32Red Poker Blog

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.  (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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…

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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.  (more…)

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:- (more…)

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. (more…)

The Art of Bluffing

If you were to learn poker just from TV shows, you would believe that the game is all about bluffing. This is not quite the case, but the skills of creating a good bluff and spotting a bad one are integral to the game.

What is a good Poker bluff?

When someone is telling a lie, the tale they tell must be consistent with the facts available. If parts of the tale do not fit with what you can see, you become suspicious.

And so in poker, a good bluff is one that tells a believable story. The “lie” you are telling is that your hand has connected with the board in a big way. The tale you tell must mirror that.

This means that when you bluff, your sequence of raises and re-raises should look like they would do if you held a good hand.  The bad bluffer plays his big hands in one way, and his bluffs in another.   (more…)

Stack Size

Stack Size in Poker, and how it is even more important than you think…

Example #1

You hold , call a raise from the small blind, and hit a great flop of , which gives you a straight flush draw. You decide to play aggressively with a semi-bluff, to give yourself two chances of winning the pot. What is the best way to do this? Is it

a) Moving all-in straight away, b) Check-raising all-in c) Check raising, and moving all-in on the turn

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