Automatic Poker

A Short Stacker’s Guide To Winning Poker

Jimmie James Jr.

Copyright © 2013 Jimmie James Jr.

The author is not to be held responsible for any monetary losses incurred by anyone following the strategies laid out within this book. Noguarantee of winning at poker is being claimed nor should any guarantee be assumed by the reader. Upon usage of the concepts andstrategies provided by the author, the reader assumes full responsibility for any wins or losses incurred as a result. In reading this book,the reader releases the author of all responsibility of any result thereafter incurred.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publisher.

The Publisher makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book andspecifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Neither the publisher nor author shall beliable for any loss of profit or any commercial damages.

2013-05-12

Dedicated to all the “Poker Orphans” who had the gamethey love taken hostage by Black Friday and along with it

their pursuit of happiness.In this land of liberty, may our leaders have the wisdom tofully restore America’s ultimate game of skill back to We

the People.

AcknowledgmentsI would like to offer special thanks to those who made the writing of this book possible.

♦ To my mother, without your tireless dedication and editing stamina, this project would have beenimpossible.

♠ To my father, for introducing me to the game of Poker.

♣ To my children, who offer inspirational diversions from the mundane.

♥ To my wife, Margie, for your patience and understanding during the countless hours my attentionhas been diverted toward something besides what is most important to me in the world.

Introduction“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius - and alot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.” -Albert Einstein Everyone wants to be a winner. Pick any competitive game or sport, and I will show you thousandsof people dedicated to getting better at it. Poker is no different. Millions of people now play withthe hopes of being the next poker “star.” So, with all the interest, why do only a small percentage ofpoker players become winners over the long term? There is more than one answer to the question,and all are partially correct.

No-Limit Hold’em is a complicated, multifaceted game that is easy to learn but extremely difficult tomaster. It is unique among most other strategy games, because it can be fun for long stretches of time,even if a person is losing money. And the fact that a complete novice can sit down with the bestplayer in the world and win over the short term makes the game very seductive.

In my opinion, the principle reason it is so difficult to improve at poker has more to do with a lack ofsound information and structured learning processes than anything else. That is not to say there is alack of “authorities” in the poker world. There is no shortage of books, articles, websites, andforums out there that discuss strategy. Occasionally, some of the information is decent, but most ofthe time it is pure rubbish or, at best, poorly articulated and lacking in clarity.

Currently, the best way to learn is through one-on-one teaching. There are hundreds of poker coachesout there ready to offer up their services to players wishing to improve, but as the old saying goes,“those that can do…” And while this is not always the case, most of the teachers who really knowwhat they are doing charge so much for their assistance that only the very rich can afford them.

There is another hurdle that many people, myself included, face that is almost insurmountable, andthat is a lack of time. It is no wonder that the majority of players who dominate poker today are intheir early to mid-twenties. They typically have little responsibility and an infinite amount of timeday and night to work hard on their games and improve, while the rest of us get left in the dust.

I paint a pretty glum picture for an aspiring poker player with other responsibilities besides his or herpoker game. The fact is, the entire reason I am writing this is to give inquisitive players of all ages afresh avenue for learning the game. And while this is not a complete beginner’s book, those fairlynew to the game are given the chance to start off on the right track as winning players by using mystrategies. Additionally, more experienced players looking to try something different can benefit fromshort stacking, as it offers them a chance to rebuild their game from scratch.

My teaching style may be a bit different than what you are used to seeing. It is my philosophy that oneshould keep things very simple in the beginning and then steadily build upon a solid foundation. Forcing a beginner to start off by playing a deep stack against skilled players seems ridiculous to me. It’s like handing a seven-year-old a baseball bat and telling him to go learn how to hit by facing amajor league pitcher.

Rather, it seems much more natural to learn poker by starting off with a small stack until one mastersthe basics of the game. My completely chart-based beginner strategy will ease you into things byteaching you a simple and repeatable blueprint for playing winning poker. By just following thecharts, a complete novice can begin playing stronger poker today without any knowledge of advancedstrategies.

Once the basic system is mastered, you will be ready for the intermediate strategy which builds uponwhat you have already learned by showing you how to adjust to table dynamics. You will learn toread what other players are doing and adapt your game accordingly. The rest of the book will then bespent adding to your poker repertoire by covering all aspects of every street through practicalexplanations and examples.

I will show you how to play a virtually unexploitable pre-flop game and skillfully navigate everypost-flop nuance you will face. You will be taught how to think systematically through the merits ofchecking, calling, raising, or folding. By using my methods, you will rapidly learn to think on ahigher level than almost all of your competition.

Beyond strategic considerations, I will also cover every intangible necessary to succeed as an onlinepoker player. I will show you how to use software to obtain reads on other players, how to set upyour computer for efficient sessions that maximize hourly rate, and how to adapt your play for avariety of different poker games.

My ultimate goal is to provide a way to get better at no-limit cash games in a progressive way withthe least amount of risk possible. Only a minimal investment is needed to employ the concepts I willlay out for you to potentially grow a bankroll into a substantial side income. After reading andmastering the strategies in this book, you will have a solid foundation based upon fundamental pokerconcepts and will be well on your way to building your game into a force to be reckoned with aseither a full-time or part-time player. The sky is the limit, and your success is only limited by yourwillingness to work on your game.

How To Learn From This Book

Knowledge and adequate preparation are the keys to winning at poker. Just like any other game orsport, poker has basic fundamentals that, when ignored, lead to leaks that consistently detract frompotential winnings. Most poker players, no matter how “accomplished” they think they are, generallyhave little idea of what they are doing at the table.

The typical approach to teaching poker provides theory without substance and spends very little timeshowing you how to think through hands in a pragmatic and fundamental way. As a result, it is notreally the fault of the ambitious player that his or her game is filled with numerous flaws. It is usuallya general lack of direction or improper education that causes someone to play a futile or -EV style ofpoker. I believe that one should choose the path of least resistance in learning and that poker shouldbe treated just like any other skilled pursuit by starting off very basic and then methodically learningmore advanced concepts.

This book is designed to provide a quick and clear path to strong poker by providing all the toolsneeded to build a complete and well-rounded game. It builds a solid foundation of fundamentals, as itthoroughly covers every aspect of pre-flop and post-flop play. I offer a multi-pronged approach toteaching which includes:

Detailed explanations of fundamental concepts

Practical implementation of fundamentals

Specific strategies to incorporate into your game

Easy to follow charts

Numerous hand examples

Comprehensive quizzes

First, I will discuss why playing a short stack works and introduce you to the key fundamentals thatepitomize a strong poker game. I will then provide you with a chart-based basic beginner system. Itis a simplified version of a more complex method that is intended as an introductory crash course toshort stacking just to get your feet wet. It is designed to make the transition to what may be a newstyle of play a bit smoother.

Once you fully grasp the basic strategy, you will be ready to move on to the next stage of yourdevelopment. The intermediate strategy will introduce using a Heads-Up-Display, or HUD, and willincorporate reads based on the stats of opponents into your play. You will learn how to recognize the

relative strength of various holdings depending on the tendencies of other players, table dynamics,and board textures. The intermediate charts will serve as your default strategy going forward. Onceyou master them, you will likely be playing at a higher level than the majority of your competition. The rest of the book will then be dedicated to showing you how to hone your game and build uponthat core strategy.

In between playing sessions, you should always be continuing your study by focusing on areas of yourgame that you consider to be weak. Once you master the various strategies in this book, you willlearn that difficult poker decisions are not as frequent as you might think. The game will then becomeeven more enjoyable because knowledge is power, and outwitting your opponents is fun.

I have divided each strategic concept by chapter. I will cover opening range strategies, 3-betting/4-betting strategies, calling strategies, and post-flop betting strategies. Each chapter will slowly add toyour poker repertoire and build upon your default strategy by adding tactics to your game that gobeyond the charts.

I will then show you how to adjust your hand planning according to what opponents are doing at thetables. You will learn to identify, classify, and adjust key phases of your game to multiple commonplayer types that you will face via a simple and easy-to-remember labeling system.

Last, you will learn how to optimize and improve the efficiency of your play. Chapters 16 and 17will show you how to manage your day-to-day sessions like a pro, and Chapter 18 will help you honeyour mental game.

Automatic Poker is unique among other poker strategies in that it offers a way to get startedimmediately moving toward a better game. My basic strategy provides a system that anyone can learnin a matter of minutes and instantly become competitive at the micro stakes. In fact, my strategies areproven in actual play on real money poker sites.

If you already have money on a poker site, you can print my basic charts right now and get startedtoday. Just read through Chapter 5, and off you go. Just keep in mind that the charts in this book arenot designed to be a panacea nor a permanent vehicle for success. Their purpose is to provide youwith “training wheels” that force you to play with sound poker fundamentals immediately, while youlearn. They allow you to overhaul your current game right away and provide a valuable ongoingpractice tool for you to use while you continue through the book.

Once you are implementing all the strategies found in these pages, before long, you will find that it isno longer necessary to rely on charts during play. Your game will be rapidly evolving into a well-oiled machine as you learn to base your decisions on table dynamics rather than a static system of

play. Long before you master all the ideas I have provided, you will likely be beating the micros fora respectable win rate. While the strategies in this book are designed for stakes 50NL and below,you may even be able to beat 100NL or higher, although I offer no guarantees. Success dependssolely on your willingness to work hard on your game.

Some of you may want to read the entire book first before beginning to put in a significant number ofhands. However, I encourage you to go ahead and start playing some while you get the intermediatestrategy down, and slowly implement new ideas and adjustments into your game as you go. It is mucheasier to try to learn the game incrementally rather than all at once.

In summary, here are eight steps to success in using this book:

1. Familiarize yourself with the basic concepts laid out in Chapters 3 and 4.

2. Practice using the beginner charts found in Chapter 5, and then begin playing at the lowest microstakes available on your chosen poker site.

3. Once you have the beginner system down, set up your Heads-Up-Display (HUD) and beginlearning the intermediate charts.

4. Practice using the intermediate charts and then move on to Chapter 8. Use the intermediatecharts as your standard strategy going forward.

5. Implement further elements into your game chapter-by-chapter as you continue reading betweensessions.

6. Once you get through Chapter 14 and start labeling opponents, you will want to begin graduallymaking further read-based adjustments to your game as you progress through Chapter 15.

7. Use Chapters 16 and 17 to develop a regular playing and studying routine as you optimize yourplay.

8. Begin working on mental side of poker outlined in Chapter 18.

How Hands Are Illustrated

Occasionally, I will incorporate hand examples that are all taken from actual play. I willeither present them in narrative form, or I will use a format common among online forums and blogs. Here is an example: Sample Hand No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($50.75)Hero (HJ) ($19.43) Hero always in bold.CO ($99.70) 30/20/30 Any opponent stats or reads are included next to players.Button ($49.75)SB ($15.78)BB ($59.04) 50/10/20 (VPIP/PFR/AGG%) Preflop: Hero is HJ with A♥, A♠1 fold, Hero bets $1, CO calls $1, 2 folds, BB calls $0.50I will provide commentary in italics to provide information about the hand on a street-by-streetbasis, as necessary. Flop: ($3.25) 2♠, Q♣, 4♣ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $2.50, CO calls $2.50, BB calls $2.50Commentary about the flop. Turn: ($10.75) 4♦ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $5.38, CO calls $5.38, BB calls $5.38Commentary about the turn. River: ($26.89) 2♣ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $10.55 (All-In), CO calls $10.55, BB calls $10.55Commentary about the river. Total pot: $58.54 | Rake: $2.90

Results:BB had Q♣,T♠ (Two Pair, Queens and fours).Hero had A♥, A♠ (Two Pair, Aces and fours).CO had Q♠,J♠ (Two Pair, Queens and fours).Outcome: Hero won $55.64.I will typically summarize the hand here.____________________________________________________________

As you can see, the format shows the entire hand played out until finished. Some hands will only bepartially shown, but this is how it would look from beginning to end. The action is text based andbroken down street-by-street. The first line states the game and stakes being played. The next linesset up the players and their stack sizes along with their position. Then the hand plays on a street-by-street basis. Most of the time I will build comments into each example to demonstrate my thoughtprocesses on each street.

Stats next to relevant opponents are usually listed as VPIP/PFR/AGG%, but also may includespecific notes or reads that I have on the player. VPIP= Voluntarily put money in pot, PFR= Pre-FlopRaise, and AGG%= Aggression percentage. The higher the VPIP, the looser a player enters pots pre-flop. VPIP for tight players is usually less than 15%, and VPIP for loose players is generally above25%. PFR indicates how often a player raises when he enters a pot and is typically less than 10% fortight players and above 20% for aggressive pre-flop players. AGG% indicates a player’s post-flopaggressiveness. Passive players are usually below 30%, and aggressive players are typically aboveapproximately 35%. The varying percentages are covered in Chapter 6 when you learn to set up yourheads-up-display.

The Truth About Short Stacking

The first lesson I am going to teach you is to forget everything you know about a so-called “correct”buy-in amount. There is no reason that you have to sit down at the table with the maximum allowed inorder to succeed at poker. Your goal should be to make money, not try to adhere to an arbitrary set ofrules.

There is a popular misconception that short-stacking players are relying solely on some kind of pre-flop shoving chart or “system” that has been purchased and downloaded from the Internet. Therefore,the prevailing belief among “mainstream” players is that all short stackers have no skill or talent andare generally dismissed as nothing but an annoyance.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Short stacking is really just a microcosm of deeper-stackedplay, and top small stackers are skilled poker players in their own right. They are just playing adifferent strategy based on buying in for less money. And while stack size fluctuations necessarilyaffect everyone’s strategy, we are all effectively playing the same game.

Short stackers play by the same rules and post the same size blinds as everyone else. They can raise,fold, check, and call. They use math to make their decisions and plan hands just like deeper-stackedplayers do. It is still poker, no matter what your chosen buy-in is. A distinct skill set is needed forplaying various stack sizes, and strategy must change as a stack grows or shrinks. As a consequence,shorter-stacked players typically have more competence when it comes to adjusting to varying stacksizes than 100 big blind players who always keep their stack topped off.

And contrary to popular belief, while there are much fewer difficult decisions, small-stack play is notpurely a “shove fest,” and still requires a great deal of finesse. With 30 big blinds, you have plentyof room to maneuver both pre-flop and post-flop. Just like deeper stacked play, short stackingrequires planning every single hand based upon your opponent’s range and tendencies as well as yourcommitment level. Why 30 big blinds?

Short stacking is so misunderstood that even the amount which constitutes a short stack is up fordebate. Some people feel that anything under 50 big blinds is a short stack, while others feel that a“true” short stacker sits down with 20 big blinds. Among knowledgeable poker players, it seems thatmost are in the camp that less than 40 big blinds is a short stack, 40-80 big blinds is a mid stack, 80-150 big blinds is a full stack, and anything greater than 150 big blinds would be considered deepstacked.

Most short-stacking “systems” concentrate on 20 big blind play. In this book I have focused onplaying any stack size under 45 big blinds and suggest a buy-in of 30. After experimenting with manydifferent stack sizes, I have concluded that 30 big blinds seem to provide the perfect balance betweenallowing for three streets of poker while remaining small enough that a player can comfortably 3-betshove a wide range before the flop. Having 3-betting and 4-betting simplified during the learningprocess cannot be understated.

Another good reason for learning with a 30 big blind stack is that a 20 big blind buy-in is no longeran option on many poker sites. In the last couple of years, many sites have raised their minimum buy-in from 20 big blinds up to 30, 35, or even 40 big blinds. The changes were made mainly to appeasefull-stacked players who are intolerant of players who use a short-stack strategy, because theycollectively have trouble beating them. They do not want to have to spend time learning how to beatshort stackers and would rather segregate themselves from them altogether.

And when “forced” to play against anyone with less than a full buy-in, full-stacked players are oftenquite open about how they feel about who they describe as the scum of the earth. It’s ratherunfortunate that a player’s chosen starting stack can be such an object of contempt. In fact, sittingdown with less than the “standard” buy-in has become such an anathema, that if you post a hand on anonline poker forum that has you starting with less than 100 big blinds, you will likely be ridiculed tono end and receive no advice on the hand itself. Some of the vitriol spewed is so intense that youwould think short stacking is against the rules.

My thought on the subject is that a lot of these bitter feelings are a carry-over from the “old days.” Ageneration ago, the thought of buying in for a short stack would have been unthinkable for a goodpoker player. Before the advent of online poker, a top professional always wanted to have moremoney in his stack than less-skilled players. This allowed him to wield the full force of his “skill”against them.

Additionally, such a strategy would simply not work in live poker rooms. Once you obtained morethan 50 or 60 big blinds, a shift in strategy would have to occur. And sitting out and getting back on awaiting list would not work as a solution. Not only is it a waste of valuable time, it would likely befrowned upon by opponents and the poker room as a form of “going South.”

Today, online players have the ability to come and go as they please, with no such rules of etiquette inplace. With the ability to play multiple tables at once, leaving once you hit a goal amount of money isnow a viable option. You can simply bring in a new table and start fresh with your chosen startingstack size.

The Advantages Of Playing A Short Stack

It is my opinion that buying in short provides a very good starting point for someone fairly new to NLHold’em cash games. This is because playing a smaller effective stack solves a lot of problemsbeginner and intermediate players face. In fact, it solves a lot of problems all players face.

For short stackers, most situations are fairly straightforward, and commitment decisions on the flopbecome considerably less complicated. Since stack-to-pot ratios will always be lower, one canconfidently commit with a wide range of hands. When you flop top pair or an over pair as a shortstack, you are almost always committed. In fact, you want to get raised! Let them fire away becauseyou can profitably call it off with confidence.

Small stacking offers a simpler, crisper decision-making process. It seems to me that in anyendeavor, we should be more inclined to make things less complicated, not more so. It is much betterto play a simple strategy well than a complicated one poorly. Almost every decision one makes at thepoker table is much clearer when wielding less chips. Once armed with the right information, askilled small-stacking player will find that he can make decisions faster, play more tables, andincrease his hourly rate. This is all done in a more stress-free poker environment that is conducive toless variance due to a relatively smaller amount of money being in play.

Beyond tactical considerations, short stacking has many other passive benefits that occur without yourhaving to actively do anything. Just sitting in with a small stack significantly alters the dynamics of atable. This is a double-edged sword in the way it inherently affects the games of both you and youropponents. By being able to avoid many of the complicated situations that a full stack is forced todeal with, a lot of potential leaks are inevitably removed from a short stacker’s game. It also tends tocreate leaks in opponents who fail to correctly adjust. Here are nine reasons buying in short isinherently advantageous: Reason #1: Your Strategy Is a Mystery

Full stackers generally spend all of their time trying to figure out what other full stackers are doing. Because of this, a lot of regular 100 big-blind players will view you solely as a nuisance. Onecannot really blame them. No-limit hold’em is a difficult game, and trying to “master” full-stack playis all they want to focus on. They feel that spending time understanding a short-stack strategy woulddetract from their learning process. To them, you are just another annoying shove bot.

Usually, even skilled full-stack players are either too lazy to try to figure out what you are doing or donot see any merit in doing so. Their focus is solely on deep-stacked poker. That’s their story, and

they’re stickin’ to it. So, the majority of the time regulars will play pot after pot incorrectly againstyou. Even if they do attempt to adjust, much of the time it will be in the wrong manner, and evenmore money will be spewed your way. Reason #2: Mistakes are less punitive

During the learning process, a novice is bound to make numerous errors, so paying less for eachblunder is a nice side effect of short stacking. And because the costs of mistakes are diminished, anovice can more freely and confidently make the difficult decisions he or she faces. One also nolonger has to worry about a single “bad beat” ruining an entire session. Having KK run into AA orhaving someone flop a set against your top pair hurts a lot less when it’s only for 30 big blinds. Reason #3: You Face Fewer Difficult Decisions

Having decisions become much more straightforward and obvious is a positive thing in almost everyendeavor in the world, so why not in poker? If you normally play a 100 big blind stack, how oftenhave you had to fold to a river raise or shove and wonder whether or not you were bluffed? Howoften have you hesitated to value bet the turn, because you were afraid of the pot getting too big by theriver?

We have all been in this kind of spot. You flop top pair or an over pair and get raised on the turn. Did he just make a straight? Did he flop a set? Is he bluffing or semi-bluffing? Is it worth another 70or 80 big blinds to find out? While playing a traditional 100 big blind stack, most sessions includemultiple “tough” decisions like this.

Take these two examples. They are exactly the same hand, but played wielding two different sizestacks. Example #2.1: Difficult Button Situation With 100 Big Blinds Effective No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) HJ ($2.31)CO($10.76)Hero (Button) ($20)100 Big BlindsSB ($20)BB ($19.81)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5♣, 6♣2 folds, Hero bets $0.40, SB calls $0.30, 1 fold Flop: ($1) 9♣, 2♦, Q♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50 Turn: ($2) A♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $1, SB calls $1 River: ($4) Q♠ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB raises $16.10, Hero foldsTotal pot: $8 Results:

SB didn’t show.____________________________________________________________ Example #2.2: Now this time Hero has about 42 big blinds No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) HJ ($2.31)CO ($10.76)Hero (Button) ($8.50)42.5 Big BlindsSB ($20)BB ($19.81) Preflop: Hero is Button with 5♣, 6♣2 folds, Hero bets $0.40, SB calls $0.30,1 fold Flop: ($1) 9♣, 2♦, Q♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50

Turn: ($2) A♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $1, SB calls $1 River: ($4) Q♠ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB raises $16.10, Hero calls $4.60 (All-In)Total pot: $17.20 Results:Hero had 5♣, 6♣ (flush, Ace high).SB had 9♦, A♦ (two pair, Aces and Queens).Outcome: Hero won $17.20.____________________________________________________________

What went wrong the first time? Value betting the river was definitely the right play, but once raisedall in, Hero’s baby flush shrinks considerably. The board paired, so did he make a full house? Ordoes he potentially have a better flush?

In the second example, since Hero had only 42 big blinds to start the hand, he was committed once hemade the flush on the turn. The only card that could have changed things on the river was anotherclub, and in position, we would be more inclined to check back rather than value bet anyway.

You will encounter situations like this multiple times per session, and while deep-stacked players areracking their brains and spewing chips, you are insta-committing and moving on to the next hand. Reason #4: The ever-present threat of an all-in bet

On all streets, short stacks wield the threat of an all-in bet that can come at any time. Well-timedreraise shoves cause multiple headaches for your competition. Most players will not know how tocorrectly react and will concede a latent edge to you each time you stick all your chips in.

Before the flop, 3-bet shoving is a decisive weapon. If your opponents are not well versed in thenuances of range battles, you will be at a significant advantage anytime you sit down with them. Anexpert 3-bet shoving strategy seeks to take advantage of multiple tactical mistakes that unskilledplayers commonly make. Among them are:

Opening raises that are too large, especially from late position:Open raising too large while we are sitting behind them can be a giant leak for our opponents. We exploit their incorrect opening raise size by widening our 3-bet ranges based on the size of

their bet. If they do not similarly adjust their calling ranges, we profit.

Loose opening ranges coupled with tight all-in calling ranges:Calling our shoves too tightly will cause money to leak away from this type of opponent in theform of non-showdown earnings. In other words, the dead money we win when we shove andare not called, more than makes up for the few times we get called and have inferior equity.

All-in calling ranges that are too loose: Our superior equity versus loose calling ranges yields a net profit via showdown winnings. Wejust have to make sure we do not 3-bet light against these players and that our shoves are forvalue.

An incorrect interpretation of Hero’s 3-Bet range:Opponents who are employing a HUD will often fail to realize that we are 3-betting a differentrange against various players. For example, we may have a raw 3-bet stat of 8% against thefield but 3-bet much higher against certain opponents. If those players base their actions on arange of 8%, the profit over time will be immense.

After the flop, a short stack’s commitment range is generally much wider than it is for a full-stackedplayer. Unskilled players will tend to fold many times tighter or looser than is correct due to theirinability to comprehend commitment decisions. Clever players will think they need to call your all-inbets with weaker holdings, as they may assume you are stacking off lighter in any given situation thanyou really are. This provides more abundant opportunities for you to get paid off on your stronghands. As long as we take note of our opponents’ commitment ranges based on their HUD stats orthrough keen observation, we can fairly easily exploit them through minor adjustments.

Profit in poker comes from our ability to consistently make decisions superior to what the field ismaking. Therefore, we should create as many opportunities for them to make mistakes as we can. The frequent barrage of all-in decisions coupled with our wide opening range and constant aggressionotherwise, guarantees more profitable opportunities per hour than our counterparts can muster. Reason #5: An inherent beneficial image

Opponents maintaining a prejudice against short stackers is a major leak from which we frequentlybenefit. Many players seem to become blinded to key factors during the course of play because theydismiss, underestimate, or undervalue an opponent based solely on their chosen buy-in amount. Youwill find players doing crazy -EV things against you because of their hatred of short stackers.

Among strong players, the prevalent myth out there is that anyone playing a short stack is not a skilled

player. Many feel that if a person were any good at all, he wouldn’t have to resort to short stackingand could just buy in full. So regulars will often play against you as if you were a fish. This type ofimage is advantageous and benefits you in many ways.

Additionally, because of your wide stealing range and somewhat frequent 3-bet shoves, some playerswill inevitably view you as a maniac. In my opinion, this is the most beneficial image you canobtain. It is human nature that some players will become annoyed when an opponent seems to beraising every hand. By seemingly playing a wide-open game, you will inevitably get played back at,and the value of your strong hands will soar. To illustrate this point, take a look at this hand playedagainst a solid regular. Example #2.3: Opponent makes a calling error No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($42.40)HJ ($47.08) 16% Hijack opening rangeCO ($29.95)Hero (Button) ($17.25) 34.5bbsSB ($50.27)BB ($26.59) Preflop: Hero is Button with A♣, Q♣1 fold, MP bets $1.50,1 fold, Hero raises to $17.25 (All-In),2 folds, MP calls $15.75 (All-In)This is not a slam dunk shove from the button but should certainly show a profit against anaverage calling range of 77+, AJ+. Flop: ($35.25) 3♥, 10♠, 9♠ (2 players, 2 all-in) Turn: ($35.25) 2♦ (2 players, 2 all-in) River: ($35.25) 9♦ (2 players, 2 all-in)Total pot: $35.25

Results:Hero had A♣, Q♣ (one pair, nines).MP had A♥, 8♥ (one pair, nines).Outcome:Hero won $35.25.It is doubtful that my opponent would have often called a 3-bet or 4-bet against me if I had 100 bigblinds. Yet, he somehow decides to call off 35 big blinds with a weak-suited ace. I would need tobe 3-betting well over 20% for his call to be profitable. Clearly, I am never 3-betting that muchagainst his Hijack range, which makes his play a gross error.____________________________________________________________ Other players will react differently. They may not be comfortable loosening up their ranges, so theymay do the opposite and begin nut camping to try and “trap” and “bust” you. When this occurs, thenon-showdown earnings will flow into your account as you steal and c-bet bluff against themrelentlessly.

An inherent image will also benefit you after the flop. Opponents will tend to call your unrelenting c-bets with weaker holdings and pay off your big hands with increased frequency. Since we can’treally “hurt” them or threaten their stack, they may call one or two streets with a weak holding,knowing they can’t really be put to a test. I never fail to be surprised at the trash with which playerswill call a three-barrel shove. Even your weaker hands increase in value because you gain theopportunity to profitably c-bet a lot lighter against many opponents. Reason #6: Having a small stack size makes you less “bluffable”

Due to lower stack-to-pot ratios, any bet made by a short stack after the flop will appear morecommitting than it would for a deeper stacked player. Based on a sound strategy, once a large amountof the effective stack has been invested, it would be a big mistake to raise and then fold to a shove. This type of thinking is generally correct; however, what people widely misunderstand is thatcommitment works a bit differently for a loose aggressive short stack.

Bets made by a LAG are typically based more around pressure and the mathematical merit of winningthe pot on a street-by-street basis rather than strictly on stack-to-pot ratios. As a consequence,commitment for a LAG really only comes into play on equity decisions. For example, we can oftencorrectly stack off with draws on the turn when bigger stacks can’t. Favorable commitment scenarioswith a flop bet-turn check/raise line are much easier to create with smaller stack sizes.

The way we exploit this miscalculation is simple. Since skilled players are less likely to bluffagainst opponents who appear committed, versus thinking players, you can comfortably bet-foldmediocre hands to re-raises and not be overly concerned about getting bluffed.

Reason #7: Players Cannot Effectively Set Mine You

There are players out there who have built their entire game around “set mining” or “nut camping.” Beyond waiting for premium holdings, their basic strategy is to wait for pocket pairs, call anopponent’s pre-flop raise, and then hope to get all of the money in when they hit a set.

The reason this can be effective is due to the implied potential to win a huge pot should they spike aset. For example, if a 100 big blind opponent opens for 3x, then the nut peddler is only investing amaximum of 3bbs with the potential to win the 97 still behind. Because 97/3=32.3, the nut peddlerwould be getting 32.3 to 1 implied odds when heads up. And since a set will be flopped by a playerapproximately every 1 in 8 times, if more than 8 times the initial investment is won on average whenhe hits a set, then the play will be profitable.

The general rule of thumb agreed upon by good players is that you need at least 20 to 1 implied oddsin order to set mine against most players. The problem is, versus a min-raiser with a 30 big blindstack, the formula now becomes 28/2=14. As you can see, the play is now less than half as effectiveand will surely lose money over the long term.

Furthermore, no matter what someone’s stack size is, they should not be limiting their strategy to sucha narrow path to profit. In NL Hold’em, you should be constantly attacking the table, not impotentlysitting back waiting for the money to come to you. Set mining is passive poker, and passive poker islosing poker.

An erroneous set mining strategy is further exacerbated by attempting to do so against a wide openingrange. Since there are a lot fewer flops that we will be willing to stack off on, the play is even lessprofitable. So anytime someone set mines you and the money happens to go in, even if you lose, justremember that you made a lot of long-term EV money due to your opponent’s bad play.

The naysayers will scoff and point out that the inability to set mine is a two-way street. It is true thatshort stacks have a difficult time obtaining the correct odds to ever set mine. Even so, at least weknow it’s a losing play and can refrain from incorporating it into our game. All the while, manyplayers who are just going through the motions will unprofitably try to set mine us again and again. Just by buying in short, you have completely destroyed their entire game plan. There is no way theycan beat you, unless they completely overhaul their strategy against you.

Reason #8: The ability to play higher stakes with a smaller bankroll

Risk of ruin is defined as the likelihood of an individual losing so much of his bankroll that he cannotcontinue playing. Buying in for smaller amounts of money inherently lowers that risk and creates thepotential for a more rapid ascent in stakes. Additionally, swings will typically not happen nearly asfast, so a player can confidently buy into a higher stake with much smaller risk and move up and downin limits, with ease.

Small-stacking players need about 1/4 of the bankroll in order to play the same stake that a full-stacked player does. So while intelligent 100 big-blind players are waiting for a bankroll of $2,500or higher to play 50NL, you are already grinding it out at 100NL with only $1,200. The benefits ofbeing able to more aggressively build a bankroll cannot be overstated.

Having a much smaller working bankroll is also nice, because in today’s volatile online pokerclimate, it is prudent not to have much money tied up in your account. One only needs to considerwhat happened to Full Tilt poker players on Black Friday to understand the importance of this. Thatfact alone makes short stacking a wise alternative for a professional poker player. Reason #9: No More C Game

We all have days when we are not completely with it. Sometimes we probably should not be playingat all, but depending on how important poker income is to you, this may not be an option. One of thebenefits of short stacking is that auto-piloting is a lot less detrimental to your win-rate. Not only aremistakes a lot less punitive, much more of your play is automatic compared to deep-stacked play, andthere are not nearly as many mentally taxing situations encountered during a session.

Whether it is physical tiredness, lack of sleep, or something going on non-poker related, everyone hasdays where their mind is not firing on all cylinders. Regardless of the reason, it gives you peace ofmind to know that even on your worst day, you can still at least play your B game and never have toworry about spewing too badly in your sessions.

The Fundamentals Of Poker

Poker is just like any other game or sport. Once you learn the fundamentals as part of an overallstrategy, you then can focus on the subtle nuances of the endeavor in order to rise above thecompetition. No one has ever been any good at anything their first time trying it. There always has tobe some foundation for success.

Take basketball, for example. There have been decades of trial and error on what works and doesnot work on the court. Innovators find better ways of doing something, and then eventually it becomesa fundamental.

In the old days of the game, players employed a two-handed set shot with both feet firmly planted onthe ground. In the late 1920s, someone figured out that the one-handed set shot was much moreaccurate. The game was revolutionized and scoring soared. This innovation, of course, led to thejump shot, which was invented sometime in the 1930s.

Today, when kids are taught how to shoot, they are shown tried and true fundamental motions of howto hold the ball, proper stance, and correct release. If any of the fundamentals are ignored, theplayer’s potential will be limited. I feel poker works very much the same way. If a player is notversed in the fundamentals of basic play, then his or her game will suffer.

The golf swing is another great example of what fundamentals can do to your game. Not only do youhave to do certain things correctly, you have to make sure you eliminate all the bad motions as well. Case in point, let’s take a look at the player who perhaps had the greatest fundamentals of any golferever. In fact, he invented many of the fundamentals of modern golf. Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan is arguably the greatest golfer of all time. He spent countless hours on the range workingon his swing and was well-known for his tireless work ethic. He became a student of the game ofgolf, and had a keen determination to perfect the golf swing. His method involved removing all of theunnecessary moving parts in his swing, until all he had left were a few fundamental efficientmovements. It took him several years to develop it, but once he did, he had full command of not onlyhis golf swing, but just about every tournament he played.

It is my aim to do the same thing in this book. But instead of removing the extra moving parts found ina golf swing, in poker you will take away actions that are fundamentally unprofitable. What I willteach you to do is systematically eliminate all of the leaks from your game.

A leak is an action that would show a long-term monetary loss when repeated throughout a career. Any strategy rife with strategic flaws that has you consistently making tactical errors will losemoney. An extreme example would be calling 3-bets all-in with 32o. You could win five times in arow over the short term, but if you make this call a thousand times during a career, you are sure tolose a boatload of money. So how do you fix this leak? You simply stop calling 3-bet all-ins with32o. Seems obvious, right?

The trick is, most leaks are not this clear cut. A player may have enough positive results over theshort term with a losing strategy so as to be fooled into thinking it is correct to play in such a way. Without the perspective of a large enough sample size to provide ample negative reinforcement, onecould not know about his or her slow monetary bleed.

Ben Hogan used trial and error to work on his swing. He would remove or add a movement to hisswing, and afterward hit hundreds of balls. Then he would make a small adjustment and repeat. Hehad the luxury of a driving range and shots that did not count in which to master his technique. If youtried this method in poker, you would surely go broke many times over before you had a gamestreamlined enough to make a profit.

Lucky for you, other people have already crossed these bridges and made these mistakes. Today,people can watch Ben Hogan’s golf swing and copy it movement for movement, and through diligentpractice, build a serviceable swing with very few “leaks.” Hogan already paved the way for manygenerations of golfers to benefit from his diligence.

You can do the same in poker with the correct information around which to build your game. Just likegolf, poker has fundamentals as there are basic things you can do and not do in order to successfullyplay a profitable game. However, just like in golf, being armed with all the right information doesnot instantly make you a great player. You still have to get out there and practice what you learn. Your “driving range” will be the strategies in this book used at the micro-stakes.

Implementing Poker Fundamentals

A person does not necessarily need to know the theory behind a fundamental in order for it to helptheir game. One can reap the rewards by just adhering to its principles. And while most pokerfundamentals are actually very elementary, they are largely ignored by the vast majority of players. Why is this?

My take on it is that almost all poker players are egotistical to some degree. Generally, everyonethinks they are the best poker player at the table when they sit down. They already know the“correct” way to play, and anything anyone else does that does not conform to their approach to thegame is dismissed as bad play. It is my feeling that this general lack of awareness that their pokergame even has leaks is the main reason many people fail to take the time to try to improve or learnnew ideas. They are completely satisfied with their game, and simply see no need to waste their timeimproving upon “perfection.”

On the other hand, many people play for recreation only and might not even see poker as a game ofskill. All they live for is the big all-in situations where they hope lady luck is on their side so theycan take down that monster pot. To them, poker is one big lottery ticket and should be treated as anyother form of gambling. They may even think any poker “system” is just a scam and a waste of time.

Even those actively seeking improvement can have a tough time of it. For ambitious players whodesire to get better, the world can be a frustrating place. There is so much information out there nowthat even knowing where to start escapes many people. Much of the literature available to playerstends to focus only on exciting big hands and large pots. Very little discusses what you do the other95% of the time where the true profit is located.

The reality is, an average poker session for a professional can be truly boring. Winning poker is notexciting poker. This is not to say that poker cannot be fun when someone has an edge over hisopponents. It just means that pleasure is generally not solely derived from those few and far betweenhigh points that come in the form of monster hands and big pots.

The best way to get started and begin building discipline into any poker game is to learn and adhereto a few fundamentals. Once mastered, one can have complete confidence that he or she is makingsound basic decisions. This frees up thought to focus on more nuanced or advanced strategies which,in turn, increase profit.

Automatic Poker is designed around several core principles. As you continue through this book, youwill begin to learn the theory behind the fundamentals, and your game will inevitably move to the nextlevel. Before I go into detail on the fundamentals of what you should be doing, let me go through a

few things that you should not be doing. Here is a list of leaks that a large percentage of all playersexhibit:

Open limping to try to see a “cheap” flop

Calling pre-flop raises in the blinds because your hand is “too good to fold”

Passive Play

Failure to try to build big pots with big hands

Playing level 1 poker (only thinking about your own hand)

I could probably name a hundred more leaks, but these are the most common ones I see. If you areguilty of any (or all) of these, here is the good news. You can stop doing them today and vastlyimprove your game. By using my strategies, your game will instantly shed all of these leaks. At thesame time you will also begin adhering to many of the important fundamentals of poker. The majorones are:

Playing in position

Playing with initiative

Keeping pressure on your opponents

Playing big pots with big hands and small pots with small hands

Thinking in ranges

Using my charts will have you implementing the first three fundamentals instantly while bettingstrategies and thinking in ranges will take a bit more work to incorporate, because, as previouslystated, the charts can only take you so far. You cannot rely solely on them to become a completepoker player.

It is best to think of the charts only as training wheels. By using them initially, your game will berepeatable and automatic. They will allow you to play with strong fundamentals while you train yourpoker mind and learn more sophisticated concepts. Let’s take a closer look at the three mostimportant fundamentals of all.

The Big Three

There are three key fundamentals exhibited by any strong overall strategy. They are position,initiative, and pressure. Every poker hand you will ever play will somehow be influenced by these

key concepts. Failure to understand and implement any one of these ideas into your game will be atthe peril of your bottom line.

Playing in position and with initiative are the most important strategical aspects of any poker game. In fact, building the foundation of your entire strategy around nothing else but these two fundamentalswill give you an overwhelming advantage over anyone who does not. Hand planning changessignificantly depending on whether you are in or out of position and whether or not you possess theinitiative. When you have only one or the other or neither going for you, your game will be severelyconstricted. But by having both working in tandem, you have additional ways of applying pressure toopponents and many more avenues to profit.

The consistent application of pressure on opponents is an important facet of any winning strategy. Ina game based on initiative, it is a fundamental aspect of just about everything you do. When you steal,you are applying pressure. When you 3-bet, you are applying pressure. When you continuation bet,you are applying pressure.

If you want to think about it in a theoretical sense, playing the majority of your hands late begetsposition, position begets initiative, initiative begets pressure, pressure begets mistakes fromopponents, and mistakes from opponents beget profit. By following these three principalfundamentals, you will consistently find yourself in many more profitable spots and many lessmarginal or unprofitable situations than your less technically correct opponents. Ultimately, winningthe small battles over time is the key to a profitable poker game.

PositionPosition is hands down the most important facet of a strong poker strategy. It is also the mostconsistent source of leakage found in your average player. While most players generally understandwhat position means, they still typically play way too many hands out of position and not nearlyenough while in it. Situational factors can modify your range on a given hand, but generally, youshould be relying less on the quality of your starting hands and more on where you are seated at thetable when deciding whether or not to enter a pot.

The strategies in this book will have you playing the vast majority of your hands in position. If youare a beginner, you don’t need to completely understand why position is so powerful. Just follow theopening ranges I have provided, and you will be playing a positionally sound game.

Basics Of Position

To be in position means to act last. This is determined by your seat at the table. Starting with thesmall blind and working your way clockwise around the table, your position at the tableprogressively improves. This is because there is one less person that can act after you as you movetoward the button, and the likelihood of you being in position after the flop increases.

If you are the last player to act once the flop comes down, you are in position (IP), and if you are notlast to act after the flop, you are out of position (OOP). The small blind never acts last. The bigblind only acts last after the small blind. Under the gun only acts last after the blinds. You get theidea. The button always acts last on every single post-flop poker hand played and, as a result, is theabsolute best position from which to play.

As you move closer to the button and are more likely to be in position after the flop, you will beopening progressively more hands. The only exception is that you will steal a ton of hands from thesmall blind. Many other factors far outweigh being out of position in this situation, which makes openraising here very profitable, assuming you have a sound post-flop game. I will go deeper into smallblind play in Chapter 8.

This heat map highlights your frequency of open raising hands pre-flop using my strategy.

Why play in position?The power of position permeates all facets of your poker game. Every single hand that you play outof position finds you fighting an uphill battle. You always need to make a conscious effort to playmany more hands while acting last. Here are four reasons playing in position is so powerful:

1. Acting last gives you more information than your opponents

Being in position affords you the advantage of being able to see everyone act before you. As a result,you have more information on which to base your decisions than anyone else at the table. I feel thatthe easiest way to illustrate this informational advantage is by discussing hands in terms of relativestrength. And by relative strength, I mean the profitability of playing individual hands both in and outof position.

For example, T♠9♠ in the small blind is a different hand than T♠9♠ on the button. T♠9♠ on the buttonis exponentially more profitable. Why is this so? It’s because the button has you playing the hand inposition and acting after everyone else after the flop.

Let’s say you pick up T♠9♠ twice against the same opponent heads up. The situation is exactly thesame both times except for one factor, position. Each time effective stacks are exactly the same,initiative is the same, and even history and game flow are identical. The only difference is that onetime you act first, and the other time you act last. In both cases, you open raise and get called by oneplayer. The flop comes T♦8♣2♦. In either scenario, you have the option to check or bet when it isyour turn.

In position, you bet the flop and get called, and the turn is a blank 4♥. You bet the turn and once againget called. The river is a J♦ that brings an over card and makes a straight and flush possible. Youropponent shoves all-in, and you quickly fold. Your opponent shows down a flush and scoops the pot.

Out of position, you lead out on the flop and get called. The turn comes a blank 4♥. You once againlead the turn and your opponent calls. The river is a J♦ that brings in flush and straight possibilities. Checking seems pretty bad since your read is that your opponent either has a weak made hand or adraw. You can get value from worse hands, so you decide to bet-fold the river. He shoves all-inover your bet, and you quickly throw your hand away. He flashes his flush, and you feel very goodabout your fold.

When you were in position, your opponent was unable to extract more money from you once he hit hishand since you acted last on the river. You had more information on each street and were able tomitigate your loss.

Another example has you raising from middle position and getting calls from both blinds. In position,you flop top pair mid kicker. One player leads out, and the tight player next to act reraises all-in. You decide your one pair hand is no good and fold, only losing your initial raise.

Now imagine the same hand, but this time you raise from middle position and get called by the cutoffand button. You again flop top pair and continuation bet 3/4 pot. The loose player next to act raises

you, and then the button goes all-in. You are forced to fold and, once again, lose an extra bet due tobeing out of position. 2. Pot size control

One of the fundamentals of poker is to strive to play big pots with big hands and small pots with smallhands. Position allows you to much more easily control the size of the pot. Once again, let’s look atan example where everything is exactly the same except for your position:

You have T♣T♥ and are the pre-flop aggressor in a heads up pot. The flop comes J♥J♦2♣, and youdecide that it’s likely that you have the best hand the majority of the time and are looking to get twostreets of value.

In position, you bet when you are checked to and get called. The turn comes a K♠, and you decide tocheck behind for pot control. The river is a 4♠, and your opponent leads out. You decide that callingis best, and you have achieved your goal of two streets of value. He turns over A♥3♣, and you scoopthe pot.

Out of position, you lead out and get called. The turn is a K♠, and you decide to check for potcontrol. Your opponent bets, and you call. The river is a 4♠, and you once again check. Youropponent bets the river big, and you are in a tough spot. You decide to fold, and he shows the A♥3♣bluff and drags in the chips.

Because you were out of position, your opponent was able to inflate the size of the pot and put you ina difficult spot. Without the ability to close the action with a check on the turn, looking up a bluff onthe river became too expensive for a third pair hand. Deciding whether that last bet goes into the potis a very important luxury to have in poker. We only get to make that final decision and control thesize of the pot while in position. 3. You have more bluffing opportunities

An often overlooked advantage of acting last is in those small pots in which no one seems to take anyinterest. If you are in position in a limped pot and everyone checks to you, it is generally a mistakenot to bet as everyone else has shown weakness and will fold often enough to make the bluffprofitable. You should bet especially by the turn, since someone with a piece of the board willusually have bet by then. Even if called, the river usually sets up as a good bluffing opportunityagainst someone who stubbornly called with a weak pair or some kind of draw.

In raised pots, you will also be given the choice of bluffing 5th street more often. After getting to theriver, you have one more piece of information to work from before deciding to bet. In position, youwill either be checked to or bet into, giving you useful information. Out of position, you are often leftplaying guessing games. 4. It is easier to get value in position

When you flop a big hand, your ability to build a sizable pot largely depends on whether or not you

are in position. As we have already discussed, being last to act allows you to control the size of thepot and ultimately decide how much money goes in. This is why calling in the blinds to try to hit ahand is so terrible. Because, not only do you not make a strong hand often enough to justify the call,you also have difficulty building a big pot even when you do hit.

InitiativeThere seems to be a lack of literature on the subject of initiative. This is unfortunate since, afterposition, playing with initiative is the most important strategic thing we can do as a poker player. Itcomes down to a matter of control. Once you give up initiative, you are at the mercy of youropponents.

Having initiative means that you were the pre-flop aggressor on the prior street or that someone haschecked to you after the flop. If you raised pre-flop or post-flop and were called, you haveinitiative. The only way you can get initiative after not seizing it pre-flop is to raise post-flop or havesomeone give up their initiative by checking to you.

You want to be the aggressor and have initiative throughout almost every hand you play. There arevery specific situations where this is not the case, but they are few and far between. The vastmajority of your hands should be played in position with you as the pre-flop aggressor.

The reason having initiative is so powerful is that it always keeps fold equity on your side and givesyou a way to win hands even if your holding is not strong. And if you get raised at any point duringthe hand, you almost always have the final decision on whether that last bet goes in. If you were justcalling bets all along, the only way you could win is by making the best hand at showdown. Whenyou have initiative, you always get the last word.

Playing without initiative also lowers the relative hand strength of any holding. This is mostly due toc-bet bluff earnings, which are non-existent without initiative. By opening a hand pre-flop, you aregiving yourself multiple chances to win the pot. First, everyone can fold, and you take down theblinds uncontested. Second, you can usually make a profitable c-bet on the flop and take down thepot often enough that you never need to actually make a hand.

If you call a raise, this can never happen, and you must play a flop. Furthermore, as a short stack, youwill usually not have the implied odds to try to make a hand and extract enough money to compensatefor the times you whiff. On the flip side of the coin, when your opponents call your pre-flop raises,they are making an error as well. And trust me, your opponents will make this error quite frequently.

The reason going to the flop without control of the pot is generally bad, especially for a short stack, isbecause it forces you to play fit or fold poker. You simply will not make enough hands to overcomethe times you miss the flop and are compelled to fold. But perhaps the worst part of playing withoutinitiative is you will be forced to give up the best hand very often when you check and fold a marginalholding.

Except for a few specific situations, it is always more profitable to be the one controlling the hand. Most of the time, if you cannot maintain the initiative because you get raised or the board texture isnot conducive to continuing, your best play is to give up and check and/or fold.

My strategy will have you going to the flop without initiative only in specific situations. Mostcommonly, this will happen when you complete the small blind. Less frequently, you will call a pre-flop raise with significant implied odds, but generally this is only after there has been a raise and at

least one other caller. Except for limping, my charts do not define when you should or should notmake pre-flop calls. Because a number of factors weigh in when making such a decision, I will coverthese instances separately in Chapter 10.

Ultimately, poker without initiative is poker without aggression, and passive play is highlyunprofitable in No’Limit Hold-em. A game based upon position and initiative gives you the ability toapply constant pressure to your opponents.

PressureThe benefits of persistent aggression are numerous and inherently exploitative. You apply pressure toconstrict your opponent’s play, modify your image, pick up dead money, and instill fear in otherplayers, ultimately causing them to make mistakes against you.

Examples of strategically applying pressure include stealing, 3-betting, and c-betting. An aggressivestealing game pressures the blinds, an aggressive 3-betting game pressures raisers, and an aggressivec-betting game pressures pre-flop callers. Additionally, the player who controls the action tends topick up the pots where no one has a showdown worthy hand.

Consistently applying pressure also establishes an aggressive image among observant opponents. Many players will become frustrated by your attacking style and will begin actively avoiding you. Others will try to get into wars with you in order to “shut you down” and will generally spew moneyyour way when they run into the top of your range.

If you play passively, then you are letting your opponents dictate the action, which forces you to makehands to win pots. By consistently leaning on your opponents, you are always keeping fold equity onyour side. Therefore, when employing an aggressive poker game, you have access to income fromtwo sources, showdown and non-showdown earnings. A potential by-product of a sound strategybased on initiative and pressure is a positive red line.

The Infamous Red Line

In case you do not know what the red line is, it is a graphical representation that poker trackingsoftware uses in its graphs to chart your non-showdown winnings. Whenever a hand ends beforeshowdown, those earnings go to the non-showdown winnings column of one player or another. Butcontrary to popular belief, positive red line earnings do not come from making crazy bluffs andplaying like a maniac. They come from adhering to a sound aggressive strategy, adjusting toopponents, maintaining initiative, and applying pressure.

The biggest reason many players suffer from a free-falling red line is due to passive play via anindiscriminate pre-flop calling strategy. If you call without a plan only to fold later in the hand, youare spewing money that shows up in your graph in an ugly red line spiraling downward. Using myimplied odds based calling strategy will eliminate this leak.

One way to improve your red line earnings is to change the way you are playing pots you currentlyenter. Thin value betting is an example of this. If you are checking behind a lot of rivers whereyou’re likely to have the best hand due to a fear of getting check-raised, you are adding much moremoney to your showdown winning column than you should be. Betting where your opponent is likelyto fold will have the pot going into the non-showdown column instead. Unfortunately, changing yourpost-flop play in this manner will just shift money around from the showdown column to the non-showdown column, so you are not likely to significantly increase your overall win-rate. All you willget out of it is a warm and fuzzy feeling from a better looking red line.

The way to increase your red line without negatively affecting your showdown winnings is in potsyou are not currently entering at all. The easiest ways to find additional non-showdown earnings isthrough more aggressive pre-flop stealing and light 3-betting. In both instances, it involves beingmindful of your opponents and exploiting them through small adjustments.

I find the simplest way to implement a more robust stealing game is to ramp up the pre-flopaggression against the correct people. If you are in late position and have tight players sitting to yourleft, you should be raising with reckless abandon until they adjust. I am talking about any two cardshere if the situation is right.

Finding spots for light 3-betting is a bit more tricky. Even if you have an opponent raising veryloosely on your immediate right, you still need to weigh in several factors before deciding to go crazyon him. I will cover this in greater detail in Chapter 9.

Overall, the key to improving your red line and overall win rate at the same time comes down tohaving a game built on intelligently applying pressure to your opponents both pre-flop and post-flopthrough specific adjustments to your overall strategy. As your game improves, your call button willbegin to disappear as an option. Once you achieve this, your red line will stop nose diving and beginto swing upward.

Here is a graph of my last 25,000 hands at 50NL as of writing this:

Notice that the non-showdown winnings (bottom line) have a steady upward trend. Some of thiscomes from aggressively stealing, but mostly it comes from consistently playing with initiative and

applying pressure to opponents.

The Bet-FoldWhile not a fundamental in itself, the bet-fold is a tool that good players employ in order to get valuein situations where they are usually best and will typically only get raised when beaten. It is anexcellent way to keep pressure on your opponents and avoid falling into the passive trap of the check-call.

The bet-fold is employed in marginal spots where you may or may not have the best hand. Instead ofchecking and then playing a guessing game on whether or not you have the best hand, you instead betwith the intention of folding to a raise.

Everyone has been in the situation where the turn brings the ultimate scare card. Our hand is stillstrong, but it is now very possible that our opponent made a better hand. Most players would checkbehind and call a river bet in position or go for a check-call, check-call line out of position. This isthe worst possible way to play the hand. By bet-folding the turn instead, only good things happen:

1. You get another street of value from worse hands.

2. You give your opponent the option to raise the turn now with the best hand, allowing you to foldmuch more cheaply than check-calling two streets would cost.

3. In position, you give yourself the option of setting the price of showdown, if your opponent callsyour bet and then checks again on the river.

My charts are set up to follow an aggressive bet-fold line with all non-nut value hands. The best ruleof thumb to remember is that if you are unsure of what to do, you should always bet.

Poker 101

Let’s take a look at a few concepts you will need to have a basic understanding of in order toimplement many of the strategies found within this book. Among them are:

Relative Hand Strength Tiers

Reading Board Textures

Hand Ranges

Equity & Fold Equity

Expected Value

The sections on hand strength tiers and board textures are key to using the charts and developing abetting strategy. The rest are introduced only to enhance your ongoing understanding of poker. Eachconcept could be the subject of an entire book. It is my goal to introduce you to what is generallycommon knowledge among strong players. I encourage you to do your own further study as yourpoker education continues.

Hand Strength Tiers

In order to use the post-flop charts included in this book, you will need to be able to evaluate and thencategorize the relative strength of your hand. My approach for assigning specific hole cards to handstrength tiers is based loosely on the Renton Theorem. The strategy consists of sorting holdings intosub-groups of hand ranges and playing the hands within each group in a similar manner.

The benefit of playing this way is that it simplifies things for you and inherently balances your range. In other words, it makes you much more difficult to read, because you will sometimes playcompletely different holdings the same way and other times play hands that appear to be identicalvery differently. Here are the four tiers of post-flop hand ranges:

Tier 1- This is the post-flop “nut” range. Hands that you never fold and would like to get all-inwith. Hand types in this range are two-pair using both cards, three of a kind, flushes, straights,full houses, and better.

Tier 2- This is your strong non-nut range. It includes top-pair hands with a decent kicker andbig draws.

Tier 3- Showdown value hands. This includes any hand that has a chance of beating anopponent’s air or bluffing range, but is seldom good against a value range.

Tier 4- Air. Hands that have little or no showdown value and little chance of improving by theriver.

Once you have assigned your holding to a tier, it makes planning the hand much easier. You simplyfollow the line of play that you feel is most profitable, given the variables. Keep in mind that yourhand tier is decided on a street-by-street basis. Your hand can be tier 1 on the flop and tier 2 or 3 bythe river. In turn, your hand can be tier 4 on the flop, and then become tier 1, 2, or 3 by the river.

For example, take the hand A♠A♣ on a A♦5♦7♥ board. You currently have the nuts and thus have atier 1 hand. Let’s say the turn is a 9♦. You no longer have the nuts, but your hand is still very strong. It is likely that if you got all-in on the turn that your hand would frequently be behind, but it is stillprofitable to do so. Therefore, your hand would now be tier 2. On a board pairing river, you wouldonce again have a tier 1 hand, but if the river were another diamond or a 6 or 8, then you would havea tier 3 hand.

Relative Hand Strength

Assigning your hand to an appropriate tier is not always cut and dried. Situational factors can causethe strength of similar looking hands to vary wildly. For example, top pair mid kicker might be thenuts against a particular loose and aggressive post-flop player, but against a total nit, it might beconsidered very weak if you face a lot of action.

How you decide to group your hand is based on a number of elements: the pre-flop action, youropponent(s) in that particular hand, and your image at the time. Each of these variables factor intoyour decision regarding the relative strength of your hand.

Understanding your relative hand strength is one of the most important skills to develop. For now Isuggest keeping things simple when it comes to categorizing your ranges and focus on concrete handgroupings. Just keep in mind that this is an area of your game that you need to focus on mastering as itis one of the keys to becoming a top player.

Next is a short quiz to give you some practice on assigning value to hands:

Hand Strength Tiers Quiz

Assign a hand strength tier of 1, 2, 3, or 4 to each readless situation provided. Answers are found inthe appendix.

1. A♣5♣ on a 7♥5♦T♥ board

2. T♠9♠ on a 7♠J♠K♣ board

3. 7♥7♠ on a 6♦J♣9♦9♠ board

4. K♦J♦ on a A♥4♥6♣ board

5. K♠K♦ on a 6♣3♥3♠ board

6. 2♣2♥ on a 6♥6♥K♥Q♥2♦ board

7. 8♦7♠ on a A♦8♠7♣A♠ board

8. A♠Q♠ on a Q♣6♥5♦ board

9. Q♦J♥ on a 9♦8T♥ board

10. 4♥2♥ on a 4♠3♣T♥K♠J♣ board

11. 4♠4♦ on a T♠K♥6♠T♥6♣ board

12. J♥T♣ on a 4♥8♣T♠ board

13. K♠T♠ on a J♠9♥2♣ board

14. A♣T♥ on a 2♥2♠4♥8♠8♦ board

15. T♦8♦ on a 8♣8♥A♦ board

16. A♥J♣ on a 4♦7♥6♦8♥9♥ board

17. A♥K♥ on a 5♠T♥2♥ board

18. J♥2♦ on a 2♣8♦J♦9♥T♣ board

19. A♥Q♦ on a A♣2♥2♦ board

20. Q♣J♣ on a J♥4♣4♦ board

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Reading Flop TexturesOn any given hand, once you are able to determine your relative hand strength, the next step is todecide how to proceed based on the texture of the flop. The cards that come on the board determinethe possibility of your opponents connecting with it, which in turn impacts your betting strategy. Youwill need to learn how different hand ranges connect with different boards and how to form plansaccordingly. Most players invest too much money in the wrong pots and not enough in others, withincorrect bet sizing and frequency.

There are three different types of flops: dry flops, wet flops, and flops that fall somewhere inbetween. The first step to honing your board-reading ability is to be able to immediately categorizethe various types at a glance. For the intermediate strategy, I have made things very simple. Thereare only two board textures you will need to know how to read, Dry and Wet.

Dry Flops

A dry board is one that is poorly coordinated and does not allow for the possibility of many madehands or draws. Generally, dry boards are unlikely to connect with the ranges of our opponents andwill typically show a much higher success rate for c-betting. Since most players are only playingtheir cards, you should expect much stronger made hands to be turned up when all-in on dry boards.

There are varying degrees of dryness. Some flops are completely dry, such as paired boards orboards that have one or less high cards with significant spacing between them. Other flops are moreneutral, such as two-tone boards with no straight draws or monotone boards with a low card straightdraw.

Examples of Dry Flops:

2♦7♥2♠

9♣9♥4♦

K♦8♠2♣

Q♠5♥5♣

A♣A♦9♠

2♦6♣J♠

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Wet Flops

Wet Boards are highly coordinated and tend to contain multiple straight draws and typically includethe possibility of a flush draw. These types of boards connect well with a variety of ranges, thus your

c-bet success will tend to be lower.

My post-flop philosophy as a small stacker is that wet boards should be played very fast if you have astrong hand or draw. Opponents will tend to stack off lighter against short stacks with both weakerthan average draws and made hands. Therefore, you will almost always want as much money in thepot as possible before the turn.

Examples of Wet Flops:

9♥6♣J♥

K♠Q♣T♦

4♦6♦8♣

J♠7♥Q♣

9♦9♠T♦

T♠8♠5♠

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Neutral Flops

Neutral flops fall somewhere in between dry and wet ones. How you approach hand planning onneutral flops is mainly determined by the number of players involved in the hand. A good rule ofthumb is that if a flop is neutral, then you should err on the side of wet in multi-way pots and drywhen heads up.

Truly dry boards will tend not to hit anyone, even multi-way, while neutral boards will usually insome way hit at least one of the multiple players. You will need to develop your judgment in thisarea, but for now, it’s best to keep things simple.

Examples of Neutral Flops:

7♣6♥K♠

A♠J♦7♥

T♥6♦2♣

9♥2♦4♦

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Hand RangesWhen I play live games, it’s usually pretty easy to spot the weak players. They limp frequently andtypically employ odd bet sizing strategies that make little sense. However, some opponents aren’t soobvious about advertising their weak play.

Occasionally, it takes a bit longer to evaluate players who are ostensibly good players. Theseopponents often seem to understand poker basics, and during general play they seem to know whatthey are doing. But then, out of nowhere, they suddenly say something like, “I put you on pocketAces.”

Nothing indicates a lack of understanding about poker more than a statement like this. You can neverput someone on one specific hand. While it is true that when you face a re-raise from a very tightplayer, it’s pretty obvious that they are strong. Even so, you can never know the exact hand anopponent holds. Being so absolute when reading opponents is simply something you cannot andshould not do.

What you should do is take all the information known at the time and form a range of hands for everyplayer involved in the hand. You can do this both pre-flop and post-flop based on the specifictendencies that you infer about your opponents. This way of thinking allows you to form a profitablestrategy against all types of hands and not just the strongest or weakest ones that an opponent could beholding.

Once you begin thinking in ranges, you will open up a new door of basic understanding about poker. The quality of your decisions will be vastly improved as you begin to think about all the possibilitiesbased upon the action and make educated guesses accordingly.

So how do we put an opponent on a range?

In online poker, we have the luxury of using tracking software that tells us precisely how often anopponent bets or raises. In Chapter 17, I will show you how to use these types of programs in yourown game. For now, I will introduce you to how specific raising percentages translate into actualhand ranges.

Here are some common range percentages you will frequently encounter and potential hands thatmake up those ranges:

3%: JJ+, AKs, AKo (a tight 3-betting range)

8%: 88+, AJo+, KQo+ (a common 3-betting range)

14%: 22+, ATs+, KTs+, JTs, QJo+ (a common early position range)

20%: 22+, A2s+, A9o+, KJo+, JTo+, 76s+ (a common cutoff range)

35%: 22+, A2o+, K9o+, Q8s+, J8s+, 98o+, 65s+ (a common button range)

50%: 22+, A2o+, K2s+, K9o+, Q2s+, Q8o+, J7o+, T7o+, 96s+, 97o, 64s+, 65o+, 54s+ (acommon aggressive stealing range)

These hand ranges are not absolute, and the particular hands that make up specific percentages willvary among players. What this list does illustrate is the large number of holdings that make upcommon hand ranges and the relative differences between tight and loose ranges.

Post-flop ranges are more complicated due to the community cards in play. On the flop, we canextrapolate how well our opponent’s pre-flop range connects, but in order to narrow it down into apost-flop range, we need information. We gain clues about a player’s hand by their post-flopactions. If we bet and an opponent calls, we can generally narrow his range a bit. If we bet andopponent raises, we can further narrow that range.

Of course, we always have to remember that our opponent knows we have a range as well and couldbluff raise in order to pick up the pot, if he thinks our range does not connect well with the board. Therefore, we must always consider our opponent’s entire range, which invariably includes somebluffs. This is where things get interesting and reads come into play.

For the purposes of this book, I will focus more on how to play your own ranges based on thepotential for opponents to have connected to various board textures. Going into detail on all of thenuances of forming post-flop ranges would take dozens of pages and is well beyond the scope ofthese writings. For now, I want you to understand common pre-flop ranges and remain mindful ofhow they connect more solidly on particular flop textures. I will go into this in more detail as weprogress.

EquityIn poker, equity is how much of the pot is “owned” by each player as a percentage on any givenstreet. Put another way, it is how likely a player is to win by the river if he was all-in on that specificstreet. On the river, unless the hand is a tie, you will either have 0% or 100% equity. So for thepurposes of calculating, we are only concerned with equity before the flop, on the flop, or on the turn.

As a short stack player, you will be faced with frequent all-in situations in which you are eithercontemplating a shove or facing one yourself. In order to navigate these spots accurately, you willneed an adequate understanding of hand ranges and equity. You will want to learn how to recognizewhat your likely pre-flop equity is against various hand ranges and how to form a 3-bet/4-betstrategy. For post-flop play, you will need to learn how various holdings fair equity wise on differentflop textures. Pre-Flop Equity

Pre-flop equity decisions revolve around 3-betting and 4-betting. The basic premise is that you wantto get all-in with a superior range against your opponents and have them get all-in with an inferiorrange versus you. This is an oversimplified explanation, but describes the basic nature of pre-flopall-in situations as a short stack.

I have provided you with a solid 3-betting and 4-betting strategy via my charts and will not spend toomuch time going through the details of what is a very complex subject that would take numerouschapters to properly cover. I will, however, talk more about pre-flop equities in a bit when I coverfold equity. Post-Flop Equity

We can never know for certain our exact post-flop equity unless all hands are turned face up. Nevertheless, by making an educated guess about our opponent’s range and comparing our holding tothe board texture, we can come pretty close to knowing our probable equity if we were to get all-in.

With a tier 2 or better made hand, we are almost always committed and do not need to worry aboutour likelihood of improving our hand. For the most part, our equity will be consistently strong enoughto get all-in on the flop. With a draw, however, it helps to understand how likely our hand is toimprove by the river. This information can help us, not only with all-in decisions, but also in directand implied odds calculations when facing a post-flop bet or raise. Before I teach you a well-knowneasy trick to determining your approximate chance of improving, you will need to know how manyouts various common holdings have after the flop.

2 outs: Under Pair (Drawing to a set)4 outs: Gut Shot Straight Draw6 outs: Over Cards8 outs: Open-Ended Straight Draw9 outs: Two Card Flush Draw

When involved in a hand, you should instantly be able to recognize your likely outs with any givenholding. By just learning the approximate equities of the five holdings listed above, you will be ableto navigate almost all post-flop equity situations. Now, how do you figure out the likelihood eachhand has of improving?

The Rule Of 4 & 2

Here is that “fancy” trick I promised to teach you. All that you do is multiply the number of outs youhave on the flop by 4 with two cards to come and by 2 with one card to come. Voilà, you have youranswer. Now, let’s test it.

Let’s say you have a gut shot straight draw on the flop which gives you 4 outs. 4 times 4 equals 16,so you can expect to hit your gut shot 16% of the time by the river. 4 times 2 is 8, so you can expectto hit your gut shot 8% of the time by the turn. The actual numbers are 16.5% and 8.7%, but theresults are close enough to make intelligent decisions.

Your chance of improving also comes pretty close to telling you what your likely equity is if youwere to get all-in. Just remember to keep in mind that the calculation only works if you actually haveyour expected number of outs. For example, if you shove all-in with two overs expecting to have24% equity and get called by two-pair or better, the calculation simply does not work. You will find,however, that draws almost always have the number of outs you anticipate when all-in.

This is why professional players tend to play draws so aggressively; they know that no matter whathappens, they have a reliable number of outs. When combined with fold equity, aggressive play withdraws can be very profitable.

Common Equities Based On Number Of Outs

Making Post-Flop Decisions Based On Equity

When you are contemplating a post-flop course of action, you base your decisions on what yourequity is versus your opponent’s range. If you decide to bet and your equity is stronger than youropponent’s, then you are betting for value. If your range is weaker, then you are betting as a bluff. Ifyou are betting for value and get raised, you must re-evaluate the situation and adjust your opponent’srange. This, of course, also changes your equity versus his range.

Arriving at such decisions in a skilled manner is a lot easier when you have a firm grasp of post-flopequities and how to adjust them according to how you feel the ranges have evolved based on theaction. To simplify things, here is an example which illustrates what I am talking about. Example #4.1: Adjusting Equities On The Flop We pick up Q♣9♣ in the cutoff and min-raise to 2 big blinds. After two folds, we are flatted by the40/10 big blind. The board is Q♥4♣8♠ rainbow, and he checks to us. Our opponent has a very widecalling range and has multiple hands in his range that we beat that might call at least one street. Wedetermine that we can get value from betting, so we fire a half pot value bet. Here is my Pokerstove calculation of the above situation: Board: Q♥ 4♣ 8♠ equity handsHero Range: 65.613% { Q♣9♣ }Villain Range: 34.387% { JJ-22, AQs, A8s, A4s, KQs, Q8s+, T8s+, 98s, 87s, 54s, AQo, A8o,A4o, KQo, Q8o+, T8o, 98o, 87o }Notice I only included hands in his range that might potentially call a bet. Make sure you includethe hands that beat you in order to determine an accurate calling equity.

____________________________________________________________ But instead of calling, let’s say our opponent raises us. We must determine whether we can shove orcall for value against his raising range. Let’s look at this scenario in Pokerstove.

Board:Q♥ 4♣ 8♠ equity hands Hero Range: 23.077% { Q♣9♣ }Villain Range: 76.923% { QQ+, 88, 44, AQs, KQs, Q8s+, 84s, AQo, KQo, Q8o+, 84o }Notice that I added a few premium hands (QQ+) to the opponent’s range that you would not expecthim to flat pre-flop. Unless you have a specific read, when you get raised you have to consider allpossibilities when settling on a range for your opponent. We decide that we are not beating any hands that would raise the flop for value. Unless we have a

read that our opponent is capable of bluffing a large percentage of the time, we need to fold here.

____________________________________________________________

Now let’s take the same hand, but this time we have AQ instead: Board:Q♥ 4♣ 8♠ equity win hands Hero Range: 53.134% 48.71% { A♣Q♣ }Villain Range: 46.866% 42.45% { QQ+, 88, 44, AQs, KQs, Q8s+, 84s, AQo, KQo, Q8o+,84o }Now we are beating several hand combinations that might raise for value. Even though wesometimes will be crushed in this spot, it is still a profitable situation, so we can raise all-in forvalue.

____________________________________________________________

When you have inferior equity, it is often worthwhile to contemplate a bet or raise as a bluff. If youropponent folds often enough, the play can be profitable due to the dead money won when he gives up. This important concept is called Fold Equity.

Fold Equity

It is likely that you have at least heard of the term fold equity. The concept is thrown around quiteoften in poker circles, but most players only have a basic idea of what it means. You will hearplayers say things like, “I don’t have much fold equity here,” or “I shoved all-in because I thought Ihad a lot of fold equity.”

There are a lot of definitions floating around out there. Some are vague or much too convoluted. Others are confusing as all get out. I will not get too complicated here because, in reality, it’s not asdifficult to understand as many people think.

Every player has a range that is compartmentalized into two sections. With one part of that range,they will continue versus a raise. With the other part, they will fold to aggression. Generally, thewider a player’s total range, the more hands that make up the folding range.

Fold equity is the amount of dead money you win from the pot by betting or raising each time you runinto the part of the range that the opponent is willing to fold. Thus, the more likely your opponent isto fold, the more fold equity you have.

If your equity is inferior vs. the opponent’s range, then the profitability of a bet or raise is based onadding in your fold equity. If the amount of fold equity you have is enough to make the playprofitable, it is +EV. If the addition of fold equity does not make the play profitable, then the playwill be -EV.

The most basic place fold equity comes into play is from stealing before the flop. Let’s say you stealfrom the button and, on average, both opponents fold 50% of the time. Since you win half the timeyou raise, you cut the winnings in half. So if the game is .10/.20, then you have .15(.30*.50=.15) infold equity every time you raise the button.

Therefore, every time you steal from the button and are forced to fold to a 3-bet, you are only losing50% of your initial raise minus .15. So, if your opening raise size is to .40, then you are losing .20(.40*.50=.20) minus .15, or .05.

In the above example, you are never losing more than a nickel every time you raise any two cards, notthe .40 you feel like you are losing. The implications of this should be a light bulb moment for someof you who have never truly understood fold equity. Let me put it this way. If your steal works morethan 57% of the time with a min-raise, then you will win money if you fold to a resteal 100% of thetime or insta-muck every hand on the flop. Now you can see why stealing a wide range against tightplayers is so profitable.

As a small stacker, another area you need to be concerned with fold equity is how it affects your all-in decisions either via a pre-flop 3-bet shove or a post-flop re-raise shove, both of which you will bedoing quite frequently. Take the following two pre-flop ranges. In each case, our opponent will onlycall a 3-bet shove with QQ+, AQ+, and will fold all other hands.

7.5% opening range (99+, AT+): Calls shove 52% of the time

15% opening range (55+, A5+): Calls shove 25% of the time

When we shove against the wider opening range, we have twice as much fold equity. Keep in mindthat when you get called by an opponent, you will often be behind, and it is easy to get frustrated inthe heat of the moment and doubt your play. Try not to be results oriented. Just because youropponent happened to be holding a hand in his calling range this time, it does not mean you made amistake. Always remember that the fold equity gained the times your opponent folds is what makesshoving profitable over the long term.

Fold equity can be expressed in an actual mathematical equation, but for the purposes of this book, Iwill not delve deeply into what can be a very confusing endeavor. For now, all I want you tounderstand is that when a player is more likely to fold to your bet, you should be more inclined tobluff, and when he is less likely to fold, you need to make sure your hand has very good equity beforecommitting. By mastering board textures and opponent tendencies, you will begin to understand howto use fold equity without ever getting into the actual numbers, dollar amounts, or fancy equations.

If this stuff is not perfectly clear or seems overwhelming, do not worry. As you play and continuestudying, at some point it will click. You will begin to gain an innate feel for when you haveadequate fold equity and when you do not. Furthermore, once you become adept at reading boardtextures and opponent tendencies, then calculating relative fold equity will become second nature.

Understanding CommitmentIn poker, commitment can be defined as your willingness to get all-in with your current holding on thecurrent board against the current opponent. Basically, the stronger the relative strength of your hand,the more money you want to commit to the pot. This may seem fairly obvious, but many full-stackedplayers struggle with this fundamental concept and wonder why they are often lost after flopping tier2 hands. The usual culprit is that they simply have too much money behind and are unknowinglycreating unprofitable situations for themselves time and time again. The fact is, with a 100 big blindstack, you are seldom committed on the flop with anything less than the nuts. This can lead to alltypes of complications. It’s very easy to put too much money in with the wrong holdings and notenough with the right ones.

As a short stacked player, you do not need the nuts in order to comfortably get all-in on the flop. Youwill almost always be committed with any tier 2 hand or better. Those of you who have played asignificant amount of tournaments will likely understand the concept of commitment rather easily. Asthe blinds rise, stacks inevitably get shorter and shorter. Hands that you might consider fairly weakwhile deep stacked suddenly become monsters once you are sitting on a short stack. That A3s lookspretty dang attractive when you are sitting there with 10 big blinds and desperate for a double up. You would never consider sticking all of your chips in pre-flop with a hand that weak early in atournament, but will happily do so when sitting on a very small stack. Stack-To-Pot Ratios

Stack-to-pot ratios, or SPR, refers to the ratio between the effective stack size and the size of the poton the flop. The book Professional No-Limit Hold’em covers this topic in great detail and is, in myopinion, one of the best poker books ever written. I highly recommend absorbing it, as it covers thisand many other related concepts much better than I ever could.

The concept of SPR is based on commitment, meaning that the more of your stack you have investedin a pot, the less strong your hand needs to be in order to profitably get all-in. To figure out yourSPR, divide the current pot into the effective stack. For example, if the pot is $5 and you have $28behind as the effective stack, your SPR is 5.6.

As your stack grows, your commitment level with various holdings go down. Once your stack getsabove around 80 big blinds, it gets very difficult to create low SPR situations for yourself on the flopwithout either opening for a large amount pre-flop or being in a 3-bet pot. Higher SPRs on the flop,say 10+, are usually not conducive to stacking off on the flop with one pair hands, because mostopponents won’t commit with a hand worse than that for so much money. So a large amount of thetime you raise pre-flop, get called, flop top pair, and get it in with a high SPR, you will be beat.

Nevertheless, for some reason, the majority of players insist on playing a “full” stack of 100 bigblinds. And the feeling on the subject seems to almost be universal that if you attempt to buy-in forless than that, you are violating some unwritten law and might as well be branding yourself an outlawin the poker community. It’s almost as if there are thousands of index fingers waggling at you saying“shame on you.”

But in all seriousness, the truth of the matter is that 100 big blinds is a very awkward stack size toplay, as it creates multiple uncomfortable situations every session. I would much rather have 250 bigblinds than between 80 and 120. At least you have reasonable implied odds and can leverage yourstack on later streets.

As a short stack your decisions are almost always fairly obvious. Holdings that cannot typically getall-in on the flop profitably with 100 big blinds, suddenly become viable to do so with a small stack. Take the following example:

You are playing in a .50/1.00 game and bring it in for your standard min-raise on the button after itfolds to you. The small blind calls and the big blind folds. The pot is $5 entering the flop. Here iswhat your SPR would be with various pre-flop effective stack sizes after min-raising from the buttonand getting a call from the big blind:

250bbs: 49.6

200bbs: 39.6

150bbs: 29.6

100bbs: 19.6

50bbs: 9.6

40bbs: 7.6

30bbs: 5.6

20bbs: 3.6

According to game theory, creating an SPR in the range that suits your holdings more often than youropponents is tantamount to profit for you. As outlined in Professional No-Limit Hold’em, againstopponents with an average commitment range, you can comfortably stack off on the flop with top pairhands with around 4.5 SPR and over pair hands with around 6 SPR. Against opponents who commitmore loosely, those numbers rise to 7 and 10, respectively.

As you can see by the chart above, any stack less than 40 big blinds gets us pretty dang close to wherewe want to be after a pre-flop open min-raise. And considering most opponents will loosen up on theflop versus a so-called short stack, we can definitely tend to err on the higher side of our SPR whenmaking a decision on whether or not to stack off.

In summary, obtaining a low SPR is another of the many reasons that playing a 30 big blind stack isbeneficial. You have a luxury that bigger stacks simply do not have, the ability to stack off profitablywith your top pairs and over pairs on the flop nearly every time.

Expected ValueExpected value refers to how much money you win or lose on average in specific situations as part ofan overall long-term strategy. The shorthand for expected value is usually communicated as +EV or -EV.

EV can be expressed in a mathematical equation, but if you are not a math person, do not worry. Inmy opinion, trying to find out the exact EV of any given situation is impossible without all theinformation and is therefore a complete waste of time. It is much better to build your game aroundbasic fundamental decisions in all aspects of your game and strive to make everything you do inPoker as automatically +EV as possible.

I personally like to think of EV in a relative sense rather than in absolutes. By this, I mean that younot only have to make profitable decisions, you also have to make decisions that are more profitablethan the average opponent’s decisions. This is not as complicated as it seems, if you just rememberthat cash game poker is a lifetime game, and you only have to beat your competition in order to makemoney.

Expected value is in fact what makes the long term a friend of the professional poker player. If thequality of your decisions is better than your opponents’ over a large sample size, you will inevitablymake money. Short term luck will eventually lose out to skill if enough hands are played to get to thelong term. It is helpful to think of poker as a multitude of small battles in common situations that arisetime and time again. In your career, you will pick up the same exact hands, flop the same amount ofsets, and win the same amount of coin flips as everyone else.

Let’s say that on average, over your lifetime, you will make 15 big blinds every time you pick uppocket aces. If your average opponent also makes 15 big blinds, then you will have made no gainover your competition in that specific spot. You will have made +$0 every time you pick up the beststarting hand in Hold’em, because you didn’t win the lifetime battle with that hand.

Since everyone focuses on maximizing with big hands, it is important to instead learn to concentratemore on playing the seemingly “insignificant” spots better than your opponents. By excelling insituations that your competition is ignoring, you can find a gold mine of profit. For example, if youare winning an average of 4 big blinds every time you open raise with 32o on the button and no oneelse ever plays that hand in that situation, then you are making +4 big blinds more than yourcompetition every single time you pick up that hand. In this case, you make more money with 32othan you do with AA!

This may strike some of you as quite unbelievable, but learning this fact was a huge eureka momentfor me a few years ago. As a consequence, I decided that I would begin focusing more on playing the“unprofitable” hands well, and the results are many of the strategies found within this book.

The easiest way to begin overhauling your game to become EV based is to begin focusing onfundamentals. By doing so, you will begin to outplay the competition in common “insignificant”situations, as well as with big hands. You will inherently make fewer mistakes than your opponentsjust by avoiding the common leaks. For example, you should know that 4-bet bluffing a Nit is -EV;

therefore, you don’t do it. At the same time, not stealing a wide range with a Nit on your left is also -EV, since the more profitable play is to raise rather than folding. Even though folding didn’t lose anymoney, it does hurt your overall win-rate.

Another example of a +EV strategy is in consciously building the biggest pots possible with monsterhands and keeping pots small with marginal ones. These fundamental +EV methods lead to the tacticsthat are inherently profitable. Now this is not to say that you cannot take known information and plugit into some formula and figure out exactly what you stand to gain or lose by making a specific play. What I am saying is that if you follow sound fundamentals, then most of your decisions will be slamdunks, and marginal decisions requiring a calculator will be few and far between. Put another way, ifa decision is not immediately obvious, it is probably neutral EV and doesn’t matter what you doanyway. Therefore, in those so-called “tough” spots, you can just flip a coin in making your decisioninstead of sitting around racking your brain.

Basic Short Stack Strategy

Whether you are fairly new to poker, have played for a while with no training or direction, or aresimply looking to rebuild your game, then the basic strategy is an excellent starting point for you. Mygoal is to provide you with a solid foundation based on core fundamentals with a “walk before yourun” philosophy. No matter what your background is, the basic strategy is designed to overhaul yourgame instantly and get you on the right track to winning poker.

This easy-to-follow strategy allows you to begin playing immediately, and is designed to train yourmind to think like a professional. The mere repetition of checking, betting, raising, or folding via thecharts will begin to ingrain the fundamentals of correct play into your game. Several common leakswill be immediately fixed by using the basic strategy:

1. Poor positional play

2. Calling pre-flop raises incorrectly

3. Limping weak hands in all positions

4. Passive play

5. Overplaying/underplaying hands

Keep in mind that the basic strategy is limited in its scope and will not by itself make you a winningplayer. It is not intended to be used long term or permanently by anyone. It is merely designed as atool that gets you off and running toward building a sound poker game and will make the transition tomore advanced and complicated play much smoother. I strongly advise against attempting to use itabove the micro levels. That is not my purpose for developing it, nor should anyone expect it to takethe place of diligence and hard work.

The strategy relies on charts that have you using a static method that plays the same, no matter thetable dynamics. Ultimately, any rigid poker strategy will make your game exploitable to astuteplayers. Nevertheless, at the micros, such a limitation is not as big a concern as just about any tightvalue-based system will work very well against non-attentive or inept players.

If you are an intermediate or advanced player who is familiar with using a HUD and forming reads onplayers, you may skip the beginner strategy altogether. However, if you are new to short stacking, Iadvise at least giving the beginner charts a spin before moving on. Mastering the basic strategy willlessen the learning curve of the intermediate strategy significantly.

Basic Charts

I have consolidated the entire basic strategy into two simple charts that cover both pre-flop and post-flop play. When it is your turn to act, you simply refer to the correct chart depending on what stage ofthe hand you are in. The charts will tell you what action to perform, whether it be check, bet, orraise. They even tell you how much to bet.

In order to use the charts effectively, you are required to have some general poker knowledge. Foruse of the pre-flop chart, you will be required to have some understanding of starting hands andpositions. For the post-flop chart, you will need to be able to classify the strength of your hand.

No matter what your skill level is, you will want to spend some time learning how each chart works. Don’t worry if they look confusing at first, as I will walk you through how to use them step-by-step. Iwill also provide numerous examples and a quiz to get your feet wet before you take them to actualplay.

Let’s look at the pre-flop chart first:

Basic Pre-Flop Chart

Abbreviations: For raise sizing, x means times the big blind. For example, 3x means 3 times the bigblind. So if you are in a .05/.10 game and the chart tells you to raise 3x, you would make it .30. Axsmeans all suited hands that include an Ace.

On any given hand, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Find your hand in the far left column. If your hand is not listed, you will never be

playing it unless you are given the option to check in the big blind.

Step 2: Using the row your hand is located in, identify the situation you are facing in columntwo. The pot will either be unopened and folded to you, unopened with limpers, raised, or 3-bet.

Step 3: Find the column corresponding with your position and perform the action in theappropriate box. If facing a steal, use the “Vs Stl” column. If the pot is reraised before actiongets to you, only commit with QQ+ and AK. If facing an open shove in the big blind, call withtier 3 and better hands (77+, AJo+).

While looking at the chart, take this short quiz in order to familiarize yourself with it. Answers arefound in the appendix.

1. You pick up A♦Q♦ UTG in a .05/.10 game. What do you do?

2. UTG limps. You pick up 8♣8♥ in the CO. How do you proceed?

3. You are playing 20NL and pick up 9♣6♣ in the small blind. It folds to you. What is the correctplay?

4. You open A♠Q♦ in the HJ for 2bbs. The SB 3-bets to 6bbs. What is the correct play?

5. Three players limp. You are in the SB and look down at a pair of fives. What do you do?

6. You look down at 4♥4♣ UTG. What amount do you open raise to?

7. It folds to you in the SB, and you look down at J♦8♠. What’s the correct play?

8. You wake up with K♠K♣ in the CO. There are 2 limpers; what do you do?

9. The player in the HJ raises to 3bbs, and the SB 3-bets to 11bbs. You have J♠J♦ in the BB;what’s the best play?

10. There are 2 limpers, and you have A♥8♥ in the SB. Do you limp or shove?

11. It folds to you in the SB, and you have K♠Q♠. What do you do?

12. You have 7♥7♠ in the CO, and the HJ player has limped in. What’s the correct move?

13. The Button raises to 4bbs, and you pick up A♣A♠ in the big blind. How do you proceed?

14. You have 3♠3♣ in the CO after the HJ limps. What to do?

15. It folds to you in the HJ, and you have K♣J♥. What’s the best play?

16. You are in the big blind with 6♣6♥, and the button open shoves. The small blind folds; do you

call or fold?

17. You are in the small blind with 2♠2♥. Two players limp before it gets to you; what do you do?

18. It folds to you in the small blind in a 5NL game, and you raise to .15 with A♦T♦. The big blind3-bets you to .40; how do you react?

19. The player in the cutoff raises to 3x, and you have K♦Q♠ on the button. What’s the correct play?

20. In a 10NL game, the UTG player raises to .30, and the cutoff 3-bets to .90. You pick up A♣K♦on the button; what do you do?

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Basic Post-Flop Chart

There are three sub charts built into the chart, depending on the situation going into the flop. Sinceyou will never be calling a pre-flop raise using the basic strategy, you will either go to the flop as thepre-flop raiser, or it will be a limped pot (LP= Limped Pot).

1. Initiative: As the pre-flop raiser use this section whether you are acting first, checked to, or betinto.

2. LP Option: In limped pots, use this section if you are first to act, or the small blind has checkedto you after the flop.

3. LP Facing Bet: Use this section in limped pots when facing a bet.

For post-flop play, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Choose the correct section based on the situation.

Step 2: Identify the value or tier of your hand, and choose the correct row.

Step 3: Perform the action in the corresponding box on a street-by-street basis.

Each street is set up in an X/X format. Before the slash is your action, and after the slash is yourreaction. For example, let’s say you get to the flop in a hand, and the chart says BET ½ POT/JAM. Ifit is your option, you would bet half the size of the pot. If you were bet into, you would shove all-in. If your bet were to get raised, you would shove all-in or call a shove. Donk bets or leads when youwent to the flop with initiative should be handled by the “if raised” action. The “LP Facing Bet”section is not in the x/x format, as it always requires a reaction and never has you acting first. ~means that you are betting or raising with the intention of shoving the next street no matter whatcomes.

Take this short quiz as practice to sharpen your understanding of the post-flop chart. Use the chart asyou go and record your answers. Answers are found in the appendix.

1. You are playing 10NL. It folds to you, and you raise the button to .20 with 8♦7♣. You areflatted by the small blind; the pot is .50. The flop comes A♥4♠8♣. The SB checks to you; whatis your play?

2. The blinds are .25/.50. You are in the big blind with T♣9♣. Three players limp, and you checkyour option. The pot is 2.25, and the flop comes 9♦T♦5♥. You are first to act; what do you do?

3. In a $50NL game, you open for $1.00 in the cutoff with J♥T♣ and get flatted by both blinds. Theeffective stack is $15.00. The flop is T♥9♣2♥ with a pot of $3.00. Both opponents check. Youdecide that you have a tier two hand, so you check the chart under the “Initiative” section and seethat the appropriate action is to bet 1/4 stack on the flop with a plan of shoving any turn. You bet$3.50, and after the small blind folds, the big blind min-raises to $7.00. What is your play?

4. You raise A♣Q♥ under the gun and get flatted by the button. You lead for half pot into aK♠Q♦7♣ flop, and the button raises. What to do?

5. You open for 2bbs with J♠7♠ in the small blind and get flatted by the big blind. The flop isT♥7♦2♣, and you lead out for two big blinds. The big blind calls, and the turn is a 3♣. You bet3 big blinds, and the big blind calls. The river is a J♥, giving you two pair. What to do?

6. The HJ, CO, and SB limps. You check A♠3♠ from the big blind. The flop comes 6♠J♣2♠, andthe small blind leads out for pot. What do you do?

7. The UTG and HJ players limp. You limp 4♥4♠ in the SB, and the BB checks. The flop is

4♣7♦T♦. You bet full pot and only the HJ calls. The turn is the A♦, and you bet 3/4 pot. Onceyou get called by the HJ, the river is the 8♦. What is the correct thing to do?

8. You open for 3bbs with A♥J♥ from the HJ and get called by the small blind. The effective stackis 39 big blinds on the flop. The flop is 2♥7♥7♣, and it checks to you. You decide to c-bet. How many big blinds do you bet?

9. You open 9♥8♣ in the small blind and get flatted by the big blind. The flop is A♦8♠4♣. Youbet 2 big blinds, and the big blind calls. The turn is a 9♣, and you fire 3/4 pot. The river is anA♥. What is your line?

10. You open A♦K♠ UTG, and get flatted by the cutoff and button. The flop is 8♣4♠2♦. You leadout for half pot, and only the button calls. The turn is the 2♥. You check and the button checks. The river is a Q♥. What do you do?

____________________________________________________________

You should now have a firm grasp on how to use the basic charts. For more practice, I would suggestloading up some play money tables and playing a few hundred hands. You want to make sure youhave a good feel for the charts before moving on to real money tables. The following FAQ shouldclear up most of any remaining questions you may have.

Basic Strategy FAQCan I vary from the charts if I am sure what it suggests is not the correct play?Unless you are already a winning poker player, I would be careful in making chart varying readswhile learning the basic strategy. With 30 big blinds, any mistake you make is not going to be thatsevere, especially since you are playing at the micros. You will be employing the intermediatestrategy soon enough, which allows for making player-based reads. How many tables should I play?As part of your education, I would strongly suggest playing no more than two tables while using thebasic charts. This is not a race, and you will only be hurting your progress. Only after you master theintermediate strategy and are consistently beating the games should you deliberately start addingtables in order to increase your hourly rate. I do not feel comfortable opening so many hands from the small blind; can I tighten up myrange there?I would strongly advise against it. The strategy is designed around having a looser than averageimage, and changing this in any way atrophies the effectiveness of the charts. Besides, you canconfidently face any post-flop decision with the chart I have provided. You need to learn not to shyaway from marginal situations. The early position ranges seem way too tight; why is this?This was done on purpose to limit your exposure to playing out of position after the flop. Once youbecome a more skilled post-flop player, your ranges will naturally widen from all positions. The chart only has me shoving all-in pre-flop and never 3-betting small. Why is this?The main reason is that with a small stack, any 3-bet generally commits you to the pot, so folding to 4-bets is almost always -EV. Additionally, by exclusively shoving, you will have maximum fold equitypre-flop and will never have to play a 3-bet pot after the flop. Eventually, you will mix things up andadd some small 3-bets to your game, but for now, I advise keeping things simple. What games will I learn to play?The strategies outlined in this book will all be for NL Hold’em short-handed play with six players orless on the table. If you are a full-ring player, you can easily adapt this knowledge to a 9- or 10-handed table with just a few adjustments, covered in Chapter 17. No matter what game you play, thisbook has relevance for you. Many of the concepts covered are fundamental to all poker games andcan easily be translated to improve your play. This seems way too simple to be for real. How do I know this works?In these pages I have basically just provided you with the strategies that I have successfully employedto beat up to 50NL for 9bb/100 over the past several months. The charts in this book are based uponproven fundamentals and tried and true methodology. I have tested them for several thousand handsand tweaked them until I felt they were optimized within the scope of what a rudimentary chart canaccomplish. You should not expect to go out and beat the best online players in the world with them,

and they are not meant for that purpose. The charts should only be used as a stepping stone while youlearn and apply advanced concepts to your game. See Chapter 17 for details about a challengecompleted by myself in which I relied solely on the basic and intermediate charts.

Getting Started PlayingIn this section, I will provide all the information you need to get started short stacking. Even if youare an experienced player who is new only to playing a small stack, I recommend using the basicstrategy for at least a few thousand hands before moving on.

If you are a less-experienced player, I strongly advocate that you spend a considerable amount of timelearning the basic strategy and getting used to a style of play that may be very foreign to you. I suggestthat a minimum of 10,000 hands be spent learning the basic charts or as much time as needed to havethem committed to memory while you play. The pre-flop opening and 3-betting ranges should, atleast, be completely automatic before you move on. More reasons not to skip the basic strategy:

1. It will familiarize you with how my charts are set up going forward.

2. It allows you to gradually transition into positional play.

3. You will get used to how players are reacting to short stacks in a simpler environment.

4. There is less “culture shock” if you have never played a LAG (loose-aggressive) style. Thebeginner strategy is only selectively “laggy” and will prepare you for the looser opening rangesfound in the intermediate strategy.

To make things as clear and as easy as possible for you, the rest of this chapter will be dedicated as astep-by-step guide to getting started playing. These three simple steps will serve you all the waythrough learning the intermediate strategy. First, I will discuss choosing and depositing on a pokersite. Next, I will show you how to manage your sessions and table select. Last, I will put it alltogether and provide you with all the tools you need to have both successful sessions and a strongstart to your short stacking poker career.

Step #1: Choose A Poker Site

Before you can begin playing, you will need to get some money on a poker site. For most sites, youwill want to sign up through an affiliate which will allow you to obtain rakeback. I will notrecommend one as I am not an expert when it comes to the subject. Do your own research and pickthe one on which you feel the most comfortable.

The rakeback affiliate will walk you through the process of signing up with your chosen Poker site. As of the writing of this book, US players have limited options for where they can play due to theshutdown by the Department of Justice of three of the major sites that serviced Americans prior toBlack Friday. However, there are still some viable choices out there. Among them are the Mergeand Revolution networks which continue to allow Americans to play. I currently play on both. Thereis also the Winning Poker Network and the independent site, Bovada. If you live outside the US, youhave a plethora of choices in poker sites that offer either direct rakeback or some rakeback equivalentbased on a VIP system.

Once you have settled on a site, you will need to choose an appropriate amount to deposit. Irecommend depositing no less than $50 and no more than $100. This will have you starting at 4NL,5NL, and/or 10NL, and will give you a bit of time to get used to the strategies before you startcompeting for more substantial amounts of money. Since you will be starting at the micro-stakes, donot be too concerned with taking advantage of the maximum deposit bonus. They are extremelydifficult to clear at stakes below 200NL and are really not worth fooling with yet. Eventually, youwill want to take advantage of reload bonuses.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that these stakes are too low for you to take seriously. Poker ispoker, no matter what the dollar amounts are. While learning, you want the price of your education tobe as inexpensive as possible. Besides, starting at the smallest stake possible will allow you to seehorrible poker at its finest. You will be able to see a steady progression of the quality of play as youmove up in stakes. And having the ability to recognize bad play will help you master table selection,which is a defining skill of great players.

Step #2: Create Your Setup

Before you begin playing, you will want to have the charts readily available for use. I recommendusing the condensed versions of my charts found at the end of this chapter as shown in the nextscreenshot below. You can either print them out or convert them to digital form as an image file orPDF. I recommend that you keep them on your computer desk top under the tables as you play. Thiswill allow you to stay focused on your computer screen at all times.

When you begin a session, you will want to choose your tables wisely. For now, I suggest just takinga seat at the table(s) with the highest average VPIP available. Depending on the traffic, you may needto join a few wait lists. Once you fire the tables up, you will want to put them either side-by-side orone on top of the other. I use the former as it seems to fit my eye better. It is up to you to find thesetup that works best for you.

There are multiple options for setting up your tables. They include tiling, cascading, and stacking. Tiling means your tables are side-by-side with no overlap. Cascading means that the tables are side-by-side but have overlap in varying degrees. Stacking means all of your tables are on top of eachother, and you can only see one table at a time. I cover the pros and cons of all three setups inChapter 16. For now I recommend only tiling. It is extremely important that you learn to follow theaction, and tiling gives you the best chance to do so.

This is the tiled setup I use for two-tabling.

Step #3: Begin Playing

Now that you have money on a poker site and are set up with a rakeback affiliate (unless it is a VIPsite), it is time for you to dive right into actual play. During your sessions, you will want to adhere toa few guidelines which will help to maximize the efficiency of the learning process going forward. 1. Follow the chartsWhile learning my basic short-stacking strategy, I advise you to follow the charts exactly. Once youmove on to the intermediate strategy, you will begin incorporating more judgment-based decisionsinto your play. 2. Do not play more than two tables at oncePlaying two tables will allow you to play between 150 and 200 hands per hour at 6-max. Whilelearning the basic strategy, this is more than enough hands to keep you busy and prevent boredom. Ifyou are completely new to online poker, then I recommend starting with one table only. This is not arace, and you need to be more worried about making accurate decisions rather than being a massmulti-tabler.

3. Practice Sound Bankroll ManagementIt is important to remain disciplined and only play at the level you have the necessary bankroll for. Violating this principle puts you at a considerable risk of going broke. I will discuss bankrollmanagement at length in Chapter 17. For the basic strategy, you will want to adhere to the followingguidelines:

When you have less than $100, play no higher than 5NL.

When you hit $100, you can start playing at 10NL.

At $250, you can play 20NL or 25NL with $300. I do not recommend moving beyond 25NLuntil you are using the intermediate strategy.

4. Leave a table once you hit 45 big blindsMy strategies are not designed to be used with more than 45 big blinds. When your stack hits thatthreshold, you will want to go into lockdown mode and sit out once the next big blind gets to you. Bylockdown mode, I mean you should only play premium hands for the remainder of your time on thetable. I would suggest solely playing the range of QQ+ and AK. Most poker sites have a feature thatallows you to auto sit out when the next big blind gets to you. If not, unclick “auto post blinds,” oryour site’s equivalent, and then sit out manually once the big blind gets to you. Once off the table,pull up a new one or get on the wait list for tables with the highest VPIP available. 5. Play short sessionsIt is good to get in the habit of playing multiple short sessions rather than fewer extended ones. Afterabout an hour, the human mind’s ability to concentrate 100% on a task begins to atrophy. Assumingyou can keep up with the decisions, this will not affect your win-rate while you are following charts.

However, once you move to higher stakes and are required to think through complicated decisions, itwill. Now is the time to build good habits for the future of your poker career. After playing for anhour, it is wise to get up and do something else for a while. Go exercise, spend time with friends orfamily, watch a movie, or do anything non-poker related to reinvigorate your mind.

6. Play on the highest VPIP tables availableAt the beginning of each session, you will want to filter the available tables by VPIP. Either sit at thetables with the highest VPIP, or join the wait list on a few of the higher VPIP tables. For the basicstrategy, you do not need to be concerned with looking at the actual players on each table when youare making your selections. All you should be doing is filtering the player list and trying to find theoverall loosest tables as illustrated below.

In the above example, I would immediately join the 5th table down in the list and then join the waitlist for the first four tables. Once I had my desired two tables up, I would remove myself from thewait lists until ready for a fresh table. I find this method is optimal, as it has you playing the loosesttables on average, which is inherently advantageous to your win-rate. I will cover table selectionmuch more extensively in Chapter 16. For now, I recommend that you keep things simple.

Most poker sites have a clickable menu like this one. You always want the list filtered with thehighest VPIP tables at the top.

Moving On To The Intermediate Strategy

Once you have mastered the basic charts and put in several thousand hands, you will be ready tomove on to the intermediate strategy. The intermediate charts are more complex than the basic ones,and decisions will be based on reads you have on your opponents. These reads are obtained viaplayer stats from a heads-up-display or HUD. The next chapter will outline how to set up a conciseand effective HUD which is similar to the one I employ in my own play. It includes every pertinentstat needed to utilize all strategies covered in this book.

In Chapter 7, I will introduce you to the intermediate charts and walk you through how to use them ina step-by-step fashion. They are set up similarly to the basic charts, so the learning curve should notbe that great. It is important to make sure that you spend time learning them, as they will be the basisfor the rest of the strategies outlined in the book.

The charts used in tandem with the HUD are designed to provide a baseline for read-based play. Asyou read through the book and gain a firm grasp of the strategy, most of the plays and adjustments willbecome so automatic that you will be able to stop using the charts completely. In fact, your goalshould be to move beyond relying on them as soon as possible.

My advice is to STOP now and not read any further until you have put in the necessary time learningand employing the basic strategy.

Condensed Basic Charts

Setting Up Your Heads-Up-Display (HUD)

A HUD is a customizable numerical statistical display that is usually included as a feature withinpoker tracking software programs. Once set up, the display is placed near an opponent on an onlinepoker table and provides real time information regarding how they play.

Unless your powers of observation are super human, then it is 100% necessary for an aspiring playerto use this type of software in order to be a successful online poker player. The majority of yourregular opponents will be using a HUD, so if you do not, you will be conceding a disastrous edge tothem.

A large number of people reading this book are likely to already have a good understanding of how aHUD works. If not, then this chapter will be a crash course for you. It is important that you spendsome time setting up and getting used to a HUD before you begin using it in actual play as theintermediate strategy relies heavily on opponent statistics.

Hold’em Manager or Pokertracker?

Today, the two major programs that track statistics and provide a HUD are Hold’em Manager andPokertracker. If you do not currently have either, then you will need to pick one and download it. Each offers a one-month free trial, so you will not need to invest anything up front.

I currently use Hold’em Manager 2, but have used Pokertracker as well. Both are fine programs, soyou cannot go wrong with either. I switched to Hold’em Manager a couple of years ago due to themore specialized positional stats that it offered, but my understanding is that Pokertracker now offersvery similar stats also.

I will not tell you which program to use. My advice is to try both and pick the one you like best. Allof my examples in the book will be from Hold’em Manager, but setting up a comparable PokertrackerHUD is certainly possible. Recent advancements by both companies have made each an equallyviable investment for serious players.

The HUD

The HUD I will provide covers just about every pre-flop and post-flop situation you will everencounter. I have color-coded the stats to allow for quick recognition regarding the playing style ofyour opponents. Armed with this knowledge, you will seldom encounter a “tough” spot. Most 3-betting and 4-betting decisions will become virtually automatic.

The more you play with an opponent, the more accurate the information becomes as your sample sizegrows. The exception to this is an opponent who is rapidly learning and/or changing his playingstyle. In these rare cases, information can be skewed, although this is really not something to be tooconcerned with. For the most part, people are creatures of habit. You will therefore always want asmany hands as possible on your opponents in order to get the most accurate picture of their playingstyle.

The 1st line includes the notes icon, auto-rate symbol, VPIP, PFR, AGG%, and hands played. This line is for quick recognition of reads you might have on the player, as well as an indicatorof their style of play. A low VPIP (Voluntarily Put money In Pot) indicates a tight player, whilea very high VPIP is attributable to a weak opponent. PFR (Pre-Flop Raise) indicates how oftena player raises. AGG% indicates how passive or aggressive the player is.

The 2nd line indicates a player’s opening ranges when folded to from every position. Use the“raise first in” stat for each respective position to fill this line. I like to have the stats runningleft to right, starting with UTG and ending with the SB. When deciding to 3-bet, you will use thecolor code of the raiser’s positional stat as applied to the chart. I will explain how to colorcode the stats shortly.

The 3rd line gives you an idea of how often the player 3-bets vs. particular positions. The statsonce again run left to right, starting with “3-bet % vs. UTG” and ending with “3-bet % vs. SB.” Using this stat gives you the info you need to use the 4-betting or “V3B” section of the chart.

I use the 4th line for c-betting decisions and borderline restealing spots. The stats are “Check-Fold To C-bets,” “Fold To C-Bets In Position,” and “Fold To Resteal.”

In this book, I only cover which stats to use and how to arrange them and will not detail themechanics of using the software. For specifics on how to set up the HUD, you will need to referencethe literature available on your chosen software’s website.

Color Coding The HUDDuring the course of play, you will want quick access to information critical to making adjustments toother players. In this section I will show you how to color the ranges applied to each HUD stat,allowing for easier identification of player tendencies. Color coding also allows for quickrecognition for use in tandem with the intermediate pre-flop chart in making 3-betting or 4-bettingdecisions.

The colors I use for opponent stats are Blue, Gray, Red, Green, and Purple. Blue signifies tight play;Gray denotes average play; Red means loose play; Green indicates fishy play; and Purple meansextreme or exploitable play.

Each stat has a different range for each color. Here are the values you should use to color code theHUD stats: Top LineVPIP: Blue= less than 15%, Gray= between 15%-25%, Red= between 25%-35%, Green= between35%-60%, and Purple= greater than 60%.PFR: Blue= less than 10%, Gray= between 10%-20%, Red= between 20%-30%, Purple= greaterthan 30%.Aggression %: Blue= less than 30%, Gray= between 30%-37%, Red= between 37%-44%, Purple=greater than 44%.Hands Played: Red= Less than 50, Orange= between 50-250, Blue= between 250-1,000, Green=between 1,000-2,500, Gray= greater than 2,500.Big Blinds (Hero only stat): Purple= less than 15, Orange= between 15-25, Red= 25-35, Blue=between 35-45, White= greater than 45. 2nd LineRaise First In (RFI) from UTG/HJ: Blue= less than 12%, Gray= 12%-20%, Red= between 20%-25%, Purple= greater than 25%.RFI from CO/BTN/SB: Blue= less than 30%, Gray= between 30%-40%, Red= between 40%-60%,Purple= greater than 60%. 3rd Line3-Bet Vs. Stats: White= less than 4%, Blue= between 4%-9%, Gray= between 9%-25%, Red=between 25%-30%, Purple= greater than 30%. 4th LineBoth Fold To C-Bet Stats: Red= less than 40%, Gray= between 40%-50%, Blue= between 50%-60%, Purple= greater than 60%.Fold Vs. Resteal: Red= less than 50%, Gray= between 50%-60%, Blue= between 60%-75%,Purple= greater than 75%.

Filtering For Sample Sizing

I recommend requiring a minimum sample size of ten for each stat in the top three lines and a samplesize of five for stats in the fourth line. That way, your HUD will not be cluttered with information thatis useless due to a lack of hands acquired on the opponent. Until you have a sufficient sample size fora particular stat, use Gray as a default.

That is all the information you need to get your HUD set up. Here is an example of what the HUDlooks like in action:

As time goes on you may wish to customize the look and positioning to fit your own personal taste.Your chosen tracking software has documentation on how to set up and adjust HUD values; please

refer to the respective website for details.

HUD Pop-upsA pop-up is a group of stats that can be viewed at your discretion by either hovering your mouse overor clicking on a specific point on your HUD. They are fully customizable, but both Pokertracker andHold’em Manager come with standard pre-configured pop-ups.

The principal reason I use pop-ups is to keep things neat and organized. I do not like my main HUDto be overly cluttered, so I only keep stats that I use most often displayed on it. The vast majority ofmy decisions are made without needing a pop-up, but occasionally a situation will arise that the mainHUD cannot satisfy. For those instances, I rely on pop-ups. I also use them while not involved in ahand or during post-session reviews to apply labels to my opponents. For example, I use the “fold tosteal” stat in my pre-flop pop-up in order to decide whether or not my opponent is a blind defender. If he folds more than 80% from both the small blind and big blind, I give him the blue tag. I willcover labels in detail in Chapter 14.

I employ four different pop-ups during play: one for pre-flop, one for post-flop, the “versus hero”pop-up, and the “blind versus blind” pop-up. Every stat within each pop-up serves a specificpurpose based on the situation I am facing. Feel free to either copy my pop-ups exactly or customizethem to fit your needs and playing style. For the rest of this section, I will describe in detail thesituations that each pop-up covers. Then I will display a sample of what they look like in action anddefine how every stat is used. For direction on how to make a pop-up, refer to the literature providedby the tracking software.

The Pre-Flop Pop-up

Most pre-flop decisions revolve around 3-bet and 4-bet decisions but also include other usefulinformation to help determine how an opponent can be exploited. Note: Before a stat normalizes, a

number in parentheses next to a stat denotes the sample size.

There are multiple situations that you can face before the flop

1. You raise and get 3-bet or squeezed.

2. You make a small 3-bet and get 4-bet.

3. You are facing a pre-flop raise and are deciding whether to 3-bet or resteal.

4. You get 3-bet and are considering a 4-bet.

5. Your open gets flatted.

6. You are deciding whether or not to steal.

Using The Stats Contained In The Pre-Flop Pop-up3-Bet: This is how often a player 3-bets overall and from various positions. When I am on the fenceabout committing versus an opponent, I will use this stat to see if a player 3-bets more frequently froma particular seat.Resteal: This is an indication of how staunch a defender my opponent is against steals from variouspositions. Some opponents defend particular positions much more resolutely than others. This statcan be a big help if we think our opponent may be getting out of line against us.Squeeze: This is how often a player 3-bets after there is a bet and a call. I compare this stat to thefrequency of his overall 3-bet stat to see if he is prone to squeezing light.4-Bet: This is how often a player 4-bets from various positions. This stat seldom comes into playexcept in the rare instances that you choose to make a small 3-bet instead of shoving.

Fold to 3-bet: This stat shows how often an opponent folds versus 3-bets. This is another indicatorof your opponent’s calling range versus a short stack shove. If the number is high, we can generallywiden our shoving range due to increased fold equity. The opposite is true if he calls particularlylight. If that is the case, we should tighten our shoving range. If he appears to be calling very lightversus 3-bets, I put a note on him as a quick reminder for future situations.Fold to 4-bet: You will rarely have enough hands on a player to get any meaningful 4-bet reads. However, this stat can be used to see if an opponent is ever capable of folding to 4-bets. I often usethis stat when facing a small 3-bet from a regular in late position range wars.Call: This stat indicates how often a player calls a pre-flop open before the flop. Generally, pre-flopcalling stations also tend to be post-flop calling stations.Fold to Steal: This lets me know both my opponent’s overall and positional fold to stealpercentages. I can widen my stealing range considerably if an opponent folds to steals often.Defend Steal: This stat indicates how often a player defends versus a steal by either calling or 3-betting. As this number rises, the profitability of stealing against them typically decreases. I tend totighten up my pre-flop stealing range against players who religiously defend their blinds. However,if a player calls often and plays fit or fold post-flop, I expand my stealing range versus them.

The Post-Flop Pop-up

Post-flop decisions covered by the pop-up are mostly related to c-betting but also cover donk betting,which happens when a player calls a bet or raise and then leads into the aggresor on the following

street.

Situations Covered By The Post-Flop Pop-up

1. You face a c-bet or barrel.

2. You are considering a c-bet or barrel.

3. Your c-bet gets called.

4. Your c-bet gets raised.

5. You want to know the frequency an opponent will bet if you don’t c-bet.

6. You are considering raising a c-bet.

7. You face a check-raise.

8. You face a donk bet.

Using The Stats Contained In The Pre-Flop Pop-upC-bet Raised Pot: I occasionally check this stat to see how strong I can expect my opponent’s rangeto be when he c-bets.Fold to C-bet: I only use this stat in the post-flop pop-up to see how often my opponent folds tobarrels. How an opponent reacts to a flop c-bet is covered on my main HUD.Call C-bet: This stat generally tells you how much of a calling station a player is. If this stat is

above approximately 45%, I will widen my value range and tend to bluff much less.Raise C-bet: A decent indicator of how likely your opponent’s hand is strong when he raises your c-bet. The lower the number, the stronger his hand will probably be.Bet Vs. Missed C-bet: I mostly use this stat out of position when I have a very strong hand against anopponent who folds to c-bets often. If he bets frequently after someone fails to c-bet, I may decide togive him some rope and check instead of continuation betting.Fold C-bet to Raise: This stat indicates how frequently a player has folded to a post-flop re-raise inthe past. I use this stat as an indicator of how often my bluffs or semi-bluffs are likely to work. It isalso another indicator of how strong my opponent’s c-betting range is or his willingness to stack offwith less than the nuts.Check Raise: This indicates how likely my opponent’s range will be strong should I face a check-raise. The lower this number is, the more probable it is that he will be willing to stack off if I commitmy chips.Donk Bet: This stat is mainly used to give me an indication as to how strong a player is when hedonk bets. Frequent donk betting also is often indicative of a weak player. Donk Fold: How often a player donk bets and then folds to a raise is revealed by this stat. It isanother indicator of the strength of a player’s donk-betting range. This stat requires a fairly largesample size before normalizing and becoming reliable.

Versus Hero Pop-up

An ingenious addition to Hold’em Manager 2 is the “versus hero” stats. They are extremely useful tohighlight specific situations where players tend to adjust versus each other. I find these statsespecially valuable when it comes to reacting to 3-bets.

I have created a versus hero popup for my HUD that deals specifically with 3-betting. Here is ascreen shot of how it is set up. Feel free to copy it and use it in your own play:

The top line of the pop-up: Total Hands|Total 3-Bet vs. Everyone|Total 3-bet vs. Hero|Total Restealvs. Everyone|Total Resteal vs. Hero|Frequency Holding Premium Hand When All-In|Total Fold to 4-bet2nd through bottom lines of pop-up: Position 3-Bet Stats (explained below)

There are two steps to using the vs. hero positional stats:

1. When facing a 3-bet, choose the corresponding row based on your opponent’s position.

2. Then choose the columns that correspond with your position. There are two for each position. The first is your opponent’s 3-bet versus the field stat, and the second is how often he 3-bets ineach position versus Hero.

If the sample size is not large enough to use the positional stats, I rely on the top line to see how hisoverall 3-betting and restealing stats compare relative to how often he 3-bets me. In the above screenshot, you will notice that this particular opponent tends to 3-bet me much lighter than the rest of thefield. He 3-bets 11.5% vs. the field and 23.1% vs. me. He also resteals 20% and 34%,respectively. This information is very useful when making decisions versus a reraise.

The only limitation of versus hero stats is sample sizing. The stats are really only useful versusplayers whom you face frequently, particularly when up against regulars.

The Blind Versus Blind Popup

Beyond hands played, there are only six stats contained in the pop-up. The top half is dedicated tohow an opponent reacts to a small blind steal. The bottom half shows how he reacts to c-bets while in

position.

This HUD is designed to help you make sound decisions against regulars in blind-versus-blind (BvB)situations. It includes stats for how your opponent is likely to react to your pre-flop steals and post-flop c-bets.

The stats used in the above pop-up:Pre-flopFold= Fold to Hero’s SB StealCall= Call Hero’s SB Steal3-Bet= Raise Hero’s SB StealPost-flopFold= Fold to Hero’s C-bet BvBCall= Call Hero’s C-bet BvBRaise= Raise Hero’s C-bet BvB____________________________________________________________

Ethics Of HUD UseAt first impression, HUDs may appear unethical to new players. Their usage was hotly debated in thepast, and the general conclusion made by poker sites is that as long as you are involved in the handsused in tracking stats shown in your HUD, there is nothing wrong with the practice.

My thinking on the subject is that while you really do not need to use a HUD to be a successful player,it certainly doesn’t hurt. Some top online pros swear they do not use one. And while I believe them,I also realize that they probably face the same competition day in and day out over a long period oftime and/or play very few tables. In today’s online game, almost all professionals do use a HUD, sounless you have extraordinary observational skills, you will be at a severe disadvantage, especiallywhen multi-tabling.

Data Mining

In recent years several online businesses have popped up selling data-mined hands that are collectedfrom players on nearly every major poker site. This allows one to have massive amounts ofinformation on the player pool while never having to play a hand against them.

This is one area of technology that I feel crosses the line as far as ethics go. It is my stance that thistype of activity violates the spirit of the game of poker. And while it’s true that everyone has accessto these databases, I am strongly against using information that you could not have observed whileplaying. Besides the obvious ethical issues, using these data-mined hands violates the terms ofservice of most poker sites.

In my opinion, it really does not help you that much to partake of data-mined hands. The fact that itonly takes a few hands for your HUD to be able to give you accurate reads, data mining is somethingthat is absolutely not necessary to be successful in online poker. If you are just starting out, I stronglyadvise against using any hands that you did not acquire through your own play. As an advancedplayer, you should strive to be more focused on game flow, history, and notes you have made onanother player rather than generic reads that are obtained from how your opponents play against thefield. Additionally, as technology increases poker sites may figure out how to tell if someone is usingdata-mined hands, and it’s simply not worth the risk of getting banned from play.

The Intermediate Strategy

Now that you fully grasp the basic strategy and have played several thousand hands, you are ready toadvance to the next phase of your development. With the intermediate strategy, you will learn a moreadvanced read-based approach to the game of poker built around core fundamentals. My goal is toprovide a basic blueprint for strong play, which will supply a foundation that you can steadily buildupon as your poker repertoire increases.

You will now learn how to base your decisions on the tendencies of opponents instead of following astatic strategy. Pre-flop 3-betting and 4-betting decisions will begin varying depending on the rangesof other players. You will also start tailoring your post-flop play based on board textures, which laysthe foundation for a much more diversified and nuanced betting strategy that will become the hallmarkof your play moving forward.

In the end game, poker is all about exploitation. Having a strong standard game based on counteringyour opponents will free up your mind for precise and calculated maneuvering that will crush thecompetition. To that end, the rest of the book will be spent walking you through every single area ofthe game. I will provide insights that go well beyond the charts with the goal of providinginformation that is most practical and rapidly improves your game in a pragmatic fashion.

Before moving on, you should have your tracking software up and running. Until you get used tomaking decisions based on reads that are specified in the HUD, you will want to ease deliberatelyinto the intermediate strategy. I suggest playing only one table for a few hundred hands while you getused to the new system. Depending on your background, this strategy may take a while to master; but,once you get it down, I am sure you will find that it was well worth the work.

This chapter will walk you through implementing the intermediate charts in a step-by-step fashionsimilar to how you learned the basic chart. I will once again supply quizzes to give you somepractice using them. Make sure you spend plenty of time learning how the color coding works,especially if you have never used a HUD before. As you proceed, I suggest that you put a great dealof effort into reviewing each of your playing sessions hand-by-hand to make sure you are makingaccurate plays via the charts.

You will then want to read on through the book and incrementally add additional strategic and tacticalcomponents, such as the pre-flop calling strategy, to your game. Everything I have incorporated willhave practical relevance to the learning process. I made a conscious effort not to include any “fluff”in the book. Some things take longer to grasp than others, so feel free to work at your own pace.

Without further delay, here are the intermediate charts. Once again, there are condensed versions of

the charts found at the end of the chapter. I recommend setting them up on your desktop similarly tothe screenshot shown on page 69, in “Creating Your Setup.”

The Intermediate Pre-Flop Chart

x= Any card | AS= All suited cards | AC= All connected cards | ISO= Isolate | JAM= Shove all-in

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Choose the appropriate section based on your hole cards.

2. Pick the row next to that section based on the situation. The pot will either be unopened, limped,or raised. For 3-betting decisions, use the “One Raiser” row. When facing a steal, use the VSTcolumn. For 4-bets, move to the V3B column.

3. When deciding to 3-bet or 4-bet, only shove when facing an opponent with the specified color orlooser. For example, if the box says to commit against Gray opponents, you would shoveagainst gray, red, and purple. If the box says blue, you would shove against all players. For 3-

betting decisions use the color of the opponent’s opening range and for 4-betting decisions usethe color of the opponent’s 3-betting range versus your current position.

The intermediate pre-flop chart is set up very similarly to the basic pre-flop chart. The majordifference is in the color coding and stack size adjustments for 3-betting and 4-betting. You will alsonotice the opening ranges are quite a bit wider in late position. To make things easy when facing a 3-bet, I set the chart up so that tier one hands are committed against all players, tier two against onlygray, red, and purple, tier three against red and purple, and tier four only against purple 3-bettors.

____________________________________________________________

3-Betting and 4-Betting Decisions

A strong short stacking strategy is not entirely based on wildly shoving over our opponents’ pre-flopopening raises. However, when used properly, 3-betting and 4-betting accounts for a modest portionof a short stack’s overall profits. In the basic strategy, I provided static ranges to shove all-in thatwas not based at all on reads. For the intermediate strategy, I have built into the chart differentshoving ranges based on the type of opponent you are facing.

There are three basic player types listed on the chart. There are players with a tight range which arecolored blue on the HUD, normal range players who are colored gray, and loose players who arecolored red. I also added one more color, purple, for occasions when you face extremely wide openraisers and 3-bettors.

Using The HUD Color Coding System For 3-Betting

When facing an opening raise, you simply note the raiser’s opening range color and then use thecorrect corresponding block on the chart. It works just like the basic chart, except now you arebasing your shoving range on how narrow or wide your opponent’s opening range is.

Here is a quiz to give you some practice on how the intermediate pre-flop chart works in tandem withyour HUD for 3-betting decisions. Make sure you are using the VST column if the raiser is in the CO,BTN, or SB. Answers can be found in the appendix.

Question #1:

No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($18.65)HJ ($10.25) Red HJ RaiserCO ($25.35)Hero (Button) ($8.12)SB ($60.66)BB ($25) Preflop: Hero is Button with A♣, Q♣1 fold, HJ bets $1, 1 fold, Hero ? Question #2: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($55.15)HJ ($56.10)CO ($19.75)Button ($49.50) Blue Btn RaiserSB ($17.40)Hero (BB) ($15) Preflop: Hero is BB with J♦, Q♦

3 folds, Button bets $1.34,1 fold, Hero ? Question #3: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($46.05)CO ($40.96) Red CO RaiserButton ($76.67)Hero (SB) ($16.35)BB ($49.16) Preflop: Hero is SB with 7♠, A♥1 fold, CO bets $1.34,1 fold,Hero ? Question #4 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($78.76) Blue UTG RaiserHero (HJ) ($16.87)CO ($39.62)Button ($184.29)SB ($19)BB ($58.28) Preflop: Hero is HJ with Q♦, Q♥UTG bets $1.75,Hero ? Question #5 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($16.99)HJ ($20)

CO ($19.70) Gray CO RaiserHero (Button) ($5.70)SB ($19.67)BB ($20) Preflop: Hero is Button with 9♥, 9♠2 folds, CO bets $0.60, Hero ?

Question #6 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($9)HJ ($10.15)CO ($19.09)Button ($3.27) Purple BTN RaiserSB ($13.07)Hero (BB) ($3) Preflop: Hero is BB with 5♠, 7♥3 folds, Button bets $0.27,1 fold, Hero ? Question #7 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($8.59) Red UTG RaiserHJ ($5)CO ($2.93)Hero (Button) ($2.65)SB ($3.45)BB ($7.08) Preflop: Hero is Button with A♦, J♥UTG bets $0.30,2 folds, Hero ?

Question #8 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($12.01)CO ($4.69) Gray CO RaiserButton ($11.35)Hero (SB) ($3.03)BB ($4.30) Preflop: Hero is SB with K♦, J♦1 fold, CO bets $0.27,1 fold, Hero ? Question #9 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) UTG ($9.23)HJ ($6.74)Button ($1.29)SB ($38.07) Blue SB RaiserHero (BB) ($5.61) Preflop: Hero is BB with 6♥, 6♠3 folds, SB bets $0.60, Hero ? Question #10 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($25) Red UTG RaiserHJ ($23.24)CO ($30.25)Button ($28.15)

Hero (SB) ($16.80)BB ($22.36) Preflop: Hero is SB with Q♣, J♣UTG bets $1.50,2 folds, Hero ? Question #11 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($18.72)HJ ($20.28)CO ($41.34)Button ($19.74)SB ($26.22) Gray SB RaiserHero (BB) ($6) Preflop: Hero is BB with 10♦, 10♣4 folds, SB bets $0.47, Hero ? Question #12 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) UTG ($8.35)HJ ($11.33)Button ($12.91) Blue BTN RaiserSB ($19.20)Hero (BB) ($3.15) Preflop: Hero is BB with 10♦, J♦2 folds, Button bets $0.20,1 fold, Hero ? Question #13

No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($12.70)HJ ($48.18)CO ($12.37)Button ($5.14) Blue BTN RaiserHero (SB) ($6.66)BB ($13.22) Preflop: Hero is SB with A♣, Q♠3 folds, Button bets $0.60, Hero ? Question #14 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($16.60) Purple UTG RaiserHJ ($8)CO ($38.55)Button ($27.98)Hero (SB) ($16.75)BB ($25) Preflop: Hero is SB with 10♥, A♣UTG bets $1,3 folds, Hero ? Question #15 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($17.87) Gray UTG RaiserHJ ($10.24)Hero (CO) ($3.34)Button ($13.12)

SB ($11.41)BB ($10.65) Preflop: Hero is CO with 8♥, 8♣1 fold, HJ bets $0.30, Hero? Question #16 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($98.20)CO ($58.25)Button ($48.41)SB ($13) Purple SB RaiserHero (BB) ($13.80) Preflop: Hero is BB with 5♦, 9♥3 folds, SB bets $1.50, Hero ? Question #17 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($39.08) Blue UTG RaiserHJ ($73.07)Hero (CO) ($28.80)Button ($66.60)SB ($50)BB ($51.94) Preflop: Hero is CO with J♣, J♦UTG bets $1.13,1 fold, Hero ? Question #18

No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($26.40)HJ ($14.25)CO ($24.74)Button ($71.09)SB ($25.25) Red SB RaiserHero (BB) ($15) Preflop: Hero is BB with 9♠, 8♠4 folds, SB bets $1, Hero ? Question #19 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($4.91)HJ ($6.35) Purple HJ RaiserCO ($4.32)Button ($12.96)SB ($0.96)Hero (BB) ($2.94) Preflop: Hero is BB with A♥, 7♥1 fold, HJ bets $0.30,3 folds, Hero ? Question #20 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($6.55)HJ ($12.66)CO ($23.05) Gray CO RaiserHero (Button) ($6.06)

SB ($3.80)BB ($8.22) Preflop: Hero is Button with K♠, Q♦2 folds, CO bets $0.54, Hero ?____________________________________________________________

Using The HUD Color Coding System For 4-Betting

Using the advanced chart for 4-betting works exactly the same as 3-bet decisions. You are just usinga different section of the HUD and chart. When facing a 3-bet, you use the third line of the HUD anddetermine the opponent’s 3-bet range vs. your position. You then check the corresponding vs. V3Bcolumn on the chart and perform the appropriate action.

I have set up the chart to make things very easy to remember. Against blue 3-bettors you only 4-betwith Tier 1 hands, against gray 3-bettors you 4-bet with Tier 2 and better hands, versus Red 3-bettorsyou commit with any hand tier 3 or better, and against purple reraisers you can put your chips in withany tier 4 hand or better.

Here is a quiz to give you some practice on how the chart works in tandem with your HUD for 4-betting decisions. Answers can be found in the appendix.

Question #1 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($5.90)HJ ($25.20)Hero (CO) ($4.90)Button ($20.40)SB ($44.57)BB ($22.80) Gray 3-bettor versus CO Preflop: Hero is CO with 8♠, 8♣2 folds, Hero bets $0.40,2 folds, BB raises to $1.20, Hero ? Question #2 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) HJ ($109.90)CO ($195.95)Hero (Button) ($26.50)SB ($29)

BB ($95.35) Blue 3-bettor versus BTN Preflop: Hero is Button with K♦, A♥2 folds, Hero bets $2, SB calls $1.50, BB raises to $9, Hero ? Question #3 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($101.23)HJ ($17.25)CO ($49.50)Button ($72)Hero (SB) ($10.47)BB ($56.70) Red 3-bettor versus SB Preflop: Hero is SB with K♥, J♦4 folds, Hero bets $1, BB raises to $3, Hero ?

Question #4 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) Hero (HJ) ($2.85)CO ($5) Blue 3-bettor versus HJButton ($4.96)SB ($6.15)BB ($4.19) Preflop: Hero is HJ with Q♣, A♣Hero bets $0.30, CO (poster) raises to $1.30,3 folds, Hero ? Question #5 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($49.10)HJ ($26.75)CO ($49.75)Hero (Button) ($16.32)SB ($29.83)BB ($73.35) Purple 3-bettor versus BTN Preflop: Hero is Button with K♣, Q♠3 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, BB raises to $4, Hero ? Question #6 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($11.43)HJ ($10.44)CO ($14.03)Button ($12.13)Hero (SB) ($2.90)BB ($8.54) Purple 3-bettor versus SB Preflop: Hero is SB with A♦, 5♦4 folds, Hero bets $0.20, BB raises to $0.60, Hero ? Question #7 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($65.12)HJ ($54.70)Hero (CO) ($16.50)Button ($123.31)SB ($32.35) Gray 3-bettor versus COBB ($51.50)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 5♦, 5♣2 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, SB raises to $3,1 fold,Hero ? Question #8 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) Hero (UTG) ($5.50)HJ ($23.03) Blue 3-bettor versus UTGCO ($6.25)Button ($4.50)SB ($8.46)BB ($24.32) Preflop: Hero is UTG with A♥, A♣Hero bets $0.40, HJ raises to $1.40,4 folds, Hero ? Question #9 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($29.71)MP ($25.02)Hero (CO) ($6)Button ($37.99)SB ($19.50)BB ($20) Purple 3-bettor versus CO Preflop: Hero is CO with 5♥, 6♥2 folds, Hero bets $0.40,2 folds, BB raises to $1.40, Hero ? Question #10

No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (3 handed) Hero (Button) ($37.44)SB ($105.78) Red 3-bettor versus BTNBB ($121.93) Preflop: Hero is Button with J♦, A♣Hero bets $2, SB raises to $7,1 fold, Hero ? Question #11 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) Hero (UTG) ($5.85)HJ ($21.82)CO ($7.41)Button ($10.36)SB ($13.49)BB ($9.21) Gray 3-bettor versus UTG Preflop: Hero is UTG with 9♠, 9♥Hero bets $0.40,4 folds, BB raises to $9.21 (All-In), Hero ? Question #12 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($20)MP ($49.25)CO ($128.18)Button ($64.25)Hero (SB) ($15)BB ($52.88) Red 3-bettor versus SB Preflop: Hero is SB with Q♣, 7♣

4 folds, Hero bets $1, BB raises to $3, Hero ?____________________________________________________________

The Intermediate Post-Flop Chart

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Determine the board texture. If the board is neutral, err on the side of wet.

2. Go to the appropriate section regarding initiative. You will either have the initiative or youwill not have the initiative and have it checked to you or face a bet.

3. Choose the row of your relative hand strength tier for the current street.

4. Perform the action in the box under the street you are playing. The chart is set up in an x/xformat just like the basic chart.

5. ~ means “decide” is used in some calling situations. You may sometimes want to call a betwith a showdown value hand if all of the draws have missed.

As you can see, the chart is set up similarly to the basic post-flop chart, except it is split into twoseparate sections, one for playing dry boards and one for playing wet boards. It inherently allowsyou to adjust strategies mid-hand, depending on what card hits the turn and river. Each street on thechart is to be treated as mutually exclusive and not necessarily as a continuation of the flop.

Sometimes you will flop a tier 4 hand that will suddenly become a tier 1, 2, or 3 tier hand on the turn. If you play three streets, your river tier is seldom the same as your flop tier. Always remember toplay each street independently of the others. For example, let’s say you flop a tier 1 hand and betwith the intention of getting all-in on the next street. Then the worst card in the deck hits, and you nolonger have a nut hand. The chart automatically switches you from the nut line and moves you to amore optimal betting strategy.

Sometimes, there is a gray area where a hand could fall into one tier or another. You will need todevelop your skill at recognizing relative hand strength and consider the tendencies of the oppositionwhen assigning tiers. This chart is designed only to provide default plays in a vacuum againstaverage opponents. Situational factors may warrant a deviation from what the chart directs you todo. An understanding of relative hand values and opponent dependent reads will be necessary tomaximize.

Often, a standard play listed on the chart will not be optimal against certain opponents. Anexploitable extreme tendency will sometimes force you to make an adjustment to your line of play. Extremely aggressive opponents, as well as overly passive ones, can alter the relative strength of ourholding and render particular actions on the chart incorrect. My advice is to use the chart only as ageneral guide and to work hard on moving away from relying on it as quickly as possible.

You may also have noticed that the intermediate chart tells you nothing about post-flop bet sizing. Ifyou want to use the basic post-flop chart for now, until you get the hang of things, then by all meansfeel free. However, I strongly suggest you start putting more thought into your post-flop plays and tryto get away from using static betting patterns as soon as possible.

The basic post-flop chart was devised to teach you how to build big pots with big hands and keeppots small with small hands. The intermediate post-flop chart does the same thing, except now youwill base decisions on board texture. The composition of the board is extremely important forplaying post-flop, as it affects both how fast we want to play our hands as well as how likely it is toconnect to our opponents’ ranges. Additionally, our relative hand strength is also greatly determinedby what type of board we are playing.

Bet sizing recommendations will no longer be made by the chart, because I feel that type ofinformation would only be a crutch going forward. The way it has been designed is to teach youstandard betting lines that will serve you well while you work on mastering post-flop play. I wantyou to spend time learning the why of bet sizing rather than just following a generic system. Chapter12 will put you on the right path with regard to sizing your bets. But feel free to use the basic post-flop chart for a while, until you have developed your bet sizing aptitude.

What the basic and intermediate tier-based betting strategies have in common is that they are designedmore for value than to disguise your ranges. For the purposes of playing small stakes and belowwhere players are not paying much attention to what you are doing, balancing your ranges is not reallynecessary. Much more important is getting maximum value from your hands. In fact, over-thinkingthings against non-thinking opponents can lead to fancy play syndrome. As you move up in stakes andplay against stronger players, it will be necessary to put more effort into balancing.

Basing Decisions On Flop Texture

For now, you only need to be able to recognize the difference between wet and dry boards. Oncearmed with that info, just use the post-flop chart that corresponds with your position, initiative, andthe board texture. Due to the way my opening strategy is designed, you will mostly be using the post-flop “with initiative” chart. The only time you will use the other two charts are in limped pots.

I strongly suggest reviewing your sessions and going over every single post-flop decision you make. Think about why the chart directed you to make each action and what was to be gained. This willhelp you to begin to develop your post-flop acumen. To get you going in the right direction, here is aquiz which will help you get acclimated to the post-flop intermediate chart.

Intermediate Post-Flop Chart Quiz

Answers can be found in the appendix.

Question #1 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($17.15)HJ ($48.50)Hero (CO) ($14)Button ($25.25)SB ($110.25)BB ($25.68) Preflop: Hero is CO with A♥, A♦2 folds, Hero bets $1,2 folds, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 8♠, 6♥, 3♠ (2 players)BB bets $1.50, Hero ? Question #2 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($52.21)HJ ($76.93)Hero (CO) ($13.50)Button ($50.74)SB ($71.05)BB ($53.56) Preflop: Hero is CO with 4♥, A♥2 folds, Hero bets $1,2 folds, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 10♠, 7♠, 4♦ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, BB calls $1.13 Turn: ($4.51) J♣ (2 players)BB checks, Hero ? Question #3 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($101.14)HJ ($86.02)CO ($117.29)Hero (Button) ($14.15)SB ($60.15)BB ($52.32) Preflop: Hero is Button with J♣, Q♦3 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 4♣, 2♣, J♦ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.50, BB raises to $4.50, Hero ? Question #4 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($47.12)CO ($99.33)Button ($22.54)Hero (SB) ($15.15)BB ($51.50) Preflop: Hero is SB with 8♠, 7♦3 folds, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2) J♥, 4♠, K♣ (2 players)Hero bets $1.34, BB calls $1.34 Turn: ($4.68) 4♥ (2 players)Hero ? Question #5 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($35.95)CO($22.65)Button ($82.51)Hero (SB) ($16.80)BB ($50) Preflop: Hero is SB with 3♥, A♣

HJ calls $0.50,1 fold, Button calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks Flop: ($2) 3♦, Q♣, A♦ (4 players)Hero ? Question #6 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) Hero (HJ) ($3.60)CO ($40.76)Button ($35.55)SB ($19.91)BB ($19.30) Preflop: Hero is HJ with 10♦, A♦Hero bets $0.40,2 folds, SB calls $0.30, BB calls $0.20 Flop: ($1.20) Q♠, 6♦, 3♦ (3 players)SB checks, BB bets $1.20, Hero ? Question #7 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($15)HJ ($86.19)CO ($48.69)Button ($119.54)SB ($88.55)Hero (BB) ($14.10) Preflop: Hero is BB with 6♣, 9♠UTG (poster) checks,3 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks Flop: ($1.50) 3♠, 7♣, 9♦ (3 players)SB bets $1, Hero calls $1, 1 fold Turn: ($3.50) 4♠ (2 players)SB bets $1, Hero calls $1 River: ($5.50) 3♣ (2 players)SB bets $3, Hero ?

Question #8 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) UTG ($156.75)HJ ($110.65)CO ($58.70)Button ($26.20)Hero (SB) ($31.04)BB ($144.09) Preflop: Hero is SB with A♣, 5♠2 folds, CO calls $1,1 fold, Hero calls $0.50, BB checks Flop: ($3) A♠, 10♣, 3♣ (3 players)Hero checks, BB checks, CO bets $1, Hero calls $1,1 fold Turn: ($5) 7♠ (2 players)Hero checks, CO checks River: ($5) 3♥ (2 players)Hero ? Question #9 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($22.96)HJ ($19.96)CO ($20)Hero (Button) ($5.70)SB ($19.80)BB ($12.36) Preflop: Hero is Button with 8♣, Q♥2 folds, CO (poster) checks, Hero bets $0.80,1 fold, BB calls $0.60,1 fold Flop: ($1.90) A♦, 5♦, 10♠ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $0.95, BB calls $0.95 Turn: ($3.80) J♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero checks River: ($3.80) 5♣ (2 players)

BB checks, Hero ? Question #10 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (4 handed) Hero (CO) ($3.01)Button ($4.83)SB ($4.67)BB ($3.35) Preflop: Hero is CO with 8♥, 8♠Hero bets $0.20, Button calls $0.20,1 fold, BB calls $0.10 Flop: ($0.65) 4♥, 8♦, Q♠ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $0.20, Button calls $0.20, BB raises to $1, Hero ? Question #11 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($3.87)HJ ($7.94)CO ($6.80)Button ($5.91)Hero (SB) ($2.20)BB ($11.12) Preflop: Hero is SB with 3♦, 3♣2 folds, CO calls $0.10, Button calls $0.10, Hero calls $0.05, BB checks Flop: ($0.40) 7♥, 5♥, 3♠ (4 players)Hero ? Question #12 No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($45.60)Hero (CO) ($16.34)Button ($64.97)SB ($49.50)BB ($48.41)

Preflop: Hero is CO with J♣, 4♣1 fold, Hero bets $1, Button calls $1,1 fold, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($3.25) 4♠, 7♥, 3♥ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.63, Button calls $1.63,1 fold Turn: ($6.51) K♣ (2 players)Hero bets $2.50, Button calls $2.50 River: ($11.51) 8♦ (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $59.84 (All-In), Hero ?____________________________________________________________

You now have all the tools you need to begin effectively using my intermediate strategy in your ownplay. The chart-based strategy should be considered your base default strategy going forward. Therest of the book will be spent showing you how to hone your game and expand your poker repertoire.

Condensed Intermediate Charts

Opening Strategy

In this chapter we will discuss how to play unopened pots and form an overall game plan for creatingprofitable post-flop opportunities. While the intermediate strategy continues to have you opening avery tight early position range, the late position ranges are significantly looser. This is because Ibelieve the most profitable way to play is a positional loose-aggressive, or LAG, style.

A LAG opens a multitude of hands that your average player would find ridiculous. If it folds to mostpeople in the cutoff (or any position for that matter) and they look down at 95o, they insta-muck itbecause they believe they are too “smart” to play junk like that. It is my belief that there is no suchthing as a junk hand. There are only junk situations. If there is potential profit to be had from playinga particular hand, then it is not junk.

The curious thing that many players have difficulty grasping is that, standing alone, a hand can beunprofitable while at the same time increasing your overall bottom line. For example, 95o is in mytypical cutoff range. I do not believe that opening that hand will necessarily be profitable long term,yet I still raise with it when folded to under the right conditions. This is due to the fact that attentiveplayers will notice that I am raising a wide range from the cutoff. Therefore, they will tend to give alot less respect to my cutoff raises, which increases the average earn of the top of my range. The netresult is an overall increase to my cutoff expectation.

It is important to understand this concept. It is the whole reason someone plays a pre-flop LAGstyle. You want to be the Rodney Dangerfield of poker and get no respect. You want people tobecome angry at you for seemingly “raising every damn hand” and in turn loosen up against you. Notonly does it get them out of their comfort zone, it also makes them have to adjust. And to be frank,99% of players have no clue how to adjust properly to a loose-aggressive player. So most of thetime, whether they adjust or not, we profit.

Stealing

Stealing is the foundation of any successful pre-flop strategy, as the game of Hold’em is literallybased on a fight for the blinds. If no one were forced to post blinds, there would be no point to thegame, and the best strategy would be to fold every single hand but pocket Aces. However, there are1.5 big blinds sitting there on the table at the start of every hand. In order to keep up with the fees youhave to pay every revolution, you actively need to try to either hold on to your blinds or take someoneelse’s.

So which strategy is better? Do we try to defend “our” blinds, or do we pick pocket someone else? Right now, you may be thinking, “It’s only 1.5 big blinds; why the heck should I bother going out ofmy way to go after them?” The answer is simple. You should do so because 1.5 big blinds is a ton ofmoney!

In a 6-handed, non-ante game, if you play 1,000 hands in a session, you will be in the blinds fullyabout 333 times. That’s 250 big blinds per 1,000 hands that you are investing all by yourself beforethe cards are even dealt. During that same time, the total invested by all players at the table is 1,500big blinds. In a .50/1.00 cash game, $1,500 is contributed every 1,000 hands. Whoever is able toprocure more of that money will be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

Most players have either a flawed strategy or no strategy at all for competing for the blinds. Eitherway, they are fighting an uphill battle every time they sit at the table. The great majority of playerswho do fight for the blinds feel that they have some type of ownership in the money they post. Theycomplain or get upset when someone tries to “steal” their blinds.

What they end up doing is chasing their blinds. Ever so often, they make a feeble attempt to try tohold onto what wasn’t even theirs in the first place by calling or raising. Typically, their efforts areboth strategically and mathematically incorrect. The truth is, once a player posts a blind, it no longerbelongs to him or anyone else. Until the pot is raked, nobody owns the money in the middle.

There is a time and a place to fight for the blinds while you are sitting in them. However, the bestway to get your share of the blind pie is not to try to defend yours, but rather to take someone else’s. The way to do that is through an aggressive stealing strategy.

A steal is defined as any open raise from the Cutoff, Button, or Small blind after it has folded to you. When in the Cutoff, you will have position most of the time after the flop, and as the Button, youalways will. As you have learned, position is king in poker. And any method that has you playingmore hands in position is the better strategy. The only stealing position that guarantees you being outof position once called is the small blind. You would think that means we need to raise tighter from

that position. However, counter intuitively, it is exactly the opposite. We will get into why in a bit.

The later your position, the more profit you should be making. Theoretically, your lowest win ratewill be from UTG, and your biggest win rate will be from the Button. Why is this? The fact thatmore people are behind you to pick up playable hands when you raise from earlier positions, whichgives more fold equity before the flop, has something to do with it. Even so, the biggest factor thatmakes stealing so much more profitable is position.

The screenshot below is of my positional stats over the last few months at 50NL. Notice how eachposition gets more profitable as you move toward the button. In the above sample, I stole from thecutoff 65%, the button 85%, and the small blind 100% of the time it folded to me. These numbersmight seem ridiculous to some people, but I can confidently say that profits from stealing rather than3-betting is what accounted for the majority of my win-rate from the stealing positions.

Breaking even from the small blind is a huge boon to my overall win-rate. There really is no secretto my success from that position. By just using the fundamentals of initiative and pressure, I amgenerally able to keep my opponents on the ropes in blind-versus-blind situations.

Stealing From The Small BlindYour default play should eventually be to open 100% of hands when folded to in the small blind. This is because the vast majority of players out there have no idea how to react to having their bigblind relentlessly raised by an aggressive small blind player. The most common way players whonotice what you are doing will try to defend is by calling and trying to hit something post-flop. Thisis known as playing “fit or fold.” But due to your aggressive post-flop c-betting strategy, this willmake life very difficult for players. Most do not have the stomach to call down with 2nd or 3rd pair,or bluff shove all-in with air against a short stack.

Inevitably, aggressive players will start 3-betting you light. Nevertheless, in order to exploit your100% raising range, they would need to 3-bet a whopping 50% or more of hands. Anything less than50%, and you are winning money, even if you fold to their 3-bet every single time. Additionally, witha steal success of 57%, you would break even if your hand never had value. You could open foldyour hand post-flop every single time and not lose anything.

But here’s the good news. Your hand does have value, and sometimes you will hit flops. When all ofthis is factored in, against most opponents, raising anything less than 100% in the small blind when itis folded to you seems like a gross error. Besides, the world is full of nits. You will find that manyplayers will be oblivious to what you are doing. They are completely focused on their cards orpossibly playing too many tables to notice. These types of players are getting their pockets pickedtime and time again and will never realize it. I cannot overstate how important it is to keep the steadystealing profit from these players flowing in.

The only opponents you will need to adjust your SB opening range against are ones that either mix incalling with an aggressive 3-betting range or float relentlessly. Against these players, you can valuebet more thinly should you get called, but you will need to play somewhat fit or fold against them. Versus balanced players, I typically tighten up to my raising range against them while I wait to leavethe table. There is really no point in staying on a table with aggressive strong opponents on your left,unless there is some factor that cancels out the negative aspects of the situation. A good example ofthis would be having a huge fish directly to your right. In Chapter 6, I provided for you a pop-up thatI recently created to help me make decisions when considering an open from the small blind. Feelfree to incorporate it into your own HUD.

Opening RangesFor the intermediate strategy, open the following ranges:

UTG/HJ- 55+, AT+, KQ

CO/BTN- 22+, Ax, anything connected 65+

SB- 22+, Ax, Kx, Qx, anything suited, anything connected

I have specifically chosen hands that are designed to make the transition to LAG play as smooth aspossible. Eventually, you will begin opening a range that is not static, but rather based on thecomposition of the table. For now, I have provided ranges that I feel open a sufficiently wide enoughrange while at the same time being made up of hands that have marked connectivity with a variety offlops while you learn and improve your post-flop play. In Chapter 15, I will show you how to adjustyour stealing ranges based on the tendencies of the opponents seated behind you on any given hand. You will learn when to play your normal range and when it is prudent to either tighten or loosen up. For now, you are not advised to vary from the base opening ranges, no matter how playable orunplayable you think the hand is.

What If I Absolutely Cannot Open That Many Hands?

I considered going with a tighter range for the strategies provided in my charts. But I feel it wouldput such a dent in a player’s earnings from stealing that I decided against it. However, I havetailored the ranges to put you in the fewest possible marginal spots while still creating enoughprofitable situations to keep your opponents off balance.

Once you move beyond the charts, you will almost certainly be adding even more hands to your ownopening range, but for now, the intermediate pre-flop chart is a good introduction to LAG play. But ifyou simply cannot dive right into what may appear to some to be overly loose play, feel free to usethe basic ranges for a while until you feel comfortable enough to fully open up your game. Alternatively, you can just trim the suited and unsuited connectors and semi-connectors off your lateposition range for a time.

I strongly suggest that you just jump in with both feet and use the opening ranges I am providing. Thecharts will show you exactly what to do, and if you want to reach your full potential, you will need toeventually transition to the loose end of tag or full-on LAG play.

Open Raise SizingFor the strategies laid out in this book, you will be open raising anywhere from 2 big blinds to 4 bigblinds in unopened pots. For now, feel free to use the strategy laid out in the basic chart as it will tellyou exactly how much to raise with your opening ranges from all positions. I have chosen the sizingcarefully to both maximize profit with your big hands and to provide sufficient fold equity in lateposition with the weaker parts of your range. The main idea is to have you playing a game that putsyou in the least amount of tough spots as possible, while setting you up for much easier post-flopdecisions. A good rule of thumb is that if you plan on folding to a 3-bet, you should min-raise. If youplan on committing when 3-bet, you should choose a larger opening raise size.

You do not need to worry too much about getting exploited at the micro-stakes, so varying your raisesize by position and hand strength is fine for now. The majority of players will have no clue whatyou are doing, and an overall strategy that maximizes against loose and weak players is how mycharts have been designed. Once you are able to move away from the charts, your ranges willbecome even looser, and a min-raise with your entire range from all positions will be necessary dueto the added likelihood of your getting played back due to your more aggressive pre-flop game.

Min-raising as a short stack allows for optimum stack-to-pot ratios, causes many players to call toooften out of position, gives aggressive 3-betters the maximum chance to make a mistake against you,and allows for you to correctly fold as cheaply as possible should you face a 3-bet with a marginalhand. Additionally, against stronger players you will want to give no information as to your pre-flopranges. Having a static pre-flop opening raise size accomplishes that. When To Vary Opening Raise Sizing

While you want to create optimal SPRs for yourself, and we know min-raising usually accomplishesthat, there are still some instances where increasing your opening raise size can be beneficial. This isbecause getting as much money in pre-flop as you can with certain holdings and achieving an evenlower SPR is sometimes preferred as long as your opponents are not catching on to what you aredoing.

On tables full of regulars, you should be reluctant to change your raise size at any point, as they willlikely be used to your normal min-raise. However, on tables of non-regulars, very loose players, orfish there are a few instances where you might consider a change.

If the play at the table has been loose with multiple players frequently going to the flop, I willincrease my opening size with TT+ to between 2.5 and 3.5 big blinds. The sizing I choose dependson just how loose the table has been playing. If play has been particularly aggressive and there areone or more pre-flop maniacs still to act, raising to 3.5bbs or 4.0bbs are both good choices. Youwill also want to widen your typical value range a bit on tables like this both before and after theflop.

Isolating LimpersOn the cutoff and button, you should be looking to play as many pots against bad players as possible. You can raise any reasonable hand behind their limp, and the situation will be much more profitablethan if it had folded to you with no dead money in the pot. The reason for this is three-fold:

1. You are guaranteed to have position on them if they call your raise.

2. They generally have a weak range to be limping and will miss most flops.

3. You have the blinds in the pot as additional dead money.

I usually only raise the minimum or to three big blinds behind one limper. The reason for this is that Iwant to see a flop. When you are a stronger player than your opponent, you should not be afraid tosee flops with them. You want to give them as many streets as possible to make mistakes against you.

If there are multiple limpers or your hand is especially marginal, raising to 4 times the big blind witha slightly tighter range in order to isolate or shoving all-in with just below the top of your range isusually best.

Shoving Over Limpers

The ability to shove all-in over one or more limpers is another weapon in a short stacker’s arsenal. And the more dead money in the pot when the action gets to you, the more profitable this movebecomes.

On an average table, if there is one limper when it is your turn to act, it is generally profitable toshove with the following hands:

CO/BTN- 88+, AQ+

Blinds- 66+, AJ+

If there are two or more limpers, feel free to shove even wider. The following ranges would be fine:

CO/BTN- 66+, AJ+

Blinds- 22+, KJ+, QJs, JTs

You do not want to abuse this move because astute players will begin limping hands at the top of theirrange in order to trap you. Also, depending on the nature of the limper, a small raise might be moreprofitable. My advice is that when you are in position and are a competent post-flop player, the most+EV play is likely to be isolating. However, until you are comfortable playing after the flop, Istrongly suggest sticking to the shove or fold strategy outlined in this section. I have also includedthese ranges on the pre-flop chart for easy access.

My personal strategy includes isolating in some cases and shoving in others. My default shovingrange is as follows:

CO/BTN- 77-99, AJ+

SB- 55-99, AJ+

I use the rest of my positional opening range to isolate instead of shoving. Notice that I ISO big pairsinstead of shoving, as they are most likely to be good postflop unimproved, but like to shove AQ andAK because they are trickier to play since they will whiff the flop often.” When To Adjust Your Limper Shoving Range

Keep in mind that shoving ranges can be tighter or wider, depending on the dynamics of the table. Ifthere are very loose limpers with a high VPIP of 60+, then it is best to shove only the tighter range. Very weak players will limp pairs, Ax, or big Kx hands, and as a result find it extremely difficult tofold to a shove from a short stack. Make sure that you take notes on players if they show up with avery strong hand with which they limped. Also, there are a number of regulars who will limppremium holdings in order to trap a short stack seated behind them. If a decent player suddenly limpsin early position, you should be wary of being set up for a trap.

If there are numerous limpers involved in the hand, you can widen your shoving range even further. Iwill not lay out any hard and fast rules for you in this book since loose shoving is very situational.

From the blinds, you have another option to exploit limpers.

The Third And Go

To employ the third and go in a limped pot, you raise one-third of your stack and, if called, shove all-in on any flop. Your default range for doing this should be:

77-JJ, ATo+, KJo+

In order to perform this move, you need to either be in the SB or in the BB with no SB in the hand. Itis important that you always act first after the flop. Most of the time you will either take it down pre-flop or win on the flop when you shove and they fold. When called, you will sometimes be amazed atwhat types of hands will stack off against your push. The amount you make when you win will faroutweigh the few times your opponent gets lucky and hits his hand and stacks you.

An added benefit to this move is that it tends to further your “crazy” image. However, be wary ofoverusing it as observant players may try trapping you by limping with premium holdings. If you trythis two revolutions in a row, you will find the second time will typically get action with greaterfrequency. I would suggest tightening your range for doing it on a consecutive revolution to TT+ andAK.

I find that this move works best against very loose players, maniacs, or obvious gambler types that

hate to fold. My win-rate for third and go’s in the last 100k hands is about 164bbs/100 in just under200 instances. As you can see, it is not something I do all the time. When used sparingly, I know Iam printing money each time I utilize this powerful move.

3-Bet/4-Bet Strategy

While shoving over opening raises is an integral part of any short stacking strategy, it is not the mostimportant ingredient to success. My approach puts much less emphasis on 3-betting than one mightexpect. I want you to become a good poker player, not a shovebot.

Reacting to reraises is a source of massive leaks among most poker players. They either call toomuch or fold way too often. The goal of any 3-bet shoving strategy should be to take advantage of thetendencies of your opponents. In Chapter 7, I provided you with a pre-flop chart that outlinesprofitable 3-bet and 4-bet frequencies versus varying opening ranges.

In this chapter, my goal is to discuss a bit of theory and put you on the path toward improving yourunderstanding of reraises. However, before putting too much time and effort into strengthening yourpre-flop game, I recommend spending more time working on your post-flop skill. Having a strongpost-flop game is much more important and will increase your win-rate more quickly. For now, Irecommend sticking to the charts for all of your 3-betting and 4-betting decisions.

3-Betting Tactics

The profitability of 3-bet shoves are completely mathematical. The range of hands that can profitably3-bet are based upon the opening and calling ranges of our opposition as well as the Hero’s positionat the table and stack size. Once you have a grasp of your opponent’s ranges, you must then factor inthe strength of your hand as well as your fold equity before deciding whether or not to shove.

As you learned previously, fold equity is the amount of money you win when your opponent does nothave a hand strong enough to call your 3-bet. The tighter an opponent’s calling range, the more foldequity you have. Conversely, the looser an opponent’s range, the less fold equity is available. Therefore, the stronger your hand, the less fold equity you need to shove profitably, and the weakeryour hand, the more fold equity you need.

Let’s say you have a hand that has 55% equity against your opponent’s calling range. In this case yourshove is for value, and you don’t need any fold equity to make it a winning play. Alternately, let’ssay you have the same hand vs. a much tighter player, and now you only have 40% equity against hiscalling range. Now your shove is a bluff, and you need him to fold often enough to aquire sufficientnon-showdown money to make up for the times he calls.

Calculating fold equity and calling ranges is fairly complicated and beyond the scope of this book. Luckily, there are a few programs out there that help you do this. A good one that I recommend iscalled “Cardrunner’s EV.” It is free to download and try. For now, I have done the calculations foryou. My intermediate charts are based on average calling ranges in the player pool and tend to err onthe tight side. I designed them this way intentionally for a few reasons:

1. Profiting from 3-bet shoving as a short stack is over-rated. Most of your income should comefrom pre-flop stealing and outplaying your opponents post-flop, not from becoming a 3-bettingmaniac.

2. The amount you win or lose in most 3-bet situations is fairly marginal. When you do 3-bet, youwant to be sure that it will almost certainly be exploitative.

3. Generally, the player pool expects you to be 3-betting wide as a short stack. Therefore, shovingranges should be based on what your opponents perceive your shoving range to be, not whattheir HUD says their calling ranges are. In other words, the average player is generally going tohave a much wider 3-bet calling range versus a short stack than they’d have versus a 100 bigblind player. And the more likely you are to get called, the tighter your shoving range should be.

Against unknowns, you should always have a standard 3-betting and 4-betting range. I have provided

one in my basic charts that will serve you well. My advice is that you memorize them and always fallback on the default ranges when you do not have a read. Standard 30 big blind 3-betting ranges based on your position:

HJ: JJ+, AK

CO/BTN: 99+, AQ+

SB/BB: 88+, AQ+

BTN Vs. Steal: 77+, AJ+

SB/BB Vs. Steal: 55+, AT+, KQ+The ranges indicated are the same as can be found in the basic charts.

____________________________________________________________

Light 3-Betting

At some point, you will encounter players who are abusing the button and cutoff by stealing with avery wide range. Most players attempt to counter them by calling more often. Unless you have aspecific plan to trap, this is the worst thing you can do, as it has you playing out of position withoutinitiative.

And while light 3-betting can be very profitable, as with anything else, you still need to practicediscretion. First of all, you need to keep in mind that unless you are in the big blind, you still haveone or two players to your left that have a chance of picking up a monster. This is not a great concernsince people pick up big hands so infrequently that you can’t let it slow you down too much. Themain thing to keep in mind is that you can resteal much lighter from the big blind than you can from thesmall blind or button.

You also need to understand that since you are a short stack, you will generally get called muchlighter when you shove all-in. Since calling ranges drastically affect the ranges you can profitablyresteal with, you must remain mindful of your inherently decreased fold equity. Most players whohave a very wide stealing range generally understand that they will be 3-bet light more often,especially against short stacks. In turn, they will consciously have a wider calling range againstresteals than will your typical player.

Therefore, you need to walk a tightrope when it comes to light restealing. I advise that you choosehands that stack up very well against a wide calling range. Hands like Axs, suited connectors, and

small pocket pairs do very well as they have a lot of equity versus hands like KQ, KJ, QJ, Ax, andsmall pairs, which generally make up a typical light calling range. Here is the Pokerstovecalculation:

Equity Light Calling Range:{ 22-66, A6-A2, KQ, KJ, QJ } 52.140% Light Shoving Range:{ 44-22, A5s-A2s, JTs-54s } 47.860%

I have built some of these types of light 3-bets into the intermediate chart. However, against someplayers, it is okay to resteal even lighter than the chart indicates. Look for players who are openinggreater than 50 percent from a stealing position, especially those raising three times the big blind ormore. I like to pick my spots carefully, but will generally confidently resteal my entire standardcutoff and button range against them with a 30bb stack or less.

If an opponent is stealing more than 60 percent, unless he calls extremely wide, you can usually 3-betany two cards profitably against him. Just be sure to avoid doing it enough to incite an adjustmentfrom your opponent. Strong judgment in these situations is something you will learn. I encourage youto eventually do your own study and learn how ranges stack up against each other in 3-bet and 4-betpots. For now, the intermediate pre-flop chart provides you with a sound system for 3-betting.

As a short stack, you have at your disposal a decisive weapon that, when used properly, is veryeffective in exploiting loose steals. Through light 3-betting, you will force loose players to readjustagainst you or risk leaking tons of money your way. If they do not either tighten up their openingrange or loosen their 3-bet calling range, you will rake in the dough against them.

4-Betting TacticsIt is inevitable that you will get 3-bet. Using my intermediate opening strategy and employing a widestealing range will have you facing 3-bets quite frequently as players adjust. Most of the time, yourrange will be much weaker than your opponent, and you will be forced to fold. But if your hand isstrong enough or the situation is right for a bluff, you can profitably 4-bet.

How you react to 3-bets is based on a number of factors: the 3-bet range you are up against, thestrength of your hand, and any specific history you have with your opponent. Until you have aspecific read, you should be 4-betting or calling all-in with a very narrow range based solely on the3-bettor’s positional frequencies found in the HUD.

Just as I have done for 3-betting decisions, I have built into my chart and HUD the ability for you tomake quick and accurate decisions when faced with a 3-bet. Until you have a grasp for how rangesstack up against each other and gain the ability to recognize when players vary from their standard 3-betting ranges, I would advise staying in line and sticking to the charts I have provided.

Light 4-betting is something you will need to learn in the future, but for now, you are better offtightening up a bit pre-flop against light 3-bettors rather than being forced to get into range warsagainst them. Until you master range equities, I suggest using the following standard positional 4-betting ranges when readless. Standard 30 big blind range for 4-betting against unknowns:

UTG/HJ: JJ+, AK

CO: 99+, AQ+

BTN: 77+, AJ+

SB: 55+, AT+, KQo+The positions indicated are for hero and are the same as the ranges found in the basic charts.

Pre-Flop Calling Strategy

As a LAG, our entire strategy is based on not needing to make a hand in order to win a pot. Weaccomplish this by playing in position with initiative. Since calling will often find us going to theflop with neither, raising or folding is almost always the best option. Putting money into a pot just tosee what happens or to try to “hit a hand” is a fishy and losing play. As a rule, you should only becalling in specific situations for specific reasons. Even so, under certain circumstances, direct orimplied odds are too great to ignore, and it is profitable to forgo initiative and speculate. Thischapter will give you all the tools necessary to navigate those tricky spots where implied oddsgoverns your decisions.

Implied Odds

Implied odds can be defined as the amount of money you stand to win on later streets, should you calla bet or raise and then make a strong hand. There is no way to know exactly what your implied oddsare in any given situation, but you can learn to recognize common scenarios where calling isprofitable.

Specific hand types that tend to have strong implied odds are small pairs, suited connectors, and non-suited connectors. These holdings can make well-disguised straights, two-pair, and three of a kindhands. Suited connectors have the added benefit of frequently flopping powerful combo draws. Opponent Specific Considerations

The type of opponent we are facing weighs heavily into pre-flop flat-calling decisions. Whether anopponent is tight or loose largely determines how the hand will play on future streets. As thelikelihood of a player stacking off post-flop grows, so does the value of a speculative holding.

Your implied odds are heightened when facing a raise from a very tight opponent. For example, aplayer who seldom raises UTG is much more likely to commit to the pot after the flop than a looseplayer raising on the button. Therefore, the reward for hitting your hand is much higher on averageagainst tighter ranges.

The opposite is true against loose opponents. Since their range is wide before the flop, there is amuch smaller chance that they will obtain a post-flop hand that they are willing to commit with. Therefore, against loose opponents, your implied odds are diminished.

Before considering any call as a small stack against an average player, you typically will want atleast 3 to 1 direct pot odds. Against loose players, the odds need to be even better. I would look for

at least 4 to 1 direct odds before calling a raise against a wide range, a situation that almost neverarises. Conversely, against very tight players you can consider a call with slightly worse than 3 to 1direct odds.

Understanding Reverse Implied Odds

Reverse implied odds refers to situations where you call a bet and make your hand, but are stillsecond best. This concept affects every implied odds decision you will make and is the mostimportant factor when deciding to continue without initiative. As a small stacker, you will want toavoid these situations like the plague. You will rarely have the necessary implied odds to call inmost situations. So if reverse implied odds is a concern, then you almost never want to commit morechips to the pot with a speculative hand.

Before the flop, reverse implied odds situations arise by making calls with hands that can make verystrong hands which are not the nuts. A good example are suited hands which do not include an Ace. Since many players like to limp suited Ax hands, you will find that your frequency of losing flushover flush will be increased when you consistently call with two cards just because they are suited. Before we go more deeply into calling raises, let’s talk about limping, the most frequent pre-flopcalls you will be making.

Limping Tactics

As a rule, limping is a bad idea. By just calling the big blind, you can never have initiative, and post-flop pots become exceedingly tricky with marginal holdings. There is a lot of truth to the adage thatany hand worth limping is better off being raised. Even so, there are particular instances wherelimping is preferable to raising. These include AK in early position and situational implied oddshands in late position, many of which benefit from multi-way pots.

The most common position that you will be limping in is from the small blind. Beyond what is listedin my charts, I suggest that you complete with any suited ace, any pair that is not profitable to shove,and most anything connected that can make a disguised straight. A suited and connected hand isespecially profitable in these situations.

One thing you should never do is complete the small blind when it folds to you. In that situation, youwill always either be raising or folding. There is way too much value in playing aggressively whenblind versus blind. Only when there are one or more limpers already in the pot do you want toconsider completing.

Playing Ace King

When you raise Ace King and get called, 70% of the time you will whiff the flop. This problem isheightened if you raise from UTG or the HJ, because you will almost always be out of position for theduration of the hand. And at the micro stakes, you can expect to be playing a multi-way pot quiteoften, which further constricts your ability to make profitable c-bets.

So, the easy solution is to limp from the first two positions and then shove all-in if someone raises. That way, you are guaranteed to see all five cards if you get all-in. Additionally, in the event that noone raises, you have a well-disguised hand which plays very nicely post-flop and dominates manyweak hands that may have limped behind you.

Some of you may be thinking that early position limp-raising only with Ace King is easilyexploitable. While a few regulars may notice what you are doing and adjust, for the most part, no onewill have a clue and will repeatedly fall prey to this tactic. Once you start playing mid-stakes games,you will need to mix up your play when limping from early position. But at the micros, very fewpeople are capable of both noticing what you are doing and adjusting correctly.

My win-rate for limping Ace King in the first two positions is 252bb/100 over a sample size of 450instances. Interestingly, my win-rate for open raising is virtually the same, but when you factor inhow much more easily the hand plays by limping, doing so is a slam dunk.

Limping In Late Position

The only time you should be limping a hand besides Ace King is when you have reasonable impliedodds in late position. Here are some general rules for limping. You need all of them going for you inorder to consider a limp:

1. Your hand has reasonable implied odds and cannot profitably shove or isolate.

2. There is at least one limper already in the pot.

3. You are in the cutoff, button, or small blind.

Hands To Consider Limping

CO/Btn: 22-55, Axs, JT+, J9+

SB: 22-55, Any unsuited or suited connectors 65+, Any unsuited or suited one-gappers 97+, Axs

I put strong emphasis on the word “consider” and want to stress that limping should be your lastresort. You should always be looking for profitable situations, but do not necessarily always want tolimp the above ranges. If raising or shoving is not profitable but your hand is likely +EV to limp,only then do you want to consider just calling the big blind. Limping from the cutoff should be a rareoccurrence, with limping from the button a bit more frequent due to the guarantee of absoluteposition. Most of the time, your limps will be from the small blind.

When unsure about whether to isolate a player or limp behind, I often look at how my opponent playspost-flop. If he folds to C-bets out of position greater than 50% of the time, I lean toward isolating. If he limp-raises often, is a station, or does not fold to c-bets with great frequency, I lean towardlimping. Situations To Avoid Limping

You must also remain mindful of negative factors that diminish the profitability of limping. The onlytime you want to limp is when your hand is too strong to fold but not good enough to shove or isolate,which should make limping a fairly rare occurrence for you. You almost never want to open limp,and you generally want to have passive players seated behind you.

Here is a list of undesirable circumstances with regard to limping:

There are loose aggressive players behind you that will raise often.

Your hand suffers from reverse implied odds.

There is a short stack in the blinds behind you.

The limper(s) ahead of you are non-fish.

As a side note, if you find yourself in a situation that is undesirable for limping marginal hands forany of the above reasons, you might want to instead limp a trapping range sometimes for balance. This is particularly effective with aggressive players or short stacks behind you. Limping a hand likeAK on the cutoff or button and going for a limp-raise can be especially profitable in late position. Take the following example: Example #10.1: Trapping a maniac No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($97.63)CO ($54.21)Hero (Button) ($13.70)SB ($21.25)BB ($28.80) 70/60/44 5% 3-bet Preflop: Hero is Button with K♣, A♥1 fold, CO calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.50,1 fold, BB bets $2,1 fold,Hero raises to $13.70 (All-In),BB calls $11.20 Flop: ($27.15) 5♥, 8♦, 8♠ (2 players, 1 all-in) Turn: ($27.15) 6♦ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($27.15) 3♣ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $27.15 | Rake: $0.35 Results:Hero had K♣, A♥ (one pair, eights).

BB had J♦, K♦ (one pair, eights).Outcome: Hero won $26.80.____________________________________________________________

You want to be sure you do not overdo setting traps like this. If the big blind was a wide 3-bettor,then raising would be a much better option. Paying attention to game flow is crucial to mixing inunorthodox plays.

Flat-Calling TacticsIt should be rare for you to flat any pre-flop opening raise. You need much better odds to call than isrequired by deeper stacked players, and almost always do not have enough money behind tospeculate. As discussed previously, you need to be getting at least 3 to 1 direct odds against youraverage opponent. Therefore, there generally need to be two or more people already involved beforesufficient odds are obtained. I recommend never flatting with less than 20 big blinds, no matter howgood your pot odds are. It is much better to shove or fold these situations.

You must also consider the opening range of the initial raiser. The tighter the player who opened thepot, the more profitable it is to flat their raise with speculative hands. This is because, as a rule,tighter pre-flop ranges are more likely to commit post-flop. Your implied odds are thereforeincreased when flatting a raise from tight players.

The opposite is true against loose players. Wider ranges are less likely to hit flops, and your impliedodds are thus decreased. The exception is if your loose opponent is a complete post-flop maniac andwill very frequently pay you off when you connect. Just keep in mind that you should be wideningyour post-flop stack off range against these types of players as well.

You also want to avoid flatting with hands that are easily dominated. Hands like KJ, KT, QT, Q9,and Ax hands weaker than AJ can get you in a ton of trouble. Much better are all suited connectors32s to QJs or mid non-suited connectors like T9o or 98o. Any pair that cannot profitably shove isgood as well.

Here are the guidelines I use when considering calling a pre-flop raise. In most situations, all ofthese factors need to be going for you in order to contemplate a call:

You have a hand that can flop a monster that does not have reverse-implied odds problems.

The hand is multi-way with at least one other caller already in.

There are no aggressive squeezers behind you.

You have direct pre-flop pot odds of at least 3 to 1.

Shoving does not appear to be profitable.

Just remember that the majority of the time you will not flop big, so make sure you don’t get marriedto mediocre post-flop hands. Because you had good implied odds for making the pre-flop call, it isnot necessary to commit unless you flop very well. You should only be looking to commit with handsthat either have your opponent crushed or, at least, have very good equity against their range.

Hands to stack off with post-flop after flatting with speculative holdings:

Flushes, Straights, and Full Houses

Two-pair

Sets or Trips

Open-ended Straight Draws

Flush Draws

Combo Draws

Notice that top pair is not in the list. It does not mean you will not be committing with that hand, itjust means it is not always a sure thing.

When To Slow Play Before The FlopOccasionally, you can find additional earnings by remaining aware of the ranges and tendencies ofyour opponents. Sometimes the information at hand will lead to slightly unorthodox plays as a meansto maximizing profit. One such way is not reraising with a tier 1 pre-flop holding.

Here are a few situations I may consider slow playing big hands before the flop.

1. An opponent opens a very wide range and folds to reraises often.

2. There is a light 3-bettor or squeezer seated behind me.

3. There is a fish behind me that I want to give the chance to get involved.

While trapping with monsters is definitely a weapon to keep in your arsenal, I am by no meansadvocating that you start flatting the majority of your big pairs. Most of the time you will want to bereraising all your tier 1 hands. You must make sure that you have a very good reason each time youvary from a standard play, or you stand to suffer from fancy play syndrome. Flat Calling Against Wide Opening Ranges

Against aggressive opponents who have a wide opening range, it is sometimes okay to let them takethe lead. Against maniacs, flatting with big pairs can be especially lucrative. However, it is notwise to try this against perceptive players. Anything less than a shove from a small stack basicallyturns your hand face up to anyone paying attention. Here are a few post-flop examples where playingpassively can be more profitable long term than would be an aggressive line. Keep in mind that thesesituations do not arise that often, but are important to consider during the decision-making process. Example #10.2: Opponent Folds Too Often To 3-Bets No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($29.25) 32/28/28 Opens 24% UTGHJ ($60.75)CO ($32.20)Button ($52.30)Hero (SB) ($9.56)BB ($51.55) Preflop: Hero is SB with A♠, A♣UTG bets $1.50,3 folds,Hero calls $1.25, 1 foldThis is a classic example of profitably giving up the initiative pre-flop. The standard play is to 3-bet all in against a UTG raiser; however, in this example theUTG raiser has a much wider earlyposition raise percentage than your typical reg and will almost always fold to your 3-bet.

Flop: ($3.50) 6♥, K♦, 2♠ (2 players)Hero checks, UTG bets $2, Hero raises $8.06 (All-In), UTG calls $6.06The idea is to give our opponent the chance to somewhat connect to the board or bluff with theweaker parts of his range if he misses the flop. And sinceHero only has 19 big blinds, if ouropponent C-Bets the flop, he will be giving himself better than 2 to 1 on a call after Hero shoves. This makes it “correct” for him to call it off with many weaker hands in his range, because he willbe “getting the right price.” Turn: ($19.62) 7♥ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($19.62) 8♠ (2 players, 1 all-in)Total pot: $19.62 Results:Hero had A♠, A♣ (one pair, Aces).UTG had K♣, 10♥ (one pair, Kings).Outcome: Hero won $18.67.____________________________________________________________ Example #10.3: I’ll take your c-bet money too, thanks! No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($29.25)HJ ($60.75)CO ($32.20)Button ($52.30) 33/23/35 and 53% Btn Opening RangeHero (SB) ($12.56)BB ($20.55) 8/8/10 and 8% resteal Pre-flop: Hero is SB with A♦ , A♠3 folds,Button bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.25,1 foldThe Button has a very wide stealing range and will not be able to call a 3-bet very often. If weresteal here, we only get his opening raise money the great majority of the time. Therefore, themore profitable play is to flat and give him the chance to spew. Because he will c-bet often on theflop, we potentially get to pocket that money as well. Flop: ($3.50) 6♥ , K♠ , 2♠ (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $2, Hero raises $11.06 (All-In),1 foldAnother pre-flop factor in play is that, by flatting, you give the player in the big blind the chanceto squeeze with hands he would not call your 3-bet shove with, i.e. 66-TT, AJ. The BB only has 40big blinds, so it is possible he would shove here a bit more often than his stats indicate, since itappears to be a juicy setup for a squeeze. The next example highlights that scenario.____________________________________________________________

Trapping a Serial Squeezer

Another time that it can be correct to play big hands passively is when you have a light squeezerbehind you. The way it works is that you call a pre-flop raise in the hope that a squeeze play isattempted behind you. Example #10.4: Come on in, the water’s fine. No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($4.95)CO ($7.91)Button ($7.97) HUD- 27/20/35Hero (SB) ($3.93)BB ($4.50) HUD- 30/27/40 and has 3-bet from blinds 3 times in 4 orbits Pre-flop: Hero is SB with A♥ , K♥2 folds, Button bets $0.35, Hero calls $0.30, BB raises $4.15,1 fold, Hero calls $3.63 Flop: ($8.21) 6♠ , 6♦ , 9♠ (2 players)Turn: ($8.21) 7♦ (2 players)River: ($8.21) 9♦ (2 players)Total pot: $8.21 Results: Hero had A♥ , K♥ (two pair, nines and sixes, ace kicker).BB had Q♠ , J♠ (two pair, nines and sixes, queen kicker).Outcome: Hero won $7.81.Normally, Ace King is not the type of hand you want to flat in the small blind. However, in theexample it becomes profitable due to the button’s wide stealing range and a very active 3-bettorsitting in the big blind. Even if the plan does not work out, we still take a flop with a disguisedhand that dominates a lot of the button’s range.____________________________________________________________ Example #10.5: Back Raise No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) HJ ($18.90)CO ($20.45) HUD- 28/28/40Hero (Button) ($5.46)SB ($12.53)BB ($47.64) HUD- 41/23/50 22% 3-bet

Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K♠ , K♦1 fold, CO bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60,1 fold, BB raises $1.05,1 fold, Hero raises $4.86 (All-In),BB calls $4.21Having an over-the-top aggressive player in the blinds behind you is a pain in the neck unless youpick up a monster. Flop: ($11.62) 7♦ , J♦ , 3♣ (2 players, 1 all-in) Turn: ($11.62) K♣ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($11.62) 4♥ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $11.62 Results:Hero had K♠ , K♦ (three of a kind, Kings).BB had J♣ , A♥ (one pair, Jacks).Outcome: Hero won $11.04.Chances are, if I had 3-bet shoved in this spot, the big blind would have folded a hand like AJo. By flatting, we gave him a chance to enter the pot with a much wider range of inferior holdings.____________________________________________________________ Keeping Fish On The Hook

You should always be aware of where the bad players are seated. When a fish is behind you, itchanges the entire dynamic of the table. Since it is hard to extract from a player out of position, it issometimes necessary to get creative. Slow playing big pairs is one such way to do so. Example #10.6: Fishin’ in the blinds No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($51.94)HJ ($14.25) 18/14/32CO ($16.10)Hero (Button) ($14.25)SB ($92.82)BB ($44.91) 75/5/17 Preflop: Hero is Button with A♣, A♠1 fold, HJ raises to $1.50,1 fold, Hero calls $1.50,1 fold, BB Calls $1.00This is a very profitable setup, since we have a disguised hand and a potential calling station inthe big blind.____________________________________________________________

Punishing Light 3-Bettors

As a short stack, there are two ways to fight back against light restealers. You can either 4-bet bluffor trap with premium hands.

Example #10.7: Facing a 3-bet monkey No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (4 handed) CO ($34.90)Hero (Button) ($15.85)SB ($37.34)BB ($42.70) 26/20/30 19.5% 3-bet versus Button steals Preflop: Hero is Button with A♣, A♦1 fold, Hero bets $1,1 fold, BB raises to $2.50, Hero calls $1.50With nearly a 20% 3-bet, the big blind will be bluffing here quite often. The fact that ouropponent will frequently be forced to fold to a 4-bet shove makes flatting the 3-bet reasonable. Flop: ($5.25) Q♦, 4♥, 8♥ (2 players)BB bets $3.40, Hero raises to $13.35 (All-In), BB calls $9.95With two hearts on board, this is no time for further slow play. Having already achieved an extrabet out of our opponent, we should now just stick the rest in. Turn: ($31.95) 10♥ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($31.95) K♦ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $31.95 | Rake: $1.55 Results:Hero had A♣, A♦ (one pair, Aces).BB had 8♦, A♥ (one pair, eights).Outcome: Hero won $30.40.Villain pays off with 2nd pair, perhaps feeling obligated to do so in a 3-bet pot with so much of theeffective stack already invested. It is unlikely that he would have stacked pre-flop with this type ofholding, but by flatting the 3-bet, Hero was able to leverage his opponent into committing over 1/3of the effective stack on the flop.____________________________________________________________

When Slow Play Is Not Best

Some situations that seem promising for slow play are actually sub-optimal. The main thing you wantto keep in mind is that when the chance to get all-in is reasonably high, you never want to flat call a

raise with a big hand. Example #10.8: Versus a tight UTG raiser

No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($29.25) HUD- 20/13/29 and 12% UTG opening rangeHJ ($60.75)CO ($32.20)Button ($52.30)Hero (SB) ($12.56)BB ($20.55) Pre-flop: Hero is SB with A♦ , A♥UTG bets $1.50,3 folds, Hero raises $12.31In this example, the UTG player is tight and will probably call your shove better than 40% of thetime. Therefore, jamming here is much stronger than flatting. Your ultimate goal with big pairsshould be to get as much money in the pot on the current street as possible, while keeping action. If your opponent is tight, he is more likely to pay off pre-flop, so you want to give him thatchance. The same goes when facing a 3-bet. If the player only 3-bets a value range, it would be awaste of money to try and trap.____________________________________________________________ Example #10.9: Reraised by a tight 3-bettor No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (4 handed) Hero (CO) ($17.15)Button ($33.70)SB ($64.65) 3% 3-betBB ($59.68) Preflop: Hero is CO with K♣, K♠Hero bets $1,1 fold,SB raises to $3,1 fold, Hero raises to $17.15 (All-In)The small blind is almost certainly never folding to a shove here. There is no point in slowplaying.____________________________________________________________ Example #10.10: Too much of a good thing No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($138.94) 40/20/38 with 27% UTG opening rangeHJ ($35.86)

Hero (CO) ($22.25)Button ($194.87) 83/2/18SB ($27.50) 55/15/23BB ($109.13) 38/0/30 Preflop: Hero is CO with A♥, A♦UTG bets $2.67,1 fold, Hero ?At first, this appears to be an excellent spot to slow play. The UTG player is very loose, and wehave fish behind us. But the fact that there are multiple fish gives the potential of too manyplayers seeing the flop. We don’t mind a 3-way pot with a big pair, but in 4-way and 5-way potsour hand will get out flopped quite often. And while the situation may still be +EV, it is also ahigh variance play. A much better option would be a small 3-bet to try and get just one of the fishto cold call.____________________________________________________________

Now let’s test what you have learned in this chapter.

Calling Tactics Quiz

The answer to each situation will either be call or fold. Circle or write down your answers. Answers can be found in the appendix.

1. The game is 50NL, and the effective stack is $14. The tight UTG raiser opens for 1.50. It foldsto you on the button, and you look down at 4♠4♥. The pot is 2.25. Call/Fold

2. The game is 20NL, and the effective stack is $7.50. The HJ opens to .80 and gets flatted by thecutoff and button. You have 6♥5♥ in the big blind. The pot is $2.70. Call/Fold

3. You are playing 50NL and pick up 8♣3♣ in the small blind. The UTG player makes it 1.50, and3 players call before it gets to you. The pot is $6.75, and it’s $1.25 for you to play. Call/Fold

4. The game is 10NL, and you have $3.80. Everyone at the table has you covered. You open T♦9♦in the CO for .20, and the small blind 3-bets you to .40 after it folds to him. The big blind folds,and the pot is .70. Call/Fold

5. You are in a 50NL game with an effective stack of $13. The fishy UTG, fishy HJ, and slightlyloose CO all limp, and the button makes it $2.50. The small blind folds, and you look down at2♣2♦ in the big blind. Call/Fold

6. You have $5.50 in a 20NL game and look down at 4♥ 4♣ from the small blind. Everyone hasyou covered. The loose player in the hijack makes it .70 to go and gets flatted by thebutton. Call/Fold

7. You are in a 10NL game. You have the effective stack of $4.40 and look down at J♠9♠ in the bigblind. There is a bet of .35 from the cutoff and a call from the button before it gets to you. Call/Fold

8. The very tight UTG player raises to $1.00 in a 50NL game. The effective stack is $16. You findthat you have J♦T♦ in the Hijack. Call/Fold

9. You are involved in a crazy 20NL game where there has been wild action and light stack offspost-flop on multiple hands in the recent past. On the current hand, the effective stack is held byyou at $6.00. The maniac UTG player makes it $1.25, and after seeing two calls, you look downat 4♠2♠ in the small blind. The big blind has a 90 VPIP and 5 PFR. Call/Fold

10. You find yourself on a table of complete nits in a 50NL game. The effective stack held by you is$11.50. The HJ opens to $1.75 and is flatted by only the small blind. You look down at T♥9♥in the big blind. Call/Fold

____________________________________________________________

Post-Flop Betting Strategy

One of the biggest factors in maximizing your win-rate comes down to managing your stack andeffectively employing it via bets and raises. Since betting is such an involved subject, I will breakdown my strategy into two chapters. First, you will learn about my general approach as we covervalue betting versus bluffing, continuation betting, barreling, and limped pot play. Then, in thefollowing chapter, I will provide an effective system for betting and raising as we discuss specificbet sizing tactics used to execute that strategy in a pragmatic and efficient way.

Value Betting Versus Bluffing

When an opponent will potentially call your bet with worse hands, you are value betting. This doesnot mean you must always have the best hand for it to be for value. It just means, in the particularspot you are in, you will have the best of it more often than not. If you don’t have the best hand moreoften than not, you are no longer value betting and are now bluffing.

This concept is often misunderstood by even accomplished players. Many like to think in absolutesand forget to consider an opponent’s entire range. Just because your value bet gets called on theriver by a better hand, it does not mean your bet was not for value. It just means you ran into the topend of the opponent’s range.

By breaking our ranges into tiers, it is much easier to figure out whether we are generally valuebetting or bluffing. With tier 1 and 2 made hands, you are always value betting. With tier 3 hands,you are value betting against the weaker parts of an opponent’s range and bluffing against the strongerparts. With a tier 4 hand, you are almost always bluffing.

Understanding when you are value betting and when you are bluffing is of utmost importance whenplanning any hand, because when you are value betting, you tailor your hand execution to get action. When bluffing, you base your strategy on discouraging action. Going forward, always keep in theback of your mind the fundamental concept of value betting versus bluffing and how it affects youractions in manipulating your opponents.

Continuation Betting

When forming a plan for any hand, you must always keep at the forefront of your thinking thataggressive poker is winning poker and passive poker is losing poker. The mechanics of everythingyou do post-flop should be governed by keeping pressure on your opponents, as the bedrock of strongpost-flop play is controlled steady aggression. Sometimes your bets will be for value, but most of thetime your hand will be marginal. Therefore, continuation betting is the post-flop equivalent to pre-flop stealing. With a combination of initiative, pressure, and proper bet sizing you will, in mostsituations, be able to obtain sufficient non-showdown winnings via fold equity as to render yourholding immaterial.

When heads up, you should be c-betting nearly 100% of flops. Once you learn about board textures,you can begin to pick a few boards to play differently. Until then, you really cannot go wrong bypounding away at your opposition. The philosophy of betting until they raise should be your defaultstrategy when you are the pre-flop aggressor. It allows you to win a lot of pots where you have littleequity, and also has the added benefit of allowing you to value bet thinner because of the image youestablish. Additionally, when you have a marginal tier 3 hand, it allows you to keep initiative andmake better hands fold or worse hands get to showdown against you.

The reason this strategy is effective is that most players will often be calling your pre-flop opensbecause they think they have the “pot odds” to do so. This is because your pre-flop raise size is oftena min-raise. As a result, your opponent’s range will often be very weak and miss most boards. Evenwhen they do connect in some way, their hand will not be able to stand up to a turn bet very often. Ifsomeone calls you down light, just need to make a note on them and move on.

Sizing C-Bets

Against thinking players, you should keep your bet sizing consistent whether you are betting for valueor as a bluff. Generally, I bet 1/2 pot on all streets whether I have nothing, the nuts, and everything inbetween. Depending on your stack size, this usually gives you a pot sized shove or less on the river,which creates both maximum fold equity and still allows you to get it all-in by the river with your bighands.

When facing your average unskilled player, you do not need to balance your betting and should bemore concerned with understanding how their range connects with certain board textures in makingyour bet sizing decisions. I will go deeper into that in the next chapter.

You will find that opponents don’t have to fold all that often for bets to make money over the longterm. Over the past 100k hands, my overall flop c-bet success percentage has been about 47.5% in

heads-up pots. My standard flop c-bet size is one-half pot, so as you can see by the below chart, Iwould be crazy not to c-bet nearly 100% of flops when I whiff.

C-Betting Tactics

Percentages based on a sample size of 200,000 hands.

All flops are not created equal. While c-bet success is determined by a number of factors, it ismostly driven by how well your opponent’s pre-flop calling range connects with particular boards. Some boards connect well with general calling ranges, and some do not. Above is a list of boardtextures and how often you can expect your c-bet to be successful based on my own Hold-emManager database.

There are several inferences one can make based on the above data:

Ace and King high flops have a high success rate both in and out of position.

Rainbow flops yield the highest c-bet success rate.

Queen and Jack high flops have a high success rate only in position.

In position, we should almost always be c-bet bluffing.

Out of position, we need to c-bet bluff more selectively.

Before we get into situations where you may want to refrain from continuation betting, let’s look at afew examples of situations where you almost never want to forgo firing away:

Example #11.1: C-betting Ace high boards No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($10.62)HJ ($68.23)CO ($77.13)Hero (Button) ($14.25)SB ($47.25) 39/8/22 Folds to flop c-bet 48%BB ($52)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J♠, 5♦3 folds, Hero bets $1, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold Flop: ($2.50) 3♥, A♣, 7♠ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $1.25, 1 foldAce high flops are the consummate boards to continuation bet bluff. Weaker players always seemto think everyone has an Ace when one flops and will be a lot less reluctant to continue, especiallyon dry boards.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.2: C-betting dry low card boards No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed)

HJ ($61.95)Hero (CO) ($14.25)Button ($51.92)SB ($47.75)BB ($50) Preflop: Hero is CO with 9♥, 10♦1 fold, Hero bets $1, 2 folds, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 7♣, 3♠, 5♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, 1 foldLow card flops also lend themselves to a high flop c-bet success. Most players’ flat calling rangelargely consists of high cards, thus allowing you almost the same rate of c-betting success asgenerated by Ace high boards.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.3: C-betting unconnected boards

No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($54)HJ ($61.07)CO ($38.29)Hero (Button) ($18.20)SB ($50)BB ($41.70) Preflop: Hero is Button with Q♠, 9♠2 folds, CO calls $0.50, Hero bets $1.50,2 folds, CO calls $1 Flop: ($3.75) 2♠, 6♣, J♥ (2 players)CO checks, Hero bets $1.88,1 foldThere are very few hand combinations that hit this unconnected board. You can expect your c-betsuccess to be very high in this instance.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.4: C-betting paired boards No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($57.05)HJ ($163.40)CO ($9.36)Button ($49.75)Hero (SB) ($14.50)BB ($22.50) Preflop: Hero is SB with 9♣, 2♥4 folds, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2) 3♠, Q♦, 3♣ (2 players)Hero bets $1, 1 foldPaired boards yield among the highest c-bet success of any texture. Exactly what holding is thevillain going to like on this flop? Blind-versus-blind, pairs are likely to reraise pre-flop, so unlesshe has Qx or 3x, he is not going to fancy this flop.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.5: C-betting in position No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (4 handed)

Hero (CO) ($15.75)Button ($104.61)SB ($19.50)BB ($140.68) Preflop: Hero is CO with 7♥, A♥Hero bets $1, 2 folds, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 8♣ J♦, 10♣ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, 1 foldAt first glance, this appears to be a horrible spot to c-bet, since it obviously connects with a ton ofdifferent hand combinations. However, being in position can trump many other negative factors. Most opponents will be ill to continue on this board with 2nd or 3rd pair as well as a lot of handsthat are tying or beating us such as A2-A7, 22-77. Even if we get floated, there are a ton of turncards that we can barrel. When heads up, it is almost always a mistake to not c-bet bluff inposition versus most opponents no matter what the board texture is.____________________________________________________________

When To Avoid C-Bet Bluffing

Sometimes it is better to wave the white flag. Here are a few situations in which you will want torefrain from continuation betting as a bluff. #1: Against More Than One Caller

Against multiple callers, a continuation bet will work much less often and, as a result, fold equitywill be diminished. This is because in multi-way pots, there are two or more ranges opposing you inthe pot, thus increasing the likelihood that someone connected with the board. As a side note, usingthe same logic, you should also be a lot less willing to play strong hands slowly against multipleopponents. #2: Against Calling Stations

Due to reduced fold equity, your c-bet bluffing frequency should be much lower against players withno fold button. As the saying that you’ve probably heard a million times goes, never bluff a callingstation. However, if your hand has a reasonable chance to improve and your opponent has shown atendency to float flops and give up on later streets, then a multiple barrel bluff can be a gold mine foryou.

And while you should not be c-bet bluffing calling stations with a high frequency, you do need toexpand your value betting range against them. Against true calling stations, value betting tier 3 handsshould be fairly standard, especially on draw heavy boards. Just remember to check back the river,unless your hand improves. You will be amazed at the types of holdings some players will call

multiple barrels with. #3: Out Of Position Against Aggressive Opponents

Against tough regulars who like to frequently float and raise flops, it is okay to check-fold a largepercentage of the time. If you find that a particular player to your left is calling your raises in positionconsistently and playing back at you on a variety of flops, do not hesitate to sit out and find anothertable. If I find myself in this type of situation, just as I do against calling stations, I will widen myvalue range. I find it especially lucrative to use a check-shove line with a variety of tier 2 and 3hands. Once you have a history with this type of opponent and have check-shoved on him multipletimes, you may want to begin c-betting with a polarized range and never check-fold. In other words,c-bet tier 1 and 4 and check-shove tier 2 and 3. #4: On Boards That Nail Your Opponent’s Range

Typically, on boards heavy with potential draws, it is okay to not c-bet, especially out of position. Example flops include something like 7♣5♣8♣ or Q♥J♦9♥. These types of boards connect with a lotof ranges, and your c-bet success will be much lower as a consequence. #5: When You Connect And Your Opponent’s Range Is Weak

I am not talking about slow-playing nut hands here. I am talking about going for a delayed c-bet whenyour opponent’s range is weak on the flop, and the turn is unlikely to change anything. A6 on an A44board is a good example. On this type of board, your c-bet will generally work over 70% of thetime. The only time you will tend to get action on the flop is when you are beat, so a delayed c-bet iswarranted in order to increase the potential of getting at least one street of value from worse handswhile at the same time mitigating your losses when you are behind.

If you check back the flop and your opponent leads out on the turn, you almost never want to raise. Imuch prefer a call call line on the turn and river. Out of position, a check-call check-call check-foldline (not BvB) might be best, unless your opponent has shown a tendency to fire multiple barrel bluffswhen checked to.

____________________________________________________________

The decision to c-bet bluff all comes down to fold equity. And while I am a proponent of relentlessc-betting, you must remain mindful of the situations where you are just burning money. That beingsaid, many of the above reasons not to c-bet can be trumped by other factors. I am mainly talkingabout if your opponent(s) are complete post-flop nits. If facing one or two players and they fold to c-bet more than 70%, I am firing a c-bet, no matter the board.

After you play a few hundred thousand hands, you will begin to gain a 6th sense about these matters. You will obtain an uncanny ability to know how your opponent will react to your c-bets, and you willbe able to adjust your strategy, as necessary, on demand.

BarrelingThe term barreling is usually associated with bluffing but refers to all continuation betting beyond theflop. Continuation betting the turn is called double barreling, and continuation betting the river isknown as triple barreling. I use the terms interchangeably whether my hand is for value or as a bluff.

It is my philosophy that barreling can serve many purposes, depending on the strength of your hand:

For tier 1 hands, a barrel gets more money in the pot to make for an easier all-in by the river.

Tier 2 hands barrel to get continuing value from worse made hands and draws.

For tier 3 hands, a barrel can be used as a tool to make better hands fold or set up a cheapshowdown.

Tier 4 hands can be barreled to take advantage of players who float often but fold to barrels atan exploitable frequency.

In the next chapter, I will cover betting strategies for flopped tier 1, 2, and 3 hands. In this section, Iwill focus on barreling as a semi-bluff or pure bluff. Double Barreling

Knowing when to fire a second barrel is a skill that most players find perplexing. Their c-bet iscalled on the flop and suddenly here they are on the turn with an inflated pot, a weak hand, and noclue what to do. In reality, they should not have c-bet the flop, if they did not already have a plan forthe turn.

In my opinion, the turn barrel is the new flop c-bet. Most regulars will understand how frequentlyyou are firing a c-bet and will often try floating you as a means of combating your strategy. Therefore, making a read based on flop texture and the player you are facing should mostly be doneon the turn rather than the flop.

Double barreling is something that should be done selectively and decisively whether for value or asa bluff. I generally need at least one of the following three factors going for me before I considerbarreling as a bluff:

1. My hand has improvedThis could mean picking up a gutshot or making bottom pair. Barreling in these situations isdone to give you the chance to make a well-disguised river monster or set up a discountedshowdown at a price you set.

2. A scare card fallsAn over card hitting, a flush completing, or the board now being four to a straight are allexamples of scare cards. These are excellent situations to attempt a bluff.

3. My opponent’s fold to barrel is exploitably highIf my opponent floats often and folds to barrel more than 60% of the time, then I will barrel myentire air range.

Example #11.6: Barreling when your hand improves No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($4.36)Hero (CO) ($2.62)Button ($12.25)SB ($5.88)BB ($12.18) Preflop: Hero is CO with 10♦, 6♠1 fold, Hero bets $0.20, Button calls $0.20,2 folds Flop: ($0.55) Q♣, 2♠, 9♦ (2 players)Hero bets $0.20, Button calls $0.20The flop is Queen high, so we fire a standard c-bet and get floated. Turn: ($0.95) 6♦ (2 players)Hero bets $0.60,1 foldThe turn gives us 2nd pair, so we pick up some equity and showdown value. Barreling here ismandatory to get value from 2x, JT, KT, and T8 and to elicit folds from 77-88 and 9x.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.7: Barreling when turning a draw No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($12.10)HJ ($10.58)Hero (CO) ($4.86)Button ($6.80)SB ($7.43)BB ($15.34) Preflop: Hero is CO with 7♦, 9♦2 folds, Hero bets $0.40, Button calls $0.40,1 fold,BB calls $0.20 Flop: ($1.30) 4♦, J♣, 5♥ (3 players)BB checks, Hero bets $0.60, Button calls $0.60,1 fold

We c-bet a very dry board and get floated by the button. Turn: ($2.50) 6♠ (2 players)Hero bets $3.86 (All-In),1 foldWe turn open-ended and over bet shove to exert maximum pressure. At least some the time wewould expect our flop c-bet to be raised by a strong Jx hand. Therefore, we can more heavilyweigh our opponent’s range toward lower pairs and draws which should not be able to call in thissituation. Even if we run into some slow played monster, we still generally have 20% equity withour open-ender.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.8: Barreling a turn Ace No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($18.04)HJ ($101.84)CO ($25.34)Hero (Button) ($12.16)SB ($32.12)BB ($50.53) Preflop: Hero is Button with K♥, 6♦3 folds, Hero bets $1, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold Flop: ($2.50) 3♠, Q♣, 9♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $1.25, SB calls $1.25 Turn: ($5) A♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $3.34, 1 foldAn Ace is the ultimate scare card against most players. With air, you should almost always look tobarrel when one comes.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.9: Barreling a scare card No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed)

HJ ($23.20)Hero (CO) ($13.60)Button ($51.33)SB ($83.65)BB ($65.25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 8♣, 4♣1 fold, Hero bets $1, Btn calls $0.50, 2 folds Flop: ($2) 6♠, 3♥, J♠ (2 players)Hero bets $1, Btn calls $1 Turn: ($4) K♠ (2 players)Hero bets $2.67, Btn raises to $5.34, Hero foldsNot only did an over card come, a potential flush was also completed. Even though we were re-raised in this particular instance, it was still a good opportunity to fire a second barrel and wewould see a high rate of long-term success in this type of spot.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.10: Barreling air against wide floater No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($4.52)CO ($7.15)Hero (Button) ($3.09)SB ($4.54)BB ($11.53) 38/5/22 Folds to c-bet 30%, folds to barrel 50%. Preflop: Hero is Button with 3♣, 2♦2 folds, Hero bets $0.20, SB calls $0.15, BB calls $0.10 Flop: ($0.60) K♠, 8♠, 5♥ (3 players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.30,1 fold, BB calls $0.30Standard c-bet in position on a king high board. Only the big blind calls. Turn: ($1.20) 10♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $0.60,1 foldSince most players raise top pair against short stacks, our opponent likely has a flush draw orsome kind of 8x, 5x, or pocket pair. Since the big blind floats often but gives up on the turn halfthe time, this looks like a great spot to barrel off. Betting half pot on this turn leaves us $2.00 toshove into $2.40 on the river.It is important to always appear committed when you make a bluff on the turn. I like to choose theamount that I think is just enough to feign commitment while at the same time minimizing a loss ifforced to fold. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to barrel for about 20% of the beginningeffective stack. It is a bit smaller than the ~25% I would bet for value, but not small enough to betransparent.____________________________________________________________ When Not To Barrel As A Bluff

Example #11.11: Turn card narrows your range too much No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($27.78)HJ ($29.45)CO ($29.85)Hero (Button) ($12.50)SB ($20.22)BB ($53.12) 32/10/28 Folds to barrel 35% Preflop: Hero is Button with 6♣, 9♦3 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 4♣, 7♥, 2♥, (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, BB calls $1.13 Turn: ($4.51) 4♠ (2 players)BB checks, Hero checksThe board pairs and Hero’s hand does not improve. Any hand that called on the flop probablystill looks good to the villain. It is unlikely that he can be barreled off of any piece of the board,any pocket pair, or any draw. The situation does not fit any of the criteria necessary to fire asecond barrel bluff, so the best play is to check behind and give up unless we get a good river cardto value bet or bluff.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.12: Not barreling a calling station No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($98.69)HJ (38.92)Hero (CO) ($14.77)Button ($12.10) 64/8/32 Folds to c-bet 40%, folds to barrel 0% over 7 opportunitiesSB (48.50)BB ($66.60) Preflop: Hero is CO with 9♦, 10♦2 folds,Hero bets $1.00, Button calls $1.00, 2 folds Flop: ($2.75) 4♣, 3♦, 8♠ (2 players)Hero bets $2.00, Button calls $2.00Hero c-bets with overs and back door straights and flush draws.

Turn: ($6.75) 7♥ (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $3.50, Hero raises to $11.77 (All-In),1 foldHero turns open-ended against a villain that never folds to barrels. Betting here just sets up anawkward river, so Hero checks with the intention of shoving over any bet. Were villain to checkthe turn, there are a lot of rivers to bluff unimproved.____________________________________________________________ Example #11.13: No barrel multi-way due to no fold equity No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($26.92)CO ($39.65)Hero (BTN) ($16.50)SB ($28.57) 22/12/25BB ($10.83) 45/0/18 Preflop: Hero is BTN with 4♣ , 3♣2 folds, Hero bets $1, SB calls $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($3.25) 2♣ , 9♦ , J♥ (3 players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $1.63, SB calls $1.63, BB calls $1.63Hero makes a marginal continuation bet on a slightly wet board and gets two callers. Turn: ($8.14) 6♣ (3 players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero checksEven though the turn improves our hand, we often have little fold equity in a 3-way pot. River: ($8.14) A♣ (3 players)SB checks, BB bets $8.20 (All-In), Hero calls $8.20, SB calls $8.20Hero completes his flush and flats hoping for action from the small blind. Total pot: $32.74 Results:SB had K♣ , A♦ (one pair, Aces).BB had A♠ , 2♠ (two pair, Aces and twos).Hero had 4♣ , 3♣ (flush, Ace high).Outcome: Hero won $31.14.This hand illustrates how you must consider fold equity anytime you are deciding to bluff. Sometimes it is better to take the free card rather than taking the chance of getting blown off yourdraw.____________________________________________________________

Triple Barreling

Once you decide to fire a turn barrel as a bluff, it is almost always best to follow through on the river,especially if you have air and no showdown value. This is especially true in today’s game whereplayers know which cards are ideal for barreling the turn. This makes firing the river with air almostmandatory. In some situations, giving up on the river and triple barreling are both neutral or slightly -EV, but usually the more aggressive play is less -EV. Always choose the lesser of two evils in poker.

There is also a matter of obtaining long-term expected value with your strong river hands. If youalways play aggressively when you have a big hand but give up when you are weak, then you will besusceptible to exploitation from tough opponents. Ultimately, while firing three barrels with air maynot always be profitable, it will theoretically add to the bottom line of your strong river range.

Limped Pot Betting StrategySo you limped in because you felt you had the necessary direct and implied odds. But instead offlopping a nut hand, you end up with a Tier 2 or 3 holding. This is a situation in which to exerciseextreme caution. Your range of hands for committing on the flop here needs to be especially narrow.

Do not be seduced into thinking you need to commit with 98o on a 955 board or A8 on an Axx board. There is one cardinal rule that you must ingrain in your thought process before heading off to play. Inlimped pots, you need a much stronger post-flop hand in order to stack off, because there is a lotwider range of hands in play.

For example, take the 955 board. In a raised pot, you would not expect there to be that many handsconnecting with it as a lot of players would not be calling with many 5x hands. However, in a limpedpot they could easily have hands as weak as 52, A5, and a whole slew of other complete trash thatwere cheaply trying to see a flop.

The moral of the story here is to never go broke in a limped pot without the nuts or near nuts. Evenstrong flopped draws are not that great, because you probably have very little fold equity with whichto shove over a raise. Therefore, you should almost exclusively commit with strong made hands inlimped pots.

Blind Play In Limped Pots

In multi-way limped pots, there are a few standard plays I suggest making from the blinds after theflop comes down. Most of the time you will be check-folding, but under certain conditions, you willbe value betting or value bluffing.

In limped pots, pre-flop ranges will generally be weak, so the majority of the time everyone will flopnext to nothing. Therefore, if I catch bottom pair, I like to lead out and try to pick up the dead moneyin the pot immediately. Unless someone has flopped top pair or better, the bet will often pick up thepot uncontested. Often you will be able to get better mid-pair type hands to fold, since it is multi-way, and you have shown strength from the blinds.

If you flop any kind of top pair hand, you will want to bet-fold for three streets of value. If raised,make sure that you are willing to lay it down. You almost never want to continue versus a reraise in alimped pot without at least two pair.

With a flopped tier 1 hand, the last thing you ever want to do is check. On many boards, there will besome kind of gutshot straight draw or flush draw possible, and you do not want to give a free card. Since the pot will be small, you generally want to bet large in order to try and build a big enough potto get all in by the river.

In limped pots, the dynamic for playing draws is very different than it is in raised pots. You will notbe able to put people on ranges, so gauging fold equity is a crap shoot at best. It is my feeling thatcheck-calling and hoping to see a multi-way turn is best to try to catch someone making a 2nd best nuthand against you.

If you flop a strong draw to the nuts, then I advocate taking a passive line and check-calling areasonable bet on the flop and then check-folding the turn if you miss and do not have the necessarydirect odds. There is really no reason to try to get all in with a draw in a limped pot since you haveso little invested.

However, with marginal draws, I prefer a bet-fold line for three streets. You have a chance toimprove, but very little showdown value. And three bets will look strong coming from a player in theblinds. Even if you don’t improve, a river bluff will normally pick up the pot a profitable amount ofthe time. The overall theme here is to attack limped pots aggressively, while remaining mindful of theincreased relative hand strength of your opponents.

Sizing Post-Flop Bets

In the last chapter, I provided you with a basic theoretical approach to betting. Now I will discussspecific bet sizing strategies for varying hand strengths with the goal providing for you a simplesystem that is easy to implement. I will show you how to quickly weigh all of the informationavailable once the flop comes down and create a plan for the rest of the hand with the intention ofmaximizing profit. You will learn how to get away from a “one size fits all” betting style and movetoward a much more expectation-oriented strategy.

Among the biggest mistakes that I witness at the tables is in the amount of money your average playerbets on each street. Typically, most people either bet way too small or over-commit themselvesunnecessarily with all the wrong holdings. Bet sizing in relation to the effective stack affects how thehand will play on later streets. It tells a story to opponents, manipulates them into doing what youwant to do, and accomplishes whatever plan was established for the hand. Betting the wrong size onthe flop can constrict your play in one way or another for the rest of the hand.

Since the strategies in this book have you playing a stack of between 15 and 40 big blinds, you willneed to use a different betting strategy than you would as a full-stacked player. Commitment is muchmore black and white, and it is generally much easier to process information as a short stack. This isbecause most of the time you are either committed, or you aren’t. Either you want to get all-in, or youdon’t.

When deciding on a betting strategy for a specific hand, you must consider the strength of yourholding, the board texture, the effective stack size, and your opponent’s tendencies. Hand strengthdetermines how much money you want to commit on any street based on how quickly you want to getall-in (if at all) and whether or not you want action. Board texture is of great importance, as itregulates both how fast you want to play strong hands and how likely you are to get value fromweaker made hands. It also has a great influence on the success rate of your bluffs.

Once the strength of your hand determines how to proceed and the texture of the board tells you howfast to play, the actual bet sizing is the easy part. The effective stack establishes the size of your betsthroughout the hand. Your opponent’s style of play can also cause you to adjust your chosen line andbet size if he has a specific extreme tendency that is exploitable in one way or another. Once you gainexperience, you will become able to incorporate many more read-based factors into each decision. Iwill cover a few of those adjustments in Chapter 15, but for now, we will solely focus on handstrength, effective stack sizes, and board textures as part of a default betting strategy.

This chapter will teach you about:

Building big pots with big hands

Keeping pots small with marginal hands

Using board textures to plan your betting strategy

Sizing post-flop raises and reraises

Betting To Get All-In

Everyone loves to flop a strong hand. It is one of the most fun things that can happen in poker. Andwhile it is very difficult to misplay monsters, I see players violate the fundamental of building bigpots with big hands all the time.

As a short stack, you will have a much lower commitment threshold than full stacked players. Due tothis fact, your range of stack-off worthy holdings will almost always include any over pair, top pair,or big draw. When you have one of these hands, it is not a question of whether you want to get all-in,but rather how fast you want the money to go in. The biggest factor governing this decision is boardtexture.

If the board is dry or not conducive to connecting with your opponent’s pre-flop range, a slowerbetting strategy is typically warranted. You want to bet the least amount possible to try and get all-inby the river. This is because a smaller flop bet gives the weaker hands in an opponent’s range achance to come along for the ride. If you always bomb the flop when you have a monster, you areleaving a lot of money on the table.

However, if the board is draw heavy and there are many future cards that could cause your hand tolose strength, getting all-in as quickly as possible by betting bigger is usually best. Since wet boardstend to hit more of your opponent’s range, the increased bet size will likely get calls or raises frommost of the same part of his range as would a smaller bet.

Now that you understand the principle of betting smaller on dry boards and bigger on wet boards, allyou need to figure out is exactly how to size those bets. I have created a simple method for bet sizingthat easily lets you bet the right amount to get all-in as quickly or as slowly as you want. If you candetermine what 10% and 25% of the effective pre-flop stack is, then you can easily implement thisstrategy. Betting To Get All-In On Dry Flops

Dry flops are difficult to connect with, and it is unlikely that the turn will beat you if you flop a verystrong hand. In these situations, I find it best to try and get all-in slowly and form a plan that spreadsthe betting out over three streets. As a short stack, we have the luxury of being able to bet small andstill get all of the money in by the river. An easy method to follow is to bet 10% of the pre-flopeffective stack size on the flop, 25% of the pre-flop effective stack size on the turn, and then shove theriver. Let’s look at a couple of examples of how this works:

Example #12.1:

No-Limit Hold’em, $.50 BB (6 handed) Hero (UTG) ($16.25)HJ ($101.81)CO ($24.83)Button ($34.04)SB ($49)BB ($53.35) Preflop: Hero is UTG with 6♥, 6♦Hero bets $1,1 fold, CO calls $1,3 folds Flop: ($2.75) 9♥, 9♠, 6♣ (2 players)Hero bets $1.65, CO calls $1.65The flop is dry, and we are virtually a sure winner by the river no matter what cards come onfuture streets. Betting big makes no sense here as it will likely shut out the weaker parts of ouropponent’s range. Betting smallish instead allows our opponent to call with small pocket pairs,ace highs, weak draws, and overs that he may feel are live. Taking three streets to get all-in seemsappropriate, so we bet about 10% of our starting stack($16.25x.10=$1.63). Turn: ($6.05) 5♠ (2 players)Hero bets $3.95, CO calls $3.95The turn brings a very good card as it completes a straight, adds a flush draw to some hands thatmay have held on, and still allows some very weak holdings to continue. The strength of our handhas not changed, so we want to set up a reasonable river shove with a 1/4 starting stackbet($16.25x.25= $4.06).Notice how I bet slightly less than 25% of my starting stack, so my bet is under $4.00. I will notget much into the psychology of betting in this book, but you always want to be mindful of howsmall variations in bet sizing can lend itself to more frequently accomplishing our goals. Had webeen bluffing here, a bet of $4.10 might be better as it “looks” scarier to many opponents and mayget folds a bit more frequently than a sub-$4.00 bet. River: ($13.95) A♣ (2 players)Hero bets $9.65 (All-In), CO calls $9.65

Not the best river in the world unless our opponent has an ace, but you never want to check or betless than an all-in in this spot. Checking is a mistake as our opponent will not likely bet unless hehad a nut hand, in which case he is calling the shove anyway. We had a plan for the river beforewe bet the flop, and there is no sense in varying from it now. Total pot: $33.25 | Rake: $1.65 Results:Hero had 6♥, 6♦ (full house, sixes over nines).CO had 7♠, A♠ (two pair, Aces and nines).Outcome: Hero won $31.60.Note that the opponent called with only ace high and a backdoor flush draw on the flop. Areasonable play on his part, but had you bet bigger, say $2.50, you would have been much lesslikely to get action and see a turn card. Our opponent picked up a flush draw on the turn,allowing him to continue, and then call on the river when he picked up one of his “outs.”____________________________________________________________ Example #12.2: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($30.45)HJ ($25.76)Hero (CO) ($4.43)Button ($25.65)SB ($17.40)BB ($11.05) Preflop: Hero is CO with A♦, A♠2 folds, Hero bets $0.40, Button calls $0.40, SB calls $0.30, BB calls $0.20We pick up the nuts in the cutoff and put in our standard raise. Flop: ($1.60) 10♦, 5♣, 8♠ (4 players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.45,1 fold, SB calls $0..45,1 fold

We get a very favorable flop for our hand. It hits our opponents’ calling ranges very well, butdoes not likely have us beat right now. There are not many turn cards we are worried about, sothree streets of value seem appropriate. We started the hand with only 22 big blinds, so we do nothave to bet big on the flop to set ourselves up for a river shove. Turn: ($2.50) Q♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $1.10, SB calls $1.10We get a turn card that only completes J9 or gives Q10 two-pair. Both of those hands would haveoften raised a short stack on the flop and are thus unlikely. However, a Queen does connect with afew random floats in one way or another and is not likely to scare off many 10x hands either. Weshould not be concerned by any card at this point, since we are already committed. Therefore, wecontinue with the plan and bet 25% of our starting stack. Betting a bit smaller here, like .99,would be okay as well. River: ($4.70) 3♦ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2.48(All-In), SB calls $2.48We get a blank river and have just over a half-pot bet left in our stack. After getting called on theturn, you should expect to almost always get called on the river by an opponent’s entire turn rangeon such a blank card when the board is dry. Total pot: $9.66 | Rake: $0.48 Results:SB had 5♥, 6♥ (one pair, fives).Hero had A♦, A♠ (one pair, Aces).Outcome: Hero won $9.18.Our opponent looked us up with 4th pair. By betting small over three streets, we gave him achance to call us down. It’s unlikely that he would have been willing to call a big bet on the flopand then a turn shove with such a weak holding.____________________________________________________________

Betting To Get All-In On Wet Flops

If you hold a strong hand on a wet flop, then you usually don’t want to fool around with three streets. You want to be able to shove the turn and give your opponent the chance to stick it in while theyeither have outs or before a scare card can come and give them a reason not to call. Therefore, an

effective method for playing wet boards is to bet 25% of your pre-flop stack size on the flop and thenshove the rest in on the turn.

In this scenario, you will be over betting most of the time on the flop and some of the time on the turn. But do not be concerned with pushing out weak hands on the flop that may have called a smaller bet. The times you get more money in against second best hands will more than make up for it.

Besides, on wet boards players tend to stack off a lot lighter anyway. In fact, your bet size mightconvince an opponent to just go ahead and shove on you with top or second pair thinking that youmust be bluffing or semi-bluffing, because who in their right mind would bet that much if they actuallywanted action? Let’s look at an example of wet board play: Example #12.3: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) UTG ($10)Hero (HJ) ($3)CO ($11.60)Button ($10.37)SB ($8.21)BB ($12.85) Preflop: Hero is HJ with 7♦, 7♠1 fold,Hero bets $0.20,2 folds,SB calls $0.15,1 fold Flop: ($0.50) Q♥, 10♣, 7♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, SB calls $0.75A wet board that hits a very wide pre-flop range. There are very few turn cards we want to see. We want the money in as quickly as possible, so we bet 25% of our starting stack. Turn: ($2) 4♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2.05 (All-In), SB calls $2.05Since we only have a pot sized bet left, we are shoving any turn card.

River: ($6.10) 2♣ (2 players) Total pot: $6.10 | Rake: $0.40 Results:SB had 5♥, 6♥ (Queen high).Hero had 7♦, 7♠ (three of a kind, sevens).Outcome: Hero won $5.70.The small blind called the flop with a flush draw and then stacked off after picking up an open-ended straight draw on the turn. This example highlights another benefit of betting large on wetboards as it makes opponents pay a very bad price to draw against us.____________________________________________________________ Now let’s look at an example of playing a flopped over pair on a wet board: Example #12.4: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($9.92)HJ ($19.98)Hero (CO) ($6)Button ($17.67)SB ($22.36)BB ($15.29) Preflop: Hero is CO with J♠, J♥2 folds,Hero bets $0.40,2 folds,BB calls $0.20 Flop: ($0.90) 2♣, 7♦, 8♦ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.60, BB calls $1.60With an SPR of 6.2, we are certainly committed on this wet flop. There are a lot of hands thatconnect with this board and plenty of 6 outer hands that might float a small bet. So we bet a littlebigger than 25% of our starting stack with plans to shove any turn.

Turn: ($4.10) Q♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $4.00 (All-In), BB calls $4.00An over card comes, but there are plenty of hands still in our opponent’s range that might call ashove. River: ($12.10) 10♣ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $12.10 | Rake: $0.60 Results:BB had 8♠, A♠ (one pair, eights).Hero had J♠, J♥ (one pair, Jacks).Outcome: Hero won $11.50.It is possible that the big blind might have folded to a bet-bet-shove line, but since we were able toget all-in on the turn, he never got the chance to fold the river. We also gave all of the 7x, 65, T9,TT, 99, and flush draw hands a chance to commit as well.____________________________________________________________ Betting To Get All-In With Draws

Strong draws should be played similarly to big made hands. The only difference is that I like to getall the money in by the turn, no matter how dry or wet the board is. Not only does this maximize foldequity with your non-made hand, it also allows you to get it in with some equity on the turn.

Another benefit to playing draws so fast is that it keeps things very simple. It allows you to avoid adifficult river decision on whether or not to bluff should your draw not come in. Until your handreading improves, it is best to give yourself fewer opportunities to make mistakes. Example #12.5: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($30.89)HJ ($87.81)Hero (CO) ($20.92)

Button ($50.75)SB ($62.85)BB ($15) Preflop: Hero is CO with K♠, Q♠2 folds,Hero bets $1, Button calls $1,2 folds Flop: ($2.75) 10♦, J♠, 6♣ (2 players)Hero bets $5.50, Button calls $5.50We flop a huge draw, and since the board hits so many hands, we decide getting the money in fastis most profitable. Turn: ($13.75) 3♦ (2 players)Hero bets $14.42 (All-In), Button calls $14.42We likely have 40% equity on average when called, making our shove extremely profitable. River: ($16.53) 5♠ (2 players) Total pot: $42.59 | Rake: $2.10 Results:Button had Q♣, 9♣ (queen high).Hero had K♠, Q♠ (king high).Outcome: Hero won $40.49.Our opponent flops open ended and then sticks the rest in on the turn with very little equity.____________________________________________________________ Getting All-In When You Turn A Big Hand

Another situation that you want to use the 25%/shove move is when you turn a nut hand. Take thisexample: Example #12.6: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($63.65)HJ ($54.18)CO ($47.25)Button ($71.18)Hero (SB) ($17.56)BB ($62.86) Preflop: Hero is SB with 6♣, 6♠4 folds,Hero bets $1.50, BB calls $1.00 Flop: ($3.00) J♥, Q♦, 7♣ (2 players)Hero bets $1.50, BB calls $1.50We c-bet half pot and get called. Our plan is to barrel an ace or a king, but otherwise give up onthe turn. Turn: ($4.51) 6♦ (2 players)Hero bets $4.39, BB calls $4.39We bink a 6 and bet 25% of our starting stack to set up a river shove. River: ($13.29) 9♥ (2 players)Hero bets $10.17 (All-In), BB calls $10.17 Total pot: $35.37 | Rake: $1.75 Results:BB had 10♣, Q♥ (one pair, Queens).Hero had 6♣, 6♠ (three of a kind, sixes).Outcome: Hero won $33.62.Our opponent pays off with top pair. As a short stack, it is very easy to set up a shove on the nextstreet anytime by simply increasing our bet size on the current street.____________________________________________________________

Once your hand reading ability improves, you will likely want to abandon this strategy as your solemethod for playing wet boards. However, you may want to keep it in your bag of tricks for particular

situations. I use it once or twice most sessions when holding very vulnerable strong hands onextremely wet boards.

Check-Shoving

Occasionally, you will find yourself out of position with a holding that is profitable to c-bet but hasthe potential to set up an awkward turn scenario should you get floated. So instead of c-betting andbeing forced to make a turn decision, I find it useful to go for a check-shove instead. This play worksespecially well against aggressive opponents who are likely to bet with a variety of holdings whenchecked to.

There are two types of hands that I like to check-shove with. The first is for value with a middle ortop pair hand which is vulnerable to a turn card such as J7 on a 742 board or A6 on 862. The secondis as a semi-bluff with draws that include 8+ outs. This move allows more money to get into the potagainst hands that may have folded to a c-bet while simplifying your decisions in a forceful way.

You are also adding a measure of unpredictability to your game and punishing aggressive players bygiving them a chance to over-commit themselves against a short stack and make a fundamentalmistake. Your range will also be balanced nicely, because you do not always want to fold afterchecking or you will become very easy to play against. Example #12.7: Check-shoving top pair on a draw heavy board No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) UTG ($220.96)HJ ($25.33)Hero (CO) ($28)Button ($158.32) 37/26/32 40% fold to c-betSB ($99.02)BB ($115.17) Preflop: Hero is CO with 9♥, 7♣2 folds, Hero bets $2, Button calls $2, 2 folds Flop: ($5.50) 6♠, 3♠, 7♥ (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $5.50, Hero raises to $26 (All-In), 1 foldC-betting here will put us in an awkward spot on the turn quite often as there are very few cardsthat we will feel comfortable seeing. A check allows our aggressive opponent the chance to put

money in the pot with his air range and potentially commit with inferior equity where he otherwisemay have gotten away from his hand.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.8: Check-shoving bottom pair and a flush draw No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($49.25)CO ($49.25)Button ($48.40)Hero (SB) ($17.70)BB ($34.30) Preflop: Hero is SB with 4♥, 7♥3 folds, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2) 7♣, 9♥, Q♥ (2 players)Hero checks, BB bets $0.50, Hero raises to $16.70 (All-In), BB calls $16.20A 25% stack flop bet followed by a turn shove would be fine in this instance. However, since wehave both a pair and a flush draw, we don’t mind getting all-in right here and now since we have49% equity against a hand as strong as AQ. Check-shoving has the best chance of getting moremoney in the pot and the potential to commit our opponent with a wider range. Note: A pair andan open-ended straight draw could be treated similarly. Turn: ($35.40) 3♥ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($35.40) 5♠ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $35.40 Results:Hero had 4♥, 7♥ (flush, Queen high).BB shows 6♠, 8♥ (straight, nine high).

Outcome: Hero won $33.65.Villain stacked off with a weak open-ended straight draw. His play is questionable since many ofhis outs were dirty, and there was a better straight draw possible. Perhaps he believed he wascommitted after betting the flop versus a short stack.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.9: Check-shoving an awkward straight draw No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) HJ ($32.85)CO ($5.57)Button ($52.95)Hero (SB) ($14.65)BB ($80.36) Preflop: Hero is SB with J♦, 5♣3 folds, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2) 6♥, 3♥, 4♦ (2 players)Hero checks, BB bets $1.50, Hero raises to $13.65 (All-In), 1 foldOpening a wide range in the small blind can frequently put you in awkward spots. That is whyhaving easy and decisive plays, such as the check-shove, in your arsenal is important. With anover and a straight draw, we are doing pretty good equity wise against our opponent’s range, nomatter what he has. Sometimes our opponent will turn over something crazy like QQ+, but evenagainst those hands we are 32% to win. Other times he may fold hands that beat us like 4x or 3xwhich makes our play very powerful.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.10: Punishing an aggressive regular No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($10)HJ ($13.40)CO ($78.81)Button ($25.60)Hero (SB) ($9.35)BB ($74.33) Folds to c-bet 20% BvB, Bets when checked to 80% Preflop: Hero is SB with 6♦, 9♦4 folds, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2) J♥, 6♠, 5♣ (2 players)Hero checks, BB bets $1.34, Hero raises to $8.35 (All-In), 1 foldThese player types are not that difficult to exploit, once you know how. Since you know he isalmost never folding to a c-bet and is always betting when checked to, it makes it simply a game ofmaximizing ranges. Our 2nd pair hand here is almost always good, so we surely could try to bet 3streets for value. But since more over cards will likely come by the river, I much prefer to simplifythings and win the pot on the flop. If we had 43, 87, or 5x, we would play it the same way. If wehad Jx or an over pair, it would be an obvious bet-bet-bet. With air, it would all depend on histendencies on the turn and river, but check-shoving two overs would often be profitable due to thehuge amount of fold equity.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.11: Check-shoving 2nd pair in a 3-bet pot No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($50)HJ ($63.99)CO ($29.60)Button ($112.18) 22/28/35Hero (SB) ($15.25)BB ($112.85) Preflop: Hero is SB with Q♠, 8♥3 folds, Button bets $1, Hero raises to $2.50, 1 fold, Button calls $1.50

This opponent opens 46% from the button, so I 3-bet small with a polarized range and get flatted. This appears to be a pretty awful play against a short stack, unless he is trapping with a big pair. Flop: ($5.50) 6♦, 8♦, 10♠ (2 players)Hero checks, Button bets $4, Hero raises to $12.75 (All-In), Button calls $8.75I flop middle pair on a draw heavy board. Leading here will likely only get me action when I amcrushed, so the obvious play is to check-shove. Folding 2nd pair here in a 3-bet pot is never anoption. Turn: ($31) 3♥ (2 players, 1 all-in) River: ($31) 6♣ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $31 | Rake: $1.55 Results:Button had 5♣, 7♣ (one pair, sixes).Hero had Q♠, 8♥ (two pair, eights and sixes).Outcome: Hero won $29.45.The button makes a -EV play by flatting a 3-bet with lousy implied odds. He is then forced to stackoff with an open-ended straight draw on the flop. This is a rare situation, but it highlights acouple of the strengths of playing a small stack. Being short both amplifies our aggressiveopponent’s mistakes and makes it very easy to leverage our stack against him.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.12: Check shoving a draw against a player who floats often No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Hero (UTG) ($11.80)HJ ($21.42)CO ($15) 48/10/35 Folds to c-bet 33%Button ($38.76)SB ($23.86)

BB ($20.27) 87/2/25 Preflop: Hero is UTG with 7♦, 9♦Hero bets $1, 1 fold, CO (poster) calls $0.50, 3 foldsHero opens a suited semi-connector with two fish behind. With dead money posted, we are hopingfor a multi-way pot. Flop: ($2.75) 6♠, 8♦, Q♠ (2 players)Hero checks, CO bets $2.75, Hero raises to $10.80 (All-In), 1 foldHero flops open-ended with a backdoor flush draw. This is an easy situation to play incorrectly. Hero could c-bet big and shove any turn, but in doing so would only invite action from much betterhands. A much better play is to check and either keep the pot small or shove over any bet and getthe money in with two cards still to come. This allows the possibility of two profitable scenarios. We either get to see the turn cheaply and make a delayed c-bet after being shown weakness, or weallow our opponent to bluff at the flop and force him to fold many hands that beat us.____________________________________________________________ Alternative Line On Dry Flops: The Turn Check-Shove

Against a variety of players, this is an exploitative play I like to use with my tier 1 and strongest tier 2hands while out of position. It is designed to take advantage of the inherently aggressive nature ofonline players. It works very well against both habitual floaters and players who you expect have astrong range when they call your flop c-bet.

The way it works is that after you c-bet the flop and get called, you check the turn with the top of yourrange in order to induce a bet. If your opponent bets, then the trap is set as you spring to life with acheck-raise and stick the rest of your chips in. While this line is only useful out of position, thereason it is so powerful is that it exploits both tight players and those that float with a wide range inposition.

Tight players will usually have a strong range and will tend to bet when checked to, since they willwant to extract maximum value after “hitting their hand.” They will then almost never fold to theshove. Even if they do happen to have a marginal hand, they may believe they are “priced in” andfeel obligated to call. Whereas, if you had double barreled, they might have gotten away.

But the player type that this line works best against is aggressive regulars. Their overall range willtypically be weaker, and so they will not be able to call a barrel often. This move allows them to put

some more money in the pot with their bluffing range before they fold. It also balances your game andhas the potential to slow them down on future floats. Furthermore, if your opponent checks back theturn and does not fall for the trap, you still have an opportunity to bet and get value on the river. Atthis point, the pot will be small, and your opponent may be willing to look you up a bit lighter sinceyou showed weakness on the turn by not barreling.

When You Don’t Want To Get All-InMost of the time you will not want to get all-in. With tier 2 made hands, you will sometimes be beat,and with tier 3 and 4 hands, you will almost always be beat if the money goes in on the flop. In thissection, we will discuss a betting strategy for non-nut hands, and I will show you how to consistentlysqueeze money out of these situations. Let’s discuss tier 2 hands first. Marginal Tier 2 Betting Strategy

Sometimes you will face a situation with a tier 2 hand where getting all-in is marginal at best. Inposition, it is often best to exercise pot control. The typical situation you will encounter is having toppair weak kicker on a dry board where your opponent is likely very weak or very strong. When inposition in these situations, it is often wise to check behind on the flop or turn. This adds deceptionto your game and balances the times you are betting with air. In the section on when not to c-bet, Idiscussed one such instance with a weak ace after flopping top pair. Here are two additionalexamples of refraining from c-betting the flop. Example #12.13: Pot Control Leads To Either Damage Control Or Value No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($24.06)HJ ($33.69)CO ($21.60)Hero (Button) ($14.33)SB ($10.80)BB ($10) Preflop: Hero is Button with 2♠, K♠3 folds, Hero bets $1, SB calls $0.75,1 fold Flop: ($2.50) 3♠, K♥, 8♣ (2 players)SB checks, Hero checksChecking for deception on a dry flop. This board often misses our opponent’s range. If we hadair here, we would want to c-bet. Turn: ($2.50) 8♠ (2 players)SB bets $1.25, Hero calls $1.25The board pairs and we pick up a flush draw. Our opponent leads into us. Raising makes littlesense here, as there is very little that can call us that doesn’t have us beat. River: ($5) 6♠ (2 players)SB bets $3.34, Hero raises to $12.08 (All-In), SB calls $5.21 (All-In)

We bink a flush on the river, and our opponent leads for just over half pot. If we still only had toppair, this is an easy call. Even though it is a paired board, it is still a value shoving situation fora short stack. Total pot: $22.10 | Rake: $1.10 Results:Hero had 2♠, K♠ (flush, King high).SB had 9♠, 10♠ (flush, ten high).Outcome: Hero won $21.The theme here is that by checking back a dry flop with top pair, we gave good things a chance tohappen and increased our chances of two streets of value in the process. As a side note, if we hadstarted with 100 big blinds, then we might have hesitated to raise this river. And if we did, howgross would it be if he shipped his lesser flush? This is just another example of how playing ashort stack simplifies things.____________________________________________________________ Checking back can also occasionally be advisable with non-made hands. Sometimes you will flop adraw that has a low amount of fold equity either because of board texture or opponent tendencies.

Example #12.14: Checking back with a weak flush draw No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($27.41)HJ ($22.70)CO ($7.10)Hero (Button) ($10.14)SB ($126.54)BB ($50) Preflop: Hero is Button with 5♣, 7♣3 folds, Hero bets $1, SB calls $0.75,1 fold Flop: ($2.50) J♣, Q♣, 4♦ (2 players)SB checks, Hero checksThis is a common situation that I frequently see misplayed. If we c-bet and face a raise on thisflop, we will likely have around 37% equity. And since we have only our initial opening raiseinvested, it is not necessary to always c-bet with the intention of stacking off. Doing so increasesour variance, so I usually prefer a more conservative play in these spots. Drawing hands that Iwould more likely c-bet the flop with are 4♣7♣, A♣x♣. These hands are much stronger equity wiseand don’t mind getting the money in fast. If you were to decide to bet here, I prefer a 25% stackbet followed by a turn shove to maximize fold equity. Turn: ($2.50) 8♣ (2 players)

SB bets $1.50, Hero raises to $3.50, SB calls $2We complete our flush on the turn, and the small blind leads into us. There are way too manyhands in our opponent’s range that can continue to a raise, so calling would be a mistake. In thisinstance, I make a small raise, but a shove would also be reasonable. River: ($9.50) 6♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $5.64 (All-In),1 foldUnfortunately, our opponent folds the river. Some people may disagree with how this hand wasplayed, but knowing when to mix it up is a skill that benefits you immensely.____________________________________________________________ Both of the above examples were played in position. When out of position, since pot control is notnearly as easy, you are better off playing these hands aggressively with either a check-shove or a bet-shove line. While getting all-in may be marginal with some tier 2 hands, they are still almost alwaysgood enough to commit with as a short stack. Having to play these spots aggressively is the price youpay for being out of position. Tier 3 And 4 Betting Strategy

So far, we have mostly discussed betting lines with high equity holdings. But maximizing value frompremium hands, while important, is not going to significantly distinguish you from the field. The vastmajority of the time you will not have a tier 1 or 2 hand and will have to navigate much trickier post-flop scenarios. In most hands, you will either be trying to get to showdown with your tier 3 hand orpick up the pot with a bluff while holding a tier 4 hand.

These marginal spots are where most poker players are lost and grossly misplay hands time and timeagain. Why is this? In my opinion it all comes down to human nature. Everyone likes to do thingsthat are fun, and let’s face it, playing a weak hand is not inherently entertaining. Thus, as a rule, theaverage poker player spends little time attempting to expand his knowledge of situations they find dulland “unimportant.”

As a consequence, negotiating the “inconsequential” situations that almost everyone avoids learningabout is one of the secrets to profit in today’s tougher games. The people who currently excel outplaytheir opponents in ways that the player pool is almost totally unaware of. Therefore, by learning tomaximize your earnings in all situations, you too will become part of the elite and furtively increaseyour win-rate by focusing on the spots no one else is interested in. My suggestion is that, once youlearn strong standard lines for playing tier 1 and 2 hands, you thereafter spend most of your energypolishing your play with the “weaker” parts of your range. Betting With Showdown Value

Most poker authorities advocate taking a passive line when you have showdown value. I feel thisadvice is pretty ridiculous since, by adhering to it, you are many times giving your opponents thechance to play perfectly against you. Remember that showdown value hands only have value if youactually get to showdown. Taking a passive line will often force you to fold before the river or put in

way too much money getting to it.

I believe that the optimal strategy is to stay aggressive, even with marginal holdings. For the mostpart, today’s micros and small stakes games abound with calling stations and nits. Against suchcompetition, relatively small bets can and will get value from weaker hands as well as the occasionalfold from stronger ones.

With a tier 3 holding, a reasonable standard bet sizing strategy is to bet 1/2 of the pot on the flop anda big blind or two less than half the pot on the turn. This allows you to keep the lead and maintain arelatively small pot with the ultimate goal of getting to showdown. Your river bet sizing will dependon many factors, so one size does not fit all. If you are in position, a river check back is usually best. However, when out of position, another smallish bet is usually optimal for both pot control and as ablocking bet.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of betting with showdown value: Example #12.15: Triple Barrel With Showdown Value No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($33.16)HJ ($7)Hero (CO) ($12.65)Button ($120.34)SB ($50)BB ($34.50) Preflop: Hero is CO with 7♥, 7♦2 folds, Hero bets $1, Button calls $1,2 folds Flop: ($2.75) J♥, 6♦, 8♠ (2 players)Hero bets $1.38, Button calls $1.38Standard C-Bet. We may be best and can get value from straight draws, worse pocket pairs, and6x hands. We also set up future bluffs, if necessary. Turn: ($5.51) J♦ (2 players)Hero bets $1.50, Button calls $1.50The board pairs and another diamond comes. Now there are multiple draws to get value from. Since Jx and 8x are never going anywhere anyway, we might as well bet small to keep the weakerparts of his range in as well. If raised, it’s a pretty simple fold. River: ($8.51) 9♦ (2 players)Hero bets $2.00, Button calls $2.00The river is a card that can beat us quite frequently. Since our hand has value, a small bet to tryto get to showdown is appropriate.

Total pot: $12.51 | Rake: $0.60 Results:Button had 6♥,7♣ (two pair, Jacks and sixes).Hero had 7♥, 7♦ (two pair, Jacks and sevens).Outcome: Hero won $11.91.We are going to be beat here fairly often, but by keeping the pot small, we create a profitablesituation. If we had air, here a much bigger river bet would have been warranted to get ouropponent off the type of hand he showed up with.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.16: Checking back the river with showdown value No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($20.92)Hero (HJ) ($12)CO ($31.66)Button ($14.25)SB ($48.25)BB ($96.64) Preflop: Hero is HJ with 10♦, A♦1 fold, Hero bets $1, 3 folds, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 3♥, 9♠, 9♣ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, BB calls $1.13We may very well have the best hand here, so sometimes our bet is for value. Checking back theflop is gross, because it gives a license to our opponent to bluff us off our hand on the turn. Turn: ($4.51) 2♠ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls $2We bet the turn for the same reason we bet the flop. River: ($8.51) K♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero checksBetting again here can be okay at times, but since we have showdown value, I prefer a check sincewe will be good fairly often. If we had a hand like QJ, we would want to fire again to try to getour opponent off Ace high and small pairs. Total pot: $8.51 | Rake: $0.40

Results:BB had A♣, 4♠ (one pair, nines, inferior kicker)Hero had 10♦, A♦ (one pair, nines with Ace, King, ten kicker)Outcome: Hero won $8.11.This is not an uncommon result. By betting the flop and turn, we keep our options open no matterwhat part of our range we hold.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.17: “My Showdown Value Beats Your Showdown Value” No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($9.55)CO ($11.02)Button ($10.90)Hero (SB) ($2.90)BB ($3) Preflop: Hero is SB with K♥, 3♠3 folds, Hero bets $0.20, BB calls $0.10It folds to us in the small blind, and we make a standard open. Flop: ($0.40) Q♠, 7♠, 3♣ (2 players)Hero bets $0.20, BB calls $0.20We flop bottom pair and keep the lead with a half pot C-Bet. We are good here often as manyopponents would raise a pocket pair or big queen pre-flop. 7x as part of a suited connector islikely the only hand beating us right now. Turn: ($0.80) 2♦ (2 players)Hero bets $0.30, BB calls $0.30The turn changes nothing, so we decide to keep the pot small with less than 50% pot size bet. River: ($1.40) Q♥ (2 players)Hero bets $0.40, BB calls $0.40The river is another queen, so we can safely bet-call the river. We decide on a small bet with ourshowdown value to lure in very weak hands or induce a bluff. Most of the time I would snap call areraise as Qx would likely have raised the flop blind-versus-blind. Total pot: $2.20 | Rake: $0.14 Results:Hero had J♥, 3♠ (two pair, Queens and threes).BB had A♥,K♦ (Pair of threes).Outcome: Hero won $2.06.

For whatever reason, the big blind decided to slow play AK pre-flop and then take a very passiveline post-flop.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.18: The “Bluff Call” No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (5 handed) HJ ($10.51)CO ($13.21)Button ($10.10)Hero (SB) ($3.31)BB ($8.82) Preflop: Hero is SB with 8♥, 2♥3 folds, Hero bets $0.20, BB calls $0.10I am intentionally highlighting BvB play, as this will be a constant source of battles for you. Flop: ($0.40) A♣, 3♦, K♥ (2 players)Hero bets $0.20, BB calls $0.20Standard C-Bet on an Ace high board. We expect to take this down on the flop a large amount oftime. But this time our opponent floats us. Turn: ($0.80) 2♠ (2 players)Hero bets $0.40, BB calls $0.40We pick up a pair which gives us both showdown value and the ability to improve on the river. Checking here would be very bad, as it allows our opponent to bet his entire range and force us tofold. Our only chance to win this pot is to continue betting. River: ($1.60) 3♠ (2 players)Hero bets $1.40, BB calls $1.40The river comes another three, and we decide to bet a bit on the larger side to get folds from Kxand random pairs. Disappointingly, we get called and are prepared to ship the pot to ouropponent. Total pot: $4.40 | Rake: $0.30 Results:Hero had 8♥, 2♣ (two pair, threes and twos).BB had 6♠,T♦ (Pair of threes).Outcome: Hero won $4.10.To our amazement, we get called by ten high. There is no telling what our opponent was thinking. I suppose the lesson is that most players generally undervalue the strength of their hand against

opponents that clearly overvalue theirs.____________________________________________________________

Betting With Air

If you decide the situation is conducive for running a bluff, your strategy will only vary slightly fromhow you play showdown value hands. Since your goal is no longer to get to showdown, you benefitfrom a change in your betting strategy.

With showdown value, you do not mind calls and thus can structure your bet sizing to keep someonein the pot. With air, you want to skew your bet sizing a bit more on the larger size to make youropponents’ calls much tougher. The beauty of this notion is that a slight increase in bet size can havedrastic effects on our opponents’ calling frequency and yet have to work a surprisingly small amountof the time in order to be profitable.

As shown in the above chart, a full pot-sized bet only needs to work about 17% more often than a50% bet in order to break even. This gives you much more flexibility in your bet sizing than you mayhave realized. Here are some examples to illustrate the point: Example #12.19: Applying Pressure On Three Streets No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($10.33)Hero (HJ) ($17.05)CO ($130.79)Button ($47.80)SB ($15.25)BB ($61.64) Preflop: Hero is HJ with K♥, J♣1 fold, Hero bets $1, CO calls $1,3 folds Flop: ($2.75) 2♥, 3♦, 6♠ (2 players)

Hero bets $2.00, CO calls $2.00We c-bet a low board with the intention of giving up on most turns. Most hands that call this typeof flop will not be folding to barrels. We bet a bit larger than if we had showdown value since weare trying to elicit a fold from our opponent right now on the flop and not planning a multi-streetbluff. Turn: ($6.75) Q♠ (2 players)Hero bets $3.40, CO calls $3.40A queen comes and we decide to modify our plan since the turn is probably a scare card for ouropponent. A big card often helps our range and a bet will put a lot of pressure on many differenttypes of hands that may have floated the flop. We go for a half pot-sized bet to give us areasonable shoving opportunity on the river. River: ($13.55) 4♣ (2 players)Hero bets $10.65 (all-in),1 foldWith four to a straight on a queen high board, a river bet looks very credible for our range. Idecide to shove to exert maximum pressure on hands such as 77-TT and 6x. It is conceivable thateven some Qx hands might find a fold here sometimes. Our bet needs to work here a fairly lowpercentage of the time in order to be profitable, so checking and giving up here is almost certainlya leak. Total pot: $13.51 | Rake: $0.65 Results:Hero didn’t show K♥, J♣ (nothing).Outcome: Hero won $12.86.I by no means advocate going for three barrel bluffs that culminate in a river shove every singletime you have air. But if a profitable situation presents itself, you have to have the will to followthrough, otherwise you are leaving a lot of money on the table.____________________________________________________________

Sometimes you will barrel with showdown value and then get a river card that destroys your hand. At that point you will need to adjust your river betting accordingly. Take this example. Example #12.20: When Showdown Value Turns To Air No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) Hero (HJ) ($14.72)CO ($51.18)Button ($21)SB ($10.12)BB ($14.50) Preflop: Hero is HJ with 2♠, 2♥

Hero bets $1, CO calls $1,3 folds Flop: ($2.75) 4♦, 3♠, 7♥ (2 players)Hero bets $1.38, CO calls $1.38I c-bet to keep the lead and get value from random Ace high and King high floats. Since we raisedin first position, a lot of our opponents will believe our range is strong here. Turn: ($5.51) 7♠ (2 players)Hero bets $2, CO calls $2A very good turn as it is unlikely to improve our opponent yet does nothing to hurt the hands weare repping. It also adds a few draws that might make our opponent stick around another street. No need to bet big here as $2 accomplishes the same thing as $3. River: ($9.51) 3♦ (2 players)Hero bets $4.76,1 foldThe river destroys our showdown value, and we are left playing the board. We know we cannotwin at showdown since even 5 high beats us; the only question is how much to bet. Since our goalis to fold out the majority of his air, any reasonable bet will do so. I chose half pot as it only hasto work 33% of the time, but it’s likely that 40% bet would have been just as profitable.____________________________________________________________ Example #12.21: Betting A River Scare Card No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($32.25)HJ ($37.54)Hero (CO) ($15.60)Button ($25.78)SB ($75.53)BB ($122.09) Preflop: Hero is CO with 3♣, 6♣2 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, SB calls $0.75, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($3) 4♦, 10♠, 10♦ (3 players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $1.50, SB calls $1.50,1 foldThe flop is dry, so we should almost always c-bet here, even if multi-way. Turn: ($6) 2♦ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB calls $2A possible flush hits, and we pick up a gut shot. Checking back here makes little sense as we haveno showdown value and will surely face a river bet that we can only call if we hit a straight.

River: ($10) J♦ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $5,1 foldThe board runs out four to a flush with an over. We have no showdown value and need to bet. Weexpect to get called by hands as weak as 8♦x, so we size our bet to get rid of the rest of his range.____________________________________________________________

Varying From Standard Betting StrategiesWith strong made hands, we don’t mind getting all-in, but can sometimes benefit more from a smallerbet sizing. We typically want to do this when our opponent’s range is likely very weak. Take thisexample: Example #12.22: No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($57.50)HJ ($53.79)CO ($28.15)Hero (Button) ($21.39)SB ($74.75)BB ($48.50) Preflop: Hero is Button with Q♥, K♣3 folds, Hero bets $1,1 fold, BB calls $0.50 Flop: ($2.25) 7♣, 3♠, Q♦ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $1.13, BB calls $1.13A very dry board, so there is no rush to get all-in. 10% of our stack is almost a pot-sized bet, butthat seems way too big based on opponent’s unlikelihood to have connected with this board. Weopt for a half-pot bet. Turn: ($4.51) K♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $2.26, BB calls $2.26We turn top two pair which improves almost none of our opponent’s range except for maybe arandom float with JT or Kx. The king likely hurt my opponent’s range, so anything more than halfpot seems like a gross over bet. I actually don’t mind a bet of around $1.50 to try and induce araise from a float, but the half pot bet is more standard to try and continue building a pot. River: ($9.03) 8♥ (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $4.52, BB calls $4.52The eight doesn’t complete any draws and further hurts any 7x or small pair type hands. There isnot much that will pay off a substantial river bet except maybe 87, and we might get a raise fromthat hand anyway. So a small bet of anywhere from $3.00 to half pot seems appropriate. If yourread on your opponent is that he is a station, then you should tend to err on the large size with anyvalue bet. Total pot: $18.07 | Rake: $0.90 Results:

Hero had Q♥, K♣ (two pair, Kings and Queens).BB had A♠7♠ (one pair, Sevens).Outcome: Hero won $17.17.Our opponent makes a hero call with 4th pair. Had we bet bigger at any point during the hand, itis likely that we would have elicited a fold. By taking a “showdown value” line with a strongholding, we were able to get much more value against our opponent’s overall weak range.____________________________________________________________

Another added benefit to taking a showdown value line with your premium hands is that it balancesyour range. Sometimes playing strong hands the same way you play your weaker ones will make youharder to read against expert opponents. This type of consideration will become even more importantas you move up in stakes.

The main theme of this chapter has been using bet sizing to manipulate our opponents into makingmistakes and doing what we want them to. You have learned to form a street-by-street strategy forbetting based on both the strength of your hand and the texture of the board. So far, the focus of thischapter has been in situations where you have initiative. But what if you were not the pre-flop raiser?

Sizing Raises And ReraisesSince it is rare to go to the flop without the initiative, you will not have to worry too often aboutmaking raises or reraises unless your own bet gets raised. But there are certain instances that maywarrant making pre-flop calls, whether it is when defending against a min-raise from a wide rangestealer, or whether you make a profitable call dictated by implied odds.

As a small stack, after raising or reraising a bet post-flop, the majority of the time you will not haveenough money behind to make a significant bet on the next street. Therefore, nine times out of ten youwill be shoving all-in when you raise. There are a few specific instances, however, when you maywant to raise a bit less. These include:

1. Your stack size is big enough that a raise can still leave you a reasonable-sized shove on the nextstreet.

2. There are not many cards that can kill the action on the next street.

3. You hold a monster, and a smaller raise is more likely to get action.

A good example of this is while holding a tier 1 hand against an aggressive opponent. If the board isdry and he has either bet or made a small raise against you, then this is an excellent time to make asmall 25% effective stack raise or a min-raise. It gives him the chance to either call with the weakerparts of his range or bluff shove over you with his air hands.

Against passive players, this type of line will not work often enough to make it worthwhile. You aregenerally just better off shoving it all-in, if strength has been shown, since it is much less likely thatthis type of player will have any weak hands in his range. Just get it in immediately while youropponent appears to be willing to do so.

Now that you know when to bet and raise, let’s discuss how to navigate the infrequent situationswhere you can consider calling a post-flop bet.

Post-Flop Calling Strategy

The best line of play for a short stack after the flop is almost always to either raise or fold. However,there are certain occasions in which a passive line can prove to be profitable. Here are a few of thecircumstances in which I may make a post-flop call:

It is not profitable to reraise, and you have direct odds.

You have reasonable implied odds, and reverse implied odds is not an issue.

Your opponent c-bets a wide range but does not barrel often, thus setting up a profitable float.

You have a near invulnerable hand, and your opponent c-bets and barrels a wide range.

Calculating Direct Pot Odds

In Chapter 4, you learned about the rule of 4 and 2 and now know how to figure out your chances ofmaking a hand on the turn or river. In order to determine whether you have the direct odds toprofitably call, you must first figure out your pot odds. You then turn your chance of making yourhand into a ratio. If the chance of hitting your hand is greater than the odds to call, then it is profitableto do so.

For example, let’s say your opponent shoves $5 into a $10 pot on the flop, and you are holding a flushdraw with 9 outs. You have to call $5 to win $15, and thus are getting 3 to 1 on your money. Byapplying the rule of 4 to the 9 out flush draw you get 36%, which is better than 3 to 1 when convertedinto a ratio, thus making the call profitable.

Most situations will not involve facing shoves on the flop. When applying the rule of 2 to the nextstreet, it is unusual to ever have the correct direct odds to make a call unless your opponent severelyunder bets. Almost always, you will need to have something else going for you. In order to justify acall, you will have to have some hope of making more money than is currently in the pot. This iswhere implied odds comes in.

Post-Flop Implied Odds

In order for calls without direct odds to be worthwhile, your opponent needs to have a decentlikelihood of being willing to put more money in the pot should you make your hand. For example,flush draws are typically not the best implied odds hands, as it is pretty obvious when that third flushcard hits that someone may have just made a flush. Even weak players recognize this.

The ideal implied odds hand is one that will not be so obvious should it hit. Straight draws,

especially gut shots, are much more disguised when they connect. Someone with two pair or betterwill not likely be too worried if a non-board pairing, non-flush blank card comes in.

You should not be relying on implied odds with one pair hands hoping to hit two pair or pocket pairslooking to hit a set on the next card. Stick to holdings that have clean outs and will most likely getyou paid off when they complete. Otherwise, unless the direct odds are there, folding or raising arebetter options.

Reverse Implied Odds After The Flop

Reverse implied odds often affect post-flop calling decisions. For example, let’s say you hold 45 ona 78K board and are considering a call with your gut shot straight draw. You face a bet and a call onthe flop and are getting a decent implied price to see another street. Here is the problem. One ofyour opponents could easily be holding T9 or 95 on this board. If a 6 falls and the money goes in, acertain percentage of the time you will be beaten by a better straight.

Another situation that comes up frequently is holding a straight draw on a two-tone board. Sometimesyou will make your straight while someone else makes a flush. The key to avoiding a reverse impliedodds calling mistake is to always make sure that none of your outs are dirty and that your draw is tothe nuts. Sometimes it is okay to stray from this notion, but you will have to discount your outs whencalculating the odds. In other words, if you hold a straight draw on a two-tone board, you mustremove two of the potential cards as outs. So instead of having 8 outs, you now only have 6.

Floating

When it is likely that you do not have the best hand and have little chance to improve, it isfundamentally a bad play to call just to see another card. However, there are certain instances whereyou can exploit particular opponents by calling their flop bet with the intention of winning with a blufflater on. This is called floating.

Online poker is rampant with players who c-bet often but barrel infrequently. The most common wayto exploit them is to float their flop bet and then fire the turn when checked to. Using my strategy, thissituation will most often arise blind versus blind. When folded to in the small blind, some playerswill open a very wide range. They will then c-bet the flop 100% of the time and give up on the turnunimproved, believing they are making a profitable long-term play.

Most of the time they will be right. But attentive players can and should exploit them often via afloat. I keep c-bet and barrel stats in my HUD for quick reference during play if I am open raised bythe small blind. If my opponent c-bets over 80% of the time but barrels less than 40%, I will callpre-flop in position with any two cards.

When facing an open from a position other than the small blind it is very difficult to float as a callwill have you playing out of position. And making pre-flop calls to attempt floats from outside theblinds puts you at risk of being squeezed. As a result, you will not have many opportunities to floatas a short stack player. Only under certain circumstances can you employ this move profitably. Anduntil you are skilled in assessing ranges, player tendencies, and equity, you are better off avoidingcomplicated floats altogether.

Here are some examples of floats: Example #13.1: Floating with air No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed)

HJ ($49.25)CO ($55.70)Button ($56.87)SB ($51) Opens 45% from the SBHero (BB) ($15)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q♥, 9♣3 folds, SB bets $1, Hero calls $0.50A standard call against a wide opening range. Flop: ($2) 5♥, 2♣, 7♠ (2 players)SB bets $1.34, Hero calls $1.34The SB continuation bets a very dry board, and the Hero floats. Turn: ($4.68) J♠ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $2.34,1 foldThe SB checks, and Hero’s holding is irrelevant as he bets and takes down the pot.____________________________________________________________ Example #13.2: Following through on a float No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (5 handed)

HJ ($74.95)CO ($31.25)Button ($168.59)SB ($36.50) Opens 60% from the SBHero (BB) ($15.18) Preflop: Hero is BB with 5♥, 3♦3 folds, SB bets $1, Hero calls $0.50Hero calls with plans to float. Flop: ($2) 10♥, J♦, 8♠ (2 players)SB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50The SB min-bet leads. Raising is tempting, but on this board there are a lot of hands Villain maybe going for a check-raise on. Hero instead floats. Turn: ($3) 4♠ (2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB calls $2The SB checks a blank turn, and Hero follows through on his float but is called. River: ($7) 6♥ (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets $3.50, 1 foldSB checks again and Hero double barrels his float to try and get folds from showdown value andair hands that beat him, as it is unlikely that Villain has top pair. Sometimes players will check-call the turn hoping you will check back the river and let them take their weak made hand toshowdown. There is no need to bet large as our opponent may be more likely to call if our betlooks suspiciously big.____________________________________________________________

Sometimes you will find the opportunity to turn your float into a bluffing opportunity when barreledon the turn. The following example illustrates how to do so: Example #13.3: Semi-bluff raising a turn scare card No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (4 handed) CO ($51.67)Button ($45.25)SB ($50)Hero (BB) ($19.15) Preflop: Hero is BB with K♠, 10♦2 folds, SB bets $1.50, Hero calls $1 Flop: ($3) 3♠, 5♠, 6♥ (2 players)SB bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50Hero floats with overs and backdoor flush draw. Turn: ($8) Q♠ (2 players)SB bets $5.50, Hero raises to $15.15 (All-In), 1 foldThe turn brings an over and a possible flush. We likely have 25% equity when called, so ouropponent has to fold less than half the time for this to be a profitable shove.

____________________________________________________________

When To Slow Play After The FlopThere are specific rare circumstances that can warrant playing passively with strong post-flop hands. Here are a few criteria that I like to have going for me before I consider a slow play on the flop orturn.

1. It is not likely that my hand will be beaten by a future card.All other factors are trumped by this one. If your hand is vulnerable and can be beaten fairlyeasily on the next street, then you never want to slow play. You always want to play big handsfast on wet boards.

2. I am in position.When out of position, it is difficult to get value by slow playing. Turn raises are generally seenas strong, so you do not want to go for a check raise there. It is much better to raise the flopwhere it might look suspicious. This is especially true on dry boards vs. where opponents“expect” you to slow play.

3. My opponent’s range is currently weak.If the board does not connect well with your opponent’s range, then you can often call in thehope that his hand improves on the next street. This works best on weak level one players whoare only playing their own cards.

4. My opponent is aggressive and capable of bluffing future streets.Against overly aggressive players or maniacs, you can slow play in position and give them achance to spew on future streets with their overall weak range. This works especially wellagainst players who barrel frequently or believe you are capable of floating. Keep in mind thatthis same type of player may also think you are full of it if you raise particular board textures. Ilike to mix up my play against thinking opponents based on recent history and game flow.

Calling Post-Flop ReraisesThis section covers the uncommon situation when you are faced with a reraise that does not put youall-in. Usually these spots are shove or fold decisions; however, there are times when the raise issmall enough that there is room to call and maneuver on the next street.

One scenario that occasionally presents itself is when you face a small raise while holding a bigdraw. It is never a huge mistake to get all the money in, but sometimes a call can be even better. Incases where you are pretty certain that you have no fold equity, it is okay to call and see one morestreet before committing or folding. Take the following example:

Example #13.4: Facing A Reraise In A Limped Pot No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) UTG ($27.87)HJ ($65.95)CO ($29.02)Button ($49.25)SB ($30.98)Hero (BB) ($15) Preflop: Hero is BB with 5♠, 6♠2 folds, CO calls $0.50,1 fold, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks Flop: ($1.50) 7♦, Q♣, 4♦ (3 players)SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, CO raises to $2,1 fold, Hero calls $1.25Hero leads out in a limped pot with an open-ended straight draw and faces a small raise. Sinceflop raises in limped pots typically indicate a hand that is ready to go all the way, shoving all-in isnot a good play.With no fold equity, the only viable options are to either call or fold. Folding is okay since weonly have 6 clean outs due to the flush draw. But when we look at implied odds, we are calling$1.25 to potentially win $12.50, or 10 to 1. We are 8 to 1 to hit the draw on the turn, so a call isprofitable.There is also a chance that our opponent is drawing with a hand like A♦T♦. If the turn or riverpair us up, there is a chance we can see a cheap showdown and win. Always consider everypotential outcome as small details can put on the fence decisions over the top one way or theother. Turn: ($5.50) ♥2 (2 players)Hero checks, CO bets $2, Hero calls $2The turn is a blank, so we decide to check and fold to a reasonable bet. However, our opponentonly bets $2 and gives us 4 to 1 on a call. It looks like a diamond draw is a big part of ouropponent’s range, so we count our pair outs as a possibility. This, coupled with our live nut

straight draw, make a call on the turn very easy. River: ($9.50) 6♥ (2 players)Hero checks, CO checksHad the river not paired us, we would have considered leading for around $5 to get our opponentoff his diamond draws and pure air that beat us. But, since we made a pair, we checked hoping tosee a cheap showdown and are happy to see him check behind. Total pot: $9.50 | Rake: $0.45 Results:Hero didn’t show 5♠, 6♠ (nothing).CO had 10♥, Q♦ (one pair, Queens).Outcome: CO won $9.05.We find out that our opponent had top pair good kicker, which is a lot weaker than we generallywould expect someone to stack off with in a limped pot. This highlights the fact that many playerswiden their stack off ranges against a short stack. Since it is obvious that we had no fold equityon the flop, it is clear that our play was correct.____________________________________________________________

Another situation that you can consider calling a flop raise is when you hold an almost unbeatablehand. Even so, the only time I consider doing this is when my opponent has shown to be capable ofmaking bluff raises. If you do not have a specific read or history with your opponent, then a red post-flop aggression stat in their HUD is a decent indicator that they do not always have a hand they arewilling to stack off with. In that situation, it is sometimes better to call and give them a chance tocontinue their bluff on the turn. This circumstance rarely occurs, but is definitely something to keepan eye out for. Take the following example: Example #13.5: Getting Reraised By An Aggressive Opponent No-Limit Hold’em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) UTG ($20.77)HJ ($22.92) 26/18/36CO ($31.09)Button ($5.20)SB ($4.90)Hero (BB) ($6) Preflop: Hero is BB with 5♥, 5♦1 fold, HJ bets $0.60, CO calls $0.60, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.40I flat a small pair in the big blind getting 3.75 to 1 direct odds. Flop: ($1.90) 5♠, K♣, K♠ (3 players)

Hero bets $0.60, HJ raises to $1.20, CO calls $1.20, Hero calls $0.60I lead out into a dry board against two opponents to build a pot and represent a bluff or semi-bluff. I face a min-raise and a cold call, so I smooth call to keep draws and weak made hands in. Turn: ($5.50) 10♠ (3 players)Hero checks, HJbets $3.27, 1 fold, Hero raises to $4.40 (All-In), HJ calls $1.13I check the turn and the HJ player bets 60% of the pot. This play screams strength considering theaction on the flop. I could call, but with only $1.14 behind, pushing all-in is virtually the samething. River: ($14.30) A♠ (2 players, 1 all-in) Total pot: $14.30 | Rake: $0.71 Results:Hero had 5♥, 5♦ (full house, fives over Kings).HJ had Q♠, J♥ (flush, Ace high).Outcome: Hero won $13.59.The aggressive HJ player bluff raised my “weak” lead with only two overs to the 5 and backdoorflush and straight draws. Had I jammed the flop, it is likely both players would have folded. Byflatting the flop, I gave my opponents a chance to pick up a reason to stack off on the turn. Afteradding a flush draw and open-ended straight draw on the turn, my opponent committed to the potwhile unknowingly drawing dead.____________________________________________________________

Forming Reads

Poker is a game of information. The more we know about what our opponents are doing at the tables,the more correct our decisions will be when we play a hand against them. During the course of play,you will want to habitually observe and record the actions of other players based on what they aredoing both strategically and in specific situations.

The majority of your reads will be based on HUD stats, which clue you in to what your opponents’basic approaches are to the game. These stats can then be used to make generalizations on how youmight expect them to react in specific situations. By grouping and categorizing opponents via labelsand notes, you can then quickly and accurately make many of the frequent decisions you will face atthe tables.

Most poker sites now offer you the ability to color code your opponents. Additionally, Pokertrackerand Hold’em Manager both have built-in features that allow you to both actively and passively labelthem. In this chapter, I will provide you with a simple and effective labeling system for both pre-flopand post-flop play. By design, my method focuses on exploiting many of the extreme tendenciescommonly found in lower stakes games.

Labeling Opponents

There are a few important labels on players that you will want to have immediate access to. Oftenthey are gleaned from HUD stats, but occasionally we get them from observing how our opponentsare playing during an actual session. Using these labels not only helps us outplay our opponents, butalso allows us to effectively table and seat select.

The three ways I like to record specific reads on other players are through color coding, auto-rating,and note taking. This system allows me, at a glance, to know how my opponents play both beforeand after the flop.

1. Color CodingI do color coding within the poker site itself, since most sites now have the feature built rightin. I use the colors to denote an opponent’s pre-flop tendencies.

2. Auto RatingAuto-rating symbols are provided by the poker tracking software you have chosen which can beset to automatically manifest based on opponent stats. I use the symbols as an indicator of post-flop tendencies that my opponents possess. I like to set up the symbols to automatically appear,but also manually apply them as warranted.

3. Note TakingYou will also want to take written notes within the site during play to fine tune reads on specificplayers. I like to keep the note taking icon on my HUD for use during reviews of my session andin case my opponent leaves the table before I can take a note within the site.

Labeling players is one of most important skills a professional player possesses. Poker is a battle ofinformation, and the person that most effectively uses the data tends to rise to the top. I stronglysuggest taking advantage of my simple labeling system. Otherwise, you will be missing out on a lot ofprofitable opportunities and be at risk of needlessly misplaying hands versus easily exploitableplayers.

Pre-Flop Color Coding LabelsThe most important pre-flop information about a player should be color coded within the site itself. The key player characteristics for the basic strategy that you will want to identify as quickly aspossible are as follows:

1. Fish- Labeled Green

2. Aggressive Restealers- Labeled Red

3. Pre-Flop Nits- Labeled Blue

You will want to identify players who fall into the above categories, not only to help you during gameplay, but also to choose optimal seats on the best tables.

Identifying and Labeling Fish

You can see on Cake Poker (Revolution Network) that labeling players within the site itself is easy.Working from the left you have red, orange, yellow, light blue, dark blue, green, and gray.

The most important players to identify are fish. Players whose VPIP is above 35 should be labeledgreen within the site as shown above.

Most of your profit comes from loose players, so having as many of them on a table as possiblemakes life a lot easier. Fish typically have high VPIP and low PFR. The ideal place to have them ison your right, but there really is no bad spot to sit in relation to them. VPIP and PFR normalize veryquickly, so as soon as you have 20+ hands on someone and they fit the right criteria, label them green. Here are some partial HUD examples of fishy players:

Fish come in all different shapes and sizes as the above HUDs show. Also notice that it doesn’t takemany hands to be able to recognize bad players. The second HUD only has a sample size of twelve

hands, but the player is clearly a passive fish.

Identifying and Labeling Aggressive Restealers

The second most important player type to recognize is someone who is a light 3-bettor versus steals. While you should not necessarily avoid having them on your table, you would prefer not to have morethan one of them directly to your left. A large amount of your earnings will be coming from stealing,so getting 3-bet by these guys over and over will atrophy these easy profits.

If a player’s 3-bet versus the cutoff, button, or small blind is colored red or purple in the HUD, thenit’s okay to stick the red label on them. However, some players 3-bet very loosely against one lateposition seat but much tighter against another. I usually save the red label for players who 3-bet lightagainst more than one seat. Having a player that only 3-bets light versus one seat is not nearly asmuch of a hindrance as someone who does so against all steals and should not be avoided as activelyin the table selection process. Alternatively, you could choose the color orange for someone whoresteals light against only one seat.

Generally, it takes a couple hundred hands on someone to identify them as an aggressive 3-bettor. However, if an unknown 3-bets your steal seemingly every revolution, you can tentatively color themred until you get more hands. Some players will only 3-bet light against those with a wide openingrange. Be sure to stay mindful of this fact and don’t hesitate to label someone red if you believe thatthey are 3-betting your steals much looser than everyone else.

Sometimes you will encounter players who 3-bet extremely light, I’m talking ridiculously wide here,either against you or everyone. If you see someone who seems to be 3-betting multiple times everyrevolution, then you may be up against a light 3-bettor. Once you identify a light 3-bettor, you willwant to alter your play if he is to your left. First of all, there is no shame in just getting up and findinganother table. Otherwise, you will need to start 4-betting light and/or sticking to your tighter range. In some rare cases, individual players 3-bet so light that I will only open hands I am willing to get allin against them with if they are sitting directly to my left. Here are some sample HUDs of aggressive restealers:

This example shows the importance of having positional information in the HUD. The 1st playerresteals wide vs. all steal positions, the 2nd player does not 3-bet light vs. cutoff raises, and the 3rd

player only likes to 3-bet light vs. button raises.

Identifying and Labeling Nits

The final pre-flop player type you will want to label is the pre-flop nit. These players will be aconsistent source of non-showdown earnings for you. You want them directly to your left so you cansteal relentlessly.

You can fairly rapidly spot a nit as they typically have a very low VPIP and PFR and seldom 3-betwithout a huge hand. Against these players, who seem completely inattentive, you can expand yourstealing range versus them to any two cards. Just remain mindful that even the tightest opponent mayeventually adjust. I have seen players with the nittiest of stats suddenly become 3-bet maniacs versusme after I have stolen their blinds over multiple orbits. Here are a few examples of NIT HUDS:

The 1st player is the classic all-around nit who is waiting for big hands to get involved. The 2ndplayer is either calling or folding against raises unless he has the nuts. The 3rd player is an aggressive

post-flop player who seldom defends his blinds.

Post-Flop Auto-Rating Labels

These are the player tendencies you want to rapidly identify. If your HUD does not allow auto-ratesymbols but colors instead, then any color coding system that you come up with can be used here.

Secondary labeling is used to recognize specific post-flop tendencies that are important to identifyrapidly during the course of play. I use the auto-rate symbols available in the HUD as shown above.

Setting Up The Autorate Symbols

If your poker tracking software allows for automatic auto-rating, define each symbol as follows:

1. Phone: Check-calls flop c-bets greater than 40% of the time.2. Tornado: Check-raises flop c-bets greater than 25% of the time and check-folds to c-bets less than60% of the time.3. Mouse: Check-folds to flop c-bets greater than 60% of the time and check-raises less than 25% ofthe time.

If your software does not allow for auto-rating, you can assign them yourself. It is pretty easy to ratea player based on his or her stats once they begin to normalize. Using The Auto-Rate Labels

My philosophy on auto-rating symbols is that they are best used to denote specific player tendenciesthat affect how you should adjust to them with the greatest frequency. Since my method has youalmost always playing in position with initiative, you will want to know how players react to you onthe flop as quickly as possible so that you can adjust.

The three symbols I have chosen each specify the three common tendencies players have whenreacting to c-bets. Some play fit or fold and only continue when they hit the board very well. Othersplay back at you in one way or another by either floating and seeing what you do on the turn and/orriver, or by using an aggressive check-raising strategy to exploit frequent c-bettors. I will detailadjusting to various player types in the next chapter.

Taking NotesGood note taking is something that almost every top online professional does. You should strive totake multiple notes every session you play with the goal of fine-tuning your reads on opponents. Anytime you observe a player make a non-standard or unusual play, you will want to record it via a note. Here are a few examples of notes you might take:

Stacks off light

Bets big when weak

Bets small when weak

Bets big when strong

Bets small when strong

Cannot fold a pair

Does not raise strong draws

Limps any suited cards

Limp reraises monsters UTG

Capable of making big bluffs on river

C-bets too often

Slow plays monsters on drawy boards

Fit or fold

There are hundreds of variations of the above notes. Make sure your notes are constructive and easyto read for future use. Recording notes such as “no talent ass hat that sucked out on me” are nothelpful.

If you are not completely sure about a note, I recommend putting a question mark next to it until youhave confirmation that it applies. For example, if you see that a player calls an all-in with KTo, youmight put a note of “stacks off light?” If you see the same person call an all-in with another mediocrehand at some point in the future, you would remove the question mark. However, if you realize laterin the session that he had called a maniac’s any two cards shove, then you might remove the notealtogether. Remember that notes are only to be used as a guide and should remain malleable ifadditional information comes to light in the future.

Beating Common Player Types

Whoever best adjusts to the competition while employing the soundest fundamentals wins in justabout every game in the world. Poker is no different. There are several predominate player typesyou will encounter at the tables. Once you know how to adjust to each, the game gets a whole loteasier.

I have already shown you how to label the players who I feel are most important to get a bead on. Once you have identified the tendencies of a particular player, it is fine to have a standard adjustmentstrategy at the ready. In this chapter, I will show you how to quickly make specific pre-flop and post-flop adjustments on the fly and optimize your play to the current table conditions.

My system of labeling opponents has been designed to clarify adjustments that need to be made basedon table dynamics. I have tried to make it as simple and effective as possible. I strongly suggestmastering it, as it will simplify and streamline your game.

Opening Range Adjustments

You should not have a static opening range. It is mandatory that you are willing to make adjustmentsin order to both maximize profit and avoid getting exploited. When there are player types withextreme tendencies seated behind you, tightening or loosening up your pre-flop stealing ranges oftenbecomes necessary. The key is to develop an understanding of which people are possessive abouttheir blinds and which don’t care about defending them.

When up against calling stations, attempting to bluff is almost always a fruitless endeavor. This ideaapplies as much pre-flop as it does post-flop. Since profitable stealing relies heavily on picking up alot of dead money, if you know your opponent folds infrequently, then you must adapt your strategy. The same can be said when facing a player who 3-bets a wide range versus steals whose game isbased on exploiting an aggressive stealing range. As with calling stations, you will need to adjustyour tactics since the dead money obtained from a loose stealing strategy is not as exploitablyavailable.

The simplest way to adjust to both player types is to tighten up your opening range to include manymore value hands than bluffing hands. Against stations, you want hands that flop very well, andagainst light 3-bettors, you want a large number of hands with which to be able to play back at thembefore the flop.

On the other hand, if opponents to your left are on the other end of the spectrum and play a very nittyrange, then you want to do the exact opposite. Against those who fold to steals often, you should beraising close to 100% of hands. The amount of dead money you rake in will more than make up forthe times they pick up a hand strong enough to play back at you.

Let’s go through what specific adjustments need to be made versus particular players:

For the average table with no reads, open the following ranges:

UTG/HJ- 55+, AT+, KQo+

CO/BTN- 22+, Ax, anything connected 65+

SB- 22+, Ax, Kx, Qx, anything suited, anything connected

If the players to your left are heavy restealers or calling stations, tighten up as follows:

UTG/HJ- 55+, AT+, KQo

CO/BTN/SB- 22+, A5+, Any broadway, 98+, 97+

Note: The tighter late position range is the same as the Basic Strategy cutoff and buttonrange .

If you are fortunate enough to be on a table where the players to your left are all pre-flop nits or fit orfolders post-flop, open the following ranges:

UTG/HJ- 55+, AT+, KQo

CO/BTN/SB- Any two cards

The exception to the above ranges is that against aggressive restealers, you do not necessarily need totighten up if you have enough history to understand their ranges. By employing a strong light 4-bettinggame, you can exploit them more effectively than being forced to give up your non-showdownearnings that come from steals. I will not be covering light 4-betting in this book, but wanted to giveyou something else to consider once your pre-flop skill improves. Until such time, the best strategy isto adjust your pre-flop ranges as listed above.

Fine Tuning Opening Ranges

During play, I adjust my opening range and tentative post-flop plans based on both the pre-flop andpost-flop labels I have on players seated behind me. Below, I will list how loose or tight my openingrange would be, based on different labeling combinations, to give you an idea of how this works.

Green Mouse- Widest Range

Blue Mouse- Widest Range

Blue Tornado- Wide Range

Blue Station- Wide Range

Green Tornado- Neutral Range

Green Station- Tight Range

Red Mouse- Tight Range

Red Tornado- Tighter Range

Red Station- Tightest Range

When deciding on my stealing range, I factor in the player(s) behind me and make a judgment call. For example, let’s say I am on the button and have a green mouse in the small blind and a red tornadoin the big blind. I would open a tight range, but if it was an orange tornado, I would use a wide

range. With combos including a red, I tend to err on the tight side, and with combos not includingreds, I err on the loose side.

Tab Flipping

Since it is inevitable that you will occasionally be involved in multiple hands at once while multi-tabling, this trick makes things a bit easier to manage. Once I sit down at a seat, I make an initialassessment of the players seated behind me and then decide how tight or loose my opening range willbe. I then make a visual reminder for myself by flipping one of the tabs available on the table asshown in the screenshot below.

On one of the sites I play, there is a box on the bottom left of my tables that has table information,player information, a chat tab, etc. Once I settle on an opening strategy for the table, I assign aparticular tab as a quick reminder. That way I never have to worry about getting confused or makinga mistake and opening the incorrect range.

For a tight range, I have the above information tab clicked as shown below; for a normal range Ichoose the second tab, and for a loose range I choose the third tab. Then when it is my turn to act on atable, the stealing range I use becomes a no-brainer. Just keep in mind that as players come andleave and table dynamics change, you have to adjust your ranges accordingly and will need to changethe tabs as well.

Open Shoving From The Small BlindOpening a wide range from the small blind can get rather complicated against certain players. Oneparticular adjustment that I sometimes make is to open shove strong hands that are difficult to play outof position after the flop. Against players who call a wide range before the flop and then never seemto fold to c-bets, opening your standard range basically forces you to play fit or fold after the flop orrun elaborate multi-street bluffs. Since three-barrel bluffing is a high variance play, especiallyagainst stations, I would instead suggest that you split your opening and shoving range into two groupsand shed the weaker hands entirely. Here is the range that I suggest continuing to make a standard open with:

88+, A2-A6, KJ-KT, QJ-QT, JT, T9-98

And here are the hands to be open shoved with:

22-77 , A7+, KQo+

This strategy allows you to much more easily navigate, in my opinion, the most annoying scenario inpoker. Facing calling stations is a major thorn in the side of any loose aggressive player. Just keepin mind that there are more profitable ways to exploit light 3-bettors and fit or folders. Aggressiverestealers generally use a 3-bet or fold method, so the best counter attack versus them is to eithertighten up or implement an exploitative 4-bet bluffing strategy. And when up against a fit or folder,the best strategy is to open 100% and c-bet 100% against them.

Post-Flop AdjustmentsIn the last chapter, you learned how to use auto-rate symbols to gain reads on how your opponentsplay post-flop. In this section, we will discuss tailoring your post-flop lines with the intention ofexploiting those tendencies to the fullest extent. Until you have gained specific reads on an individualplayer, it is okay to make generalized adjustments based on obvious traits you have identified viastats or observed actions. It is much better to adjust to what you know than not at all.

C-betting Adjustments

Continuation betting is an important part of any aggressive player’s game plan. Since you will go tomost flops with initiative, the most common adjustments you will need to make is in your c-bettingfrequencies and how you react to reraises. The type of opponent you are up against will affect yourgeneral betting strategy. C-betting Against Mice

By far, the best player to have to your left is the mouse. These players are in the business of callingpre-flop just to try to make a hand. You can c-bet 100% against them, and the money will flow intoyour account. C-betting Against Calling Stations

I feel the most important player to quickly adjust to is the calling station. Players who float your c-bets often make it much less profitable to c-bet bluff. Once you have recognized that a person is astation, you should shy away from firing c-bet bluffs and, instead, value bet much thinner. Allshowdown value hands can look to get two and even three streets of value against stations. C-betting Against Tornados

The tornado symbol denotes a player who plays very aggressively post-flop. Against them, you willwant to c-bet less but be willing to get all-in lighter than normal. You can also call their raisesprofitably with a wider range and allow them to continue bluffing on later streets. Additionally, yougenerally have more fold equity when reraising draws or even naked overs when facing an aggressiveopponent. Here are the holdings to consider committing on the flop with against Tornados:

2nd pair or better

Any draw with 8+ outs

A gutshot and an over

Two overs and a backdoor FD

3rd pair and a face card over

Reacting To Reraises

Getting bluff raised is not as common as you think. Beware of feelings that you are getting “pushedaround” if your c-bet gets raised multiple times within a small period of time. More often than not,you probably just ran into a bunch of big hands all at once. When you play hundreds of hands perhour, it’s going to happen.

The human mind tends to look for patterns where there aren’t any to be found, it’s just human nature. Each hand and each opponent in each situation should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Justbecause your c-bet gets raised three straight times on three different tables does not mean the 3rd guyis bluffing.

My thinking about the subject is that if you get raised and find yourself in a “tough” spot, then youprobably made a mistake somewhere in the hand. Once you understand your competition and have aplan for reacting to reraises before you even bet, most decisions should be fairly straightforward. Let’s discuss the three common post-flop player types you have already learned about. You will findthat against two of them, you should not be too concerned about getting bluffed. Reacting To Reraises From Mice

When I get raised by passive players, I am never upset. Everyone makes hands eventually, and thefact that you are raised makes your decision easy against nitty players. If you do not have a tier 1hand or a strong draw, you should snap-fold to a mouse’s reraise. It’s that simple.

The non-showdown money you are raking in from the times mice fold to your bets more than make upfor the few times they raise and you have to fold. There is no need to tighten up or try to avoid gettingbluff raised against these players without a very good reason. Reacting To Reraises From Calling Stations

Against stations, the best course of action is to value bet everything but your tier 4 range. When facedby a reraise from these types of players, you should be reacting the same as you do against Mice. Calling Stations like to call, thus the name. So, if they do anything but call, it is almost always thenuts. Reacting To Reraises From Tornados

These are the players you have to watch out for. They reraise flops over 1 in 4 times, thus cannotpossibly be doing it for value every time. Therefore, you must adjust both your post-flop and pre-flop play in order to beat them. Let’s work backward from the flop and reverse engineer how to beattornados.

You obviously cannot mindlessly c-bet every flop against an aggressive player, or they will punishyou time and time again. Since you will have air the majority of the time by playing a loose pre-floprange, you need to make adjustments. My strategy against over-the-top aggressive post-flop playersis to play a very unbalanced strategy by only c-betting hands I am willing to stack off with. While this

may seem like a losing “fit or fold” strategy, it really isn’t if the proper pre-flop adjustments aremade.

If there is a tornado to my left, unless he is a pre-flop nit, I will automatically open a much tighterrange. This adjustment increases my likelihood of having a stackoff-worthy holding on the flop. Infact, I tighten up more when there is an aggressive post-flop player who likes to see flops than whenthere is an active 3-bettor on my left. The latter is much easier to play against.

Now, let’s discuss players who don’t fall into a specific extreme category. Reacting To Reraises From Balanced Players

Players who frequently mix in floats with flop reraises can be difficult to deal with. These types ofopponents tend to be decent hand readers who know which boards are likely to connect withparticular ranges. Sitting to the right of them can be hell.

If you are at a table with someone who is obviously a strong player that seems to be playing veryaggressively against you both pre-flop and post-flop, my advice is to sit out and find another table. There is no shame in leaving to find a more profitable seat. This game is all about maximizing yourearn, not getting into battles with tough regulars.

Advanced Opponent LabelsOnce you are familiar with my labeling system and can readily recognize the three common pre-flopand post-flop player types, I recommend branching out and further customizing your labels. Doingthis allows you to narrow down the play of your opponents even further as your read on themstrengthens. Here are my personal coloring labels for Pre-flop reads:

Blue: Folds to steals and rarely defends

Light Blue: Still folds to steals quite often, but is capable of occasional light 3-bets

Red: Resteals a very wide range

Orange: Resteals a somewhat wide range but not too excessive

Yellow: Resteals a wide range and calls reraise shoves light

And here are my auto-rate labels for Post-flop reads:

Mouse: Check-folds to c-bets often

Phone: Check-calls c-bets often

Tornado: Check-raises c-bets often

Blue Fish: Calls often before the flop and then folds to c-bets a high percentage of the time(Calls steals greater than 40% and check-folds to c-bets greater than 65%)

Crown: Balanced post-flop. Checks, calls, and raises c-bets with fairly even frequencies(Check-folds and check-calls less than 45% and check-raises less than 25%)

Managing Your Sessions

A common trait among many top players is their obsessive attention to detail and structure. If you arenot innately one of these types of people, then it is of utmost importance that you find a way to becomedisciplined and organized in your poker life, if not anywhere else. Here is what you will learn in thischapter:

I will first teach you how to set up your tables and help you decide whether to tile, cascade, orstack by illustrating the pros and cons of each.

Then you will learn about table selection. Sitting at the correct tables in the best seat possiblemight be the most important skill any poker player possesses.

You also will learn when to leave a table. Table dynamics can quickly change, and you mustlearn to recognize when a good seat has become bad.

Next, you will be shown how to structure and set up your sessions for maximum efficiency. Iwill cover optimizing your hourly rate via the number of tables you play. I will also show youhow to find the right balance between improving as a poker player and making as much money aspossible in the process.

Last, I will teach you how to organize the physical environment in your playing area to maximizeyour focus during sessions. You will learn how to set up your workstation, both for comfort andefficiency, as well as avoid real-life distractions that can eat into your bottom line.

Table Setup

Tiling Example

There are three common ways you can choose to set up your tables:

Tiling

Stacking

Cascading

Each approach has its own merits, so I will break down each one individually.

Tiling

This is where you put tables side by side with as little overlap as possible. While tiling, you can seethe action on all tables at the same time

Benefits of Tiling

You gain more accurate reads, because a table stays in the same position at all times and you caneasily follow the action.

You can make actions in advance and focus your attention elsewhere. By this, I mean clicking“auto fold” before the action gets to you. This speeds up the games as you insta-fold with yourjunk hand whenever it’s your turn. Seconds add up.

You have less chance of mis-clicking since tables are not popping up in front of you.

Disadvantages of Tiling

You have to move your mouse and eyes all over the screen. This can cause fatigue over longsessions.

There may be an increased risk of tilt, since you are able to see all hand results.

____________________________________________________________

Stacking

Stacking is exactly what it sounds like. You find one position and size for your tables and put themall on top of one another.

Benefits of Stacking

You only have to look at one place on your monitor to play your hands.

You can generally play more tables and achieve a higher rate of hands per hour.

There is less risk of tilt, since you almost never see results.

Disadvantages of Stacking

You cannot follow the action on individual tables once you have acted.

You cannot spend as much time making a decision as you are unable to pre-click the auto-foldbutton.

You have an increased chance of mis-clicking when a table pops up at an inopportune time.

____________________________________________________________

Cascading

A third option is sort of a hybrid of both tiling and stacking. Cascading overlaps the tables and has

them staggered over each other, generally from the left top of the screen down to the bottom right.

Benefits of Cascading

You can play more tables on smaller monitors.

You can occasionally follow the action well enough to pre-click auto-fold, although not nearlyas well as when tiling.

You have a smaller amount of space to look and move your mouse than you do tiling.

There is less risk of tilt since you almost never see results.

Disadvantages of Cascading

You cannot follow the action very well.

You typically are unable to play as many hands as you can while stacking.

I am not sure who invented cascading, but I personally cannot imagine why anyone would set up theirtables this way. Maybe it was necessary to cascade on a small monitor before the advent of stacking,but today I really see no benefit in doing it. If you do decide to play more than 12 tables, thenstacking is the way to go.

Ultimately, no matter what configuration you choose, the name of the game is comfort and efficiency. My recommendation is to play tiled. If you cannot follow the action or find yourself often timing out,you are playing too many tables. You need to be making good decisions and not playing robotically. I don’t care how good the rakeback deal or VIP system is, unless you are just mass multi-tabling aspart of a challenge, you are much better off playing fewer tables and maximizing your hourly rate.

Stacking & Cascading Example

Table SelectionTable selection may be the most important factor in anyone’s success at the tables. The key to profitin poker is to surround yourself with players who have less skill than you. Being skilled at tableselection can mean the difference between being a top winner at your stake or a mediocre break evenplayer. The highest earners at any given level are not necessarily the best players. Those whoconsistently choose the seats most amenable to profit are the ones who excel and maintain the highestwin-rates.

Even so, at the micros, table selection is not nearly as important as it will become at small stakes andbeyond. Your typical micro-stakes table will be full of fish and nit regs, and it generally will notadversely affect your bottom line if you do not aggressively table select. Until you have fullyincorporated the intermediate strategy, you can stick to the basic table selection process by filteringthe VPIP as shown below:

Using the above screen shot as an example, if I were looking to play less than 4 tables on average, Iwould join the waiting list of the top 8 tables or so on the list. I would then leave the waiting lists

once I had my desired number of tables up.

Pre-Flop Considerations For Table Selection

The top left and bottom right table each have multiple fish and one aggressive restealer making themideal to sit at. The top right and bottom left tables have almost no fish and multiple aggressive

restealers, making them poor choices.

After you have the intermediate strategy down, you will gradually want to start being even moreselective in the tables you sit down at. You should always strive to put yourself in the best positionpossible on as many of your tables as you can. A method that I sometimes employ is to open up alarge number of tables and see the makeup of each table based on past labels you have put onplayers. I then only join the waiting lists of tables that have the best overall composition. In theabove screen shot, I have circled which tables I would consider sitting down to play.

Beyond average VPIP and table composition, your seat in relation to others is the key to howfavorable a table is. A table can either be hugely profitable or -EV just by shifting your seat around acouple of spots. There are four key seats on any table, the two seats to your right and the two seats to

your left. This is where the majority of the action will take place against you, therefore these are theseats that decide how profitable the table is. Unfortunately, you will rarely find the consummate tablemakeup. Therefore, instead of waiting for the absolute ideal situation, the best approach is to choosethe seats that come as close as possible while avoiding seats that are obviously not amenable toprofit.

As a loose-aggressive player, the majority of your profits come from stealing versus tight players andextracting value from weak players. Besides an entire table full of fish, the more realistic perfecttable would include two fish to your right and two nits to your left. This would see you raking in non-showdown steal profits from the nits to your left and making money from the collective pre-flop andpost-flop mistakes made by the fish playing out of position against you on the right.

While it is rare that you will find a theoretically perfect table, you can come as close as possible justby avoiding bad seats that typically include aggressive blind defenders to your left. Players on yourright are not as important, but you would definitely prefer to have looser opponents out of positionagainst you. Not that the presence of tight players to your right is always a bad thing. Since theseplayers open raise so few hands, it makes it very difficult for them to lay anything down whenshoved on by a short stack. So, if a tight player calls 3-bet shoves with nearly his entire openingrange, the added all-in equity you achieve by their incorrect calls is profitable as well.

The below Pokerstove graphic illustrates how this works. For the purposes of the example, we shoveabout 6% of hands against his 20% steal range when he open raises to 3 big blinds. If he calls with50% of his range, below is the resulting equity.

EquityHero Shoving Range: {77+, AJs+, AQo+} 56.846%Tight Call Range: {55+, ATs+, KQs, ATo+, KQo} 43.154% We have the best of it on average when called. If you add in the fold equity from the times he doesnot call, you can see we are making a killing. An additional hidden profit also comes from the timestight players do not attempt a steal. Having someone to your right who does not pound away at yourblinds is never a bad thing. In poker, money kept is just as good as money earned.

Here is a general diagram of preferred seating ranked from best to worst. I believe these to be the 12most profitable table setups based on pre-flop player types. It is highly unlikely that you will pull upa table and have enough labels on people to exactly fit the above situations. The purpose of thediagram is to illustrate what to look for in general or if you have a choice of more than one seat.

Other Considerations For Table SelectionAs you have learned through my labeling system, sometimes you need to look beyond pre-flop statswhen determining whether or not a seat is viable. Occasionally, you will need to look at how anopponent plays after the flop and sometimes you will be completely readless and need to find otherways to table select. Another option is to start your own table. But the most important thing to learnabout table selection is to understand when a table has become unprofitable so that you can move onand find a better situation.

Post-Flop Considerations For Table Selection

You should consider how opponents play after the flop when choosing a table. The post-flop readyou have on a player can drastically alter the table dynamics and reverse the profitability of a seat.

The most desirable post-flop player type to have on your left is the mouse. These are players whodefend by calling and then play fit or fold after the flop. These opponents are hugely profitable toplay against and should be sought out aggressively. In fact, seeing the mouse symbol trumps anyotherwise negative factors found in a seat. Conversely, if a player has the phone or tornado symbol, Iwill downgrade the viability of any seat in his vicinity. Playing against opponents who rarely fold oroften play back at you erode overall profits considerably, especially if they like to see a lot of flops.

The overall point I am trying to make here is that table selection is all a matter of degree. You do notwant to just choose profitable seats, you want to choose the most profitable seats available when youplay. The only way to do this is by actively assessing the state of your table selection both before andduring your sessions. It’s what the best players in the game do, and it’s what you need to be doing aswell. What if I am completely readless?

If you are readless and have the choice of sitting to the left of two different players, you cansometimes glean some information about your opponents by their screen names. Bad players andstrong players have a tendency to pick completely different types of names.

If a player’s name has something to do with a hobby, career, or they pick the name of a well-knownpoker professional, they will usually be unskilled. For example, Housepainter69, Bassfisher2012,Marathonman, NegreanuRox, and HelmuthIsTheMan are probably names of recreational players. Stronger players tend to have names that appear carefully thought out, are nicknames, are funny orironic, or use poker jargon that mainstream players may not even understand. OMGClayAiken,Nannonoko, and Durrrr are probably all names you are familiar with.

Also, player names that refer to a specific style of play are almost always attached to opponents whoplay exactly the opposite of what their name purports. For example, if you see a player with the nameManiac1234, he is almost certainly a nit. And someone called Tightplayer69 is probably a looseaggressive and/or light 3-bettor. Just keep in mind that these rules are not hard and fast. Players canpick fishy names and then improve, or great players can choose weaker sounding names on purpose.

Even so, learning the nomenclature favored by weaker players can definitely polish your tableselection skills.

If your chosen poker site allows for photographs as part of a player’s avatar, then you can also usethem to profile opponents. Players who sport pictures of their families are almost alwaysrecreational players. The baby head avatar seems to be the most popular picture weaker playersdisplay.

I also look at stack size when making readless table selection choices. And while people with lessthan full stacks are usually bad players, you typically want tables with as many large stacks aspossible. Having multiple other short stackers on your table is almost always a less than idealsituation. Starting Your Own Tables

An alternative means of finding a good table is to create your own by sitting down at an empty tableand waiting for other players to join. There are multiple advantages to this method.

Most recreational players hate wait lists and will often gladly sit down with the opportunity toplay quickly.

Regulars are typically waitlisters and may not notice your table, thus allowing you to moreeasily avoid reg-infested tables.

You get the chance to work on your heads-up game.

In my experience, when sitting in on an empty table, you generally want to choose a far left or upperleft corner seat. Bad players always seem to choose a bottom seat, so over time you will end up withmore fish to your right as the table fills by sticking to left side seats. The reason weaker playerschoose lower seats is probably because they have never taken the time to set up preferred seatingwithin the options of the poker site. They probably just download the poker software, deposit moneyfor the weekend, and play until broke.

A disadvantage to starting your own table is that you will generally play fewer hands per hour. Thisis because it’s difficult to maintain more than two or three tables at once while playing super short-handed. However, the average fishiness of the tables you will be involved in may more than make upfor this. So, if you enjoy playing heads-up or ultra short handed and like the idea of playing weakercompetition, then starting your own table is something you may want to give a try. Heads-Up Play

Opening ranges for heads-up play are completely dependent upon your opponent. If you face anopponent who 3-bets often, you will generally want to limp more often on the button. If you face apassive opponent, you will want to open nearly 100% of hands. And, due to being out of position,you will want to almost always use a raise or fold strategy when seated in the big blind.

I will not spend too much time going into the subtleties of what could be the subject of an entirebook. For now, you cannot go wrong by opening your 6-handed small blind range and then adjustingaccording to how you observe your opponent reacting to you. Just remember that adhering to thefundamentals of position, initiative, and pressure are just as important heads up as when sitting at afull table. Leaving Unprofitable Tables

The goal of table selection is to maximize both pre-flop and post-flop expectation and createmanageable playing environments in which to operate. Sometimes you will find a very good tablethat will quickly deteriorate into a less desirable one. If table composition changes and you feel atable no longer affords you a meaningful edge, you must be willing to sit out and find a new one.

The main situation to watch out for is having any player sit in behind you that is hindering your widestealing range. Having light 3-betters or huge calling stations to your left always complicates things,so you should try to avoid having more than one of either of these player types seated behind youwithout a very good reason.

While light 3-bettors can get annoying, my least favorite player type to have seated behind me is thecalling station. In general, it is very difficult to extract from any player seated to your left, but callingstations are especially tricky. Having someone who never folds to steals or c-bets basically forcesyou to make hands against them. Unless you have great patience and are comfortable value betting2nd or 3rd pair, then you generally want to avoid this situation more than any other.

Ultimately, it is your job to monitor the playing environment on each of your tables. You must remainvigilant and adapt to changing conditions. And if the situation becomes unprofitable, the mostimportant part of table selection is having the discipline to get out of there.

Optimizing Your SessionsThe number one advantage that online poker has over live play is the opportunity to play multipletables at once. Since your goal in poker should be to make the most money possible, figuring outwhat your hourly rate is will allow you to theoretically maximize your earnings by playing theoptimal number of tables.

The idea is fairly straightforward: if you are beating 50NL for $4/hr playing one table, then by addinganother table, your hourly rate would ostensibly double to $8/hr. This, of course, assumes that thequality of your two-tabling game is the same as your one-tabling game. But what about playing 3 or 4tables at once? How does rakeback figure in?

It’s easy to get excited by the notion that just by playing a massive number of tables, your hourly ratewill soar as a matter of course. Unfortunately, it only works that way up to a point. We shouldassume that the hourly rate on each table will diminish every time another table is added. Everyonehas a limit to how many tables they can get involved in and play profitable poker.

Most players will see their poker abilities rapidly diminish as they add tables. Making a large sum ofmoney via rakeback makes no sense if you are wiping out all of these earnings by having a negativetable hourly rate. Therefore, almost everyone benefits from playing fewer tables and viewingrakeback as only a supplement to their bottom line.

Below an example of how multi-table hourly rate might work. By reviewing the diagram, you can seethat the pure hourly rate per table diminishes as more tables are added, while the amount earned fromrakeback steadily increases. Some players are able to maximize their hourly rate by playing aninsane number of tables and making the majority of their money from rakeback and bonuses. Usuallythese types of players are barely able to beat the games whether they are playing 2 tables or 24. Therefore, they are very smart to 24-table, as it will maximize their hourly rate.

So how do you figure out which type of player you are? Finding out your hourly rate per table mayseem daunting as you would likely need to play millions of hands in a given level to find the idealnumber of tables. However, it is not really necessary that you go through all of that trouble. The nextsection will describe a multi-tabling method that I came up with that can also be used to figure outyour optimum number of tables that finds a good balance between hourly rate and improvement as apoker player.

According to the chart, playing an average of 6 tables at once maximizes hourly rate for this fictionalperson.

The Gradual Table Reduction Method Of Multi-Tabling(GTR)This approach allows you to find the optimum number of average tables to play by focusing on yourcomfort level during play. An added benefit is that it forces you to play multiple short sessions ratherthan long ones, which will help to maximize your focus during each individual session.

When I am planning my poker schedule, I do not focus on the number of hands or hours I want toplay. I instead set a plan for the number of sessions I want to get in during a given day. My averagesession using this method is between 30 and 45 minutes. As a busy person with a “real” job, GTRgives me maximum flexibility to live my life and still make a decent part-time poker income withoutinterfering with my work and family life.

Each session I play begins with me joining a set number of tables by waitlisting. A table must haveno more than three players already waiting, or else I won’t join the list. I also look to immediately sitdown at good tables that have an open seat. In order to choose the correct number of tables to waitlist, you must decide how many tables you want to play on average. Once you settle on a number, youthen double it, and that is how many tables you will initially wait list or join.

So let’s say I want to play six tables at once on average (which is my actual optimal number). I willjoin the waitlist of the 12 highest VPIP tables available and tile them on my monitor. Before I ameven involved in any games, I make sure my tables are tiled properly as some sites are not thegreatest at efficiently organizing the tables. Then, as I obtain seats, I begin playing. As I hit my goalnumber of big blinds on individual tables, I gradually phase them out. I will generally leave a tableonce I hit 45 big blinds, and when I am down to 1/4 or so of my starting table number, I will sit outnext big blind and either play another session or go do something else.

The beauty of this method is that it works very well for figuring out your optimal number of tables. When you are just starting out, I recommend playing no more than two tables at once. Join the waitlist on four tables and then end your session once you are only playing one table. Sessions will bevery short when starting out, but this is a good thing. Immediately after each of these short sessions, Irecommend opening up your tracking software and reviewing every single hand you played. Onceyou are comfortable and find yourself easily keeping up with the action almost to the point ofboredom, you will want to add more tables. I recommend going to three tables at that point and waitlisting six tables at the start of each session. Then try four tables and wait list eight. So on and soforth.

As you progress, you will want to experiment and incrementally add more tables until you feel likeyou are no longer able to take the time you really need to make decisions. If you ever feel rushed,uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or timeout during a session, you will know you are playing too manytables. At that point you will want to taper back your number of tables until you hit that sweet spot. A good rule of thumb is, if you are unable to take quick notes on opponents, you are probably playingtoo many tables.

Back before Pokerstars pulled out of the US market, I was a 24-tabler who averaged over 1500 hands

per hour. And even though I was making a very good hourly rate, my game was not really improving. Now that I have found my sweet spot of playing six tables on average, I feel completely in control andable to make much more accurate reads during my sessions.

Managing Your Stack SizeAs you play, your stack size will fluctuate up and down. Since my strategy is designed for smallstack play, I advocate getting up and leaving a table once you have more than 45 big blinds. I alsosuggest topping off your stack if it falls below 15 big blinds. If you are a beginner or intermediateplayer, you may want to be even more conservative and leave at 40 big blinds. I personally do thiswhen I move up to a new stake until I get used to the larger amounts of money flying around.

When following the strategies in this book, you should be leaving any table at 45 big blinds, no matterhow juicy it looks. The only exception would be if you are a competent deeper stacked player andare just using my strategy for shorter stacked play. If you have significant full stack experience andprefer to keep playing above and beyond 45 big blinds then, by all means, feel free to keep playing. Just keep in mind that mid-stacked play requires a shift in strategy which is outside the scope of thisbook.

Going Into Lockdown

After winning a big pot and deciding to leave the table, the last thing you want to do is squander yourwinnings by playing a deeper stacked game than my strategy is designed for. Therefore, I recommendgoing into lockdown mode while waiting for the big blind. This means you should play an extremelytight range and not get involved unless you have a pre-flop monster. I would suggest only playinghands that you would be willing to stack off with, namely QQ+ and AK.

Should you pick up a big hand while in lockdown mode, my advice is to open raise a bit bigger thannormal. If you would normally raise to 2bbs or 3bbs, then you would raise to 4bbs or even 5bbs. You do not want to give people the correct odds to speculate or try to hit a set on you. However, ifyou pick up AK, you should limp-reraise it from all positions, even if it folds to you in the smallblind. But if there are multiple limpers, just go ahead and shove it in. Do not limp behind.

Site StaggeringPlaying on more than one site is a tool that can be used to further reduce your risk of ruin. Irecommend playing on two poker sites intermittently via site staggering. The way it works is that youplay every other session on a different site. For example, let’s say that you have money on both theRevolution network and the Merge network. You might play one session on Revolution and thenswitch to Merge for your next session. Even though moving up will take longer due to multiplebankrolls, using this method will buffer you against deep downswings and allow for a more stablepoker career.

There are multiple benefits in staggering your poker sessions.

1. Your entire bankroll is not at the mercy of one poker site.Poker sites are businesses that can and do permanently close their doors. When staggering, ifone of the poker sites you play on shuts down, you only potentially lose half your bankroll. ForUS players, this is a very real concern. We all know what happened on Black Friday.

2. Stronger bankroll management.Downswings will be watered down across both sites, and you will be less likely to ever have tomove down.

3. You can take advantage of more reload bonuses.Almost every site occasionally offers reload bonuses. Your effective rakeback is increasedwhen you take advantage of these deals.

4. Regulars are less familiar with you.This one is self-explanatory. Regulars will have half the hands in their HUD and will see youaround half the time than if you played on only one site.

5. You no longer have to take extended breaks to wait out buy-in timers.Many sites have a timer that forces you to buy in for whatever you left a table for if you comeback within a specified amount of time. Since you will leave tables once you get to a goalamount, playing on one site will sometimes have you running out of tables to play on. Staggeringsolves this problem and lets you play more volume.

6. It’s like owning two businesses.In today’s online poker climate, site staggering mitigates another big concern for US customersas of the writing on this book. By staggering, you will have money coming from two sources. This may not seem like a big deal, but if one of the sites takes longer than usual processing yourpayout, at least you have some money coming in.

Playing EnvironmentDepending on your situation, creating an ideal playing environment can be challenging. Ideally, youneed your playing sessions to be without distractions so that you can focus 100% of your attention onthe task at hand. However, speaking from experience as a family guy with kids running rampant, Iknow how difficult this can sometimes be.

Often, I play in the living room with my kids taking turns talking to me, bumping my mouse, andgenerally making full concentration very difficult. Luckily, through my sports background I have builtup a natural resistance to distractions. I also have made a conscious effort to work on blocking outexternal factors that would drive some people crazy.

My advice is to find whatever works for you. Go hide out in the basement or some other isolatedlocale in your home. Wait to play until people are away, or if necessary, find a group of fellow pokerplayers to rent a playing office with. Things to avoid doing while playing:

Listening to music: I know long sessions can get very boring. But if part of your brain isfocused on tunes blaring out of your ear buds, it will inevitably distract from your play in someway.

Surfing the web: Don’t even have a browser up.

Texting, instant messaging, or talking on the phone: This is the most -EV thing you can do.

Watching TV or YouTube: Not kidding here. People actually do this. Another -EV move.

Eating: I am not talking about pounding a quick snack or a meal replacement shake. I am talkingabout a full blown meal. Besides the distraction of it, you are deliberately making the blood inyour body rush to your stomach rather than to your brain cells. You should be eating sparinglywithin an hour or two of your sessions.

Managing Your Poker Career

No matter what your level of ambition as a poker player, your ultimate goal should always be to makethe most money possible. In this chapter, we will discuss a few intangibles that will help yousucceed and achieve this end.

First, we will discuss the most important key to success for any poker player. In the section onbankroll management, you will learn how to move up and down in stakes effectively without therisk of ever going broke.

I will then help you get your computer set up and provide insights on highly recommendedsoftware programs that make sessions more efficient and help you continually improve yourgame.

You will then be shown adjustments that need to be made to play higher stakes, full-ring games,CAP games, and sites that have 40 big blind minimum tables only. With only slight adaptations,you can apply the strategies learned from this book to any game.

Last, I will cover how to conduct yourself at the tables like a professional with proper etiquetteand decorum. While this knowledge may not seem necessary to ensure your success, this is stilla gentleman’s game, and you should always strive to treat your opponents with respect anddecency.

Bankroll Management

Above are my recommended bankroll management guidelines as you begin learning and playing asmall stack strategy. It is an aggressive plan which maximizes your ability to rapidly ascend throughthe stakes. By following it, you have virtually no chance of ever going broke.

The chart lists each specific limit followed by the 30 big blind buy-in amount. Then it gives theminimum bankroll required to play at that level as well as the amount that you should drop downshould you fall below it. For example, at 50NL you would buy-in for $15 with a minimum bankrollof $600, only moving down if you fall below $500.

In order to move beyond small stakes, you will need a more advanced game than the charts alone canprovide. Because of this, I recommend only using them for 50NL and below while you study andimprove. Don’t get me wrong, I am not disparaging micro-stakes players. Some professionals makea very good living at the lowest stakes. My hourly rate at 50NL is around $30/hr while 6-tabling. Not too shabby and better than a lot of people make in their “real” job.

Mixing Levels

Unless you are at the lowest level for your site, you should consider playing two stakes at once duringyour sessions. Doing this allows for a smoother transition into the next stake without as much shockto the bankroll.

Let’s say you are on a site that has 4NL as its smallest stake. Here are the guidelines you would

follow as your bankroll grows.

$40-$99: Play 4 NL

$100-$249: Play 4NL and 10NL

$250-$599: Play 10NL and 20NL

$600-$1199: Play 20NL and 50NL

$1,200+: Play 50NL (with shots at 100NL at your discretion)

Once your bankroll exceeds $2,400, I recommend withdrawing anything in excess of that amountmonthly until you feel your poker game is ready for higher stakes. Occasionally cashing out will adda sense of accomplishment to your endeavor and build confidence for your long-term poker career.

If you are especially risk averse, you can move down immediately if your bankroll drops below theminimum amount for a level. The way it works is, at the beginning of each session, you only play atthe stakes your bankroll allows for. And if your bankroll dips below the necessary amount of moneyfor a particular level, you move down until your bankroll increases to a sufficient level again. Forexample, if you start a session with $620 at 20NL and 50NL and end with $585, you would beginyour next session playing 10NL and 20NL. Your risk of ruin will be nil if you adhere to this plan. Taking Shots

It is well known that bankroll generally increases much faster than skill does. Do not be in a rush tomove beyond 50NL. 100NL is usually an exponential jump in the quality of the player pool, so Irecommend getting a few months of micro-stakes experience under your belt before making the leap. Nevertheless, once you are soundly beating a stake, you should start actively taking shots at higherlevels. One way to do this is to set aside a few buy-ins and move up to the next level. If you losewhat you allocated for the shot, it’s no big deal. Just move back down until you rebuild the little bitthat you lost and try again later.

You should be cautiously aggressive, but your overall goal should be to play in the biggest gamesoffered. The reward for beating high stakes games is considerable and well worth the hard work andperseverance. It will take some sacrifice, but imagine playing at a level that allows you to makehundreds of thousands of dollars a year. It is possible, and anyone can do it if they put in enough timeand effort.

Computer SetupMany professional players have a high-powered PC, multiple monitors, and all the bells andwhistles. I am not one of those players. I play on a laptop that only cost about $700, in tandem with acheap travel mouse. They fulfill all of my needs and make my sessions mobile, if I so desire. Whenout of town, I can easily tile 12 tables with minimal overlap on my 17” laptop.

When it comes to monitors, I like to keep things as simple as possible. I don’t like to have to movemy eyes too far over a large screen while tiling. For this reason, I prefer the square designedmonitors over the wide screen versions. When at home, I am hooked up to a Dell UltraSharp2001FP 20” Flat Panel LCD Monitor which they started making over 10 years ago. It is an awesomemonitor and dirt cheap. Although it only cost $160, it allows me to tile 9 tables without overlap.

It all comes down to personal preference. If you would rather have an insane setup with the top-of-the-line computer with dual 30” monitors, then by all means go for it. For players on a budget, youcan get by with the cheapest laptop out there and do just fine.

Now let’s talk about software. There are numerous programs and apps out there, both free and paid,that can help you improve your poker game. Here are the ones that I use most frequently and considermust-haves for any aspiring poker player.

Pokerstove

Hold’em Manager or Pokertracker

Cardrunners EV

Short Stack Strategy Calculator (SSS)

Pokerstove

Pokerstove is free to download and use and is designed to calculate equities of both individualholdings and ranges. It is an invaluable tool that I use almost every day for one reason or another. Itis free to own and, as of the writing of this book, is available on Android.

You can obtain Pokerstove at http://www.pokerstove.com.

*Update: In early 2013, pokerstove.com disappeared. I am not sure if the issue is temporary orpermanent, but I am making you aware of it just the same. I found another site where you canobtain the software at http://www.4shared.com/file/UYY6hrGG/PokerStove_124.html. It maydisappear as well, so you may need to do some searching to find a place to obtain the program. Itis a must have piece of software, so you will either need to find an alternative download orprogram. It would be a shame if the site is gone forever.

Hold'em Manager or Pokertracker

I covered these at some length in Chapter 6. These are the only paid programs that I suggest youobtain, although each does give away the software for free by depositing on one of their affiliatepoker sites.

There is no way around it. It is absolutely mandatory that you review your play and track yourprogress. Every serious online poker player must have one of these programs. Additionally,Pokertracker and Hold’em Manager both provide highly functional and easy-to-use HUDs that arebuilt into the software.

These software programs can be obtained from http://www.holdemmanager.com orhttp://www.pokertracker.com.

Each program currently comes with a 30-day free trial.

Cardrunners EV (formerly StoxEV)

Remember how we talked about Ben Hogan using trial and error to find out whether something hewas doing was correct? You can virtually do the same thing with your poker game using CardrunnersEV (CEV). It allows you to run simulations of endless poker scenarios in order to test expectedvalues.

I use CEV multiple times a week to work on such things as 3-bet/4-bet situations as well as post-flopbetting strategies. I can honestly say that this program has enhanced my understanding of pokerexponentially more than I could have attained on my own. It is free to download and use; however,there is a maximum size for an equity tree. What you get with the commercial version is listedbelow. This is taken directly from their website.

Trees can be of unlimited size

Tournament mode available

Graphs can be up to 100 points

2D graphs available

Toggles in popups available

The software can work out unexploitable pushing range

The software can work out optimal counterstrategy

You can do quite a few simple 3-betting and 4-betting situations with the free version, but in order todelve deeply into complex pre-flop and post-flop scenarios, you will need the commercial version. Ihighly recommend obtaining it from http://www.cardrunners-ev-calculator.com.

Short stacking strategy calculator (SSS)

SSS is a simple-to-use program that allows you to instantly calculate positionally correct +EVshoving ranges based on an opponent’s opening range, raise size, and his perceived calling range. Itis not for use during play, but rather as a teaching tool for learning about 3-bet shoving ranges.

After spending some time working with this software, you will gain a feel for which hands you shouldbe shoving against particular players in certain spots. I suggest having it in the background while youreview your sessions. You should be analyzing every single 3-bet shove you make for the first fewthousand hands to make sure you are neither shoving too wide nor too narrow.

SSS can be obtained from http://nyjet_twoplustwo.home.mindspring.com/.

AHK- AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is a software utility that allows people to automate repetitive tasks. In poker, AHK isused to write scripts that allow you to make actions by using preset keys or buttons. It is like having ajoystick for poker, as you can set a separate button for checking, calling, folding, and even bet sizing. It is especially useful when playing stacked and mass multi-tabling.

Depending on the poker site you play on, there are some stand-alone programs out there that you canpurchase. Tableninja is one that has currently been produced for use on Pokerstars and Partypoker. If you do not play on a site that has hotkeys and feel like you have to have them, then you will eitherhave to script the programs yourself, find one already made (sometimes people post their ownprograms on various forums for download), or pay someone else to do it.

I currently do not use such a program. The poker site I play on has its own hotkeys built in, and I nolonger massively multi-table anyway.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with any of the software programs or companies outlined in thisbook, nor do I claim to be an expert. I apologize if any of the programs named either change fromfree to paid or have disappeared from existence between the time of the writing and when you arereading this. ____________________________________________________________

Adjusting To Other GamesIn this section, we will cover various adjustments that need to be made when playing games notcovered in this book. Just be aware, that I am not an expert on these games as my specialty is 6-max30 big blind play for 100NL and below.

CAP Games

CAP games are just like regular poker games, except the betting is limited to a certain fixed amount. Once a player puts in the maximum allowed, he is considered all-in regardless of whether he hasmoney behind. Depending on the poker site, the cap is usually either 20 or 30 big blinds.

You do not need to make major adjustments to the strategies laid out in this book when playing CAPgames. In fact, the strategy becomes a bit easier since you no longer have to consider varying stacksizes. You do need to keep in mind that these games are generally characterized by a heightened pre-flop aggressiveness. There are typically a lot fewer nitty players, and table selection may be a bitmore difficult. You will often encounter tables full of light 3-bettors.

If you are able to find regular games that allow a 30 big blind buy-in, I would always look to playthose games first due generally to better table selection. However, there is nothing wrong withmixing the two games during your table selection process. Just remember to adjust for the greateraggression typically found in CAP games.

The biggest advantage to playing CAP games is that you never have to leave a table because yourstack grows too large. This allows you to maintain and play many more tables at a time. If you arelooking to increase your hands per hour, then CAP games are a good choice for you.

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Full Ring Adjustments

If you are generally a conservative player and do not like the fast-action pace of 6-max, then there isnothing wrong with being a full-ring player. Here are some of the advantages full-ring has over 6-max that you might find appealing:

Full-ring is easier to multi-table, since the action comes around to you much slower, so you canplay more tables if you so desire.

Hand reading is generally simpler against your typical nitty full-ring player, since it’s generallyeasier to narrow tight ranges.

Since the blinds come around less often, the pressure to aggressively steal is lessened a bit.

Variance is typically lower in full-ring games, which means that you can employ a moreambitious bankroll management strategy.

Ultimately, the only difference between 6-max and full-ring games is the addition of three seats. Itreally is as simple as that. Pre-flop ranges work the same except for having to account for moreplayers behind you and more players in front of you. Once it folds to the 4th player to act, the gametheoretically plays exactly the same as a 6-max game. Suggested Opening Ranges For Full-Ring

In an average game I would employ the following standard ranges for full-ring play. Just keep inmind that you will need to adjust to the players behind the same as you would in 6-max.

1st 3 seats- 88+, AQ+

UTG/HJ- 55+, AT+, KQ

CO/BTN- 22+, Ax, anything connected 65+

SB- 22+, Ax, Kx, Qx, anything suited, anything connected

Do these ranges look familiar? All I did was copy the intermediate 6-max standard opening handsand add a range for the first three seats. Other Full-Ring Adjustments

Full-ring generally plays a bit more “nitty” than 6-max. Even so, as with any poker game, I would notfocus on making too many generalized adjustments and just adjust to tables on a case-by-case basis. One slight adjustment I would make is to open a bit bigger from the early seats in order to make set-miners, which full-ring is full of, pay a higher price. You may want to go ahead and open to 4 bigblinds with QQ+ in stakes 100NL and below, as there are that many more players to give you action. However, I would not change my AK strategy and would continue going for limp-shoves.

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Playing 40 Big Blind Minimum Tables

Some poker sites have moved or may move to a 40 big blind minimum. If this is the case, you do notreally need to adjust your strategy. Just keep in mind that you will need to tighten up your 3-bet and4-bet ranges a bit. Other than that, you just play normally.

Leaving a table at 50 big blinds instead of 45 big blinds is not likely to adversely affect your win-rate. The fact that players on these tables will not be expecting to play against short stackers and willbe less likely to play optimally against you will more than make up for the slight loss of your edgedue to playing a slightly bigger stack.

If your goal is to move on to deeper stack play eventually, then these tables will be a good startingpoint for you to transition. Just follow the short stack strategy until you get above 50 big blinds, thenplay a mid-stack strategy.

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Adjusting To Higher Stakes

Arbitrarily adjusting your game when you move up in stakes is an error. The rules are the same nomatter what stake you play. You should be adjusting to opponents and table dynamics and otherwisenot playing any differently than you did at lower levels. I have heard many stories of players whosimply cannot beat a particular level, and usually part of the reason has to do with “Fancy PlaySyndrome,” or FPS.

A person may think that, since there is more money in play, the quality of play must be better. As aresult, they feel that they must begin playing on a “higher level.” Before you know it, their game hasdeteriorated into being a “play machine,” running crazy bluffs and calling down people light, as wellas firing multiple barrels in an attempt to outplay everyone. Do not be this guy.

My advice is that once you move up you should, if anything, simplify your game while you learn thenew regulars. I am a firm believer in vanilla ABC poker for the first few thousand hands at a newstake. Once you get used to the dollar amounts being thrown around and get some HUD hands on youropposition, your game will naturally open up and become wholly read based again.

You can expect and should accept that your win-rate will likely be lower with each stake that youmove up due to the increased quality of your opposition. However, as long as you are beating thegames, because you are playing for more money, you should still be increasing your hourly rate as youadvance through the stakes. So do not be frustrated if you are unable to maintain that 6bb/100 win-rate that you had in 10NL once you get to 50NL. Anything 2bb/100 or better is still very good, nomatter your level.

Poker EtiquetteIn online play, there are a few things you should never do as a matter of common courtesy. Slow RollingYou should never delay making an all-in call with the nuts. If you are fortunate enough to get shovedon when holding the best possible hand, call it as quickly as possible. Saying Negative Things or Bad Language in ChatThere is nothing to be gained by talking in chat. You should be focusing on playing poker, notbantering with your opponents. In fact, if you have time to chat, you are probably not playing enoughtables. Personally, I have the chat feature completely turned off when I play. Auto Post BlindsUntil you are ready to sit out at a table, you should have auto post blinds clicked at all times. Notdoing so delays the game and potentially makes action-hungry fish leave out of frustration. Do not “Hollywood”Maintaining the theme of keeping the pace moving, if you happen to get raised while bluffing, do notlet your timer run down to zero before folding. Fold as quickly as possible and move on. Remember,you are trying to see as many hands per hour as you can in order to maximize your hourly rate.

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My Short Stack ChallengeWhile writing this book, I put my money where my mouth is and followed the strategies found inAutomatic Poker for a few weeks. I started with $50 on an online site and kept track of my progress.

Ground Rules

1. I started with $50 and began at $4NL (2c/4c) ($1.20 buy-in).

2. I used the basic strategy charts until attaining the required bankroll for 20NL, then I used theintermediate charts thereafter.

3. I secured a rakeback deal with the site I played on.

4. I strictly adhered to bankroll guidelines, moving down if necessary.

5. I played up to two stakes at one time during my sessions.

6. I bought in for 30 big blinds.

7. I left a table once I hit 45 big blinds.

8. I did not cash out for the entirety of the challenge.

Bankroll guidelines

<$100: 4NL

$100-$200: 10NL

$200-$600: 20NL

$600-$1,200: 50NL

Results:

Overall, I played just over 30,000 hands in about 70 total hours over seven weeks and made about$400 in profit. I treated the challenge just as I did my normal play in that I worked sessions in aroundmy day job and family life. This means I played sporadic hours at both optimal and sub-optimaltimes, whether I was tired or fresh. The purpose of this challenge was to tweak and improve my shortstacking charts and provide for the reader a real life example of how using proper bankrollmanagement can rapidly turn a small amount of money into a substantial side income. My ultimategoal was to illustrate how anyone can use the tools provided in my book in the pursuit of a hobby thatis both fun, rewarding, and profitable.

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The top line is win-rate with rakeback included, the second line is pure winnings, the third line isshowdown winnings, and the bottom line is the red line.

The Mental Game

The mental side of poker is an often overlooked aspect of a player’s overall game plan. Withoutfocus, clarity, and mental toughness, our ability and skill can never meet its full potential. Not onlydo we have to master our emotions, we must also have the correct perspective on the game in aholistic sense.

We must learn to play each poker hand completely in the present, without distraction. Any outsidefactor that pulls brain cells away from the poker you are playing will result in less than your A+ gameand almost certainly hurt your win-rate. To be at the top of your mental game, you need to be able tofocus and not feel any emotion during your sessions.

Focus is something almost anyone can master fairly easily. The problem is that we all live in a worldfull of distractions. Television, text messaging, and any number of commotions bombard usconstantly throughout the day. Therefore, you must make a conscious effort to remove any outsidestimuli that could detract from your play at the tables. My suggestion is that you preempt any possibledistraction and set aside time each day specifically for poker. Turn off the cell phone, the television,and all background programs on your computer. For the entire session, it should only be you and yourpoker opponents.

Emotional control is a bit more challenging. To play optimally, one must have a completeindifference to any outcome that happens in the short term. You have to be an impartial analyst in allsituations encountered during play and must make the best decision possible at all times with noregard to the immediate outcome. It takes a mastery of emotions as well as complete objectivethought when it comes to decision making. That is why we must always think about the long term inall decisions we make at the poker table. If we play according to a game plan based on the villain’sranges and tendencies, then we should never be surprised or emotionally affected by a short-termresult. Let Go Of Your Ego

Ego has been the downfall of many poker players. It can make an unskilled player think he doesn’tneed to improve his game, because he already knows more than the “idiots” he is playing against. Inevitably, this leads to wild emotional swings during play.

If you have followed Poker for some time, I’m sure you’ve seen this on television. Every year, wesee fields full of egomaniacs at the World Series Of Poker. Yet typically, year in and year out, it’sthe most emotionally centered players who make it through to the final table and on to victory.

So, if you naturally have a big ego and feel pride in your own poker game, my best advice to you rightnow is to get over yourself! Open your eyes and see that you are a flawed human being with bothstrengths and weaknesses. The sooner you do, the faster you can start working on your weaknessesand playing toward your strengths. A great irony in poker is that the players who lack confidence intheir games or think they “suck” at poker are the ones that work their butts off to try to improve. These are the players who, for the most part, dominate today’s poker world. Believe In Yourself

While ego can keep you from living up to your potential, a lack of faith that you can become a toppoker player can be to your detriment as well. There is a fine line you have to walk betweenbelieving in what you are doing and allowing self-doubt, variance, and fear of the unknown ruin yourpoker career before it really gets off the ground. As you learn the game and become more and morefamiliar with advanced concepts, do not be too hard on yourself if your results are less thanspectacular. It takes a long time to become fluent in developing a plan for hands that you play. Atfirst, you will make a lot of bad decisions, but in time through introspection you will begin to attuneyourself to the correct decision-making processes necessary to succeed.

Remember that poker is the most complicated game in the world, and just like other games, no onebecomes a master overnight. My advice is to stick to a basic strategy at first and then slowly addmore advanced plays to your repertoire. Work on enhancing one thing at the time, and once you havea fairly good grasp on a particular concept, move on to something else. Then go back to what youwere working on before and so on and so forth. In short, become a student of the game. Ignore The Naysayers

You will run into a lot of negativity while you learn poker, which can hurt your self-confidence as aplayer. Society in general tends to look down upon poker players. It has gotten quite a bit better inrecent years, but overall there is still a stigma against playing poker and especially in pursuing it as acareer.

My advice is never downplay what you do during interactions with non-poker players. Speak of yourpoker play as if it was a normal job. Do not shy away from fielding questions about it, and be sure toexplain it in a way that non-poker players can understand. Many people do not know that poker is agame of skill and may think you are just a foolish gambler who needs a 12-step program. Make sureyou let them know otherwise.

Variance

Variance is the difference between short-term results and what your long-term expectation is. Forpoker players, it is an ugly word. However, if you understand and accept that variance is part ofpoker, things will be a great deal less painful during the downswings. You will also betterappreciate times when you are “running good.”

A downswing is a period of time when negative variance causes your bankroll to trend downwardconsiderably more and much longer than would normally be expected given your win-rate. It isinevitable that you will face a downswing. All poker players have downswings. It’s how a personreacts to these fluctuations that separate the good players from the mediocre.

Occasionally, luck will win over the short term. Sometimes you will seem to go hours, days, evenweeks with seemingly awful luck. Nevertheless, skill will always win in the end if we play enoughhands to get to the long term. As a winning player, the long-term is your friend. If you play soundwinning poker, over time your opponents’ mistakes will steadily add money to your bankroll. Afterall is said and done, that is what poker is about, making fewer mistakes than your opponents andprofiting as a result.

The easiest way to get through the “bad times” is to understand that your poker career is really justone long session. Seldom do we have periods over the short term where our graph moves steadilyupward at our long-term win-rate. In other words, all long-term graphs are really just a bunch ofdownswings and upswings.

To put things into perspective, anything under 1 million hands should be considered short term. Infact, players can (and often do) have wild fluctuations in one direction or another from their “true”win-rate over 100,000 or even 500,000 hands. You can be a solid winning player and have a painful100k break-even or losing stretch. You can outplay your competition for weeks at a time and stilllose money. It may seem unfair, but lady luck in the short term can be very cruel.

I am not telling you this to scare you. I am simply providing you with the mental preparationnecessary to succeed as a professional poker player. As long as you know what you are getting into,then you will not be caught off guard and as easily fall victim to an ugly four-letter word called tilt.

I find that the best way to overcome the bad times is to have balance in your life. If you put too muchof your self-worth into your poker results, not only will other aspects of your life suffer when you hita downswing, so will your emotional well being. You need to make sure that you continue to treatpoker as a game and nothing more, even if it becomes your career.

This graph illustrates the results that someone with a 4bb/100 win rate might expect over ten samplesof 100,000 hands when variance is taken into account. Notice that breaking even or even losingmoney is not out of the realm of possibility for even strong players.

Each graph line represents a potential 100k hand sample.

Handling VarianceIf you play long enough, eventually you will go on a soul crushing downswing. You will experiencebad sessions, bad weeks, and even bad months. Variance is inevitable. Every player in the world ofall skill levels will endure extended periods of time where they are “running bad” or losing. Thegood news is, there are things you can do to buffer your game against downswings. 1. Follow your bankroll management plan.It is designed to make going broke impossible and is your first line of defense against variance. Aplayer should always have a specified number of buy-ins for the level he plays. Depending on yourlevel of skill, you can play with as little as 30 or as many as 200 buy-ins. You can of course playwith less while building a bankroll, but once you settle in on a particular stake to specialize in, youshould always err on the side of more buy-ins in your working bankroll. 2. Make sure you are not straying from your winning strategy.If you are losing for an extended period of time, try getting back to the fundamentals. For a few daysspend more time studying the game rather than playing it. Reread this book and simplify your game. Review every hand in every session for a while and make sure you are not making fundamentalmistakes.Are you becoming too passive? Are you firing that 2nd barrel when it appears profitable? Are youtrying for thin value against fish on the river? Are you check-calling in spots you should be bet-folding? Make sure you are keeping initiative in almost every hand you play. Check your red line; ifit is plummeting downward, you are probably being a calling station. Make sure every dime you putinto a pot is with purpose, and keep up the aggression. 3. Make sure you are not auto-piloting.Are you feeling rushed during sessions or timing out frequently? You may be playing too many tablesat once. The only way to sustain a multi-faceted sound strategy is to make sure you have ample timeduring your sessions to evaluate every situation you find yourself in. You will miss many profitableopportunities if you are trying to get in too many hands and playing like a robot. For a time, trydecreasing the number of tables you are playing and focus more on each and every decision. 4. Set up a stop loss.If you drop more than five buy-ins quickly in a session, sit out on all tables and go do something else. Only when you feel calm and centered should you return to the game and try again. 5. Take some extended time off. Take a day, a week, or even a month off, completely away from the game. Sometimes getting awayand recharging your mind is the most +EV thing you can do. Come back fresh and ready to playsound, fundamental poker, and start beating the game again. 6. Spend extra time working on the mental game.You will find that your downswing might not have been nearly as bad if you had not tilted andspewed off a couple of extra buy-ins in frustration. If you cannot play your A or B+ game, then do not

play at all. 7. Focus on EV earnings. Many times a big downswing will simply be due to running bad and losing a bunch of coin flips in arow or having players hit miracle rivers over and over as you value bet them into oblivion. For atime, try not to pay attention to how you are doing and only look at EV earnings during sessions. Donot look at actual winnings until the day is over. You may be surprised how this can help calm yourmind while you play. 8. Find BalanceRemember to keep perspective on your poker career. Try not to put too much value on yourself as aperson based on your poker results. The best way to do this is to be sure you are not just a pokerplayer. Try to make sure that you always have multiple things going on in your life. That way, if yourpoker results go south for a while, you will not be as negatively affected, because there are numerousother positive things going on for you that will keep your spirits bolstered.

Understanding And Avoiding TiltAllowing results, positive or negative, to affect present decisions is the definition of Tilt. The usualculprit behind these feelings is being results oriented. Having emotional attachment to an outcomecompletely out of your hands is a pointless endeavor.

Many players feel somehow slighted when they get their money in good and lose or value bet and runinto the top of their opponent’s range. Some may even think the “Poker Gods” are out to get them. You must learn to discipline yourself and not let any short-term result affect your play. I am notsaying that anyone can get to a place where downswings will not bother them in some way. It is anatural reaction to be negatively affected emotionally when we lose. Nobody likes to lose. Andunless you have achieved nirvana or have amazing control of your emotions, bad beats anddownswings will always bother you to some degree.

Case in point: as of the writing on this book, I have played over three million hands. Bad beats stillupset me much more than I would like. However, they do not bother me as much as they did when Ifirst started playing. I used to shout at the computer, slam my fists down on the desk, or even get upand kick a wall when a bad beat happened to me. Over time, I have learned how counterproductive areaction like this is. I am now able to either brush it off or simply quit the session and go dosomething else if I feel I can no longer play my A game.

Having this type of self-control may be the most important skill that any professional poker playerpossesses. You must realize that poker is one lifetime session. Short-term results matter little as longas you are playing a superior strategy compared to your opponents. When the money goes in, youropponent (and you) are almost never drawing dead when behind. Even a hand with a 10% chance ofwinning is going to take the pot 100 times out of a thousand. Sometimes that 10% hand will win 3 or4 straight times. But over 1,000,000 instances, the average result will be very close to the 10%number.

Even the most even-keeled people get frustrated with short-term results, and I am sure you will too. Itmay take some time for you to get to the point where you can quickly shrug off or not be bothered bynegative results. In the meantime, I advise that you develop a short-term fix to tilt to keep at yourdisposal. You will need to make a reality check when you start to feel emotional about something thathappens on the poker table. If you decide that you are on tilt, you will either need to do something toget rid of it or stop playing altogether for a time.

Depending on your level of emotional control, tilt management ranges from being very easy to beingextremely difficult to overcome. Some people are naturally centered and unemotional and have noproblem shrugging off a bad beat. They can simply look away from the computer monitor and take adeep breath or sit out for a few minutes. Others get way too hyped up, in one way or another,depending on the result. They feel elation when they win a huge pot and emotional distress when theylose one.

You will need to find out what works for you. And while it is nice to have a short-term fix to tilt, youmust also realize that it is just a band-aid and that you still actively need to be working on the core

issue that causes the stress or tilt in the first place. Otherwise, you are probably doing more harmthan good to your game in a long-term sense. Whatever your natural inclination, control of one’semotions is a learned skill. There are many tools available to help people with this type of thing. Some practice yoga, others spend time talking to psychological consultants.

It is my view that any emotional stress felt during play stems from a lack of understanding of poker. Once you really learn where the money comes from and have a controlled plan for your play, youshould never feel emotion while playing. In fact, you should not care about any short-term result. They say that ignorance is bliss. In poker, nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding andknowledge is bliss in poker.

ConclusionLet’s review what you have learned:

The fundamentals of winning poker.

Determining relative hand strength and reading board textures.

How to calculate hand ranges and equity.

The basics of fold equity, commitment, and EV.

How to set up and use a HUD.

A sound chart-based default strategy.

A pre-flop strategy for open raising, calling, and limping.

When to shove over limpers.

A profitable 3-betting and 4-betting strategy.

A strategy for post-flop bets, raises, and calls.

Labeling and forming reads on opponents.

How to exploit various player types.

Managing your day-to-day sessions.

Building a strong mental game.

If you have studied these pages thoroughly and played tens of thousands of hands, thencongratulations! You are now well-versed in the fundamentals and have all of the tools necessary tobecome a winning poker player. However, mastering the strategies and charts in this book is only thebeginning.

Going forward, improvements will come much more gradually. There are many more things toperfect and additional leaks to plug. There are also many things I did not cover that you will want tolearn. Your goal should now be to continue developing your game by shoring up your understandingof poker theory and continuing to add to your knowledge. Read everything you can get your hands onand watch every poker video you can find. Join an online poker community, if you have not already. They are a great place to discuss poker strategy.

I would suggest spending much of your study on post-flop play. Most players put too much effortfocusing on pre-flop nuances when their win-rate would be much better served if they focused moreon post-flop strategies. Getting back to the Golf analogy, I would equate the pre-flop game to golf’s

long game and post-flop play to the short game. The long game is a lot more fun to practice and do,but the short game is where the money is really made. Ever heard the saying “drive for show and puttfor dough?” So put away the driver and get out the sand wedge and putter. Figure out what yourbiggest faults are after the flop and work on those first. Only work on your pre-flop game once youfeel you have a big edge on your opponents after the flop.

Try to balance your time between study and play. And remember that you do not really learn much byplaying. Poker is not a game of trial and error. During your sessions, you should be focusing yourgame on adjusting to your opponents and staying mentally focused. Playing is about maximizing yourearn, not figuring things out.

Poker is a lifetime game. Do not force things or allow yourself to become frustrated if you do notmeet your goals as quickly as you would like. In this great journey, you must learn to “know thyself”and figure out how to tailor your game to your own strengths. Books and teachers can only take youso far. In the end, you must walk your own path. I hope that this book has been helpful to you in someway. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share with you a bit of what I have learned so far.

JJJ

Appendix

Hand Strength Tiers Quiz Answers

1. Tier 3.

2. Tier 2.

3. Tier 3.

4. Tier 4.

5. Tier 1.

6. Tier 1.

7. Tier 3. Two pair is counterfeited when the turn Ace pairs the board.

8. Tier 2.

9. Tier 1.

10. Tier 3.

11. Tier 4. Double paired board leaves us with 4 high.

12. Tier 2.

13. Tier 4.

14. Tier 3. Twice-paired dry board gives showdown value to Ace high.

15. Tier 1.

16. Tier 4. Ace high has almost no showdown value on such a draw heavy board.

17. Tier 2.

18. Tier 3. Two pair has only showdown value on 4 to straight or 4 to flush boards.

19. Tier 1. On such a dry Ace high board, treating AQ or AK as the nuts is standard.

20. Tier 2.

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Basic Pre-Flop Chart Quiz Answers

1. Raise to .20.

2. The correct play is to shove all-in.

3. The correct play is to open for .40.

4. Fold. This is a common error made by the majority of players. Sometimes in the future you willface players who 3-bet wide enough to make this a profitable 4-bet. But against the vastmajority of players out there, this is a clear fold.

5. Shove all in.

6. You do not raise at all. The correct play is to fold. My apologies for the trick question.

7. Raise to 2bbs.

8. Raise to 4bbs.

9. Fold. There will be times in the future where this is an obvious shove but, for the most part, atthe micros 3-bets mean business. A ton of the time the sb’s range will be JJ+ and AK. JJ doesnot stack up well enough vs. that range to stick it in.

10. There is probably not a huge difference what you do. However, in the micros a lot of playerswill limp very weak aces or low suited cards. If you make top pair or a flush, it is possible youcan win a very big pot. Additionally, the hands that will call your shove here are mostly lowpocket pairs which are beating us. In my opinion, this is a clear limp.

11. Raise to 3bbs. Our hand is strong, but getting called has us playing out of position. Adding a bitof fold equity by raising a bit more is the smart thing to do until your post-flop game becomesmore sophisticated. If called, we still have a strong hand that flops well.

12. Shove all-in. Give him a chance to call it off out of frustration with his weak aces, small pairs,and KJ type hands.

13. Shove. This may seem obvious, but eventually you will want to consider 3-betting smaller withbig pairs vs. certain opponents. For now, just stick it in.

14. Raise to 4x. Limping is also okay but, with no reads, isolating is much stronger.

15. Fold. KJ is marginal to play from early position, even for a highly skilled player.

16. Fold. Unless the player has been shoving in almost every hand, you need at least 77+ or AJ+ tocall here.

17. Limp behind.

18. Shove all-in. Most players loosen up their 3-betting range significantly in blind versus blind

situations. You can expect to be shown hands like KJ, A2, or worse here quite often. Even ifyour opponent has a monster like KK, you will still win 33% of the time.

19. Fold. KQ would be a shove from the blinds were you facing a steal from the cutoff. However,on the button it is a fold with two players left to act.

20. Shove. As a short stack, you should almost always be willing to get all-in pre-flop with QQ+and AK.

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Basic Post-Flop Chart Quiz Answers

1. Bet around .25.

2. Lead out for $2.25.

3. Shove the rest in.

4. You have a tier 3 hand, so the correct play is to fold.

5. Lead for 3/4 pot.

6. Fold here since you have only a tier 2 hand. If you had a pair and the Ace high flush draw youwould shove here.

7. The river brought in multiple straights, and the board is not 4 to the flush. You now only have ashowdown value hand, so the correct play is to check and fold to any significant bet. While thechart says check/call TP, that only applies in situations where all obvious draws have missed.

8. The chart says bet 1/4 of the effective stack. You have 36 big blinds left, so you bet 9 big blindswith plans to shove any turn.

9. Check/fold.

10. Bet 1/2 pot.

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Intermediate Pre-Flop Chart 3-betting Quiz Answers

1. Jam.

2. Fold.

3. Fold.

4. Jam.

5. Jam.

6. Jam.

7. Fold.

8. Fold.

9. Fold.

10. Fold.

11. Jam.

12. Fold.

13. Jam.

14. Jam.

15. Fold.

16. Jam.

17. Jam.

18. Jam.

19. Fold.

20. Jam.

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Intermediate Pre-Flop Chart 4-betting Quiz Answers

1. Fold.

2. Jam.

3. Fold.

4. Fold.

5. Jam.

6. Fold. A good hand to light 3-bet, but in order to 3-bet for value, you need a better hand.

7. Fold.

8. Jam.

9. Fold.

10. Jam.

11. Call shove.

12. Fold. Most decisions are obvious like this; I made the prior examples a bit tough on purpose.

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Intermediate Post-Flop Chart Quiz Answers

1. Raise since the board is wet. Were it dry, you would call.

2. You have a tier 3 hand, so you would bet the turn with plans to check behind on the river.

3. Shove. The board is neither strongly wet nor strongly dry, but I recommend erring on the side ofwet in these situations. If it were a rainbow board, then a call would sometimes be warranted.

4. We still have a tier 4 hand on the turn, so the play is to check and fold.

5. Lead out and reraise if raised, since the board is wet.

6. Raise and get it in.

7. Call.

8. This is a situation where either betting or checking is fine. I prefer a bet-fold, since fewerplayers seem to bluff the river at the micros.

9. Bet as a bluff.

10. Call. There are very few turn cards that potentially beat our hand, since the board is dry.

11. Bet and bet big. On this board you are likely to get action, and you want as much money aspossible in the pot before the turn.

12. There is no wrong answer here. I would base my decision on the type of opponent we arefacing. If he is very aggressive, I would lean toward a call. If normal or passive, I would fold. To some of you this may look like a crazy spot to call, but after you finish the rest of the bookyou will know why this call is standard against some players.

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Calling Tactics Quiz Answers

1. Fold as you are only getting 1.5 to 1.

2. You are getting 4.5 to 1 on a very good implied odds hand. Call.

3. Fold. Even though you are getting better than 5 to 1, your hand is simply not good enough to playfor any price. Suitedness is the only thing your hand has going for it, but an 8 high flush drawsuffers from reverse implied odds. If your hand was 84s, it would be much more attractive dueto the added straight possibility.

4. This is a clear call. The big blind has shown a lot of strength with his 3-bet but left you with3.25 to 1 odds to call, more than enough against a presumed tight range to try to hit a big handand get it in. Another factor weighing in is that you have 38 big blinds at the start of the handwhich further increases your implied odds.

5. Call! Your direct odds are only 2 to 1 right now, but it is very likely that at least 2 out of 3 ofthe players who limped will call as well, thus making it only $2 for you to potentially see a potof over $8 to $10 on the flop! If you hit a set, there is a very good chance you could triple upyour stack. Always remember to calculate your odds based on your best guess at what the potwill be on the flop. Limpers often increase your odds enough to make a normally marginal call ano-brainer.

6. I would fold here. Even if the hijack were a fairly tight player, you are still getting less than 3 to1 direct odds and 9 to 1 stack odds, not good enough for set mining. These spots are the sourceof a big leak for many players.

7. Call. While not a slam dunk, you are getting almost 3.5 to 1 and have 44 big blinds. This is adecent implied odds situation due to your stack size and hand that is both suited, connected, andplays very well post-flop.

8. Folding here appears to be the best option. Even though your hand is very pretty and has goodimplied odds versus the tight UTG player, you still have 4 players left to act which detractssignificantly from your chances to see a flop cheaply. The cutoff would be the earliest position Iwould even consider a call here, but even that is pushing it getting only 1.75 to 1. The presenceof a very loose player or two behind me would sweeten the deal significantly, but in a vacuum,this is a clear fold.

9. I would fold here even though you are likely getting about 4.5 to 1 on your money. You alsohave a very pretty connected and suited hand against a table of maniacs which is typicallyindicative of a pre-flop call. However, to call would cost you 20% of your stack. A shove inthis spot is likely much more profitable than a call.

10. This is close, but I lean toward a fold. You are getting nearly 3 to 1 but only have 23 big

blinds. It is unlikely that flopping 1 pair would be good often enough in this situation to warranta stackoff, and yet your stack size would likely commit you should that scenario play out. Iwould like to have at least around 30 big blinds to play this hand or be getting 3.5 to 1 or better.

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ReferencesBen Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf Publisher: Schuster (1957)

Cardrunners EV: “EV Calculations with Decision Trees.” CardRunners EV. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May2013. <http://www.cardrunnersev.com/>

Pokerstove: <http://www.pokerstove.com/>

Renton Theorem. FTR Poker Forums RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013.<http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerforum/full-ring-nl-holdem/renton-theorem-aka-abcd-theorem-156835.html>.

Stack-To-Pot Ratios. Flynn, Matt, Sunny Mehta, and Ed Miller. Professional No-Limit Hold’em.Quickborn: Premium Poker Publ., 2007. Print.

Short Stacking Strategy Calculator: “Software by New York Jet at TwoPlusTwo Forums.” Softwareby New York Jet at TwoPlusTwo Forums. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013.<http://nyjet_twoplustwo.home.mindspring.com/>.

Tracking Software and Heads-Up-Display Information. “The Art + Science of Winning Poker.”Hold’em Manager Poker Software - Best Poker Tracking Software. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013.<http://www.holdemmanager.com/>.

Resources“FlopTurnRiver Poker Forum” Poker Strategy Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013.<http://www.flopturnriver.com/>.

A smaller community than 2+2, but high quality nonetheless. I learned much of what I knowabout the game from the various discussions on this board.

Flynn, Matt, Sunny Mehta, and Ed Miller. Professional No-Limit Hold’em. Quickborn: PremiumPoker Publ., 2007. Print.

A must read for any serious poker player.

Schmidt, Dusty. Treat Your Poker like a Business: How to Turn a Hobby into an Empire. LasVegas, NV: Cardoza Pub., 2012. Print.

Great information regarding realizing a successful poker career.

Snyder, Arnold. The Poker Tournament Formula. 1st ed. Las Vegas: Cardoza, 2006. Print.

Although a tournament poker book, Snyder gives valuable advice on the strength of positionthat are applicable to any poker game.

Sunzi, and Samuel B. Griffith. The Art of War. London: Oxford UP, 1971. Print.

The principles laid out in this book are largely applicable to poker.

“Two Plus Two Poker Forum - Poker Strategy Forums.” Two Plus Two Poker Forum - PokerStrategy Forums. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/>.

A wealth of information in which players can absorb themselves.

Glossary

3-bet: A reraise of the original pre-flop open. Since the big blind counts as the first bet in a hand,raising the big blind counts as the second bet, and so on.4-bet: To reraise a 3-bet.ABC Poker: To play poker in a straightforward non-tricky fashion.Adjustment: When a person alters his or her play based on a tendency exhibited by an opponent.Aggressive: An approach to the game of poker that involves betting and raising much more frequentlythan checking or calling.AGG%: A HUD stat that indicates an opponent’s level of aggression. The formula is total bets andraises divided by total actions.Air: The portion of a player’s range that does not connect with the current board.All In: Anytime a player has all of his stack in the pot, he is said to be all in.Ante: A forced bet that is typically posted by all players, in addition to the blinds, before the start ofa hand.Auto piloting: To play robotically without putting much deep thought into a poker session, usuallyassociated with mass multi-tabling.Backdoor: To make a flush or straight on the river with consecutive running cards.Balanced: A playing style that does not exhibit any extreme tendencies and is difficult to exploit.Bankroll: The total amount of money that any player has set aside with which to gamble.Bankroll management: To play with a minimum number of buy-ins for a given level, with the intentof minimizing the chance of going broke and to maximize the ability to move up through levels toincrease profit.Barrel: To continuation bet beyond the flop. A turn c-bet is a “double barrel,” and a river c-bet is a“triple barrel.”Bet-Call: To call a post flop reraise after having bet.Bet-Fold: To fold to a post flop reraise after having bet.Big Blind: Abbreviated as bb. Seated two seats to the left of the dealer, the big blind is the lastplayer to act before the flop and the second player to act after the flop in a 6-handed game.Black Friday: April 15, 2011. The day that the three biggest Poker sites shut down access for USplayers due to indictments by the US Department of Justice.Blinds: Forced bets made by the two players directly to the left of the dealer before the start of anyhand.Bluff: To make a bet with a hand that is likely behind the range of your opponent in an attempt to havehim or her fold a profitable amount of the time.Bluff Call: To make a call with very little chance of winning.Board Texture: The configuration of a board in terms of both connectedness and suitedness.Bot: Software designed to play a game independent of human controls.Bottom pair: When one of a player’s hole cards matches the lowest possible card on the board.Button: The dealer position at a table who always acts last post-flop.Buy-in: The amount of money one chooses to play at the time he or she sits down.Calling Station: A player who does not like to fold. He may call with no hand or draw all the way tothe river and typically will become married to any piece of the board.

Call: To put into the pot a monetary amount equal to what has previously been bet. Pre-flop, if noraises have occurred, it is required that a player put in the amount of the big blind as it is consideredthe first bet.CAP games: A game where there is a cap on the maximum bet. No matter how much a player hasbehind, once he reaches the betting cap, no more money can be put into the pot.Cascading: A method of setting up one’s online poker tables characterized by having overlappingtables extending diagonally across the screen from one corner to another.C-Bet: To continue betting post flop after having the lead pre flop.Check: To choose to refrain from putting additional money into a pot when it is not required. Afterchecking, the action either moves to the next player to act or the betting rounds end.Check-Call: To call a post flop bet after having checked.Check-Fold: To fold to a post flop bet after having checked.Check-Raise: To reraise a post flop bet after having checked.Coin Flip: Describes any all-in situation when both parties involved have near equal equity. Anexample would be the classic race between over cards and a pocket pair. While the pocket pair isusually slightly ahead, the situation is still generally called a coin flip.Combo draw: A holding that has both flush and straight draws.Commitment Threshold: Refers to “point of no return” when playing a pot. The percentage of yourstack invested where it is neutral EV to either fold or put the rest of your chips in is known as thecommitment threshold. Once you pass the commitment threshold, it is less profitable to fold than it isto commit.Complete: To limp in the small blind is sometimes referred to as completing.Connectors: When a holding contains consecutive cards, it is said to be connected.Counterfeit: When the value of a strong hand is decreased due to a card on the following streets thatcauses the hand to significantly decrease in value. Typically, this happens to hands such as bottomtwo pair which are counterfeited when the top card pairs on the turn or river.Cutoff: Abbreviated as CO. Seated one seat to the right of the dealer, the cutoff is the 3rd player toact pre-flop in a 6-handed game.Data Mining: To record the stats of poker players in hands you are not involved in for the purpose ofcreating a database for personal use or profit.Dead Money: Refers to money put into a pot by a player who is no longer participating in the hand. Is also loosely referred to by skilled players when referring to money that is likely to be dead if theywere to bet or raise, most notably against limpers.Defend: To call a bet with the intent of fighting for money already invested. Most often referred to as“defending” blinds.Direct Pot Odds: The ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a potential call. For example,if there is $4 in a pot and it is $2 to call, then you are getting four-to-two, or two-to-one direct odds.Dirty Outs: Outs that may not improve a hand on the next street because they complete flushes orstraights.Disguised Hand: To have a holding which our opponent would not likely include in his assessment ofour range.Dominated: To share a hole card with an opponent who has a superior kicker. For example, QJ isdominated by AJ.Double Barrel : To c-bet the flop and turn. See “Barrel.”

Drawing Dead: When a holding has absolutely no outs and cannot win the hand no matter what fallson the next street.Dry Board: A board that is poorly coordinated and does not allow for the possibility of many madehands or draws.Direct Odds: When a call is mathematically correct to make given the amount of money in the pot andthe amount of the bet that has to be called. For example, if you have a 4 to 1 chance of making thebest hand and you are getting 6 to 1 on a call, it would be correct to make the call as it is a profitablelong-term play.Donk Bet: To lead out into the prior street’s aggressor.Double Gut Shot: A straight draw that includes the possibility of hitting two different cards in whichyou are not open-ended, i.e. having 65 on an 842 board, either a 3 or a 7 would make a straight on theturn or river.Effective Stack: The smaller of two stacks involved in a pot. It is the maximum amount that can bewagered between two stacks involved in a pot.Equity: The percentage of the pot that is owned by a player on any given street or, put another way,how likely we are to win by the river if all-in on that specific street. For example, if we have 30%equity on the flop and there is $10 in the pot, theoretically we own $3.Expected Value: Usually referred to as “EV” or “expectation.” Refers to the profitability of anindividual action or as a consequence of a long-term strategy. +EV refers to profitable choices, and -EV refers to unprofitable ones.Fish: A poorly skilled player with little understanding of poker strategy.Fit or Fold: A style of poker characterized by only continuing post-flop with a hand that matches theboard in some way.Flat Call: Or flatting. To call a bet when a raise might have been expected.Float: To call a bet with a hand with very little value with the intention of taking the pot away laterwith a bluff.Fold Equity: The amount of potential non-showdown money a player can win by betting or raisingand having his or her opponent fold.FPS: An acronym for “fancy play syndrome,” which means to make plays outside of what may besound strategy in order to ostensibly outplay the opposition.Free Card: Being allowed to see a card on the turn or river without having to pay a bet.Going South: When a player removes chips from his stack in order to reduce the amount of money hecan lose in a single hand. This behavior is considered bad etiquette and is prohibited in most cardrooms.Gut Shot: Any straight draw that only includes the possibility of four out, i.e. 87 on a K54 boardwould make a straight if a 6 comes on the turn or river.Hand Range: The potential hands a player can hold at any given time during a hand. Hand rangeinformation can be absolute in the case of your own raising range, or it can be an informed guessbased on your history with an opponent. There are both pre-flop and post-flop ranges that may widenor narrow, depending on the way a hand plays out.Heads Up: When a pot is being played between only two players.Hijack: Abbreviated as HJ. Seated two to the right of the dealer, the Hijack is the 2nd player to actpre-flop in a 6-handed game.Hollywooding: To pretend your holding is stronger or weaker than it really is by either delaying the

game before folding or raising, or by a feigned physical mannerism meant to fool the opposition.Hotkey: Setting up a specific button on the keyboard to execute one or more functions to makeplaying poker more efficient.HUD: A graphical numeric statistical display that provides information on what opponents are doingat the table. It is an acronym for Heads-Up-Display.Implied Odds: The potential future money that can be won if a card comes to improve a holding. Usually refers to having a draw and is used to justify a call when the direct pot odds are notsufficient.Initiative: The player who was the aggressor on the previous street is said to have initiative.Jam: To shove all in.Keeping the Lead: When the player who has been the first bettor during one betting round continuesto be the first bettor in the next betting round. Most commonly this is referred to with regard tocontinuation betting.LAG: LAG stands for Loose Aggressive. This is a style of play indicative of playing a wide rangeof hands, mostly in position. A LAG player looks to exploit the overly tight tendencies of hisopponents with well-timed bets and raises that represent different ranges.Leak: A play that is consistently made by a player that is -EV.Light 3-betting: To 3-bet with a non-value hand with the intent of exploiting a wide open raiser.Light 4-betting: To 4-bet with a non-value hand with the intent of exploiting a wide 3-bettor.Limp: To call the big blind only pre flop.Lockdown Mode: To play conservatively while waiting to leave a table in order to protect yourearnings.Loose: Used to describe a player who enters a lot of pots and can be expected to have a very widerange of hands.Maniac: A maniac plays super aggressive with a wide range of hands. They live to play atestosterone war with anyone who dares play a pot with them. It is possible to be a pre-flop maniacor post-flop maniac. However, most true maniacs are aggressive on all streets.Marginal: Any situation that is so close to neutral EV that it will not likely affect a player’s long termwin-rate.Maximize: To choose the line of play that wins the most long-term profit.Min-raise: To raise the absolute smallest amount possible in the form of a raise or reraise. Pre-flop,a min-raise open is 2 big blinds. For reraises, you double the raise made above and beyond theamount already bet that round and add it to the initial bet, if applicable. For example, if player A bets$100 and is raised to $300 by player B, then the minimum player A can reraise to is $500. Player Braised player A $200, $300+$200= $500.Monster hand: A very strong holding that is very unlikely to lose by the river.Mouse: A timid poker player who plays very tightly after the flop.Muck: To fold face down so that no one else knows what you were holding.Multi-way: Any pot that has more than two players involved.Naked overs: To have two over cards to the board, but no outs otherwise.Nit: A derogatory term used to describe a player who is risk averse. They generally need a verystrong hand to commit their chips to a pot. These players are notorious for playing fit or fold pokerpost-flop.Nitty: Describes the play of a nit, or very tight player.

Non-Showdown Winnings: The net amount of money won by a player when he or she does not see ashowdown.Nut Camping: To wait around for premium hands before committing large amounts of money.Nut Peddler: A person who is a nut camper.Nuts: In absolute terms, it is the best possible holding that you can have that has no chance of beingbeaten on the current street. Often very good players will refer to a non-nut hand as the nuts whenthey are absolutely positive they have the winner. A player might say, “I knew my Ace high was thenuts there.”Open-Ended: To have a straight draw that has eight potential outs, with four on either end of thedraw, i.e. JT on a Q9 board.Over Bet: A large bet, usually bigger than the pot.Over Play: To over value a holding and invest so much into the pot as to make it -EV.Passive: An approach to the game of poker that involves checking and calling much more frequentlythan betting and raising.PFR: An acronym for “Pre Flop Raise” that is shown as a percentage. It is the frequency that aplayer raises before the flop. Limps and calls do not count toward this percentage, only raises.Play Machine: A player who is consistently looking for the most flashy or fancy play at the pokertable.Position: One’s location at the poker table. To act last after the flop is to be in position.Post-Flop: Once the three community of the flop hit the board, any action that occurs is considered tobe post-flop.Pot Control: To take a passive line in order to allow marginal made hands to see a showdown morecheaply.Pre-flop: Any action that occurs before the flop hits the board is considered pre-flop.Pressure: A fundamental component of strong poker in which a person consistently plays withaggression in an attempt to force his or her will upon the opposition.Protecting a Hand: To bet with what may or may not be the best hand so as not to allow an opponentto cheaply draw out on you if he is behind.Rainbow: When the board has no matching suits and does not allow for the possibility of a flushdraw.Raise: To increase the dollar amount of the current bet.Rake: The money that the poker room takes from a pot as a part of its share.Rakeback: The percentage of money given back to a player periodically for loyalty to a poker room. Some poker rooms automatically give rakeback, and others give it to a player via an affiliate whichmarkets the poker room in return for the rakeback deal.Read: A bit of information gathered in the past that makes one able to make more appropriatedecisions versus a particular opponent.Recreational player: An unskilled player that typically only plays for fun.Red line: The line in a graph that represents a player’s non-showdown winnings.Regular: A player who plays particular stakes for extended periods of time.Relative Hand Strength: The strength of a holding as it relates to an opponent’s range.Reload Bonus: A bonus occasionally offered by a poker site that gives bonus money to existingplayers who deposit.Renton Theorem: To divide hand ranges into sub-groups which are each played similarly so as to

balance and disguise one’s ranges.Resteal: To reraise a steal.Reverse Implied Odds: The possibility of making your hand on a future card and still having thesecond best hand and losing the pot.Risk of ruin: The probability of a player losing so much of his bankroll that he cannot continueplaying.Rule of 4 & 2: A tool used to calculate the approximate percentage chance for a particular number ofouts improving in either one or two streets. For two streets, you multiple the number of outs by four;for one street, you multiply the number of outs by two.Runner-Runner: To improve to a strong holding after getting fortunate cards on both the turn andriver.Scare Card: A card that makes it possible or likely that an opponent’s range has improved. Mostoften a scare card is one that completes an obvious flush or straight, but can also be the appearance ofan over card such as an Ace.Semi-Connector: A holding that is not made up of consecutive cards that can still make a straightwith three community cards. For example J9, T7, 96, and 84 are all said to be semi-connected hands.Set Mining: To call a pre-flop raise with a pocket pair with the intention of only committing post-flop with a flopped set.Showdown Value: A hand that has the potential to be a winner at showdown against the weakestparts of an opponent’s range.Showdown Winnings: The net amount of money won by a player when he or she sees a showdown.Site Staggering: To alternate poker sites over multiple sessions.Slow Rolling: To delay before showing down a sure winner.Small Blind: Abbreviated as SB. Seated one seat to the left of the dealer, the small blind is the 5thplayer to act pre-flop and the first person to act after the flop in a 6-handed game.Squeeze: To reraise after there has already been a raise and call.Stacking: A multi-tabling style that involves placing multiple tables on top of one another, usuallyassociated with mass multi-tabling of more than 12 tables.Stack-to-Pot Ratio: Or SPR. On the flop, the ratio between the size of the current pot and theeffective stack. If the effective stack is $500 and the pot is $50, then the stack to pot ratio is 10. ($500/$50= 10)Standard: A common poker play that is obvious and without novelty.Steal: To open raise from the cutoff, button, or small blind positions.Stop Loss: A tool used by some players to mitigate variance and tilt. It involves having a set limit toimmediately stop playing once that amount is lost.Sucked-Out: A term typically used by a disgruntled player in reference to having an unfortunateboard run out that made what he perceived to be an inferior holding beat his superior holding.Table Composition: The player types seated at a poker table.Table Dynamics: The way that a player’s strategy is affected based on the player types seated at apoker table as they relate to the recent history and game flow of the table.Table Selection: The process of finding the most profitable poker tables.TAG: This is a style of play which plays a strong range and looks to get maximum value from thosehands. A TAG player looks to exploit the overly loose tendencies of other players by getting to theflop with an on average stronger range.

Thin Value Bet: A marginal value bet that is not likely to be overly profitable long term.Third & Go: When a player bets one-third of his or her stack and then shoves all-in on any flop afterbeing guaranteed to act first after the flop.Tight: Term used to describe a player who plays very few hands and has a narrow range. Someplayers are all around tight, while others are tight only pre-flop or post-flop.Tiling: A multi-tabling style that involves placing multiple tables next to each other without overlap,usually associated with playing 12 tables or less.Tilt: To base current poker decisions on past results instead of following the most profitable line ofplay.Tornado: An aggressive player who reraises a wide range of hands post-flop.Triple Barrel: To c-bet the flop, turn, and river. See “Barrel.”Under-the-Gun: Abbreviated as UTG. Seated three seats to the right of the dealer, under the gun isthe first player to act before the flop in a 6-handed game.Value Bet: When a player bets when an opponent will potentially call with worse hands.Value Bluff: Term used when you bet or raise against a range that is slightly skewed toward handsthat beat you, even though sometimes you will actually have the best hand. The fact that you gainvalue from worse hands and sometimes bluff better hands out of the pot makes it a value bluff. Thisplay is a tool often used by a player to confuse opponents and merge his range.Variance: The either positive or negative difference between a player’s expected win-rate over thelong term and his or her actual win-rate over the short term. Most often referred to by poker playerswhen they are losing.VPIP: An acronym for “Voluntarily Put In Pot” that is shown as a percentage. It is the frequency thata player puts money into a pot via a call, raise, or reraise.Wet Board: Boards that are highly coordinated and tend to contain the possibility of a flush draw andmultiple straight draws.

Index3-bet, 8, 14-16, 22, 26, 45, 51, 53, 61, 66, 78-79, 82-83, 86-87, 91, 100, 121-122, 124, 129-133,140, 143-150, 187-188, 220-222, 229, 241, 260-261, 2654-bet, 16, 45, 57, 82-83, 86, 91, 100, 129, 131, 133, 147-148, 260, 265Balanced, 122, 183, 232-233Bankroll, xiii, 19, 70, 251, 254-256, 264, 267-268, 272, 274Barrel, 17, 84, 158-162, 164-168, 182, 189, 194, 201, 207, 209, 213, 229, 274Bet-Call, 197Bet-Fold, 18, 35-36, 170-171Calling Station, 84, 147, 159, 167, 230, 246, 274CAP games, 254, 262-263Cascading, 69, 236-238Check-Call, 35-36, 160, 211Check-Fold, 78, 159-160Check-Raise, 84-85, 189, 211Commitment Threshold, 174Data Mining, 88Direct Odds, 136, 141, 170, 207-208, 216Donk Bet, 84-85Equity, 14, 17, 31, 33, 37, 45-52, 66, 83, 120, 124, 130, 132, 142, 153-154, 159-160, 163-164, 167-170, 180-182, 184-187, 191-193, 210, 212-215, 230, 241, 260, 279Expected Value, 37, 55-56, 169Fish, 15, 122, 125, 139, 142, 147, 150, 188, 219-220, 233, 239-241, 245, 266, 274Fit or Fold, 32, 83, 121-122, 223-224, 229, 232, 243Float, 122, 159, 161, 180, 189, 204, 207, 209-212, 230Fold Equity, 31, 33, 37, 46-47, 50-52, 66, 83, 120, 124, 130, 132, 153-154, 159-160, 167-170, 180,187, 191-192, 213-215, 230, 241, 279FPS, 265HUD, 2, 4, 14-15, 59, 72-73, 76-81, 83-88, 90, 92-93, 100-101, 122, 131, 133, 145-146, 149, 209,215, 217-218, 220-222, 251, 266, 279Implied Odds, 18, 32, 34, 46, 54, 135-139, 141-142, 169, 188, 205, 207-209, 214Light 3-betting, 34, 131Light 4-betting, 134, 227Lockdown Mode, 70, 250Maximize, xiii, 70, 107, 124, 180, 192-193, 225, 235, 246-248, 267Mouse, 81, 222, 227-228, 230-231, 233, 236-237, 243, 252, 257Nit, 39, 57, 221-222, 232, 239, 244Position, 5, 13-14, 25-32, 34, 36, 44, 61, 65, 78, 83, 85-87, 92, 100, 108, 118, 120-121, 123-127,130-132, 135, 137-139, 143, 147, 155, 158-160, 165, 183, 189-190, 192-194, 201, 209-210, 213,220, 223, 227, 229, 236-237, 240-241, 245Pot Control, 29-30, 190, 192, 194Pressure, 17, 25-26, 32-35, 121, 153, 163, 200, 245, 264Rakeback, 67-68, 70, 238, 247, 251, 267-268Red line, 33-35, 268, 274

Renton Theorem, 37Reverse Implied Odds, 136-137, 139, 207-209Risk of ruin, 19, 251, 256Rule of 4 & 2, 46Site Staggering, 251SPR, 53-55, 125, 180Squeeze, 82, 145, 190Stack-to-Pot Ratios, 10, 17, 53, 124Stacking, xii, 2, 7-11, 13, 15, 17, 19-20, 53, 59, 66-67, 69-70, 92, 136, 192, 236-238, 261, 268Steal, 17, 26-27, 51, 61, 81-83, 87, 91, 120, 122, 131, 220-221, 241-242, 264Stop Loss, 274Table Composition, 240, 246Table Dynamics, xiii, 2-3, 59, 225, 228, 235, 243, 265Table Selection, 68, 71, 220, 235, 238-240, 242-244, 246, 263Tiling, 69, 236-237, 257Tilt, 236-237, 272, 275-277Tornado, 222, 227-228, 230, 232-233, 243Triple Barrel, 194Value Bet, 11, 13, 48, 122, 152-153, 166, 204, 230, 232, 275-276Variance, 10, 150, 192, 229, 264, 270-274

About The AuthorJimmie James Jr. started playing poker in the summer of 2007 after watching his father play from overhis shoulder. He had always excelled at online games so he deposited $50 and began playingtournaments in his spare time. Within one month he took a second for $3,500 and was hooked. Hethen delved into sit and goes and finally began playing cash games in late 2008. He soon wasgrinding as high as 100NL and, although he was only playing a few hours a week, was bringing homeover $1,500 a month by just playing a couple of hours a night. Since he was working over 60 hours aweek in his “real” job, he had little time to try and move up in limits and spend the countless hoursneeded to improve to the point where he could beat the ever toughening games at low stakes andbeyond. So every time his bankroll would reach the 4k or 5k mark, he would cash most of it out. Hedid this at least six times between 2007 and 2010.

For years Jim had dreamed about making Supernova Elite on Pokerstars. In 2011, he decided to giveit a go. Due to time and bankroll constraints, he needed a system that he could put in a ton of hands atthe lower limits, so he decided to give short stacking a shot. After a few of months of grinding 1750hands per hour, he was right on schedule. Then April 15th, 2011 happened: Black Friday. Pokerstars was forced to pull out of the United States market, and as an American, Jim’s dream ofSupernova Elite instantly evaporated.

Disheartened, he didn’t play internet poker for two months. Then, as a Father’s Day present, his wifedeposited $50 on one of the remaining poker sites that still serviced US players. At first he didn’tfeel like playing, so he only logged a couple of thousand hands and then basically forgot about thegame for three months. Later that year the itch returned, and he began playing again. But instead ofreturning to deep-stacked games, he decided to develop his own style of playing. The minimum buy-on on the Poker site was 30 big blinds, so he began buying in for that amount.

Through trial and error and hundreds of hours of studying game theory, he developed a simple andrepeatable game, based not around pre-flop play alone, but rather through sound overall pokerfundamentals. He was soon beating 50NL for 10bb/100 with an hourly rate of just under $30/hrwhile 6 tabling. His bankroll had gone from $50 to $4,000 in 75,000 hands played over around 175total hours in 3 months. Late in 2011, Jim began writing down his ideas and strategy to teach otherpeople with limited free time how to beat online poker and make a decent side income for theirfamily. This book is the culmination of those writings.

Jim currently resides with his family in Charlotte, NC.

Notes