(THIS ARTICLE IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH’S POST (article 10 of 11)

If you’re serious about playing even modest free poker, if you’re serious about tossing donkies into dung heaps, if you’re serious about moving average players to farm pastures, if you’re serious about holding an advantage over good players, if you’re serious about embarrassing skilled players, and if you’re serious about winning ‘serious’ amounts of money….then you’ll need to develop a ‘serious’ Player Note Log (PNL).

And, what is a Player Note Log? Well….it’s no more than a storage tool intended to house all of the information you’ve gathered about your competitors. It could be in your head….if you’re intelligent enough to retain vast amounts of data; I’m not. It could be a note book of some type….large or small; possibly similar to the one used by Greg Raymer. It could be a PC based spread sheet, or a self-designed PDF file. It could be a somewhat cumbersome file of Index Cards. It could be a 3-ring binder filled with ledger paper. Or, it could be any device for data retention that will ultimately suit your need to record solid notes.

And, what are the notes that you need to record? Or, what notes do I record? Better yet, what notes do the professional players record? Wait…possibly of even greater significance, what notes should be recorded concerning the players who participate in the NoPay free online poker games? Or, maybe none of these questions really matter.

What does matter is that I have already provided you with the necessary materials in Part 1 of this Article such that you should be able to record the ‘player notes’ that create the highest possible advantage for your individual gaming environments. Obviously, if you’re playing free texas hold em exclusively at NoPay, there need not be any sophistication to the type of notes you record. The vast majority of players here, as y’all well know, are about as proficient at the tables as would be a ‘Farm Animal’ costumed as Einstein.

If, on the other hand, you play for ‘real money’ in online poker, you’ll clearly want to be playing at a site that offers a ‘note taking’ option as part of their software. And, importantly, of the countless sites I have visited, the effort required to record notes is minimal. Usually a ‘right click’ on your mouse brings up the software’s note box. Granted, you’re gonna’ have to develop your own ‘note taking’ coding system. And, the codes are gonna’ have to be memorized in order for you to maximize their use during game play. But, if I’ve been able to do it, then you can also.

Next, if you’re playing in home games, even the less intelligent amongst us (including me), should be able to use their heads to retain sufficient player notes on the six to eight friends in any one game. Moreover, at least for me, I view a home game as a place to socially interact, and to seek out a form of entertainment. I’m not at all concerned with emptying the wallets contained within my friends’ pockets. Conversely, however, if you play in a non-social home game, quickly start to think of it as the equivalent of playing in a casino.

And, last, if you’re playing in a B&M card room (or casino).…well, there is ‘serious’ money involved, there should be ‘serious’ notes, and you’ve got a ‘serious’ job to do. Thus, here’s a reminder from Part 1 of this Article as to the ‘things’ you need in your PNL: your competitors’ style of play, your competitors’ everyday table habits, your competitors’ level of skill, your competitors’ emotions management capacity, your competitors’ betting patterns, your competitors’ risk tolerance, your competitors’ attention span, your competitors’ stack management ability, your competitors’ table tells, your competitors’ play habits, your competitors’ pocket card preferences, your competitors’ chat utterances, your competitors’ time clock utilization, and your competitors’ note taking ability.

Can you do all that? Can you ‘code’ all of that? Can you memorize all of the codes? It ain’t easy….but, the results are sure worth the effort. It’s what separates the ‘good’ players from the ‘big time’ players. It’s what separates the 3 and 4 figure winners from the 6 and 7 figure winners. It’s what separates the amateur players from the professional players. And, in all candor, it’s what separates the little known Pro’s from the big name Pro’s (and some Pro’s you’ve never heard of because they only play in cash games). Yet, it’s not for all of us….it’s a lot of work, and it’s time consuming. Plus, you CAN be a winner without ever taking a single note; especially here at NoPay.

Now, moving forward, it’s time for BUTZ; the ‘faux-acronym’ for biggest mistakes; where BUTZ could have been named ‘butts’, ‘bums’, ‘arses’, ‘asses’, or any word implying a degree of stupidity. And, for your edification, the two biggest mistakes made in every poker enclave….including NoPay, other Internet sites, home games, B&M venues, and elsewhere….are ‘lack of patience’ and ‘not paying attention to pot odds’. Of note, the combination of the two, is a clear indicator that the player is suffering from RCI.

If, by chance, you’re prone to making the first mistake, ‘lack of patience’, take the time to read the good Article posted by TRUMMY, or take the time to re-read Article 1 in this ‘Building a Bankroll’ series of Articles. The combined read of both Articles won’t take more than about 10 to 12 minutes of your time. And, if you follow the tutorials contained within these posts, you’ll be on your way to a relatively quick fix of the problem.

If, by chance, you’re prone to making the second mistake, ‘not paying attention to pot odds’, please re-read Article 04. Interestingly, you’ll find that you’re not alone. If you take a look at the number of views to each of the Articles, you’ll find that Article 04 holds the second highest view count. For good reason! The subject matter involves some arithmetic, and many of us are uncomfortable in the world of mathematics….many of us need a second or third attentive read of the text contained within the Article. And, it’s OK. No one will ever know how many times you’ve read the Article….it’s just you and your PC screen.

Or, If you’re making both mistakes, immediately stop what you’re doing, pack a light lunch, and get on the next bus to Donkeyville; the ‘Farm Animals’ will be delighted to know that you’re coming to stay with them. And, fear not! Rectal Cranial Inversion (RCI) is not a terminal disease….it merely stops you from utilizing any form of intellect at a poker table. You can still play, but you won’t ever win any money; not on a long-term basis anyway.

On to GUTZ; the next ‘faux-acronym’. And, if I were to use an alternate word, it would be ‘guts’. Where….you would need those ‘guts’ to include the conditional value of low Suited Connectors (3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 6/7, 7/8, and 8/9) in your play. Where….you would need those ‘guts’ to include Shifting Gears once you’ve gotten by the bubble (some very good players on this site fail to do so). And, where….you would need those ‘guts’ to handle the Risk Tolerance issues that exist (a major obstacle for many players who are trying to advance through the stakes levels). So, I’ll briefly present some commentary on all three components of GUTZ.

Suited Connectors….specifically, 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 6/7, 7/8, and 8/9….can possess a Positive Expected Value (+EV). However, the occurrence of a +EV happens only when you are seated in the following three spots at the table: Dealer Button, Small Blind, and Big Blind. Also, four or more other players must have called the big blind (creating a Family Pot). Both of the preceding conditions must be met; not just one of them, but both of them. And, needless to say, your cost to see the flop cannot be greater than the cost of the big blind.

The bottom line here can be simply stated. Given that it’s a Family Pot, given that you have good ‘notes’ on your competitors, given that each of the players who called the big blind have at least one paint card (if not two) in their respective pockets, you’re likely to see a flop that fits well with the low cards you’re holding. And, as an aside, I’ll note that many excellent players will also include ‘suited one-gappers’ in this type of play (by one-gappers I mean 3/5, 4/6, 5/7, 6/8, and 7/9). I don’t! But, they do….and, many of them have kicked my butt on more occasions than I choose to remember.

Shifting Gears….specifically post-bubble….is a mandatory step in order to ultimately arrive at the final table with a competitive chip stack. Your goal is not limited to picking up a small portion of the prize pool. Your goal includes the intent of taking down the winner’s share of the prize pool. And, if the better players in the game have developed usable notes to identify your approach to table play, you’re pretty much stuck in a position where the chip stack you currently hold isn’t gonna’ expand. They know your game, and they ain’t gonna donate to you. So, shifting gears becomes essential to placing an invisible ‘Null and Void’ stamp on your competitors’ note books.

And, last (relating to GUTZ), is Risk Tolerance. A subject matter, by the way, that deserves a full length Article unto itself….and, unquestionably, it’s one that I’ll put into print sometime in the not-too-distant future. For the moment, though, let me equate Risk Tolerance to a process that I don’t want you to test; ever….just play it out in your mind. Yet, it is exactly how I came to understand it….it is exactly how I came to play in high stakes games at the B & M card rooms. The next paragraph briefly describes how a well-known Professional Tournament Player (both an author and a friend) taught me about the parameters surrounding individual Risk Tolerance.

The Bankroll Management’s ‘Rule of 5%’ needs to enter the picture. So, hypothetically, let’s identify a bankroll of $10,000. And, the ‘Rule of 5%’ dictates that we can’t enter a buy-in tournament or a cash game with more than $500 (5% of $10,000 equals $500). Now….I want you to visualize five $100 U.S. bills in your hand. Look at them; green, valuable, possibly necessary to meet certain household expenses, and spendable….it’s real money. Can you rip them up? Can you shred them? Can you render them unrecognizable? Can you instantly part with them? Without suffering any form of emotional duress! If your answers are “No”, then your Risk Tolerance is less than $500. And, to find your Risk Tolerance, you’ll need to work your way down the monetary scale to the point where you’ve identified the amount of real money that you can destroy.

This now leaves us with TUTZ….the end of the ‘faux-acronyms’. Loosely translated, it means ‘total’, or the Italian word ‘tutti’ (all things). It’s each of the Articles; starting with Article 01, and ending with Article 11. It’s all of the books, penned by all of the authors, I’ve made reference to in Article 01 through Article 11. And, it’s the balance of the poker parlance to be addressed shortly. When all is added together, it equals 100% of the skills and assets you’ll need to bring to every game you play; sit-n-go, tournament, and ring. If you truly want to win money, you’re now able to do so.

What remains to be addressed? Just two items….one minor, yet important, the other major, yet beyond your control. The minor element is Poker Etiquette; where table chat issues and table courtesy issues should always be a part of your game play. The major element is Lady Luck; where you need to recognize that she perennially acts in a fair and unprejudiced manner. And, regarding the latter, no one should ever think that they’re either lucky or unlucky. She simply doesn’t permit any such thing to happen….certainly not over any extended period of time.

Now, let’s address Poker Etiquette; the manner in which you behave at the tables. It can’t possibly be a difficult undertaking for any of you. Simply allow a tutorial given by your parents to dictate your behavior….”if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. Thus, your chat box statements are either pleasant, or you avoid any chat whatsoever. Also, you never….again, never….be the player responsible for a ‘slow-roll’. I have literally seen fist fights in a casino because a player has had the arrogance to present a ‘slow-roll’ to his competitors.

For the purpose of your developing a precise understanding of ‘slow-roll’, here’s a definition: a ‘slow-roll’ is the last act in any one hand, perpetrated by the last player to call (where no other bets can be made), when that last player holds a Type ‘A’ NUTZ hand, and he chooses to delay the play by taking way too much time to either call or show his cards to the table. He’s being rude, he’s being antagonistic, and, sometimes, in a B & M card room, he’s been punched out because of it. Please….make a note to never do it. A ‘slow-roll’ is the most offensive of all behaviors at a poker table.

And, to finish this Article, Lady Luck takes center stage. Plus, the word ‘serendipity’….my favorite word….comes to the forefront; it means a fortunate accident. Yet, Lady Luck knows no accidents; she hands out her ‘good fortune’ and ‘unfortunate beats’ with absolute equality. She favors no one, she disfavors no one. Over time, each and every one who plays the game of poker will benefit from her actions, and each and every one who plays the game of poker will be hurt by her actions. Plus, when the good and the bad are tallied over any long-term period of time, the end result of her actions are a whitewash….she allows nothing else.

Certainly, there are stretches of time when cards appear in pockets, flops, turns, and rivers where serendipitous results accrue to any one player. Yet, there are also stretches of time where disastrous results accrue to any one player. And, you need to take the good with the bad. If it’s ‘good’, silently tell Lady Luck “thank you”. If it’s ‘bad’, actively exercise your first poker skill….Patience. Most importantly, accept the fact that rarely does any one win a tournament without one, or more, good tidings from the magical, mystical Lady.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

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In this, the penultimate free poker education lesson in the Bullding a Bankroll beginner to intermediate poker training series we’re looking at what you need to do to bring your solid poker skills skill-set upto the 100% mark.

So, Michael, take it away:

I suppose that two or more of the above words might make you think that I’m writing this Article in a language unknown to mankind; ZUTZ for one, TUTZ for another. But, as is every so often the case, they’re simply an example of the relative frivolity I put to use in creating ‘non-English’ words that serve me a reasonably intelligent ‘faux-acronym’ purpose.

That being said, I sincerely hope that all five ‘non-words’ will help you as well. And, you can opt to use my bastardization of the King’s (Queens  English, or you can choose to create your own version of a monarch’s set of ‘faux-acronyms’. Either way, once the inherent poker principles that apply to each word or acronym are absorbed into your game play routines, you’ll be sitting down at every game you enter with a 100% command of the multi-dimensional aspects of quality poker play (assuming, of course, that you’ve read all the free online poker coaching Articles….and, a number of the better poker books; written by Harrington, Caro, Gordon, Unger, Brunson, and others).

So, we’ll begin with the first of the five odd-sounding words; NUTZ.

In the instances where you possess very specific knowledge about your competitors’ style of play, about your competitors’ everyday table habits, about your competitors’ level of skill, about your competitors’ emotions management capacity, about your competitors’ betting patterns, about your competitors’ risk tolerance, about your competitors’ attention span, about your competitors’ stack management ability, about your competitors’ table tells….there is, in fact, more than one type of hand that is guaranteed to win the pot.

And, when all of the ‘competitor data’ is known by you, playing the NUTZ hand doesn’t always mean you’re playing the best hand. Surprised? I guess you should be! It’s certainly an odd way to define a NUTZ hand.

Curious? You gotta’ be! Yet, I can’t say that I blame you. It all sounds so bizarre. However, please accept my belief, and the belief of countless other poker professionals….by vocation, or avocation….that there are two different types of NUTZ hands. A ‘simple’ one, and a ‘complex’ one.

The ‘simple’ one….well, you, me, and all of our families are undeniably familiar with; it’s 2 pocket cards, in combination with the 5 board cards, creating a 5 card hand that can’t lose. Clearly, this type of NUTZ hand requires no further discussion on my part. I call it a type ‘A’ NUTZ hand. You win, you’ve got the best 5 cards; the contents of the pot get moved to your stack. And, you further the process of ‘Building a Bankroll’.

The second, not black and white I should note, is a touch harder to understand, and it’s even more difficult to use with a degree of accuracy that equates to 100%. But, it not only can be done, it’s done with so much regularity that you might find the whole concept somewhat incomprehensible.

Yet, the seasoned Professional cash and free poker online player uses it to stash additional cash in their pocket every single day that he or she plays. And, there’s no reason that you can’t do the very same thing.

It has everything to do with ‘knowing your opponent’, and it has nothing to do with whatever cards you may be holding.

If you’re a Donk, or if you prefer to briefly think like one, you can call it a bluff….a semi-bluff….a shot in the dark….a chance at redemption….a hope for vindication….a flirt with Lady Luck….a madman’s fantasy. However, I’ll never call it by any of those names.

You see, when a bet always takes down the pot, always produces a win, always adds to your chip stack, it can’t be any of the above…it’s just a winning play; it’s a NUTZ hand. I call it a type ‘B’ NUTZ hand.

Now, if you truly understand this second type of NUTZ hand, then you’ve ‘Zoned’ in (‘Z’ as in ZUTZ) on your opponent. If you don’t understand this second type of NUTZ hand, then you’ve got a bit of work to do (and we’ll do that ZUTZ work together in this free online poker instruction Article).

For the moment, though, accept my proposition, accept the professional players proposition, that a NUTZ hand is any play that guarantees a win….or, guarantees an extremely high long-term ROI (Return On Investment).

Keep in mind that the size ‘B’ NUTZ hand relates to ‘knowing absolutely everything about your opponent’ (again, it has nothing to do with whatever cards you might be holding). And, unless you were a member of one of my No Limit Ring Game Classes, you probably have little or no idea as to what I’m talking about. Now, you’re not alone; there have only been about 240 students to-date (including 12 present day students).

These students have all learned to record salient information about their opponents. And, subsequent to their individual ‘note taking’ tasks, when that ‘note’ information is used properly by each of them, it guarantees a win….or, if nothing else, it guarantees a Return on Investment (ROI) that exceeds approximately 110% (i.e. for every $100 any one of them put into play, the user of the type ‘B’ NUTZ hand gets back at least $210; a ROI of 110% (or more)). This, by the way, vastly exceeds the Professional Players average ROI of about 40 to 50 percent.

Clearly, it’s one thing for me to offer a general description of the type ‘A’ (simple) and type ‘B’ (complex) NUTZ hands, however, unless I get you to completely comprehend all that is involved with the task of being attentive to your poker play environment (ZUTZ; zoning in on all players, all actions, at all times), the fact that there are two different types of NUTZ hands isn’t going to do you one iota of good.

Why? First off, you already know how to play the type ‘A’ hand; so you’d be learning nothing new. And, second, you’ll never be able to successfully use the type ‘B’ NUTZ hand, unless you fully grasp all that is involved with the composition of ZUTZ.

This being the case, the timing is appropriate to welcome three new elements to your ever expanding skill set; and, these three elements combined make up the totality of my crazy acronym ‘ZUTZ’ (a faux-acronym).

The first is a Consistency of Focus (COF), the second is a Player Note Log (PNL), and the third is an awareness of Competitor Table Tells (CTT). And, while all three are far removed from nuclear physics, none of the three will be learned by the ‘Farm Animals’….they’ve learned nothing to-date, so I can’t imagine they’ll start now. For one thing, if nothing else, they almost all suffer from RCI.

The herds of pasture dwellers….almost all of them….are, to my belief, afflicted with the dreaded poker disease Rectal Cranial Inversion (RCI); an ailment that increases anus functionality, and, concurrently, significantly, and in direct proportion, decreases brain functionality.

The ‘Farm Animals’, most of whom are suffering from RCI, will continue to fling chips around as though they were immersed in a contest to discover who amongst them is today’s king of the dung pile. The winner, I might add, is always the jackass who has accumulated the most ‘nothings’….they must have a way of keeping score, but I’m not familiar with the ‘dead flies in a heap’ counting method; it’s my understanding that they use this to accurately, or erroneously, maintain a scoring list.

Now, zoning in on your opponents table behavior (ZUTZ) begins with a powerful resolve on your part….no exceptions.

When you’ve chosen to sit at a table, you must also chose to fully commit your eyes and mind to all that is happening….all that has happened….and all that is about to happen. No one becomes a very good poker player without a complete and total commitment to Consistency of Focus (COF).

Should your COF be absent during a game, you’ll invariably attain the level of no more than ‘just an average poker player’. I, for one, would find that unacceptable….I think you should also.

Thus, the Consistency of Focus that I make reference to in this free online poker training Article (and in prior Articles) is more than just a suggestion by me; you’d be well advised to view the task as a fundamental part of your ‘winning future in the game’.

You can’t allow your eyes or mind to wander while seated at the table….any table. If you were to permit either to happen, you could easily miss a key piece of information; something so important that your tournament life, or cash game life, could be put at risk in a yet-to-be-played hand. Remember, we don’t play to lose….that outcome is the primary subconscious goal of the gambler.

Plus, without complete and exacting focus, you’ll never be able to record truly accurate notes about your competitors’ play habits, play styles, pocket card preferences, betting patterns, chat utterances, time utilization, and more….all of which, once properly notated by you, could make the difference between his dispatch of you to the ‘Farm Animal’ filled losers domain, or your dispatch of him to the very same pastures of stench and filth. Where, I might add, there are no ‘acronyms’, faux or otherwise….quite possibly the only positive about the place.

Consistency of Focus (COF) is a pre-requisite to maintaining a Player Note Log (PNL). Plus, Competitor Table Tells (CTT) is an integral part of a PNL. The three are all closely aligned with one another.

And, all three acronyms, or sub-acronyms, are components of the ‘faux-acronym’ ZUTZ. The COF aspect of this three way relationship requires no further explanation on my part….and, you must recognize it’s significance in your multi-dimensional approach to the game.

Your eyes and mind are always occupied while seated at a table, your focus is intense; interruptions are an absolute ‘No-No’. Don’t play if you can’t concentrate on everything happening at the table.

Moreover, you don’t ever take a seat in a game when you’re dealing with an Emotions or Stress Management issue of any kind.

If one exists, you must automatically ‘sideline’ yourself. Stress that may be sourced in family matters, work concerns, financial problems, dating dilemmas, health worries, bankroll misfortunes, or anything else that elevates your emotions to the forefront of your thoughts, are all more than justifiable causes for you to be uninvolved with poker. Deal with the issue first, and, when it’s resolved, completely resolved, you can once again deal with the dealer.

Now, before any discussion of a Player Note Log (PNL) can take place, you’ll need to make yourself aware of fairly common Competitor Table Tells (CTT). However, the ‘tells’ to be described relate ONLY to online poker play….not B & M play.

What tells? It’s a game on a PC! I know, but there are quite a few. The most common, the simplest, and the easiest to pick up on at the outset, are as follows:

• Time clock utilization
• Chat box statements
• Underbets
• Overbets.

Often, a player with a really good hand will bet quickly….or, a player with a really good hand will bet slowly. You’ll need to focus on the way each of your competitors bet when they’re in the mix; not everyone does this, so be careful before jumping to a quick, and possibly false, conclusion.

Alternately, a player with a bad or ‘drawing’ hand might bet slowly….or, a player with a bad or ‘drawing’ hand might bet quickly. Again, you’ll need to focus on the way each of your competitors bet when they’re in the mix; remembering, of course, that not everyone does this….exercise caution before arriving at what could be a false conclusion.

And, to put the above ‘possible’ tell into perspective, make sure you’re waiting until the hand ends before you decide that there could have been a tell. Then, after seeing a reasonable number of similar time clock utilization’s by any one competitor, after seeing the very same type of hand being played by that particular competitor during just about all of the time clock utilization’s he/she has exercised, then, and only then, are you in the position where you can decide that you have identified a tell….or, a ‘possible’ tell.

A careful read (literal) of chat box statements can easily identify another tell. The “I gotta go, so I’m all-in”, or, “Time for dinner, see you guys”, or, “Enough for me, I’m outa here”, are all potential indicators of a powerful hand. Not every time it’s said, but when it is consistently said by the same competitor, and when the outcome of the hand consistently reveals a ‘good’ or ‘winning’ hand from that competitor, would you not learn that the individual who is chatting is essentially ‘tossing the bull’ to everyone in the game.

And, conversely, there are instances where the very same utterances could mean that the player really is leaving….thus, it presents you with a possible opportunity to play your current hand with weaker cards (versus the quality of cards you might normally play).

Or, think for a moment about how many times you’ve seen a Bozo display his pocket cards after he took down a pot. Sure, it’s not chat, but it might as well be. He’s providing you with visual information….when he never needed to do it. Whenever someone does ‘show’ their cards, the information must be considered a ‘tell source’. It may not be. Yet, over time, you’ll be able to determine whether it is or isn’t.

And, last, the Competitor Table Tells include both overbets and underbets.

An overbet being a wager that significantly exceeds the size of the pot, and an underbet being a wager that is significantly lower than the size of the pot. Both types of bets could be ‘tells’….again, when they are consistently done by the same individual (and verified at the conclusion of the hands).

The overbet is often put forth by a player who believes that he has the current best hand, and doesn’t want anyone drawing against him. The underbet is often put forth by a player who has a NUTZ hand, and wants everyone else to be drawing against him.

There are other CTT’s, and you’re more than capable of identifying them. And, while the underlying component of discerning ‘tells’ is your Consistency of Focus (COF), neither the unrelenting focus that you bring to every table, nor the invaluable ability that you use to ‘pick up’ on ‘tells’, will serve you any valid purpose unless you have a way of accurately recording the information you’ve gathered. Stage right! Here comes the Player Note Log (PNL).

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

(THIS ARTICLE CONTINUED IN NEXT MONTH’S POST)

Next in your free poker training strategy lesson course is The Nutz, Zutz, Gutz, Butz and Tutz equals 100% – Part 2
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In this free poker training strategy lesson we continue our education on managing our money. If you’ve not read the first part go to it here.

(THIS ARTICLE IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH’S POST Article 8 of 11)

You find yourself in very diverse company. The crowd is composed of all types of people…all of whom possess all kinds of reasons for taking their respective games to the free poker tables here at NoPay, and elsewhere.

Some are present to be social, others are present for entertainment, many are around for ‘poker promiscuity’….they’d be the chipflingers and imbecilic donkeys….and, countless players participate solely to flirt with Lady Luck; never realizing that their thoughtless play parallels their potentially biggest real-life problem.

Yet, you’ve opted to join because of a dual interest; you want to learn as much as you can about the game, and, you want to win….not pride, not ego, just money. Aside from your quest for a 100% command of the multi-dimensional aspects of the game, winning money has been the sole purpose for your read of these free poker training Articles….’Building a Bankroll’. And, you’re not flirting with Lady Luck….you don’t have a gambling problem, you play with an advantage. Or, you should be playing with an advantage; this is Article 09.

Yet, as highlighted above, many of the others who have chosen to participate in your games are not at all aligned with your duality; their involvement at the felt is founded in reasons that you likely have little understanding of.

Nor, in the absence of a very ‘good read’ on your part, you’ll never have an understanding of their wanton rationale for participation in any poker gaming environment.

Please note, however, that my reference to a ‘good read’ is not about an astute observation you’ve made at the table…it’s not figurative, it’s actually literal. There exists a book that I believe to be a must read for everyone involved with poker.

The book is so good that It has been made into a ‘knock-off’ screen play on more than a half-dozen occasions, and each of the films were fairly well done. One of the knock-offs used the same title as the book. And, once you’ve read the book, assuming you’re a movie buff, you’ll quickly identify all of the film titles; including ‘Rounders’.

So, by whatever means possible, find the time to get the book into your hands, then find the time to read and comprehend the constant subtlety presented by the manuscript. You will spend no more than a 5 to 6 hour period of time to finish this pleasurable read.

Yet, you’ll spend the balance of your lifetime benefiting from the singular lesson presented by the author: Fyodor Dostoevsky (long ago, and to this day, considered to be a major contributor to what has been for years described as classic Russian literature).

The books’ title is ‘The Gambler’. It is one of the least known books that were penned by Mr. Dostoevsky.

However, it was the only book he wrote that has any bearing on your world of poker. More specifically, it’s the only book that will immerse you into the mindset of the vast majority of participants who join you at the tables. The manuscript is a novel where gambling is the central theme to the story line.

Yet, what the book is going to teach you has as much value as almost all of the poker books you’ve ever read combined. The lesson lies in the gamblers mind set…how he thinks, why he thinks it, and what his goal is; yes, goal (singular).  Get the Gambler on Amazon

Granted, the goal will never become an open admission on the part of the gambler….ever; unless the gambler is in the private confines of a psychiatric practitioners’ office.

However, no matter how difficult it may be for you to come to believe the truth of the goal, the fact is that the vast majority of gamblers all share this common goal: A GAMBLER GAMBLES TO LOSE (with but one caveat: a minority of gamblers do share a less self-destructive goal; they gamble for entertainment).

Clearly, while I recognize that the five capitalized words above may have come across as a complete shock, the reality of those words are going to add a rather large amount of money to your respective bankrolls. Also, not one of you should be a gambler…not in this series of free poker training Articles, not if you’ve paid attention to my written words, not ever. Your money should only enter the pot when you’re in an advantaged position. It’s not your goal to lose; it’s their goal….the gamblers goal.

Yet, in order to extract money from the game, you’ll need to apply all of the lessons you’ve learned from the previously posted Articles, from the quality poker books you’ve read, from the poker forums you’ve participated in, from your poker playing experiences, from your personal poker practice sessions, and from this newest lesson; the gamblers’ mindset.

But, how do we use this lesson such that it presents us with a clearly defined advantage?  I believe the answer lies within your Consistency of Focus (COF)…the constant attention you give to all that is happening at the tables during your games. And, I have complete confidence that each of you holds the ability to identify the gambler, or gamblers, at any poker table.

I believe that they each display an imaginary ‘sign’ which tells most of you that their real names are Bozo….or Dumbo….or ChipFlinger….or MeatHead. They also regularly put forth ‘literal’ plays that quickly let you know about their thirst for action, their quest for excitement, and their lust for Lady Luck.

In the end….with their action, excitement, and fantasies aside….since a gambler is playing to lose, and since you’re playing to win, I need you to visit a Library, I need you to borrow the book, I need you to read the book, I need you to learn the gamblers mindset, and then I want you to use the newly acquired knowledge to your advantage.

Go ahead….ask! “Why read the book?”.  “Why spend 5 hours absorbing Mr. Dostoevsky’s words?”.

The answer to both of these questions resides in a very simple premise. One that should be easily understood. YOU DON’T GAMBLE…MANY OTHERS DO. Not everyone, but countless players that you’ll end up competing against do gamble.

And, as long as these players remain a constant at your tables, and they will, you’re going to regularly strip them of their cash. Plus, you’ll have assisted them in attaining their subconscious goal of losing….in some ways, you’re doing them a favor.

Now, let’s identify the types of actions these gambler players routinely include in their game play; actions that are not only the rudiments to their gambling-based, and problematic, constant involvement in the game, but are also the fundamental cause for their money to rapidly become your money.

First, and foremost, they’ll play pocket cards that possess a Negative Expected Value (-EV); they possess ‘zero’ patience, and they want to participate in almost every hand.

Think for a moment about how many times you’ve seen them play Ace/Rag from any position at the table. Think for a moment about how many times you’ve seen them play unsuited connectors from any position at the table. Think for a moment about how many times you’ve seen them play King/Rag suited, or Queen/Rag suited, from any position at the table. And, think for a moment about how many times you’ve seen them play Rag/Rag suited, be they connectors or not, from any position at the table.

Truthfully, the number is so high, y’all can’t count the times you’ve seen these plays made by others. And, since all of the plays carried with them a Negative Expected Value (-EV), you also can’t count the number of times these plays have significantly reduced the stack sizes of Mr. and Mrs. Gambler; their money has gone to one or more of the players whose ‘Style of Play’ is similar to the ‘Style of Play’ you bring to the table.

Next, focus briefly on a Gambler’s propensity to overplay pocket paint. Whether it be Ten/Jack offsuit, or Ace/King suited. And, everything in between. Does pocket King/Jack offsuit carry with it a Positive Expected Value (+EV) from Early Position?

No, it doesn’t. Does pocket Queen/Ten suited carry with it a Positive Expected Value (+EV) from Early Position? No, it doesn’t. Does pocket Ace/Queen unsuited carry with it a Positive Expected Value (+EV) from Early Position? No, it doesn’t.

And, if you were using the ‘print out’ of your PPM (Playable Pockets Matrix), or using the section of your brain where you’ve committed the Matrix to memory, the "No" answers given to all three of the above questions should have been shouted aloud by all of you.

Yet, the Gamblers at the table are completely unaware of the long-term negative consequences associated with the way they all play these pockets. And, play them they will…with a recurrent benefit to you that is something of a ‘Christmas in July’.

Plus, they’ll perform the very same ‘Insanity Dance’ regarding the Middle Position pocket cards that carry a Negative Expected Value (-EV). Additionally, they’ll regularly participate in ‘Dung Tossing’ regarding the Late Position pocket cards that carry a Negative Expected Value (-EV). It’s nothing more than their way of playing.

Hey, they’re gamblers; they don’t know how to win. And, they’re not going to put themselves through any tutorial where they could learn to win.

Furthermore, they’ll just about always put money into the pot without any regard for the Pot Odds they’re receiving…why would they care, they’re gambling. Plus, they’ll initiate betting into a pot with a dollar amount that allows the good players to call because they fail to recognize that the pot odds their bet created justify calls by players with legitimate draws.

Again, why would they care…they quite literally have no idea that Pot Odds are a tool used by good players.

Of even greater negative consequence to the gambler, is their ignorance of the semi-complicated method used by the good players to factor Implied Odds into possible ‘calling’ situations.

Many gamblers wouldn’t be able to give you a single hint as to an accurate description of Implied Odds; and, most of the remaining gamblers, those who could describe Implied Odds, almost never allow Implied Odds to enter into their thinking while they’re playing and betting. Why would they care? They’re gambling.

And, while the gambler overtly believes that he’s playing to win, he has no cognizance of the covert, or subconscious, goal he truly brings to the table. Let’s all remember Dostoevsky’s accurate insight regarding a gambler’s mindset. He is gambling with the unknown goal, intent, purpose, and desire to lose.

There’s more…so much more. The gambler is almost always an aggressive player; with a complete absence of any ability to lay down premium cards. The gambler has little, or no, patience; he’s at the table to play as many hands as he can.

The gambler has little, if any, regard for money; he simply views it as disposable, or replaceable. And, the gambler possesses an extraordinarily quick ’tilt’ mechanism; he just got beat, and he now thinks it’s his turn to win.

Does any of this remind you of people you’ve played with at free online poker sites such as NoPay….at Home Games….at Card Rooms….at B&M’s….at Internet real money venues? It should…these types of players fill many of the seats in all the games you’ve opted to join. They’ve done so in the past, they do it now, and they’ll do it in the future.

The gambler plays only his cards; he’ll rarely, if ever, bother to hypothesize what may, or may not, be held as pocket cards by others.

Frankly, he doesn’t really care what cards are held by others. If he/she is holding premium cards, or near-premium cards, or Ace/Rag cards, he/she is generally in the pot through, and including, the post-river betting.

The gambler always overbets AA, KK, QQ, any A/K, any A/Q, and any Ace/rag…plus, he’s so aggressive that he most often does likewise with pocket JJ and Pocket TT….together with all of the low pocket pairs.

And, he has more tells than the young man who has just been invited to an ‘introductory carnal knowledge’ experience. All you need to do is maintain your Consistency of Focus (COF); the gamblers plethora of tells will become patently obvious to you.

Of profound importance, keep in mind that the gambler requires lots of encouragement. You don’t want him ‘sulking’ off with a feeling of despair. You want him leaving the table with a sense that he simply got unlucky, and that he should look forward to tomorrow.

His presence, on any one day, adds to the potential amount of money you can win…you want him around; you’ll need to openly verbalize sentiments that boost his ego, sentiments that give him a sense of pride, and sentiments that create the false belief that he’s a good player.

Clearly, you don’t ever want to present him with any advice on how to play the game. That would be akin to telling the young male with the ‘initial carnal knowledge’ invitation that he needs to stay away from the willing and forward female who made the offer because his Mom told him “Don’t talk to strangers”.

Also, you can never engage in any type of ‘smack’ talk with the gambler; you’ll simply need to leave him alone.

If you suffer any loss to him because of a Lady Luck induced turn or river ‘suck-out’, you actually need to do the exact opposite of ‘smack’ talk…you need to go out of your way to congratulate him. You want him believing that he’s got your number; you want him around. He’ll eventually be the source of a whole bunch of money flowing in your direction.

He’s got the problem, you’ve got Dostoevsky’s book, and you now own about 90% of all the poker knowledge you’ll ever need to become a consistent winning player.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next in your free poker training lessons strategy lesson course is The Nutz, Zutz, Gutz, Butz and Tutz equals 100% – Part 1
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In this free poker strategy we’ll look at a critical part of poker success – money management. If you have no skill here then even if your playing skills are amazing you will end up broke.

Please understand that in the next three paragraphs I will not be pontificating. Nor, will I be trying to tell you how to run your life….or, how to handle your money. Both of these responsibilities belong to you, and, in all candor, neither is any of my business. But, since I’m about to detail my thoughts on Bankroll Management, Stack Management, and a third subject matter (as all three relate to poker), I wanted to make mention of your first, and foremost, money management priority.

It would be terribly difficult to handle the everyday financial demands you have concerning yourself and your family if you weren’t capable of properly managing your money. Just about everyone has monthly bills for shelter, food, clothing, utilities, transportation, insurance, health, and a myriad of other ‘mail box’ notices calling out for a portion of your hard-earned income.

Then, when all of your monthly obligations have been met, the amount of money remaining in your possession….by the definition of Economists….is known as ‘disposable income’. However, you not only have the task of handling current bills, you also have the task of preparing for future bills. You can label this as ‘Savings’ or ‘Retirement Planning’ or  ‘Emergency Funding’.

And, it’s often suggested by money management professionals that a minimum of 15% of your monthly income take an immediate path down the allocation road to ‘preparing for the future’. Clearly, not everyone can do this, not everyone can afford to do this, and, not everyone even knows to do this. That’s it, enough said….the first money management task is history; I made mention of it….you can take it as ever you wish.

NoPay is a free poker site….and, you can only win money; never make a deposit, never suffer a loss of your own funds. Your involvement in the game of poker, however, isn’t always free. Many of you play in Home games, play in Card Room games, play in Brick and Mortar (B &M) Casino games, and play in online poker real money games.

Moreover, just about everything I’ve addressed in this series of free poker strategy Articles was intended by me to be used not only here at NoPay, but also at ‘real money’ games. That being true, the first money management task was important.

No one should ever be involved with a real money poker game who has not properly handled their first, and primary, money management responsibility; so, if you can’t afford to play, don’t play.

The second money management consideration deals with playing online poker for real money on the Internet. And, as mentioned above, I suspect that any number of you, from time-to-time, partake in this gaming venue….possibly, some of you do so frequently.

Well….I can’t stop you from doing this. But, I can strongly advise against your participation in the Internet poker play community; at any of the ‘real money’ poker sites.

And, I’ll tell you why. With the advent of inexpensive, or free, communication methods….such as cell phones, long-distance land lines, PC messenger services, private chat sites, text messaging, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, dummyberries, or whatever….you would have to be fairly unencumbered with intellect to not recognize that many of your opponents are conversing with one another during game play.

Plus, the nature of their chat is not about the weather….it’s about online poker. More specifically, it’s about the hand that you’re currently playing.  Fundamentally, you must accept the fact that cheating exists on the Internet. And, you must recognize that cheating is not limited to just communication issues.

Both Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet Poker recently had software cheating scandals well publicized; as has been the case with a number of other reasonably prominent on line poker sites. And, the bottom line is fairly simple: you don’t belong in a gaming environment where cheating occurs; or, you don’t belong in a gaming environment where the possibility of cheating even exists.

Get away from the ‘real money’ Internet sites, and place yourself in a ‘trusted’ Home Game, an ‘automated shuffle’ local B &M Casino game, or an ‘automated shuffle’ local Card Room game.

And, take note, that the ‘automated shuffle’ is an incredibly important consideration. Without it, a dealer and a player could be conspiring against you, and everyone else at your table….with a degree of frequency that you’d spend the better part of a month identifying. Plus, during that month, you’d experience a serious ‘hit’ to your bankroll.

That last word….bankroll….brings us to the third money management topic for this free poker strategy Article. And, while what I am about to convey has bearing on all of your poker playing environments, the central theme to my scribblings will principally relate to your gaming at NoPay….as it should; you’ve spent approximately six or seven months ‘Building a Bankroll’, and you most assuredly should know how to properly manage the bankroll you’ve worked so hard to build. Otherwise, what the hell have we been together for….we ain’t swappin’ spit, and we ain’t cohabiting in the ‘Farm Animal’ pastures.

The primary governance regarding bankroll management (not stack management) is ‘The Rule of 5%’.

In rudimentary English, this rule translates to never committing more than 5% of your current bankroll to any gaming venture. If your current bankroll stands at 10,000 FreeD’s, you can not participate in any poker game where it would cost you more than 500 FreeD’s to buy into the game (500 is 5% of 10,000).

Should you lose the 500, you’d be left with a bankroll of 9,500. And, your next foray into the poker gaming enclave would be limited to the use of 5% of the 9,500; or, 475 FreeD’s. Obviously, had you won when you used the 500 FreeD’s, and your bankroll expanded to something like 12,000 FreeD’s, your next foray into the poker gaming enclave would also be limited to the use of 5%….yet, that 5% would now become 600 FreeD’s (600 is 5% of 12,000).

And, any win, or any loss, will always adjust the amount of your bankroll that is available for your use in your next poker session (although nothing is carved in stone mandating that you use 5%; you’re simply limited to the use of up to 5%).

The key to the entire function of bankroll management (and the ‘rule of 5%’) is stepping down a notch after you’ve experienced a loss, and stepping up a notch after you’ve experienced a win.

However, there is a well known charter outside the world of poker, and inside the world of business. It’s contained within a book written by Peter Drucker….the title of the book is ‘Management’; and the book is widely used in both undergraduate level, and graduate level, university business classes.

And, no, I’m not asking you to read the book. Mr. Drucker has identified this charter as the ‘Peter Principle’. And, while he uses it as a tool in the process of management staff promotions….and potential management staff demotions….you need to use it as a tool in bankroll management (again, not stack management).

The ‘Peter Principle’ essentially dictates that a successful individual is promoted through the management ranks as long as he or she can handle the new assignment effectively. 

Conversely, when a promotion is given to an individual who fails to live up to his or her responsibilities and expectations for the new job, that individual is demoted to the management level where he or she performed their work with a degree of excellence. In effect, promote until the person fails, then demote (back to the management level where exceptional work was done).

This very same principle needs to be applied to your bankroll management efforts. As your bankroll grows, as your skill levels expand, as your winning continues, you should be overtly willing to commit yourself to higher stake levels….this would be particularly true in cash (ring) games. But, it applies as well to tournament buy-in games.

Eventually, though, as is the case in the business world concerning successful executives, the overwhelming majority of all ‘talented’ poker players will one day be caught up in the ‘Peter Principle’.

You will have attained a stakes level where you are not only competitive, but where you are a consistent winning player. Then, the proverbial stuff hits the fan just about every time you take a step beyond that level….beyond the level where you’re routinely winning.

The advanced level, the level you’re losing at, is the ‘Peter Principle’ level, and it’s time for a demotion….where you will no longer seek to climb the stakes level ladder; at least temporarily. You have, for the most part, ‘maxed’ out your now-current abilities. And, you must now be content to remain a ‘winning player’ at the demoted level….again, at least temporarily.

Yet, there is no failure associated with the fact that the ‘Peter Principle’ has taken hold. Actually, just the opposite is true, congratulations are in order. You have demonstrated the skill and courage to move through the stakes levels, and, then you’ve demonstrated the wisdom to recognize and respect your limitations….whatever they may be.

Plus, as you gain more experience, learn new lessons, advance your skill sets, and move through possible ‘risk tolerance’ issues, the stakes level ladder will always remain available to you.

The fourth segment of money management relates to the way in which you would handle your stack during game play….and, it’s most often referred to as Stack Management.

It could, however, also be called Objectives Management; where there are four objectives.

• Your primary objective is to survive the tournament beginning….the ‘Farm Animal’ chip flinging.
• Your secondary objective is to survive the onset of the bubble….dumping the ‘Pinheads’ into the dung filled pastures.
• Your third objective is to reach the final table….waving goodbye to the herds of Jackasses.
• And, your last objective is to win the game….thereby fulfilling your ‘Building a Bankroll’ mission.

With limited exception, you’ll use Patience (Article 1) to attain your first goal; sit and watch as the ‘Farm Animals’ toss chips around in a moronic frenzy.

A few will survive, most will be trucked off to the confines of the fly-infested, muck-filled dung fields. And, in the course of your visually entertaining observations of the ‘beanbrain’ hysteria, you will have identified the targets for your ensuing premium pocket card play….assuming, of course, that both the dealer and Lady Luck opt to deposit some decent cards in your pockets.

Next, also with limited exception, you’ll use your Playable Pockets Matrix (Article 2) to attain your second goal; surviving the bubble. For the most part, the essence of your game play will be very conservative….you’re not necessarily looking to take the chip lead, you’re principally looking to progressively build your stack; maybe a little at a time, or maybe in a lump sum with the good fortune of being dealt pocket Kings or Aces that hold up through the river.

Once you’re in the money, once you’ve gotten by the bubble, it may well serve your interests to moderately shift your style of play.

After all, you should, at this point, be fully cognizant of who the bad players are, who the good players are, who the aggressive players are, and who the timid players are. And, all of that information combined should be used by you to dictate the degree to which you move into a semi-aggressive posture.

The meek do not win tournaments; they merely collect a portion of the prize pool.

The prelude to the ultimate goal is now in sight….you’ve made the final table; it’s time to garner a tourney title. How?

Well….it’s not easy! But, you know your opponents, you know your skill level, you have a complete command of Pot Odds, and you understand the importance of table position. So, put on your very best ‘game play’ hat and shades, softly whisper a pleasant greeting to Lady Luck (you’re gonna need her at least once), and cast any form of timidity aside….the winner is most often the aggressor.

Plus, it’s fitting that stack size now becomes one of the most significant components of final table play….especially since the subject matter contained within the last few paragraphs has been stack management. If you’re the low stack, and you’re dealt any worthwhile pocket cards, your play is going to be super aggressive.

Alternately, if you’re the high stack, maintain the semi-aggressive posture that got you to the final table in the first place….let your opponents knock heads, and watch them depart the game one by one.

If your mid-stacked, play the advantaged game you’ve come to learn, be ever mindful of Pot Odds, completely ignore Implied Odds (they serve almost no useful purpose in final table play), be certain that all of your bets are equal to the size of the pot, try to slow-play any ‘nuts’ hand that you hold, and always be extremely attentive to the Big Blind/Small Blind hands whenever there is a ‘no pre-flop raise’ situation. These two seats have the potential to turn pocket rag/rag into a monster hand if a terrible flop hits the board.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

(THIS ARTICLE IS CONTINUED IN NEXT MONTH’S POST)

Next in your free poker lessons strategy money management lesson course is A Lesson from Russia – The Gambler’s Mindset
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In todays free online poker training you’ll learn about playing the 5 pocket paint pairs as well as the pairf known as the big slick.

In my 65 years I’ve rarely met anyone who described any shade of gray as their favorite color. Nor, I should add, is gray remotely close to being my color of choice. However, in our world of free poker, we’re about to discover a series of reasons to immerse ourselves in what can be best described as ‘Shades of Gray’; specifically as that metaphor relates to Paint Pocket Pairs….Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces. Plus, a few words about Big Slick (Ace/King; both suited and off-suit).

We’ve worked our way through a number of black and white issues concerning poker; things like Patience, Playable Pockets, Table Position, Pot Odds, Implied Odds, Blunders, Calamities and a few of the other multi-dimensional aspects of the game. Our skills and assets have grown from 0%, all the way up to 80%. This leaves us with a need to acquire the remaining 20%. And, we’ll accomplish that task through the remaining five Articles; including this posting, Article 7.

My sincere hope is that the preceding Articles have aided you in the process of ‘Building a Bankroll’. And, if the tutorials contained within these Articles were cause for you to be attentive, then I’m convinced that you’ve added considerably to your individual account balances.

Alternately, if the tutorials contained within these Articles were merely an “I’m bored, let me read what this bozo has to say” exercise, then I’ll assume that you’ve already self-gathered the necessary skills and assets to regularly add FreeD’s to your account balance. Either way, it’s the bankroll growth that matters.

Granted, here at NoPay, there is one caveat. I’ll agree that the member involvement on this site is also about social interaction….and then some, all-too-often negative; like debates, arguments, name calling, resentment, jealousy, mod baiting, and a variety of other unpleasant chat box utterances and forum posts.

Why? I’m not sure. You’d think that a free online poker site would only bring out the positives in people. Possibly the answer lies in the extremely high percentage of the membership who live in the ‘Farm Animal’ pastures. I guess they need to vent their self-sustaining animosities and frustrations on someone, on something; in some form or another.

And, while these clowns are adrift in a sinking mudboat splattered with shotgun holes, aching from the pellets resting uncomfortably in their dung-stained backsides, you’re in the midst of a quest to garner all of the poker related skills and assets available to you….either here in these free poker education Articles, or in the many excellent poker books available at your local library, neighborhood bookstores, and Internet web sites.

Frankly, it doesn’t matter how you acquire the requisite skills, just go about the process of acquiring them. That’s black and white; it’s either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’….there is no gray.

But, there is the poker equivalent of the color gray. Lou Krieger writes quite a bit about it, and I’d suggest that if the opportunity presents itself to you, it would be advantageous for each of you to read all he has to say.

However, when reading his excellent poker advisories, keep in mind that there is no one right way to play this game; he’s a winning player, and much can be learned from the many words he’s put in print. Take the time to bring his thoughts into your consideration; it can’t hurt….the more you learn, the better your game play becomes.

Most of my advocacy toward the elements contained within ‘Shades of Gray’ pertain to the 5 paint pocket pairs….10/10, J/J, Q/Q, K/K, and A/A; plus A/K (which, I should add, Mr. Krieger has expended quite a bit of time writing about).

However, other than agreeing with his ‘gray’ on A/K, my tutorials, or ‘playing preferences’, associated with the Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces emanates from my own experiences at the poker tables. You’ll have to decide if what I have to suggest blends with the style of play you need to bring to the tables….or, you’ll have to decide if what I have to suggest belongs in File 13 (colloquially, in the U.S., meaning the garbage can).

To begin our foray into the ‘gray’, I’m going to group pocket pairs 10/10 and J/J together; and, at the outset, I’ll tell you that I have a complete disdain for both of these pocket pairs. Yes, the two pockets do possess a Positive Expected Value (+EV) from Early, Middle, and Late Positions at the table.

But, over the long term, neither provides a Return On Investment (ROI) that meets a minimal standard; and that minimum, at least for me, is a 50% ROI. The pocket Tens, and the pocket Jacks, don’t produce any such return….they do win money long-term, but it’s not at, or near, the 50% level.

Here’s the problem. If you’re holding pocket Tens, the upcoming flop has about a 90% chance of showing at least one Jack, or one Queen, or one King, or one Ace (assuming any one of your opponents holds any one of the 4 paint cards). And, that puts you in a precarious situation versus your competition.

If you’re holding pocket Jacks, the upcoming flop has about a 70% chance of showing at least one Queen, or one King, or one Ace (assuming any one of your opponents holds any one of the 3 paint cards). And, that puts you in an almost similar precarious situation versus your competition.

How would you deal with a post-flop bet when you’re looking directly at an overcard on the board? Clearly, since our approach to the games played at NoPay thus far has been conservative, you’re left with only one option when a respected player bets….folding.

Therefore, with pocket Tens or pocket Jacks, you should be willing to play pre-flop for an amount that does not exceed three times the big blind when you’re seated in Middle and Late positions (hopefully, you can get away with a simple call of the Big Blind when you’re in Early Position).

And, you would be well advised to routinely play the two pockets as though they were low pocket pairs….exactly the way you would play pockets 2/2 through 9/9 (low pocket pairs were discussed in free poker education Article 3). Obviously, using this approach, you’re looking to flop a set (which, pray tell, you would slow-play).

Or, if the flop lays out three undercards, you should be more than willing to push a pot size bet into play. And, please note, if you’re going to bet, the pot size bet is mandatory; you don’t want to create Pot Odds that would justify calls from any potential ’9 out’ flush draw, or any potential ’8 out’ open-end straight draw.

Shades of Gray? I would think so! Mostly because there is no one correct way to play pocket 10/10 and pocket J/J.

You can chose between the suggested method of play as described above, or, you could chose an alternate method of play. Either way, there’s no escape from the ‘all gray’ dusk, dim, and near darkness that prevents a definitive choice. Simply learn to live with it….you’ll need to; you’re going to be in this situation about 1 in every 100 pockets.

Pocket Queens, unlike pocket Tens or Jacks, will produce a long-term ROI marginally greater than 65%….and, you should abandon the ‘low pocket pair’ mentality when you are dealt these special Ladies.

Rather, plant the seed for ‘premium pocket’ in your thoughts. Or, at least get ready to plant the ‘premium pocket’ seed. Sure, there exists the possibility that an Ace or a King will hit the board with the flop….the odds of that happening are about 40%. And, if it does happen, followed by a bet from a respected opponent, it’s probably best to abandon the ‘near germinated’ seed, and toss the now unfaithful Ladies into the muck.

However, post-flop, when an Ace or a King has not hit the board, consider the Q/Q seed as germinated, and proceed to a pot size bet. Do not give your opponents any opportunity to take advantage of favorable pot odds.

In a worst case scenario, pocket Queens have approximately a 28% chance of beating any 8 random hands….with all of the hands playing through the river. Said differently, if you’re dealt pocket Queens in a 9 handed game, and everyone plays the hand through the river card, the pocket Queens will win about 28 out of 100 hands (pause for a moment to understand that the Queens will beat any group of 8 random hands through the river 28 out of 100 times).

Thus, in a low buy-in game, or in a NoPay free poker freeroll game, when a King or an Ace are not contained within the flop, let go of your conservative style, and align yourself with a bit of aggression. Importantly, while it’s 28 out of 100 versus 8 hands, it’s considerably higher than 28 out of 100 versus the 2, 3, or 4 opponents you’re presumably competing against in the current hand….the hand where you hold the pocket Queens.

Shades of Gray? I would think so! Mostly because there is no one correct way to play pocket Q/Q. You can chose between the suggested method of play as described above, or, you could chose an alternate method of play.

You can go silent into that good night with passive play. Or, you could rage against the dying of the light with aggressive play. Learn to live with it….you’ll need to; you’re going to be in this situation about 1 in every 200 pockets.

Next, Pocket Kings. They’ll produce a long-term Return On Investment (ROI) of about 80%, and we ought not be simply thinking that we hold a ‘premium pocket seed’, we need to fully recognize that the seed has already germinated, the produce is close to being ripe, and the ‘Farm Animals’ are about to lose sight of the large apples they’ve been eyeballing. Plus, we’re not in the habit of flipping apples to donkeys, and we’re sure as hell not going to feed the multitude of inept free poker jackasses who play carelessly here at NoPay.

No way….these apples are intended for our gastronomical pleasures, and it’s the ‘poker pinheads’….hired by you….who are going to do the preparation, cooking and cleaning in your kitchens. The pies and cobblers will be set aside for your feasts, and the ‘pinheads’ will be left to pick away at the discolored apple skins….which, by now, have probably turned into any one of the many variations of the color gray.

Be mindful of the fact that the pocket Kings have a 32% chance of beating any 8 random hands….even when all 8 of the random hands are played through the river. And, when you consider that you’ll likely be competing against 2, 3, or 4 players, the 32% chance of winning expands dramatically.

Of note, when you’re holding pocket Kings, there is somewhere in the neighborhood of a 20% probability that an Ace will be included in the flop (this assumes that one of your opponents is holding a pocket Ace).

And, if an Ace hits the board, together with a post-flop bet made by a respected player into the board Ace, you’d be well advised to fold your pocket Kings. It won’t happen often, but why take the chance of carrying a once dominant pocket all the way to the river, when post-flop it has become somewhat evident that the ‘good’ player you’re competing against is in possession of a pair of Aces….one on the board, and one in his pocket.

Of enormous consequence, keep in mind that one of the hallmarks of a truly excellent player is the ability to toss away once powerful cards when fairly solid evidence becomes available that the once powerful cards have turned into a ‘dung dropping’.

Never marry a hand unless you have absolutely no doubt that you hold the ‘nuts’, and can’t be beat. The above example of a flopped Ace pair held by a player who you know to be talented, is ample cause to test your mettle against the ‘excellent player hallmark’….don’t fail the test.

Shades of Gray? I would think so! Mostly because there is no one correct way to play pocket K/K. You can chose between the suggested method of play put forth in my scribblings above, or, you could chose an alternate method of play.

The ‘all gray’ dusk, dim, and near-darkness aside, the Dylan Thomas poetry reference aside, you’re still gonna’ have to learn to live with it….you’ll be dealt pocket Kings once in about every 200 hands. Plus, unlike 10/10, J/J, and Q/Q, the two Monarchs are a powerful pre-flop weapon, And, as such, you’ll need to take maximum advantage of the opportunities….when presented.

Pocket Aces….I pass. If anyone attempts to specify a correct way to play the ‘rockets’, walk away, and consider the individual to be no more than a person who is just a touch too full of himself, or herself. There have got to be every bit of 2 dozen different ‘correct’ ways to play this 1 in 200+ gift from the dealer.

You can, however, on occasion, witness a situation where the most prudent play on your part is to fold.

Stop laughing!

The Aces have a 36% chance of beating any 8 random hands through the river. Therefore, if all 8 of your competitors are committed to flinging chips around until the river card is exposed, you would actually be a 2 to 1 underdog in the hand. Or, said differently, the 8 opponents have a combined 64% chance of winning the hand, and you have a 36% chance of winning the hand. Shades of Gray? I would think so!

Certainly, I’m not suggesting that you make a habit of folding pocket Aces….far from it. Remember, to be an underdog, you would have to be playing in a family pot; there would need to be four, five, or more, players in the hand.

So, develop your own way of playing Ace/Ace. And, do as best as you can to vary your style of play. If you’re one-dimensional with the Aces, your competition will easily attain an ability to accurately read your hand.

And, finally, pocket Ace/King (suited or unsuited).…where you will experience approximately 36 out of 100 flops that show an Ace or a King; fundamentally making you a 2 to 1 ‘dog’ versus any 8 random hands.

Yet, we all should rest comfortably with the traditional labeling of these cards as a ‘premium pocket’. Principally because it’s not commonplace to be competing in a 9-handed ‘family’ pot. For the most part, we will more often find ourselves competing with 2, 3, or 4 other players.

And, when that happens, the potential 2 to 1 ‘dog’ status, usually changes to a situation where the pocket A/K becomes a favorite to win the hand.

However, Ace/King questions abound. So, I can easily imagine that you could conjure up any one of no less than 25 questions as to what to do if you hit a flopped pair, and what to do when you don’t hit a flopped pair.

Therefore, take a moment to let some of those questions come to mind….let them float around for a minute in a thought provoking manner. And, I’ll take one paragraph to give you an answer….mind you, it’s not my answer, it’s a quote from Lou Krieger.

He says, “These questions are not easily answered. Neither I, nor anyone else, can provide a recipe for you to follow. You’re smack in the midst of the gray zone….where even the very best players err in judgment. They’ll err more often than you realize, too.

If you expect perfection in the gray zone, you’ve set yourself up for disappointment”. Shades of Gray? I would think so!

Now, do you want to count the shades of gray? Or, would you rather count the number of free poker ‘Farm Animals’ you’ve tossed into the pastures? Chose the latter! The running total will serve as a validation tool in confirming how much better your play has become….and, it’ll also be somewhat entertaining.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next in your free poker education strategy lesson course is Management – Your Money, Your Bankroll, and Your Stack
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In part 6 of this free poker education lesson series, we will continue with the theme in part 5, a 2 chapter lesson basically.

If you’ve not read the previous part of this poker training article go to it here

…Second, the preponderance of betting mistakes that I have been witness to on this site (apart from the all-in bets discussed in Part 1 of this Article) would cause an entire herd of pasture-dwellers to revel in celebration….misery loves company.

There are ‘overbet’ blunders, ‘underbet’ blunders, and ‘defensive pot odds’ blunders. Each of which is clear evidence of many free poker NoPay members valid presence on the ‘Farm Animal’ list of names. And, each of the blunders should NOT be associated with your play….principally because you’re current intent is to master the skills and assets that will bring goals 3 and 4 to a very rapid reality. Which, as we’ve all come to understand, is going to dramatically expand our individual account balances.

The ‘overbet’ blunder can be simply defined as betting more than the current situation merits.

• When a pot holds $100, why would anyone make a bet that is substantially more than the size of the pot?
• Any such bet carries with it a distinct negative….or, any one of multiple distinct negatives.
• Like what?
• Well, like telling everyone that you have a pocket overpair, or telling everyone that you have the high board pair, or telling everyone that you’ve flopped a set….and the list goes on.

Additionally, the opposite could be true. You could be telling everyone that you’ve got squat; that you’re bluffing. And, of even more importance, the really ‘good’ player is going to know your game. With that being so, the only time you’re going to get a call from the ‘good’ player is when he or she has you beat.

Thus, KILL the overbet….or, prepare yourself for full-time residence in the free online poker pasture.

The ‘underbet’ blunder can be simply defined as betting less than the current situation merits.

• When a pot holds $600, why would anyone make a bet that is substantially less than the size of the pot?
• Any such bet carries with it a distinct negative….or, any one of multiple distinct negatives.
• Like what?
• Well….like telling everyone that you have a pocket under-pair, or telling everyone that you have the board’s middle pair, or telling everyone that you have the board’s low pair….and the list goes on.

Additionally, the opposite could be true. You could be telling everyone that you’ve got a made hand, the current ‘nuts’ hand, and, your ‘underbet’ is really no more than an attempt to extract as many chips as is possible from your competitors.

Then, of even more importance, the really ‘good’ player, the player who knows your game, either gives you nothing, or, with a better hand than yours, takes you to the cleaners.

This leaves us with the ‘defensive pot odds’ blunder….

• which can be simply defined as giving your opponents the correct pot odds, such that they will call, and remain in the hand.
• How about an example?
• You hold pocket Ace/Jack unsuited in late position.
• The pot is currently holding $400 worth of chips.
• The flop showed an Ace, an Eight, and a Three. The Ace and the Eight are suited (they’re diamonds).
• Two opponents are in the hand with you.
• Either of whom could be holding two diamonds in their pocket.
• They have both checked to you.

And, while I am a major proponent of slow-play (holding what you believe to be the best hand, not betting, and allowing your opponent to bet), you best recognize that this is not a time to allow either of them a ‘free’ suckout; it’s undeniably not a time to be slow-playing.

• If you were to make a $100 bet, you would be giving each of your two opponents pot odds of 5 to 1.
• And, if one of them held two diamonds, he/she has been given pot odds that would mandate a call.

Why? Do the arithmetic!

• Your opponent has 9 diamonds that are unseen; therefore 9 post-flop outs exist.
• That translates into approximately a 1 in 3 chance that a diamond will hit on the turn or flop.
• Big Mistake!
• He/she only needs pot odds of 2 to 1 for a long-term ‘dead even’ call, and the fact that you created pot odds of 5 to 1 suggests that your opponent has about a 150% long-term advantage in making the call.

I can think of no reason to justify, at best, what could be labeled short-sightedness, and, at worst, what could be labeled complete stupidity.

On the other hand, had you made a pot size bet…a bet of $400, and your opponent were to call, he/she would be getting pot odds of 2 to 1 (a dead-even long-term play). In candor, not many ‘good’ players compete at the poker table to be ‘dead even’….they compete to win money.

Granted, the free texas holdem ‘Farm Animals’ at NoPay may never be attentive to anything as serious as getting the correct pot odds, yet, it is meaningful that you elevate your game play for the reasons (goals) listed at the beginning of this Article.

Your goal is to wreak havoc upon the morale, emotions, and thoughts of the clowns in jackass costumes, and to propagate similar havoc in the minds of the limited number of ‘good’ NoPay players.

Now, with the hope that you have fully grasped the advisories in the last section, this ‘defensive pot odds’ blunder should never be a mistake made by you. Oh….maybe it’s not all that easy to figure out how the ‘Farm Animal’ ‘defensive pot odds’ mistake can be consistently avoided by you, so I’ll just proceed directly to the rationale for your bets.

Whenever possible, whenever practical, whenever betting, always make your bets the size of the pot. And, you just might take some comfort in knowing that a Pot Size bet is the preferred choice of the vast majority of Professional Poker Players. Surely, we’re not at their ‘quality of play’ level, but, it is our goal to get there….or, get as close to there as is possible.

Third, the calamitous play related to ‘premium cards’, ‘suited cards’, ’tilt issues’, ‘ego posturing’, and the ‘lack of visual learning’ is ample cause for the ‘Farm Animal betting mistakes induced celebration’ to evolve into a pre-lent, New Orleans, Mardi Gras type festival.

They’re not just having a small party at your expense in the pasture anymore, they’ve invoked a decadence dalliance that rivals Bourbon Street’s nastiest days. And, if y’all have never experienced the raucous, raunchy, rebellious, and rancorous irreverence of the early morning hours in the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday, be assured that it ain’t pleasant.

Who Dat? It’s the Farm Animals on the loose, and they’re runnin’ around The Big Easy without a clue as to why they’re broke, and why they smell like rancid beer. And, it had better not be you or me….we ain’t broke, and we don’t mix alcohol with poker. Besides, whenever we visit the Crescent City, our interests rest exclusively in the really great restaurants.

We also don’t marry once premium cards in the face of overwhelming evidence that they have turned to infidelity….NO, we toss those cards away, and we keep our chip stacks intact.

This, by the way, the ability to bury really good cards, when the realization hits that they have become useless, is one of the hallmarks of an outstanding player.

It’s something that takes an inner strength and mental courage to incorporate within ones’ play….it’s not easy to throw away Aces or Kings. Yet, when the board, and the betting, and the knowledge of your competitors playing style clearly tells you that you’re once powerful cards have become worthless, have become a losing hand, the only person who benefits from your ability to dump the cards is you.

Learn how to do it….learn when to do it; your account balance, if it could speak, will thank you for it.

Additionally, we don’t proceed to the flop when we’ve been dealt suited paint/rag or rag/rag….NO, we toss the cards away, and we keep our chip stacks intact.

This play, the 2 suited garbage cards call of the Big Blind, or call of a raise to the Big Blind, is a classic ‘Farm Animal’ idiocy….you’ll see it happen about once in every other hand here at NoPay. And, the pasture bozo’s who share in this idiotic play have done nothing more than regularly set themselves up for just about every type of butt-violation possible.

Holding Jack/Four suited when the flop shows Ace/Jack/Six (rainbow) has left them bent over the water trough with 9 bulls approaching from behind. Clearly, we all recognize the necessity to rid ourselves of the suited pockets that carry with them a Negative Expected Value (-EV).

And, if the definition of Negative Expected Value (-EV) has slipped from the forefront of your thoughts, take a moment to review the Playable Pockets matrix once again.

Also, we don’t take ourselves into the ‘false hope’ tilt environment just because we lost a hand….just because we got beat (and, you’ll never hear me use the words ‘bad beat’; there is no such thing….we’re playing poker, it happens).

NO, we simply continue on with our learned play, using the skills and assets that we bring to every poker table. And, if you do have an Emotions Management (EM) problem, develop a method to deal with it.

Try walking away from the game until you’ve calmed down. Or, take out a piece of paper, and draw a huge red ‘X’ on it. Then, lay that piece of paper on your keyboard. This will serve as both a literal and figurative reminder that you need to eliminate your emotional upset prior to continuing on with your play.

I’ve done it myself many times; it works for me. Don’t dare copy the post-beat, chip-flinging, all-in bet that seems to be the mandatory move on the part of the ‘Farm Animals’. It’s one of the reasons that they’re ‘Farm Animals’ in the first place.

Beyond Emotions Management (EM), we need to address another form of mental posturing. This one relates to ego. And, we all have one….some are bigger than others; likely mine included.

Not that there is anything wrong with the possession of a personal ego; everyday life somehow or another calls upon all of us to require its presence and use with a moderate degree of regularity. Yet, at a poker table, ‘smack talk’ aside, we have no ego….we dropped it at the door on our way into the game.

If we didn’t, Lord knows it could cost us dearly. Much like the way it costs and labels the pasture dwellers. You’ll often watch them raise and re-raise each other….with rags. They fling chips into the pot, and sing a tune somewhat akin to “My mommy’s smarter than your mommy. My daddy’s bigger than your daddy”. Well, while they’ve yet to grow up, each of you has.

And, all of you are way too intelligent to allow an unnecessary ego to stand in the way of adding chips to your bankroll. Your ego was lost at the doorway….you’ll pick it up on your way out.

Next, how many really good tournament players have you watched in the free poker games here at NoPay? And, when you did watch, did you bother to pay enough attention to learn ‘solid play’ from any of them? Or, have you let the possibility of this learning experience simply slosh away into the muck and mire of the rain and urine filled pastures? Clearly, the ‘Farm Animals’ have totally ignored the potential lessons; I sincerely hope that you haven’t.

Finally, when all three of the grouped corrective measures….as described above, Bets, Blunders, and Calamities….become a standardized part of your game play, you’ll have expanded your skills and assets from the 77% area to the 80% area; you’ll be four-fifths forward in accomplishing your goal of attaining a 100% skill set.

Plus, you’ll be making even greater additions to your bankroll, you’ll be a major factor in sending the ‘Farm Animals’ to pasture, and, not surprisingly, you’ll be tossing some ‘good’ players into the very same fields of failure. Other than satisfying our primal needs, I’m not at all sure anything could be better.

So, stay with me. Because, even though we’ve reached a level where ‘not much could be better’, Articles 6 through 11 will, beyond any personal doubt, actually make things MUCH better….our play will improve, our bankrolls will get bigger, and the ‘Farm Animal’ pastures will become overcrowded. As they should….you’re not playing tiddly-winks in a mindless fashion, you’re playing poker with a degree of skill unmatched by 99.9% of the NoPay members.

And them? The 99.9% of the membership, they’ll end up spastically playing Frisbee with the pasture’s dung droppings? They’ll be sniffing rumps, enduring stench, and swatting flies as a result of their delusional play. And, while they’re stuck in the odorous confines of pasture based Frisbee Fantasia, you’ll be moving forward with your mastery of the multi-dimensional aspects of this great game of poker. Stick around….it’s gonna’ be fun.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next in your free poker lessons online course is Shades of Gray – Paint Pockets and Big Slick
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In this free online poker coaching strategy lesson we’re going to look at the specific gools you have to reach in order to achieve free online poker success and outline some of the major errors that can derail you.

So, super free poker coach DM, take it away

We are five lessons into our ‘Building a Bankroll’ series of Articles, and, if you haven’t noticed a somewhat sizable increase in your account balance, I’m left to conclude that you’ve either opted to ignore the scribblings I’ve put forth, or you’ve decided that your involvement in the game is only about free poker games online for fun and entertainment, not money.

If the latter is true, allow me to share with you a reality: about 95% of all poker players see the game as no more than a form of entertainment; an opportunity to immerse themselves in a gambling environment, a little fun, a bit of social interaction….possibly nothing harmful.

And, in the real world, I would never label many of these ‘good and decent’ people as anything other than fun seekers. In the poker world, however, you’ve often been exposed to my rather descriptive branding of these folks. I call many of them ‘Farm Animals’.

Conversely, if the former is true, you’ve certainly noticed that you’re in possession of a much larger bankroll, and, I would like that bankroll to continue its growth. Plus, I would like to know that you’re intent on staying with me….all the way to free poker strategy lesson 11 and beyond. In the end, you will have constructed a foundation that could take you just about anywhere in the poker community.

Although, I will readily admit, in order for you to attain a statured position in the world of poker, there will be so much more required of you than just the comprehension of the brief tutorials available to you here, through these free online poker instruction Articles, at NoPayPoker.

And, with that thought in mind, I will ultimately provide you with a ‘Must Read’ list of books, and a ‘Planned Approach’ toward any further advancement in the quality of your play. It’s a great journey; and it traverses streets, roads, and highways lined with money….lots of money.

You needed to start somewhere, and the countless private messages I’ve received to-date have led me to believe that many of you have chosen to begin with the free poker practice games offered here at NoPay….plus, many of you have chosen to begin with this introductory series of free poker strategy lessons.

Which, by the way, were intended to be exclusively written for NoPay members, and, to-date, are exclusively written for tournament play. I’m happy you’re here, I’m happy you’re with me, and I’m even happier that you’ve started the task of ‘Building a Bankroll’.

Moreover, I’m awed by the fact that so many of you have been regularly adding FreeD’s to your individual accounts. I truly look forward to the continuation of this accumulation process.

So, we began here, we’ll learn the fundamentals here, and then we’ll move on. Yet, if you were to re-read all of the preceding Articles, you’ll not find any mention of our goals. Therefore, now would be as good a time as any to introduce the chronological order of the stepping stones that form the basis to our poker future.

Here are the goals:

1. To survive the opening 20 minutes of the Farm Animal’s chip flinging in every tournament.
2. To play ‘solid’ and ‘fundamentally sound’ poker so that we reach the money payout level.
3. To maintain a post-bubble ‘quality of play’ causing us to garner a seat at the final table.
4. To capture the tournament title, and, in so doing, add the first place prize to our Bankroll.
5. To intelligently manage our Bankroll and continually build it’s size on a week-to-week basis.
6. To progressively attain a full command of the multi-dimensional aspects of No Limit Hold-Em.
7. To reach an understanding of the 100% level regarding our individual skill sets.

Can we really accomplish all of this through a simple set of brief tutorial articles? The answer is “No”!

Yet, the free online poker coaching lessons, in combination with the ‘Must Read’ list, in combination with a good deal of practice,in combination with the ‘Risk Tolerance’ assessment (to be described in a subsequent Article), will, in fact, make it possible for many of you to advance to the level of ‘winning poker players’….not for pennies, but for hundreds and potentially thousands.

How do I know this? Well….I’ve spent a good part of the past six years teaching more than one thousand individuals to become ‘winning poker players’. And, I’m often updated regarding their progress and their respective amounts of monies won. Candidly, if many of these players were able to do it, then a reasonable number of you will also be able to do it.

Of note, you should know that we’ve already accomplished goals 1 and 2 as listed above. And, we’re currently in the midst of accomplishing goals 3 and 4. How have we done this? With ease, I think. Patience alone has put goal 1 behind us.

 The Playable Pockets Matrix has put goal 2 behind us. And, the proper use of both Pot Odds and Implied Odds has placed goals 3 and 4 within our grasp.

 Thus far, we’ve reached the point where just about 80% of all the skills and assets we’ll ever need at a poker table are at our disposal.

Surely, over the past few months, we’ve used these skills and assets to allow a consistent stream of FreeD’s an easy entry portal to our account balances. And, while it may not need repeating, I’ll do it anyway; winning money while playing poker is far better than simply flinging chips, begging Lady Luck, and eventually discovering an empty wallet or purse.

Winning money is the central theme of the game….nothing else, other than ethics, should matter.

This, the concept that the game is only about money, is paramount to your future growth in the poker community. As is a 100% command of the requisite skills and assets you’ll need to bring to every table you sit at. And, of consequence, by the time we reach Article 11 you’ll have that 100%.

The above being true, let me now get us to 80%. Here’s how.

A command of Pot Odds and Implied Odds brought us close; it took us from approximately 70% to approximately 77%. Strange? Isn’t it? With something as powerful as a complete command of Pot Odds and Implied Odds, why did we only go from 70% to 77%? Especially when something as simple as Patience originally took us from 0% to 50%.

To answer this inquiry, we need not look any further than our expected Flops Seen Percentage. When we are properly using the Playable Pockets Matrix, we’ll not see more than 15% of the flops; or, about 85% of the pocket cards that we are dealt will be discarded long before the flop hits the board.

Thus, while Pot Odds and Implied Odds have become the key to our post-flop play, given the fact that we’re only going to be involved in the arithmetic associated with Pot Odds and Implied Odds on a fairly restricted basis (about 15% of the hands we’re dealt), the proper use of both can NOT possibly have a larger impact on our skills and assets.

If, by chance, a small level of confusion exists, try to visualize this in a literal sense. Deal out ten pockets, then do it ten times, and then recognize that you’re only going to be involved in the post-flop action about fifteen times (out of the 100 pockets you dealt during the literal exercise).

The other eighty-five times, you’re almost robotic in tossing your pocket cards away. Importantly, while you’re performing this exercise, be certain that you use the Playable Pockets Matrix.

Now, let’s proceed to 80% by identifying the biggest mistakes made by entry level players, and many experienced players as well.

• First, and foremost, No Limit Texas Hold Em is NOT an ‘all-in or fold’ game.
• All too often players delight in seeing premium pockets, or low pocket pairs, and immediately shove all of their chips into the pot. I beg you not to do this.
• This type of play is, and should be, reserved for the dumbest of ‘Farm Animals’. And, I’m very happy to say, you are so incredibly distanced from that level….or, you should be.

Why? Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4, or your own self-education, have placed you on a hilltop overlooking the grazing herd of dumb critters who are not removed from the ‘dummy’ level. Don’t descend the slope to join in their stupidities. If you ever chose to do it (other than as a low-stack in late tourney play), you should go directly to the pasture and initiate a game of ‘who can sniff the most backsides’.…forget about playing poker for profit; the profit aspect will never come to fruition.

With regret, like you, I have made note of about four or five very active NPP freerollers whose only play is an ‘all-in or fold’ bet. And, like you, I’ve seen them ‘cash’ in a number of tournaments.

To their credit (or, to their obvious lack of talent), these individuals play only premium pockets, and when their ‘all-in’ bets are called by one or more other ‘Farm Animals’ they sometimes double, triple, or quadruple up. However, you are NOT to emulate their one-dimensional play.

True….their play occasionally earns them pennies here at NoPay. But, they are not advancing their playing abilities, and they will stagnate at the “I’m winning a few cents because I go all-in with great cards” free online poker level.

They, quite literally, are clueless as to how far they might progress in the poker world if they were to learn the multi-dimensional aspects of the game. Clearly, I can’t put their screen names in this Article….I’d like to, but I can’t. Yet, if you have not done so already, you’ll recognize their imbecilic play in the shortest of time periods.

I will, however, do the opposite. I have no problem in letting you know who the ‘good’ freerollers are….and, there are quite a few; some of them will be named in Part 2 of Article 5. (Which, by the way, was posted at the very same time as was this Article (Part 1)).

Plus, as is the case with most endeavors in life, if you want to get better at what you’re doing, do it with the people who are already better at it. And, when you’re with these people, make sure that you go out of your way to learn from them.

Their game play is ‘solid’, they have much in common in terms of their respective playing skills, and they’re each ‘winning players’ here at NoPay; just about all of them maintain a fairly high, and expanding, account balance.

At this point, allow me to return to the all-in bet.

• Keep in mind that any personal use of this action should almost always be restricted to the times when you’re holding the ‘nuts’, and an opponent has initiated the bet.
• Plus, your use of an ‘initiated’ all-in wager should be confined to post-river betting.
• Please, make a serious note about the last sentence.

Especially because you’re required to maintain an eye on the prize (1st place in the tournament), and you don’t win a tournament by chip-flinging at post-flop and post-turn intervals. ‘Farm Animals’ do the chip flinging at those intervals, and you’ll only call when you possess a hand that can’t be beat….again, you’re only calling an all-in bet when you hold the ‘nuts’.

When you are not guaranteed a winning hand, just step aside….let the dummies wallow in the dung heaps.

Remember, you’re only guaranteed a winning hand when you hold the ‘nuts’ post-river; or, in rare instances, post-turn. And, on the rarest of occasions, post-flop.

The fact of the matter is, more so at NoPayPoker than possibly any other place, if you want to win money, you’ll need to maintain a very conservative style of play….at least for now. In time, we’ll learn to vary our playing style.

Don’t worry! We’ll get to the viability of ‘Aggression’ in the not to distant future. Moreover, when we get there, we’ll learn what an integral and rewarding part of the game ‘Aggression’ truly represents.

Then, once we’ve incorporated ‘Aggression’ into our free poker playing style, if you mistakenly attempt to emulate the Vince Lombardi coached Green Bay Packer’s infamous ‘Reckless Abandon’, your rear end will feel a moderate stinging sensation….that mild pain will be the end result of my having gently placed a cattle prod on your backside. And, while the ache may well be short-lived, the memory of it will not escape your thoughts for some time to come.

*****(THIS ARTICLE WILL BE CONTINUED NEXT MONTH)*****

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next in the free poker coaching series you’we’ll do part 2 of Goals, Bets, Blunders, and Calamities

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Is poker about skill or luck? That’s the endless debate. It has 2 answers. If you don’t know what you’re doing it’s luck. If you do then it is skill and, an important part of that skill-set requires the ability to integrate some simple statistics and probability rules into your game in order to, in effect, “make your own luck”.

Many of us might think that it would be great to glide through this, or any, free online poker training tutorial without having to deal with the eleven letter word ‘Mathematics’….possibly not because we don’t possess an ease with numbers, but maybe because we have all-too-often found ourselves in a classroom position, a business setting, or a daily-life situation where the emphasis on charts, graphs, formulas, parameters, conversions, calculations, and other manifestations of Math appeared to be either confusing or unnecessary.

Well….here’s a promise. No Algebra, no trigonometry, no calculus.…just grade school arithmetic; nothing abstract.

And, while the ‘Farm Animals’ would find no cause for basic arithmetic to enter their world of mindless free online poker play, we are compelled to introduce a methodology for easy calculations so that we can proceed beyond pre-flop play; else, like the grazing herds of four-legged critters, we would find ourselves stuck in a pasture with ‘flops’ that can be air dried and tossed, but can’t be used to facilitate our goal of ‘Building a Bankroll’.

To date, through Articles 01, 02, and 03, we’ve come to recognize that Patience, Playable Pockets, Table Position, and Low Pocket Pairs have elevated our game play to the level where we now hold approximately 70% of all the skills and assets we’ll ever need at a poker table….more specifically, at a NoPayPoker table. Our bankrolls have begun to expand, and our time spent at the felt is considerably more entertaining.

Yet, if simple arithmetic doesn’t become part of our every session poker play, we’ll not only never develop a complete comprehension of the game (and reap the concomitant benefits), but we’ll also find ourselves on the list of ‘average’ or ‘marginal’ players. Now, I can’t speak for you. However, for me, that would be totally unacceptable.

Why the need for simple arithmetic?
What is it that forces us to bring 5th or 6th Grade Mathematics to our depository of skills and assets? Do you know the answer? I believe you do….I believe you know full well that you’ll not be able to play effectively post-flop if you can’t properly assess both Pot Odds and Implied Odds.

And, I believe that many of you could put forth a concise, definitive, and easily understood description of both Pot Odds and Implied Odds. Importantly, though, I’ll not let this opportunity to describe both slip away. The two subsequent paragraphs will leave no one behind….we’ll all have a unilateral understanding of Pot Odds, and we’ll all have a unilateral understanding of Implied Odds.

Pot Odds relate to the number of chips that occupy the center of the table.

These are chips that have been tossed into the pot as a result of players calling a bet, calling a raise, or calling re-raises. The total of all of those chips represents the size of the current pot.

If, for example, there were a total of 400 chips in the pot, and you were considering a call of a 100 chip bet, your 100 chips would be getting Pot Odds of 4 to 1 (the 400 chips that are already in the pot, versus the 100 chips that you would need to put into the pot).

Alternately, if there were 600 chips in the pot, and you needed to put 300 chips into the pot to call the last bet made by a competitor, you would be getting Pot Odds of 2 to 1 (the 600 chips that are already in the pot, versus the 300 chips that you would need to put into the pot). So, Pot Odds always gets defined as follows: The current size of the pot as it relates to the amount of chips that you would need to put into the pot.

Implied Odds relate to the number of chips that are stacked in front of the other participants who are playing in the current hand, plus the number of chips that are in the current pot. If, for example, PlayerA had a stack of 2,000 chips, PlayerB had a stack of 3,000 chips, the pot held 1,000 chips, only the three of you remained in the hand, and you needed to call a 400 chip bet, you would be getting Implied Odds of as much as 15 to 1 (6,000 chips to your 400 chips; where the 6,000 chips are comprised of PlayerA’s 2,000 chip stack, PlayerB’s 3,000 chip stack, and the Pot’s 1,000 current chips).

So, Implied Odds always gets defined as follows: The cumulative total of your competitors stacks (who are playing the hand), plus the size of the current pot, where the combined total of the two relates to the amount of chips that you would need to put into the pot.

Certainly, we all recognize that Implied Odds are a bit more difficult to understand (as compared to Pot Odds). And, if any non-clarity exists at the moment, please back up for a few seconds, and re-read the last paragraph. Or, even better, create a visual aid. Sit down at the kitchen table and simulate the example discussed above.

However, don’t be overly concerned regarding full comprehension of Implied Odds at this point in the Article….we’re about to bring Simple Arithmetic, Pot Odds, and Implied Odds together. Once this is done, no one will be left in a state of disorientation….we’ll all be one step closer to adding significant amounts to our respective bankrolls.

Stage left….enter Simple Arithmetic; a powerful tool, advantageously used by good No Limit cash and free Texas Hold Em players alike. And, little, if ever, used by the myriad number of bad players that frequent almost every table in tournament play.

And, there isn’t a single Professional Poker Player alive who doesn’t use Simple Arithmetic during their time spent at the felt. If it were absent from their respective game play, they wouldn’t be professional players for very long….they’d be broke.

Rounding – Making Your Life Simpler

So, as good players we need to possess the ability to perform quick computations….mostly division. And, it’s not a difficult task. Plus, we’ll do a little ’rounding’….this will prove to make our task even easier.

Each time we’ve been dealt two pocket cards, it leaves fifty cards unseen. That number, fifty (50), will always be used by us when we perform our simple arithmetic; never mind that post-flop there are 47 unseen cards, and never mind that post-turn there are 46 unseen cards.

We’re gonna’ stick with 50….it’ll make all the arithmetic we need to do so much simpler. And, that’s what I meant by ’rounding’….using 50, rather than 47 or 46.

Let’s look at a hand where we’ve been dealt King/Queen unsuited, and the flop shows Ten, Jack, Four rainbow (an unsuited flop). We’re all aware of the fact that we have 8 ‘outs’ to an open end straight draw….the four 9′s that we haven’t seen, and the four Aces that we haven’t seen.

Thus, using simple arithmetic, we have an 8 in 50 chance of catching an ‘out’ on the turn; and, 8 in 50 means the same as 16 in 100, which means we have a 16% chance of hitting our desired straight on the turn. Furthermore, 16% translates (100 divided by 16) to a 1 in 6 chance of catching the straight.

Well, in the above example, if we’re not getting a minimum of 5 to 1 Pot Odds, it makes absolutely no sense to be chasing the 9′s and Aces. On the other hand, if the Pot Odds are greater than 5 to 1, then it does make sense to chase….to draw.

And, to avoid any form of confusion, don’t allow what you may, or may not, know about Implied Odds to enter the picture for the moment….we’ll get to that shortly.

Here, we’re only concerned with developing a complete understanding of Pot Odds. We have a 1 in 6 chance of making a straight, and when the Pot Odds are 5 to 1 or greater, it would appear that we are justified in making the call.

What do you think? Are we justified in making the call? If you answered “No”, you’re destined to move forward with the task of ‘Building a Bankroll’. Why?

Fairly simple! You’ve figured out that the 5 to 1 Pot Odds will only make you dead even over the long-term. And, the 5 to 1 doesn’t take into account the possibility of some other player catching runner-runner to beat your straight.

Therefore, you should always be looking for an advantage associated with every bet you make. If 5 to 1 is dead even, then 7 to 1 is a 40% advantage, and 9 to 1 is an 80% advantage. So, whenever Pot Odds yield an advantage, remain in the hand, call the bet, and look to reap the rewards (long-term, not necessarily in any one hand).

As a point of reference, I should tell you that I most often look for an advantage in the area of at least 50%. Yet, your game should be structured around whatever advantage level brings you both comfort and entertainment.

Remember, it’s not my goal to have anyone emulate my game, nor is it my goal to create poker robots. I have only one goal….I’d like each of you to use the skills and assets tied to quality poker play for the sole purpose of ‘Building a Bankroll’.

However, it’s not Pot Odds that are going to guide us into pounding all the Farm Animals into submission. Not a chance! The beatings that we’ll ultimately use to blast both the bad and good players into oblivion will be sourced in our timely use of Implied Odds….believed by many to be 100 times more powerful than Pot Odds.

And, the two are vastly different. Recall that Pot Odds relate to the chips that are lying in the middle of the table, while Implied Odds relate to the chips that are stacked in front of our competitors.

Most often, there’s a far greater number of chips that have not, as yet, entered play. And, it’s those chips that we’re really after….not the piddling sum that frequently exists in the average post-flop pot. Thus, it would be more than appropriate for us to take a moment to finely tune our understanding of Implied Odds.

In the example used above, the Pot Odds example, where we held an open end straight draw, the Pot Odds may have put us in a position where the correct play may have been to fold. But, the Farm Animal we might be playing against could be a ‘raise with any pocket ace’ dimwit; and, he/she might be in possession of a stack that is 10, 20, 30, 40, or more times larger than the current pot.

Well, in such a situation, the Pot Odds of 5 to 1 or less pale in comparison to the Implied Odds. They, the Implied Odds, could easily be more than ten times the Pot Odds. Candidly, I’ve been witness to Implied Odds that were greater than 75 to 1 on countless occasions.

And, regarding our open end draw, any 9 or Ace on the turn or river will allow us to eliminate this Farm Animal in a bombshell fashion….he’ll be on his dumb-struck way to the land of ‘pony rides and never ending circles’.

Additionally, as he leaves, he’ll likely issue a verbal assault in the lobby chat box; he’ll cuss a bit, he’ll call you names, and he’ll transpose the assignment of ‘donkey’ status….he’ll think that you’re the donkey, and that he’s the quality player.

But, what can you expect? He eats grass, drinks stagnant water, and defecates in close proximity to where he sleeps. There’s no way that he’ll ever accept or recognize the fact that you used Simple Arithmetic and Implied Odds to send him to the stench that surrounds his slumber site.

Having written all of the above, it becomes mandatory for me to offer up a few words of caution. And, the caution applies to your future use of Implied Odds.

Thus far, these Articles have been designed around a ‘conservative’ approach to your play in freeroll tournaments at NoPayPoker. This being true, now would not be the time to abandon this bankroll building style of play, now would not be the time to find a useable Implied Odds situation on every post-flop board. Which, I might add, could be done by the Farm Animals on an every-hand basis.

Your use of Implied Odds must keep two constants as a measuring stick to initiate any deviation from the conservative tone that has dominated your playing style.

First, be sure that your competitors are Bozo, Dumbo, and Pinhead….or any combination of the three.

And, second, be sure that the Pot Odds you’re getting are somewhat alligned to the word ‘respectable’. Where, generally, I’d label ‘respectable’ Pot Odds as within 25% of what they should be for you to be getting dead-even long-term plays.

Realistically, if you’re not going to master the use of Pot Odds and Implied Odds, your bankroll’s growth becomes a moot subject matter; it’ll be left to stagnate much like the Farm Animal’s water source.

No one becomes a good poker player without the ability to play post-flop and post-turn. And, there’s not a single good poker player who doesn’t possess a complete command of Pot Odds, Implied Odds, and the Simple Arithmetic that permits both to become a part of his/her set of skills and assets.

Simply stated, if you’re not using Pot Odds and Implied Odds correctly, you can’t ever play post-flop and post-turn winning poker over any extended period of time.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next in your free poker lessons strategy lesson course is part 1 of Goals, Bets, Blunders, and Calamities
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In this, part 3 of the Building A Bankroll free online poker coaching series learn how and why low pocket pairs, 2/2 through 9/9, will, long-term, provide you with more financial gain than any other two pocket cards you’ll ever be dealt.

So – on with the free poker lesson…

We’ve met our first goal….we’ve survived the opening 20 minutes of the ‘Farm Animal’ dung tossing. Our targets, the dung-tossers, are now known to us; they’re the clowns who have doubled up as a result of the ‘all-in madness’ with 4/Q offsuit….which was played against the calamitous actions of the now eliminated Beanbrains who called with 3/9 suited. The 4/Q winners, who have temporarily gained some chips, are in our sights, their stacks are clearly visible, and our poker knowledge is about to unleash it’s fearsome wrath on the lucky few who managed to escape the 20 minutes of quantifiable free poker stupidity.

The ill-fated Bozos sit all around us; each are completely absent any semblance of comprehension about the poker environment they’re participating in. Moreover, they’re clueless about our plans to re-arrange their mindless visions of final table glories….and, they’re equally clueless about the skills we’ll deploy to accomplish our task. The likelihood is that the last time they celebrated any type of victory could easily have been in a hop-scotch game many years ago. And, we’ve no intent of letting them remind themselves about the joys of winning.

Plus, we need not put up a sign that reads “Donkeys Beware – Landmines Present”. Not because these ‘Farm Animals’ can’t read, but because these ‘Farm Animals’ won’t ever realize that the sign is directed at them. In all candor, they’re totally oblivious to the fact that they each possess zero gaming smarts, zip poker skills, and zilch ability to traverse the path to tournament payouts. They’re completely lacking an awareness as to why the ‘good’ players win….with regularity, and why they, as ‘bad’ players, regularly find their names on the eligibility list for the next fourth grade ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ game.

So, our mission is defined….level the ‘Farm Animals’, identify the ‘good’ players, and begin the process of accumulating a deep stack. Could that be easier said than done? No….not at all; this isn’t quantum physics, it’s free poker. We’re already in a learned seat at the poker table against these underachievers….and we always will be. We’re at a 70% command of the game, they’re at less than 10%; likely to never get beyond ‘less than 10%’. Additionally, we’re on our way to a 100% command of all the skills and assets that we’ll ever need at a NoPay free poker table, while they’re on their way to old maid card games, and a miscellany of events designed for the terminally inept.

We own an understanding of Patience, Patience Development Exercises (PDE), Playable Pockets, Positive Expected Values (+EV), Negative Expected Values (-EV), and Table Position….all of which were presented within Articles 1 and 2. And, we’ve attained the 70% command level as a result of our time spent with Articles 1 and 2….or, you’ve attained the 70% as a result of your own previous knowledge and playing experience. However, albeit momentarily, we need to take a small step backwards. We need to ‘fine tune’ the 70% a bit.

Please recall that I wrote in Article 2 "there is one exception to the playable pockets by table position rule". It relates to the low pocket pairs: 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, and 9/9. (In a subsequent article we’ll get to talk about pocket paint pairs, including T/T, J/J, QQ, KK, and AA).

These low pocket pairs, 2/2 through 9/9, will, long-term, provide us with more financial gain than any other two pocket cards we’ll ever be dealt.

Correct! More than pocket A/A, more than pocket K/K, and more than pocket Q/Q. No other pocket cards are going to put more money in our wallets or purses.

“Say What?”. Did you just scream out those two words?

“He’s not playing with a full deck”

“He’s lost quite a few of his marbles”

“The turnip truck just picked him up”

Well….you can utter those ‘slings and arrows’ for now, but, you’ll shortly become a believer. Or, absent the development of your belief, you’ll miss out on a whole lot of NoPay FreeD being shifted to your bankroll. And, I probably don’t need to remind you that FreeD become dollars, and dollars ultimately become hundreds.

Plus….get this….pocket pairs 2/2 through 9/9, will destroy more ‘Farm Animals’, Donks, Bozos, Clowns, and Chip-Flingers than you could ever imagine, could ever fantasize. And, beyond the ‘Farm Animal’ carnage that these pockets will inflict, they’re also going to move mountains of chips from the ‘good’ players stacks, to your stacks.

No other pocket cards will come remotely close to severely thrashing the ‘bad’ and ‘good’ players as will the low pocket pairs.

Now, let’s begin the task of fully recognizing the devastating power of the low pocket pairs. To accomplish this, we’ll need to start with a small amount of arithmetic. We have about a 6% chance of being dealt a pocket pair….any pocket pair; 2/2 through A/A. Therefore, on average, we’ll get a pocket pair once in every 16 or 17 hands. Moreover, when we’ve been gifted with a pocket pair, we have about a 1 in 8 chance of hitting a set (three of a kind) on the flop.

In the end, when we do all of the arithmetic, we should understand that we’re going to be playing a post-flop set approximately once in every 133 hands. Or, at a table with ten players, we’ll have a post-flop set one time for about every 13 small blind/big blind bets we’ve deposited into the various pots that have come and gone.

And, yes, the low pocket pairs are playable from any position at the table….Early, Middle, or Late. Yet, your Playable Pocket Guide (PPG), created with an assist from last months Article, does not include the low pocket pairs as playable cards from Early and Middle position. Fix it!

The low pocket pairs are, in fact, playable from any of the ten seats at the table. However, all of the low pocket pairs are ONLY playable at a cost that does not exceed the big blind from Early Position, does not exceed 2 times the big blind from Middle Position, and does not exceed 3 times the big blind from Late Position. Plus, the low pocket pairs are never a pre-flop cause for raising the big blind….ever.

Additionally, when you’ve ‘limped in’ while seated in Early Position, or when you’ve called a 2 times the big blind bet from Middle Position, and, a raise has occured to 3 times the big blind, plus, there are 5 or more players in the hand, you should call the 3 times the big blind bet from both Early and Middle positions at the table.

Why? Well….with 5 or more players in the hand, there is an increased likelihood that the flop is going to show 2 or 3 low cards. This is true primarily because it’s logical to assume that the 5 or more players currently in the hand each hold one or more paint cards.

Now, the one set we end up with becomes a big-time weapon. Especially if it is a set of 2′s, 3′s, 4′s, 5′s, 6′s, 7′s, 8′s, or 9′s. Oh, Aces down to Tens are serious weapons too, but the expectation of putting a ‘major hurt’ on the ‘Farm Animals’, and ‘good’ players as well, lies more in the lower pocket pairs, rather than the higher pocket pairs.

The reason for that might already be abundantly clear to you: players holding paint tend not to fear any low card that hits the board as part of the flop.

At this point, keep in mind that our stated mission is to reduce the ‘Farm Animals’, and their chip stacks, to fleeting memories….we want the donks gone, and we want their chips added to our stacks.

Plus, we want to put a serious hurt on the ‘good’ players as well. So, let’s use a sample hand to better understand the overwhelming power of the low pocket pairs. And, in this particular hand, we’ll give ourselves pocket 5c/5h (while seated in Late Position), we’ll give the ‘bad’ player Jh/7c, and we’ll give the ‘good’ player Ad/Qd.

The ‘good’ player raises to three times the big blind, the ‘bad’ player calls, we call, and everyone else at the table folds. The flop hits the board, and it contains Ah/Jd/5s; giving us a set of Fives. The player who we believe has a degree of poker prowess, the ‘good’ player, again makes a three times the big blind bet.

The player who we believe has very limited poker playing abilities, the ‘bad’ player, raises by a factor of three; Lord knows why….he’s holding the middle pair, and he just witnessed a ‘good’ player make a bet into the flopped Ace. Then, after using about half of our time clock allotment, we call. And, the ‘good’ player, also using some of his time clock to possibly project weakness, calls as well.

The turn card is a 7d. It gives the ‘good’ player a nut flush draw (Ad/Qd/Jd/7d), and he holds the high board pair (Ad/Ah). It gives the ‘bad’ player two pairs (Jacks over Sevens). And, us? Well, we’re merrily sitting with a set of Fives (5c/5h/5s). Would you not think that some fireworks are about to go off?

That some chip-flinging might ensue? Or, are you overly concerned that the river will bring a card that fills the flush? Or, are you overly concerned that the river will bring a Jack or a Seven?

Don’t be! In total there are 9 flush-maker cards, and 4 full-house-maker cards….13; less the sole remaining Five, the 5d. It’s a flush-maker card, but it also would give us quad Fives. Thus, there are 12 cards that would cause us to lose, and 34 cards that will bring us the pot. We’re about a 3 to 1 favorite to win; cast your worries aside. We’ll always want our chips in the hunt when we’re holding the current ‘nuts’ hand.

In the interest of shortening a long story, the river is a brick….it helps no one. And, after an all-in bet is made by the ‘bad’ player, plus our call, we take down a very large pot. Now, what made this low pocket pair so powerful? It’s certainly not a premium pocket like A/A, K/K, or Q/Q.

Go ahead, think it through. Sure! It’s because the set of Fives we held was hidden; as will always be the case when pocket 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, and 9/9 are turned into sets by the flop (1 in 133; although that includes sets of Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces).

And, it’s the following facts, all of which should now be incredibly obvious: the fact that our set is hidden, the fact that no one could possibly have a read on our cards, the fact that we’ll almost always slow-play our set; that makes it such that our opponents, ‘bad’ or ‘good’, never have the ability to identify the powerful set the flop handed to us.

Thus, for our competitors, Aye, there’s the rub. We hold a set, no one at the table knows it, and we’re in an advantaged position. What could be better? What, on average, could produce more profits?

Additionally, of interest to you, may well be the knowledge that the ‘low pocket pair strategy’ is used by just about every professional poker player. Yet, not one of them, of those who have written about No Limit Hold-Em, has included a detailed description of it in their respective books. They have all tried to keep a closely guarded secret, a secret. And, I can’t say that I blame them….the low pocket pairs win more money at a poker table than any other two cards anyone can be dealt.

Have you started ‘Building a Bankroll’? You should have….your pile of pennies should be getting larger every day.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

In Part 4 of this free online poker training series learn about the dreaded Pot Odds, Implied Odds, and Rounding

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In part 2 of this free online poker coaching series it’s time to learn about the cards you should play and when to play them - and vice versa – as proven in some very heavyweight university mainframe computer sims.

None of us….as members of the NoPayPoker free poker site….needs to hold a PhD to be a ‘good’ poker player, to be a ‘winning’ poker player.

Anything remotely close to an average intellect is all that is required of us to attain the necessary skills that will lead us to ‘Building a Bankroll’.

We don’t need the Doctoral Degree held by Chris “Jesus”  Ferguson, and we don’t need to have attended the University of California (UCLA)….as he did.

What we need is a fairly simple understanding of the ‘skill sets’ possessed by the many players who regularly depart tables with stacks of chips; chips once held by countless ‘Farm Animals’.

And, make no mistake about it, the overwhelming majority of these ‘Farm Animals’ ultimately abandon poker, then end up roaming their pastures in hungered circles not knowing how the ‘good’ players got the grain, and they got the shaft.

Let’s face it, though, the Farm Animal Hoedowns are here to stay. NoPay is a free online poker site….new clueless critters join on an everyday basis.

So, we can’t expect the quality of play to improve much beyond the level of penny poker. Heck, just about all of the games played on the site are, in fact, penny poker events.

There are only a limited number of ways for us to escape the insanities that perennially manifest themselves in every freeroll tournament we enter.

• One of the ways would be to totally remove ourselves from the registration process; thereby never getting an opportunity to ‘fatten our wallets’….to ‘fill our purses’.
• Another way would be to allow ourselves to only enter the buy-in games.
• Yet, absent a bankroll, we can’t pay our way into the bigger tourneys.

So, the remaining option, other than packing it in and saying “good bye” to NoPay (unacceptable to me; the site and most of the membership are just too much fun), is to participate in the ‘chip-flinger’ infested tournaments with a decided edge….a distinct advantage; one that permits us to cautiously, intelligently, politely, and continuously remove chips from the ‘Hoedown’ initiators.

Plus, to expand our wallets, to grow our bankrolls, we need to initially defend ourselves against the Farm Animal’s moronic play, and subsequently deploy a stockpile of weapons….our skill sets….to inflict the appropriate punishment upon the residents of Donkeytown.

We can do this; it’s not hard to accomplish. In candor, I believe it’s a relatively simple task.

Previously, in Article 01, we came to realize that PATIENCE will serve our primary goal with considerable success.

This goal….our primary goal….is to survive the first 20 minutes of the ever present Donk promulgated madness; it presents itself at the outset of each game.

And, while you may not envision a 20 minute survival period as a success of consequence, simply take a moment to recall the many times your premium pocket cards were pounded to oblivion by a Bozo who went all-in with 6/9 unsuited.

It’s happened to me, to you, to all of us, more times than we could cumulatively count.

Thus, surviving the first 20 minutes of any free poker freeroll is a success. It’s the first success we’ll need to ultimately attain a monetary gain.

The Donks will forever play semi-worthless pockets during their ‘exercises in stupidity’. They truly expect that almost any 2 cards will magically, serendipitously, dump chips atop their stacks; we know better.

We didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday. We’ve played a while, and we have some sense of which pocket cards are playable, and which pockets cards belong in the muck.

Possibly we each have our own playable pockets list….sourced from a book we’ve read, or simply built from our own playing experience.

Now, while I mentionioned UCLA earlier….Dr. Ferguson’s alma mater, it’s now time to turn our attention to the University of Chicago. It’s also one of the very best institutions of higher learning in the United States.

It’s academic ranking is always amongst the top 10 US schools….most often, it’s amongst the top 5. Of note, was a research study conducted at the University almost a decade ago. It had to do with playable pockets, and it was part of a Game Theory project.

Mainframe computers spent hundreds of hours playing 10 handed Texas Hold Em poker games.

The 2,652 possible combinations of two pocket cards (52 x 51 = 2,652) were each put to the test….how would they individually fare, by table position, in terms of ‘a winning percentage’?

In total, more than 2 trillion hands of poker were played by the computers.

And, the results of the effort unquestionably defined pocket cards with a Positive Expected Value (+EV); as well as pocket cards with a Negative Expected Value (-EV).

Positive Expected Value means you would win over the long-term by continually playing pockets with a +EV, and Negative Expected Value means you would lose over the long-term by continually playing pockets with a -EV.

There’s nothing complicated about either the computer science work done by the University of Chicago doctoral candidates, or the published results.

Certain pockets consistently produce long-term winnings, and other pockets consistently produce long-term loses.

This being the case, what are the pocket cards that produce the long-term winnings?

Not so fast, First, we must come to understand table position.

All poker tables are divided into three; or, simply stated, three areas of position: Early, Middle, and Late.

• The Early Table Positions are the Small Blind, the Big Blind, and the Under the Gun (UTG) players; UTG being the person sitting to the left of the big blind.
• The Middle Table Positions come next. Count left from the UTG player; Middle 1, Middle 2, Middle 3, and Middle 4.
• Last, are the Late Table positions: Late 1, Late 2, and the Dealer Button.

For future reference, since I’m inclined by habit to label a player at the table with his/her seat identification, I’ll start clockwise at the small blind bettor with the 2 character codes I almost always use….SB, BB, UG, M1, M2, M3, M4, L1, L2, and DB.

Ten players, ten seats, ten abbreviations; one for each position at the table (kindly note that UTG was shortened to UG).

Now we can talk about playable pockets.

Because pockets are defined as playable only in relation to the table position to which they are dealt.

In Early Position….SB, BB, and UG (the 3 seats to the left of the Dealer Button player)….the only pockets that possess a Positive Expected Value (+EV) are as follows:

• AA
• KK
• QQ
• AK suited
• AQ suited
• AK unsuited
• That’s it….every other possible pocket you could be dealt while seated in an Early position has a Negative Expected Value (-EV).

In Middle Position….M1, M2, M3, and M4 (the four seats to the left of the UG player)….the number of playable pockets increases.

All of the following pockets possess a Positive Expected Value (+EV):

• The same as early, i.e., AA, KK, QQ, AK suited, AQ suited, AK unsuited
• Plus -
• AJ suited
• AT suited
• JJ
• TT
• 99
• AQ unsuited
• AJ unsuited
• AT unsuited
• And any 2 suited paint cards (picture cards; any combination of K, Q, J, and T).
• That’s it….every other possible pocket you could be dealt while seated in a Middle Position has a Negative Expected Value (-EV).

In Late Position….L1, L2, and DB (the three seats to the left of the M4 player)….the number of playable pockets gets even bigger.

All of the following pockets possess a Positive Expected Value (+EV):

• The same as early and middle: AA, KK, QQ, AK suited, AQ suited, AJ suited, AT suited, AK unsuited, JJ, TT, 99, AQ unsuited, AJ unsuited, AT unsuited, any 2 suited paint cards.
• Plus
• 88
• 77
• 66
• 55
• 44
• 33
• 22
• A5 suited
• A4 suited
• A3 suited
• A2 suited
• A9 suited
• And any 2 unsuited paint cards.
• That’s it….every other possible pocket you could be dealt while seated in a Late Position has a Negative Expected Value (-EV).

There is one exception to the playable pockets by table position as presented above. It relates to the low pocket pairs; 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, and 99. It is a very major exception, and, as such, these pockets will be discussed in detail within a subsequent Article….the March, 2008 Article.

Also, all of the playable pockets by table position can only be used to participate in a hand when the cost to see the flop does not exceed 3 times the big blind.

Naturally, pocket AA, and pocket KK, can be excluded from the ’3 times the big blind’ advisory.

For now, since we’re talking about free poker freerolls and pennies, aggression can be the ‘rule of thumb’ with the two premium pockets.

It’s now time for a PPG….a Playable Pockets Guide; 3 inches by 3 inches, laminated, and always available in close proximity to your PC screen.

Take a few minutes to create it from the information you’ve just read. It needs to contain 3 sections.

• Early Position, with the associated playable pockets.
• Middle Position, with the associated playable pockets.
• And, Late Position, with the associated playable pockets.
• Within a very short period of time, the PPG will be memorized; you’ll then be playing instictively.

In the end, we’ve moved from 50% to 70%. Correct? True? Absolutely!

Patience represents 50% of all the skills we’ll bring to a poker table, and, playing only pockets with a Positive Expected Value (+EV) represents 20% of all the skills we’ll bring to a poker table; 50% to 70%.

And, with this simple move, we’re now in a position where we can begin the process of creating a pile of pennies….a dollop of dollars….or a horde of hundreds.

Sure, we’ll only have a ‘Flops Seen Percentage’ that hovers in the area of 15%.

However, we’ll also have a ‘Flops Seen Win Percentage’ that consistently resides at a level exceeding 60%. And, when we’re winning more than 60% of the hands we participate in, we’re ‘Building a poker Bankroll’.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

Next, part 3 of free online poker coaching : Winning Big With Low Pocket Pairs

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