What if there was one guy in your game who had position on you every time the two of you played a pot? You dread playing against him because hand after hand, when the flop hits the table, you have to go first. Turn and river, same drill. He gets to see what you do
My image at the poker table, so I’m told, is that of an old tight-ass. Maybe because of hands like this: Playing no-limit holdem, I had AK in the big blind. Everyone folded to the button who opened to 4x. The small blind folded. I called in the big blind, which is my standard play
Words lag behind what they label. Bad beats were around long before the term “bad beat” was invented. And “the universe” was here for billions of years before it got its name. So it’s no surprise, given how fast poker is growing and changing, that we are always running behind. That’s why I have taken
I wanted to be a rock. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, to be called a rock was the highest achievement in poker. I craved that badge of honor, and the promised riches. A rock was a solid player, imperturbable, aggressive, fearless, and above all − tight. The player who mastered tightness also mastered patience. And back
If you are going to Vegas for the WSOP, and you’re super stoked, and you want some advice on what to do and not do, here’s mine: Check out Hoover Dam. And if that’s too ambitious, then drive out to Red Rock Canyon and walk around. As to food, my favorite restaurant in Vegas
I’ve been conducting dangerous scientific experiments since I was a kid. How long does a pop bottle have to sit on a fire before it will explode when I throw cold water on it? How much air do I need to leave in a water balloon so I can throw it at Jennifer without having
Less tanking. More certainty. Less second-guessing. More confidence. Less regretting. More badass. When you know you’ve put your last money into a pot unless you improve, you carry a valuable secret. Knowing the future makes you feel safe. And your sense of security will rattle your tablemates, adding even more fun and profit to your
Squeeze is a great poker word. It’s right up there alongside flop-lag and string-bet and bust-out. Words that depict the meaning, and capture the feeling. Joe bets, Moe calls, and Curly raises. In this story, Moe just got squeezed. He’s caught between two players applying pressure. He’s got a medium-strength hand, good enough to call the initial bet, but
What’s your position on position? Is it merely a word you know? Is it your north star? Somewhere in between? I’m a fanatic. This article is about how a positionally obsessed person sees the world − and the flop. I want to show you a couple out-of-position situations where I’ve taken the guesswork out of
