Today my poker free online games training article is about passive and aggressive play, specifically I’m looking at when and why one style is preferable to the other. To do this I’m looking at a real life hand played out in a pro game to try and illustrate the factors involved and things you need to consider in regard to your playing style profile.

The basis
Aggressive players are characterised by their frequent use of raises and bets. Passive players call bets and raises. To be passive, which is essentially to be cautious, can be a good way to play in major tournaments such as the WSOP where, for example, a J-10 in a flop of 10-8-4 is decent enough for playing with middle of the road care. You’d play such a hand possibly by check-calling or placing only small bets with an aim of value-betting at the end if the table if it looks safe enough. But being too passive, as in this example, can lead to destruction.

Blinds – 3000/6000

Preflop:

A has As-Ah raise to 16k
B has Ks-Qs call 16k (Pot 50k)

Since B has a position over A and his K-Q is suited, he can afford a call. In the meantime A plays his pocket A’s like any other raising the hand in middle position to confuse B. If A only called his Aces it could make B think he has A-A and result in B calling or folding later should A give away more strength signals.

The Flop: 7s-2d-Qh

A bets 23k
N now calls with 23k – the pot stands at 96k

A’s gets are based mainly on the pure value of the Aces rather than the possible value of B’s hand. With three undercards falling (and the likely possibility of the Queen pairing someone, especially a caller from late position) his Aces are secure, provided that no face card falls later, because it may pair the kicker of the one holding a Queen. B too thinks his Queens hold value though he knows not enough should a King or Ace fall – an option now is to put A on a bluff with Ax or Kx, so he just calls.

TURN: 7s-2d-Qh-8d

A bets 55k
B calls 55k (Pot 206k)

A does again what he did on the Flop, and thinks likewise. B also stays the same. As there are no draws on the Flop (both may think a backdoor Flush unlikely) and his Aces still all undercarded A keeps on hammering B aggressively and B stays hammered in passive mode.

RIVER: 7s-2d-Qh-8d-blank

Now A bets 121k making the pot 372k
This bet forces B all in. Because all cards are undercards to A’s Aces, and all other board cards are undercards to B’s Queens, A thinks B now has a Queen which he may be willing to be suicidal with. So A does not slow down as most players do (even with Aces most players think that it is still just one pair, so they may check only, or if they feel their Aces are good, then they may try to check-raise) and instead pushes B all-in.

B still thinks his Queens are strong enough which is why he has come as far as the river. Then he plays the textbook maneuver. Could it be that he is up against A-Q? Unlikely he thinks so…

B moves all in on 121k

A aggressively hammered at B all the way from preflop to the post river all in death and B just kept accepting the hammering. A did not give B a chance to react gracefully. B just call-called all the way to his chip death.

It could be that B sensed As unusual strength since he just called all the time. If he did, then he should have trusted his read in the river. The Flop and the Turn bets may be offering cheap spots for him to call, so that even if he knows he’s beat at that point, he can still draw, but the river bet – enough to finish his tournament life – isn’t.

So, yes aren’t there a lot of things to think about in this hand, and of course the same it true for most poker hands. One point to be clear on is that there isn’t a right and wrong way, you should not play aggressive or passive all the time, in order to be great at poker you have to be able to play both ways and all the ways in between and adapt as you go along.

Ok that is easier to say than do I accept, so the next advice is that practice perfects the art. And a very good way to practice what this free online poker coaching article is demonstrating is to play free poker practice games but not with real money on our very own NoPayPOKER.com where you can practice your poker skills with zero risk of money loss (it is also US legal) and then when ready try your hand for real cash.

The Blinds

Preflop

Because B has position over A (and because his K-Q is suited) B can afford a call. In the meantime A plays his pocket A’s like any other raising the hand in middle position to confuse B. If A only called his Aces it could make B think he has A-A and result in B calling or folding later should A give away more strength signals.

The Flop: 7s-2d-Qh

A bets 23k
B calls 23k (Pot 96k)

A’s gets are based mainly on the pure value of the Aces rather than the possible value of B’s hand. His Aces are most likely secure now due to 3 undercards falling and the probable pairing of the Queen with a caller in late position, that is just so long as no face card falls later on as that could result in a paired kicker to the one holding a Queen. B also believes that his Queens have value, but not strong enough if a King or Ace falls – he may put A on a bluff with A-x or K-x – so he just calls.

The Turn: 7s-2d-Qh-8d

Now A bets with 55k
B responds by calling with 55k making the pot 206k

A does again what he did on the Flop, and thinks likewise. B also thinks likewise. As there are no draws on the Flop (both may think a backdoor Flush unlikely) and his Aces still all undercarded A keeps on hammering B aggressively and B stays hammered in passive mode.

RIVER: 7s-2d-Qh-8d-blank

A bets 121k (Pot 372k)

This bet forces B all in. Because all cards are undercards to A’s Aces, and all other board cards are undercards to B’s Queens, A thinks B now has a Queen which he may be willing to be suicidal with. So A keep the aggression going where a lot of players might slow down given that the Aces are only just a pair and so may check to stay safer or check-raise if they feel their Aces are decent, A however pushes B all the way to all in.

B still thinks his Queens are strong enough which is why he has come as far as the river. Then he does the orthodox maneuver. Could it be that he is up against A-Q? Not likely, so

B moves all in on 121k

A aggressively hammered at B all the way from preflop to the post river all in death and B just kept accepting the hammering. A did not give B a chance to react gracefully. B played passive in response to the aggression and called all the way to his all in destruction.

It could be that B sensed As unusual strength since he just called all the time. But if so he should have trusted his senses once the river was reached and bowed out. The bets at Flop and Turn bets might offer cheap call spots and even if he thinks he is beaten then he can still draw, but by the river stage bet is not cheap and is enough to finish him off.

As you can see there are a lot of factors involved in this hand, the same goes for most poker hands. One point to be clear on is that there isn’t a right and wrong way, you should not play aggressive or passive all the time, in order to be great at poker you have to be able to play both ways and all the ways in between and adapt as you go along.

In this free online poker instruction and tips lesson we’re looking at the use and application of value betting by use of a pro game real life hand example. Read through to find out who won and how.

In a board which is one off a Straight, such as 7-8-9-2-J, what will you do if you had the 9-8? If your opponent checks, would you also check? Most of us may, because your opponent may have, say, A-10 and hung on the Turn only to try to trap on the river. 

But once you have determined that he is more likely not to have the Ten in this case than to have it, we can get some additional chips from him by value-betting. Here is an example of a similar hand:

This hand was shown on the Turn. (Pot about 250k)

Both players checked on the Flop.

Both checked, maybe, because their hands were too weak for a Board which presented Straight and Flush possibilities. One may be on a draw, and someone may not be willing to continue strongly with just one Pair.

TURN: 9d-6d-10s-9s

A has ??-??, checks

B has ??-??, bets 200k

Now maybe B has a gutshot or a Flush draw, so he wants no more trouble with A. What does A do?

A raises to 600k

B calls 400k (Pot now 1.45m)

Now A’s check-raise may reinforce B’s belief that A has a made hand, like 9-x or a high Pair, but B may be on a draw, so B calls. Additionally, the pot is large already, so B can afford a call (400,000 in a 1.05m pot) if he has a Straight or a Flush draw, or even an overpair (which I suspect), or a Pair with a draw, even if he believes that A has a Nine (B may also have the remaining Nine with a Flush draw).

RIVER: 9d-6d-10s-9s-8c

A bets 1m

Even on a dangerous Board with a Straight draw (but without any more Flush possibilities), A bets. Now this is not a board where A can afford to push B all in; however, this is quite right for a value bet.

Here are the reasons:

1. A bets because if B has a hand and if B bets, then A will be put on a decision. A doesn’t want that to happen. He has shown strength on the Turn when he check-raised; therefore he wishes to be consistent. He wants to put B on a decision. He wants B to think if he has the Eight than give his opponent the opportunity of making him do the hard thinking.

2. Furthermore, A bets because check-calling has the same effect as betting and then getting called. But the second alternative, betting and getting called, is more aggressive.

3. A wants to get additional value for his Trip Nines. As long as he believes that B has a decent hand but not a strong one, he will bet to get chips from B, who has played passively from Flop up to now (checking after he checked on the Flop, betting small then calling a raise on the Turn). If B folds, he hasn’t a hand, and A wins the pot. If B calls and A’s estimate of his hand strength is right, then he will obtain more chips than he would if he checked and B just checked (which is what a passive player will do).

4. Now, let us add that A is a very strong player. He may be bluffing, but he doesn’t want it to be obvious. Therefore he dresses the bluff in the form of a value bet. He hopes that B will be fooled, especially in a Board in which a bluff may work well against marginal hands (paired Board and one off a Straight).

B calls 1m

B calls. B may have a decent hand which is good enough for showdown. A’s value bet gives him about 2.5-to-1 on a call (1m more to win a 2.45m pot) which B may consider to be sufficient enough for a pay-off with, say, A-10 or even a small Pair. So what are the two hands each are holding?

A reveals Jh-9h

A correctly rounded off the respective hand strengths of his and B’s hands; this gave him sufficient confidence for a value bet. A more passive player will just check-fold or check-check.

B mucks

So what was B holding, and what could he have made? He may have K-K, Q-Q, or A-10, and just slowed down when he saw a Board conducive for a Straight and Flush development, as well as a Pair. B may also have a small Pair, where he thought was the best hand, and just decided to pay off.

Whatever it is, it is a made hand, and maybe he couldn’t help wondering what A was holding; who was this A? That’s right; it’s Phil Ivey. Maybe B assumed the check-raise on the Turn and the bet on the river were bluffs; it was just Phil Ivey playing aggressively and reading hands.

So get practicing your poker value betting and learn how to bet better in poker games by applying the ideas in this free online poker training article. And if you’re not already playing free poker practice games at NoPayPOKER get started today, it’s utterly free and risk free and is US player legal even by the latest 2011 definitions!

My this free online poker games coaching lesson looks at the importance of self discipline for winning poker.

What do you do if you have a big hand such as AK or AQ? Typically, we raise with them. Some daring players even reraise them after a reraise. But are they strong enough to call raises?

Here is a hand reconstruction case in point that proves the idea:

BLINDS 5k/10k

A has 10c-4c raises to 27k

A’s hand is very weak but he raises with it. Maybe because A is an aggressive player? Or A is representing A-x which is a good enough hand to steal blinds with, or a big pair? What does B reckon?

B has As-Kc reraises to 87k
A calls 60k

Now B has the dreaded AK. Dreadful both for the owner of A-K and the opponent. If the opponent holds Ax and an Ace comes then unless he’s got 2 pair he will get beaten by the kicker AK.

Yet if the Ace or King does not come, B is going to have a difficult time representing what showed on the Flop, since if the opponent bets, generally the opponents cards will fit the Flop, and B is going to leak chips by attempting to buy the Flop by raising, and typically he is is not comfortable to raise with trash (following the opponents raise at the Flop).

B makes a good raise, it’s good since he is able to drive out a hand without the need to see a Flop (even pairs of JJ or lower can be pushed out); he doesn’t want to play AK too riskily. So how can A reply to the reraise?

A reraises to 237k
B to call 150k

So A really is an aggressive player! A, with nothing, reraises again! This might be a sign of AA, KK, even QQ. If B is facing any of these hands he is always an underdog (even with the Q-Q).

Now B has some options:

1. He can fold, thus not wasting any more chips. This is he decides that AK is better used against a passive opponent than aggressive.

2. He might call, since he has position, but if no Ace or King falls, A, being aggressive, can continuation bet even with trash, and B will have difficulty determining if A is bluffing. And even should he call and an Ace or King falls what if he’s facing AA or KK?

3. He might move all-in and throw A out of the pot, however, a reraise following a reraise is usually the sign of AA or KK (an effective trap), and B can’t make up his mind whether or not A really has AA or KK, or nothing.

So the choices are in support of his folding, so

B folds

A shows the bluff!

The aggression by A paid off well. But the focus of this play is discipline. B certainly did consider the reasons for every action, and determined that folding was the best choice. Of course we can add another reason: If we are in the pot with good players, unless we have good hands, keep out. Hold on until you playing with someone you can steal all the chips from.

Start playing with a strategy by practicing risk free on a free poker online site such as NoPayPOKER.com where you can play with no risk of loss and get loads of free online poker coaching too.

My new free poker online coaching lesson looks at how to make cunning use of small bets to get big wins. So how can a series of small bets add up to a very sneaky play? And why will do good players switch from conventional big bet thinking to small?

Here is a hand example that shows the idea:

BLINDS 6k/12k

PREFLOP:

A comes from small blind, has got 9d-4d, raises to 35k
B from big blind, has got As-3s, calls 23k (Pot 88k)

Both plays are simply standard plays. A may be trying to steal the big blind with a raise from the small blind. B calls since he’s got a good hand for the upcoming Flop.

FLOP: Js-Jh-10h

A bets 25k (Pot 123k)
B calls 25k (Pot 138k)

Here A’s bet is just small, because he has nothing, but he wants to take away the pot by representing a Jack on a paired board, or a draw. On a flop with Straight and Flush possibilities presenting, B might well put A on a draw and wait to see if A slows later. Also, with a call he gets 5-1 odds.

TURN: Js-Jh-10h-Kc

A bets 25k (Pot 163k)
B calls 25k (Pot 188k)

A bets again! Might A possess the Jack or 10? Now, what B is thinking is that he is getting about 6.5-to-1 on a call to hit an Ace (where if A also has an Ace, they may split the pot) or a Queen (for a Straight). So he calls.

RIVER: Js-Jh-10h-Kc-8h

A bets 30k (Pot 218k)

Still A bets again! Now with a blank river card which hardly fill any possible Flush or Straight (maybe 9-7 or Q-9, but I don’t think both of them think the other one has it) why did A fire three times! And not just that, they were small bets. It might be a value bet where A has a J and trapped B for 2 further bet rounds.

It may also be a value bet where A had A-Q. B might consider: “A might know I’ve got nothing, but if uses big bets he’ll make me fold. So he bets small, hoping to extract more chips from me. I’m getting 8.5-to-1 on a call, but no matter. I’m not going to fall again.” B shakes his head and folds.

A shows a bluff!

If A bet big B may also think that A is just sustaining a three-round bluff, and may call it. And recall B is a good player, and can detect sneaky stuff like this. (B by the way is Elky Grospellier. And A is Jeff Shulman.) But A was betting small and good players think good players think smaller bets are value bets, as a result good players indulging in reverse psychology are able to bluff other good players with small bets that resemble value bets.

Try your hand at small bet techniques by practicing your poker on a free online poker site like NoPayPOKER.com where you can do lot of riskless free poker online training.

This free online poker article is about a hand I watched in a Sit-and-Go tournament I played in. One of the players was duped, but so was I even though I wasn’t in the hand. The moral of the story is that you need to know when to fold and to be very aware of the outs that exist in the hand else you may get crushed.

Here’s how and why:

BLINDS 30/60

A has As-Jd, calls 60
B has ??-??, calls 60
Big blind and small blind joins (Pot 210)

FLOP: 8c-4c-As

Here A believes that his Ace is strong, so he continues his aggression:

Big blind and small blind check-fold
A bets 300
B calls 300

Because A fired out more than the pot, B is now getting less than 2-to-1 on a call, (1.7-1) which is the right price to call for a Straight or a Flush draw with two cards to come. A’s bet is just enough to drive out an incomplete hand. But because B is a bad player who will chase down draws, he calls.

TURN: 8c-4c-As-5c

The Five of Clubs came, and A, at this point, still has a strong hand, but has weakened. His Pair of Aces is good against what he believes should be a stray Flush draw. If he makes B continue, however, he might not be able to play his Pair. So A continues battering:

A bets 500
B calls 500

RIVER: 8c-4c-As-5c-7d

A Diamond came! Not a four-Flush. Of course A believes his Aces are good already, except if his opponent had A-K. So A tries a check-trap

A checks
B bets 1250
A calls all-in 1250

B reveals 8d-6d, wins the pot

How in the world did B have the Straight? When A saw three Clubs, he thought his opponent had, say, one Pair and one Clover which could materialize into a made Flush later. It didn’t, so A thought B’s all-in was because of the value of the small Pair B already had. He believed it will be only 8-x or less, so A called with what he thought was the best hand. It wasn’t.

The board was dangerous, but A miscalculated the danger. By focusing too much on the Flush, he didn’t realize that the Board was one card off a Straight (only a 6 is needed to topple him), and when only three Clubs came, he was lifted his fright of the Flush, but it made him recklessly disregard all other potential hands. The check was correct, but a fold would be better after that check.

And I, too, was duped. I thought B had a busted Flush, too. When B pushed A all-in, I, too, thought he was doing it with a pair and a busted Flush draw. It was with a Straight.

So what free Poker lessons can be taken from this hand?
One is to know when to fold. If the board’s one card off a Straight or Flush or any other big made hand, and a big bet is in front of you (which you reasonably believe is not a bluff), you should, more often than not, fold.

Two is to know which cards can crush you. All of them, not just some.

For A, during the Flop and the Turn, he realized that only Clubs can crush him. On the river, because there are only three Clubs (if B had the flush made, he would have moved all-in on the Turn, and A could have folded), A thinks he’s safe. He focused on the Clubs too much; he forgot the 6.

Of course it’s easy with hindsight and analysis, being aware of factors like all the available outs is a tough one if you’re new to poker (hell even if you’ve got some time tucked away) so for that reason it’s best to practice a lot in free poker games at NoPayPOKER before you go off to places like Feltstars and PartyPoker or live games and start throwing real money about. Even when you do progress I advise you to come back and play free online poker regularly in order to de-stress, make errors without loss and practice new ideas.

In this free online poker article we’ll look at what happens if, in a heads-up match, both players think they have the best hand and decide to slow-play – Trap versus Trap basically.

To illustrate the lesson we’ll look at the situation by example. In this case a World Series of Poker final table hand.

The scene:

BLINDS 100k/200k, ante 30k

PREFLOP:

A has Ks-10s, raises to 400k
B has As-Ad, calls 200k

A’s raise is standard for K-10, which is not as weak in short-handed play as in a full table.

B could have reraised A, but A might fold. B could be worried only if the Flop came up paired like J-J-7, but B thinks that a continuation test bet will detect if A has a hand after the Flop.

Reraising preflop and this test bet has the same effect of making A fold if A doesn’t have anything, but calling not only conceals A’s hand strength, but also makes it dangerous for B to bet if a King or a Ten comes.

FLOP: Kc-5c-3h

B checks
A bets 525k
B raises to 1.45m
A calls 875k (Pot now 3.76m)

Now A suddenly had top pair which he may think is the best hand!

B checks, again to conceal hand strength.

A bets to build the pot, then B raises.

A may interpret B’s raise as a bluff because he may think B is drawing (note the two Clubs) or that B may have a smaller pair, say, A-5 or A-3.

A just calls because he is now the one attempting to trap.

TURN: Kc-5c-3h-6s

B bets 1.5m

The three-Flush didn’t come. B’s bet is now challenging A.

If A folds, B still wins a large pot. If A calls or reraises, B can push him all-in if action gets back to B.

A’s trap seems to be working so far. Now B may have decided that A is still on a Flush draw with maybe a small Pair, say Ac-3c.

Additionally, because preflop A concealed his hand strength well (just smooth-calling), B can think that A also has a King, but with a weaker kicker.

Now he believes that A is ready to call anything he hauls in the middle, and he also thinks his trap is working. So what does he do?

A moves all-in
B calls 3.6m (Pot now about 14 million)

Both think their traps are successful! In poker, the bigger the hands, the bigger the chips in front.

Both did well in preserving the balance building the pot and concealing hand strength, but only one hand can win.

A can only win with a river King or Ten.

RIVER: Kc-5c-3h-6s-10c (!)

A wins! But had A continued trapping until the river with this river card, it’s still the same. Both still have big hands, both are willing to trap, and both are willing to ravenously hoard each other’s chips once the opportunity arises.

Summary of the Trap Vs Trap

Spend some time to read and consider the principles behind this article. Try and consider the key facts behind what’s going on in this particular example and consider ways to put these lessons into your individual play.

Poker, while not so difficult to learn if very difficult to make a living from, or, indeed, not lose money at most of the time!

But if (and when) you learn to really play online poker well then you’ll make some great money. Why?

Simply that the vast majority of players you come up against never get to what can be termed a good level.

So you, if you can get to a good standard will do very well very easily. You don’t have to be a TV pro to make good money in poker!

The fact that most players are at such a low competence means that whenever you hunt/play them on free online poker sites or low stakes sites you’ll be able to clean up.

To learn to play poker free go look at the rest of the NoPayPOKER blog, the free poker lessons here  cover all levels from rookie to advanced, plus, the site itself as a free online poker site is the ideal place to practice what you learn.

Regardless of if you’re a beginning free online poker player or a WSOP top table pro, the all-in is the biggest move in poker.

As a rule of thumb, usually one moves all-in only with hands that can stand a chance against, say, A-K or A-Q (the most common all-in hands).

It is because these are the hands also most prepared to call. Which hands, then, are we ready to put our tournament life on? Pocket pairs spring to mind. So does A-K (or A-Q or even K-Q suited or K-J suited if you are running out of chips)

But someone does it differently. I’d like to add that here; player B is usually an impatient, rowdy player who is familiar to us TV poker fans.

BLINDS 12k/24k

A has Ad-Kd raises 75k

A’s raise is simply standard for A-K suited, though it is slightly stronger (the average preflop raise is about 2.5x the big blind, but this raise is a little greater than thrice). But look at B’s move, which may be less standard:

B has 10c-5c moves all-in 544k

What about that: a 10-5? With about 22 big blinds left, which is relatively a short-stack (but not so short), B moves all-in. But with a 10-5? B can wait for slightly better hands than this.

Now let us try to justify the 10-5 in this situation. If B did it with a small pair, he is a slight favourite (about 55-45). If with A-x (with x smaller than a King), he is a significant underdog (about 75-25).

With any 2 cards apart from A or K he much less the underdog (approx. 66-34).

So the win-rate of 10-5 against A-K (here B deciding that A’s hand was A-K or similar was quite a gamble; if he’s up against A-A he is a big underdog, about 85-15) is just the average of the win rate of a pocket pair against A-K and the win rate of A-x against A-K, and therefore not so bad.

Moreover, with 10c-5c B has two live cards, in contrast to A-x, where x is the only live card. Moreover, B may dislike having 22 big blinds dwindle to, say, 15 or 14 later, so he decides to put his heart and soul into this hand. Who is this player, anyway? “I’ve got a 10-5, girls and boys.” Yes it’s true, the garrulous Mike Matusow! “The Mouth!”

A calls 469k (Pot 1.124m)

Now let us observe how “The Mouth” will fare against all odds.

FLOP: Js-7c-5s

“That’s a Flop!” A Five fell, pairing Matusow!

TURN: Js-7c-5s-8d

RIVER: Js-7c-5s-8d-6d

Moving all-in can prove to be the most dangerous moments in poker. Even in free online poker it can also be the most thrilling, anyway. The all-in recharged Matusow’s stack to 45 big blinds.

This sort of unusual play can be exploited forever in any case. When Matusow believed that A has A-K or similar, he is gambling.

While most players will work a strategy where they will call with pocket pairs I doubt in this case that A will call with anything less than 10-10.

Against A-A or K-K or a higher pair, 10-5 will win only about 15% of the time, and with 10-10 to 5-5, about 25%, and with 4-4 to 2-2, nearly a coin flip.

Summing up the All-In

Take time to read and comprehend the principles behind this article. Attempt comprehend the ideas behind what’s going on with this example and look into strategies to put these lessons into your individual play.

It takes time to learn how to play poker at a level where you make money consistently.

But if (and when) you learn how to play poker well then you’ll make some good money. Why?

Simply that the vast majority of players you come up against never get to what can be termed a good level.

So you, if you can get to a good standard will do very well very easily. You don’t have to be a TV pro to make good money in poker!

The fact that most players are at such a low skill means that whenever you hunt/play them on free online poker games or low stakes sites you’ll be able to clean up.

To learn to play poker for free explore the NoPayPOKER blog, the free poker lessons here cover all levels from beginner to advanced, plus, the site itself as a free online poker site is the perfect place to practice what you learn.

When you play both free poker online and any level cash poker Three-bets mean good hands (or bluffs). Four-bets mean better hands (or bluffs). Where you’re basically saying “I dare you!” to your opponent(s)

But luck gives you the best hands of all.  Here is one example:

BLINDS 50k/100k, ante 10k

PREFLOP:

A has K-K, raises to 290k

From the cutoff, A’s raise might want anybody else to fold. But he certainly plays K-K shrewdly. Many other players would play A-A or K-K weakly preflop for trapping later. A plays K-K as if it were any other hand.

• B has A-Q, raises to 650k
• A to call 360k

B’s reraise is to try if A has a decent hand or is just trying to steal. With suited connectors, A can call, but with K-K, A does better:

• A reraises to 1.49m
• B to call 840k

Now A plays K-K conventionally. He is enlarging the pot. It’s like saying “I Dare You!” Had his reraise be small (line only a reraise to 720k) it would not be “I Dare You”; it will be “I Want a Call” and B may call, but A has nothing to fear if B calls unless an Ace falls.

But he does not want a call. It is OK if B folds (which is just expected if B had no hand, but he wants B to put him on a bluff and push him.

B, meanwhile, is thinking something. Because A’s raises are from the cutoff, B may think that the second is a bluff (and good for A if he knows this is what B is thinking). So what does B do?

• B moves all in
• A to call 3.76m

Now B is the one daring A! A could have thought some of these:

(1) Was B trying to bluff me out? (He can’t, if he is. In fact, I want him to do that.)

(2) Did B trap me with a four-bet with the A-A? or K-K? (There is a small possibility.)

(3) How much will I invest? (I had 10.7 million at the start and I am going to invest 5.3 million. About half my stack. But I am going to try to knock him out, anyway.)

(4) Did B have A-x? (Most probably. They do it all the time. However, I’m quite uneasy if it’s worth half my stack.)

But A didn’t, because he instantly called. Moreover, A could have thought instead, “My ploys were successful. I trapped him. Now he’s finished.”

A calls 3.76m (Pot about 12 million)

Three-bets and four-bets almost always signify A-A, K-K or with some brave players, A-K or Q-Q. B had A-Q, which is not so

good for a call (A may have figured out that B held A-Q, so he reraised instead of trapped; if he just called, then an Ace may fall and he may not continue with his K-K) but even worse for staying in a hand with plenty of raises and reraises.

However, luck has the last word in this hand.

The board ended up Js-7h-3s-Ad-Qd, which clinched B’s win.

Concluding I Dare You

It takes time to learn how to play poker online or offline and most players can’t be bothered. But, fact is, that learning hand scenarios like this is something that you just have to do in order to be good.

And this is great news for you as a player who wants to learn as so few players you will find playing lower stakes or free online poker do learn. So once you learn to play poker at an above average level and combat the “all-in-all the time” maniacs then you can take them apart in coldly calculated genocide anytime you like in low stakes money games and when you play free online poker that pays real cash such as that found at www.NoPayPOKER.com.

As ever practice makes perfect so read, understand and learn to play poker online free on the NoPayPOKER.com tables to get it nailed

Whether you play free poker on NoPayPOKER or play for the biggest stakes imaginable a common theme is that aggressive players do all the betting and the raising, and get all the chips.

Those who just call are deemed to be passive. This is because calling puts you into a decision which the bettor hopes you to make. But if you have tons of reasons to call, and you have contemplated about it very carefully, you can call with no shame.

Here is one such hand (Shame on him if he folds):

BLINDS 60k/120k, ante 15k

PREFLOP:

• A has 5h-5d, raised to 310k (under the gun)
• B has Kc-10c, calls 310k (from middle position)

A’s raise from under the gun signifies a strong hand, but let us add that A is a strong aggressive player (somewhat on the loose side) that can represent any hand. Also, A can make everyone fold. B’s K-10 suited is good for just calling, and he does.

With K-10, one should be more careful if a King comes up. With a King, A may have K-J or A-K (A-K, especially from a raise under the gun). I don’t think B is aware of this, maybe because he hasn’t seen the Flop yet. Here it is:

FLOP: 10d-4c-2d

Now only a Ten comes, which is more favorable for B. Those who do not have flush draws with two Diamonds may play a J-10 or a 10-9 strongly, and the King kicker is very strong.

A bets 535k

Because A raised under the gun, he tries a continuation bet. If he gets called, he can put B on a flush draw or a small pair (like 7-7), so he can frisk away later with not much loss.

But B may want to end the hand with his Pair of Tens, probably because overcards can fall. Moreover, A has been too aggressive all throughout, as we said, and it may be with two face cards or A-x, so B returns A’s favor:

• B raises to 1.61m
• A needs 1.075m to call

Because A has been representing a strong hand so far (raising under the gun and continuation-betting), he might as well stay consistent. Moreover, A may think that B raised because he thought A had nothing, and he is trying o push A out of the pot with something like K-J or a Flush draw.

As for the possibility of a Ten in B’s hand, why would A think B had a Ten? Even if B did, he would just call (commonly) and then check-check it all the way, because a Pair of Tens is not so strong, especially if faced with a three-bet like this:

• A moves all-in 3.075m
• B needs 2.5m to call (Pot now about 7.5m)

Maybe A moved all-in because his Pair of Fives have value on a board with only one overcard and whose caller may have a Flush draw (in this case, the caller may still be reluctant because even with a Flush draw with two overcards, it’s still a draw) but he may also be thinking that B is putting a play on him, so he played-back.

Now B is put on the decision which calls for a call. Here are B’s reasons why he may not call (which B may be thinking, but which will be my reasons for so doing):

(1) A three-bet plus all-in may signify J-J or higher, which is very likely if only small cards are on the table. Or: even a Set which A may have used to trap with.

(2) He is getting approximately 3-to-1 on a call (2.5 million to win approximately 7.5 million), but he should call only if he is getting 4-to-1 (21% chance of hitting Two-Pair or Trips), which is the right price.

(3) If he calls, he will have about 6 million chips remaining, but if he doesn’t, he will have about 8.5 million remaining, and his loss is relatively small for his stack (which is nearly 10 million).

Now here are B’s reasons why he should call:

(1) He can knock out an opponent who has proven to be very dangerous so far.

(2) Maybe A is the one on a Flush draw. Or maybe a Flush draw with two overcards where both of them have nearly equal chance of winning. So it’s OK.

(3) Maybe A put B on a Flush draw and decided to push B out of the pot instead of letting a Diamond emerge. So A’s all-in is just a bluff now.

(4) Maybe A put B on a bluff and decided to counter-bluff.

(5) With only one overcard which is not so likely to be in someone’s hand just as a face card is, B may put A on a pocket pair 5-5 to 9-9. In that case, he has a better Pair (Tens).

(6) He can lift himself up to 14 million chips after this.

(7) It is because B’s guts says so.

With these things in B’s mind, but still brewing over the cons, B tried hard to decide. For a long time he stared at his opponent and the Board. He commented first, You may hate me for this,” but then added, as if nothing but instinct prompted him, “but I call.”

B calls 2.5m (Pot just above 9 million)

A is in trouble now. B won the hand and knocked out A (who is Antonio Esfandiari! B is Steven Begleiter). B may be neutral in choosing between folding and calling, but if I’ll call, I’ll call not solely because of value of the Tens, but because of the above reasons.

Summary of A Good Call

It takes time to learn how to play poker online or offline at a level above the unthinking “chip flinging” seen at many tables and learning hand scenarios like this is something that you just have to do in order to be good.

But this is also very good news for you as a player who is learning to play correctly because very few players you will find playing lower stakes or free online poker bother. So once you learn to play poker at an above average level and combat the “all-in-all the time” maniacs then you can take them apart in coldly calculated genocide anytime you like in low stakes money games and when you play free poker that pays real cash such as that found at www.NoPayPOKER.com.

As ever practice makes perfect so read, understand and learn to play poker free on the NoPayPOKER.com tables to get it nailed