The Poker Lab Rat

Elite Poker Professional and Team FullTilt member Gus Hansen shares an amazing hand from his Aussie Millions play. How would you have played this one? An interesting read.

Hand 133 - Crucial hand 7 - Biggest Hand So Far - Busting the Defending Champ

Blinds: 4000/8000/1000, My position: SB, My hand: Ac Qs, My Chip Stack: 389,000

Defending champ Lee Nelson has been moved to the table. He opens in middle position for 24,000 and I decide to just call with my Ac Qs in the SB. The BB folds. The flop comes:

Qh Qc 4c

I think it is fair to call it an above average flop!

I check and as expected Lee bets 44,000 into a 64,000 pot. Having flopped three Queens with top kicker, or as some would say “a Monster”, I have a couple of different options:

Calling, trying to trap Mr. Nelson would be more tempting with no flush draw on the board. Another draw-back is that calling simply fails to put more money in the pot. For it to be a real trap, I would have to check the turn as well and could thereby easily give Mr. Nelson two free cards. I don’t like it!
The mini-raise – doubling his 44,000 bet to about 100,000. Trying to keep Lee in the loop but forcing him to put a little more money in the pot. It might also be interpreted as a cheap steal-attempt thereby inducing Mr. Nelson to make a move. I like it!
Standard raise – to about 150,000. Put even more money in the pot but might force Lee out of some marginal hands. Has some merit!
As you can see I prefer the mini-raise.

After some deliberation I make it 100k. Now it is Lee’s turn to think. Surprisingly fast he goes all-in putting a total of 326,000 towards the middle. Pretty happy about the development I don’t hesitate to call. After all – I am holding the third nuts - or more likely “the nuts” since Lee would have played it a little slower if he was holding either Q4 or 44.

There is now 716,000 in the pot, so the next two cards are very crucial for the outcome of this tournament. The defending champ is all-in and I am left with less than 50,000 in front of me. Whoever wins this pot will be well on the way to the final table and the other guy headed – or more or less headed – to the sideline.

Showtime:
Lee: Kc 9c
Me: Ac Qs

Winning percentage before the turn:
Lee: 23.1 %
Me: 76.9 %

Turn: Jh

No club but now he has a gut-shot as well. His winning percentage stays the same.

River: 3h

Nice - I win the 700,000+ pot.

So what really happened here? How did we get 700k in the middle at this stage at the tournament?
Let us take it from the top:
Lee’s opening raise from middle position with Kc 9c - a play that has my utmost sympathy.
My call in the blind with AQo is definitely not mandatory and I would generally lean towards the re-raise. Being out of position, facing a tough opponent with a big chip-stack, I opted for the more conservative call.
Checking the flop – Very straight forward as Lee will most likely take a stab with any two cards.
Flop bet by Lee – Good solid play! Continuation bets is a big part of winning tournament strategy and should be performed a very high percentage of the time – especially this time where he actually has a flush draw to back it up!
My mini-raise - described earlier in the hand.
Lee’s all-in move – OOPS. I do not agree with this play.

A much better option would be to just call and see what develops. Lee is in position and has the luxury of awaiting my next move. If I had an air ball there is a very good chance that I would give up and he would be able to take it away with a medium-sized bet on the turn. On the other hand if I had a Queen I would probably move all in on the turn and Lee would be able to get away from the hand without losing all his money. Not to forget, if a club comes on the turn we would get all the money in with me having the drawing hand.

As you can see Lee would have gained a lot of information by flat-calling. Not only would he have a better idea about the strength of my hand but he would also get to see whether a club showed up or not!

Furthermore, contrary to what people think I am actually a very tight player . At least in some situations… Very rarely do I check-raise a big stack on the flop with absolutely nothing. I was in a comfortable position and not especially looking for a spot to pull off a big bluff. Analyzing the hand again and again I have come to the conclusion that my most likely holding is a random Queen, with the Ace high flush draw next in line. None of which the Kc 9c fare well against.

I am not quite sure why Lee opted to move all-in but I have a strong feeling that my reputation played a big part in his decision-making.

Gus Hansen plays poker online exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. You can join him at a table!

For more info on this top rating US-friendly online poker room check out the latest May FullTiltPoker review here at PokerLabRat.com. 

It doesn’t get much better in poker than to reach the final table play as the big stack. However, there’s a big difference between coming to the final table with the chip lead and knowing how to use your stack to take control of the final stages of a tournament.

There are many players who don’t slow down once they reach the final table with a big stack – I’m not one of them. By the time I reach the final table I’ll have already played a number of hands against about half of the other remaining players. I’ll have developed reads on their games and they’ll have done the same with me, which makes this a good time to switch gears. If I’ve been hammering away aggressively before the final table, I’ll often slow things down and be much more selective as the final table begins. This way, players might bust themselves against me by over-committing their chips in a spot where they think I’m being a bully although I’ve really got a hand.

Even more important to my success here, however, is that I begin paying very close attention to the size of my opponents’ stacks. I want to know who’s likely to be playing conservatively in order to try and move up a few spots, and who is short stacked and looking to get chips in the middle with any two cards. I’m more likely to play against the conservative players and avoid the gamblers.

Let’s say the majority of the players are sitting on somewhere between 40 and 50 big blinds each, but the short stack only has about 15 big blinds in front of him. He’s going to be looking for any chance he can to double up, which means I’m not going to raise his blinds unless I’m holding a hand that allows me to comfortably call his all-in re-raise. While doubling up the short stack probably doesn’t hurt me in the long run, it’s simply not worth risking chips that I can put to better use against other opponents.

When there’s a logjam of players who all have about equal size stacks, I’m willing to play a fairly wide range of hands against them, so long as I’m in position. For example, say I’m chip leader with about 100 blinds, and a smaller stack with about 40 blinds open-raises for 3 times the big blind. I’ll call this raise from the button or from late position with hands like 4-5 suited, 7-9 suited or J-10 suited if I think I can pick up the pot after the flop.

I know that I’m not often going to flop anything better than a single pair – if I connect at all – when I call with these kinds of hands. Yet I’m still comfortable making this play because I know my opponent will miss often enough that I can steal the pot with a post-flop bet. This is especially true against players who completely shut down their games if they miss the flop, because I can use my big stack to force them to commit a sizeable portion of their stack if they want to contest the pot.

When I do decide to play against the short stacks on the final table, I’m looking to do so from position and with hands that aren’t going to be easily dominated. If I don’t have to worry about someone entering the pot behind me, I’ll play coin flips against the short stack all day long because I know I’ll win enough of these hands over the long run to be profitable.

The times I won’t make this play with my big stack are when I think someone else may try to squeeze me out of the pot by raising all-in behind me, or when doubling up the short stack could drop me from being the chip leader back down to an average sized chip stack. In these cases, I’ll look for better spots and let the shorter stacks fight it out among themselves.

While having a large chip stack is a weapon in itself, you’ll get better results if you know how and when to use your stack to your best advantage. Put your stack to good use and apply pressure in the correct situations, and you’ll turn your chips into something much more valuable when the tournament is over.

Jordon plays poker online at FullTiltPoker.com. Join him at a table some time soon.
Full Tilt Poker accepts players from around the world including the USA. Compare the top US-friendly online poker rooms here at PokerLabRat.com.

A US-based Professional Poker player, Jordan has over $1 million in career earnings including 2 WSOP Final Tables and 8 WSOP cash finishes. (So don’t get sucker in with the “lucky” bit in his online moniker!)

Knowing what to do and when to do it is what separates those who just play in tournaments from those who make final tables. This is especially true in No-Limit Hold ‘em, where the first decisions you’re faced with are what hands you should play and when you should play them. As the blinds get bigger and antes come in to play, these decisions become even more crucial. In these situations, one of the most critical errors that people make is not varying their pre-flop strategy enough.

While many pros advocate playing a tight, aggressive game and the importance of choosing “premium” starting hands, I find that there are many newer players who take this advice too far and simply don’t play enough hands. I recently talked with a newer pro who told me he was playing less than 10 percent of his hands pre-flop. This just isn’t enough – I don’t even play this tight under the gun. If you’re playing this tight, you’ve got to loosen up considerably, especially in late position and in the later stages of a tournament.

Let me give you an idea of what I’m talking about. As a general strategy, I want to play about 40 percent to 45 percent of my hands from the button before antes come into play. Under the gun with eight players left to act behind me, I’ll play about 14% of my hands. This percentage goes up gradually as my position advances around the table until I’m playing about 31 percent of my hands from the cut-off.

When antes come into play, I’ll raise about 59% of the time I’m on the button. On the other hand, I’m only going to raise about 18% of the time when I’m under the gun. With or without antes, it’s important to note that I’m raising about three times as often from the button as I do from under the gun. That may seem like a lot, but that’s how much you need to vary your play before the flop.

To give a specific example, let’s say you’re at the 100/200 level, and you raise three big blinds from the button. You’re risking 600 to win 300, which isn’t ideal. But if you’re making the same raise when there’s a 25 ante per person, then the same pot’s up to 500, which means you stand to pickup another 200. Those extra chips make it worthwhile for you to loosen up and raise more often with a wider range of hands, especially when you’re in the cut-off or on the button. If you’re successful with this play even a little over half the time, you’ve got an edge raising with almost anything.

You may have noticed that I’m giving some very specific percentages in this article. These are based on thousands of hands that I’ve played and tracked over the years, and a ranking system that I’ve been able to create that helps me determine which hands I should play and raise from different positions. You can create a similar chart for yourself or find a copy of mine in the Full Tilt Poker Tournament Strategy Guide. Use this information to help fine-tune your pre-flop hand selection and see how loosening up your game can help you thrive in the later stages of a tournament.

 
Nicknamed “The Rock” Andy Bloch has been playing poker since 1992. He is a former member of the infamous MIT Blackjack team and now plays online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker.  Join him at a table sometime soon…

For more poker tips from Andy and other professional poker players check out our poker tips and strategy directory at PokerLabRat.com.

Here’s the latest press release from the team at Bodog Poker. If you’re looking for an elite online poker tournament with far less hype (and less professional players!) than say, Full Tilt Poker’s FTOPS, then you might like to check this out.
 

March 3, 2008: Bodog Poker Open Kicks Off Today

Over the next seven days, online poker players will be competing for huge cash prizes and major bragging rights in the inaugural Bodog Poker Open (BPO), the biggest poker tournament in Bodog history.

The action on the virtual felt in the six-event series starts tonight with a $270 buy-in No Limit Holdem tournament. To sweeten the pot, Bodog is adding $10,000 to the tournament’s prize pool tonight and will add a total of $75,000 in additional money to the BPO’s prize pools this week, ensuring a much bigger payday for its players and giving them exceptional value for their buy-ins.

The BPO culminates on Sunday, March 9, at 4 p.m. EST, with the $500 buy-in Bodog Poker Open Main Event, where the winner will not only walk away with the top prize and be crowned the first ever Bodog Poker Champion, but will also receive an engraved Omega Speedmaster Pro watch worth $4,400

“This is the biggest poker tournament in Bodog history, and we’re letting our players know this by adding big money to the BPO’s prize pools and by giving our first ever Bodog Poker Champion something special to remember his or her win by,” said Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris. “We expect a great turnout in all of the BPO events as players compete for the cash and the glory.”

The six BPO events this week will have online players battling it out in different formats of Texas Holdem, including No Limit, Pot Limit, Limit, No Limit with Re-buys and Six-Handed No Limit. Winners of the preliminary events will win entry to the BPO Main Event in addition to their tournament winnings.

Players can buy directly into any of the events with cash or Bodog Tournament Credits or win their way in through any number of low-cost satellites running daily at the Bodog poker tables.

>>For more details on the inaugural Bodog Poker Open or the Bodog Poker Room, read the latest Bodog Poker Review at PokerLabRat.com here.

>>Visit Bodog Poker (Players from around the world are welcome to play at Bodog Poker, except Canadian residents. Bodog Poker is very popular with Americans from all states.)

There are two great tournaments pending this week at Doyles Room… and you might like to check them out!

First up, if you love celebrity poker, here’s a tournament opportunity not to be missed.

In what can only be decribed as “a mixed grill”, Doyle Brunson is giving you the chance to play against Soprano’s star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Nicky Hilton (the less slutty Hilton sister), WSOP champion Hoyt Corkins, “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro, and online pros Jim “P0KERPR033″ Campbell, and Alex “AJKHoosier1″ Kamberis - and of course himself.

Every bounty player has a $500 price on their head (knock ‘em out it’s yours), and there’s over $25K in prizes up for grabs.

You can even get to play for free as Doyle’s Room offers a first-time Bounty Tournament rebate. All first-time entrants will receive a 100% refund of their $27.50 buy-in and fees back! Space is limited and registration is already underway.

Celebrity Special Bounty Tournament - Wednesday, February 27th at 9:30pm ET (02:30GMT+day)

Register now: In the lobby - Scheduled Tournaments>Special>The Bounty Celebrity Special

The second - is a completely different style of poker tournament called the “QuickDraw FreeRoll”

These tournaments play every day and are the fastest freerolls on the net. There’s no buy-in, no rake requirement, and the games have 2 minute blinds. Wow. If you can out you have the option of recharging your bankroll with a $1 rebuy (or trade action points), but no Deposit is necessary to play in these tournaments.

Register now and get in on the accelerated action with freerolls all week long at Doyles Room Poker.

Good luck and great skills at the tables!
Mike
PS: Doyles Room poker is a leading member of the Microgaming Poker Network and as such players from around the world can join, including Americans from 39 States.

PPS: You’re eligible for a join bonus of up to $550 as a 110% first deposit match at present if you’re new to Doyles Room Poker.

This is a serious question - and you’re got a serious opportunity to pass muster! Here’s your chance - the Great British Poker Tour is back!

A number of the UK players from the PokerLabRat.com team will be having a stab at The Great British Poker tour this season. You might like to check it out too as it is becoming one of the more highly esteemed tournaments around and offers surprisingly good poker tournament value. It has been renamed as the “Gala Casinos British Poker Tour” (GCBPT) this year …and it’s now in it’s second season.

We liked last years (despite none of us actually finishing in the money) mainly because it offered a less-hyped style of poker - competitive, but somehow more professional and way more polite (refined?) than most in-the-flesh poker tournament series where it’s almost more about the poker brats, sunglasses styling and stupid player “lucky mascots” than the game. 

There are 6 GCBPT Festival Events in Gala Casino card rooms throughout 2008 capped off with a Grand Final at the end of the year (which will be spectacular if last year’s is anything to go by). So you can pace yourself - play in all of them (or just win one to get directly to the Main Event ).

Each festival runs a £500+£50 No Limit Hold’Em Main Event with two ‘day ones’. Each regional winner from 2008 Main Event Festivals automatically gains entry into the Grand Final Main Event as a package.

First event: Edinburgh, February 27th – March 2nd 2008

Venue: Gala Maybury Casino, Edinburgh
Dates: Main Event: starts February 29th
Online qualification: 17/01/2008 – 15/02/2008 (sorry, it’s closed for Edinburgh, but will open soon for the Nottingham GCBT Festival soon!)

You can qualify online for the GBPT at Eurobet Poker - they’re running 4 satellites a day including 2 freerolls, to win a guaranteed 4 packages a week for each festival event throughout the year! (Each package is worth about £1,600 including GCBPT Main Event buy in and travel)

Ready to stake your claim as Britain’s greatest poker player? Visit Eurobet Poker today!

PS: Eurobet Poker is a leading - and stylish - member of the Ongame Poker Network and accepts most players from around the world except the USA. For more on Eurobet Poker read our latest poker room review on site at PokerLabRat.com.

The popular UK online poker room hosted by 32Red is giving you the chance to win VIP Tickets to see Aston Villa vs. Middlesbrough on the 8th of March at Villa Park.

32Red Poker is a member of the Microgaming Poker Network - but this is an exclusive offer available only to 32Red members, not poker players from other Microgaming-powered poker sites.

Here’s some details of this Texas Holdem poker tournament:

Date: Monday 25th of February
Time: 20:15 GMT
Buy-in: $5+$0.50 and Guaranteed at $1,000
Tournament Type: Multi Table Hold’em No Limit Tournament with unlimited re-buys during first hour and one add-on after the first break ($5)

The prizes: (What’s in it for me…)
1st Place - Pair of Director’s Box Tickets + Signed Ball
2nd Place - Pair of Stand Tickets
3rd Place - Pair of Stand Tickets

On top of the tickets you’ll also get $100 in Travel Expenses.

The football match plays Saturday the 8th of March at 15:00 BST at Villa Park.

>>Check out 32Red Poker (sorry, no US players)
>>Read more about 32Red Poker (32Red Poker room review)

Good Luck and see you at the tables!
Mike

PS: As Aston Villa Sponsors, 32Red regularly runs similar promotions for their members. This is not just a one-off!

Doyle Brunson’s poker site (Doyles Room) has extended their ultra popular QuickDraw freeroll tournament series for one more week. They’re fast. They’re free - and you can win real money without risking any of your own.

No buy-in, no rake requirement, 2 minute blinds! The action is crazy-fast so you really do end up hoping that the flop is with you, as chip stacks swell or sink in the turn of a card. Don’t miss out on the addictively fun action. Some of the PokerLabRat.com team really enjoyed last week’s freerolls.

You can even rebuy into these freerolls for just $1 (real money) - but that’s your call!

Check out the timetable (left) and register now for some freeroll action.

Doyles Room poker plays on the latest Microgaming Poker Network software and welcomes players from around the world including Americans from 39 States.

Ever player poker on a heart shaped table? Ever wanted to?

I personally haven’t felt the need. I have, however, always liked the elegantly simple layout of Carbon Poker’s navy blue table…Anyways, the crew at Carbon Poker just couldn’t resist laying on some of the frilly girlie pink stuff and consider Valentine’s Day is not just for lovers - it’s for poker players too.

Carbon Poker’s special February Heart Attack promotion will be offering players over $30,000 in freerolls (and they are smart enough to offer both Euro and US friendly start times).

There will be daily Heart Breaker Poker Tournaments, with a prize pool of $500 on weekdays and $1000 on Saturday and Sunday’s throughout February. On Valentine’s Day there will be a special $5,000 prize pool.

Now here’s another weird bit (as if heart shaped poker tables & cupid backed playing cards wasn’t enough): Half of each prize pool is paid as usual, but the other half will be paid to the top five players with the most consecutive hearts hole cards during the tournament. A leaderboard will run during the tournament so you can see how your streak of hole card hearts is stacking up against the rest of the field. The top five will be paid out 1st - 40%, 2nd - 24%, 3rd - 18%, 4th - 12% and 5th - 6%.

Easy. OK, well, I guess this is at least a unique twist on the usual Valentine’s celebrations - and probably one you should take advantage of!

Click here if you’re not yet a member at Carbon Poker or to find out more about this freeroll series.  Get really to add some February tournament dates in your poker diary!

If you’ve been hankering to try Doyles Room poker (a leading member of the Microgaming Poker Network) - or are just looking for some really free freeroll tournaments - now’s the time.

DoylesRoom.com are running a series of no buy-in, no rake requirement, freerolls with 2 minute blinds! (And you can recharge your bankroll for $1 real money, real quick if you want to!)

QuickDraw Freerolls, What are they?

It’s a full on Texas Hold’em tournament where the action is fast and the blinds escalate every 2 minutes. If you expect to win, you’ll have to be on your feet and on your game. Everyone starts out with 1,000 tournament chips and although it’s a freeroll, you can rebuy for $1 or with Action Points. Consider the rebuy a little bit of bad beat insurance, or maybe your way to never miss the bubble again!

Register now, space is limited. Don’t miss out on any of the 9 events spread out over the next 5 days at Doyles Room!

Players from around the world, including 39 US States are welcome to play poker at Doyles Room. Check out the latest poker review on this stylish and popular online poker room.