & so it’s hard to do well in them. (Sometimes the tables fill within minutes anyways… why stress it to play with total munters?)

Freerolls have their place (as a bit of fun on a rainy afternoon), but they’re nothing like playing in a smaller tournament where every has paid in a (say) $5 entry free & is playing hard to win. In the same way that the “play money” tables didn’t prepare you for “cash tables” – Freerolls are not that much like tournaments either.

In No-Limit Hold ‘em, drawing hands can be very difficult to play out of position. Most beginners take a straightforward approach when they flop something like a straight or a flush draw; they check, then call a bet and hope the turn brings something helpful. But, simply check-calling can present difficulties later in a hand. If you miss on the turn, you’ll probably have to check and, oftentimes, end up facing a turn bet that is too large to call. Any bet of normal size in relation to the pot will be too large because the odds against hitting your hand are typically more than 4-to-1.

The problems don’t end there. What happens if you check-call the flop, then hit your draw on the turn? If you check the turn, your opponent might very well check behind you, fearing that you hit. If you lead at the pot, you’re pretty much announcing that you made your hand and your opponent might fold. So, even if you hit, you may not get paid in proportion to the risk you took by calling on a draw.

Rather than check-call, I often like to check-raise when I flop a draw out of position. This sort of situation comes up most frequently when playing from the blinds. For example, say that I’m in the big blind with Ad-6d and I call a raise from a late position player who popped it to three times the big blind. The flop, Td-5d-3s, gives me the nut flush draw.

After calling from the blind, I’d expect to check the flop almost every time. It’s the natural progression of the hand: my opponent took the lead pre-flop and I’m going to allow him to keep it. I’d expect him to make a continuation bet most of the time, even when he misses the flop completely. Most aggressive players will stab at small pots in these situations.

If he does bet, this is the perfect kind of flop for a check-raise. It’s likely that my opponent raised with two big cards - something like A-K or A-Q - and, if that’s the case, he’s missed this flop completely and will almost certainly fold to the check-raise. Or, if he’s got something like A-T or K-T, he may be worried that he’s run into a bigger hand and he’ll likely just call the raise.

If he does call the check-raise, I can then make a decision on the turn. Sometimes I’ll check and sometimes I’ll lead out, regardless of whether I hit my draw. If I missed, I may continue the semi-bluff or I may check with the hope that my check-raise on the flop was sufficient to make my opponent nervous and get me a free river card. If I hit, I may choose to continue my aggressive play and put my opponent to a decision or, I may check, deceptively representing fear of my opponent’s having the draw.

Of course, things won’t always work out. If the initial raiser has something like pocket Aces or a set, I’m likely to be re-raised and shut out of the hand. But nothing works out every time in poker.

Try varying your play when you flop draws. Look for opportunities to check-raise. It may be the best way to proceed with a draw when playing out of position.

Steve

Steve, like many poker pros, plays exclusively online at Full Tilt Poker.com.
An increasing number of Europeans and UK residents are joining the huge contingent of US poker players online at this top poker site.

>>Click to visit Full Tilt Poker
>>Click to compare the top 3 poker rooms for US Players

The Bad Beat Jackpot at the huge UK-based Poker room Ladbrokes has just been struck! 

Congratulations go to player MBM who lost to a Four of a kind Tens when holding Aces full of Tens to win a tidy $30,181.11

The cool thing about bad beat games is that the other players in the hand also get rewarded for your hardship! 

In this instance, redrobbo, who won the hand, received a tasty $15,090.55 and -Supafly-, ste147, ELTREN and WONG0149 all won $3,772.63 just for being dealt in!

OK, so how do you qualify for a Bad Beat Jackpot?

1. The losing hand must contain at least Aces full of Tens (with at least one Ace in the hole cards if the qualifying hand is a Full House).
2. Four or more Players must be dealt into the hand.
3. The hand must be a raked hand and the Jackpot contribution is collected from the hand.
4. The best hand of the winner and the loser must include both the hole cards, and the hand must go to a showdown.
5. The Jackpot contribution is only collected once during a hand.

The Bad Beat Jackpot applies to specified tables only and you contribute to a “Progressive rake” with each hand played. This contribution is displayed as a separate rake chip stack and the running jackpot total displays in the lobby and on each poker table.

For more info on playing bad beat jackpots visit Ladbrokes Poker Room. (Sorry no US players). They’re a good safe card room to play - and their recent Microgaming software upgrade has really improved both performance and styling! Ladbrokes are stand alone - they are not members of the Microgaming Prima Poker Network.

If your poker play is not improving as much as you’d like it to, you could be a little stale from too much Texas Hold’em play. Many top poker pros suggest you can refocus your game and gain an edge by trying a new style of poker.

The new game that’s sweeping Europe at present is 32Card Poker. We recommend it highly for any player wanting to hone his/her skills and then come back into the lucrative Holdem arena with a vengeance.

This 5-card Draw derivative is particularly exciting because all the lower cards from 2 to 6 inclusive are removed from the deck, so you end up with a lot of high cards, and it’s easier to get three of a kind or a full house.

You’ve gotta keep that in mind when you’re playing – your hand might be great, but so are your opponents’ hands!

The Deal
All players are dealt 5 cards face down. There are no community cards in this game. This game is played with 2 to 5 players and is geared for speed. Act fast if you want to Raise… after 10 seconds you can only Check, Call or Fold… There is no limit to the number of raises in 32 card draw poker.

Don’t get complacent!
Hand rankings are different than 52 card poker because the stripped deck makes certain combinations of cards more likely. In particular, the rankings for flushes and full houses are reversed from standard poker.

Aces can be both high or low and can therefore complete the following straights… A,7,8,9,10 and 10,J,Q,K,A..

If a hand is tied, suits are used to decide the winner - Hearts are highest then Diamonds then Clubs then and finally Spades.

If two players hold the same pair, or two pairs, the suit of the kicker (i.e. the next highest card in your hand) not the value decides the hand…

INTERESTED? For the full rules of the game or to sign-up and be dealt in visit Eurobet Flash Poker. (You get to it via the Eurobet Casino - just click through the dross onto the Casino homepage and you can’t miss it!)

Many beginner poker players naturally gravitate toward a level of game where they feel most comfortable. The reasons for their choice may vary, but often include the size of their starting bankroll, and the amount of money they feel comfortable wagering in a particular hand or throughout a session.

This is perfectly normal and reasonable. One of the things that separate truly profitable players from winning players, however, is their willingness to step out of their comfort zone and explore higher limit games.

After a few hundred hours of play, many people can determine whether or not they are beating their regular games. For those players who are showing a profit, there are some for whom taking home an extra $100 or $200 per week is perfectly acceptable. They’re mainly playing for fun and the winnings are a nice benefit. For others, however, poker may be a steady source of income, and boosting their bottom line could significantly affect their lives away from the table.

One of the smartest things these players can do is to stretch their games and play at higher limits. With proper planning, and the right approach, the rewards can be immeasurable. To that end, I have some suggestions for players who are thinking about taking their game to the next level.

First and most important, make sure you have the bankroll to sustain yourself at a higher level. If you take a shot and lose, you shouldn’t have to worry about rebuilding your bankroll from scratch. A good recommendation is to stockpile enough money so that you can comfortably afford between eight and 10 buy-ins before you have to retreat to a smaller game.

This leads to my second piece of advice, which is not to let a few losing sessions affect your attitude or impair your judgment. I’m not saying that losing doesn’t sting and that tilt doesn’t happen. They do. But, players who successfully move up the ladder understand that not every session will be a winning one, and that by constantly analyzing their games - and those of their opponents’ - they’ll be able to make adjustments that will help them succeed.

When moving up the poker ladder, you’ll inevitably encounter players with more experience and skill than you possess. Recognizing these players and learning from them is one of the smartest moves you can make. Conversely, letting your ego and pride get in the way of observing these players can lead you to keep investing money in a losing situation and, eventually, affect your overall performance and excitement toward the game.

Remember, successful people fail more often than unsuccessful people. Successful people try new things, fall down, pick themselves up, and try again. So, if your first attempt to move up to a higher stakes game falls short of your expectations, don’t despair. Look at your play and the play of your opponents, regroup, and try again. The experience will be worth it.

Ben

Ben Plays exclusively online at Full Tilt Poker.com. If you’re looking for a poker room that’s safe and secure - and welcomes players from all over the world - Full Tilt is worth a look. Their recent software upgrade has improved the cartoonish graphics considerably (lizard, gnomes and bulldogs now optional!) and the play is fast and the prizes rewarding.

>>Click to visit Full Tilt Poker
>>Click for an independent review on Full Tilt (whats hot and not, payment options, etc) 

A big thank you to all the poker players who joined up to top Ongame Network poker room, Eurobet Poker through our web sites in December and January.

There’s been some highly entertaining poker play over the holiday period and we’ve enjoyed dialogue with a number of players who have been well rewarded by the streams of fish swimming into the Ongame Poker Network.

Congratulations to the 3 readers of our site who have won seats to a special invitation only tournament. These lucky players are going to be competing this Sunday for a GBP800 prize package including entry to the Great British Poker Tour Main Event in Edinburgh.

Well done guys! I bet you’re pleased you joined - and we wish each of you the best of luck!

OK, So what is the Great British Poker Tour? Never heard of it?

It’s new - this is the first year it’s run.

With the game of poker going from strength to strength, the Great British public needed an event that truly rewarded the nation’s great poker players. 

It’s being held in association with Gala Casinos and comprises of 5 GBPT Festival Events in Gala Casino card rooms throughout 2007. The first event is at the Gala Maybury Casino in Edinburgh on 21st February, 2007.

The GBPT Grand Final will be held in late October 2007. It’s a £2,500 + £50 event and limited to 200 entrants, with an estimated prize pool of £500,000.

The other cool thing is that the GBPT will be filmed and broadcast in the UK and Europe, so here’s an opportunity for everyone to prove that they are the best poker player in Britain - and do it on national TV!

If you’re a keen UK player and rate yourself visit Eurobet Poker for more information on how you can enter via satellites or freerolls.

Best regards,
Mike, Elle, Paul and the rest of the team at PokerLabRat.com