The Poker Lab Rat

“In No-Limit Hold’em, small and medium pocket pairs can be bankroll killers for some players. But if you play these hands correctly, they’re going to be big winners for you in the long run.”

RING GAME PLAY
In ring games, I like to build a really small pot when I have these hands in early and middle position. Sometimes I’ll make a min raise; other times I’ll just limp in. I want to keep the pot small when I have a small or medium pair because I lay them down if I’m faced with a large re-raise.

If I min-raise or limp in and an opponent makes a small raise, I can call, but if I open with a big raise and my opponent comes over the top, I’m not usually getting the right odds to call. By keeping the pot small, I have a better chance of seeing a flop and I may pull other players into the hand. Then if I do flop a set, someone’s going to pay me off. To me, the biggest moneymakers in No-Limit ring games are small sets, like 2s and 3s, because they’re so disguised.

A lot of players get overly aggressive with the middle pairs: 8s, 9s, and 10s. They raise before the flop with them, but if the blinds fold, they’re only going to win a small pot. I’d much rather try to win a big pot by flopping a set. If the flop comes J-8-2 and I have pocket 8s while my opponent has a hand like K-J, I’m going to win a big pot a lot of the time.

If I’m in late position and have a small or medium pair, I’ll raise in hope of taking the blinds if nobody else has entered the pot. If one of the blinds calls, I’ll try to win the pot with a bet on the flop, but if both blinds call my raise, I’ll be more cautious. Against multiple opponents I’m trying to flop a set. If I don’t and there are several overcards on the board, I’ll check if it gets checked to me and I’ll probably fold if one of my opponents bets. If I’m in late position and someone in early position raises pre-flop, I’ll generally just call and hope to flop a set.

TOURNAMENT PLAY
In tournaments you have to treat small and medium pairs much differently that you do in ring games. You have to play them more conservatively because you can’t usually rebuy. In fact, I will often fold 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s under the gun in tournaments. In ring games, I always play these hands because of my implied odds. Even if I lose 15 of these hands in a row, I can always rebuy. In a tournament, if I lose five times in a row, it’s going to really hurt my stack.

How I play small pairs in tournaments often depends on the size of my chip stack. If I have a big stack and get dealt a pair of 3s or 4s, I might raise, hoping to win the blinds and antes. However, if I’m on a short stack and in late position, I might just move all-in.

In tournaments I try to stay away from middle pairs because they can cause big problems and tough decisions. Let’s say I call a pre-flop raise with pocket 9s and the flop comes 10-4-2. In a ring game, I would check and call or possibly check-raise trying to find out if my 9s were good. In a tournament, however, that’s scarier because you really have to be careful about the amount of chips you use to get this information.

My decision is easy when there’s an Ace or King on the flop, but when the flop is 10-4-2 and I’ve got pocket 9s, it becomes very difficult. You can’t fold every time, but you don’t want to get too crazy in these situations either. Middle pairs are so difficult to play that I notice that I often find my best tournament results come when I simply stay away from them.

The beauty of small and medium pairs is that they very rarely get you into trouble. However, when they do, it really hurts. When the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event at this year’s World Series of Poker* got down to the last three tables, I opted to defend my blind with pocket 3s. The flop came J-8-3. My opponent and I got all our money into the pot, but as it turned out, he had pocket 8s. When you do flop set over set and you have the bottom end of it, you really get punished. But when that’s not the case - and it usually isn’t - you’re going to be in great shape.

Greg Mueller

Join Greg online sometime soon at FullTiltPoker.com. US players welcome.

Check out our comprehensive review of FullTiltPoker.com onsite at PokerLabRat.com

Carbon Poker is inviting all US players to join them in their Independence Day celebrations (and of course all non US players to come show the Americans how to play poker in the Independence Freeroll!)

On Saturday 7 July @ 15:00, they’re throwing a massive $25,000 Independence Freeroll and want you to play for FREE!

To receive free entry, join Carbon Poker and make your initial deposit between now and July 7 with the code 25KFIRST. Not only will you receive entry to this freeroll, but they’ll also give you:

1. A 115% Bonus up to $230 (Max Dep $200)
2. 14 days entry into the daily $500 Freerolls for New Depositing Players

>>Check out a comprehensive review of CarbonPoker.com onsite at PokerLabRat.com

>>Go visit Carbon Poker for a look-see

PS: Why Carbon Poker?
- Very cool poker software
- US OK
- Lots of payment methods - in fact more all the time like ePassporte, Wirecard, PINcard, ECOcard and even Fonelinx

WSOP… now I really just can’t be bothered! Bring on the Main Event.

Have you seen the latest update on the much touted “real Main event” ($50K buy-in HORSE)? 

It’s still playing but do YOU recognise anyone with chips left to play with … other than Gabe Kaplan (actor and poker host) and perhaps Barry Greenstein?

We’ve had a good email debate among the PokerLabRat.com team and even this WSOP event has gone from “chocker with pros” to “who dat?” at the final table…

How did you know when it was time to go pro?

For me, turning pro wasn’t a decision I made, it was something that just kind of happened. I have always played poker, well at least since I was 18, and it has been a great source of income since then. In the beginning of 1999 I quit my last job to start my own business (a private courier firm). I ended up getting screwed out of the business by the guy I was going to partner with, so my only source of income was poker at the time.

I began to play more and more, and was considered one of the best rounders around Atlanta at the time. I decided to hit the road and play some tournaments and had great success, winning my first WSOP bracelet in May of 1999.

I kind of got a bit off the topic, but my best advice is just take it as it comes. When you are confident enough that a “real job” would end up costing you money because of the hours that it takes away from your poker, that’s when it’s time to start rounding. Best of luck to you when you finally decide to turn pro. Take it slow and don’t allow yourself to tilt. There is always a poker game somewhere, so there’s no need to be playing if you’re not at the top of your game.

What’s your best advice on getting over a slump? Stop playing?

Man, I know how you feel. It’s definitely the worst feeling in the world thinking that your opponent is going to beat you no matter what happens. You have to ask yourself one question: Are your opponents getting better, or are they just getting lucky? If they are getting better, it’s up to you to improve as well. If they are getting lucky, just stick to what you are doing and the old adage “the cream will rise to the top” will soon take place.

Any advice on moving up in limits? I want to build my bankroll and 1-2 no-limit or 6-12 limit just aren’t cutting it.

Don’t be afraid to take a chance at a bigger game once in a while. Wait until you are feeling real good about your game and until you see a game that looks ripe for the picking. If you take a hit, go back to the game that you beat on a regular basis. If you win, don’t be afraid to take another shot at the game. That’s how everyone moves up in limits. Unfortunately everyone isn’t blessed with a huge bankroll to start playing big limits right away. If you’re good enough (and lucky enough), you will put together a few good sessions in a row and you will have an adequate bankroll to play 5-10 NL on a regular basis.

I’m not saying jump right up into the 5-10 game, I’m simply saying, take a shot at the 2-4 or 3-6 game… if you find it’s too hard, go back down to what you’re comfortable at. I think 5-10 NL is the goal to make a good living as a pro. Best of luck in your mission. Keep me posted on how it works.

I’m attempting to start a poker career with very little money, is this possible? Is it possible to get a good business plan together and get investors for a bankroll?

If you are a proven player with good networking skills, it’s quite easy to find investors. Poker is very popular these days and there is a lot of dead money out there. A winning player can make great money in poker. My best advice is start on your own. It’s much easier on you if you start small and build up yourself. That way you get to make all the decisions yourself and never have to answer to anyone. Don’t be afraid to start small. If you’re good enough you can get in a game that makes you about $1,000-$2,000 a week in no time.

Don’t rush it though. A poker player’s worst enemy is lack of patience. Every top player out there has paid his dues. Even Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey were playing $1-$2 limits at one time or another. I have very clear memories of driving home from $2-$4 limit poker games and slapping myself in the head because I lost $100! Losses come, you can bet on that. But it’s the great players who learn from those losses and use them as a strong foundation for a long career of winning poker.
Check out more on Josh Arieh or read tips from other Team Bodog pros onsite at BodogPoker.com. US players from all States welcome.

Here’s a link to the latest poker room review on Bodog Poker. Check it out.

Each year I usually add interest to the WSOP with a couple of bets on event winners - and each year the bets are less and less sane. With more than 10,000 poker players at the WSOP in Las Vegas and the sheer number of events this year, I’ve limited myself to Main Event props. 
 
For betting on the World Series Of Poker Main Event 2007 - To Make Final Table - Daniel Negreanu is sitting at around 10.75 at European online sportsbook Gamebookers.com, Phil Ivey at 16.00 and Allen Cunningham and Phil Hellmuth are the next favourites at 19.00.

Interestingly Doyle and son Todd Brunson are both sitting at 34.00 along with Mike Matusow. Odds on long standing pros TJ Cloutier and Mike Caro to make the final table sit at 67.00.

It pays to shop around though as the odds offered vary considerably between sportsbooks.

I guess its a generation thing - or I’m just an old fashioned kinda guy. At mid 30’s I’m too young to be a SOF but when bookmakers list their props for the WSOP Main Event betting maket I like to see players NAMES. Not some kid hiding behind the try hard anonymity of an Online Poker room moniker. I mean what’s with that really? You’re now there competing in the flesh - and for some strange reason I’ve got this urge to shout “grow up!”

“Real people” (like Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott or Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen) rank way up there compared to wanna bes like FLUZAO_BR67, uzzie222, Vo2max111, and of course SHIP_IT_BITCHH who you can get odds of anything up to 200/1 on at Gamebookers. (Did you read that strangely pathetic item on the “Ship It Holla Ballas” crew in May’s Bluff Magazine?)    

Most online bookies like Bet365.com and PaddyPower.com - and even Bodog.com (that ultra-happening US friendly sportsbook and entertainment site) have not included any “moniker kids” in their betting coupons whatsoever. Bet365 at least will give you an “others on request” price if you’re the Mom of one of them and feel an obligation bet coming on… insert snigger here.

So what’s on offer other than outright winner and who makes the final table?

We like top Irish bookie Paddy Power’s offers like 7/1 (8.00) for an Irishman (that’s a Paddy or a Coleen) to make the final table of the main event - a very noble sentiment. Or, (and we like this one) you can bet on the top past champion - ie which former winner makes it the furthest. Paddy has Phil hellmuth at 7/1 (8.00), Chris Ferguson at 8/1 (9.00) and our Oi Oi Oi mate from Aussie, Joseph Hachem at 11/1 (12.00).

Bet365, like me, is confident that no Irish will come near the final table and instead of pandering to a local market, offer odds on a Swede (2.75), a Norwegian (4.50), a Dane (6.00) … and heaven forbid, a female making it to the final table (10.00).

Top US friendly online bookie Bodog has a father-son betting proposition. Doyle vs Todd Brunson. “Which of the following players will last longer in the 2007 $10,000 buy-in Main Event?” Doyle is at Evens (2.00), Todd is at -140 (1.71). Bodog is also offering a whole host of “who will last longest” type bets on the main event in various player combos. Check them out at “2007 World Series of Poker Betting, WSOP Prop Bets at Bodog Sportsbook“.

So where’s the smart money? Probably still in your pocket this year! Check out our earlier blog post on Players to Watch here.

It’s great to see Hyot Corkins has won his second WSOP bracelet. (Event 30: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed - $2,500 buy in - and still no mean feat with an opening field of 847 entrants).

I’m also keen to see who takes out the H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. This $50,000 buy in event is just chocker with pros and, as you’d expect with such a large buy-in, has retained a fairly exclusive air.

At end of HORSE Day 1, 127 players remain out of a field of 148 so it’s early days. Chip leader Eli Elezra sites at 561,000, some 200,000 points clear of his nearest rival, Bruno Fitoussi.

It’s nice to see Phil Ivy in action again (currently 5th) with other “favorite pros” like Erik Seidel and Scotty Nuyen looking strong.

Doyle Brunson has 108,100 chips and we’d love to see him shine in this event.  I hate the thought of Phil Hellmuth holding onto his ‘most WSOP bracelets’ title for long! Phil is sitting at 158,100 chips after HORSE day 1 so I’m hoping…

Did you know that after the WSOP is over you can play these guys online at their favourite poker haunts?

Hyot Corkins, Doyle Brunson and Mike Caro play exclusively online at Doyles Room Poker - and you can play them - or just play for your share of the $4,000,000 in guaranteed prizes each month including a daily $40,000 guaranteed tournament. (Sorry, no US players at Microgaming Poker Network based Doyles Room)

Erik Seidel, Scotty Nuyen and Phil Ivy play exclusively online at FullTiltPoker.com. Tables highlighted in red in the poker room lobby indicate a pro is registered. Check it out at FullTiltPoker.com. (US Players are very welcome at FullTilt)  

Event #33 was the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys an event that is often associated with plenty of big hand action and lots of heavy betting action …

and No - we haven’t really lost our marbles - and the winner of event #33 was not the little blue guy on the left.

The winner was actually Alan Smurfit who started the final table as the short stack but battled his way to his first ever WSOP cash (a tidy sum of $464,000) and also his first WSOP bracelet.

The final table for lasted 271 hands overall - with 169 hands (and six hours) of that play been a heads-up battle between Alan Smurfit and Qushqar Morad.

Morad was one card away from winning his second WSOP bracelet in Hand #135 — the 31st hand of heads-up play. Smurfit was all in after a flop of 10, 9, 4 with a pair of fives and an ace, while Morad had a pair of kings and an ace.

Smurfit’s only chance was to catch a five. The 5h hit on the river, giving Smurfit renewed life in the tournament.  Alan Smurfit made the most of that opportunity, winning his first WSOP bracelet with a full house.

Oh here is a real picture of Mr Smurfit.

Here’s the latest pro tip from Andy Bloch. This poker professional was a member of the renowned MIT Blackjack team and is nicknamed “The Rock”. Andy plays his online poker exclusively at FullTiltPoker.com.

When you raise pre-flop in a game of No-Limit Hold em and are called, you’re faced with a decision when the flop hits the board. Should you put out a continuation bet on the flop or should you check and let the turn come off for free? Of course, there are a variety of factors that will effect any decision in a hand of poker, but if I was the one who raised pre-flop, I’ll put out a continuation bet on the flop a large proportion of the time.

I can afford to put out a lot of continuation bets, whether I hit or not, because my post-flop bets are usually pretty small - about half the size of the pot. Pre-flop, I normally raise to three times the big blind, then on the flop, I’ll put out a bet of the same amount. When I bet these relatively small sums, I don’t put a whole lot at risk. If I get check-raised on a flop that I missed, I can fold without having lost a whole lot of chips. Most of the time, however, my opponents will have missed the flop, so my small bet will win me the pot right there.

While I prefer to put out continuation bets on most flops, there are some situations where checking is the right play. For example, say I raised with K-T and was called by the big blind. The flop of A-J-2 gives me a gutshot straight draw. I know my opponent in the hand likes to check-raise on top pair. When he checks to me on the flop, I’m happy to check behind and have the free draw to the nuts. If my opponent hit something like two-pair, I could double up if the Queen comes on the turn.

I also like to check the flop in hands where I’m either very far ahead or very behind. Say I raise pre-flop in late position with pocket Kings. The flop comes A-J-3. Here, my pair of Kings is either very far ahead (if he missed completely or has something like pocket 5s) or is very far behind (if he hit an Ace). In a spot like this, I don’t want to get check-raised and I don’t want to just give up, so I’ll often check the flop and then call a bet on the turn. I can then try to get a read on my opponent if he bets the river. The worst thing I can do in this sort of situation is to put out a big bet on the flop and then call an all-in check-raise.

As with every aspect of poker, it’s vital that your continuation bets don’t become predictable. If you check every time you miss and bet every time you make top pair or better, then you’re opponents will know exactly how to play against you. They’ll be able to bet any pair with total confidence. So occasionally, you’ll want to check when you hit top pair on the flop. Your hand will be disguised and you’ll stand to win a big pot if you hit trips on the turn. Showing that you can sometimes check a good hand will keep your opponents off balance.

It’s a good idea to put out frequent continuation bets, but also be sure to look for spots where a check may be to your advantage. If you’ve got a draw or hold a hand that will be difficult to play for a raise, a flop check may be your best play. Also be sure to mix up your play - being unpredictable is vital to playing winning poker.

Andy Bloch

Check out PokerLabRat.com’s latest poker room review on FullTiltPoker.com here. 

There still is not that much star power going on at the WSOP in Las Vegas, and so instead of reporting of Phil Hellmuth setting a record for his 60th WSOP final table we thought we’d scan the net for something else.

So here are a series of interviews that we dug up on YouTube with some of the bigger poker stars that simply have not made much impression on the tournament yet.

Phil Ivey - Two final tables but looking for more. 

Scotty Nguyen - Has given up cash games altogether.

Howard Lederer - prefers the bigger buy-in games thid WSOP.

Eli Elezra - after winning his first WSOP bracelet earlier this week.

We’re keeping our eyes and ears open - but it looks like the poker world is suffering a bit of overkill from so many events and the vast number of entries meaning that “feature clashes” are few.

Or could it simply be that despite the claims of skill and talent - when it really comes down to it - winning a tournament requires a huge slice of luck too … right Jamie Gold ?

It’s amazing the difference that two cards can make. As opposed to Hold ‘em where players have two hole cards at the start of each hand, Omaha starts each player off with four cards, which makes both pre- and post-flop play much more challenging, especially for those who are new to the game.

In fact, Pot-Limit Omaha can be so complicated that when playing it in a ring game, I think your best move is to buy in for the minimum - especially if you’re not as experienced as the other players at the table. Even if you’re a really good player, it’s an advantage to buy in short because it will be a lot easier to make a move when you get dealt a big hand.

Let’s say you get Aces before the flop. If you’ve bought in for the minimum, you’ll often be able to get most of your chips into the pot pre-flop, which should always be your goal when you know you have the best hand. Once you get your chips in, your opponents won’t be able to push you off your hand. You will be able to see all five cards on the board while they’ll be trying to bet each other out of the pot. If you’re a beginning player, you’re not going to get trapped or outplayed because you’re already all-in.

Or let’s say you flop a set. Once again, if you’re short you’re going to be able to get all your money into the pot and if a scare card comes - for example, one that could give your opponent a straight - you won’t have to figure out what to do with your hand. If you had a big stack in this situation and were playing against a very aggressive player, he might bet the pot on the turn and you wouldn’t be able to call.

Conversely, let’s say you’ve got a strong draw and it’s a multi-way pot. If you’ve bought in for the minimum, you can stick everything into the pot and you’ve got a good chance of tripling or even quadrupling up. Your opponents won’t be able to bet you out of the hand because you’ll have already shoved all your chips into the pot.

There are some advantages to buying in for the maximum, but only if you’re a strong player who can put your opponents on a hand and you’re really confident in your ability to outplay them. Then, when a scare card hits the board, you can be the one forcing your opponents off their hands by making a huge bet. You’d also be wise to buy in for the maximum when there’s a really weak player with a big stack sitting at your table. In that situation you’d want as big a stack as possible so you could take advantage of the weaker player.

Your position at the table is also an important factor when deciding how much to buy in for. If there’s a weak player with a big stack on your right, then you might want to buy in for a lot of chips. But if there’s a tough player with a big stack sitting behind you, even if you think you’re a better player than he is, you’d still be better off buying in short.

When playing Pot-Limit Omaha in a ring game, my philosophy has always been to buy in short. I suggest you do the same, especially if you’re new to the game.
Lee Watkinson

Lee plays online poker at FullTiltPoker.com. Join him at a table soon. Learn from the pros - get some edge to your poker play.

Here’s a link to the latest PokerLabRat.com review of Full Tilt Poker. Check it out!