I picked up the latest edition of BluffMagazine to find a featured article about another new poker show called Two Months Two Million. Basically it is a reality show based upon four online poker players that move to Las Vegas and attempt to fulfill the title of the show. The objective is fairly obvious. These guys are trying to win $2 Million dollars in a window of 60 days give or take a day or two. Before I go any further I gotta tell you that this is a rather tall order considering that you have to play at high stakes just about 24/7 to achieve this goal. The problem is that these guys are already known entities in the online poker world and they admit that it will indeed be a tall task. It is going to be tough for them to get action above the $50 / $25 limits because of their previous success.

If you thought these guys were just internet poker players think again. They also have fared well in live poker tournaments too with one of the players taking down $583k so far in 2009  thanks to a WSOP 4th place finish. Honestly, I do not expect any of them to achieve the goal they set at all. However, I do believe that they can do something even more important and that is they can help dispel the myth that online poker and poker in general is simply a game of luck with no strategic value. If the show can convey that message to the audience over the long run it will be another small step in the right direction.

The show is set in a gorgeous Las Vegas spread with the obligatory monster wide screen HD display on the main wall that projects their PC’s screens in quadrants for all to see. The war room is setup so that each of the players can sit side-by-side while going at it online with their opponents. They also do interviews and their is plenty of footage of their every day life as well to balance out the poker playing and poker talk. The show has got a shot and I believe the non-poker playing viewers will genuinely be interested in it. It’s worth a look.

Trusting your read on another player at the table will increase your profit in almost every situation. Why? Because you will lose fewer chips or win more chips because of your understanding of your opponents situation. Most importantly you are willing to ACT on that understanding.  Where as many times we will know we have the best hand but because there is an over card on the board and our opponent has a tendency to call large raises with small pairs we fold.

These are the kinds of plays that take you from being an average to good player to a very good player. Most people can work hard and easily become very good fundamentally sound poker players. But how many of us are truly working to improve your overall game to the point of really understanding where your opponent is at in the hand? Are you willing to act when you know you are correct? That is when you know you have taken your game to the next level when you can make that kind of play and be correct most of the time.

This is just one of many scenarios I believe advanced players make the correct play in most situations. They are not perfect but they know their opponents tendencies and act on their reads a lot more often than us amatuers do.

We can all learn from that.

I am sure we have all discussed with our poker friends just how much you need in order to be bankrolled properly for tournament play. It doesn’t matter whether you play mid stakes, high stakes, or low stakes. If you play tournament poker you need a bankroll that can withstand bad runs. Most everyone that I know has gone broke several times. Some learn from their mistakes and go on to do very well. Others, never learn how to properly manage their bankroll and they are no longer playing the game anymore.

One of the things I see most professional players preaching is that you never spend more than 10 percent of your bankroll on any one tournament. You can scale this to your particular stakes easily and it is a great rule of thumb to follow. If your bankroll is $500 dollars then you should play tournaments that are no larger than $50 dollars. Your average tournament buy-in should be around $10 bucks. For a good to above average player they will typically be in the money around 10 to 20 percent of the time and have a first, second, or third around 5 percent of the times they cash. As with anything your results will vary depending how well or poorly you are running at the moment.

Your tournament bankroll should be around 100 times your average buy-in. If you want to play $100 dollar tournaments then you need $10k. If you want to play $1000 buy-ins then you need $100,000 and so on. If you can consistently play well and endure a little bad luck every now and then you will continue to be successful and keep your bankroll intact.

I just got done reading Poker Wizards by Warwick Dunnett.  This book is not your typical poker book and I welcome Warwicks approach to bringing you useful information in a very easy to read manner. You will not find a whole lot of number crunching algorithms or anything of that nature in Poker Wizards. However, what you do find is a wealth of knowledge from some of the best No Limit poker professionals in the world.

Yes, Warwick Dunnett sat down with the likes of Dan Negreanu, Mike Sexton, Kathy Liebert, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and many others and asked them to share their thoughts at length on how they approach the game of poker. Just the idea that you get that kind of in site is extremely appealing and informative. Warwick chimes in at the beginning of each chapter introducing each of the “Poker Wizards”  with a brief bio and how they started on their journey.

Lastly, Warwick himself chimes in with his own take on playing in poker tournaments and cash games and the various facets of play such as:

• Discipline
• Strategy
• Money Management
• Online Poker

Again, this book is an extremely easy read and one that has plenty of meaningful content with no fluff. I particularly enjoyed the sections on Mike Sexton and Kathy Liebert as they explored various levels of thinking and the “why?” in how they approach No Limit poker tournaments. I recommend this book for intermediate and advanced players as the reader should have a good understanding of poker concepts and fundamental strategy and play.

Lately, I have been seeing more and more players attempting to play small pairs from early position. Most of them are coming in with big raises for some reason in attempts to represent a big hand. But sometimes big raises trigger a red flag and you get the opposite reaction from players you expected and make them suspicious. Particularly after being involved in several hands.

With small pairs action players like to get involved. I have no problem with this if you are in the blinds or have some position or there is a small raise. What I don’t like is that you put yourself in a position with these mini hands to get re-raised by someone with a real hand in early position. Now what? You have to fold. Raises with small pairs from early position are warranted but certainly not as a standard way to play the hand.

More solid players I think play the hand better because they tend to be in position more often with the hand.

Ultimately, there is no perfect way to play any particular hand. However, there are ways to approach hands that expose you to less risk than others and that is what makes how each player playing his hand so interesting. Every style of play can succeed in this game. You gotta love that!

When I first sit down at a poker table I make it my business to keep my mouth shut and my ears keenly tuned in to all of the “socializing” taking place at the table. It may seem kind of silly to most but being a good listener is always important to your game even when the conversation does not directly involve you. I also pay attention to how players put their money in the pot and betting patters. Again, that’s nothing out of the ordinary and we should all be doing the same as a part of our play. Whether you play online poker or live poker betting patters are still a way to determine how a player feels about a particular hand. Each of these tasks that I consciously perform are associated with how I categorize the various players at my poker table.

After about fifteen to twenty minutes I have a fairly good idea of what each player is capable of and whether they are tight, loose, aggressive or passive. It is only after gathering this information that I can reasonably determine who the weaker players are and who are the players that will play back at me. The idea is to pick on the weak players and get them to fold their hand when they do what weak player do – show weakness. Think about it. You want to accumulate most of your chips early from the weaker players before another strong player does if at all possible. All good poker players are aware of this fact. When another good player at your table begins to knock out weaker players it now becomes a burden on YOU. Yes, you do need to pick up a few hands in order to achieve your goal but it doesn’t stop you from stealing blinds from weak players that sit to your left. Position is less of a factor with these kinds of players because they are passive after the flop. You need to be aware of this and take those abandoned pots away from them.

Abandoned pots occur after a raise has been made and the raiser / weak player checks after the flop. Your mantra should be “you check I bet” and most of the time against these kinds of players they are going to fold when they miss the flop. Obviously, the opposite is true against better players. Most of the savvy ones are going to make a continuation bet no matter what hits the board. You also must safe guard against unusual aggression from a player you perceived to be weak and be prepared to fold if necessary. So keep that in mind when your sitting down in your next tournament. Take the weaker players chips before someone else does it first!

Far too often you see players looking to bluff from the first card that hits the felt. This is the wrong poker strategy to employ and also creates an image that could be very hazardous to your stack as play continues. I totally understand the fact that poker is a game of aggression. No one is going to argue that point. However, you do not want to be aggressive simply for the sake of being aggressive. This is why it is important to allow the bluff to come to you instead of trying to force the bluff in situations that do not warrant the play.

Most players today are fairly savvy and are aware of most situations that present themselves within a poker tournament or cash game. A good bluff is the result of studying the players that are sitting in your particular poker game and understanding their tendencies. It is only then that you can determine what situation is best suited for that particular player. For instance, if I know I am playing against a tight player that tends to always raise with high cards and the board comes down [2][7][T] and he checks after raising then I am going to bet. On the other hand you may not make this play against a player that raises pre-flop and is known for trapping with big hands.

These kinds of plays can be executed successfully because you understand what your opponent is capable of. Simply making a big bet post flop and then again on the turn to show how big a bully you can be will get you busted in no time. Players that bluff for no good reason often provoke other players to call them with mediocre hands which can lead to trouble for the bluffer. They also tend to be trapped a little more than others because they refuse to fold when their opponent shows aggression against them. Be smart and pick your spots to bluff. Your game will be much better off for it.

As poker players we are taught to be aggressive. Aggression is the nature of the game of poker and I know that good players already understand this simple concept. However, it is not always the optimal way to win chips. Many times poker players, especially No Limit poker players, tend to feel that they need to create action at all times. On the contrary, when you are in a poker tournament you are better off allowing the weaker players to make mistakes early. This means that you simply play fundamental poker and allow your opponents to make their mistakes. Against, mediocre and poor players there is no need to force the action because this player type will be much more likely to make the wrong move at the wrong time.

Why get involved trying to bluff or make a complicated play when you can wait them out?

On the other hand, later in the tournament these weaker player types are usually on the rail and it is now that you can use your chip stack to force the action if that is what you choose to do. Pick your spots and pick them against the correct player types. It’s OK to let your opponents screw up. Trust me on this one.

I few weeks ago I was contacted by professional poker player Warwick Dunnett to see if I would be interested in reviewing his new book. I responded immediately and a copy was shipped to my home post haste. Since then I have enjoyed the first few chapters and look forward to finishing it up shortly. I will be posting a complete review when done.

So far it has been a very interesting read and includes wisdom from such players as:

• Mike Sexton
• Dan Negreanu
• Kathy Liebert
• Chris “Jesus” Ferguson

These are just a few of the professional poker players that helped contribute to Poker Wizards. So far it has been a very interesting read.

I play on average around 700 online poker tournaments each year give or take a hundred or so. That is a lot of poker tournaments for a poker player that is not a professional. However, this year has been a particularly good year for me on PokerStars.

One of the reasons for this is that I changed my mental approach to the game just a bit. What I noticed from my self assessment is that I was not going quite far enough into some hands that I was playing. By processing and thinking just a little more in-depth I have benefited greatly.

I have also paid more attention to the tempo of the poker table. There is no reason to try and force or delay the action. That only brings stress upon you which you can avoid entirely and don’t need. Go with the flow and let the game come to you.

Be genuinely excited about playing and doing well in the poker tournament. There is no better feeling than to play well and capitalize on your poker skill and strategy. You may not win every session or tournament but you feel good about yourself and your game. Not too many poker players can say that without hearing a “gu-fau” in the background.

Can you?

I know I may catch some flack with this post but I really do believe that there is something to be gained here. Playing No Limit Hold’em we all end up being short stacked more often than not. Some of us are short stacked more than others. The issue here is that when we are short stacked we obviously need to find a hand and get our chips in the middle. But here is a scenario that I believe a lot of players can play better. It is also one of the few situations in which I actually condone min raising. Yes, I actually said that I condone min-raising.

Shocking huh?

Let’s consider that our prayers have been answered and we have been dealt the Pocket Aces we had hoped for. Now what? Well, most of us would likely push our chips in the middle and pray that they hold up. Taking down the blinds only gives us a small bump to our stack. On the other hand, min raising from early and middle position gives us an opportunity to get our chips in the middle along with the limper’s that are priced in and likely to call. Why min raise? We are min raising because when I am short I want as many chips in the pot as possible. You can plan on the rest of my chips going in the middle after the flop regardless of what kind of board hits.

True, you may get caught by a set every now and then or a flush but that is the risk you must accept with this kind of play. The idea is to give you a legitimate shot at gaining some traction. This play is all about Chip Utility and having enough chips to make moves. If you bust out it’s no big deal but if you can double your stack on one hand it gives you a little room to breath and another opportunity to make a run for the money.

If you are in late position you can play the hand with a min raise with limper’s or you can push if there are just too many people in the pot. It’s up to you as to what you feel is the optimum strategy in playing the hand when you are short.

Lately, there has been a bit of a battle cry regarding bad beats on PokerStars and Full Tilt. Player after player seems to want to complain about getting bad beat as if it never happens. That still amazes me to this day that online players have not grasped the concept of what a Bad Beat really is. A good player gets his chips in with the best hand. Bad players do not get their chips in with the best hand.

It seems clear that you cannot be Bad Beat unless you are a reasonably good poker player. In other words, bad players do not get Bad Beat because they never get their chips in with the best hand.This brings me to my next point. How is online poker site somehow responsible for the Bad Beats? How come players never blame PokerStars or Full Tilt when they hit their card on the river? How come they never call the site “rigged” then? The bottom line is that the sites are only bad when your hand doesn’t hold up. Right?

Wrong!

Understanding the concept of variance can go a long way in understanding Bad Beats and also “running good”. The fact of the matter is that variance can and will swing both ways and in some cases for extended periods of time for anyone that plays poker. So when things are not going your way and it seems like you are losing to one outers at every turn remember that the pendulum swings both ways. It’s only a matter of time before things turn around again. The real question is are you disciplined enough to recognize when to slow down until it does? If you are then your bankroll with thank you for it. If not, the deposit button is to your right.

I know this concept my sound very contrary to some but there are times when laying down the best hand is the correct play to make. Over and over again we all have been told to get your chips in with the best hand. I happen to agree with that and I am sure most of you do too. However, there are circumstances that will turn up at the poker table that will put you in awkward positions that almost force you to call with the best hand.

What are they?

Well, I am speaking of poker tournaments to be exact. Early on in a poker tournament I simply do not want to call all of my stack when someone is drawing at a flush after the flop. I can always out play the flush chasers and pick a better spot in the early levels. This means that laying down top pair or even top two pair in the first couple of levels when faced with an all-in tournament decision is not necessarily that bad of a play. Why allow them to get lucky on you when you can wait it out, continue to accumulate chips, and nail them later on with a better board?

That doesn’t mean that you do this every single time you are confronted. On the contrary, you need to really understand whom you are playing against AND your own ability before you consider this kind of move. Remember, most of the time your opponent is going to miss their draws. However, late in tournaments when the weaker players are pretty much gone you may still lay down the best hand when faced with aggression from an opponent that has a stack as large as yours if you are near the Final Table.

For me once I am at the Final Table there is no folding the best hand but early on there are exceptions to this rule. That doesn’t make it right or wrong but simply a conscious choice I make as the situations unfold. Again, this is not an all of the time type of play but one that should be a small part of your poker strategy and approch to the game.

I happened to be browsing the web and ran into a really cool site. It’s called the Poker Atlas. If you are looking for a poker game or tournament near you then this is a great site to visit. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your state and all of your local poker rooms pop up along with a map for directions. Each room has a brief description that pops up on the side bar.

Each listing also gives you the spread at each casino along with the tournament schedule if there is one available. It’s certainly worth exploring if you have the time.

Visit the Poker Atlas

OK folks, this is getting down right scary. I make yet another Final Table last night in a 401 player re-buy tournament and take down 7th place. That makes 10 Final Tables in my last 33 tournaments. That is outrageous. Sure, I expect to play well most of the time and I get rewarded for that by cashing more often than most. The thing is that I was already cashing around 18 – 20% BEFORE I tweaked my game. Now I am cashing in at a steady 23% clip.

The most intriguing thing is that half of these tournaments I am cashing in have fields larger than 850+ players. I do realize that I am on one hell of a rush at the moment and I certainly don’t expect it to last forever. My dilemma is this: Just how much has my game improved over the past two months versus am I just getting more lucky than normal?

Honestly, I don’t think I am getting lucky’er than normal but my hands are all holding up in crucial situations and that alone makes a big difference in succeeding or failing.

I never want to under or over estimate my ability. That could be an extremely dangerous habit that could result in a rapid loss of ones bankroll.  I suppose over the next six months or so there will be more than enough tournaments to balance out any rushes one way or the other. I am very curious to see just how long I can maintain this level of play.

Time will tell.