The Poker Lab Rat

“I’m looking to pick up a lot of small pots by applying a constant level of pressure to my opponents.”

When you see a broadcast that features my play, you may be left scratching your head, asking, “Why the heck is that guy playing those cards?”

There’s no question that I do play an unconventional game. But, there is a method to my madness.

I play a style that’s usually referred to as “small-pot poker.” Using this approach, I’m looking to pick up a lot of small pots by applying a constant level of pressure to my opponents. Pre-flop, I raise frequently, especially in position. My raises are small, usually around two-and-a-half times the big blind, as opposed to the customary three or four times the big blind. I’ll raise with a huge variety of hands - everything from big pocket pairs to “junk” hands, like 6d-4d, or 5c-8c.

Usually, I’ll miss the flop when I raise with junk. In fact, two-thirds of the time, I won’t make as much as a pair. But here’s the thing: If someone called my pre-flop raise, he’s also going to miss the flop most of the time. When we both miss, I have a distinct advantage. As the pre-flop aggressor, I have control of the hand. Most of the time (as much as 90 percent of the time), I’ll follow up my pre-flop aggression by betting roughly half to two-thirds of the pot on the flop. A good percentage of the time, this bet will be enough to take down the small pot.

Let me give you an example. Imagine that you’re playing in the big blind and you hold Ks-Qs. I raise in late position to two-and-a-half. K-Q suited is a pretty decent hand against someone like me, who has been raising constantly. Still, it’s not necessarily a hand you want to risk your whole tournament on. So you call.

When you opt to just call, I put you in a position where you really need to hit the flop. If the flop is all rags, you need to be worried that I made two-pair with 4-7. Or, if there’s an Ace on the flop, you need to be concerned, since I could be holding a real hand. Most of the time, you’ll end up surrendering the hand to my bet on the flop.

If you do hit a hand - say the flop comes K-Q-4 - that’s fine. With my playing style, I’m accustomed to getting check-raised a lot. But that’s okay, too. I didn’t risk a whole lot with my bets, so I can just surrender the hand and look for better spots down the line.

There are a couple of other advantages that come with playing this style. One is that no one ever puts me on a big hand pre-flop. So, when I do pick up pocket Aces or Kings, my hand is well disguised. My opponents are willing to call with marginal hands (like the aforementioned K-Q) and maybe get themselves in a lot of trouble. If someone does flop top pair when I hold an overpair, it’s likely I’m going to get a big portion of his stack.

The other great benefit comes when I hold junk and hit the flop hard. When I raise with 5-7 and flop a straight, an opponent holding pocket Jacks is going to be in a lot of trouble.

Some of the best tournament players around - Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen and Phil Hellmuth among them - employ some version of the small pot approach. Is it the right method for you? That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself.

I do, however, caution beginners from trying this style as it requires a lot of difficult decisions (what do you do with top-pair bad-kicker on an 8-high flop, for example). These are answers that sometimes come easier to more experienced players who have developed a feel for the game.

Still, you can give small-pot poker a shot. Register for a low buy-in tournament online and mix up your game. If the tournament doesn’t go so well, you’ll only be out a small buy-in.

Gavin Smith

Gavin plays online exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. You can play him and other full-time pros online at this great poker site. Learning from the pros is undoubtedly a great way to challenge your poker play and ramp your own game o the next level.

There are four possible outcomes for any session of poker. You might win a little, lose a little, win a lot, or lose a lot. Most of us react differently to the different outcomes. When we win big, we’re elated; when we lose big we’re upset. Think back to some recent bad beats. Do you recall feeling a rush of adrenaline and an overwhelming sense of rage? If you haven’t encountered this, you’re lucky; most players have.

I believe that reactions at the poker table are so strong because the game taps into a very primal portion of our brains. In poker, we’re fighting for something we view as critical - money. In these days of relative safety and comfort, our battles at the poker table are as close as we get to the life-and-death struggles that our ancient ancestors encountered. Eons ago, the adrenaline served a purpose - it triggered a response critical to survival. Without thought or reason, ancient man knew two things: Fight or flee. The quick surge of panic and anger kept the species alive.

At the poker table, however, the same response serves no useful purpose. You can’t beat the dealer over the head with a rock. Screaming in panic and running from the room isn’t a great idea either. So most of us just steam - we tilt. With no outlet for the excess chemicals, we sit at the table, angry, while our judgment becomes clouded. Maybe we blast off some money or run a ridiculous bluff as a way to relieve the pressure.

The thing is, you need to overcome these instinctual reactions if you’re going to become a consistent winner at poker. It’s not easy to control the instinctual part of your brain, but it’s something that you can work on every time you play poker. Endeavor to leave each session in the same emotional state. If you win big, keep yourself from getting too excited. Remind yourself that this is just one session that has gone well, and that another is bound to go poorly. Reverse the argument after a big loss.

I believe that if you commit to engaging the thinking, reasoning portion of your brain at every opportunity you can, in time, overcome the primal reactions. It isn’t easy. Some players with incredible mastery of the game are long-term losers because they can’t get a handle on their emotions.

Embrace the challenge of evening your emotional responses. It may be the most important thing you can do to improve your poker results.

Ben Roberts

Ben is another professional poker player who endorses Full Tilt Poker as THE poker site to learn Texas Holdem. Have a look at Full Tilt today to see if they’re right for your poker style and wallet! US Players very welcome.

“Just as there is no right way to write a song or paint a picture, there is no right way to play poker.”

These days, it seems like you can’t walk through a bookstore without tripping over a poker strategy book. How do you play A-K in early position short-handed? Should you raise with suited connectors on the button after the big stack smooth calls? When is it right to slow play pocket aces?

There are now dozens of books written by expert poker players that will answer all of those questions. I’ve seen entire chapters devoted to playing certain hands in particular circumstances. And while it’s useful to understand why these authors make the suggestions they do, it’s more important to realize that all of these questions have the same answer:

It depends.

Poker is a game of infinite complexity. Players like Chris Ferguson can calculate the odds of almost any situation, but there are no hard, fast rules for how to play a specific hand. The math matters, but if you want to take your game to the next level, you need to start working on three things: Creativity, imagination, and flexibility.

There are many successful styles that work in poker. From the seemingly reckless manner of Gus Hanson (there is a method to his apparent madness), to the tightly disciplined systems of David Skalansky, your goal should be to experiment with different ways of playing. Once you’ve started doing that, you need to figure out which style will work best for you and the situation at hand.

If the game is too loose, it’s often right to play fewer cards. If the table is a rock garden, you can sometimes get away with bluffing more. The key is not to be stuck to some plan that is “always right,” but to redefine yourself in each given situation.

Learning how to adjust your play takes practice. Shorthanded play is a great opportunity to test your creativity because you have more decisions to make. You can also invest time playing single table sit & gos, where the increasing blinds force you to play more hands against your opponents.

Imagination is at the heart of the game. Just as there is no right way to write a song or paint a picture, there is no right way to play poker. The best players are experimenting and adjusting all the time. The beauty of the game lies in this ever-shifting landscape, and it keeps us interested each time we sit down.

Erik Seidel

Erik plays online exclusively at FullTiltPoker.com. Learn from the pros - you can play him and other top professional players at any table highlighted in red in the Full Tilt Poker Room lobby.

Good luck at the tables!
Mike 

“Ideally I want to get one decent sized bet in over the course of this hand and by checking, I prevent my opponent from giving me more action than my hand can handle.”

There’s no question that aggressive poker is winning poker. If the world’s top players have only one thing in common, it’s that they take control of the hands they play with bets and raises. Usually, among the world’s poker elite, calling is the least attractive option.

For this tip, however, I thought I’d talk about a couple of instances when playing passively - just checking and calling bets - may be the preferred option.

Top Pair, Favorable Board

Say I’m in the early stages of a tournament and I have an ample stack. I find Ace-Jack in middle position and raise to three times the big blind. A player in late position, who I know to be solid but fairly aggressive, calls my raise, and everyone else folds. The flop comes As-4d-8h. I’ve got top-pair, with a decent kicker.

First, I want to think about the hands my opponent might hold. It’s likely he called my raise with an Ace or a pocket pair, maybe in the range of 66-99. He may have also called with two high cards like KQ, KJ or QJ.

In this situation, I’m likely very far ahead or hopelessly behind if my opponent hit a set or has a bigger Ace. If he’s got an Ace with a worse kicker, he’s drawing to only three outs. If he’s got a pocket pair like 77, he has only two outs. With just two face cards, he’s almost drawing dead. And on this board (As-4d-8h), I don’t need to be especially worried about straight or flush draws. Because of this, I don’t mind giving my opponent a free card.

If I bet my top pair and my opponent holds a pocket pair, he’s likely to fold, and I’ll have failed to get any additional value out of my hand. If I check, however, I give this player the chance to bluff or bet his lesser Ace, and I can then call.

Ideally, I want to get one decent-sized bet in over the course of this hand and by checking, I prevent my opponent from giving me more action than my hand can handle.

Say the turn is 3c. The situation hasn’t changed much. I’m still either way ahead or very far behind. I can check again, and allow my opponent to bluff.

On most river cards, if we have checked the hand down, I will generally bet. If we’ve put one bet in, I’ll probably check-call, and if we’ve put in two, I’ll likely check and fold. Playing the hand in this manner provides three advantages. It allows me to get good value out of a strong hand, and it also keeps me from losing more than I need to against a hand that has mine beat without too much risk. Additionally, playing this way gives my opponent the opportunity to bluff, which is the only way to get any money out of him if he holds a hand like QJ.

Decent Hand, Scary Board

Here’s another early tournament situation where my opponents and I have relatively deep stacks. Say I’m holding pocket 8s in middle position and a player has raised pre-flop from early position. I call the raise and a player in late position calls as well. The three of us see a flop of Jd-Jc-4s.

There’s a decent chance that my 8s are good, but I want to proceed cautiously, as either of the other players in the hand could hold a Jack.

Say that all three of us check this flop. I really haven’t learned too much, because someone could be slow playing trip Jacks.

The turn comes 6h. This doesn’t look like it would have helped anyone’s hand, but the pre-flop raiser bets from early position. This is a spot where I’d likely just call. There are a couple of advantages to just calling in this situation. First, it doesn’t over-commit me to the pot. If the player in late position raises, I can muck having lost a minimum number of chips. Secondly, the call is going to look very scary to my opponents. They might be thinking that I’m the one slow playing trip Jacks. So, even if the early position player holds a higher pocket pair, he’s likely to check on the river no matter what card hits. At that point, I can show down my 8s and see if they are in fact the best hand.

The problem with this play relative to the last one is that I am probably giving my opponent six outs to catch up and beat my hand if he has two over-cards, as opposed to two or three outs in the previous example.

I don’t play passively often, but under the right circumstances, just calling bets can provide good value while minimizing risk.
Chris Ferguson

Chris plays exclusively online at FullTiltPoker.com. You can join him - and other top pros at the tables. These guys are amazing to play offering not just some extra challenge but also useful feedback and the occasional laugh.

“In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that some of the less experienced players who have entered $10,000 buy-in tournaments don’t fully appreciate what they’ve seen on TV.”

Many of the people crowding the tournament circuit these days developed their interest in serious poker from watching broadcasts of the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. With hole cards shown as the hands are played out, viewers get to see how the best players in the world ply their craft. They can then apply the lessons they’ve learned in their own play.

In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that some of the less experienced players who have entered $10,000 buy-in tournaments don’t fully appreciate what they’ve seen on TV. Many are apt to misapply the techniques they’ve witnessed. As a result, these players find themselves on the rail early, wondering why a move that worked so well for Phil Ivey or Chris Ferguson had such disastrous results for them.

To avoid falling into this trap yourself, take note of two key pieces of information the next time you sit down to watch the WPT or WSOP: The number of players at the table and the stack sizes relative to the blinds.

World Poker Tour final-table broadcasts start when six players remain. Through the vast majority of tournaments, however, tables are nine or 10-handed. When 10 people are at the table, you always need to be concerned that someone holds a big pocket pair or Ace-King. As a result, most good players tend to be cautious at full tables. They won’t get themselves in a lot of trouble with speculative hands like a middle pocket pair or Ace-10. At a short-handed table, however, the chances of running into a big hand are greatly diminished. When play is three- or four-handed, a pro will likely play a hand like pocket 9s very aggressively.

Usually, in the late stages of tournaments, the blinds are extremely high when compared to the size of the stacks. For example, in the WPT event from the Gold Strike in Tunica, when four players remained, the average stack had about 1.4 Million in chips. This may sound like a lot but, at that time, the blinds were 30,000 and 60,000 with a 10,000 ante. The short stacks, who had less than 1 Million each, couldn’t afford to be patient. If they failed to play for a mere 20 hands, their stacks would be cut in half.

As blinds increase, good players get more aggressive, making frequent pre-flop raises while attempting to steal the blinds and antes. They know that if they sit and wait for top-quality hands, the blinds and antes will decimate their stacks. At these stages of tournaments, you’ll see a lot of attempted steals with second-rate hands. Other good players, fully aware that their opponents may be raising with very little, might re-raise or fight back from the blinds with similarly modest holdings.

Short tables and high blinds create settings that necessitate near constant aggression and continual action. So, for example, when you see a pro re-raise all-in from the blinds with pocket 7s, it’s likely he’s properly considered the situation and has made the best available play. He’s thought about the short table and high blinds, determined that he probably has the best hand and, most importantly, that his opponent likely can’t call the re-raise. The same player would treat the same hand very differently at an earlier stage of the tournament.

The final factor to consider when watching televised poker is that the shows are highly edited. At this year’s WSOP, it sometimes took 15 hours and hundreds of hands to determine a winner. On ESPN, they usually include about 20 hands in an hour-long broadcast. So, you can be sure that much of the context if missing from these telecasts. A call or re-raise that seemed odd on TV may have made perfect sense in the course of the event. For instance, if an aggressive player raised eight consecutive times on the button, the big blind may have decided that he had to fight back with rags, just to let his opponent know that he was willing to take a stand. It’s not a play that person would normally make, and it may look strange on TV but, in context, the re-raise with 8-high made perfect sense.

I suggest that you TiVo the next poker event you plan to watch. Keep track of the number of players and the size of the blinds. By paying attention to the details, the big picture will likely become clearer.

Howard Lederer

As you no doubt know, as he’s such a well known poker ambassador, Howard Lederer plays poker online exclusively at FullTiltPoker.com.

Read what we think is hot and not about Full Tilt in our detailed independent review.  

US online poker players may have found a champion - and not at any poker table.

Online-gambling indicator stocks rose yesterday after the Financial Times said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank plans to repeal a law passed last year that criminalized the industry.

Congressman Frank has long been opposed to a ban on internet gambling and it is hoped that with a strengthened Democratic party on Capitol Hill, he may be able to push through changes which would at least soften the law.

Speaking in Congress last year prior to the UIGEA, he responded to claims that online gaming contributes nothing to the US economy by stating, “Has it become the role of this Congress to prohibit any activity that an adult wants to engage in voluntarily if it doesn’t add to the GDP or make us more competitive? What kind of socio-, cultural authoritarianism are we advocating here?”

Addressing the moral argument, Mr. Frank went on to say “I agree there is a practice around today that causes a lot of problems, damages families, people lose their jobs, they get in debt. They do it to excess. It is called drinking. Are we going to go back to Prohibition? Prohibition didn’t work for alcohol; it doesn’t work for gambling.”

Go that man!

In the interim here’s a link to a quick comparison of the top 2 poker sites for US players. The support crews at these sites will help out with any payment hassles and do offer some great online poker.

“In Pot-Limit tournaments, I prefer to be the player re-raising the open-raise.”

I had the good fortune of winning my first World Series of Poker bracelet mid 2006 in a $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold ‘em event. It was an incredible thrill. For this tip, I thought I’d share some points of strategy that are specific to Pot-Limit Hold ‘em tournaments. If you’re looking to play any Pot-Limit events, either at the WSOP or elsewhere, you’ll want to keep these things in mind. Note that my advice is specific to tournaments. In Pot-Limit Hold ‘em ring games, there are other adjustments you’ll want to make, but there isn’t enough room to cover them here.

There are two major differences between Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold ‘em tournaments. The first is that simply declaring “all-in” usually isn’t an option. You can only bet the amount that’s in the pot. (For an open-raise, the pot size is seven times the small blind.) In No-Limit tournaments, when a player is on a short stack, he will often move all-in. This puts pressure on the other players; in order to call, someone has to find a strong hand. However, in Pot-Limit tournaments, unless you’re on an extremely short stack, after you open-raise, you’ll still have chips in front of you. This gives other players a chance to re-raise and move you off your hand.

In Pot-Limit tournaments, I prefer to be the player re-raising the open-raise. Usually, this is enough to put anyone all-in, so it’s the point where you can apply the maximum pressure to your opponents.

The second major difference between Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold ‘em tournaments is that, in Pot-Limit, there are never antes whereas, in No-Limit, antes are added to the pot pretty early on (Level 5 of the WSOP structure).

To understand why this is so important, consider the math. In Level 12 of the WSOP No-Limit Hold ‘em structure, the blinds are $600 and $1,200 and the ante is $200, making a total pot of $3,800 prior to any action (assuming a 10-handed table). If a player can steal a pot by open-raising to three times the big blind, he’ll be getting some nice value; the $3,600 bet can win him $3,800. Stealing blinds and antes is so important in No-Limit that a player like Phil Hellmuth, Jr. can attribute much of his success to his ability to steal pots once the antes kick in.

In Pot-Limit, however, when the blinds are $600 and $1,200, the same open-raise to $3,600 can claim only $1,800 in profit. The risk-reward ratio isn’t nearly as favorable. For this reason, I believe it’s proper to play tighter in Pot-Limit events than in No-Limit events. It also provides another reason why you want to be the player re-raising rather than open-raising. The pot that you’d win by open raising and stealing the blinds isn’t nearly as valuable as the one you can pick up by re-raising the open-raise.

In the WSOP event that I won, a few of my opponents didn’t adjust to the Pot-Limit structure especially well and opened too many pots. My strategy was to let my opponents have many of these small pots. I was waiting for occasions where I could come over the top of an open raise with a big re-raise. I had crafted such a tight image that when I did re-raise, my opponents had to give me credit for a pretty big hand. When I took down these pots, I gathered a significant number of chips. This worked especially well late in the tournament, when each decision could cost a player his tournament life.

So, if you’re heading to the WSOP, your favorite card room or online in order to play a Pot-Limit event, remember to play tighter pre-flop and look for spots to re-raise - that’s where the best opportunities lie.

Rafe Furst

Rafe and other top poker professionals play online exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. Playing against the pros is a great way to improve your own poker skills. The tables highlighted in red in the Full Tilt lobby have a pro seated - and you’re welcome to join the table. 

>>Visit our archive of Tips from Professional Poker Players here. 

“Many players overplay top pair and over-pairs, and will either call or re-raise all-in.”

Players get excited when they flop two pair because they know they’re in a great position to take down a pot. But often, two pair is not nearly as powerful as it seems. This is especially true when holding bottom two pair or top and bottom pair. These hands may look dominant on the flop, but they’re usually quite vulnerable.

For example, say you’re playing a No-Limit Hold ‘em ring game. There’s a standard raise to four times the big blind from middle position. You figure the player has A-K or maybe a middle or high pocket pair. Everyone folds to you on the button, where you find 5d-7d. You’ve got favorable position and a hand that can flop some powerful draws, so you decide to call. The blinds fold, and the flop comes 5c-7h-Ks.

This is great. Not only do you have two pair, but it’s very likely that your opponent has a piece of this flop, with top pair top kicker or maybe an over-pair. He bets into you, and you have to decide what action is best.

I’ve seen some players smooth call in situations like this, but that is not a wise play. When you have bottom two pair and your opponent has an over-pair or top pair/top kicker, you’re not as big a favorite as you might think. Your opponent has five outs - cards that will counterfeit your two-pair - which gives him a very live draw. You’re a 75% favorite to take the pot, and that’s great, but it’s not the type of statistical edge that justifies slow playing.

The better play is to raise and put your opponent to a decision right there. Many players overplay top pair and over-pairs, and will either call or re-raise all-in. That gives you the chance to put all of your money in the pot as a big favorite. If he puts a bad beat on you at that point, so be it.

Is it possible your raise will force your opponent out of the pot and kill your action? Sure, if he’s sitting with a pair of Queens or Jacks he’ll likely fold, but against that sort of hand, you’d have no chance to win much of a pot anyway. Your opponent would probably check to you and then fold to any bet on the turn. And as Howard Lederer pointed out in a recent tip on playing sets, if a blank comes on the turn and you raise at that point, you’ll be sending an indication that the turn card helped you in some way. He’ll have to assume that his lone pair is no good.

There will be occasions when you flop bottom two pair or top and bottom pair at the same time your opponent catches top two pair or a set. When that happens, you’re going to go broke. In fact, you should lose your stack in most situations like this. If you’re not willing to risk a lot of chips in this kind of hand, you’re probably not doing enough to maximize your pots when your hold the best hand.

When you find yourself holding two pair, play them aggressively and get your money in on the flop. It’s the surest way to get the maximum profit from a strong but vulnerable hand.
Rafe Furst

Rafe, like many top poker pros plays exclusively online at FullTiltPoker.com. You can improve your poker play by taking him on at the tables…

While the US seems hell-bent on criminalizing in-your-own-home poker play, it’s interesting to see what other countries are up to with their own leisure-time games of psychology, mathematical prowess and luck.   

In the UK, Sky TV’s Poker channel (subscription-based pay television) has introduced an interactive, for-broadcast tournament, called “The Open,” kicking off each night at 9pm GMT.

The show plays on Sky’s own live, online, no-download poker site, with the commentary and ‘TV glitz’ added in Sky’s Feltham studio.

Players can participate via their satellite TV hookups, as well as through the Web. A 5-minute lag is programmed into the televising of the TV table’s play to help prevent players from gaining information about in-progress hands.

Sky had previously televised play from selected Microgaming-based poker sites, but the difference here is that players can join in through their TV connections as well as a standard Internet-based poker site.

A passing novelty or the next big thing?

It’s early days and while the nightly events are now drawing several hundred players, the Sky poker site itself is still looking to attract critical mass and the all-important higher-stakes play necessary to attract and retain the best, and most viewer-rated, poker talent.

“Even if the check-raise doesn’t win the pot, this move helps keep a tough, aggressive player off balance.”

In Limit Hold ‘em, the big blind is one of the toughest position to play. You’re out of position, and that’s never a good thing, but usually, you’ll be getting excellent odds to continue with the hand. Against a single opponent who has raised, you’ll be getting better than 3 to 1 and, in most hands, you’re no more than a 2 to 1 dog. The problem is, you’ll often find yourself going into the flop with shaky cards and, at that point, you’re sure to face some tough decisions.

Before I talk about some tricky situations that develop in the big blind, I want to note that you can make your life a little easier by folding some hands pre-flop. If you’re holding a medium Ace and you’re facing an early position raise from a player who you know plays only good cards up front, then fold. It may seem like you’re getting a nice price to continue, but in this spot, you’re only going to get into trouble. When you miss the flop completely, it’s going to be tough to continue and, if you hit an Ace, you may lose a lot to a hand that has you dominated. I’d rather play 6-7 against an early position raise from a tight player than A-7.

There are some hole cards that are just hopeless. If I’m facing a raise from any position and I find something like J-2, T-3, or 9-4. I’m going to surrender the hand.

The really difficult situations arise when you hold a mediocre hand, something like A-8 or pocket 6s, and you face a raise from late position. Many players will raise with just about anything in the cutoff or on the button, so it’s tough to know where you stand with these medium strength hands.

What should you do?

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. My best advice is to vary your play so as to take advantage of a particular opponent’s tendencies. For example, if you hold A-8 in the big blind and face a late-position raise from a player who tends to be a little weak after the flop, you should probably re-raise pre-flop and then follow up with a bet on the flop most of the time. Against this type of player, this kind of action will force a lot of folds.

If the opponent who raises in late position is tricky and very aggressive post flop, I’ll often call the pre-flop raise and then check-raise on most flops, whether or not I got a piece of the board. Even if the check-raise doesn’t win the pot, this move helps keep a tough, aggressive player off balance.

Of course, you’ll need to consider the flop as you move forward in the hand. If you call a pre-flop raise with pocket 6s and see a flop of T-Q-K, there’s little point in going to war. Give your opponent credit for some hand that beats yours and look for a better spot. But this doesn’t mean that you should be willing to give up on anything less than top pair.

Against a single opponent, I’ll play second pair pretty aggressively. Sometimes, I’ll lead at the pot with this hand, and sometimes, I’ll check-raise with it. Taking this aggressive approach with a shaky hand allows me to play my big hands in the same manner. When my opponents see me check-raise, they won’t know if I’m making this play with as little as second pair or as much as a set.

As I said earlier, playing from the big blind in limit poker is tricky. In my opinion, it’s one of the toughest spots in all of poker. My best advice is that you should stay alert to your opponent’s tendencies and look to mix up your play. If you’re on your game, it will be tough for other players to put you on a hand while you’ll have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.

Good luck.

Jennifer plays exclusively online at Full Tilt Poker. You can play her - and lots of great poker professionals - they’re the guys at the tables highlighted in red! Check it out at Full Tilt Poker tonight. US Players still welcome.