FREE POKER QUIZ!

Congratulations to jazverige for winning our last Poker Quiz! (click here for details).

Welcome to 32Red’s regularly updated Poker Quiz section where we ask you all sorts of poker questions and all you have to do is answer them correctly to enter our draw for free cash prizes & tournament tickets!

Are you ready?

 

How many raked hands are required to enter our January Sales freerolls?

A: 1 raked hand
B: 10 raked hands
C: 32 raked hands

Click here for a clue!

Post your answers belowand if we pick your name out of the hat and you’ve posted the correct answer, we’ll give you a free poker chip worth €32!

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Want to tighten up your game? Try Fixed Limit

Every day we break little rules or do something we know isn’t quite right, whether it’s not always looking properly when crossing the road, stealing a quick call on the mobile while driving or playing too loose at the poker table. While the first two errors in judgement might have the most serious potential consequences, the poker sin presents us with problems we can so easily avoid.

Yet all of us seem to find it difficult to concentrate on the ‘tight’ part of the much sought after tight-aggressive strategy. By ‘concentrate’ I mean succeed in avoiding loose pre-flop play throughout a session, rather than adhering to the (golden) rules most of the time and allowing ourselves the luxury of indulging in weak and wasteful play when we feel like it. (Note that there is an important distinction to be made between deliberately changing gears occasionally to unsettle the opposition and make ourselves less predictable, and thoughtlessly joining in the fun with a weak holding just for the sake of it).

Online poker‘s fluency, convenience and anonymity are great attractions that have served to power the poker explosion over the last decade or so, but they also contribute to voluntary loose pre-flop play. So used to what amounts to more or less constant action, we don’t seem to be able to resist the temptation, even though we know that playing a patient, tight game will still allow us to get involved in more than enough interesting hands.

Unfortunately loose bets will, over time, have a cumulatively serious negative effect on our prospects – all the more frustrating when we knew we were making all these mistakes in the first place, over and over again. Such a liberal ‘strategy’ is of course compounded when multi-tabling.

This isn’t the first time I’ll return to one of poker’s fundamentals and, moreover, it won’t be the last. If you have a particular problem tightening up in No Limit, I suggest switching to Fixed Limit with a view to exorcising the demon. Without the prospect of catching someone out with our poor hand by striking lucky and getting all-in, the futile, over-optimistic nature of loose pre-flop play is highlighted and the message consequently hits home more readily than is the case in NL.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the 32Red Poker tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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No Limit Tournaments: To re-buy or not to re-buy? And what about add-ons?

The easiest answer to the first question should really be ‘yes’ which, given the nature of this kind of tournament, is logical as it suggests that we should be willing to invest a number of buy-ins in order to maximise our chances. The more firepower the better the prospects of cutting through the jungle to emerge with a stack big (enormous) enough to keep us in contention for the very top places.

There are players whose approach is rather conservative, opting instead to see how far a single buy-in will take them on the usually dangerous journey. Of course with so many extremely loose players gambling all-in so often this strategy could pay dividends and quickly catapult us up the leader board but, on the other hand, playing with limited resources compared with much of the opposition can be very restrictive. Also, even if we get lucky we might have been ‘patient’ for so long that we’re still battling with a below average stack!

Moreover, it’s not a coincidence that the massive stacks tend to be in the virtual hands of players happy to rebuy. Indeed it is typical strategy for those experienced players with their eyes firmly on the (1^st) prize to buy in double if this option is available or, otherwise, as quickly as possible deliberately let their stack dip below the point at which they can rebuy. They then concentrate on finding lesser able victims with similarly large stacks and make no secret of their willingness to ‘gamble’ against anyone.

As far as investing further at the end of the rebuy period is concerned, it isn’t always the best policy (for example with such a giant stack that the add-on hardly makes a useable difference), but is more worthwhile than most people believe.

It is surprising how adding on can make a significant difference even when the extra is an ostensibly insignificant fraction of the current stack. This is because we need to take into account the potential impact of additional chips over the course of just two or three double-ups (and it helps to give this some thought in advance rather than weigh up possible implications as the seconds tick away when decision time comes!). For instance if we have a stack of 7000 and take a 2000 chip add-on, double to 18000 and then again to 36000, this leaves us with 8000 chips’ worth of ammunition more than had we stuck with the 7000 – not to be sniffed at!

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the 32Red tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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No Limit: Do the strong hands win the biggest pots?

It’s easy to assume that the best hands must win most money but this is not the case in No Limit poker. Indeed ‘strong’ hands can lead us into a lot of trouble. Note that in a Limit game with a holding of AK we would almost always be willing to go the distance after flopping top pair on a board such as K83, the point being that we’re never going to lose an enormous pot.

With the same hand and flop in a NL game, however, considerable aggression from the opposition should set alarm bells ringing because the potential downside is limited only by stack sizes – we could lose whatever we have on the table in one hand.

Let’s have a look at a selection of holdings and what kind of hands/pots they tend to win.

Starting with the dream holdings like aces and kings, we are far more likely to win a pot when we have an overpair than when we get lucky on the flop. This is because with AA on a flop of A93, for instance, we are rarely going to be up against someone with the remaining ace and, consequently, will either be way too strong to tempt in lesser hands or perhaps find ourselves in a critical race against a draw.

Small pocket pairs, on the other hand, are a different animal and much easier to play. With a holding of 44 the flop will typically either see us catch a well disguised monster that could net us a big reward (for example on a flop of A94) or leave us with our modest duo with a flop featuring overcards (and a prudent fold round the corner).

Unpaired but strong holdings such as AK are awkward. If we hit top pair it can be difficult to judge to what extent we should commit, while even missing is by no means clear-cut as Big Slick, for example, would like to see the turn and river. Obviously other factors come into play such as how many people see the flop, stack sizes and so on, but this kind of holding looks good but can be problematic.

 
Meanwhile, suited connectors (and even the likes of 86s), are similar to small pairs in that it is usually pretty clear once the flop has arrived to see how best to continue the hand – we’ll either get a juicy flop that gives us a ready-made hand or a draw or we’ll miss completely.

Generally, it’s well worth keeping in mind – especially for those players switching from Limit to No Limit – that top pairs and overpairs are limited in terms of what they will win while effectively ‘limitless’ when it comes to losing. We won’t be able to bring along with us too many lesser hands but always run the risk of paying off stronger hands that we often see only once the damage has been done – hence the ability to fold in the face of big bets being an imperative part of a strong player’s armoury. Experienced players are well aware that pairs win small pots and lose big ones.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the 32Red tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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FREE POKER QUIZ!

Congratulations to bn2wn001 for winning our last Poker Quiz! (click here for details).

Welcome to 32Red’s regularly updated Poker Quiz section where we ask you all sorts of poker questions and all you have to do is answer them correctly to enter our draw for free cash prizes & tournament tickets!

Are you ready?

What’s behind No.27 in our 32 Days of Poker Xmas promotion?

A: €500 Freeroll
B: €1,000 Freeroll
C: €5,000 Freeroll

Click here for a clue!

Post your answers below and if we pick your name out of the hat and you’ve posted the correct answer, we’ll give you a free poker chip worth €32!

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Making a stand against bluffers

We are all prone, unfortunately, to providing others with ways of taking our money. Obviously we should be working hard to constantly evaluate our play and determine to keep leaks and mistakes to a minimum.

But some players are rude enough to steal our money through bluffing us out of a pot. Is this not our fault because we are being prudent in folding, or another weakness in our play in that we don’t do enough to combat steals?

The good news is that we are able to trap these players, and another weapon in our armoury is putting up enough of a fight to prevent them from messing with our game so that they pick on someone else or even move on for pastures new. It’s a nice feeling to catch out a bluffer and some players actively seek them out but, in the main, they are a nuisance, and we can concentrate our efforts in exploiting other kinds of players so fighting our corner is a good strategy.

It’s not too difficult to identify bluffers, who probably prefer to call themselves ‘loose aggressive’ players. They are the ones who can’t resist peppering the pot with bets they hope are big enough to scare everyone off. This can work out well for us sometimes, but can be more than an inconvenience, for example when we have a marginal holding or when their throwing money around interferes with how we were planning to approach a hand.

The problem most players have when wondering how to address bluffers is that taking a stand requires a certain leap of faith. But the longer we dither and fail to act the longer our own strategies are disrupted – indeed if we can’t properly respond we’re better off leaving and finding a table where we can operate, but this, of course, isn’t the right attitude.

One advantage of having a table image tight enough to attract bluffers is that when we do elect to hit back at them they are more likely to believe us. At some point we should allow them to bluff and, preferably with a hand that has some kind of positive relation to the board (numerous outs, for example), raise big enough to turn the tables and force them out of the pot. Note that there’s no point doing this for the prize of a small pot.

Once might be enough, but generally a bluffer will soon get the message and, fingers duly burnt, leave us alone. The point of their game is to steal pots, and when we have established that we are not to be messed with they won’t take the risk any more. This also enables us to better read them when, after backing off, they do get involved.

The desired result is that by demonstrating the steel to fight our corner we get to play the type of game we want while disrupting someone else in the process. Getting our own way and frustrating others is a key part of the game.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the 32Red tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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A missed flop isn’t a missed pot

Too many players tend to lose interest and be too willing to simply give up the hunt more or less automatically when they miss the flop. But seeing three cards appear that have absolutely no relation to our own doesn’t necessarily mean we must miss out on the opportunity to win whatever the pot has to offer.

Instead we should weigh up how the flop might have affected other players, consider what they perceive to be our role in the hand and any other relevant factors and make a decision accordingly as to whether we should indeed fold to aggression or take a stab. Even if we conclude that it’s not worth it this time, at least the process itself helps us improve our analytical ability as well as gain a useful understanding of what the other players are up to – information is key, and we can expect to pick up something that could prove crucial in a later hand. Taking every ‘poor’ flop as an excuse to surf the web or be otherwise distracted, breaking off only to fold, is a luxury we can’t afford, the cumulative effect being to seriously handicap our game (and thus our bankroll).

Incidentally, while multi-tabling is all the rage, and when done properly offers up increased profits and so on, if it takes up so much time that we feel practically forced to fold away missed flops without the chance to have a proper look, then it might be worth scaling down the operation so that we are able to actually think (if only until we are better able to carry out this and other aspects of the game, at which point we can add tables).

Obviously some missed flops are better than others. If we put in a pre-flop raise on the button with QsJs and bring along three other players to see a flop of 7h 7d 6h, then chances are we are neither ahead nor likely to be ahead as the hand progresses. If it’s checked round to us it could well be that anyone who caught some or more of the flop is just waiting for our continuation bet before pouncing, so we should check and see what comes next. This is a bad flop/situation to get involved in but learning why nevertheless helps us improve.

On the other hand, the same pre-flop button raise with the same hand but with only one caller and a flop featuring 9s 2h 6d is a different prospect entirely. This time we should bet out and, most of the time, we will pick up the pot. It is very unlikely that our opponent was only calling with an overpair, and we’ll know immediately that they have something if they remain in the hand – assuming we make a proper sized bet (at least 2/3 pot, preferably closer to 3/4). Lazily checking a missed flop in this kind of scenario is a poker sin that will result in the chips heading in the wrong direction much of the time.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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VoodooL recounts his experience in Cannes

Playing poker for a living can be a tough grind so when I saw that 32Red Poker were offering online satellites to qualify for the WSOPE E1090 event in Cannes I was extremely motivated to qualify. One of the perks of the job is travelling to hot, sunny, exotic destinations with the added bonus of potentially shipping a 6-figure score (first prize was E144k). Cannes fitted the bill perfectly especially considering my last live event was in Luton!  When you get knocked out of a tournament in Luton, you get a view of a dilapidated car park and the local Wetherspoons. In Cannes, you have a glorious beach and coastline, 1000s of restaurants, Ferrari’s cruising past, Rolex and Gucci shops and of course – plenty of stunning French women!

Myself and my guest Will arrived at the very nice Gray D’Albion hotel (certainly beats Travelodge in Luton) and headed straight for the bar where microgaming had arranged for the players to meet for a welcome drink or 4.  Heineken always tastes sweeter when it’s free. After registering for tomorrows Day 1A of the WSOPE at the casino a group of us headed down to a seafood restaurant where myself and Will decided to order the ‘royal seafood platter with lobster’ for E110. It was the first tilt of the trip but to our complete surprise, microgaming also covered that bill. I felt as if we were unintentionally taking advantage considering that the others ordered meals worth about E20! After spotting Negraunu, Hellmuth, Devilfish and a few others (although no sign of Lederer or Ferguson surprisingly) I headed back early to the hotel to get focussed for tomorrow.

The plan was to not have a plan. I never see the point of having a pre-arranged strategy in live events because you simply do not know how the table will pan out. The general intentions though were to pick up a few pots early on and maintain an aggressive, positive approach. The tournament was 3000 starting chips, 25/25 blinds and 1 hour blind levels. I walked into the poker hall and the first thing I spotted was a fridge full of free red bull.  I decided to take a couple of cans incase I got knocked out on the very first hand. Sat down at my table and I was asked by the dealer if I speak French. ‘Erm, no’. For some reason I assumed everyone at the table would be speaking English. The first guy to sit down was this well-fed French guy armed with a magnifying glass. He was moved to seat 5 because he had poor vision. He proceeded to give me banter. Apparently France had just beaten England in some important egg-chasing match the night before? When the tournament started I counted 7 Frenchman, 1 American and myself.

First hand, I was big blind with 99 and button raises to 100. A decision in my first hand was exactly not what I wanted. I decided to make a statement, take the aggressive option so I reraise. Board comes T8842 and he has AT and I lose 1k chips on my very first hand! I pick up a few small pots and I recognise this table has below average ability. Everyone is speaking French and that French guy puts his magnifying glass over every flop, turn and river even when he is not involved in the pot. Annoying!

I get AQ and reraise preflop only to get 4 callers and the flop was Q73. One guy fires out, another calls so I reraise but then the initial bettor announces allin. What an earth can I put him on?! What do I beat? There were no straight or flush draws out there and he was playing fairly tight. I wasn’t sure so I decided to fold. I lose more chips with 99 to KT and this is an awful start and I’m down to 1300 chips and it’s not even the first break yet. What a disaster! I pick up a couple of pots and then raise with QJ and the magnifying guy calls from the button. Flop is J64 I bet he calls.  Turn is a 7 so I check because I know he will bet anything here and he doesn’t disappoint. He bets 400 and I have 1300 left so I push allin and he thinks about it for ages calls and flips over 88. I hold and for first time I have more than the starting stack! Nice time for a break.

I was playing nicely, maintaining an aggressive streak without being reckless. I had got upto 3500 before I had AQs but utg raised so I just flat called from the cutoff. The button who had 900 chips pushed and utg folded.  An easy call for me and he shows AT. I’m up to 4500 if I win this but obviously first card out is Ten and I’m down to 2500. A few hands later 2 guys go allin with JJ v 33 and the inevitable 3 on the river.

The next hand I raise to 350 with QQ and the guy who had been muffed with JJ the hand before calls from the big blind as does the small blind. Flop is 962 rainbow. I fire out 400, sb folds and the bb thinks about it for ages before pushing allin. I have about 1500 left and I have QQ on a 962 flop versus a French guy on tilt. Could you fold this? I couldn’t so I called and he had 66.

I’m out, annoyed but managed to blag 2 free red bulls on my way out and pretty much spent the next 4 days on the beach! I felt sorry for myself for about 10 minutes before realising how lucky I was to be here. I could write so much more about this trip because it really was awesome and once again, many thanks to microgaming and especially 32Red Poker for their organising and great hospitality. I’m off to try and qualify for the ECOSTT in Malta and if it’s half as good as this Cannes trip was then you will want to be there too!
Good luck,

VoodooL (32Red Poker player)

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More great software features at 32Red Poker!

Recently there have been yet more new and improved features at 32Red Poker, and it’s well worth taking the time to check them out as the point is to both make our playing experience more convenient as well as streamline typical practicalities in order to increase our thinking time at the tables.

I have already written about the usefulness of the Pocket Card Manager – especially to beginners and lesser experienced players. This is a great tool that allows us to set out which hands – in each table position from Small Blind around to the Button – we never wish to get involved with so that these holdings are automatically folded pre-flop (even with random timings for the actual play!). For anyone interested in multi-tabling this is a great piece of software. We can access this feature via the Global Table Options menu from Preferences in the Lobby.

There is also a handy Multi Table Launcher that does what it says on the tin. Once seated, the icon appears at the bottom right-hand side of the table, accompanied by a speech bubble. Clicking this icon lets us automatically open further similar tables without the inconvenience of having to go the Lobby and look out for them while we’re busy playing.

Another tool that is appreciated more once we actually begin to use it, particularly when combined with the Multi Table Launcher, is the Auto Buy-in feature. This enables us to set up a pre-determined buy-in amount so that, when enabled, as soon as we choose a table we skip the usual buy-in procedure and are instead immediately seated with whatever buy-in we pre-selected (anything from the minimum to the maximum), and consequently ready to get involved in the next hand.

As well as being accessed via the Global Table Options menu from Preferences in the Lobby, this feature is also available when first sitting down at a table in the Bring Money to Table box by clicking on the ‘Seat me then set up Auto Buy-in’ button.

Tournament fans can make use of the Auto Rebuy function with which we can opt to rebuy in tournaments automatically – note that it is possible to use Redbacks as well as money. This option is available when clicking ‘Join’ when registering for a rebuy tournament.

To set up, simply click ‘Configure Auto Rebuys and Add-ons’ for the options. Of course it is convenient to be able to select how many automatic rebuys we want for a tournament, but we must remember not to get carried away!

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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32Red’s BadBeat Jackpot has been hit!

We are thrilled to announce that the our Bad Beat Jackpot has been hit, yet again!

The jackpot amount stood at €97,843.51 when it was hit and the winning hand saw four-of-a-kind Aces beat four-of-a-kind Kings, here’s a quick glimpse of the final showdown:

6 players were lucky enough to have been dealt cards in hand number 4132780628 and receive a share of the winnings but it was ultimately iryuuhin and hahaLOLhaha who took the biggest slice of the cake when they clashed in the showdown with Quad Aces and Quad Kings.  A total of €68,490.46 was paid out to the players in jackpot prizes while €19,568.70 was left to seed the next Bad Beat Jackpot.  32Red’s current Bad Beat Jackpot now stands at over €21,000.00.

Bad Beat Jackpot Winners!

 

Here at 32Red Poker we like to keep a record of all the Bad Beat Jackpots we’ve paid out over the years.  Did you know that we had paid out a total of 28 Bad Beat Jackpots since Dec 2005, and over $4.7m in jackpot prizes?  Click here to find out more about all our past BadBeat Jackpots.

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