Bluffing the Continuation Bet – Part 2

Bluffing the Continuation Bet – Part 2

In the part one, we began to look at the valuable move of playing back at a continuation bettor. We have looked at how best to bluff, at the best type of flops to choose, and will now look at the right type of bluffing hands to play with:

It is the late stages of a poker tournament, you have the biggest stack at the table, and are looking to put other players under pressure. A mid position player raises, and bets 4,000 on a  flop. This leaves him with 12,000 behind, and the pot stands at 9,000. You have a marginal hand, and are planning to pull the all-in move to put your opponent to a decision. What type of marginal hand would you like to have? Read more

Bluffing the Continuation Bet – Part 1

Bluffing the Continuation Bet – Part 1

A player has raised in mid position, and you make the call from the small blind with . The flop misses you completely, coming . You check, and your opponent bets two thirds of the pot. You have no idea what he has, but you do know that he tends to make a continuation bet on the flop with a massive range of hands. Read more

The Value Bet

The Art of a Value Bet

As a good player, you know that it is crucial to try to squeeze the most out of your value bets when you hold the winning hand. Chips are lost not only every time you lose a pot, but every time you win a pot and do not get the maximum value out of your hand.  Read more

Master Slow Play

The most overused play in poker: the slow play

Slow playing a big hand in poker is often seen as being the height of cunning. It can be a very effective play, but the slow play is a strategy often overused. Failure to play certain hands more actively routinely costs players a lot of chips.

There are two types of hands to consider here. Firstly, you will sometimes flop a hand so strong that you can give your opponents a free card without risk of them outdrawing you. Read more

Flop Texture

The Texture of The Flop – The all-Important Piece of Information

“I had , the flop came , and I bet the pot. My opponent went all in. I was stuck, I had no idea what he had…”

It should come as no great surprise that our opponent went all-in here. Why?
The texture of the flop is so good. There are so many hands that our opponent could have which have hit a good piece of this flop, and with which he could go all-in. Read more

The Fold Equity

Fold Equity

Online Poker has hit a real boom, and the new wave of poker players has brought with it a deeper understanding of poker strategy.

No longer is it enough to play a solid game and wait for a good hand, nor is it enough simply to be aggressive and bluff with reckless abandon. The ability to combine courage, patience and insight does remain integral to the game, but with it now must come a fine-tuned understanding of the cogs that make the game work. Read more

The Weak Call

The Weak Call in Position

You’re playing in a ring game, and call a raise to $10 with  on the button. The flop comes , and your opponent makes a pot-sized $20 bet. What do you do?

“This is a standard pass, right?” I hear you say. You have nine high and just a gutshot. Yes, it is a standard pass, and it is not great to get into the habit of calling too much here. However, there are some situations where a call in position with a weak hand like this can turn into a very strong play…

Read more

Post the Oak Bluff

The post-the-oak bluff

A bluff is usually thought to be a big move at the pot, designed to put your opponent under so much pressure that he will have to pass.

A post the oak bluff is a tricky attempt to sneak the pot with no hand by betting a small amount. Here, we’ll talk about post the oak bluffs as being very small, 25% or less of the pot.

These kind of bets are so small that they will often be called by your opponent if he holds any type of hand. You may well persuade him that he is probably beat, but any element of doubt will be enough for him to call.  Read more

Poker Tournament Strategy – Part 2

Previously we started to look at how your poker strategy changes as a poker tournament develops. Let’s have a look at the opportunities you will have as the tournament reaches its pressure points:

Approaching the bubble

The tournament is going well for you, and you are part of the lucky crowd left surviving as the bubble approaches.

You should aim to be in a state of mind where you are not scared of elimination around this pressure point. Instead, see it as a great opportunity to gain some chips. Take advantage of any tightening play by changing your play in the other direction:- Read more

Bluffing with a Call

The tricks of the trade: bluffing with a call

You have weak cards, but you sense that you may be able to steal the pot. Usually, a raise or re-raise is your best weapon. However, there are some situations in the game where a flat call can be very effective in setting up a steal of the pot.

The strength of the play relies on the fact that, in some situations, a flat call looks stronger than a raise.

This kind of play relies on be able to pick up the pot if your opponent checks or bets weakly on a later street, and so has more chance to be successful if you are in position. Read more

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