"I won over $100,000 at the 2011 WSOP Main Event & I could've cried!"

After playing poker for 6 days and over 60 hours, I got knocked out of the biggest event in poker, the World Series of Poker Main Event. I was one day away from the final table. Getting to the final table would have meant at least $750,000 and a shot at winning over $8 million.

Do you want to find out how you can win your next poker tournament?

Let me be very clear: I am not a professional poker player. Tournament poker is a game I love to play. It is a hobby. Like you, I have a real life outside of poker.

By 2008, I had played in over 500 live poker tournaments in my local card rooms for over 10 years. During that time, I had taken hundreds of pages of notes from reading poker books and magazines, watching poker on TV, studying at online poker schools and even attending a poker conference.

I had gathered the "best of the best" information on poker plays the pros use to win tournaments. I decided to organize and summarize my notes in order to improve my poker game. When I was done, I realized that I could help other beginning and intermediate level poker players by turning my work into a book on winning tournament poker plays.

There was no poker tournament reference book on poker plays. And, my notes were all about winning moves that I found from 20 years worth of materials. I figured that it would cost someone else $1,000+ and months of searching to find everything I had compiled.

To make my book even more valuable, I included a section on poker tells, poker odds, and poker facts. There are even a few fun stories based on my play again Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, David Pham, and other top pros.

Improve your poker game with these poker moves.

My book is Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves. Expert Plays for No Limit Tournaments. When I finished my book I did not expect it to get much notice--after all, I am not a poker star.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when players wrote to me on how much my book had helped them improve their tournament poker game, and I was grateful when players wrote positive reviews on amazon. (Yeah, there are a couple of negative reviews--but to be clear, I did not invent these plays--they are from poker pros--and no, there is not one review from someone I know).

My poker book became a #1 best seller in it's category on Amazon!

Frankly, after writing my book my tournament poker results improved as well.

What happened at the WSOP Main Event.

The buy-in for the Main Event is $10,000. I won a satellite to get a seat into the tournament.

I read and re-read my poker book before I played each day. There is a lot to recall and I wanted to be ready to make a winning move or two or three.

At the start of the Main Event, there are so many players they break up Day 1 into four starting days. I believe there are 150+ tables in the Rio Pavilion; a room the size of a football field. Over 6,800 players entered this main event.

When it got to Day 6, there were only about 100 players left. Imagine what 11 poker tables would look like on a football field. Pretty empty. But, with the spectators, the press and the ESPN camera crews, things were in constant movement.

It was a few minutes before the dinner break, when I was on the big blind. A player in middle position raised. It was folded to me. I peeked at my cards and found pocket Kings. I three bet (re-raised).

My opponent went into the tank. I used a reverse tell to appear weak. He picked up on the tell and moved all-in. I insta-called and he moaned. He turned over A-10 offsuit. I turned over K-K. He had me covered; meaning he had more chips than me.

The camera crew came over to the table to film the action. The flop--all rags. I was now a big favorite to win the hand. The turn.....oh, no....an Ace. I got no help on the river.

71st place, cashing over $100,000, and feeling so....bummed.

Anyone can win a tournament, even the Main Event

Anyone can win the WSOP Main Event! Yes, even you! And, you can win any poker tournament if you know the moves that accumulate chips and embrace my winning philosophy: "Risk is Good!"

"Your book is SUPERB! Even after reading Harrington and Sklanksy, I wasn’t very good. Your book showed me the way. I now play a very aggressive game and it works. People at the local casinos tell me I play like Gus Hansen, which is never a bad thing." -Jules Carter

"I wanted to thank you for your book "Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves." After studying your book I finally made my first breakthrough and cashed in the 2008 WSOP, Event #32, $1500 No Limit Hold'em, finishing in 181st place out of 2300 players. While this is a modest success it is a positive step forward and I just wanted to thank you." -Thanks William B.

"This is a new diamond-in-the rough - not a lot of publicity, but a truly good, comprehensive look at various moves that good players tend to use often. Some of these are very basic, but others are quite advanced and have not been outlined in such a clear-cut, easy-to-digest format in other books." -VW

"Not only will this book help you to incorporate more power moves into your tournament poker game, it will also help you spot when opponents are making these moves on you! You'll be able to effectively counter their moves and foil their plans. My verdict: Ship it!" -Blog: What're the Odds?

Why Buy Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves

Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves has 101 expert plays for no limit poker tournaments. Do you know the "no-look" blind steal, the defense against a continuation bet, the probe bet, and the value bet? What about the stop-and-go, steal flops, and the blocking bet?

Discover 40 pre-flop moves like the min-raise, isolation play, squeeze, and how to vary your raises.

Intimidate your opponents with 30 flop moves such as the continuation bet, the blocking bet, and floating.

Scoop the pot with over 20 turn and river moves including the delayed continuation bet, the action-inducing bet, scare card moves, and the naked ace bluff.

Walk away the champion with winning moves for your head-to-head battle at the final table.

I know my poker book will change your approach to poker tournaments. It will result in you achieving more cashes and more wins. The book has worked for thousands of other poker players, so give it a try now. You won't be disappointed.

"I have read over thirty poker books in my life and I can honestly say that this is the most important one of them all. I only wish I could have read this sooner!" -Dayton2Vegas.com

How I Won Sunday's Oaks Tournament

Image via WikipediaHow I Won Sunday's Oaks Tournament

Overall, I was very lucky. Yeah, I used a few moves from my Tournament Poker book. But, the truth is that I don't recall having such a great run of luck at a poker tournament.

It didn't start well, as on the second hand of the event, I flopped top pair holding K-Q but my opponent flopped a set of 7's. From that point on, my luck changed for the better...much better!

Here is a summary of how I won:

1. I put a couple of bad beats on my opponents.

K-Q versus A-K. The flop was K-K-7. I bet out in the big blind and one player called. I check raised all in on the turn. My opponent thought for a while and called with his A-K. I hit my Q on the river taking down a big early pot.

When we were down to three tables, I raised with 9-9. My opponent moved all-in with J-J. Flopped the 9.

2. Key flops hit my hand hard.

I had pocket sixes, and hit a 6 on the flop. My opponent missed but he made a continuation bet. I won a decent sized pot when he folded.

I called a raise from the button with T-9 offsuit. My opponent was aggressive and had a big stack, as did I. The implied odds in these situations make it the right play. If you don't take these risks, it is a mistake.

The flop was K-Q-J....I moved in after he bet out. He called with K-J and did not improve. A huge pot for me.

I limped with T-2 in the small blind. The big blind called. The flop was T-7-2. I bet out and the big blind, with a decent sized stack moved all in. I called. He had J-T and did not improve. His over sized push all-in was an awful play (this is not online poker:-) )

When it was three handed, the button raised my big blind 2x's. I called with Q-4 clubs. I would have called with any two cards given the implied odds. The flop came with three clubs. He was aggressive so I checked and raised him all-in on the flop. He called. I don't know what he had, as I didn't bother to look. I knew I would win.

He had a huge stack, as did I. It made me the big chip leader. It was a bad pre-flop play on his part.

3. Timing of my big hands

I had K-K and raised. Another player moved all in with A-K. He did not improve.

A player moved all in with 8-8. I called in the big blind with J-J and won.

Timing in these situations is key to building a chip stack. And, having your hand hold-up, of course.

4. The hands I lost were to players pushing with much smaller stacks.

When we were down to three tables, I had a big chip lead. So, I could gamble a little more with the big stacks.

For example, I could call with K-7 in the big blind against an opponent who was desperate and moved all-in with A-5.

5. I did not experience that bad beat that cripples your stack or knocks you out.

This is the way we all get eliminated, right?

6. The tough calls were easier since the pot odds were present for me to make the call a no-brainer.

When you have a big stack you don't want to get hurt. But players push with a wide range of hands when they don't have a big enough stack compared to the big blinds. I had one tough decision when I player with a big stack moved all-in with a big stack. I thought about folding until unrealized that I had to call given the odds.

I called and he had K-J. I had raised with an A-8. I called since I was getting 2-1. Neither one us improved and I added quite a few chips

Summary

Frankly, I did not play extraordinary poker. Things just worked out for me. I was able to steal in late position more often since the players to my left tended to be very tight or afraid of being knocked out due to my big stack.

But, the reason for my win was, well, I give credit to the luck granted to me by poker gods. Good thing these gods don't require attendance in anything other than a poker room or I would go to hell.

Is Poker Luck, Skill or ...?

Is Poker Luck, Skill or ...?



What do you think?

Oh--and what do you think of the video?

11 Steps From Poker Beginner to Poker Winner (2)

Here are steps 6-11

Step 6: Know these 4 most common probabilities in hold’em poker.

•If your starting hand is not a pair, the probability of hitting one pair on the flop is about 32%. That's right, you (and your opponent) will not improve on the flop 2 out of 3 times.
•If your starting hand is a pair, the probability of hitting three of a kind on the flop is 12%.
•If your starting hand is two suited cards and 2 cards of the same suit flop, called a flush draw, the probability of making a flush is 36%.
•If you flop a straight draw, 4 cards to a straight, the probability of making a straight is 36%.

Step 7: Knowing the probabilities helps you decide how or if you should play your hand. All you need to do is compare the probability versus the pot odds.

The pot odds are the amount of your bet compared to the amount of money in the pot. For example, let’s say the pot has $50, and your opponent bets $50. To call that bet it will cost you $50 to win $100. That means you are getting 2-1 on your bet (the pot odds).

Now, let’s assume that your opponent made that bet on the flop, and you have a flush draw. You believe that if you make a flush you will win the pot. So, your probability is 36%, which is about 2-1. Since the pot odds are right, you should make the call.

Step 8: A trick in making the correct decision is to know not just the pot odds, but to know the implied odds.

Implied odds simply includes how much additional money you will win if you make your desired hand. Using the above example, if you and your opponent both had $1,000, and you hit your flush, your implied odds may actually be the $50 to win over $1,000! That means your implied odds are 20-1!

But wait. Your implied odds are really much less, since if you make your flush (let’s say on the next community card or turn), your opponent will see that you made your hand, and he will just fold to your bet. So, you end up with winning just the $100 in the pot for your $50 call.

That is why if the hand you are trying to make to win a pot is hidden from your opponent, you will usually win a lot more money. Your implied odds are higher, since he will not know that he is beat and will call your bets.

Step 9: In a poker tournament since the bets increase each round, you must learn to accumulate chips.

This is one of the most important things to learn in tournament play. You can’t sit back and wait for the best starting two hands. You must steal the blinds, especially as they increase each round. As a result, you need to learn the different ways to steal blinds, pots and accumulate chips.

Here are some tips:
•Blinds steals: When you are one of the last players to act pre-flop, and no one has entered the pot, raise with any two cards. Specifically, if you are on the button (the player to the right of the blinds), or the cut-off (The player two to the right of the blinds), just raise. You only have to beat a few players to win the pot.
•Power steals: Raise pre-flop when other players just call. When a player calls the blind, he has a good but not a great hand. When he raises the blind, he is telling everyone he has a strong hand. If other players call, raise them and tell them to fold since your hand is better.
•Continuation bets: If you do raise pre-flop and a player calls your raise, don’t give up. On the flop, your opponent will not improve his hand 2 out of 3 times, so make a continuation bet; that is, make a bet on the flop as if you made your hand. It will often force your opponent to fold.

Step 10: Play your opponent’s hand and not your hand. This is the most important tip in poker and most players don’t even know it.

Since your opponent can’t see your hole cards, you can always hold the winning hand. If you know when your opponent is weak, you can play your cards like you have the winning hand.

Example: Let’s say your opponent raises pre-flop with pocket Aces. You call his raise with pocket 2’s hoping. The flop comes down 8-7-6 all of hearts. This is a bad flop for you. But, forget about your hand.

Unless your opponent has an Ace of hearts, he can’t be feeling too comfortable. When he bets on the flop, think about what you can do to win the pot. If you call his bet, and a heart, 4, 5, 9 or 10 hit on the turn (21 cards), what’s your opponent going to do since it looks like you may have made a flush or straight.

If he checks the turn and you bet, what will he do? If he bets the turn, and you raise him, what will he do?

It’s important to know what your opponent will do in these situations and to play his hand not your hand. No limit tournament poker is about accumulating chips, stealing blinds and pots, and playing your opponent’s hand. Since most of the hand is revealed on the flop, figure out the range of hands your opponent is holding and play against these hands. Even if you don’t really have a better hand, you can win the pot because you are playing your opponent’s hand.

Step 11: Don’t go on tilt!

Poker is gambling. And even when you are a favorite to win a pot, you are not really that big of a favorite. If your opponent hits that one card to beat you on the river, don’t get so angry that you lose your composure. This is called going on tilt (If you want to laugh at a player who goes on tilt for all sorts of reasons, just visit YouTube and put in “Hellmuth.”)

When you go on tilt, you make bad decisions. If you do get angry at the poker table, before you play another pot and make a bad decision, walk away from the table. Take a break and calm down. They will deal you another hand when you return--I promise.

11 Steps From Poker Beginner to Poker Winner (Part 1)

These are the first 5 steps. Part 2 will have the final 6 steps.

Step 1: Learn the rules of poker, and how tournament poker is different.

You need to know the ranking of hands….from no pair to a royal flush. The basics (in ascending order): no pair, one pair, two pairs, three of a kind, a straight, flush, and full house. These are the most common hands.

A poker tournament is different than other forms of poker since everyone starts with the same number of chips, there are rounds that are timed, after each round the amount you bet increases, and you play until one player has all the chips.

Step 2: No limit hold’em poker is the game to learn since you can win millions--just like on TV.

This game is simple to play.
1. Each player gets dealt two cards down. Players call, raise or fold.
2. The dealer turns over three community cards, called the flop. Players still in the pot check, bet or fold.
3. The dealer turns over one community card, called the turn. Players still in the pot check, bet or fold.
4. The dealer turns over one last community card, called the river. Players still in the pot check, bet or fold.
5. The player with the best hand wins.

In a tournament, there are forced bets called the blinds (where you have to put money in the pot before seeing your cards). The blinds are important since everyone takes a turn in putting in those bets, and a poker tournament at it’s most basic level is a battle for these blinds.

Step 3: Know which are the best starting hands in a poker tournament.

After you get your first two down cards, you need to decide to play the hand or not. And if you play will you call or raise.

In general, the highest pairs are the best starting hands--pocket Queens, Kings, and Aces. Suited connectors are good starting hands--like 7-6, 8-7, 10-9, where both cards are the same suit (called suited)--since you can make flushes and straights. Ace-King is a strong hand since if you improve on the flop, you will often have top pair, top kicker (the highest ranking unpaired) card--like a pair of Kings with an Ace kicker.

Step 4: Practice, practice, practice

There is nothing more important than getting practice. Practice leads to experience. Experience will make it easier for you to improve.

The fastest way to get practice without it costing you a dime is to sign-up to play at an online poker site. The biggest is www.FullTiltPoker.net. The .net is a free site--so they give you chips for free. The only downside to learning this way is that everyone is a big gambler--after all, it’s free!

Step 5: There are probabilities in poker you need to know; fortunately, there is a trick that makes this is easy.

First you need to know what an “out” is in poker. An out is the number of cards you need to complete your hand or to make a specific hand. Second, probabilities are the percentage of the time you will end up with a desired hand.

To figure out the probability of making a desired hand, you take the number of outs and multiply this number by 4 or 2. Multiply it by 4 if there are 2 cards left to see, and multiply it by 2 if there is one card to come.

Example: If you have two hearts as down cards, and the flop has 2 hearts, you have 9 cards to make a flush. 9 times 4 is equal to a 36% probability of making a flush if you see the next two cards.

10 Mistakes To Avoid at Poker

The 10 Common Mistakes

Here are ten common mistakes that players make in a poker tournament. Don't make these errors and your probability of winning will improve.

Mistake #1. Playing a poker tournament not to lose or playing a poker tournament to survive.
Play a poker tournament to win by accumulating chips. Take chances. Risk is good.

Comment: Frankly this is my number one problem in tournaments. I get in the habit of thinking that I can just be patient and wait for the right situation. That is a mistake, since when I go card dead when the blinds are big, I'm stuck in a deep hole that is usually impossible to get out of.

Mistake #2. Not knowing the right time to move all-in as the first pre-flop raiser.
Move all-in when your chips are nine times or less the big blind.

Comment: How to remember this rule: Don't get behind the 8 ball.

Mistake #3. Not knowing when to move all-in after a pre-flop raiser.
Move all-in when your chips are eight times or less the initial raisers chip total and you have a medium pocket pairs, or A-J suited or better.

Comment: I get grief from players who disagree with this rule. Hey, I didn't make this one up, many pros use this rule.

Mistake #4. Not respecting raises from players in the first three positions after the big blind.
Upfront raises tend to mean premium hands. Be careful if you plan to be in the hand.

Comment: It's true that some players don't think about position, but adjust your play accordingly.

Mistake #5. Giving too much respect to players who raise on the cutoff (one right of the button) or on the button.
Raises from these positions are often based on position and not the strength of their hands.

Comment: The exception is if this is the first time the player has raised pre-flop since the Cubs won a World Series.

Mistake #6. Not understanding your table image or the table image of your opponents.
Get a read on how your opponents play their hands. Get a read on how they think you play your hands. Playing the opposite of your table image is a winning approach.

Comment: If you haven't entered a pot in a long time, and you are in position, look to steal. That is, if everyone folds to you on the cut-off, just raise. Your cards don't matter as you have such a tight table image.

Mistake #7. Catching the FPS poker disease. FPS=Fancy Play Syndrome.
Don't get fancy and try to show how smart you are by playing the opposite. Play straight forward poker.

Comment: This is one of the mistakes I made when I first started playing poker. I guess I wanted to show how clever/smart I was at the game. But sometimes being clever allowed my opponent to hit his two outer on the river and beat me.

Mistake #8. Not knowing how to semi-bluff.
A semi-bluff is a bet where you think your opponent will fold to your bet but if he does call you have outs to win. If you know he won't fold, it is not a semi-bluff. It is simply a bad play.

Comment: In reality it is often the right play to bet your draws. However, make that play only if you expect your opponent to fold to your bet or your bet will let you see the next card for less than if you checked your hand.

Mistake #9. Pre-flop, never re-raising a player who raises unless you have pocket King or pocket Aces.
If you are not willing to re-raise a pre-flop raiser without having the nuts (pocket Aces), you will never win.

Comment: If you re-raise your opponent, he will put you on those hands anyway. Also, check out the squeeze play--it is a very effective play to build up your chips in one pot.

Mistake #10. Pre-flop when everyone folds to you, raising on the button with a good hand, and then calling an all-in move by one of the players in the blinds.
If you are going to call the all-in move by a player in the blind, you should move all-in on the button. It puts the pressure on your opponents.

Comment: Often the player on the button agonizes over what to do before he makes the call of an all-in move. Hey, just push all-in first and let your opponent agonize over his decision.