S O M E S L I G H T L Y M O R E A D V A N C E D S T R A T E G Y A N D T I P S

 

Mastery of basic poker skills and strategies permits one to play the game at an enjoyable, if not very lucrative, level. But since the object of the game is to win money, one would do well to avail one's self of those more intricate nuances and processes inherent in the game that separate the skillful from the merely lucky. Some of these nuances and processes may include:

The Funadmental Theorum Of Poker

Calculating The Odds

The Fundamental Theorem Of Poker 

Chapter Three of David Sklansky's The Theory Of Poker defines The Fundamental Theorem Of Poker as follows:

1) Every time you play a hand differently than how you would have played it if you could see the cards of all your opponents, they are winning.

2) Every time you play a hand the same way you would if you could see the cards of all your opponents, they are losing.

Conversly,

3) Every time your opponents play a hand differently than how they would have played it if they could see your cards, they are losing.

4) Every time your opponents play a hand the same way they would if they could see your cards, you are losing.

This simple theorem outlines the basic goal of any successful poker strategy - to play your hand as closely to how you would play it if you knew what all of your opponents were holding; and to compell your opponents to play in a manner different from or opposite to how they would play if they knew your hand.

 

Calculating The Odds

Knowing the pot odds vs. the card odds in poker is vital to making the correct decisions that will maximize the probability of winning the most pots. Your guideline here should be to place bets when those bets have a positive expectation, meaning that the odds are in your favour.

To determine your odds, you need to determine what your pot odds are and what your card odds are. Pot odds are the amount of money you are considering putting into the pot vs. the amount that is in the pot. For example, if there is $6.00 in the pot and you are considering putting in $1.00 to call, your pot odds are 6-to-1. Card odds are the probability of you getting the card(s) you need to make your hand should you continue playing your hand. For example, if you hold two aces before the flop in a game of Texas Hold 'Em, the odds of getting a third ace for trips is roughly 5-to-1 (2 out of 50 possible cards to come are aces, multiplied by the number of cards still be be seen, five.)

If the odds of you making the hand you need to win are better than your pot odds, you enjoy a positive expectation and should probably stay in the game. If the pot odds are higher than the odds of you making the hand you need to win, you face a negative expectation and should likely fold.

Two things to consider:

1) The real calculation to make is not pot odds vs. card odds, but rather pot odds vs. the odds of you winning a hand. Card odds may be the best way to determine the odds of your winning a hand, but if you know the other players well enough to determine the likelihood of being able to force competitors out of the hand, it may be better to factor that into the equation, even in lieu of card odds themselves.

2) Just as you should be calculating the odds, so should any opponent of merit. Therefore, it is possible to raise so much that it leaves your opponents facing a negative expectation, where their pot odds now exceed their card odds, making them more likely to fold. This should be attempted in situations where you wish to eliminate opponents who may hold a hand superior to yours, or who are likely to improve their hand enough during the course of the game to finish with one superior to yours.

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B A S I C S T R A T E G Y A N D T I P S

 

Poker punishes players who do not put deliberation and consideration into their playing decisions. Most rookie players make the same kinds of mistakes over and over again, causing them to lose money time and time again. Contrary to what one might expect, no one is happy at The Mile End Poker Society when I player consistently loses - the player quickly loses interest in playing in the future and we lose their company. To help avoid such situations, what follows is an incomplete compendium of common rookie mistakes and their avoidance. Any player that manages to avoid these 5 pitfalls of play most of the time will improve their play and their balance sheet at the end of the evening considerably.

The Five Most Common Rookie Mistakes:

Not Folding Useless Hands

Chasing Pots

Calling Too Many "Bluffs"

Bluffing Too Much

Calling Instead Of Raising

 

Not Folding Useless Hands

While what compromises a losing hand is the subject of much debate in The Mile End Poker Society, it is inarguable that some hands are not worth playing. Commonly you will receive cards that will be so difficult to improve on during the game that it would be more prudent to not wager any money on them at all.

This is not to say that one should fold at the first opportunity to act. As long as no bet has to be made and a player can check, they should in the hopes of seeing the next card(s) for free and improving their hand without paying for it, no matter how remote that chance might be. But if the situation demands that a player put money into the pot before they get to see the next cards - well, some hands are simply not worth paying to see if they will improve.

How do you know for sure? You can never know for certain which opening cards are worthless and which opening cards will turn into the nuts as the game unfolds and more or different cards come into play. But in poker, you can make some generally safe assumptions based on the mathematical probability of improving a given hand.

In Texas Hold 'Em, for example, you get to see your first two cards for free (unless, of course, you are one of the blinds for that hand). You then must make an immediate decision: are those two cards good enough to warrant at least meeting the big blind and seeing the next three?

My policy in this situation has always been as follows: if my pocket cards are not paired; if neither of them is an Ace or a King; and if they are not suited connectors (of the same suit and following in consecutive numerical order - for example, a 9 and a 10 of hearts), then I fold rather than put more money into the pot. My rationale is this: the probability of getting cards that will improve a hand that isn't a pair, aren't suited connectors and don't have an Ace or King between them to the point that they might actually beat the other players' hands for the pot is too remote to warrant betting on.

Here's some math to explain: If I have a pair of Queens, the odds of me catching at least one more Queen in the next five cards to make trips is roughly 1 in 5 (a 4% chance x 5 cards). The odds of me catching two Queens if I have only one Queen for trips is significantly lower (DO THE MATH!).

This means that I typically will only bet if I'm holding at least an Ace, King, suited connectors or a pair in Texas Hold 'Em (unless I am blufffing!).

But what happens if you take this advice only to see that you folded on what would have been the winning hand? Therein lies part of the charm of poker - it's unpredictability! But if you follow this advice, the number of times you breath a sigh of relief for folding a losing hand before it cost you any more money will outnumber the times when you kick yourself for folding a 3-7 spades only to have two sevens and a three come up on the flop.

Chasing Pots

Rookie players often continue to play every hand right up to the showdown, no matter how good or bad their cards on. Sometimes this is done on the premise that you can't win the pot if you aren't in the showdown. While this premise is indisputable, another equally valid premise is that you can't win the pot if someone else has a better hand and doesn't fold it.

If it is reasonable to assume that someone else has a better hand than you and will not be driven out of the hand, there is no point in continuing to put money into a pot that someone else will win. Fold as soon as any other action on your part would require placing more money into the pot and congratulate yourself for saving money that would have gone to someone else.

Calling Too Many "Bluffs"

It is fairly common for rookie players holding mediocre hands or worse to chase other players all the way to the showdown in the hopes that their competitors are bluffing. Occasionally this pays off when the opponent is forced to own up to bluffing. Sometimes, a player has over-obvious "tells" that make it obvioius when they are bluffing.

But more common is the semi-bluff - when players who start off representing a great hand that they don't have improve durhing the course of the hand to finish with cards of a respectable strength. Anyone calling such a player on the assumption that what was correctly read as a bluff earlier on has not changed during the course of the hand will get burned in the showdown.

Rarer still is the player with the skills to know how to give the impression of bluffing even when holding a solid hand, thereby inducing other players to call a bluff that turns into a trap.

Bluffing Too Much

If the information above makes bluffing sound like a sure-fire strategy, rest assured that it is not. Rookie players are notorious for over-bluffing - it is the first poker strategy utilized by almost all players at the beginning of their poker careers. More experienced players will know this and will call your bluff.

If you are playing with other rookie players, that is even more of a problem for bluffing, because of the greater tendency of rookie players to chase pots. You can be almost certain that someone will call you all the way to the showdown, which you will probably lose if you were bluffing all the way through.

Before deciding to employ a bluff, take care to observe the behaviour of other players in previous hands. How often does someone manage to chase all other contenders out of the pot and win it before the showdown? If the answer is "never" or "rarely," it is unlikely that you will be successful in chasing all comers out of your pot - a requirement for winning pots by bluff.

Calling Instead Or Raising

Betting has many purposes. If you are reasonably certain that your hand will win the pot, you bet or raise to increase the amount of money you will win in the end. If you have a mediocre hand that you are afraid will be beat in the end if other players improve theirs, you can bet or raise in an effort to drive other players out of the hand. Or maybe you have a terrible hand, but are bluffing by representing the nuts - to do so properly, a bet or raise will be required.

Sometimes calling is the correct play to make. But quite often, and in the cases of most rookie players most often, betting or raising is the smarter play - because it increases the pot odds, which make it least advisable for other players to go in against you; because you will scare away competitors for the pot by representing a strong hand; and because if you actually have a strong hand, this is a good way to increase the size of the pot you will win in the end.

 

 

 

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A F E W V A R I A T I O N S O F T H E G A M E

As explained previously, all of the myriad of poker games can be broken down into three families: draw, stud and community card games. Here are instructions for but a few versions of poker currently en vogue with the membership of The Mile End Poker Society.

Draw Poker Games

Stud Poker Games

Community Card Poker Games

Draw Poker Games

In draw poker, each player receives a number of face-down cards from the dealer (usually five cards). A round of betting follows. Then players are permitted to discard one or more of the cards they were dealt and exchange them for new cards, in the hopes of improving their hand. The number of cards players are permitted to discard, as well as the number of discard rounds, are determined by the dealer. Each discard round (if there is more than one) is followed by a round of betting. When all discard rounds and subsequent betting rounds are complete, the remaining players showdown for the pot.

Jacks Or Better

The dealer prepares this game by including a bug in the deck before shuffling. A bug is a joker, but this particular joker may only count as an ace, a king, or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush. Players begin this draw game by anteing, followed by the deal - five cards face-down to each player.

In order for any player to place the first bet of the first round, they must be holding, at minimum, a pair of jacks. Otherwise they are compelled to check. Once a player has placed the first bet, it no longer matters what other players are holding - they may call or raise the first or subsequent bets. But if no one makes a first bet (that is to say, if everyone checks), then all cards are turned in, the dealer reshuffles, the players re-ante, and each player receives a new hand of five cards, facedown. This continues until someone is able to open the betting. It is not uncommon for players to have to re-ante two or three times before someone holds a hand good enough to permit them to open the betting.

Once an initial round of betting successful concludes, the deal asks each player in turn (beginning with the player on the immediate left of the dealer) if they would like to discard any of their cards. Players may discard none, one, two, three, four or even all of their cards, which will be exchanged by the dealer for an equal number of new cards. Once all players have had the opportunity to discard, a new round of betting ensues, followed by the showdown.

Stud Poker Games

In stud poker, each player is given a number of cards from the dealer - some will be face-down and some will be face-up (the number and order of each depends on the type of stud poker being played). Every time players are dealt new cards, a round of betting follows, with the player showing the best hand based on their face-up cards having the first option to bet. When no more cards are forthcoming and all betting rounds are complete, the remaining players showdown for the pot.

Seven Card Stud

In this rudimentary but highly popular stud game, players ante, then receive three cards from the dealer - two face-down and one face-up. The player with the highest face-up card has the first option to bet (in the case of two players with cards of the same rank, the one closest to the dealer's left will be the one with the first option to bet). After this betting round, the dealer deals out another face-up card, followed by another betting round, then two more face-up cards, with a bettting round inbetween each new card. The seventh card is dealt face down and is followed by a final betting round and the showdown.

Follow The Queen

This is played and dealt exactly the same as seven card stud, with one notable exception: all queens are wild. In addition, the rank of a card dealt face-up immediately after a face-up queen is dealt is also wild. So, if a player receives a queen face-up, the next face-up card dealt (say, for example, a three) will be wild, as will all cards of that rank (for example, all threes) in every player's hand.

However, should another queen be dealt face-up, the rank of the face-up card that is dealt immediately following will then become wild as well; and any non-queen cards that had previously been wild go back to holding their original value only. For example, if as above, queens and threes were wild, then in the next round of cards dealt a queen was dealt face-up followed by a jacks, all jacks become wild and threes go back to being just threes.

If a queen is the last face-up card dealt, the face-down card that is dealt after is not wild. Also, if no queen is dealt face-up, then all remaining players forfeit their cards and re-ante. The dealer reshuffles and redeals to all players were were alive in the previous hand.

 

 

Community Cards Poker Games

In community cards games players are dealt a quantity of face-down cards ("pocket" cards). Then, the dealer will deal out a number of face-up cards in the middle of the tablein a sequence specified by the dealer prior to the first deal. Players share the face-up cards in the middle of the table - that is, the face-up cards in the middle of the table are considered to be in the hands of each player (hence, the term "community cards"). The player who holds the most valuable hand based on a combination of his "pocket" cards and the "community" cards and who has not folded by the end of the betting wins.

Texas Hold 'Em

This immensely-popular game is what is played at the World Series Of Poker in Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's also what Matt Damon's character calls "the purest form of the game" in the film Rounders.

The game is usually played with blinds - the player to the immediate left of the dealer will place a very small "blind bet" into the pot without seeing any cards. The player to the left of this player does likewise, only doubling the amount the first player put in (this player is known as the "big blind"). The dealer then deals each player in succession two cards face-down. The first bet goes to the player to the left of the "big blind" who must at least match the big blind to remain in the game, or raise the big blind. All other players must match the big blind and all subsequent bets. The "small blind" and the "big blind," of course, will have to put in a little less than the other players (if no one raises the big blind, the small blind will only be obligated to put in half as much as the other players, having put in half the big blind at the very beginning; the big blind in this case is not obligated to put in any more money, but does have the option to raise).

After the first round of betting, the dealer deals out the flop by burning the top card (dealing it face-down into the muck, so that it is not in play - this is down in part to ensure all players that no cheating on the part of the dealer is taking place) and then dealing the next three cards face up to the centre of the table. A round of betting ensues, only this time the small blind (the player to the dealer's immediate left) goes first. The dealer then deals fourth street by burning the top card and placing the next card face-up beside the flop. Another round of betting occurs, in the same fashion as the one that immediately preceded it. The dealer then deals fifth street by burning the top card and placing the next card face-up beside the fourth street card. There is a final round of betting. Then the showdown occurs, with players making the best possible hand out of the two face-down cards in their "pocket" plus any three of the face-up cards in the middle of the table that they "share" with the other players.

Omaha

 

* Guts Poker

In any game of Guts Poker, the players ante, are dealt their hands, and decide whether or not they want to stay in the game. Players that do not stay in the game are out until the next deal. Of the players who stay in, the player with the best hand collects the pot. The other players who "went in" have to match the amount of moeny that was in the pot when the round started. For example, if 6 people are playing and ante a quarter each, there's $1.50 in the pot. After cards are dealt, 4 players decide to go in. The other two are out of the hand. The player of the four who has the best hand at the end of the game collects the pot. The other 3 players have to throw $1.50 into the pot. Now, there's $4.50 in the pot and the same game is redealt.

A Guts game keeps getting dealt over and over until one player decides to go in. That one player collects the pot and the game is over. As long as more than one player stays in after the deal, at least one player is going to have to match the pot and the game goes on. Players do not have to go in if they do not want to risk having to match the pot if they lose. But, a player who does not stay in has no chance of collecting the pot.

First, each player places an ante or "token bet" into the pot before the cards are even dealt. The ante can be anything from a nickel (if you're a poor college student) to thousands of dollars (if you're a Vegas high roller). You need an ante because it guarantees that someone will always win something on each hand. You also need an ante because without one, your uncle would be lonely. We'll wait . . .

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