The Poker Lab Rat

A while back, I played a hand in an Omaha Hi/Lo Limit tournament that had everyone at my table jumping off their chairs. They thought I was crazy and couldn’t believe my play. But I made the right move. In fact, the play illustrates an important Omaha Hi/Lo concept that’s not widely understood.

Here’s how the hand went down.

It was a nine-handed table. The under-the-gun player raised and another early position player three-bet. Two other players called the bet cold. It came around to me in the big blind, where I held 9-K-Q-2. This is usually considered a pretty trashy Omaha-8 hand. But I didn’t fold here; I four-bet. I then flopped the nuts and took down a huge pot. When they saw my hand, the players went crazy. How could I four-bet with that kind of trash?

I could do it because I made some good assumptions based on the way my opponents played their hands. This was a tournament, where most players tend to be pretty cautious. Few will play any hands that don’t contain Aces, and just about everyone is sticking to hands with a lot of low cards.

So when the under-the-gun player raised, I felt pretty confident in assuming that he had an Ace with some other low cards. The same goes for the player who three bet. The two callers must also have had hands that they thought were pretty strong. I could be all but certain that all four aces were dealt to these players, and that they held a lot of the deck’s low cards.

I was also confident that, in this hand, the flop was going to come at the high end of the deck and that I’d have a chance to sweep a huge pot because there would be no qualifying low. And that’s exactly what happened.

This hand shows that in Omaha Hi/Lo, you can often make some good assumptions as to what cards remain in the deck and what the flop is likely to hold. For another example, say that you’re in the big blind and it’s folded to the cutoff, who raises. You see 9-T-J-Q. With all but one player folding, you can be pretty sure that almost everyone else held a number of medium and high cards. So the deck is ripe with low cards, which will probably help your lone opponent’s hand. Your best move is to fold this hand pre-flop and wait for a better spot.

Of course, the better your position, the more information you’ll have. So you shouldn’t even consider playing certain hands in early position. Something like 2-3-4-5 might be playable from the button or the big blind if there hasn’t been a lot of action. The lack of raising would show that the Aces haven’t been distributed and are still in the deck. But in early position, you just don’t know what’s out, so you need to muck the hand. The same goes for hands like T-T-J-Q and T-J-Q-K. There are times when prior action will show you that these hands are worthy of a three-bet or four-bet. But in early position, it’s best to just let these kinds of hands go.

Being able to predict a flop is part of what makes Omaha Hi/Lo so much fun. You really can’t do these sorts of things in Hold ‘em. If you hone these skills, you’re sure to be a tough Omaha Hi/Lo player.

Mike Matusow

Mike plays online exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. US Players are stillwelcome online at this great Poker Room.
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Tournament poker can be a very tough business. No matter how good you are, you’re bound to encounter long periods where things don’t go well. On the tournament circuit, even the best players can go several months - or even a couple of years - between significant cashes. These dry spells can be tough to deal with if you don’t develop a solid mental approach to the game.

I think the down times are particularly difficult for younger players who have some success early in their careers. They come to expect great results and can become overwhelmed when things go badly in a long string of tournaments. They may grow frustrated and are apt to assume they’re making mistakes. They make changes in their games that aren’t well thought out, and they suffer because of it.

To endure the long, tough stretches, serious players need to understand that bad runs are inevitable. They’re part of this business. And while there’s something to be said for going into every tournament with a positive attitude, it’s also important to be realistic. If you expect to win every tournament you enter, the disappointment that accompanies repeated bust outs could be very damaging to your psyche. I know that early in my career, my confidence suffered when I went through a rough stretch.

Over time, however, I learned to focus my attention in productive ways. Now, when I’m playing in a tournament, I concentrate on making the best decisions I can. I try to approach every hand in a thorough and effective manner. If my focus is good at the table, I can be honest with myself as I assess what I’m doing well and where I need improvement. I’m not likely to fall into the traps that ensnare other players. Many refuse to admit mistakes and insist that a bad run is due to bad luck alone. Others believe they’re playing well when their results are good, even though they’re playing poorly and are benefiting from a great run of cards.

After a tournament is over, I’m quick to remember that tournament poker requires the temperament of a marathoner, not a sprinter. If I play well and consistently make good decisions, I’ll be rewarded, though it may be a long time before I see the results I’m looking for.

Erik Seidel

Erik Seidel plays online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker - click this link to visit Full Tilt to see if they’re right for you!

Players from USA are still accepted at Full Tilt Poker. For fact sheets on the top 3 poker sites still accepted US residents please click here.

Small and medium pairs are among the trickiest hands you’ll encounter in Seven-Card Stud. Frequently you’ll get into situations where it seems that a modest pair might be the best starting hand, but you don’t really know. Even if that pair is ahead on third street, it’s not a big favorite over much of anything. So you need to be cautious with your smaller pairs in Seven-Card Stud, both on third street and on later betting rounds.

There are a few factors you should think about before putting your money in the pot on third street with a small or medium pair. The primary consideration is the previous action. If you’re sitting with a pair of 7s and there’s a completion and a re-raise before the action gets to you, you shouldn’t even consider playing them. You’re almost certainly up against a bigger pair and there’s no good reason for you to draw. Similarly, if a very tight players completes with a Queen showing while sitting to the immediate left of the bring-in, you may want to give him credit for a big pair. Get rid of your small pair and wait for a better opportunity.

You should be more willing to play a small or medium pair if there’s only a completion before the action gets to you. But even then, you need to look at a few factors before deciding whether or not you should continue with your hand. First, determine if your cards are live. If you’ve got split 7s with a King kicker, you can muck the hand if both a 7 and King are out. You’d like every card that would improve your hand to be live.

Another factor to consider is the size of your kicker. When starting with something like a pair of 6s, you’d like your kicker to be higher than the door card of the person who completed the bet.

If you play a small or medium pair on third street and are against a single opponent, you’ll usually call a bet on fourth street as well. Of course, you’d most likely want to fold if your opponent pairs his door card.

The tougher decision is likely to come on fifth street. This is where the bet sizes double. If you call on fifth, you’re pretty much committing yourself to calling the rest of the way. When deciding whether or not to call on fifth street, you need to look at the cards your opponent has caught on the previous two streets. If he started with a Queen up and caught two cards that are higher than your pair - say a Jack and a 10 - you should fold to a bet. Even if your small pair is best at this point, your hand is very vulnerable; you’ll win a showdown only about 50 percent of the time. And if your opponent does hold a higher pair, you’re in serious trouble. But if he catches rags and your cards remain live, then you’ll want to play the hand to showdown and hope your pair holds.

There’s no question that small and medium pairs are among the most challenging hands in Seven-Card Stud. But if you look carefully at your situation on third street and consider the previous action, the size of your kicker and how live your cards are, you’re more likely to play the hand well.

Perry Friedman

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By Erick Lindgren via FullTilt Poker

In tournaments, I play lots of hands. I’ll put my money in with all kinds of connected cards, especially when in position. I might limp, I might min-raise or raise a little more than the minimum, depending on the circumstances. I’m looking to keep my table off balance so they don’t know where I’m coming from.

My overall goal is to pick up a lot of small pots without a lot of resistance. I might raise in position and hope for a call from one of the blinds. If I raise pre-flop with something like 6-7, I might miss the flop entirely, but the raise puts me in control of the hand. On the flop, I’ll likely bet if checked to, even if I miss. That small bet on the flop will usually win me a small, but helpful pot.

Of course, sometimes it won’t work out. I’ll bet and get check-raised on occasions. But that’s okay, because I actually don’t lose much in the hands that I have to surrender. Overall, I get to gradually add to my chip stack by chopping at small pot after small pot.

The other major advantage to my style is that, occasionally, I will hit a flop hard. If I do happen to flop a straight, it’s difficult for other players to put me on something like 5-7 or 6-8. If one of my opponents also gets a piece of the flop, I’ll get paid off in a big way.

By adding to my stack early, I have a real advantage over players who play a cautious, tight game. The extra chips that I accumulate allow me to survive some tough spots. So, if I happen to get involved in a race with A-K or a pair of Tens, I can withstand a loss. An opponent who’s playing tight will likely be on the rail after losing a single race.

New players often ask me how they can learn to play more pots. I always suggest that they drop down significantly in stakes and practice. If you’re playing $2-$4 no-limit, drop down to $.50-$1 - a level where some losses won’t hurt you.

Once you’re at that table, try to play eight hands out of 10. Play everything but 2-8 or 3-9 - hands that are entirely unconnected. When you get yourself involved with this kind of frequency, you’ll have to concentrate more on your opponents than on your own cards. You’ll have to be on the lookout for opportunities to take down pots with well-timed stabs. You’ll also learn how to proceed in situations where you flop a good, but dangerous hand.

By dropping down and playing a lot of hands, you’re going to learn a lot about poker. You’re also going to have a lot of fun. In my opinion, playing 50% of the hands is a whole lot more entertaining than sitting around waiting for Aces.

If you look at the success that Gavin Smith, Daniel Negreanu and myself have had over the last couple of years, you’ll see that being active can be an excellent way to score big in tournaments. It takes practice to play this style, but it can lead to great results and be a lot of fun.

RELATED LINKS :
Read our FullTilt Poker Review at PokerLabrat.com
Or Go Directly to FullTilt Poker now.

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by Paul Wolfe … via FullTilt Poker

During this year’s World Series of Poker, I talked with a number of pros about the problems that so many online qualifiers had playing Big Slick during the early blind levels. It seemed to us that a huge percentage of the field - we estimated as much as 70 percent - was more than willing to go broke with this hand if they hit a pair on the flop.

But many pros, myself included, feel that Ace-King is a very difficult hand to play in the early levels of big buy-in tournaments, when the stacks are deep compared to the blinds. The fact of the matter is, top-pair/top-kicker is probably no good if another player is willing to risk all of his chips. This isn’t always the case - you may find an extremely weak player willing to go broke on K-Q, but that’s the rare exception.

The real problem with A-K early on is that it’s very difficult to get an idea of where you’re at in a hand. Even on an innocuous looking flop of something like K-9-2, you may think your hand is good. But you can’t be sure.

Say that you raise pre-flop with A-K and a late-position player calls. The two of you see a K-9-2 flop. You bet strong on the flop and then again on the turn. He calls on both streets. What now? Do you bet the river and pray that you’re not raised? Or do you check and hope that your opponent does the same? It’s a difficult spot and there are no great options.

Playing the same hand in position is a little easier, but it’s still tough.

While the blinds are low in a big buy-in tournament, I’m actually looking to see flops against the players who overplay top-pair/top-kicker. When I’m in position, I’m happy to call a raise with something like a small pocket pair, 5-6 suited, or even 8-T suited. I’m looking to flop a big hand or a big draw.

If I flop a set, I have a good chance of wiping out the guy with top pair. If I flop a draw, I have a chance to see if my opponent will give me a good price to hit my hand. The beauty of a suited hand like 5-6 or 8-T is that there’s no way I’m going to get in serious trouble playing them. If I flop anything less than two-pair or a quality draw, I’ll fold, having lost very little.

I think there are two major reasons many players over value Ace-King.

First is that in online tournaments, where the stacks start relatively low, Ace-King is usually worth playing aggressively. Players who win online satellites do so by playing Ace-King fast, so they come to big tournaments feeling good about this starting hand.

The second reason is that many people have seen TV commentators crow about Big Slick, calling it a “huge hand.” At a six-handed final table, Ace-King is a very big hand, but you need to realize that short-handed final-table strategy differs greatly from early tournament play.

When you’re playing in deep-stack games, learn to play A-K cautiously. The pros don’t like to go broke with this hand and you’d do well to follow their example.

RELATED LINKS :
Read Our FullTilt Poker Review at PokerLabRat.com
Or Go Directly to FullTilt Poker now.

Is it possible that some players have hands that are simply lucky and/or unlucky in their hands?

Consider today’s evening freeroll at Prima - where I was signing on at Bet365 battling it out against 7,000+ other eager participants over about 90 minutes.

During the course of the action I was dealt “pocket kings” four times - and despite doing the “right thing” and bidding them up and being able to isolate the play down to one other player … I was beaten three times by inferior hands.

This is not a “Bad-beat” sob story - rather an investigation into the phenomena where you just know what is going to come on the river.

Consider :

Hand 1 : KK vs A8o - early in the tournament half stack before the pot - all in after a low flop - as I’ve got a bigger stack. He gets a river ace and wins the pot.
 :-(

Hand 2 : KK vs 74o - I called the big stacks all-in - and based on those cards he was obviously bluffing. Nothing comes up as a danger and this time pocket kings actually do win.
 :-)

Hand 3 : KK vs A10 - Blind 200, I bet 1000, and Tiger Lilly goes over the top to 3000 - I push all-in for 7,000 as bigger stack and she calls. A ten on the flop gives here more outs - and an ace on the river wins it for her.
 :-(

Hand 4 : KK v J4c - Mortally wounded and down to just 1500 chips (4xBB) I wait for a hand - get KK again and have to try it. All-in and I get called by the big stack who does have much. A Jack on the flop gets me nervous and a four on the river means I’m out of the tourney.
 :-(  

So I get good fortune to get dealt KK four times - and play them (as you surely must) yet by the fourth hand I just “knew” that Lady Luck was making sure they were not going to hold up.

RELATED LINKS :

Bet365 Review at PokerLabrat.com

Bet365 Download link

Has that ever happened to you? Do you have a lucky/unlucky hand?
Send in some feedback in the comments section and let me know.

One of the tough things for newbie players like myself is trying to get involved in online tournaments and learn while enjoying the experience.

We all know that freerolls attract loads of loose play and all-in merchants, while paying and playing in tournaments of $10+ still seems a little pricey to me.

And let’s face it winning tournments is nearly impossible - and even making the final table is only for the top 1-2% of players in any tourney. So what should a fledgling player be looking for?

First I’d say - play a few FREEROLLS - and make sure that you can get into the top 10% of players - no matter how loose they are just stay focused and get into that range.

Second, aim to make the FREEROLL cashline. At PRIMA that is 260 places from anywhere between 5000 to 10000 players. So you are in the top 2-5%. It’s tough but it is achieveable if you don’t play lose your head and play loose.

Third, get into small entry tournaments, with $1, $2 or $5 buy-ins. The target is simple here - get into the cash. Usually for paid tournaments the top 10% will be paid out.

That seems an easier target - but of course there will be far fewer “muppets” playing - so you’ll find that a challenge.

Then it’s just a case of tuning your play - getting used to the increasing blinds and chip totals and aiming to finish in the top 20, then the final table and eventually plan on winning the whole damn thing.

Good luck - and I hope to see you on the tables.

RELATED LINKS :

Prima Network Sites :
(Large tournaments all day, 1000+ players)
Bet365 Poker, 32 Red Poker, Spin Palace Poker

On-Game Network Sites :
(Medium Tournaments all day, 200-500 players)
Hollywood Poker, Canbet Poker, EuroBet Poker

Independant sites :
(Small-medium tournaments, 50-200 players)
Poker.com Poker, BetFred Poker

Big Entry Sites :
( Several $200-$500 buy-in tourneys, for serious players only)
Fulltilt Poker

Eds comment: Mike is one of our 12 testers and provides invaluable ‘newbie’ input into our poker site assessment & rankings. Thanks Mike for all your input to date - another round of PokerLabRat site assessments is about to start for the 4th Q - we’ll test 90 online poker sites next month and share our findings.

It is just me - or has everyone been having problems logging on and playing at the PRIMA network over the last few days?

Certainly we’ve seen the number of players registering for FREEROLLS climb dramatically towards 8,000+ players on average - and that seems to be having a damaging affect on the the state of the network.

I’m frequently getting average, poor and bad connections to the game out - and a connection status like that frequently means being dropped off - missing complete hands and extended pauses followed by frantic flicking of that cards on screen.

The upshot of it all is that if you get a bad connection and you want to play then you find yourself being forced into going “all-in” prior to the flop - just because you cannot be sure that you’ll be online to call any raises that come down.

So next time you see a player go all-in early - be aware that they may not be “a muppet player” - they may simply be suffering as the PRIMA network collapses under the load of so many FREE players.

If you’re playing on PRIMA - please post a comment and let us know of you currently having any problems at all?

Well it was getting to be about time I succeeded in one of those FREEROLL things - and at lunchtime today we finally got into the top 260 places and in the money.

Over 7000 entrants for it - and it took just a shade under 2 hours to battle it down into the money before finally going all-in under the increasing pressure of the blinds and finishing in 220th place.

Our reward for the effort? Just $1.50. But it’s not the size of the pot - it’s the achievement of a blog target that counts.

So that’s a nice slice of cheese as a reward for me. Catch ya later … I’ve got some well earned lunch to tuck into …

RELATED LINKS :

32Red Prima Poker, Bet365 Prima Poker, SpinPalace Prima Poker.

House of Cheese online shop

It was a frustrating day on the Prima FREEROLLS today, as I twice managed to get down into the last 350 odd players (from fields for 7,000 and 5,000 respectively) only to bomb out just before the cash was handed out.

I have no complaints about the first tournament - I was really just hanging on for the last couple of rounds and eventually found myself being put all-in with a 35o thanks to the price of the big blinds.

But the second tournament simply summed up how you need to have a little bit of luck on your side in order to cash in on freerolls as I’d played for over 100 minutes before being done in on a single hand.

I was dealt pocket KINGS on the big blind (which was about 2K at this stage) and was effectively put all-in by the biggest stack on the table.

I called and was pleased to see him turn over pocket 8’s until the flop came down 338 and turned my 80% favourite hand into a 10% underdog.

I needed a K on the turn or the river - didn’t get it - and my tourney was over just short of the elusive cash prize. Let’s hope for a little more luck when it’s needed tomorrow eh?

RELATED LINKS :
SpinPalace Poker (my personal favourite PRIMA skin right now)