Poker bankroll management, building and strategy – online poker guide

Frustration at the tables this weekend

Sunday, August 7th, 2011 | Mark | Poker and Life, Poker Tournament | No Comments

Arghhhhh haven’t had any success what so ever this weekend. Lost 5-10 key hands in tourneys where I was ahead by 65% or better. Haven’t hit my draws while opponents have hit their draw all the time – when I hit top pair, they hit straight or flush; when I hit straight, they hit flush. Sometimes poker is such a joke….it’s been for ages since I’ve had a decent tourney cash. SIGH!!!!!

2011 WSOP – Ladies $1k Championship Event in the Books

Thursday, July 7th, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker Tournament | No Comments

The $1k Ladies event reached its conclusion on Day 34 of the 2011 WSOP. 14 players returned to the tables on Day 3 of the event. The field included a male player too, who was among those who once again infiltrated the ladies’ event with hopes of easy pickings. Jonathan Epstein was the male player, who then proceeded to make the final table, thus becoming the first ever male to make the final table of a ladies’ WSOP event. Karina Jett, who used to play on PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, was the only pro left in the field by the time the final table was reached. The chip leader was Carol Tomlinson, who managed to amass a stack of 851k chips.

Epstein’s time in the lime-light was over almost as soon as the final table action kicked off: he was the first victim of the last stage of the action. Marsha Wolak was the one who earned massive cheers from the rail by bouncing Epstein. Epstein got it all-in on a Ad, Qd and earned a massive number of outs on the board against Wolak’s pocket 10s. Wolak managed to dodge all those outs though, and the ladies’ event was finally free of unwanted intruders.

Marsha Wolak had begun the final table as one of the short-stacks, but she managed to chip up repeatedly and she made the 3-handed stage of the event. Then she bounced Carol Tomlinson in 3rd to set up the heads-up stage of the action. Wolak had a pretty sizeable lead at the beginning of the home stretch and that lead would be translated into victory on the very first hand of heads-up play. Both players got their stacks into the middle, on a flop of Qd,Jd,8c. Wolak had Q,9 for the top pair and Jett had a K,10 for the open ended straight draw. The turn and the river bricked out and a new Ladies’ Champion was crowned. Wolak picked up $192k for her efforts.

Check out pokerforum.net for the community buzz on the latest WSOP antics.

Torrential rain in Copenhagen last night left our basement flooded

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 | Mark | Off topic | No Comments

Yesterday saw some crazy weather in downtown Copenhagen. Over 150mm rain and 8000 lightning strikes in a couple of hours left streets and basements flooded – our included . Hopefully this natural occurrence of bad luck mean I will win the Sunday Storm on PokerStars starting right about now.

The social factor of online poker table selection

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 | admin | Poker Articles, Poker Strategy | No Comments

Submitted by Dave, this article about the social factor of online poker table selection belongs to the Poker Strategy series.

Choosing the right online poker site and table to play at is about more than just statistics. The social factors of a table are not difficult to filter and can lead to a more enjoyable session.

Table selection is certainly an important part of any successful poker player’s strategy. Being at the right table can significantly increase your hourly earnings. There are a number of factors to consider when searching for the right table. Most poker authorities have already invested a significant amount of time and effort into what to look for based on player tendencies, average pot size and other statistical information. An equally important, though less objective, factor is the friendliness of the players at a table.

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Making as much money as possible is not always the objective of an online poker session. Many people are playing for fun or for the social aspects of the game. If this is your goal for the session, the statistical criteria for a good table will only play a small factor in your final decision. More important is to identify what kind of players you want to be surrounded by.

Playing poker while having a good conversation is a most pleasurable experience. If you like to find out about different places and cultures, you want to play at a site that has a good mix of players from around the world. If you would prefer to talk with individuals who have similar interest to your own, start by finding a site that caters to you and your countrymen.

If you are a UK player, the task should be rather easy. Finding a good social table isn’t like playing UK bingo online, you don’t have to rely on luck. Simply search the Internet for UK friendly poker sites. The process would be the same regardless of where you live. Take a look at why these sites are considered friendly to you and your countrymen. Some may be owned and operated in your country or they may simply provide a number of amenities that appeal to the general public where you reside.

If you already have an account with some of these sites, start checking the tables with an eye for fellow countrymen. When you identify a table or two with quite a few UK players, for instance, load the table and drop a quick comment into the chat.

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If no one responds, you are probably looking at a table of people who are taking their poker pretty seriously. The majority of them may be playing several tables at once and simply don’t chat. Just go to the next favorable looking table and try again. Once you find a table with a good, talkative mix of players either take an open seat or join the waiting list. If you have never played at the site before, you will have to make a deposit first.

A little research and some scouting will quickly identify tables that meet your social goals. Playing at a table where the players are friendly and talkative can often result in a enjoyable poker experience. Many players also discover that their game becomes much sharper when they play in an environment they like even if the statistics say it is just an average table.

WSOP day 9 – two bracelets awarded

Saturday, June 18th, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker Pro, Poker Tournament | No Comments

Day 9 of the 2011 WSOP yielded no fewer than two happy bracelet winners. Event #8, the $1k NL Holdem event (the first one of its kind at this year’s Series) has finally wrapped up, leaving Sean Getzwiller clutching the gold bracelet and the winner’s share of the prize-pool. The other winner was Geffrey Klein, who beat the odds during the heads-up stage of the $1,500 NL Holdem 6-max event to secure his own place in poker history and his own piece of WSOP gold.

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Only 3 players returned to action on the final day of the $1k NL Holdem event. Sadan Turker had the largest stack at the beginning of the day. The other two candidates for the title were Getzwiller and Jon Turner, who found himself relegated to short-stack status after having led by a wide margin at one point in the tournament. Under pressure to perform, Turner shoved all-in on the first reasonable pocket hand he picked up. His pocket 8s got called by Turker’s Q,4 and the classic coin-flip was on. Turner managed to dodge his opponent’s outs on the flop, but the Q which fell on the river bounced him, setting up the heads-up action. Turker and Getzwiller then battled for 6 hours before the latter emerged with the win, his pocket 5s beating his opponent’s A,9o in the final hand of the tournament.

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15 players returned to action on the final day of the $1,500 NL Holdem 6-max event. David Vamplew had the lead going into the day, but Jeffrey Papola had a healthy stack as well. On the hunt for his second 6-max WSOP bracelet, Papola made the final 3 indeed, but there his journey came to an end, when Eddie Blumenthal’s nut flush filled up on the river against his top pair. Blumenthal went into the heads-up stage with a monster lead over Klein, but hugely favored by Lady Luck, Klein rebounded and eventually got his hands on the bracelet after his A,K spiked a K on the turn of the final hand against Blumenthal’s pocket 7s.

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Poker Stars tournaments – Sunday recap

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker Pro, Poker Tournament | No Comments

Here’s a recap of the Poker Stars tournaments this weekend

Last weekend was the first one of the 2011 WSOP. While most of the heavy hitters were in Las Vegas, that didn’t mean the weekend online guarantees would not see their fair share of “name” competitors. Several factors combined into a perfect storm of an online poker weekend: the added interest generated by the WSOP and the fact that PokerStars major events kicked off a tad earlier, brought player numbers to pre-Black Friday levels. The results were equally impressive: no fewer than 7 players pocketed 6-figure prizes.

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The Sunday Million reclaimed its top weekend event status by yet again becoming responsible for the largest single haul of the weekend. Player “Diogene” was the one who walked away with the hefty $284k prize. The 10,237 players who registered for the event, combined buy-ins for a prize-pool of $2,047,400. No deals were made at the top, which allowed the eventual winner to optimally milk the tournament. Diogene bested Azazel1980 heads-up. The second place man did pretty well though too: he pocketed $204,740 for his efforts. Royalize, who finished 3rd walked away with $143k. The last 6-figure winner in the event was 4th place man Igor Kurganov, who took home $102k.

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The Sunday Warm-up saw more than 5k entrants too, its prize-pool shooting past the $1 million mark. Kojocki and eamsie finished 1st and 2nd respectively, after they struck a deal. Kojocki finished with $155k, while the second place man had to settle for $141k. There were no other 6-figure winners in this event. Over at Full Tilt Poker, the 750k guarantee managed to cover its target too, albeit by just a few tens of thousands of buckskins. The winner of this event, el_klonkador, pocketed $124k, becoming the only one to walk away with 6 figures from the event. Gavin Ball finished 2nd, rewarded with an $87k prize for his time.

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News poker online: Gus Hansen Loses $345k, Clinches Biggest Loser Title

Friday, May 27th, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro | No Comments

Here’s a summary of the latest poker news

Despite his recent losses, Gus Hansen is still one of the biggest overall winners of 2011. Lately though, his good luck seems to have vanished, as he struggles along trying to consolidate his position atop the 2011 leader board. A day ago, he put in another 481-hand effort at Full Tilt Poker, which – unfortunately for him – ended up in quite a substantial loss: he dropped around $345k, in the wake of a weekend outing which saw him pocket $686k. The guilty ones this time were Kagome Kagome and Seb86 whom the Great Dane took on at the PLO tables. Following Hansen’s weekend run, Lady Luck must have decided to turn her back on him, as he was simply unable to land a punch against either of these guys. Kagome Kagome will probably say “thank you” to the Dane, given that he collected $177k off him. The other protagonist of Hansen’s battles, Seb86, picked up $168k. Despite the disastrous session, Hansen still remains on top of the 2011 winners’ list thanks to his massive weekend haul.

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Over at PokerStars, the cash game action flared up too, with Viktor Blom and Gavin Cochrane battling it out again at the $50/$100 PLO tables. The two put in a massive 3,075 hands over the last few days. Blom emerged with the win yet again, taking home $90k of his opponent’s money. Blom, who was under the red line by a massive $500k at one point, managed to rebound over the last couple of weeks. The money he picked up from Cochrane the other day finally pulled him even at the site. Besides Blom, other players who made noteworthy profits over the last days were Mary & Joey, tr1cky7 and saphire1. The losers’ list was headlined by Gus Hansen, but it also included gavz101, le kork and compris.

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Poker theorems; David Sklansky, Baluga Whale, Andy Morton, Zeebo and Clarkmeister

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 | admin | Poker Articles, Poker Mathematics, Poker Strategy | 3 Comments

The following massive piece of work on poker theorems was submitted by Conrad. Poker theorems are pieces of fundamental poker strategy and advice, usually expressed in poker literature and forums. An ‘objective’ poker strategy is hard come to come by – the generation of hyper aggressive internet hotshots have caused us to revamp our ideas as to what constitutes an ‘optimum’ strategy. Internet star Dusty ‘Leatherass’ Schmidt, who posted the world’s highest win rate for $5/$10 NL in 2007 and 2008, even released a book entitled ‘Don’t listen to Phil Hellmuth: correcting the 50 worst pieces of poker advice you’ve ever heard’. Due to the evolution of the game, advice from the ‘old guard’ of is often considered dated, and players such as Hellmuth have been heavily scrutinised for their cash game performances. That said, books such as Doyle Brunson’s Super System and the Harrington on Hold’em Series are still well respected. Although their doctrines are contested, poker theorems are good as general rules of thumb. They may not be a substitute for things like poker training, but are useful nonetheless. They are not concepts that a player should stick to religiously, but ideas that a player should
always have in mind.

The fundamental theory of poker by David Sklansky

The Fundamental Theorem of Poker is described by esteemed poker player, theorist and author, David Sklansky. Sklansky is considered to be a leading voice on gambling and poker theory in general. The theorem states:

‘Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you
could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand
the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose.
Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they
would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their
hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you
lose.’

This is a very basic theorem, stating that every decision we make should be in accordance with maximizing EV (expected value). In the long term, this is what counts. So even though chasing a flush on the river may be tempting, we should only call if our opponent is giving us the correct pot odds.

Morton’s addition to Sklansky’s theorem

Sklansky’s theorem is only applicable in heads up situations. Morton’s theorem, articulated in a poker newsgroup by Andy Morton, explains why Sklansky’s theorem is not applicable in a multi-way pot. It often occurs when one player has the best hand, and two players are on draws. The player with the best hand might make more money in the long run when an opponent folds to a bet, even if that opponent is making a correct fold and would be making a personal mistake to call the bet. For instance, Player A holds Ac-Qc, player B Ah-9h, and player C Js 3s on a Ad-Jh- 4h board. Player A has a made hand – top pair, and when he bets the pot Player B with the flush draw is going to call. In the long run, Player A would make profit in a heads up situation with Player B. His odds are dashed and Player B’s enhanced, however, if player C, with his mid pair, makes the call. This is because he has 6 outs to improve his hand. This concept is sometimes referred to as implicit collusion.

The Beluga Whale Theorem

Other popular theorems are documented in community site twoplustwo. The Beluga Whale Theorem states that when you are a pre-flop raiser, and your top-pair hand is raised/check-raised on the turn, it is time to re-evaluate your hand. This is because your opponent is often trying to build a pot to get paid off with his monster. If you have AK on a K-10-5-9 board, and you face a raise on the turn, it is quite conceivable your opponent has two pair or better. This theorem is reliable against weaker opposition, however shrewder players can exploit this by floating.

Zeebo’s poker theorem

Zeebo’s Poker Theorem states that nobody ever folds a full house. So, if you have any inclination that your opponent has a weaker full house, bet out. People tend to overestimate boats because in a large number of situations they tend to be good. If you have KK on a board which includes AAA, bet out even if you put your opponent on something as low as 22.

Clarkmeister’s Theorem

Clarkmeister’s Theorem argues that when you are out of position heads-up on the river, and a 4 to a flush card comes, always bet (unless you have something with realistic showdown value). This is a perfect bluff spot, and an opponent will fold something like a weak/middle flush a large percentage of the time.

To find out about more obscure poker theorems, or the mathematical explanation behind some of the ones stated in this article, be sure to browse twoplustwo along with other poker forums.

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Sorel Mizzi, Ilari Sahamies and Vmnielsen win big

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro | No Comments

During the first half of May 2011 both Sorel Mizzi, Ilari Shamies and Vmnielsen had great winning streaks on the online felt.

Last week, the high stakes online poker action showed signs of recovering from the lull it had been forced into by the Black Friday events. During the mid-week, the action flared up at PokerStars, which in itself was a bit unusual and possibly a sign of things to come, as the cash game action had always been hotter at Full Tilt Poker. Vmnielsen was at the center of the action this time around and he was the one who ended up with the biggest profit of the mid-week. He made more than $250k in profits over a few days’ time. Ilari Sahamies also made the winners’ list, with a profit of $140k. The biggest loser was antonionel, who dropped $225k.

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Ilari Sahamies hit the heads-up PLO tables on Thursday, taking on players like Sauce1234 and davin77. In one hand, at the $100/$200 stakes, Sahamies took full advantage of a perfect hand situation to take down a $122k pot. He made a full house against Sauce1234’s trips and there was no way his opponent could dodge that bullet. A few hands later, thirsting for revenge, Sauce1234 got a bunch of chips into the middle again, contributing to the creation of a $51k pot, holding nothing but a flopped pair of 9s. Sahamies had pocket Ks though, and even though the turn and the river were run twice, nothing came to Sauce1234’s aid, so that monster pot ended up in Sahamies’ possession as well.

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Over at Full Tilt Poker, Sorel Mizzi was busy securing his free entry into all of the upcoming FTOPS XXI events. How does one accomplish such a feat? By winning the FTOPS XX leader board, that’s how. The Canadian cashed in 17 of the Series’ 45 events, earning an impressive 1,365 leader board points. Mizzi said he hadn’t planned on entering that many events, but after he did well in the first few ones he played in, he decided to go for the leader board win.

The biggest winners of last week were: vmnielsen, schadenersatz and Ilari Sahamies. The biggest losers were antonionel, samrostan and anna164.

Rui Cao biggest winner in the wake of Black Friday

Saturday, May 7th, 2011 | Mark | Poker Articles, Poker News, Poker Pro | No Comments

Here’s a recap of the high stakes poker action since Black Friday where FBI seized Full Tilt, Poker Stars and absolute poker

The toll that Black Friday has taken on the online poker industry becomes more and more obvious every week. This past weekend, the Finns who thus far bore the brunt of the high stakes online poker action, were – for some reason – missing from the tables and that exposed the woeful inability of the industry to fill the nosebleed stakes tables with new players. There was some action, but the single 6-figure pot that was played for at Full Tilt Poker was a far cry from the heydays of 2009, when several records were set. Rui Cao was the most profitable player over the weekend. He played at the $50/$100 NL Holdem tables and he built up a $267k profit for the week little by little, winning one small pot after the other.

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One of the largest pots he played for was a $22,600 one, which he won from samrostan. The hand began with some preflop give and take which got just enough chips into the pot to get both players excited. The As, Kh, 5h flop prompted a bet from Cao which was called by his opponent. The Kc on the turn drew a bet from samrostan which Cao called to see the 10h land on the river. Having hit a Broadway straight on the river with his Q,J, samrostan was quick to get it all into the middle. Cao made the no-brainer call, holding A,K for a boat and for the win.

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Another large pot ($22,700) developed a little later on, when samrostan shoved holding pocket Js. Cao had A,Q for the coin-flip and landed an A on the flop to win that pot too. The only 6-figure pot of the weekend went down at a $300/$600 PLO table where Hansen and Antonius played too. The winner of the $129,900 monster was Stwasi though, who made a nut straight and then a boat for the pot. The biggest winner of the week was Rui Cao. Davin77 and masoren finished in the black too, together with the above-mentioned Stwasi. The biggest loser was shadenersatz, who dropped $147k last week.

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