July 2009
Coin flipsDear Tom,
I was playing a NLHE STT with some friends when one of them went berserk due to a bad beat. He started moving all-in pre- or post-flop, regardless of position. He was getting lucky, and began winning some chips back until he had more chips than me...
Liar LiarWhat is acceptable to say when you are on the battlefield of a poker table and what is not? Paul Jackson discusses.
The Vegas Spin UpBankroll management? Bankroll Schmanagement! That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from running the seminars at the Bluff Europe Poker Academy. The title of our first series was “what the pros know”, yet the strongest interest from my bankroll management lecture came from the pros themselves.
Always the bridesmaid?Dear Tom,
I’ve been doing well playing online sit-n-gos and regularly getting in the top three, or, to be more specific, the top two. You see, my heads up play seems to suck dramatically. Is there any general advice you can give for the heads up sit-n-go player?
Oggy, Birmingham
Small blind v big blind Dear Tom,
I always seem to get myself in a fix during tournaments in small blind/big blind confrontations. I never believe my opponent has anything, even when he’s re-raising me. I have never found any decent small blind / big blind tournament strategy in any of the books. What kind of hand ranges and situational aspects should I be thinking about? Advice please!!!
SB, Mars
June 2009
They Called me Fish!Our plane to Dublin was delayed by four hours due to ice on the runway and this meant that we arrived two hours late for the start of the Green Joker Poker European Deepstack tournament. The game began quite well for me, however, in that I managed to take down a decent pot by check-raising with an inside straight draw against a player who, as Mick McCool informed me shortly after I took my seat, had been extremely active.
Brits abroadOne of the nicest things about being in Vegas for the Series is the sense of camaraderie between the Brits that you meet when you’re playing out here. No matter what tournament you’re in, there are bound to be some familiar faces. In the Venetian PLO $550 was Paul Jackson, Karl Mahrenholz and Paul Parker amongst many others. In fact, you can barely play a PLO tournament out here without there being a Brit at your table.
Should I call when I’m beat? Dear Dr Tom,
I picked up pocket fours in middle position in an aggressive 5/5 No Limit Hold 'em game...
Computer HandDear Dr Tom,
I’m playing a madman in a heads up cash game. He’s baiting me like crazy. Suddenly he says, “All in next hand!!!!” The hands are dealt and he insta-shoves. I have Q-8. Now, because I can be sure he’s doing this with a completely random hand, and because Q-7 is the median hand of all Hold’em poker hands, should I call?
Matty, North London
Bubble BoyWell, I’ve finished my first tournament in Vegas 2009 and there’s already a story to tell. I have a shiny new baseball cap with “Binion’s Poker Classic Final Table” stitched onto it. Is that the story? Yes and no. The real story is that I bubbled.