WSOP.

I can't wait any longer! I am dying to go to the WSOP!! My wife and I took off 1 week from work to play in some prelimanary events. She told me we should take off for the first week but I didn't listen! I love the excitement of the WSOP. We have gone for the last 2 years and will go every year from now on. The first time we went my wife went as an observer being she didn't know how to play poker. Since then I have taught her to play and she has become very good in a short amount of time. So good that she won a race of the braclets tournament on Fulltilt a month ago. For $26 dollars she won a $1500 entry and $500 spending cash. This is awesome because she will play at least one event with me. We would love to make the final table together. We are playing in the $1500 Razz event. I am playing in the $1000 hi/lo Stud event also. If she does well or wins a satellite she will be in the $1500 No limit event. I will post a trip report from each event I play in. I can't wait to go to the WSOP! Oh yea I told you that already :-). Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Running Well.

I have finally turned my $2-4 game around. After taking a beating this weekend I now have put a few wins under my belt. My No Limit SNG record this weekend was terrible!! Finished 3rd once out of 9 full table SNGs! Whenever I start running bad I try to play different live games and different SNGs also. I won a $15 Hi/Lo Stud one tonight on Pokerstars. Also won some money playing hi/lo Omaha at Pokerrrom. I totally recommend learning to play all forms of Poker. That way when you run bad at HE you can play something else to mix it up. Also playing at multiple sites helps greatly. For some reason I always run bad at one site and am able to win at a different site. This weekend I couldn't win a hand at Pokerroom, yet I couldn't lose at Titan. Too bad I lost like double what I won at Titan! Anyway I am just rambling tonight. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Fulltilt Tips from the Pros(John D'Agostino)

In last week's tip, I shared some strategies for playing short-handed no-limit cash games. This week, I'm following up with some more short-handed advice, this time concentrating on Limit Hold ‘em.
If you read last week's tip, you'll know that hand values change in short-handed play and that it's proper to play a greater percentage of hands than would be wise at a full ring game. In these games, I play a lot of hands. So many, in fact, I've gotten the reputation of being something of a maniac. But there is a method to my madness. By the end of this article, I think you'll agree.
Button Play
In a three- or four-handed Limit Hold ‘em cash game, I will raise about two of every three times I have the button. The quality of my hand is essentially irrelevant. The position raise puts me in control of the hand and, even if I'm holding total trash, the pressure puts the blinds in a spot where they need to catch a piece of the flop.
For example, say I raise on the button and the big blind calls with a modest but playable hand, maybe Qc-Td. Now, if the flop comes with any Ace or King, the blind is going to have a very difficult time continuing with the hand if he checks and I bet the flop. In fact, the blind is going to have a very difficult time continuing on any board that doesn't contain a Queen or Ten.
If I follow up my raise and bet the flop with, say, 7-high, and get called or check-raised, it's very easy to lay down the hand. I know this is going to happen at times, but I pick up the pot often enough to make the constant button aggression profitable.
Small Blind Play
When playing against opponents who raise frequently in position, I'm sure to respond with aggression in the small blind. If I'm holding a hand that's likely best at a three-handed table - something as modest as A-9 might qualify - and I'm facing a button raise, I take control of the hand and three-bet. That puts additional pressure on the big blind. If I only call the button raise, the big blind will be getting great odds (5:1) to call the additional bet. And I'd far prefer to play the hand heads-up.
After three-betting from the small blind, I follow up with a bet on the flop almost 100 percent of the time. Since I represented a big hand pre-flop, I want to put my opponent to a decision immediately. Once I see how my opponent reacts, I can decide how I should proceed with the hand. I'll have to give it up sometimes, but the pressure will force a lot of folds.
Big Blind Play
The big blind is the only place where I'm content to call bets pre-flop. In fact, a call is my usual reaction to a button raise. If I start with a moderate hand, I can see the flop and decide how to proceed. If I start with a strong hand, like pocket Aces or Kings, I'll still call and look to check-raise the flop. I don't like to three-bet from the big blind because it tends to announce my hand. My opponents know that I'm starting with a very big hand.
Overall Goal
As you can probably tell by now, I believe that aggression is key to success in short-handed Limit Hold ‘em. I think the constant bets and raises create two dynamics that can be exploited for profit. First, by being the aggressor, I have the opportunity to pick up a number of pots where both my opponent and I miss the flop.
Second, the aggression has the tendency to lead opponents to make some very bad decisions. After some time, opponents may call bets on every street with nothing more than Ace- or King-high. When they start doing that, I can tighten up and only bet hands that are likely to be winners at showdown.
At times my style may look maniacal. But in short-handed limit play, it works.

>> This is one the reasons I love Fulltilt. The Tips from the pros gets delivered to my email every week. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Good Chris "Jesus" Ferguson Article

In Limit Hold 'em, it is not uncommon to see pots that are contested by four, five, or even six players. This happens with some frequency at lower limits, especially when playing with those who haven’t learned the virtues of a tight-aggressive style of play.
In multi-way pots, draws become especially powerful, and playing big draws aggressively against multiple opponents can create very profitable situations. For example, say that you’re dealt As-8s on the button. Three players limp before the action gets to you, and you decide to limp as well. Both blinds call, so a total of six players see the flop of 4s-7s-Jc. You have no hand at the moment, but you do have the nut flush draw.
On the flop, the small blind bets and three players call. What’s your best action? Clearly, folding would be wrong. With two cards to come and nine outs, you’ll make the nut flush roughly 35 percent of the time, making you only a 2:1 dog. With six small bets going in the pot pre-flop and four going in on the flop, you’re getting pot odds of 10:1.
You might be tempted to just call and see what the turn brings but, in fact, raising in this situation gives you better value. The pot is getting large and it’s likely that all your opponents are going to call. Even those who have nothing more than second pair or a gutshot straight draw may feel that their pot odds are favorable enough to justify calling the second bet. If your raise gets called by four people, you’ll be getting great value. You’d be getting 4:1 on your money when you’re only a 2:1 underdog – a clear win for you.
The raise might also work well for you on the turn and river. By acting after the flop, there’s a chance that the other players will check to you on the turn. This gives you the option of checking and taking a free card if you don’t make your flush.
The level of aggression that you show with a draw will largely depend on your position. To show how your play might change with position, imagine you’re in a hand with the same hole cards (As-8s), the same number of players (six), and the same flop (4s-7s-Jc). This time, however, you’re not on the button but are in the big blind instead when the small blind bets out. Here, you want to encourage the other players in the hand to put as much money in the pot as possible. If you raise, you’re probably going to force players with second pair or a gutshot to fold, so your best option is to call. Give your opponents every opportunity to throw money in the pot.
Finally, let’s look at how you might play the same cards when you’re the first to act. If you have a nut flush draw in the small blind and there are six players in the pot, go ahead and bet. It’s a favorable situation for you, so you want to make sure that some money goes in the pot. When out of position, I’ll usually follow-up my flop bet with another bet on the turn no matter what card hits. Then, if I miss again on the river, I can decide whether or not I want to bluff at the pot. If I’m against only one or two players on the river, I’ll usually bluff. If there are five players left in the hand, I won’t bother. It’s too likely that someone will call.
You can make a lot of money playing draws in low-limit Hold 'em. Just remember that you want as many people contributing to the pot as is possible, which means that in different positions, you’ll need to do different things to get the most out of your draws.

Hanging tough

My day started out terrible, this morning I was down 50 BBs in no time! This is my 2nd post today for a reason. Hang in there and play your game well! If you are a winning player things always will turn around to your favor. If not today then tomorrow. At my wost point today I was down 80 BBs at $2-4 HE. I took a break to clear my mind. (I know I was starting to tilt.) Went outside and did some yard work. Something repetive like this always helps to calm me down. Came back to play 2 hours later and my results were greatly improved. More importantly I starting playing my game again. I have won back a little more then half of what I was down. Hang tough and play your game. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Sometimes I hate playing on weekends!

I am running very bad at $2-4 this weekend! Every draw seams to get there against me. Everyone of my 15 outers on the flop are missing. I am missing bets on the end when they are the only way I will win the pot. Also I am not value betting the river when I need be. It's the snowball effect, I am running bad therefore plying worse and worse. In the books they say the best games to play in are these loss crazy games on weekends. This may be true but be prepared to take some wild swings with your bankroll. In these type of games you can make/loss the most money. Personally I prefer the rocky games that take place on Mondays and Tuesdays. You can control the table much easier. Anyway I just took a break and will try to play through this downturn. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Great article by Jennifer Harman.

In Limit Hold 'em, the big blind is one of the toughest position to play. You're out of position, and that's never a good thing, but usually, you'll be getting excellent odds to continue with the hand. Against a single opponent who has raised, you'll be getting better than 3 to 1 and, in most hands, you're no more than a 2 to 1 dog. The problem is, you'll often find yourself going into the flop with shaky cards and, at that point, you're sure to face some tough decisions.
Before I talk about some tricky situations that develop in the big blind, I want to note that you can make your life a little easier by folding some hands pre-flop. If you're holding a medium Ace and you're facing an early position raise from a player who you know plays only good cards up front, then fold. It may seem like you're getting a nice price to continue, but in this spot, you're only going to get into trouble. When you miss the flop completely, it's going to be tough to continue and, if you hit an Ace, you may lose a lot to a hand that has you dominated. I'd rather play 6-7 against an early position raise from a tight player than A-7.
There are some hole cards that are just hopeless. If I'm facing a raise from any position and I find something like J-2, T-3, or 9-4. I'm going to surrender the hand.


The really difficult situations arise when you hold a mediocre hand, something like A-8 or pocket 6s, and you face a raise from late position. Many players will raise with just about anything in the cutoff or on the button, so it's tough to know where you stand with these medium strength hands.
What should you do?
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. My best advice is to vary your play so as to take advantage of a particular opponent's tendencies. For example, if you hold A-8 in the big blind and face a late-position raise from a player who tends to be a little weak after the flop, you should probably re-raise pre-flop and then follow up with a bet on the flop most of the time. Against this type of player, this kind of action will force a lot of folds.
If the opponent who raises in late position is tricky and very aggressive post flop, I'll often call the pre-flop raise and then check-raise on most flops, whether or not I got a piece of the board. Even if the check-raise doesn't win the pot, this move helps keep a tough, aggressive player off balance.
Of course, you'll need to consider the flop as you move forward in the hand. If you call a pre-flop raise with pocket 6s and see a flop of T-Q-K, there's little point in going to war. Give your opponent credit for a hand that beats yours and look for a better spot. But this doesn't mean that you should be willing to give up on anything less than top pair.
Against a single opponent, I'll play second pair pretty aggressively. Sometimes, I'll lead at the pot with this hand, and sometimes, I'll check-raise with it. Taking this aggressive approach with a shaky hand allows me to play my big hands in the same manner. When my opponents see me check-raise, they won't know if I'm making this play with as little as second pair or as much as a set.
As I said earlier, playing from the big blind in limit poker is tricky. In my opinion, it's one of the toughest spots in all of poker. My best advice is that you should stay alert to your opponent's tendencies and look to mix up your play. If you're on your game, it will be tough for other players to put you on a hand while you'll have a pretty good idea of what they're doing.

Good luck.

>> I think Fulltilt is one of the best sites out there. Emails from the Pros are just icing on the cake. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Movin on up.

Lately I have been crushing the $2-4 limit games on multiple sites. I really seam to have gotten the hang of dealing with the bad beats that come my way playing low limit online. Whenever I run well I take a shot at the "Higher Limits", usually $3-6.(Sometimes $4-8 or $5-10.) Something funny always happens when I move up, I lose! I think the problem is I am not adjusting my game enough for these higher limits. Also maybe the players are better! I do need to move in limits, don't want to slum at the lower limits forever. I want to make more money from playing poker. The best way to learn is to play with better players. I think at the slightly higher limits you can't bluff as much. The things that work against the beginners just don't work here. I need to work on my game to move up. There is always something new to learn to beat the game of poker. Every limit has different skill that need to be aquired to beat it. That's all for now. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Drafting.

Today I would like to discuss a concept they has been working for me in online low limit holdem games. (Note I would not try this in live games in casinos!) By low limit I mean .50-1.00, 1-2, and 2-4 games. Games I have been beating consistently for 2+BBs/100 hands. This has worked for me in full 9-10 handed games as well as in shorthanded tables.(Works less so in shorthanded.) It's a simple idea that has made me much money when I have had the best hand and lost me the least when I didn't. (Warning playing like this will increase the number of bad beats you endure!) When I flop top pair with the non-top kicker I don't raise if someone bets on the flop or in many cases I don't bet the flop or turn at all. I let someone else take control of the hand and do the betting for me. This works best when you have an agressive player who loves to bet and raise with middle pair or top pair and a weak kicker. I know this idea goes counter to what you will read in many books about protecting your hand and making draws pay a price to beat you. Trust me if someone flops a four flush or an open ended straight in low limit online holdem they are not folding to a bet or a bet and a raise. The situation needs to be right against the right player in order for this to work. I have had tables where this works for hours on end. Another benefit of this is people start getting totally confused about your hand and in many cases start giving you free cards when you want to take them. Also I have seen many people go on tilt against me playing in this way. Anyway that's all for today. Good Luck at the tables. Tony

Welcome to my Blog.

This is my first post so I will keep it short and sweet. I am a full time Computer Programmer/Part time Poker player. I have been a winning online player for 4 years now. I am mainly a low limit player.(By the way I am a consistent winning player.) In this BLOG I will try to pass on the tips and stratergies that I use to win online. I also play live frequently in Atlantic City, Foxwoods, and Las Vegas.(Tournaments/Ring Games.) I have played at the WSOP for the last 2 years in some of the prelimanery events. I will be there this year for the last week before the main event. Will be playing in the $1500 RAZZ and $1000 Hi/Lo Stud event. Anyway that's all for now. Good luck at the tables. Tony