All Entries in the "Cash Games" Category
Brandon Adams – Hand Coordination.
Hand coordination is the relative strength of your hand compared to your opponents’ hand, and it’s probably the single biggest factor determining whether you have a good or bad session playing poker. If it’s working in your favor, whenever you flop a monster, one of your opponents will also make a big hand, just not [...]
Andy Bloch – Semi Bluffing.
The semi-bluff is one of the most powerful weapons in any poker player’s arsenal. If there’s a decent chance you can steal a pot by semi-bluffing, you should usually take it. But, as with any play you make at the table, the semi-bluff is always most effective when you use it at the correct time [...]
Kenny Tran – Overcards in Early Position.
Recently, Andy Bloch wrote about the perils and pitfalls of playing big cards – A-K, A-Q, etc. – when they don’t connect with the flop. Like Andy, I think learning to play these kinds of hands well, adds an important weapon to any player’s arsenal. Of course, like any weapon, you have to approach these [...]
Jordan Morgan – Interpreting Three Bets.
We all know that a three-bet is supposed to mean strength. When a player three-bets before the flop, he’s saying that he believes he has the best hand. One of the keys to making money at the poker table, however, is being able to interpret when the three-bet means what it’s supposed to mean, and [...]
Ben Roberts – Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone.
Many beginner poker players naturally gravitate toward a level of game where they feel most comfortable. The reasons for their choice may vary, but often include the size of their starting bankroll, and the amount of money they feel comfortable wagering in a particular hand or throughout a session. This is perfectly normal and reasonable. [...]
Kristy Gazes – The Mindset of a Winner.
Here’s one of the most interesting things about poker: A player can be incredibly knowledgeable and talented, and still be a long-term loser. I’ve been playing professionally for more than a decade and, in that time, I’ve seen any number of sharp, gifted players go broke again and again. How is it that I’ve been [...]
Perry Friedman – Getting Beyond Your Cards
I spend a lot of time playing in the low-limit Stud games on Full Tilt Poker. In those games, I’ve encountered a number of players who haven’t come to understand one of poker’s fundamental concepts. These beginners focus only on their own cards; they don’t stop to think about the cards their opponents might hold. [...]
Gavin Smith – Pot-Size Manipulation.
One of the key skills that winning big-bet players bring to the table is the ability to manipulate the size of the pot. They manage to play big pots when they have big hands, and keep the pot smaller when their holdings are more modest. If you think carefully about your betting throughout a hand, [...]
Roy Winston – I’d Rather Be a Raiser than a Caller.
Unless you have a monster draw or are slow playing a big hand, calling is often the wrong play at the table. In fact, it often times takes a stronger hand to make a call than it does to make a raise. “You raised with that?” is a question I hear a lot after showing [...]
Phil Gordon – Chip Sandwich.
Let’s say an early position opponent – preferably a loose opponent – raises and gets called by one or more players. Now there’s a lot of money in the pot. More importantly, the players who simply called are unlikely to have a hand that would merit calling a big re-raise. If they had such a [...]
