A while back I posted about abusive use of the semibluff. As I mentioned, using it too often simply makes your opponents realize that when you raise on a draw-centric board, you usually have the draw and not a strong made hand.

The semibluff is however a powerful poker weapon when used with ( Read more... )

I have been asked a number of times by friends and acquaintances about poker. It is USAmericans' favorite game, and was so even before the boom. Post-boom, it's ok now for even the intellectual elite, who would otherwise frown on “gambling”, to like and enjoy poker.

I am somewhat used to the “Oh, so you're a doctor, I wanted to ask ( Read more... )

( I've written a document about my attempts to make online poker sites work with GNU/Linux, which should serve as a tutorial for those who want to play online with Linux based system. )

Every time I talk about NL cash games, I find myself, at one point or another, insisting how bad it is to play short-stacked in a cash game. In a tourney, of course, you'd prefer not to play short-stacked, but shouldn't quit just because you are. However, I firmly believe that you are usually better off quitting a ( Read more... )

In the previous installments, I discussed the classic AK plays, and how they fail to be optimal play in modern NL HE cash games. In this final installment, I explore some common thinking about AK. I believe certain misunderstood recommendations have led people to play AK incorrectly in cash games.
( This article is rather long, so I've not placed it all on the front page. )

In the last segment of this series, I discussed the classic advice on playing AK in NL HE. Classic, Brunson-style AK play can work in some games -- usually tight or tight-weak games, or games where people have very typical, unimaginative preflop (and, to some extent, flop) play.

I play in a few online games ( Read more... )

Ask a group of NL HE players to list their favorite starting hands. You'll hear AA, KK, QQ, and, after those, the group will almost surely begin to argue whether JJ or AK is the fourth best hand. If they do pick JJ as the fourth, they'll surely make AK the fifth. Some will prefer AKs over QQ.

But, as poker players ( Read more... )

I remember the excitement that I felt when I turned to that page in my ( Read more... )

Like every poker player, I've spent my share of time frustrated with ( Read more... )

I paid my backer another $250 or so this week -- his 33% of my approximate $800 in winnings. I've been steadily beating both live games here in NYC and online.

Because I was chasing some bonuses on a few sites, I've been playing on ( Read more... )