POKER STRATEGY

June 2009

The Long Road to Vegas The Long Road to Vegas

Hi everyone, and welcome to my Vegas blog.


This is my first post, and it’s so avant-garde that it’s starting before I’ve arrived. That’s because even before my first trash hand gets dealt and goes straight into the muck, I’ve got something I want to share.

Headphones and Plastics Headphones and Plastics

To win any tournament nowadays you need a lot of luck and you need to be running well. In the past it may well have been enough to avoid bad luck in order to prosper, but not any more. There are now so many good players and even the bad players tend to be aggressive these days.

Pickleman – The Way of the Exploding Text Book Pickleman – The Way of the Exploding Text Book

We’re breaking the first rule of Fight Club. Bluff Europe now has its very own Poker Academy, ever more training sites are springing up on the web, and there is now an established profession of “poker coach”. Opportunities to improve your game have never been so prevalent.

May 2009

Winner or a luckbox? Winner or a luckbox?

Dear Dr Tom,


Because of the luck involved in poker it can be quite tricky to judge your own true abilities. I know I’m up at my local casino, but I’ve only been playing there four or five hours a night, two nights a week for a year. Is this enough to call myself a winning player, or could I still be a lucky payer? How many hands do you have to play before variance evens out? Does variance EVER even out?


Darren K., Edinburgh

Folding Kings Folding Kings

Folding Kings
Dear Dr Tom,


Dan Harrington says it’s crazy to pass kings pre-flop in a tournament, yet great players can do it. What are you thoughts on the matter?


Paul, Greenford

Words of advice for young people Words of advice for young people

I recently noticed a very comparable position between my 15-year-old son’s experience with simultaneous equations and the way a lot of new poker players learn poker from the net and TV.

The Patience of Job The Patience of Job

There’s a certain sense of inevitability about that next bad beat when you’ve had a run of seven beats in a row. You’re all in, the guy turns over a flush draw and you put your best sarcastic voice on: “I wonder if you’ll hit?” you say.

Very Fishy Very Fishy

Dear Dr Tom,


I am a beginning poker player trying to get to grips with online play. Are there any poker sites that are particularly good for beginners? And is there any tuition software that you can particularly recommend?
Yours,

Fishy,
Cyberspace

April 2009

Taking a shot Taking a shot

Hi Dr Tom,
I’m a small stakes cash game player who has painstakingly built up a bankroll over the last year by strictly adhering to the rules of bankroll management. However, I’m increasingly tempted to “take a shot” at levels way beyond my means.

Playing the big one Playing the big one

Dear Dr Tom,


I consider myself a solid tournament player, but I realise I still have a lot to learn – I’m a small winner playing $5 and $10 sit-n-gos. I recently satellited into a major Sunday tournament, worth $215.