10 Common No Limit Hold’ Em Mistakes

10 Common No Limit Hold’ Em Mistakes

There are common mistakes that no limit hold’ em poker players commit that cost them money. The list of 10 Common No Limit Hold’ Em Mistakes below is not strictly geared towards the beginning poker player. If you find yourself in a downswing, it may not be just variance. Take a look at the list below to be sure you plug up any leaks.

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1. Playing Marginal Hands out of Position

Unless you are a solid post flop player, you risk getting into trouble by playing marginal hands out of position. Say you raise KJo under the gun. It folds around to the button who re-raises and you call. Flop comes AK6 rainbow.

The good news is that you hit your hand. Bad news, he may have hit his too, but he likely hit it harder than you. You showed strength raising from early position and he still re-raised pre-flop. Again, unless you are a skilled post-flop player, you stand to lose a lot of money in these situations. See our Starting Hands Chart for an example range of hands that are playable in each table position.
2. Lack of Pre-flop Aggression

About half the time you put money into the pot, it should be by way of a raise. For instance, if you put money into the pot in 30% of all hands played, then in half of those instances you should be raising.

If you are using PokerTracker, the two metrics you want to look at are VP$IP (voluntarily put money in pot) and PF Raise % (pre-flop raise percentage). Your VP$IP number should be twice your PF Raise %. In the example above, you should see VP$IP=30% and PF Raise % at least 15%.
3. Not Charging Speculative Hands

If you raise QcQs in position pre-flop and are called by the BB. The flop comes 6h4h2d. Flop is checked to you and you make a 1/2 pot continuation bet and get called. The turn is a 9c and it is checked to you again. The worst thing you can do in this spot is to check behind and give your opponent a free card to beat you.

You have a solid holding at this point and are likely ahead of your opponent. You are ahead of everything but a set a 53 (AA/KK as well, but unlikely). You should bet out here. If we assume he is on the flush draw, then he has roughly a 4:1 shot at making the flush with one card to come.

If you make a 1/2 pot sized bet here (say $10 into a $20 pot) then your opponent will be getting 3:1 odds from the pot. He will have to call $10 to win $30. It would be mathematically incorrect for your opponent to call here as his odds of winning is worse than the odds offered by the pot. See “Pot Odds and How To Calculate Them” and “Standard Percentages” for more information.

Note: If your opponent thinks he can draw more money out of you on the river with his made flush (implied odds), then it makes his call correct. In that case you can bet more, 3/4 pot to compensate.
4. Inconsistent Bet Sizing

A big mistake that new players make is not keeping their bet sizes consistent. A classic example of this is betting low pocket pairs weaker than high pocket pairs. In order to disguise your hand you should keep your bet sizes consistent, say 3 or 4 times the big blind plus one BB per limper.

If you are at a table where you are raising 4xBB +1BB per limper and you consistently get 5 callers then feel free to increase your opening raise amount. You do not need to be consistent with your bet sizes if you can randomize your varying bet sizes. This will make it difficult for your opponent to know the meaning of your bet.
5. Not Mixing up your Play

Similar to the last point, if you only raise pre-flop with your premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AK) then you are giving away too much information. To keep your opponent honest you should open up your range a bit, maybe AA-99 and AK-AJ. And/or add in some suited connectors 98s, 87s, etc. You don’t need to raise these add-in hands consistently, just enough to mix up your play.

In the example above, if you raise only super premium hands against someone who is using PokerTracker you will only see action when he has a premium hand too. He will see your PF Raise % is about 3% and he will know that you are very strong when you raise pre-flop, especially when out of position. He will only engage you when he is strong.
6. Bluffing Calling Stations

You can’t bluff someone who isn’t going to fold, so stop trying. If you are up against an opponent who rarely folds, don’t try to bluff them with complete air. Your hand needs to have some showdown value if you plan to proceed with aggression. If you are entering pots with solid starting hands, then you are likely to be ahead at showdown most of the time against these opponents.
7. Playing Big Pots with Small Hands

You should not be building the pot post flop with one pair hands. Say you raise pre-flop in position with JJ and are called. The flop come 963 rainbow and the pre-flop limp/caller bets into you. Proceed with caution. I would call and see what the turn brings. You can re-raise to see if they are bluffing, but if they call I would consider shutting it down. No need to build the pot any further with a one pair hand.
8. Poor Bankroll Management

In poker, you will experience winning streaks and losing streaks. If you are not properly bankrolled for the table stakes you are playing at, you risk going bust during a prolonged losing streak. See “Bankroll Management in No Limit Poker” for more information on this topic.

One great way to build your poker bankroll is with a poker room bonus and rakeback. Check out our rakeback offers for more information.
9. Not Reviewing your Play

Another big mistake that beginners and intermediate players alike make is not taking the time to review their play. There are tools like PokerTracker that allow you to see tons of detail about your play: how aggressive you are in different positions, do you protect your blinds, do you attempt to steal blinds sufficiently, are you overplaying top pair? This will allow you to learn from your mistakes.

You can also participate in peer review with some poker friends to get a different players perspective. You can send your online hand to us for posting in our hand analysis section and leave it to the wisdom of the community for help. See “Converting Hand Histories from Online Play” for more information.
10. Slow Playing Monsters

Don’t limp your premium hands. You can limp them on rare occasion to mix up your play, but as a general rule, raise them up. Say you are under the gun with AA and you limp. You get 4 more limpers and you are going to the flop 5 players deep! Do you like your chances?

If you are in late position with AA and it is limped around to you, raise it up to thin the crowd. You need to push out those small pocket pairs. Those small pocket pairs will stack you when they hit their set, or fold when you continuation bet the flop. So get them out now.

“It sure takes a long time to hit the long Run in tournament poker…”

I’ve had a couple of Brick&Mortar tournament casino wins recently, as well as 2 online tournment final 3 positions vs. 300 and  500 opponnents.

In tournaments, [if you are a working professional playing atleast a dozen tournaments a year]: your mean (average) result will be positive while your median (most likely) result is going to be a negative.

This is the way of the HARE. One big *pop* in a circuit tournament could easily pocket one $10k or more. {In some instances SIGNIFICANTLY more.}

Some opt: The way of the TORTOISE:

Stick to cash/ring games where your MEAN and your MEDIAN can BOTH have positive trend lines.

Rounders

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

Livin’ the dream percentages:

Reading an article from Cardplayer~

professor Howard Ledeher was discussing the state and future of Poker.

 

It is predicted that (as I have said) that while the US poker boom peaked, then dropped a little- the effect is STILL in proccess of going “global”.

~ There were stats of international events, the boom that will re-surge when (not if) online poker is taxed and legalized in the US etc, BUT….

 

Since the downturn in the economy is estimated that there are 15,000 full time poker related jobs in the world~ folks that make poker cards, package the poker chips, the dealers and poker room managers, the guys that make the patented shuffle machines and felted 9top tables, etc…. the people that service the masses playing poker for business and just for fun.

 

It is guesstimated that poker GRINDERS (folks like me that make their living income exclusively from poker as their main job) is approximately 15,000 as well.

 

Globally.

 

MOST casino’s think of poker as: Entertainment.

Like any other “game” or “amusement”.

 

Think of it like this:

There is income generated from Disneyland

Disneyland THE BUSINESS…

Enough income to pay the business owners and employees-

Now,

what if:

1% of the people that visit disneyland for the fun rides each year? 

yeah 5% of THOSE 1% people

have figured out a way

to ride Space Mountain

and make money doing so.

 

Enough money to pay all their bills.

 

 

So, the numbers look like this: 

 

 300million US population x 1%= 300Thousand

300,000 x 5%= 15Thousand

 

5% of 1% of the US population does what I do.

They MAKE money off the “entertainment” ride.

  They Kinish.

 They GRIND.

 

Seen in a broader way: Poker is seen as global.

 

7Billion people x 1% is 70Million

70million x 1% 70Thousand

70k x 20% = 14k or roughly the guestimate of Poker Professionals.

 

20% of 1%

….of 1%

of the (global) population~

yeah, THOSE are “my professional peers”.

 

 

 

 

intresting note: 15Thousand is the number of people who get struck by lightning every 7 years.

 

free sag

(free~sahdg)

*click on this image to see it without any distracting over~lays
** Right Click and “SAVE AS DESKTOP background”

humourous hanson

life > failure > risk

it’s not the air that seems so cold…

Outside
in a winter world
sits a woman
all alone.

It’s not the air that seems so cold,

it’s the love she’s never known.

Outside in a winter world~
one lonely child roams.
Will ever
loving arms
unfold
to give this soul a home?

So they’re living on hopes
and they’re living on dreams,
while the devil
is pushing them to extremes
.
Can their spirits be strong?
~ when for loving they long.

For the day will come
when they must move on.

Where angels
fear
to walk,
there you must walk, where angels fear.

Outside in a winter world there’s a man who’s lost his love.

So many secrets
left untold
should he turn and look Above?

Outside in a winter world
one old man sits alone.
He thinks of all the years gone by and what little love he’s known.

So they’re living on hopes and they’re living on dreams,
while the devil is pushing them to extremes.
Can their spirits be strong?
~when for loving they long.
For the day will come when they must move on.
Where angels fear to walk, there you must walk, where angels fear.

There you must love, where angels fear (to love).

We all have troubles in our life that we must face.
We’re merely players in this game we call the human race.

Where angels fear to walk, there you must walk, where angels fear.
There you must love, where angels fear (to love).

lyrics: breathe /
“Cease2Struggle“- 12.18.08

Jaesen’s passion: That’s not the shape of my heart…

Enjoy this however is most pleasureable for you~

Suggestion? Scroll down and patiently follow along with the lyrics once they begin.

Hope you enjoy this song ~

it’s  one of my favourites: 
       

                                                           

 

” Shape  of my heart ~ “

 
 

He deals the cards as a   *  m e d i t a t i o n  *     

 

And those he plays

 never suspect…

 

 

 He doesn’t play

for the money

he wins~

 

 

He doesn’t play for:  

 

 

 

 

He deals the cards to find:

The Answer ~  

 

  

The sacred geometry of chance… 

 

 

 

The hidd3n law of a pr0babl3 0utc0m3

  

 

 

7h3 numb3r5

 lead

a

  d   a   n   c   e   ~ 

 

 

 

 

*   *   *   

 

 

I know that the spades ~

 are the swords of a soldier.

 

 

 

I know that the clubs

     

…….  are weapons of war.

 

 

 

I know that  diamonds

 

mean money for this Art….

 

 

But that’s not the shape of my  

 

 

 

He may play the Jack of diamonds ~

 

 

He may lay the Queen of spades ~

 

 He may conceal a King in his hand ~

 

 while the memory of it fades…

 

 

 

I know that the’s are the swords of a soldier ~

    

  

I know that the clubs

 

 

I know that diamonds~

  

mean money

for this art…

 
 
 

 

 

 

But that’s not the shape of my heart ~  

That’s not the shape, the shape of my heart.

 

 

 

 @}-;-’——————————–

 

  I loved you ~

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          .R. 

 

l

 

o

 

s

 

t

 

 

 

 

I know that the spades ~

are the swords       of a soldier. 

                                                                                 

I know that the clubs are weapons of war ~

I know that diamonds mean money for this art ~

 

 But that’s not the shape of my heart. 

  

 

That’s not the shape of my

   

 

 

 That’s not the shape ~ 

    

 

Shape of

 my

heart.

J A E S E N

“Set an honorable intention.”

e3

now at: www.JAESEN.com ;)

 The NEW and IMPROVED site is here:

 Now officially @ www.jAESEN.com  ~kudos to WebMaster: DirectorDan

Lemme know what you think of the New and Improved e3 website ~

With over 2,023 Posts in 9 new categories and 14 new Sub-categories~

there is SO much to discover and explore!

 

 

Try it! ~ then LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS at the bottom of individual POSTS

If you’ve been just “checking the Front Page” lately for new stuff?

You’ve missed a bunch!

POST are now easiliest accessed through the new CATAGORY; TAGs and SEARCH features~ with over 1,000 more post being added over the next few weeks!

Also~ check out our new QUOTE widget.  [Lemme know if you have a fav Quote you'd like to add!]

Surf around a bit~ get engaged:

Be brave, and add your own personal comment.

I encourage you to Explore~ Enjoy the ride, and if you need anything?
jaesens.passion@gmail.com =)

J A E S E N and the fine folks contributing to: e3

mastery of self

“The height of a man’s success is gauged by his self~mastery;
the depth of his failure by his level of self~abandonment….
and this law is the expression of eternal justice.”

He who has no power over himself~
will have no power out in his world.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Professional Poker Profits Inc.:

“One Team; One Dream.”

Professional Poker Profits Inc. TM:
“Poker- It’s not a game anymore.”

Professional Poker Profits Inc. / P3: is a new upscale game theory and corresponding profitability modeling company based in Bellevue, WA, offering a complete poker profit strategy system. We offer 21 ultra-advanced distinctions, and 9 real world situational-ethics models from the finest and most respected poker minds in the business going today. We offer distinctions in a variety of styles: Day Trader mindset modeling; Nash equilibrium Game Theory; Hidden Persuasion Techniques; Volatility Management; Neuro-Linguistic Programming; NAC; Power Pattern psychology; Secret Service inform detection; Emotional Mastery …and many more. We also offer ongoing research and development with a commitment to CANI! in the area’s of bankroll management; emotional intelligence; professional time and activities management as well as long-term investment reccomendations; and retirement investing with a focus on LIVING WELL.

P3 has the latest in anti-bleeding strategies and profit maximizing techniques but does NOT offer services nor advice on dynamic “non-edge investing” [Gambling] . note: The only time a non Edge Coaching Session TM would be provided, is when it’s part of the Risk vs. Reward class lesson.

This business plan has been developed to track progress prior to:
Financial Breakthrough TM and Momentum Maintenance TM;
at which time the student is considered an independent entity and exclusive entrepreneur~ following through with a ten-year projection quarterly follow-up.
In addition, this plan has been written to secure a small portion of the start-up funding necessary to P3 and it’s successful kick-off.

Background and Overview:
Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in economics, engineering, political science, international relations, computer science (mainly for artificial intelligence), and philosophy.
P3 Game Theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, in which an individual’s success in making wise decisions depends on the choices of others. While initially developed to analyze competitions in which one individual does better at another’s expense (zero sum games /”Heads Up” tournament poker), it has been expanded to treat a wide class of interactions, which are classified according to several profit criteria.

Our Foundation; Our Plan:
Know for his tenacious resolve; commitment to excellence; and precision execution of systems~
Owner / Founder / CEO JAESEN is at the very core of our Team.
He has studied the most remarkable minds of successful business modeling in the areas of:
Competitive Analysis; Financial Projection; Market Research; Team and Asset management
as well as Innovation Assestment to produce a poker product and training system that has been described by some as: “Absolutely Outstanding”. “Phenomeonal!”; “World Class” and “2nd to none.”

1.1 Objectives
1. Achieve $200 per session profits per client from the very first week after launch by performing the 21 Critical Keys TM check list and adhering to the exit strategies with a strong work ethic. [goal: $5,000per month]
2. Achieve $16,550 in sustainable bankroll six months after initiation by performing 5+ [1,000 hand] sessions per week with 15%- loss expectancy. 09.09.09 deadline.
3. Have a session profit return rate of 85% by the end of the first six months. Precision Execution of Profit Stop Losses are essential to working the p3 plan. “Maintain Seed” is the Battle Cry.
4. Become an established community contributor by the end of the very first quarter.
5. Attend, Participate or Perform 52 community services by the end of the first year.
6. Maximize Profitability by creating specific distinctions and original re-occurring and redundant patterns of exploitable human behavior. Effectively eliminate non-vital purchasing for one year.
7. Exceed the One Million dollar plus projection by the year 2020 by progressive profit re-investing.

1.2 Mission
Our mission at P3 is to run a highly profitable poker business by providing high-end technical information and services in a conducive, safe, upscale, professional environment. We offer professional career management in a variety of areas – Financial, Optimal Physical and Mental Performance, Emotional Mastery, Spirituality, Community Involvement, Philanthropy, Activities Diversification and Life Enhancement Technologies TM. Our professionals offer the latest in maximizing the money you make, while preparing the body and conditioning individual emotional nervous system centers for inevitable financial volatility.
Our goal is to tailor the client’s experience based on initial interview information, as well as feedback during the actual poker session(s), to ensure the client’s mental and emotional comfort and profitability. We are mindful of the overall experience – using only the finest profit tracking and session logging tools to maximize accountability and fiscal responsibility. Patented unique teaching modules incorporate a hybrid of all techniques and distinctions to maximize positive cash-flow for our clients. Music, board-breaks, Para shoot jumps and fire walks are all used throughout this most unique training and condition experience to complete the course of Integrated Life Mastery TM which incorporates poker profitability and enhance the client’s overall Life experience.

1.3 Keys to P3 Success
1. Productivity: Conditioning Precision Execution Poker Techniques TM gives us a unique advantage.
2. Professionalism: Owner is a proven, 15-year sales executive record breaker. Personal Power is the first strength to our success and a huge competitive edge.
3. Customized Learning modules: Each client’s experience is custom tailored to his or her own starting levels and abilities.
4. Repeating Systems: Profitability from precision execution of Power Poker Psychology Systems TM is industry proven.
5. Accurate Results recording: High performance based results orientated. Score Driven.
6. Real-Time Dynamic Distinction Modeling TM: We have the latest in techniques and distinction with the best products and training / conditioning systems from around the world.

Time Line Specific 10 year Objectives:

Life Balance: Maintain a level of emotional and financial “comfort” throughout the initial first quarter phase. [4months]

Integrate Optimal Physical Conditioning / [year One] – food; diet; fitness

Amplify Poker and Fiscal Responsibility distinctions as it relates to profitability; diversification; fixed and variable expenses [Years 1-10]

Integrate Emotional Mastery as it relates to financial volatility. [by end of 2nd quarter]

Maximize mathematical EDGE: Increase Positive Value [+EV / expected Value]

Preach and Practice Wise Decisions and Selective competitive Aggression. [Day one]

CANI! and move up through the ranks and level at an acceptable rate of progression. [Years 3 to 5]

Achieve the $5k per month standard within 120 days- maintain through the building of $15k- exceed the $1M milestone mark on or before the year 2020. [$4,166 minimum monthly ROI monthly with 20%+ compounding annual improvements.]

Understand and incorporate Life Balance TM to your profitable poker profession. [Year one forward]~ Includes but is not limited to Travel, non-business purchases, physical and emotional mastery~ and courses beyond the basic professional based poker curriculum.

IDEAL PROJECTION: Best case senario~ Exponential Achievement
4months: $10k net exclusive BR
6months: $16,500.00 BR by 09.09.09
12months: $50k
Year #2: $100k
Year #3: $200k
Year #4: $333k
Halfway point: $400k net WORTH with aggressive investment deployment
Year #5: $500k
Year #6: $600k
Year #7: $700k
Year #8: $800k
Year #9: $900k
Year 2020: $1 Million net Poker Bankroll conversion:
10% saving account: $1ook
Appreciating assest house/condo investment $250k
10% emergency fund $100k
$100k IRA investment
$10k WSOP buy
Reinvestment to new level Tournament Poker Bankroll: $500k
Represents Phase II ~ The new beginning on the Professional [WSOP/WPT] Poker TOUR.

REAL WORLD NUMBERS: Non-appreciating sub 85% profit retention~ in
Minimum: $4,166 tracked ROI per month /$992 per week//$198 per session minimum net profit average {6 work days a week minimum} NON-compounding (non-taxed)

10 year / 2020 worse case scenario is: $500k GROSS

P3 is a division of VIGOROUS PRODUCTIONS; LLC

CTF: Amnon Filippi

Capture the Flag: Where Top Cash-Game Pros Talk Strategy
BY: LIZZY HARRISON | lizzy.harrison@cardplayer.com
PUBLISHED: Friday Oct 03, 2008 12:00 AM
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Amnon Filippi first honed his poker skills by playing seven-card stud in private clubs, but when no-limit hold’em swept the nation, he made a profitable switch. Filippi’s fearlessness at the tables is conducive to success, and that aspect of his game earned him his nickname, “Guts.” He hails from New York City but spends a significant amount of time away from home in pursuit of cash games he can crack, and was invited to play in the second season of the GSN cash-game show High Stakes Poker.

Lizzy Harrison: What factors make for a good cash game?

Amnon Filippi: I want to find a table with at least four or five people I do not know. I think that if I do not know them, they are probably subpar players, and those are the players I want to play against. I do not want to be in a game full of pros, because the goal is to earn money. If you figure it on an hourly rate, you will make less playing against the better players because it will be tougher.

LH: What is your preferred game, and why?

AF: I enjoy playing seven-card stud because it is a rare game to find. When I am on the West Coast, I try to play stud because there are really good stud games there, and there are not any good stud games anywhere else in the country. Otherwise, I usually play no-limit hold’em. If there are good mixed games going on, I will play in them, also. I will play basically whatever is available.

LH: Is there a game you won’t play?

AF: I might not play seven-card stud eight-or-better and Omaha eight-or-better by themselves. I also will never play only limit hold’em. You never will see me at a limit hold’em table because I do not enjoy it.

LH: When you first started playing cash games, what games and stakes did you play?

AF: I started off playing $20-$40 stud, and I played that for about two-and-a-half years. The club where I went pitched only stud and limit hold’em, and I didn’t like limit hold’em. I enjoyed stud much more. As time went by, though, I realized that the money is in no-limit hold’em, and I had to begin to play no-limit if I wanted to make a living as a poker player.

LH: How quickly did you become a winning player?

AF: I was not a winning player from the beginning. I would have winning streaks and losing streaks. I improved by constantly watching the players who were always winning. I watched the cards they played, the positions from which they played them, and the hands that they turned over. I adjusted my game to try to emulate these players.

LH: What stakes do you play on a day-to-day basis?

AF: When I play no-limit hold’em, I play the games with a $10,000 or $20,000 buy-in, if the games are good. If there are no good games, I’ll play a smaller game with a $5,000 buy-in.

LH: What are the highest stakes you have played?

AF: I am pretty sure that the biggest game I have been in was when I played on High Stakes Poker. It was $300-$600 with a $100 ante. I have played in some $200-$400 games that were pretty big, and some $100-$200 games in which everyone had $80,000 or $100,000 in front of him.

LH: How should a player determine when he is ready to move up in stakes?

AF: If you can consistently beat the game in which you are playing, you should move up in stakes. You have to control your bankroll, though; you do not want to put all of the money you have made in a smaller game into a bigger game. You should take 10 percent of your bankroll to play in a bigger game. Play about five sessions. If you win four out of five and the session you lost was due to bad beats or just getting unlucky, you can move up. You should challenge yourself to move. If you can play with the better players and not let the money in front of you be an issue, you should keep trying to move up.

LH: What is the most common mistake you see inexperienced cash-game players making?

AF: For the most part, amateur players are very curious. A lot of times, they will call off their money with any marginal hand because they want to see your cards. That is the biggest difference between amateurs and pros. Pros can lay down a hand that amateurs would never be able to lay down. Because of this, it is not a smart idea to bluff into amateurs. They just want to see your cards, so if you don’t have it and you bluff into them, they are going to call you if they have any piece of the board. They do not have the patience to sit around. The main mistake that amateurs make is calling off their money with marginal hands.

LH: What skills are more important in cash games than they are in tournaments?

AF: Since the limits never go up in cash games, you are not rushed. In tournaments, you are forced to play because the blinds go up. In cash games, you are not forced to play; you can sit there all day long.

LH: Did you ever receive any advice that changed the way you played cash games?

AF: One specific piece of information is to play position a lot. Good players will try to play a lot of hands in position.

LH: What advice would you give a successful tournament player if he wanted to move into the cash-game arena?

AF: Play as small as possible to learn. Do not let your ego get in the way of the stakes you play. Play where you are comfortable. If you get lucky in your first tournament, don’t play big cash games. Look at Jamie Gold as an example; he won $12 million and decided he could play at any stakes. Obviously, money was not an issue for him, but it changed the way that others played against him. You don’t want to jump into a really big game; you want to start small and work your way up.

LH: Which poker players have most influenced your game?

AF: Paul Darden helped me out early in my career. A few years back, Gabe Thaler helped me with my no-limit game. J.C. Tran has helped me improve my game a lot recently. Also, I hang around with Nam Le, Tuan Le, and Tim Phan. Watching the cards and position that they play has helped my game a lot.

LH: What characteristics do great cash-game players share?

AF: I would say money-management skills, but I keep hearing about all of these big-name pros going broke, so maybe that isn’t it. I think it would be poise. They all have been able to withstand the ups and downs throughout their careers.

LH: Which cash-game players do you most respect, and why?

AF: I recently watched Lee Markholt play, and he had a really big win in a fairly small game. It was a $20,000 buy-in game and he had an astronomical win. He was playing well and was very confident. He was enjoying himself, and the cards were coming to him, so he stuck with it and kept playing.

LH: Any others?

AF: Arthur Azen is a New York player; he is good. There are a lot of cash-game players who are not well-known because they do not play too many tournaments. It is like how some people play the lottery and some people don’t. Playing a tournament can be like a lottery, because you can play perfectly and still have aces cracked multiple times. In a cash game, you can have your aces cracked and then get all of your money back on the next hand. In a tournament, if you get knocked out, you just go on to the next tournament.

wealth / prosperity consciousness

‘wealth is the by product of creating order from chaos.”

? is the content of your content
streamline
organize
delegate

reduce
quality content CONDENSED

release that which no longer serves you.

poker generosity

My commitment:

I will figure out and breakthrough this “plexi-glass” ceiling that separates the poker masses from the one’s who actually succeed before december of 2009.

With my 2010 earnings forward I commit to consistently reinvesting 10% back into my community;
and in making movies that matter.

Poker Models include: John Phan; Phil Ivey; Yang; and Barry Greenstein

Thanks for understanding that I am not looking for : ONE definitive answer
BUT much as in runnig your own business~
more important than getting bankrolled
is determining dominate strategy;
being able to clearly identify how to employee it; and morph accordingly.

Some of the MANY acts of kindness from my favourite Role Model:
The “Robin Hood” of Poker

Children, Incorporated
>$1,500,000

Children, Incorporated is the primary recipient of my donations. They provide food, clothing, school supplies, medical needs and other necessities for thousands of children in twenty-one countries, including the United States.

——————————————————————————–

Bogan Technical High School
$210,000

Money used mainly for “smart boards” and computers for my high school in Chicago, Ill.

——————————————————————————–

Guyana Watch
$150,000

This organization provides medical supplies and attention to the small South American country of Guyana.

——————————————————————————–

Keep Memory Alive $144,300

——————————————————————————–

Magwitch Foundation(scholarships) >$130,000

——————————————————————————–

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford
$100,000

My daughter Melissa was here the day it opened. She had a liver transplant there in 1991.

——————————————————————————–

University of Illinois
$100,000

Money was given to the math department to help with graduate research. I look at this as profit sharing with the department where I did most of my learning.

——————————————————————————–

Rainbow Services (San Pedro, Ca.)
$75,000

Most of the money was used to build a children’s wing.

——————————————————————————–

Peninsula Education Foundation
$60,000

Helping the local school district

——————————————————————————–

iLoveSchools.com
$55,000

iLoveSchools.com is a free matchmaking service – for education! School teachers request materials and supplies while potential donors search for a teacher in need of their gifts of money or, new and used goods.

——————————————————————————–

Rancho del Mar High School
$18,000

For computer equipment for this alternative- education high school in Palos Verdes.

——————————————————————————–

Craftsman Recreation $7200

——————————————————————————–

March of Dimes
$2000

——————————————————————————–

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; 999 for kids
$1500

——————————————————————————–

Disbursement to individuals >$48,000
Lodging and transportation for volunteers >$60,000
Tips from tournament wins >$160,000

Poker stress vs. financial duress

THE BADGES ARE :

Psysiological Reactions~
headaches
perspiring hands
sexual difficulties
increased heart rate
fluttery feeling in the stomach
weight loss or gain
constipation or diarrhea
shaking hands
excessive perspiration
rapid breathing

Behavior Signals ~
aggression
difficulty in making up one’s mind
restlessness
inability to relax
sleep problems
interpesonal problems
hyperactivity
nail-biting

Psychological Responses ~
depression
anxiety
loss of confidence
feeling of strain
feelings of helplessness
excessive concer about the future
hopelessenss
anger
frustration
boredom
disorganization
apathy
indecisiveness
irritability

Champion

“In order to BE a Champion~
you’ve got to think like one; you’ve got to act like one.”

Padaig Parkinson

Poker Room Locations

and Major Tournament Circuit Schedules

Solid Poker Rooms;
Tournament Schedules: Time / Place / Game / Buy~ins

The Poker Authority: CARDPLAYER.com

“The game of poker is really more one of people than of cards.”

“Ultimately poker is not a game of cards played with people~
but a game of people; played with cards.”

The cards will always break even (eventually)~
the CHiPS NEVER do. (thankfully)

poker strategies & analysis

It’s not the cards you are dealt~
over a long enough trial we are all randomly dealt the same
52 cards in their 1,326 combinations creating 169 distinct starting hands.

Here are the probabilities and odds of being dealt various other types of starting hands.

Hand Probability Odds:

AKs (or any specific suited cards) / 331 : 1
AA (or any specific pair) / 220 : 1
AKs, KQs, QJs, or JTs / 82 : 1
AK (or any specific non-pair incl. suited) / 82 : 1
AA, KK, or QQ / 72 : 1
AA, KK, QQ or JJ / 55 : 1
Suited cards, jack or better / 55 : 1
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, or TT / 44 : 1
Suited cards, 10 or better33 : 1
Suited connectors / 25 : 1
Connected cards, 10 or better / 20 : 1
Any 2 cards with rank at least queen / 20 : 1
Any 2 cards with rank at least jack / 10 : 1
Any 2 cards with rank at least 10 / 6 : 1
Connected cards (cards of consecutive rank) / 6 : 1
Any 2 cards with rank at least 9 / 4 : 1
Rags ~ Not connected nor suited, at least one 2-9 / 1 : 1

AND… all of this “data” goes right out the kazoo
when yer opponnent gets lucky and draws pocket AA aces back to back.
[Anyone who has played seriously has seen this happen.]

So~ ultimately the numbers can kiLL you SHORT TERM.
There is lies the rub.

You can never say:
“He is re-raising my KINGS so i am going all-in.
there’s NO WAY he can have Aces back to back!!!”
~And then bet all the mortgage money.

It happens.

Anything can happen; and when it does?
BECAUSE you are a good player- it will probably happen AGAINST you.
[Cue the badBEAT]

Skill dominates LONGterm;
why else would you always see so many pros deep and at final tables~

BUT in the shortTERM?

A N Y T H I N G can happen.

I’ve seen a drunken idiot hit quads one hand then a 2card royal the next….
again WHATEVER randomness generator you create? KAOS still rules SHORTterm.

Focus on creating EDGE in the area of: PEOPLE
[Not so much on the randomness of starting hand combinations.]

Remember: It is 100% your responsibility to CREATE EDGE~
Professionals who understand their opponnents
THINKING;
motives;
drives;
needs;
relationship with money;
current chip stack situation;
image and ego~
who use keen sensory acuity skills;
and strong reading ability
will always generate a significant edge in nonstandard situations
over their opponnets..

This is what seperates weekend warriors from Poker Professionals.

With EDGE you self-create the opprotunity to play more hands
because of your ability to out play others Pre-Flop / Post-Flop and on the River.

Edge makes marginal hands more valueable; and therefore more playable.

You can’t beat the Cards.
Once your all in NObody controls the boards fate.

Your focus?
Your mission?
Create edge in situation where others do not
or are unwilling to.

“Win.”

Gus Hanson when asked ~
“What is the best way to build an Online BankroLL.”

Gus Hansen

Player Biography
Over $7.1 Million in Career Tournament Earnings
The Only Player to Win Four WPT titles
Winner of the 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event
[In which he recorded every hand.]

Q.think it will hurt your game in the long run by revealing all your insights via your new book?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: As i always say:
changing gears is the most important thing in poker, so me revealing a couple of hands shouldnt hurt me too much.

Q. whats the best way to manage my bankroll?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: My records show that I am one of the worst bank-roll management guys out there so I probably shouldnt reveal my secrets :-)

Q. gus u play much roullette at all? if so u up much or down?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: I think I played roulette one time 15 years ago I dont play casino games like to have some influence on the games I play.

Q. gus, what was your original poker bankroll? how long did it take for you to grind before you decided to go pro?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: probably around 50k.

BIGGEST WIN AND LOSS IN A DAY: 1.2 mil and 970k loss

advice: AK under the gun raise 80% limp 20% fold 0%

Live poker is more human psychology than online.
Play to your stregnths.

Q. Best defense against someone stealing your BB ongoingly?
Gus: A.I. push and pray.

Gus Hansen: analyze your opponents every move and when it doesnt ring true CALL

FROM Gus Hansen: one of the most important factors in poker is to vary your game so that is what I try to do.
well,…. that and PLAY GOOD.
key to making it to the Highest level:
be very aggressive and have above average reading technique

;)

QUESTION FROM HTROSS: Hi Gs. What the biggest difference between a good player and a great player?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: their losing sessions fewer and smaller they exercise better control

QUESTION FROM markm02: What was the smallest stakes you played?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: started out playing 2-6 dollar limit holdem

QUESTION FROM tiger_hall: how do you play on the flop against someone who continuation bets all the time?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: You should be prepared to check raise a higher percentage of the time and also lead out a couple of times just to throw them off their game

QUESTION FROM RMiner: you are early in tournament 5th round with AA and 5 in front of you have gone all in…your move?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: If you think you are as good as Phil Hellmuth thinks he is you fold if not you call

;)
{although later stages usually credits loose aggressive play}

whats the most reliable and/or common tell you pick up in live play?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: showing disinterest in a hand and then suddenly come out raising usually means significant strength

Hey Gus, Do you go into a game knowing the style you will play, or do you let each table dictate the pace?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: the table definitely helps dictate the pace since you cant run over a table of maniacs

I always find myself deep in tournaments and extremely low stacked, what can I do as i approach the bubble to build chips without being suicidal?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: suicidal is often a better approach late in the tourney with high blinds and antes

QUESTION FROM BrianV37: what is the best way to play small pocket pairs in early position? Just call and see if you flop a set. Raising with them seems to get me in trouble.

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: if by experience something gets you in trouble then stop doing it

What’s the secret to poker? What’s the one thing?
ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: there is no secret there is a lot of secrets and you have to mix and match between them all it is a complex game

You say your longest losing streak was 9 months, did you have doubts and ever think of giving up?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: No of course at times you wonder but I felt I played decent throughout the losing streak so I knew I was gonna be ok

FlushSTR8d: what advice can you give a young player who is going to building up a bankroll ?

ANSWER FROM Gus Hansen: not to discourage you but managing yourself is one of the keys to become a succesful poker player~
conservative bankroll management + aggressive poker play

“THE POCKET ROCKET” ©

JV’S PATENTED POCKET ODDS CARD
EVENT ODDS

BY: John Vorhaus

I’m not a freak for odds.
I’m not one of these guys who can tell you that you were 16.5 to 3 against picking up a redraw on the turn and/or completing your hand on the river (and aren’t those guys just the most annoying people ? especially after they’ve beaten you out of a pot?)
Truth is, I don’t sweat the odds all that much.
I prefer to:

exploit the big advantage offered in the differential between my skill and my opponents’ skill rather than the sometimes-quite-slim edge offered by the odds qua odds.

That said, there are a few key hold ‘em percentages that I’ve made an effort to know by heart:

How many times will an event
NOT happen
vs.
a favourable outcome actually occuring?

Starting with ANY pair: 16-1
*roughly your dealt ONE PAIR once every two orbits in a full game.
“Deal with it.”

Specific Pocket Pair {how often do i get dealt Aces?} 220-1
Just do not SLOW-PLAY nor OVER-PLAY them when they finally arrive.
They are not “buLLet proof”- merely “strong”.
Be able to lay down Aces? and your on your way to becoming a professional.

Premium Hands~
{Starting with a pair of jacks or higher} 55-1

Starting with ANY pair or an Ace 4-1
About twice an orbit- so BE PATIENT.

SETs
Flopping a set after starting with a pair 8-1

Starting with SUITED cards 3-1
Three times an orbit; but be VERY selective with your aggression.
RANK>suit / if you would not play it UNsuited? DOn’T PLAY that hand.

Flushie:
Flopping four-toAH-flush-draw {after starting suited} 8-1
Completing that flush 2-1
Flopping a flush 118-1
Hitting a runner-runner flush draw 23-1 read:
do not solely chase RuNNer~RuNNer ANYTHING. period.
{especially heads up}

St8’s
Completing a flopped an open-ender 2-1
Completing a flopped gutshot draw 10-1
Never chase a gutterball~ unless you have 10-1 pot odds

Turning a flopped two-pair into a full house 5-1

Turning a flopped set into a full house 2-1

Starting with “Big Slick*” unsuited 110-1
Starting with “BigGER slick*” suited 330-1
At normal speed live games? Get clarity: this is once every 10HOURS +/-*Again; these are preFLOP identical hands
~AK*suited against an unfavourable rainbow board is UNsuited.

Flopping an A or K after starting with Big Slick: 2-1

;)
note: In time I have come to have a better: “feel” for odds; out; and chances.
I am not “married” to the numbers part though~
remember,
play enough hours of poker and you see EVERYthing!

“Yes, Virginia- that 4th deuce CAN come on the river to beat your full house~”

Take the numbers-and “integrate” them.

Flopping a pair with Big Slick?
2:1
is
One time out of three~ get it?

JV’S PATENTED HOLD ‘EM ODDS TABLE ©
HOLD ‘EM EVENT :ODDS AGAINST THAT EVENT TAKING PLACE
Starting with a pair: 16-1
Starting with a [specific] pair of aces: 220-1
Starting with a pair of jacks or higher: 55-1
Starting with a pair OR one ace: 4-1
Flopping a set after starting with a pair: 8-1
Starting with suited cards: 3-1
Flopping a four-flush after starting with suited cards: 8-1
Completing that flush: 2-1
Flopping a flush: 118-1
Hitting a runner-runner flush draw: 23-1
Completing a straight after having flopped an open-ended draw: 2-1
Completing a straight after having flopped a gut-shot draw: 10-1 !
Turning a flopped two-pair into a full house: 5-1
Turning a flopped set into a full house: 2-1
Starting with A-K unsuited: 110-1
Starting with A-K suited: 330-1
Flopping an A or K after starting with Big Slick: 2-1

postCREDIT: JV

JV’S: kiLLer poker

An epigram ~
words of wisdom; a sentance or short poem-
often with a clever twist or lesson at the end in the form of a concise or witty statement.
…so, some epigrams to focus your thinking on what’s important in poker:

MAKE THE LATEST POSSIBLE DECISION BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION.
Suppose you read your opponent’s raise for an A-K and the flop comes little-little-little. If he keeps betting, do you put him on a bluff with overcards, or do you adjust and contemplate the possibility that he’s pushing an overpair (or even a set) and was doing so all along?
Smart players adjust accordingly and continually throughout the hand,
factoring in all actions, past and present, in order to form a coherent theory,
if you will, of their opponents’ holdings.
The trick is this: Don’t get married to your first assumptions. New information leads to new conclusions, and if you insist on clinging to the version of reality that just makes you feel good, you’re doomed to lose every penny you have.
Analyze… adjust… and above all be honest.

ONLY VICTIMS GET VICTIMIZED.
People think it’s bad luck when their two pair get pummeled by a higher two pair. But let’s be frank: If you’re in there with a low two pair in the first place, you’re extremely vulnerable, and you should know it. Occasionally; {very occasionally} we’re victimized by our opponents’ superior play. Much more often, we’re victimized by our own delusions, or wishful thinking, or loose calls with weak hands, or other victim-like behavior. You want to blame your opponents, but the sad fact is that most of the time you have no one to blame but yourself.

EVERYWHERE YOU GO, YOU ALWAYS TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU.
A tip of the Killer Poker chapeau to Australian rockers Crowded House for this epigram, which reminds us that, in a certain sense, each of us is responsible for our own good time. If you’re in a crappy mood when you come to play poker, you can expect (can’t you?) to play crappy poker. If you’re lively and energetic, alive in the moment and ready to bring your best game to this hand and every hand, you can expect (can’t you?) to do much better.
Poker is about math, sure, but poker also about mood.
Make sure that yours is conducive to good play; alternatively, don’t play.

DON’T POUND YOUR HEAD AGAINST A WALL THAT HAS A DOOR IN IT.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.
If your opponent’s raise seems to represent a hand, and you have no reason to believe she’s bluffing, by all means credit her for the hand she has and move on! How much punishment do you need to take (especially in poker, where punishment equals poverty)?
Sometimes the easy thing, and the sensible thing, is the right and obvious thing too.

CANI / IF YOU’RE NOT SLOWLY GETTING BETTER, YOU’RE SLOWLY GETTING WORSE. Yesterday’s tactics don’t work in today’s game. If your opponents know what they’re doing, they’re already hard at work adjusting to your play. If they don’t know what they’re doing ? God love them ? you stand to maximize your advantage by constantly improving your own play. Be constantly getting better. Don’t let the whole world, or anyway the poker world, pass you by.

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER YOU’RE IN THE FRONT
OR THE BACK
OF A BUS THAT’S GOING OVER A CLIFF.
This cruel epigram reminds us not to delude ourselves. Too often in poker we find reasons for optimism when, frankly, pessimism is the sounder strategy.

If you’re beaten, you’re beaten.

Don’t allow yourself to believe that a couple of lucky cards and a couple of tricky plays will turn you into a vastly superior opponent against vastly superior opponents. Cut your losses while you still have the chance.

IN THE PRESENCE OF FEAR YOU CAN FEEL NOTHING;
IN THE ABSENCE OF FEAR YOU CAN FEEL EVERYTHING.
Great players understand this intuitively.
As Frank Herbert wrote in Dune, “Fear is the mind killer.”
If you’re afraid to lose, you’ll play badly and you will lose.
If you’re courageously unafraid, on the other hand,
you can play your game according to strategy, and not according to fear.

“Be not afraid, or be not in the game”.

A LIE IS NOT A LIE IF THE TRUTH IS NOT EXPECTED.
Do not neglect the opportunities to bet when it’s clear that the first bet wins.
There are frequent situations where people can’t call, even if they know you’re a lying sack of cheese. This is called “the right of first bluff,” and if you don’t exercise the right when you have the chance, you’re turning your back on YOUR money.

THE OTHER SIDE IS ALWAYS EVIL.
In any battle for survival, moral justification is an integral weapon of the war. Morality, in other words, is just the tool that both sides use to validate unspeakable horrors committed in the name of survival. The same is true; though generally far less extremely played out; in poker.
Your enemies seem evil because they’re out to get you. But guess what? You seem evil too, because you’re out to get them. Never underestimate the strength you enjoy simply by being in opposition. And never imagine that the people you play against are genuinely evil. They may seem that way to you, but then again, you may also seem that way to them.

THE UNIVERSE IS THERE TO SORT YOU OUT.
I don’t care about your bad beats; you shouldn’t either.
Once you go A.I. preflop NOBODY CAN CHANGE THE CARDS.
Fate. Destiny.
“Control the controlABLES”
You should only care about what your bad beats teach you.
Do they make you stronger? Do they improve your play and your approach to the game? If they do none of these things, then they’re truly bad beats indeed, because beats are inevitable, and it’s tragic when the learning they offer is wasted on you.

POST credit: John Vorhaus

Poker Distinctions [04.2006]

CANI ~ constant and never-ending improvement is key.
These are early [2006] notes that I have expanded on:

p5= play perfect power position poker

entry and exit CHECKLISTs:
Employ Exit Strategies as well as Entry Strategies

seek fiSH
if NO?=GO

winning under these and on coming conditions
if NO?=GO

current image of me tableside in the last :21 minutes is:_________________
how can i exploit that at this moment?

Pro’s record results hour to hour.
Use your personal assistant tableside.
Pro’s survive.
Phish by definition do not.
Phish perish.

TAP= 15% with selective aggression

No weak aces? No sad faces!!

slow nickles vs quick dime: “learn to win a little at a time”

You are ALWAYS: even
Never try to “make up ground” or GET even.

Play well financed killer power poker or leave the battle ground immediately.

Pump ‘em or Dump ‘em.

You can’t win by being a Cally Wally.
Callers are long term losers who alway replense their bankroll with outside income.
Callers = Losers. period.

PPV
pay per view.
Do not show FREE CARDS.
Don’t even show one. The Sharks KNOW what the strong unshown card is.
“yes. yes they do.”

Ghost every hand you are not in.
PRO POKER HAPPENS ABOVE THE FELT WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE HAND.

Make wise decisions, and always force as many decisions past them as possible.
The more they make? The more room for error on their part.
This is the Opposite of check-call passive poker.

Get them to fold the better hand~
while being able to win with AiR.

Boss Talk

Focus v. FocuL

Settle for “90″

Be Mr. P!Nk

“big fish eat little fish”

understand : story and look for congruency; believeability; syncronicity

keen sensory accuity

zen of poker: “be the ball”

Your outcome is to EARN QUARTERLY QUOTA

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