Harrington 1

Front 1

2-1-1----A-1910 B-1410 C-840 D-1800 E-1930(me) F-990 SB-310 BB-810. Blinds 50/100 I have 8c6c. A, B fold. C calls 100. Pot 250.

Back 1

Suited connectors can be played to vary starting hands, keep opps off balance. But-1-your hand isn’t a true suited connector, 2-cards are low so unlikely to win with a pair 3-Players yet to act have low chips and might make a move soon, if so you will have to fold your cards.

Front 2

2-1-2---you call 100. button raises to 200. Blinds fold. C calls for 100. pot is 650-100.

Back 2

Offering 6.5-1, flush and straight possibilities make this an easy call.

Front 3

2-1-3---you call 100. Pot is 750. flop 9s 3c 2c. C checks.

Back 3

Good flop, two clubs, only one overcard to yours. Make a move to win this hand here, but cheaply if you can. C and F have 640 and 790. 100 is too easily called. 200-300 looks good so his odds wont be too good.

Front 4

2-1-4----You bet 200. F calls. Pot 1150. turn 7c

Back 4

Now the only hand that beats you is a higher flush. You should probably assume you have a lock and figure out how to get his remaining 590. Bet 200-250, so pot odds will force him to call, then go all-in on river. This is not correct if you feel he will only call with a set or high club. If so you need to bet more to give him lesser odds.

Front 5

2-2-1 A-1120 B-610 C-970 D-1000 E-1040(me) F-960 G-980 H-1820 SB-540 BB-960. Blinds 5/10. You have 8d-6h. A,B, C, D all fold.

Back 5

You shouldn’t try to steal here- deep stacks, small pot, five left to act. If yoe bet small, you wont chase anyone out, if you bet big only people who are ahead will call. Fold.

Front 6

2-2-2---You bet 30. F folds. G calls. H calls. SB calls. BB folds. Pot 130. Flop 9h-8s-7s. SB checks.

Back 6

Bet here, have a hand, texture is good. Players with face cards will have missed. Bet about half the pot, 70 or so.

Front 7

2-2-3---You check, G bets 10. H raises to 80. sb folds.

Back 7

Fold. The button says he has a hand and G maybe does too. Your sandwiched in between two players. Either one could be ahead. Let it go.

Front 8

2-3-1---a-1580 B-1660 C-3600 D-1080 E-3640 F-3470(me) G-1670 blinds 50/100. I have As-Js. E is loose and aggro, plays lots of pots. G is supertight. Sb and bb seem solid. A, B, C, D all fold. E raises to 300. Pot is 450.

Back 8

You need a stronger hand to call a raise than to open raise. Vs a tight player you should fold here. E is loose and agro and players behind you are tight, so call. If both your chip stacks weren’t so deep, it would be a reraise.

Front 9

2-3-2---You call, button and sb fold. BB goes all in for 230. E call 30. pot is 1010. you call. Pot is 1040. Flop Kc-Tc-3s. E checks.

Back 9

Check. A bet would make sense if only E was in. BB cant be driven out and there is no side pot to win.

Front 10

2-4-1 A-1020 B-470 C-680 D-1540 E-1160 F-1200 G-1120 SB-960(me) BB-1850. Blinds 15/30. You have Kd-Qd. BB is agro and fights for most pots. A to G all fold.

Back 10

Raise, the fact that bb will call is good. 3x bb or so.

Front 11

2-4-2 you bet 100. BB calls. Pot 230. Flop 5d-3c-2c.

Back 11

Ok flop, probably missed him too. The aggressive way to play this is to make a bet of ½ the pot. Your probably ahead and have a few outs if you are called. Hyperagro move is to check, hoping he tries to steal the pot, then come over the top. This is best if you have already shown down some big hands. All-in is necessary because a 400-500 raise would cripple you if you lose.

Front 12

2-5-1 B-3400(me) C-420 D-1790 E-550 Sb-1300 BB-1760. blinds 30-60. BB and D are very aggro. Both like to CR. I have Qc-Jd. Folded to me.

Back 12

Just fold here. You might raise if the table was unusually passive but two agros are behind me.

Front 13

2-5-2 you call. C folds. D calls. E and sb fold. BB checks. Pot is 210. Flop Ks-Jh-3s. BB checks.

Back 13

Vs aggro players, play fewer pots, but play them more aggro. No reason to think your behind here. Cant give a free card with a flush draw on the board. Bet ½ pot.

Front 14

2-5-3 you check, D checks. Pot is 210. Turn 4d. BB checks.

Back 14

4 is good for you. No flushes or straights yet, 4 shouldn’t have improved anyone’s hand. Bet 1/2- to ¾ of the pot. Anyone with a king probably would have bet the flop.

Front 15

2-6-1 C-1600 D-630 E-3440(me) SB-320 BB-2040. Blinds 50/100. BB and C are very aggro. D is conservative. I have As-Qc Folded to C who calls. D calls. Pot is 350.

Back 15

Im probably ahead now. The two who called ahead of me aren’t indicating strength, especially C. Raise strongly to 400. The pot is already large and id like to win it now, or at least get heads up.

Front 16

2-6-2 You raise 200. Sb goes all-in for 270. C and D call for 220. 120-1260.

Back 16

Sb is in the main pot with whatever he has. C and D have been given two opps to raise and didn’t do it. You must assume they have small pairs or drawing hands. Now is the time to go all-in. C will probably fold. D might call since he only has 300 left. That’s ok since you’re a favorite to a drawing hand and at worst a small underdog to a small pair. If both fold, you have invested 325 in a 1275 pot where your probably a favorite. When playing against aggressive players, you need to play fewer hands, but play them aggressively.

Front 17

2-7-1 F-250000 G-110000 SB-120000 BB-150000(me) Blinds 1500/3000. F is very strong aggro player who can play any two cards. I have Ac-Qh. A to E fold. F bets 6000. G and SB fold. Pot is 3000-11850.

Back 17

Must raise here. Bet about 12000-15000. 1-Your cards are strong. 2-OOP, big disadvantage, so make an effort to end the hand early. 3-player F is very tough and he might outplay you postflop.

Front 18

2-7-2 you call. Pot is 14850. Flop 9c-6h-5d.

Back 18

Bad flop for you, no idea how it hit your opponent. Make a bet, you can fold to a raise, or give up if fourth street doesn’t help you. This is the only way to define your hand. If you check, he might bet no matter what he has.

Front 19

2-7-3 You check he checks behind. Turn 8c

Back 19

You have nothing and it is increasingly likely he hit something. If you bet he wont believe you anyway. Check and hope he checks behind.

Front 20

2-7-4 River 2c, you check he bets 5,000. 5,000-19850.

Back 20

Great pot odds so you should probably make a crying call. He knows this since he gave you those odds, so your probably beaten.

Front 21

2-8-1 C-250000 D-110000 E-120000 F-20000 SB-100000 BB-150000(me) Blinds 1500/3000. C has been very aggro and running the table. I have Kc-Qh. Folded to C who bets 8000. D,E,F fold. Sb folds. 5000-13700.

Back 21

Call, although raising isn’t bad. Raising might win the pot here, at the risk of costing a lot of chips if he has a hand. Calling and deciding after you see the flop is cheaper. When defending your blinds, its bets to switch between raising and calling on a random basis.

Front 22

2-8-2 You call. Pot is 18700. Flop Kd-9s-2c.

Back 22

Great flop, he is very aggro so check-raise him.

Front 23

2-8-3 you check, he bets 20,000. Pot is 38700.

Back 23

He probably thinks you called with an ace and missed the flop. His bet is too large also. If you really missed the flop 12,000 should get you to fold. If your trapping, he is throwing away money. Make a 50,000 raise.

Front 24

3-1-1 A-1600 B-960 C-980 D-920 E-1200 F-200 G-1020. Blinds 10/20. You have Kh-7h. Player A is in a lot of pots, Two hands ago, A limped and called a small raise of 2x BB. E has only been in one pot which he won. A and B call 20. C and D fold. E raises to 80. F,G,H, SB fold. You fold. A,B fold.

Back 24

Notice that A is limping in and calling a moderate raise but folding to a bigger one. He plays a lot of pots, and you can steal some from him. He is especially important to watch because he is the player to my left.

Front 25

3-2-2 You bet 200. Sb and BB call. Pot 600. Flop Js-Jc-9s. SB bets 200, BB calls, pot 1000.

Back 25

Good flop for you, all things considered. If neither has a jack, (likely since there are only two left in the deck), the flop probably missed them completely. Since neither raised pf, probably no big pairs. They are lags so the bet and call don’t mean as much as they would. You have odds to call, but no reason to make a wacky reraise, you wont chase them out.

Front 26

3-2-3 You call 200. Turn 2c. Sb bets 200, bb calls. Pot 1600.

Back 26

8-1 is an easy call, even if there is a small chance your flush is no good.

Front 27

3-2-4 You call 200. Pot 1800. River Jh. Both check.

Back 27

No reason to bet, at least one has an ace or king.

Front 28

3-4-1 Folded to D-60000(me) E-22000 F-37000 SB-21000 BB-39000. Blinds 800/1600 pot 4000. you’ve been playing more aggro than most. F is solid and tight. You have Qs-Qd

Back 28

You don’t want drawing hands to come in cheaply but you don’t want to discourage action entirely like with 10s or Js. 4000 seems like a good number.

Front 29

3-3-2 You raise to 4000. E folds. F raises to 10000. Blinds fold. Pot is 18000. 6000 to call.

Back 29

First figure out what his bet means, then figure out if you want to put him all in or not. You can never tell exactly what he has. Vs AA, KK you are a 4.5-1 underdog. Vs AK(AQ less likely since you have two of the queens and AQ is less likely to be played this way) Here you’re a slight favorite. 16 AK combos. 6 AA and 6 KK combos. AQ suited 2 combos. A medium pair, JJ to 88 or 77. How likely are these hands? With AA or KK he would certainly reraise. With JJ or TT it is not that certain. It is a little more likely since you have been so aggressive. He might think your initial raise was a bluff, and be making a stand. Other possibility is some other hand, not so likely, maybe 10%. You’re an overall favorite: Big dog vs two overpairs, big favorite vs any underpair. Many more possible underpairs than overpairs, so its as much as 2.5 or 3 to 1 that he has an underpair. Small favorite vs AK and big favorite vs any bluff. 18000 in pot, he has 27000 left. If you go all in and he calls, risking 27000 to win 45000(18000+27000) Great odds, so go all-in.

Front 30

3-5-1 A-30000 B-8000 C52000 D-22000 E-70000(me) F-17000 G24000 SB-20000 BB-11000. Blinds 300/600 pot 1350 you have Ks-Kd. A and C are pros and both are very aggro and play many pots. Each is capable of bluffing deep into the hand. A raises 3000. B folds. C calls. D folds. Pot 7350.

Back 30

You have to raise, you should only trap with kings occaisionally vs a single opponent. Raise, and try to reduce the field to headsup.

Front 31

3-5-2 You raise 10000. F, G, blinds fold. A folds. C calls. Pot is 24350. Flop 9d-7s-2c. C bets 12000.

Back 31

excellent flop all low, rainbow, remote straight possibilities. He is aggressive. Play rope-a-dope and let him try to take the pot away. Spend a little time thinking about it for dramatic effect.

Front 32

3-5-3 You call, pot is 48350. Turn 3s. C bets 15000. Pot is 63350, you have 48000 left. He has 15000 left.

Back 32

not a scary card, its possible he has some straight or flush draw. Put him all in now. Its greedy to just call, because 1-he probably has something, don’t give him a chance to beat you. 2-If he is on a draw, he will pay you off now, but if he misses he will fold the river.

Front 33

3-5-4 You just call. River 5h. C bets.

Back 33

remote possibility he is ahead with a straight of fluke set, but he may have odds to call a small pair if you put him all in, also his stack is too weak if he folds.

Front 34

3-6-1 You have 20,000, one player at your table has a bigger stack than you, 26000. All other stacks are between 5,000 and 15,000. Blinds are 150/300. pot starts at 700. UTG you pick up Ad-Ac. You raise 4x BB, 1200. Three folds behind you. Big stack calls. Everyone else folds. Flop comes 9h-5c-2s. You bet 3000. He puts you all-in. You both have the table image of a solid, conservative player.

Back 34

Think it through. You have 15800 left. Pot is 24900. It will cost 15800 to call. So pot is offering a little better than 3-2. You need to win 40 percent of the time. He is conservative, so we say he is bluffing 10% of the time. If he has trips, 99 or 55, why is he going all-in? most good players would be worrying about how to milk more money out of you. Can he know we have AA? No. Conclusion- trips would be a pretty unusual play. If he has KK,QQ, JJ, or TT, then his all-in move is a kind of sophisticated semi-bluff. He can win by folding you, being ahead of you, or outdrawing you if behind. It is a somewhat unusual, aggressive play. They are both unusual, but the trips are more so. There are four times as many combos of lower pairs. So maybe say 50% for a high pair and 40% for trips. 50%*92%= 46%, 40%*10%=4%, 10%*97%=10% Total equity is 60%. So it is a huge call since we only need 40%.

Front 35

3-6-2 blinds 50/100, five handed. You have 4300, on the button you get Ac-8d. Two folds ahead of you. You raise 200. Sb folds, BB calls. Pot is 450. Flop is 5s-3s-2d. BB checks, you bet 250. BB raises to 500.

Back 35

Pot odds 250-1200 or 5-1 or so. Ace might be an out, might not be. Eight might be an out unless he has a higher pair. A four might be an out, but you split if he has an ace. If he has 77 you have ten outs, but if he has a strong hand, you could have 0 outs. Looks like a fold.

Front 36

3-7-1 blinds 200/400 . 9 handed. You have 6900 slightly above average. Pot is 825 with antes. You have Qd Qs in 2nd position.

Back 36

You need to raise around 3x BB here, varying it up or down sometimes. Don’t call to trap since aces or kings on the flop will make it hard to play.

Front 37

3-7-2 You raise to 1200. Player to your left, a loose, aggressive player who likes to come over the top, calls. A solid, tight players calls. Everyone else folds. 4425 in the pot. Flop comes Ah-9c-3s.

Back 37

Not so bad that the player to your left called. In fact, his call rather than a raise may indicate weakness. The other caller is more worrisome, since he is solid and called after a raise and a call. That indicates real strength. You aren’t happy seeing the ace, but they aren’t guaranteed to have an ace. You have to bet, but your bet must be modified from ½ pot since it is so big in relation to the stacks. A half pot bet would be 2200 leaving you only with 3500, so bet 1500. This will leave you with an exit strategy, you can exit if the tight player comes after you, but go to the end maybe vs the loose player.

Front 38

3-7-3You bet 1500. The player to your left raises to 3000 and the last player folds. The pot is now 9925 and it costs 1500 to call.

Back 38

Your happy the tighter player left, since he was the player you most feared. The aggressive guy is announcing he has a hand. The trouble is that he only need an ace, then he is 9-1 ahead. He could also have 9s or 3s. If you fold, you will have 4200 left. If you go all in, lets assume he calls you. If so, and you win, pot is 15775. lets say 16000.risking 4000, 3-1 or 25%. You have an 8.4% chance of catching another queen. So if there is just a 17% of a bluff, we can move at the pot. Since he is so loose, and would come over the top with much less, you probably have at least that much, since he could have made this play with jacks or tens.

Front 39

4-3-1 C-1000(me) D-1230 E-910 F-650 G-950 H-1630 SB-940 BB-1220. Blinds 5/10. You have Ad-Ks. Players are on average pretty loose

Back 39

You want to raise, 3-5x BB is a good amount. If you think the players are loose, make your bet a little larger.

Front 40

4-3-2 You raise 50. D,E,F,G all fold. H calls. Blinds fold. Pot is 115. Flop Jd-7c-4h.

Back 40

Ok flop for you, dry flop. Bet out to find out where you stand. Normally bet ½ pot, but bet more since they are loose. Maybe 2/3 pot.

Front 41

4-3-3 You bet 80. H raises to 160. Pot is 355.

Back 41

costs 80 to call 355, 4.5-1. To improve you have 6 outs. 7-1 against. You wont call on the turn if you don’t improve, so you wont see the river card. You might have even fewer outs than this, so you have to fold.

Front 42

4-4-1 C-2150 D2100 E-330 F-2130 G-1650 H-3600 SB-550 BB-1600 blinds 50/100. You have 5h-5s. Folded to C who calls. D and E fold.

Back 42

A call here is reasonable, you are hoping to see a cheap flop and hit a set. You could end up with position on your opponent too so you could take the pot away. If you don’t hit the flop you will give up.

Front 43

4-4-2 You call for 100. Two behind you fold, sb, a tight player who suffered some bad beats an hour ago, goes all in for 500. BB and C now fold. Pot is 850, costs 450 to call.

Back 43

Getting slightly less than 2-1.

Front 44

4-5-1 B-1180 C-3100 D-3640(Me) E-1880 F-3030 G-3230 H-3600 SB-760 BB-1490 you have 5s-5h. blinds 75/150. A folds, b calls C folds. Pot 375.

Back 44

Call, although a lot of action behind you will make you fold

Front 45

4-5-2 E and F fold, G and H call. Sb goes all in for 685. BB folds as does original caller. Pot is 1510, 610 to call.

Back 45

If there was noone else in the pot it would be an easy call. But the presence of two live players with big stacks behind you means it is a fold. Either one could still raise. If you don’t make your hand on the flop you wont be able to see fourth/fifth street. ALWAYS REMEMBER THE PRESENCE OF ACTIVE PLAYERS BEHIND YOU HAS A HUGE EFFECT ON YOUR DECISION-MAKING. THEIR PRESENCE MAKES MANY HANDS UNPLAYABLE WHICH ARE TRIVIALLY EASY CALLS IN A ONE-ON-ONE SITUATION

Front 46

4-6-1 A-1180 B-980 C-850 D-980 E-2240 F-980 G-950(me) SB-870 BB-960. Blinds 5/10. You have Qh-Qd. A calls 10. B raises to 40. C folds. D and E call 40. F folds. Pot is 145.

Back 46

This is good, stick in a 200 raise or so and see what happens. The other option is calling to see a flop and then making a move if no A or K shows up, but normally raise.

Front 47

4-6-2 you raise to 200. blinds fold. A folds. B puts in 160 to call. D folds. E goes all in for 2200. Main pot is 1255 and its 750 to call.

Back 47

If B folds and the pot stays as it is, your being offered 5-3 to call. If B gets in as well, you will be getting 8-3. 1-He has AA or KK, you are 4.5-1 dog. 2-He has AK, you’re a 11-10 favorite. 3-He has a lower pair, like JJ or 10s, you’re a 4.5-1 favorite. 4-Hes bluffing, huge favorite. So unless your really sure he has AA or KK, the other three cases are so favorable you have to call.

Front 48

4-7-1 A-1600 B-1500 C-1400 D-2000(me) E-1200 F-1000 G-2100 H-1300 SB-1300 BB-1600. blinds 5/15 you have Qd-Jd. A calls, B folds. C calls. Pot is 50.

Back 48

Not too good of a hand, I would just call here and let it go if anyone raises it.

Front 49

4-7-2 You raise to 60. E and F fold. G calls. H folds. Blinds fold. A and C fold. Pot is now 170. Flop Js-4d-2d.

Back 49

Good news is you forced out the callers in front of you, but the guy who called behind will often have you beaten. Remember he saw two early callers plus a raise of 4xBB, and called anyway. He probably has something, probably not a premium pair since he didn’t RR you. The flop is good since you have tp plus a flush draw. You need to bet something here to find out where you stand, maybe about 120 to chase him out if he has nothing.

Front 50

4-7-3 You bet 200 and he calls. The pot is now 570. Turn 6c.

Back 50

You overbet the pot and got called anyways. He probably is holding a jack. He didn’t raise preflop or after the flop, so a pair higher than jacks is pretty unlikely. Its so unlikely you should pay off in that case. Trip fours or deuces are unlikely as as well since it would be weird to call a big raise with those hands. IF he has a pair of jacks, QJ is unlikely since you have it. He probably would fold KJ or J-10. J-x is unlikely as well. That leaves AJ suited or unsuited. Many players would play it with a raise pf. 99s 10s or a lowers pair might have called preflop but probably wouldn’t keep calling such big bets on the flop. Some players might. Ad-Kd makes a lot of sense. AQ, Ako or Kqo are a stretch. So his most likely hands are AJ, which beats us, and Ad-Kd, so a bet looks necessary in case he has a flush draw. Id bet about 300, which doesn’t give him odds to call.

Front 51

4-7-4 You check, he checks behind. River is 7d.

Back 51

You have the flush so you have to bet something, but you cant be completely confident without the A or K of diamonds. Id bet 400, but if he goes all in, I might have to throw it away.

Front 52

4-8-1 C-1220 D-670 E-1020 F-850(me) G-600 H-840 SB-2000 BB-1410 blinds 10/20 You have Kh-Kd. Folded to C who calls 20. D folds. E raises to 40. 90 pot.

Back 52

You want to raise a good amount, but not so much as to discourage action. A roughly pot-sized bet looks about right here.

Front 53

4-8-2 You raise to 100. G and H and the small blind fold. BB calls for 80. C, the original caller, calls for another 80. E calls for 60. The pot contains 410. Flop Ah-6d-4h. BB checks, C bets 20, E calls. Pot is 450.

Back 53

IT IS A GOOD HABIT TO RECAP THE ACTION BEFORE YOU MAKE A MOVE. C made a strange series of plays. He called the blinds in third position, then after a raise and a big raise after him, he just called again. No hand that merits limping into a pot could justify calling two raises. Hes either trapping with a big hand, or hes a fish that doesn’t know what hes doing. The field didn’t really get narrowed. Make a mental note that this table needs a little bit bigger raise. The ace on the flop is a big problem. With three callers, someone out there probably has an ace, so you have to be really cautious. You also have a back door flush possibility. Just be happy to call and see a cheap card, hopefully the big blind wont do a check-raise.

Front 54

4-8-3 You call, bb also calls. Pot is 490. turn is Jh. BB bets 65, C calls, E raises to 130. Pot is 750.

Back 54

The jacks seems to have helped them, everyone is saying they have something. Assess the situation carefully. There is some chance you are still ahead. If noone had an ace, you Ks are good. The ace was scary, but the flop betting was weak, so you might not need to improve to win. If I need to improve, how many outs do I have? No pairs on the board, so 9 outs to the nut flush. Of the two kings, maybe you can count 1 as an out. So 10 outs or 36-10 or 3.5-1 or so.getting 750-130 from the pot, but it might get raised from behind you, cutting down your odds, but your getting implied odds if you hit the flush. Looks like a call.

Front 55

4-8-4 You call. BB folds. C alls. Pot is 945. Fifth street is 9h. Player C checks, E bets 20.

Back 55

You have the nut flush, stay calm and think. What are the remaining stacks? C started with 970 and now has 720. E had 750 now has 480. You have 600. C only checked and E bet 20. With 4 hearts on the board, this action indicates 1.noone has a heart, 2. someone has a heart, but they are afraid of a higher flush. 3.someone has a heart and has decided to trap. 3 is unlikely. It would be foolish to check a flush after the last card, because it might get checked down. 1 and 2 are more reasonable. If its 2 and you make a modest bet, the one with the flush might look you up. He might even call an all-in. If case 1 applies, a modest bet might not get called. Think of a range of possible bets, and shade my decision towards the top and bottom of the range, depending on whether they have acted loose or tight. Here the range looks like 100-200. Small enough that they are getting great odds to call and also small enough that they’ll have reasonable sized stacks left if they call and lose. In a situation like this, don’t bet more than half of someone’s stack. They seem a little tight, so im thinking 150.

Front 56

4-9-1 A-1000 B-1000 C-970(me) D-970 E-1000 F-1000 G-1000 SB-2060 BB-1000 Blinds 5/10. You have Ah-Kh. A calls. B folds. Pot is 25. You raise to 40. D folds. E calls. F and G fold. SB calls for 35. BB folds. A puts in 30 to call. Pot is now 170. F players left, 3rd to act after the flop. Flop Kc-9h-3c. Sb and A both check.

Back 56

You have tptk, how much to lead? Don’t want to chase everyone out, but there are two clubs on the board, so bet between 140 and 200. You can also increase your bet depending on the number of opponents your facing.

Front 57

4-9-2 You bet 100. E calls. BB and A fold. The pot is now 370. Turn Kd.

Back 57

You need to bet enough not to give flushes odds to call. You should bet about 250 vs most opponents. Giving him 2.5-1 odds.

Front 58

4-9-3 You bet 200, he calls. Pot is 770. You have 630 left, he has 660. River Jc.

Back 58

First thing to ask yourself-If I check and he goes all-in, will I throw away my hand? The the answer is no, you should tend to bet now. By betting you will make some extra $$ when he calls with some hands that he wouldn’t have bet if you had just checked. Hands like Jh-9h, AJ, QJ or AA or QQ. If you would throw it away after a bet, you should check now. The real choice is to go all-in now or betting something like 200. The 200 will win more money from hands like a single pair that might have folded to an all-in bet, and vs stronger hands your going all-in anyway.

Front 59

5-4-1 B-550 C-1130(me) D-1350 E-1090 F-900 G-670 H-1360 SB-1350 BB-750 blinds 10/20, you have Ad-Tc. A folds, B calls 20. Pot is 50

Back 59

Your in early position with a hand that is not that strong, 7 left to act behind you.

Front 60

5-4-2 You call for 20. D,E,F, and G all fold. The button calls. The small blind folds, the bb checks. Now 90 in the pot, third to act out of 4. Flop Ts-9h-3h. BB bets 50. B folds. The pot is 130, 40 to you.

Back 60

That was a very good flop for your hand. The bb’s bet is less than half the pot and looks like a probe bet. Raise here to define your hand and chase out player h. If you draw a big reraise, probably fold.

Front 61

5-4-3 you raise to 80. The button folds, The bb calls. Pot is now 250. turn is 5s. BB checks.

Back 61

He’s acting like hes on a draw, maybe to a spade or heart flush. If so hes about 4-1 dog to make his hand. Make sure hes getting bad odds, but don’t bet too much in case you misread his hand or he’s trapping. Id bet about 150 here. He will be getting less than 3-1

Front 62

5-4-5 you bet 250, he calls, river 6c. he checks.

Back 62

He missed his flush draw. Maybe he was playing a pair+draw, in which case you have him beaten, but he might still call a small bet. If he did have a strong hand, he has played it passively throughout the hand. You have 700, he has 400. I would bet about 150. Pot odds of 5-1 should be irresistible to him, since he will still have some chips left.

Front 63

5-6-1 B(me)-1500 C-1100 D-1350 E-1450 F-1650 G-2000 SB-1400 BB-1450 blinds 5/15. You have As-Js

Back 63

you can call here if you are better postflop than the rest of the table. Raising is a mistake with so many behind you. Your goal is not to build a big pot, but to see a cheap flop and evaluate.

Front 64

5-6-2 You raise to 60, folded to G who raises to 460. The blinds fold. Pot is now 540 and costs 400 to call.

Back 64

Fold. You represented a strong hand, and he raised to 400. Unless hes bluffing not many hands justify that play. High pairs, AK, maybe AQ suited. Everything is ahead of you, so if you call it is because you think hes bluffing. Not worth a third of your stack.

Front 65

5-6-3 You call. Flop Jd-8c-5h.

Back 65

Check, you have a pair of jacks, but he has said he has a real hand. Let him make a move then decide.

Front 66

5-6-4 You check, he bets 820.

Back 66

Now calling makes no sense, he is representing a better hand than yours. If you think hes bluffing, move him AI. If you call, the pot is so big the rest of your chips are going in.

Front 67

5-7-1 B(me)-1040 C-610 D-1710 E-2060 F-940 Sb-1180 BB-740 blinds 30/60 you have Kd-Jh. Folded to you.

Back 67

This isn’t a very good hand., play it or fold it depending on how you are interacting with the table(controlling it or getting pushed around)

Front 68

5-7-2 you call. C, D, and E all fold. Sb puts in 90. BB calls. Pot is 300, 60 to you.

Back 68

Now your getting 5-1 odds. KJ isn’t great, but your not a 5-1 dog.

Front 69

5-7-3 you call. Pot has 360. Flop Kh-6s-2d. blinds check

Back 69

Great flop, top pair, decent kicker, your going to bet. Bet a decent amount since it looks like you have the best hand. Don’t bet too much since you want action. 200-220.

Front 70

5-7-3 you bet 300. sb calls. Bb folds. Pot is 960. turn is Kh-6s-2d -7c. Sb checks

Back 70

look at stacks. You have 620 he has 760. the turn eliminated all flushes, and there is no plausible straight draw out there. It looks like you have the best hand, so move all in. If he has AK that’s poker. If you were deeper it might not be as good an idea.

Front 71

5-7-4 you bet 200. he calls. River Kh-6s-2d -7c-Jc. He checks.

Back 71

still go all-in. if he has trip jacks, that’s just too bad.

Front 72

5-7-5 he calls your all-in with 8d-8c. You win. Analyze your opponent’s play?

Back 72

although slowplaying a pair of eights to the end isn’t completely hopeless, From his point of view you were in stealing position, and could have had AQ instead of KJ. His error was not leading out with a bet after the flop. With a medium pair and an overcard showing on the board, he could have defined his hand with a bet, as well as giving you a chance to fold. You would have called or raies of course, and he would have known that he was facing some sort of real hand, and his eights were most likely no good. Since he didn’t define his hand, he never knew where he stood until showdown, where he lost all his chips.

Front 73

5-8-1 F-1420 Sb(me)-2000 BB-1350. 15/30, I have Kc-8s. Folded to F who raises to 60. pot is 105.

Back 73

The button may be trying to steal, or he may have a hand. Your hand is pretty weak. You are the biggest stack and he is third biggest, so getting mixed up here could be expensive. Do I want to risk it? Calling is bad since I am in a pot with bad position, a weak hand, and no idea what he has. If I think hes bluffing, I will raise to 180. If I get called I know im up against something, and if I get reraised, im definitely throwing my hand away. This way I will have defined my hand and have some idea of what to do after the flop. Ill also make this play vs someone who has been raising a lot from the button without being called. IF you know nothing about the button, or he is tight, throw it away.

Front 74

5-8-2 You call for 45. BB folds. Pot is 150. Flop is 8d-5s-3h

Back 74

Bet now, or call an aggressive player who is known to make c-bets.

Front 75

5-8-3 you bet 100. he raises to 200. pot is 450.

Back 75

must call, you still have top pair, getting 4.5-1. don’t second guess yourself about why your in the hand.

Front 76

5-8-4 you call turn is 8d-5s-3h -9d.

Back 76

check. The card hurt you, since its an overcard to your pair. You don’t need to make an info bet since he already told you he has a good hand. Check and see what happens.

Front 77

5-8-5 You check, he bets 150. Pot is 600.

Back 77

Call. Your getting 4-1 odds, and you still may have the best hand. Your only beaten if he has an overpair to the board, A9, or a pair of nines. This is might be likely, but your getting offered enough by the pot.

Front 78

5-8-6 You call. Pot is 750. River is 8d-5s-3h -9d-7c.

Back 78

just check and see what happens, I will toss it to a big bet, and call a small bet.

Front 79

5-8-7 he checks behind, showing JJ to win. Analysis

Back 79

only the initial move into the pot was a mistake, everything else was reasonable. That’s why its important not to get involved with bad hands. Opponent also missed making a bet on the end.

Front 80

5-9-1 A-2750 D-770(me) E-1340 SB-2700 BB-260. blinds 30/60. Ah-Ad.

Back 80

A calls, folded to me.

Front 81

5-9-2 you raise 120. E folds. Sb calls. BB raises 60 more. A folds. Pot is 480. BB has 80 left. SB has 2580 left. You have 650.

Back 81

Figure out how to keep the bigger-stacked sb in, so don’t raise, since only the BB will call.

Front 82

5-10-1 A-800(me) B-2390 C-550 D-2150 E-840 SB-1800 BB-1390. blinds 30/60. D looks like a strong player. E has been wild. Qs-Qc.

Back 82

Raise but how much? 2x BB here with aces or kings is good, not too big not to get action. With queens you don’t want action so badly. If you get called by A-x or Kx and an ace or king flops, its bad, so raise a little bit more. 3-4x the BB.

Front 83

5-10-2 You raise to 120. B and C fold. D raises to 180. E calls 180. Blinds fold.

Back 83

This is great for you, especially short-stacked. Move all in for your last 760. Only aces or kings have you beaten. E is very loose, he might call too. An all-in bet neutralizes your positional disadvantage.

Front 84

5-10-3 you bet 200 more. They both call. Pot is 1050.

Back 84

Now you really need to go all-in. The flop was good for you since they probably have high cards. The Qs helps you against a flush possibility. Your bet is scary to call. You have 560 left, your not folding to a bet, and someone will bet if you check. So your really commited to the pot here, and an all-in bet is the last leverage you have.

Front 85

5-15-1 B-me- 4060 C-1820 D-3140 E-1400 F-1660 G-630 SB-2230 BB-1430 blinds 10/20. Th-Td. You have already won some big pots at the table, showing down strong hands. A folds.

Back 85

Two ways to play medium pair in EP, no correct way though. Your hand rates to be the best at the table now, but not after the flop. So you don’t want to play this hand vs a lot of players for significant money. One approach is to limp, hoping to see a cheap flop vs a number of opponents, then make a decision. You can have a monster if you hit the flop, or an ok hand if it comes all low, or if it comes all high, you can throw it away. Second approach is to make a significant bet now(3x-5xBB) and hope to win the pot or narrow the field to one opponent. Then you can survive one high card on the flop, although two make you nervous. You already won some pots by showing down strong hands, so you should be more inclined to check, since everyone might fold if you raise.

Front 86

5-15-2 You call. C and D fold. E and F call. G goes all in for 630. Blinds fold. Pot is now 720 costing 610 to call.

Back 86

Normally you would raise here, since you don’t want E or F to call, but look at their stack sizes. They have 1500 or so. If they would call a 600 bet, will they really fold to a 1200 bet? Calling is better since if they call you know they have something, but you have left yourself a way out.

Front 87

5-15-3 You call. E folds. F calls. Pot is 1940. Flop Qd-Qc-6h

Back 87

Flop is good for you. Less likely someone has a queen. If KQ flopped their would be 6 cards out there that beat you, but with QQ there are only 2 cards. You must bet to protect your hand. Look at the stacks. You have 3430 left, and F has 1030. Bet enough so he isn’t getting good odds, but is still enticed to call. About 500.

Front 88

5-16-1 C-1460-me D-1020 E-1240 F-1120 SB-410 BB-1060 You have Th-Td blinds 15/30. Folded to you.

Back 88

bet 3-5x BB, varying it so its not obvious what your doing. You raise to 150. D, E, F, and sb fold. BB puts in 240. 120 to you. Pot is 435.

Front 89

5-16-2 You call. Pot is 555. Flop Qs-9s-4h. BB bets 85. Pot is 640.

Back 89

This tiny bet could mean a big hand vs a big player or a weak hand vs a straightforward player. Calling is mandatory since your getting 8-1 and you have a hand. A good alternative is raising. You might win the pot, and he might make a mistake by calling with unimproved cards. If he reraises, you can fold.

Front 90

5-16-3You call. Pot is 725. Turn Qc. BB checks.

Back 90

If the first queen missed him, the second one did too. Bet here to see where you stand and not give him a free card. Then you can check behind on the end. You could check, but then facing a bet on the end you wont know what he has.

Front 91

5-16-4 You check. River 8h. BB bets 100.

Back 91

Call, he probably has something like AK, or A9 or maybe JJ. Pot odds are huge, given his betting sequence, your probably about even money to have the best hand.

Front 92

5-16-5 You call, he shows Jd-Jc, and takes the pot. What was his thinking during the hand?

Back 92

His bets make sense, He was scared when he saw the queen come, which pointed to a pair or draw underneath the queen although AK was a possibility as well.

Front 93

5-18-1 A-1450 B-1110 C-540 D-780(me) E-1450 F-830 G-770 H-900 SB-1270 BB-900. blinds 10/20. I have 2s-2d. Many players have been limping into pots to see a flop. A and B call. C folds. 70 pot.

Back 93

Dueces are playable but they require special treatment. The optimal time to play them is limping in late after other limpers and throwing them away if you don’t flop a set, except in special circumstances- on the button, flop comes 7-7-3 rainbow and everyone checks to you. Here you are in EP, but many people have been limping so it seems like a good place to call.

Front 94

5-18-2 You call. E folds. F calls. G raises to 40. Button folds. Sb calls. BB folds. A raises to 130. B folds. Pot is now 310 and it costs you 130 to call.

Back 94

Too much action and now pot odds are unfavorable. Your getting 2.5-1 and its 7-1 to flop trips. Fold.

Front 95

5-21-1 D-me-740 E-890 F-1650 G-1500 SB-1070 BB-1200. blinds 10/20. I have Tc-8s. Folded to me. G and the BB are aggressive, involved in many pots.

Back 95

Obvious reasons for not trying to steal the pot- five to act behind you, two are aggro, your not in a desperate situation yet. Your hand is mediocre.

Front 96

5-21-2 You raise to 50. E and F fold. G calls. Blinds fold. Pot is 130. Flop 5d-4s-3s

Back 96

Your bet was too small. The flop is good/bad. One caller, flop all low, you have two overcards. But two spades, so As might decide to keep playing. Make a c-bet, ½ pot.

Front 97

5-21-3 You bet 60. he calls. Pot is 250. Turn Ks.

Back 97

Bad card, he’s not going away. Cut your losses here.

Front 98

Your on the button, an mp makes a modest raise. Someone behind him calls. You decide to call with Qs-Js. Flop A:Qh-8s-2c, Flop B:Qd-Td-9h, Flop C:Ac-Kd-Qh. Remember- 1- people like to play aces, 2-people like to play suited cards, 3-People like to play two high cards.

Back 98

A-Great texture. No flushes, cards widely scattered so no oesds. No high cards except queen. You likely have the best hand so bet aggressibely. B-Not so nice. You have queens and an oesd. But someone with K-J already has a straight. Also two suited. Play this hand VERY carefully. C-Even worse . Now you have Queens plus a gutshot. You’re a big underdog to anyone with a queen or ace, which is likely. Anyone playing 10-J has a straight.

Front 99

You called preflolp with Ac-6c. Another player called behind you. Flop comes 9h-7d-2c.

Back 99

Good situation for you, you should bet about half the flop. You missed it, but there are no cards that people like to play so it probably missed him too.

Front 100

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes 3s-3d-3h

Back 100

Best possible flop. He may have made a worse full house. Notice how this is better than A-3-3, where you have an even better full house, but he probably has two-pair at best. No need to slowplay here, take the lead and wait for him to come after you.

Front 101

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes Js-5d-5h

Back 101

An excellent flop for you. He could have two-pair, which is losing to your two-pair. You want to check and trap a loose player. With this hand you want to check and trap a loose player, but bet vs a tight player who might be afraid to bet. Don’t give a free card to someone who put you on a pair and wont give you action.

Front 102

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes As-Kd-Qh

Back 102

Good flop for you but you wont make much $$. You wish he had KK or QQ but since he didn’t reraise pf that’s unlikely. May as well just bet into the pot. If he has 10s, he knows hes dead, and a check wont fool him. Just lead out and try to make some $$.

Front 103

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes Qs-Jd-Th

Back 103

This is a flop you definitely don’t like. The cards are high enough that they are likely to have hit many of the hands that would have stayed in against you. Probably straight draws. Check, but be prepared to call two moderate bets.

Front 104

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes 9s-8s-7s.

Back 104

This is ok if you have As, but otherwise very bad, straight + flush draws. The cards are low though, so straights are less likely. Lead out with a bet and try to find out where you stand.

Front 105

You have Ad-Ac, you raised 4x bb in third position, get called by one player behind you. Flop comes Qs-9d-4s.

Back 105

Good flop. Aces are still almost certainly good. Just lead out and hope the flop hit him somehow.

Front 106

You have Kd-Kc. You raised in third position. This time you were called by two players behind you. Flop As-Qd-Th

Back 106

dangerous, although you have gutshot. Essential to define your hand in one stroke. Lead out a good sized bet. Maybe 2/3 pot. Checking is bad since you will have no idea where you are.

Front 107

You have Kd-Kc. You raised in third position. This time you were called by two players behind you. Flop As-5d-3h.

Back 107

Not so bad but still dangerous. Lead out, if you encounter action, be done with it.

Front 108

You have Kd-Kc. You raised in third position. This time you were called by two players behind you. Flop 9s-7d-6s

Back 108

You don’t have Ks. Probably ahead, but drawing hands are too dangerous. Bet ¾ to entire pot. Need to squelch resistance immediately and cut off drawing hands.

Front 109

You have 9d-9c. Raise in fifth position of twice the big blind. Player in sixth position calls. You call on the button. Flop As-9s-4h

Back 109

Ideal flop. Hopefully someone has an ace-medium or ace-small. You problem is figuring out whether to bet or trap if they check to you and whether to raise or slowplay if they bet.

Front 110

You have 9d-9c. Raise in fifth position of twice the big blind. Player in sixth position calls. You call on the button. Flop As-Qd-5h

Back 110

bad flop. Likely to be behind with few outs. Fold when someone bets.

Front 111

You have 9d-9c. Raise in fifth position of twice the big blind. Player in sixth position calls. You call on the button. Flop 7s-4d-2h

Back 111

Good flop, you have an overpair to the board. If two checks to you, definitely bet about two-thirds of the pot.

Front 112

You have 9d-9c. Raise in fifth position of twice the big blind. Player in sixth position calls. You call on the button. Flop Js-Jd-6h

Back 112

Good flop. If noone has a jack you are best. If both check to you, bet 2/3 pot. If there is abet and a fold, just call. You are still alright until someone shows real strength, at which point you will have a tough decision.

Front 113

You have 9d-9c. Raise in fifth position of twice the big blind. Player in sixth position calls. You call on the button. Flop 8s-8d-6h

Back 113

Another good flop, since your pair is now higher than the board. If there is a check and a bet to you, you can call. If there is a bet and a call.the caller has a pair. You can call.

Front 114

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop As-Kd-Qh

Back 114

great flop, let them take the lead.

Front 115

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop 9s-8s-3h

Back 115

Great flop. You have 15 outs with two cards to come. Lead out and don’t mind a call.

Front 116

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop 8d-5h-2c

Back 116

good flop for texture, although it missed you completely, since you have two overcards. If its checked to you, try to steal the pot.

Front 117

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop 8d-7h-4c

Back 117

okay, you have gutshot. Jacks, tens, and nines are good for you, this hand plays well as a semi-bluff. Take the lead.

Front 118

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop Qd-9s-3c

Back 118

Good flop with oesd and backdoor flush. If two checks to you, you can bet as a semi-bluff or check and see a free card.

Front 119

You have 6d-6c. You call in fifth position. The button and small blind both call. BB checks. Flop As-Jd-9h

Back 119

Bad flop. Just fold.

Front 120

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop Js-Jd-5h

Back 120

Moderately good. If noone has a jack, your two pair is likely best. Be careful and fold to strong betting.

Front 121

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop 5s-4d-3h

Back 121

good flop for a bet.

Front 122

You have Js-Ts, two limpers in front you you, you call. Another limper behind you. Your third to act after the flop. Flop 7s-5d-4h

Back 122

good flop to bet.

Front 123

6-1-1 A-1030 B-2050 C-990 D-230 E-1010 F-1110 G-730 H-890 Sb-970(me) BB-1000. A, B, C call. D, E fold. F calls. G and H fold. Pot is 55. You have Ad-7d. Blinds 5/10.

Front 124

6-1-2 You call bb checks. Pot is 60. Flop 7s-3c-2c.

Back 124

Don’t get too excited. Bad position vs 5 opponents. Club draw on flop. No sense in checking, any turn card is dangerous with 5 opponents. Maybe bet 2/3 to ¾ of the pot. You might win now or cut down the opposition.

Front 125

6-1-3 you bet 55. bb, a, and b all fold. C calls. F folds. Pot is 170. Turn Td

Back 125

Good turn of events. Only one left, non-flush card on the turn. He may have a ten, but you have to risk it. Bet about 100 here. If he’s on a flush darw, which is most likely, he wont have correct odds to call. But don’t bet too much as not to be too tied up in the pot with a weak hand.

Front 126

6-1-4 you bet 160. C calls. Pot is 490. River 9c.

Back 126

You have to check, he called both your bets, and it doesn’t make sense to think he did that unless he had a hand already or a draw. If he had a draw, he just caught his flush. If he had a hand, it probably beats yours. No reason to bet.

Front 127

6-2-1 A-220 B-1360 C-2180 D-780 E-3670(me) SB-840 BB-860. Blinds 30/60. I have 8d-4d. BB and C have been very aggressive, contesting most pots. BB has made several check-raises. A to D fold.

Back 127

fold, your hand is too weak to play.

Front 128

6-2-2 you raise to 120. sb calls. BB raises 60. pot is 420.

Back 128

Your steal was a mistake since bb is aggressive and likes to contest pots. Players like that tend to fight when you attack their blinds. Your bet was too small as well. If the sb hadn’t folded, it would have been 210 to 60 for him to call, inviting odds. You needed to bet more, like 180 to 200. After the call and small reraise, your getting 420-60, so 7-1. call and see what happens.

Front 129

6-2-3 You call, pot is 480. Flop As-8c-3h. Sb and BB check

Back 129

no diamonds out there, but you have mp. The ace is bothersome, either one could have one and be trapping. Given what you know about the big blind, a small bet is an invitation for a check-raise. Check and take the free card. If he wasn’t a trapper, a bet of about half the pot would be normal. It would protect you and prevent other hands from drawing out and beating you.

Front 130

6-3-1 D-2000 E-1110 F-1340 G-710 SB-1080(me) BB-540. blinds 10/20. Ac-Jh. Folded to E who calls. F calls. G folds. Pot is 70.

Back 130

Reasonable hand, although your position postflop will be poor. Two limpers, they could have anything. You are justified in making a move for the pot. Bet about 100. usually you will take the pot.

Front 131

6-3-2 You raise 100. BB folds. E calls. F folds. Pot is 260. Flop 9d-7s-3d

Back 131

Should be a safe flop. He might have limped in with something like 10-9 or J-9 and has a pair, but generally, that’s a good flop although it missed. Make a standard ½ pot bet.

Front 132

6-3-3 You bet 100, opponent calls. Pot is now 460. turn 6c.

Back 132

your previous bet was too small, and a weaker hand might have hung around in the hope you had nothing either. Anyway, now check, you made a play at the pot, it didn’t work, now your in bad position with a-high. Just hope he checks behind.

Front 133

6-3-4 checked through. River is Qh

Back 133

bad card for you, it might have completed some draws. Check.

Front 134

6-3-5 you check, he bets 100. pot is 560.

Back 134

probably beaten, but getting 5.5-1 odds, which is too much. Call, you’re a-high might be best.

Front 135

6-4-1 A-2850(me) B-910 C-1220 D-750 E-1190 Sb-2210 BB-870 blinds 30/60. pot 90. sb and C are aggressive. As-7s.

Back 135

At a full table, this is clearly too weak to open in first position. Even at a seven-handed table, it is a little to weak to open here. I would open with Aj or A-10s.

Front 136

6-4-2 You raise to 120. C calls. Everyone else folds. Pot is 330. Flop Td-4h-3h

Back 136

Assess the texture of the flop. It missed you, but it is relatively harmless and probably missed them. Cards are all low, highest a ten. Two hearts could give him a flush draw, straights unlikely. If he was playing A-x or two face cards, he missed.

Front 137

6-4-3 You check, he bets. Turn Ad

Back 137

Your failure to bet was a minor error, since you don’t have anything, but his was a major error regardless of his hand. He should bet for all the reasons you should, plus he saw you check. You hit your hand, no reason to think your behind. Bet ½ to ¾ of the pot. Don’t overbet, because you want action from a loose player. But don’t bet too little, in case he is on a heart or diamond flush draw.

Front 138

6-4-4 You bet 60, he calls. River Jc.

Back 138

You bet too little on 4th street. He only had to put in 60 to call a 390 pot, so if he had a flush draw he was getting good odds. Bet out, thjere are no flushes or straights, he hasn’t been acting like someone with an ace and a high kicker, you probably still have the best hand. Bet ½ pot and see what happens.

Front 139

6-5-1 ten players, first hand of the tournament. Everyone has 1000. blinds 5/10. Jh-Jc in BB. A,B,C,D,E call. F, G, H fold. Sb calls. Pot is 70.

Back 139

Most of them have some suited cards, but some have nothing. Your jacks are probably best right now, but you need to raise and chase out some drawing hands. How much to raise? My opinion is to raise to 200. triple the current pot, and only legitimate hands will call.

Front 140

6-5-2 You bet 150, C and E call. Pot is 520. Flop Ad-7c-2c.

Back 140

You don’t like the A, but you have to play. You showed strength pf, so make a continuation bet, even vs two opponents. Vs a single opp bet ½ pot. The pot is large in relation to the stacks, so bet a little less, like 200.

Front 141

6-5-3 You check, C bets 20, E raises to 250. Pot has 790 in it.

Back 141

This is why you should bet rather than wait. Did E raise because he has an A, or did he raise because noone had shown strength? Time to fold.

Front 142

6-6-1 A-1020 B-770 C-2050 D-1300 E-1580 F-220 G1620 SB-830 BB-610. Blinds 15/30. As-Qs. A folds. B calls. C and D fold. Pot is now 75.

Back 142

A-Qs is a good hand, worth playing in any position. So a raise is appropriate. You should raise 3-4x the BB. Besides getting more $ in the pot, a raise will- 1.discourage players behind you from acting, hopefully getting you headsup. 2.Helps you have good position postflop. 3.Helps define your hand. Anyone that enters will be entering an already raised pot and will have to have a strong hand.

Front 143

6-6-3 You bet 200. B calls. Pot is 645. Turn Jd. B checks.

Back 143

You previous bet was a little too big. Players do this because they think a bigger bet is more likely to steal the pot. But a player who will fold to a 200 bet will almost always fold to a 160 bet. The player who calls a 200 bet will almost always call a 160 bet. Although I think B is ahead now, he checked, so take a free card.

Front 144

6-6-4 You bet 200. B calls

Back 144

Bad decision, you are throwing money away. He called a 200 bet on the flop so he has to have something, at least more than what you have. The Jd could help you but might have helped him. Why would he fold to this 200 bet when he didn’t fold to the last one.

Front 145

6-9-1 Final table, Sb is good. A-150k B-200k C-150k Sb-300k BB-700k(me) blinds 10/20k. Qc-Js. A,B,C all fold. Sb raises to 35k pot is 75k. costs 25k to call.

Back 145

QJ is certainly not a great hand at a ring game, but here the table is short and three players have folded. Headsup vs a random hand it is a favorite. Sb has already bet, representing a better-than-average hand, but the bet was curiously small offering 3-1 odds. You know he is a strong player, so a bet like this should mean you should stay alert, it may indicate a very strong hand. You have position, and your getting 3-1, so call.

Front 146

6-9-2You call. Pot is 100k. Flop 9d-7c-4h.

Back 146

Sb checks.

Front 147

6-9-3 You actually bet 60k, and he calls. Turn is 3c. Sb checks.

Back 147

Your 60k bet on the flop was a bit too large. You gave yourself 3-2 odds rather than 2-1. He called, indicating he caught some piece of the flop. But he didn’t bet this time. So he probably has a 7 or 4 in his hand. You still don’t have much, so check again.

Front 148

6-9-4 You check. River 7d. He checks.

Back 148

Don’t bluff here. His check was a setup, and you’ll be picked up. Your opponent doesn’t think you have anything, for the reason I explained earlier. But if you did have something, you would have bet on 4th street, to prevent him from getting a free card on the river. Since you checked, he was sure you didn’t have anything at that point. If you didn’t have anything on 4th street, the river card, another seven, surely didn’t help you. So now he knows he has the best hand, and hes giving you a chance to lose some money on the hand by trying to steal.

Front 149

6-10-1 A-1430 B-1420 C-610 D-620 E-1140 F-1620 SB-780 BB-2380(me) blinds 15/30. B and F are aggressive. 7h-7c. A, B, and C all call. D folds. Player E raises to 60. F and sb fold. Pot is 195.

Back 149

Your in the big blind, so its 30 for a 195 pot. You should call because of the combo of expressed and implied odds. Pot odds are 6.5-1. 7-1 against flopping trips. With implied odds, you have enough. One additional concern. There are 3 live players behind you. If one raises, you might not be getting good odds.

Front 150

6-10-2 You call for 30. A,B, and C also call. Pot is 315. Flop Td-6c-2h.

Back 150

This is a good flop for your sevens. Three low, rainbow, no straights. Vs just one of two players, you could lead out with a ½ pot probe bet. But your vs 4 opponents, its likely someone here has you beaten. Just check/fold to a bet.

Front 151

6-11-1 Table is conservative. Blinds 10/20. F-me-1030 G-1350 H-890 SB-900 BB-850. Folded you you with Ts-Th.

Back 151

Bet 60-180. You don’t want to fold, and a call is poor as well. You almost certainly have the best hand. You don’t want to fold, and a call is poor play as well. You don’t want to let in drawing hands cheaply. You want to win it now, or play it against no more than one opponent, 60 seems like a good number to chase out the riffraff.

Front 152

6-11-2 You bet 60. G, H, and sb fold, bb calls. Pot is 130. Flop 7d-6d-5s. BB bets 70.

Back 152

Figure out what he has. He could be betting a pair you have beaten, or he could be making a simple probing bet. The texture was good for you, no overcards to your pair. You shouldn’t be worried of a 9-8 or a 4-3. Its more likely he has one of the following five hands. 1-he paired the board 2-he made a straight 3-made a flush draw 4-bluffing a low-card flop 5-Big pair or trips. You can either just call or make a pot sized raise, something like 200 or 250. If you get reraised, your against a big pair or trips, and throw it away. The low risk approach is just to call and see the turn.

Front 153

6-11-3 You call. Pot is 270. Turn is Ah. BB checks.

Back 153

He could be making an elaborate trap, but he probably just made a play at the pot with high cards, and gave up. So just bet out.

Front 154

You have Ad-Qc in MP. You raise preflop and get called by one player behind you. You both have large stacks. Flop comes Qh-7c-3s. You make a bet, and you again get a call. You think his likely holding is Q-little. Fourth street is a 2. How can you extract the most from this hand.

Back 154

Ask yourself, whats the most we could reasonably expect to make from this hand? Two moderate sized bets. There is no reason to think that he is going to call a big bet with his hand, either now or on the river. You showed strength preflop and after the flop and all he has is top pair with a weak kicker, Unless he is very weak, he should not lose a lot of his chips with this hand. The best way to proceed is to make a modest bet on the turn that you know will be called. 30-40% of the pot. Then do the same thing on the river. Don’t try to check-raise.

Front 155

You have Ad-Qc and the flop is Qh-7c-3s. You read him for a pair of tens. You bet preflop and and you bet on the flop and were called both times. What do you do on 4th street.

Back 155

3 options. 1-Make a big bet, ¾- to pot size. A conservative play, very reasonable. You knock out a free card, and give yourself the best chance at winning another bet on the end. I like this approach is the board is moderately dangerous. 2-Check. This is a good play if the board is either very dangerous or very weak. If the board is dangerous you don’t necessarily want to commit more money to the pot. If the board is weak, you can afford to trap. Checking shows weakness, and is best used when you think that a bet on 4th street will prompt a fold, but a check may prompt a river call or bluff. This is also best used when you have position. If you act first, he may check behind you thinking he avoided a c/r. In this case he is less likely to conclude that you are weak. 3-Bet half the pot. This usually isn’t an optimal play. Since if you have a clear idea about his hand, you want to make a big bet or check. But it is important as a balanced strategy.

Front 156

4th street continuation bets.

Back 156

Many times you find yourself in the same position as the flop. You have a hand, it might be best, it might not. He might fold to a bet, might not. Sometimes make a 4th street cont bet of ½ pot or so. Sometimes check the flop and lead the turn. This will still give you info, and represent that the turn helped you.

Front 157

You have Qs-Js on in late position, and raise. Button calls you. Flop comes Qd-7c-2h. You bet, he calls. Turn is 6s. You bet, he calls. River is Kd

Back 157

you should bet. There are no straight or flush possibilities, but he has been calling the whole time. He has some sort of hand, but you don’t know exactly what. The K almost certainly didn’t help him. If he had two kings or KQ, you were beaten anyway. And if he had K-x his calls didn’t make sense. He probably has been calling with a worse queen or lower pair that you have beaten. So give him a chance to put in a little more money.

Front 158

Qd-Jc before the flop and make a raise from late position. Button calls. Flop comes Qs-7c-6h, you make another bet. He calls. Turn 8h. You bet, he calls. River 9h.

Back 158

Clearly not a bet except for a rare bluff. A large possibility he has been drawing to a straight or a flush, or both, and may now have hit his hand. If he missed he will fold, and if he hit, he will raise you. Check, and fold unless the pot odds are too tempting.

Front 159

Conditions for moving all-in on the turn

Back 159

1.Im a little short on chips, but not desperate. 2. I have a good, but not great hand, which might be best right now. 3.Im not looking for more action, Im just happy to win the pot.

Front 160

You have a solid hand, and you believe your opponent is on a draw. On fifth street, a card hits which either puts three flush cards on the board, or a seems to help a hand drawing at a straight. He bets. Guidelines?

Back 160

If hes betting at two or more people, fold. It’s just too likely that one of you is going to call him, and he knows that, so his bet represents real strength. 2.If he is a known bluffer, call. 3.If he is not a known bluffer, check pot odds. With 1-1 or 1.5-1, tend to fold. With greater than 2-1, tend to call.

Front 161

7-1-1 A-910 B-1040 C-750 D-1190 E-2180 Sb-810 BB-me-3120. Blinds 30/60. D is a strong player who has made c-bets. Kc-Jh. A,B,C all fold. D raises to 120. E and sb fold. Pot is 120.

Back 161

A call is reasonable here. You not strong, and oop, but 3.5-1 is good, noone else can come in.

Front 162

7-1-2 You call for 60. pot is 270. Flop Jc-5s-2s.

Back 162

You have top pair on a board with a good kicker. That’s a strong hand, you want more money in the pot. If you knew nothing about him, you would want to lead out. But he makes c-bets, so check-raise.

Front 163

7-1-3 You check, he bets 120. Pot is 390.

Back 163

Make a pot sized raise. If hes on a flush draw, don’t give him odds.

Front 164

7-1-3 you raise to 240. he calls. Pot is 750. turn 4d

Back 164

too small, he got odds of 5-1. Four probably didn’t help him, lead out for 350.

Front 165

7-1-4 You check, he bets 100, you call. Pot is 970. You have 2650 left, he has 720. River 7s.

Back 165

3rd spade came. So if he was drawing, he hit it. But he hasn’t been betting like he was on a draw- he led out after the flop, and on 4th street when he could have taken a free card. If you think hes been bluffing, check to induce a bluff, if not, check and decide if he bets. Either way, check is best.

Front 166

7-2-1 A-1090(me) B-1030 C-980 D-1480 E-1000 F-970 G-960 SB-1500 BB-990. blinds 5/10. Jc-Js.

Back 166

Calling is almost out of the question. You have to narrow the field. 3-4x BB.

Front 167

7-3-1 You raise to 30. B thru F all fold. The button and sb call. Bb folds. Pot is now 100. Flop 7s-6h-4h. sb checks.

Back 167

Great flop for you. Unlikely anyone called you bet with 8-5 or 5-3. Noone has shown strength, so you should still have the best hand. A pot sized bet should be enough to chase out drawing hands.

Front 168

7-3-2 You bet 100. button folds, but sb calls. Pot is now 300. turn comes 5d. Sb checks.

Back 168

Most players would check here, b/c 5d is scary, since it puts a straight on the board. But remember, if your opponent has been playing for a straight, hes supposed to have the five in his hand already. He probably wasn’t calling to an inside straight. Only two hands the 5 really helped. 98 suited or offsuit, it is a real longshot he called with that hand. The other that is more likely is 8-7, where he might have a loose call preflop, then called on the flop with top pair and a gutshot. He also might have two high hearts. Maybe A-7, less likely 6-5 or 5-4. You have to bet, you might win the pot, and he might have a heart draw. Bet 2/3 pot which will cut down his odds. Don’t bet so much that you cant get away if he makes a big raise.

Front 169

7-3B-1 A-800 B-2280 C-1260 D-1100 E-690 F-700 G-1320 SB-1000 BB-840. As-Qc, blinds 15/30. Table is generally tight. A raises to 60. B to E all fold. Pot is 105

Back 169

Call. At a tight table full of players. Assume their bets mean pretty much what they are supposed to mean. First position probably has a pair, maybe AK or AQ. You can call, but don’t get excited about your hand. Your position lets you call here.

Front 170

7-3B-2 You call, button and sb fold. Bb calls 30. Pot is 195. Flop Ts-Th-9c. BB checks. A bets 100.

Back 170

Fold. You missed the flop, his bet could be a cbet but you cant call because of the player behind you.

Front 171

7-3B-3 You call. BB folds. Pot is 395. Turn Jc. A checks.

Back 171

You shouldn’t try to steal here, but its not a hopeless play. A better approach would be just to take a free card, and see if you can make a hand. If you really wanted to steal you should bet 200 instead of 540. If he has nothing, it will chase him away, if he raises you all-in after you bet 200, you can decide what to do.

Front 172

7-3B-4 You go all-in, he calls. He has JJ for the full house. If you had bet 200, should he have gone all in right away or waited for fifth street.

Back 172

With the board showing jack-10-9 and two clubs, he should assume that you have a draw at something, either a straight or a flush. If he goes all-in now, the draw will force you to call. If he waits, and you miss, you will fold the river.

Front 173

7-4-2 You raise to 60. D and E fold. F calls. Sb folds. BB calls for 40. Pot is 190. Flop 8c-7s-6c. BB checks.

Back 173

great but not good. All cards lower than your pair, but possible flush or straight draws. Bet something like ¾ of pot. If you get raised. Be prepared to go all the way. Its unlikely you are facing someone with the high end of a straight and its very unlikely that anyone called before the flop with 5-4.

Front 174

7-4-3 You bet 160. F calls. BB folds. Pot is now 510. Turn Td.

Back 174

Bet a good amount here. If he has a nine, your beaten, but he is unlikely to have one. He is solid and tight and probably wouldn’t call a raise with A-9 or K-9.

Front 175

7-4-4 You bet 200. F calls. Pot is 910. River 4d.

Back 175

Now a straight draw on the other end. Its possible hes been calling all along and your dead. But its unlikely he has a 4 or 9.

Front 176

7-5-1 C-3920 D-900 E-560 F-80 G-910 You-SB-850 BB-1300. C is a wild man. Player G is seems solid. Js-Ts. A and B fold. C calls. D, E, and F fold. G calls. Pot is 105.

Back 176

since you are in the small blind your getting 7-1 and it is an easy call. The presence of an active player with a large stack should worry you, and it might make this a fold. But he already acted.

Front 177

7-5-2 You call for 15, the bb checks. The pot is 120. Flop Jc-3s-2s.

Back 177

About as good of a flop you could get without flopping a straight or flush. You have top pair+ a four flush, with the two low cards unlikely to help the other two players. How much to bet? You don’t mind callers because of the flush draw. Id bet 80 to 90. Check-raising wouldn’t be terrible, but you must frequently bet your good hands as part of a balanced strategy.

Front 178

7-5-3 You actually bet the pot, 130. The bb calls. Everyone else folds. The pot is now 380. The turn is Kh.

Back 178

The king didn’t help you, but it may not have hurt you. You still have to lead, and you are stepping into darkness. If you check, you still have to call a bet, and if you bet you have a chance to win the pot. Bet about ½ the pot.

Front 179

7-5-4 You actually bet 50, bb calls. The pot is now 480. river 5c.

Back 179

Not a good choice of bet size. All you have left is 2nd pair, and you have represented that from the beginning. So if you make a large bet, he will only call if he can at least beat 2nd pair. On the other hand, if you make a small probing bet, you might head him off from making a bigger bet which you will be compelled to call. So either check or make a small bet.

Front 180

7-5-5 you check, he bets 200.

Back 180

You must call getting 3.5-1. You cant be sure since he hasn’t shown any strength until his last bet.

Front 181

7-6-1 A-510 B-1230 C-1780 D-1110 E-300 F-770 G-810 H-1200 SB-730 BB-1570(me) blinds 15/30. 4s-3s. A calls. B folds. C calls. D,E,F fold. G calls. H folds. Sb folds. Pot is 135 you check. Flop Ac-2c-5c.

Back 181

You flopped a straight, but there are three flush cards. Some players are afraid to act, but you must not be. You have a strong hand. Its possible that you are beaten. But its more likely there are drawing hands that will beat you if you let them. If you don’t bet, they’ll bet at you and you will have no idea where you are. Make a big bet so a flush draw doesn’t get odds.

Front 182

7-6-2 You check. A and C check also. G bets 170.

Back 182

You can call, but since you didn’t lead out you have no idea about G’s hand. He might have a flush, he might have a high club. He might have an ace, he might be stealing. Better play is to raise to 350. If C goes all-in, you can throw it away. Otherwise, you can call. If someone has two clubs, you will lose either way. If someone has one club, you will win instead of losing.

Front 183

7-6-3 You call. A and C fold. Pot is 475. Turn is Qh.

Back 183

You have to lead out. If hes drawing to his flush, he will check behind and get a free draw. If he hasn’t made it yet, hes a 4-1. bet 200 or so.

Front 184

7-6-4 you check. He bets 200.

Back 184

Raise him all-in. He’s not acting like a guy who had the nuts on the flop. Instead of sucking money into the pot, he’s trying to chase people out with big bets. Think about it. Is this how you would play a lock hand? Also remember that a straight is a very strong hand. Probably still ahead now.

Front 185

7-7-1 C calls for 60. D folds. E calls. F calls. Sb calls for 30. pot is 300. blinds 30/60 Qs-Tc.

Back 185

Just check. You in bad position and don’t have much of a hand.

Front 186

7-7-2 You check. Flop Ts-9s-2d. sb bets 130. Pot is 430

Back 186

You have top pair, decent kicker. If sb had checked, you should have led out for maybe 2/3 or 200. The bet puts you in a much tougher position. Your in a sandwich, and there is no good way out. You don’t want to let the players behind you in, since they will have odds to draw, but you don’t want to raise, you don’t know where you stand, and there are still players to act. A call isn’t great, but it’s the best option.

Front 187

7-7-3 You call for 130. C calls. E folds. F calls. Pot is 820. Turn is Td. Sb checks.

Back 187

You have trip tens, there are two spades and two diamonds, so there are plenty of draws. You have the best hand now, how much to bet? Bet small enough to get people to call, but large enough to get the drawers to fold. The pot is big enough that getting a lot of new money is not as high a priority as winning the money already there. Bet about ¾ pot or 600. Anyone drawing to a flush will be getting 2-1. Don’t go all-in, it will chase away weaker hands.

Front 188

7-7-4 You bet only 320. C folds. F calls. Sb calls. Pot is 1780. River As. Sb goes all in for 1310.

Back 188

Because you didn’t bet enough on the turn. The small blind had odds to call a flush draw. He has been representing a flush draw, the third spade came, and now his bet says he has it. Also he is betting into two players, not just one, so he isn’t bluffing. I would guess he has something like Ks-Js, with a flush draw and two overcards to the board. Fold.

Front 189

3-2-1 A-550 B-550 C-1700 D-2000(me) SB-3150 BB-2050 blinds 50/100, I have Qs-4s. Blinds and loose and aggressive, A and C are tight, B seems average. ABCD all fold.

Back 189

I would let this hand go if I had no information on my opponents. It just is a crappy hand, 10-J suited or something like that would be better. If the players behind me were tight, and I had seen them fold to small raises, I would make a move here., you have to see how big of a raise they need to fold. These loose, aggressive players are exactly the kind you don’t want to steal against.

Front 190

3-3-1 Folded to you(E) with 5500. F-6050 G-5000 Sb-3300 BB-14400. Blinds 100/200. You have 8s-7s. You have won two of the last three pots without showing your hand. F is very aggro and likes to come over the top. G, is an active player. BB is unknown. 1-four folds to you, argument for raising.

Back 190

You might call with limpers before you, but here 4/9 players already folded, a raise might take the pot, you might win if called. 2-Your suited connectors are relatively low.-argument for folding 3-You won without showing a few hands-argument for folding. 4-Active players behind you with big stacks-argues strongly for a fold. Weight of evidence=fold

Front 191

You have Kd-Kc. You raised in third position. This time you were called by two players behind you. Flop As-Kd-7h

Back 191

Excellent flop. Very likely someone at the table made aces, and will lose his money. Check or lead out a small bet.

Front 192

6-6-2 You raise to 100. F and G and blinds fold. B calls for 70 more. Pot is 245. Flop 8s-7s-6c. B checks.

Back 192

You need to bet here. There is a good chance you have the best hand, if you don’t you could easily be a favorite to win. Also, a bet may make your opponents fold. I would bet about 160.

Front 193

7-3-3 You check. Pot is 300. River comes 2d. sb goes all-in for 960.

Back 193

Only a beginner would go all-in when he hit his straight because hes excited and doesn’t know better. A normal player would bet less. But if he is a beginner, why did he check on 4th street? The deuce didn’t make a straight unless he has A-3, in which case his first two calls don’t make sense. This betting pattern doesn’t add up so I would call. Although a very good player would do this hoping you would think in exactly this way.

Front 194

7-4-1 BB is wild and aggressive who likes to get in a pot and raise with anything, F seems solid and tight. C-910-me D-1070 E-2690 F-980 Sb-660 BB-2200 blinds 10/20 Th-Tc.

Back 194

You cant just call because your probably ahead, but you need to reduce the # of players. 3-5x BB. Go the high end of the range since you want as much of the BB’s money in the pot as possible.

Front 195

6-1-1 A-1030 B-2050 C-990 D-230 E-1010 F-1110 G-730 H-890 Sb-970(me) BB-1000. A, B, C call. D, E fold. F calls. G and H fold. Pot is 55. You have Ad-7d. Blinds 5/10.

Back 195

Although not thrilled with hand, only 55-5 to call, irresistible odds. Be aware you have a fundamentally weak hand in early postion.