Poker Quiz: Guess What Your Opponent is Holding

Image via WikipediaPoker Quiz: Guess What Your Opponent is Holding

I was in an interesting hand the other day at the club. See if you can guess the hand your opponent is holding.

You are in a $15-$30 limit hold'em game. You are in early position and get dealt Js-Jc.

The players in front of you fold and you raise the $15 big blind to $30. It is folded to Bob in the cutoff who re-raises to $45. Bob is a betting station, that is, he likes to take the lead by betting and raising. Debbie, who is on the button, re-raises to $60.

Debbie is a typical player at these middle limit holdem levels.

You call and Bob calls. There are three players in the hand going to the flop, as both blinds fold.

The flop is Jh-4d-2d.

Excellent! You have the nuts!

You bet the flop wanting to get multiple bets.

Bob dutifully raises, and Debbie re-raises. You cap it. Both players call.

The turn is a 7h.

Excellent! You have the nuts and bet out again. Bob doesn't seem to care and he raises you. Debbie calls. You re-raise and now both players call your bet.

The river is an Ace...uh oh..

You check, Bob checks, and Debbie....yeah, Debbie bets.

You call. Bob folds.

Guess what Debbie is holding?

Guess what Bob was holding?

Insert Jeopardy music.... :-)

Dooo....dooo...dooo...dooo...dooo..

Debbie shows pocket Aces.

Bob states he had pocket Kings.

You lose over $200 on the hand. Ouch!

A Poker Quiz: See if you can catch this mistake in hold'em?

Image via WikipediaA Poker Quiz: See if you catch this mistake in hold'em?

You are playing holdem--it could be a limit, no limit ring game or a tournament--it doesn't matter.

The blinds are $50-$100, and you have $3,000.

You are in the big blind with 10c-4h.

An early position player limps. A middle position player limps. And the button calls as well. The small blind mucks.

You check, happy to see the flop for free.

The flop comes Kd-Qs-2s.

You check. The early player bets. Everyone folds to you.

You fold.

Question: Did you catch the mistake?

Answer: Folding is certainly the correct play. The mistake is that you were not thinking ahead of what you are going to do in this situation if different flops hit. At the very least, you should know what you would do if you hit a pair, two pair, or trips here--and if the board is coordinated or not.

Most players do not anticipate what will happen and plan ahead. Don't be one of those players!

Before the flop, you should be thinking about:

how many opponents
your opponents' table image
how your opponents view your playing style
how big is the pot
what action to take if you miss or hit your hand--and
how the flop type will effect your play.

I sense this mistake all of the time in poker. The player who is first to act ends up hesitating if the flop somehow connects to his hand--and then, he doesn't want to give it away, so he checks.

Think ahead. What is the situation? And, what action should you take? This is key when you are first to act on any street.

Poker Quiz: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

Poker Quiz: You've got pocket Aces and your opponent has what?

You are in a MTT tournament with $25,000 buy-in. You won the money playing at Fu

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ll Rush poker...lol. And you decided to come to Vegas play in this event at the Bellagio.

Poker Quiz

It's in the early rounds. The blinds are $50-$100. You have about $23,000 in chips.

You are in seat 3. The player under the gun limps and you find pocket Aces. You want to get paid off with pocket Aces, and raise only $300. I would raise bigger myself, since everyone is deep stacked, but you play your way.

A player in late position calls as does the big blind and the limper. There are 4 players in the hand and the pot is $1,250. Pocket Aces against four players is not an ideal situation...but....

The flop is Ks-6d-5h. Excellent flop for Aces, I think.

There are two checks to you and you bet $800.

Everyone folds but the big blind calls. There is now $2,850 in the pot.

It is heads-up.

You should be thinking: What does your opponent have in this situation? What range of hands do you put him on?

My thinking: There are no flush draws. He may have top pair. He probably would have raised with two pair--but I don't see anyone calling a pre-flop raise with K-6 or K-5. 6-5 suited maybe, but no check raise so I don't see two pair. What about a set? A set is always possible, but I don't like assuming the worse.

Most likely hands to my thinking is probably K-10, K-Q, or K-J. I could be wrong.

The turn is a 9c. I like that card, unless my opponent has K-9 or 8-7.

He checks. You bet $1,800. A good bet. It controls the size of the pot. Oops. Your opponent check raises to $4,000.

Let's think this through...Let's start with the pot. It is $8,650. It will cost you only $2,200 to call.

What do you know about your opponent? Nothing, except he is in a $25,000 buy-in event, so he must know how to play the game.

Maybe he has K-10, K-Q, or K-J...or maybe he just hit two pair with K-9. You do have outs against two pair. You call.

The pot is now $10,850.

The river is an 8s. I don't see that changing anything. Either he had you on the turn or not.

Your opponent bets $7,500. Is that a value bet? A continuation bet? A pure bluff?

What should you do?

Answer on Monday....And a Reminder....

I am hosting a "Trick or Treat" Tournament on Full Rush poker on Wednesday October 28 at 9pm ET (so as not to compete against the Twitter Poker Tournaments).

It is a $50 Freeroll + you win another $10 Bounty if you knock me out. But, you won't knock me out since I plan on winning. :) My name is: Myway1969

There is no password needed since only qualified players will see the event listed.

To sign up read this.

What Would You Do With Pocket Aces here?

Image by mrdelayer via Flickr

Tournament Poker--Playing Pocket Aces

It is the WPT $25,000 buy-in event at the Bellagio. Everyone has $50,000. The blinds are $50-$100.

Only a few hands have been dealt at your table, when this hand is dealt:

A player in early position limps. You are sitting next to this player and you find pocket Aces--Ad-Ac (an Ace of diamonds and an Ace of clubs).

You raise to $300. The button, the big blind call, and the limper calls.

There is now $1,250 in the pot.

The flop is Ks-6d-5h.

The big blind and the limper check. That looks like a safe flop so you bet $800. Only the big calls.

There is now $2,850 in the pot.

The turn is a 9c.

You like your hand but you want to keep the pot small. You bet $1,800.

Your opponent raises to $5,800.

What should you do?

The pot is $10,450 and it will cost you $4,000 to call the raise. Can this guy have hit a set or two pair? Can he be trying to muscle you out of the pot, especially since your turn bet was small?

You decide to call. There is now $14,450 in the pot.

The river is the 8h.

You check and your opponent bets $7,500. What should you do?

Analyze the situation and make your decision. What do you think?

Answer on Monday.

Poker Quiz: Inside the Mind of Greg Raymer

How to approach a poker hand the Greg Raymer way

I have never played against Raymer but every time I see him on TV, he is making the right decision. I am impressed.

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See if you can you figure out why Greg does what he is does each step of the way in this hand:

It's a major event and the blinds are $300-$600 with a $75 ante. Greg is in on the button with $55,000. The cutoff has $50,000. The blinds have $80,000 each.

It's folded to the player in the cutoff who raises to $1,600. Greg finds Ah-10s. Greg calls.

Question 1: Why does he just call?

a. He identifies the player as being loose.
b. The blinds are deep stacked.
c. He doesn't want to be re-raised.
d. He wants to see a flop in position.
e. All of the above.

After Greg calls, so does the big blind. There is $5,775 in the pot.

The flop is Ad-10c-9h.

The pre-flop raiser bets $4,000 and Greg re-raises to $13,000.

Question 2. Why does Greg re-raise here?

a. The board is coordinated and he wants to eliminate players.
b. He flopped 2 pair.
c. He wants to see where he stands in this situation.
d. He wants to have the lead on the turn.
e. All of the above.

After Greg re-raises, the big blind folds but the initial raiser calls. There is now $31,775 in the pot.

The turn is the Jc.

After the cutoff checks, Greg pushes all-in for his remaining $40,000+.

Question 3. Why does he push all-in here?

a. He puts his opponent on a hand like A-K or A-Q
b. There are so many river cards that can beat him.
c. He believes he is in the lead at this point.
d. If he makes a big bet that is not all-in, he will have few chips left.
e. All of the above.

After Greg moves all-in, his opponent calls.

Tomorrow: The answers and the outcome to this hand.

Tournament Poker Quiz: Let's Try Something Different To Improve Your Game

And now for something completely different..

Let's see what you would do with this hand. There are going to be two different tracks on this hand to help you to learn more about your game.

It is the $25,000 buy-in event at the WPT Championship in Ls Vegas. Since it is only $25,000, you overslept and arrived late to the event.

It is still early on, and you have $49,100 in chips...lots of chips. You take a seat.

Hand #1. Now don't get yourself knocked out on your first hand!

The blinds are $100-$200.

You are in the hi-jack position--which is the position to the right of the cut-off. I also have seen it called the power position.

Image by Soul Safari via Flickr

Since you are late, you don't know anything about your opponents.

A middle position player raises to $600. He has $50,000

You have J-8 suited with spades and call. It is heads-up, with $1,500 in the pot.

The flop is 10c-9c-3s.

Question 1: Your opponent bets out for $800. What should you do?

a) Fold
b) Call
c) Raise and to what amount?

If you selected a. Bad choice. You have an open ended draw and a chance to win a big pot.
If you selected b. Go to Question 2.
If you selected c. Go to Question 3.

Question 2: You called your opponent's bet. Why was this the right move? If you call the bet, I think that is because you have a draw and you believe you could win a big pot if you hit your hand. That is the typical play. It is not wrong, but it is not aggressive enough.

What if you raised here? What can happen?

1. Your opponent re-raises you and you would have to fold your hand.
2. Your opponent could fold and that would be a good thing.
3. You take control of the hand. Are you a bold enough player to make this move?

While b is not an incorrect answer. The result of the call is that your opponent is still in control of the hand. And the pot is now $3,100.

The turn is the Kh. Your opponent bets $2,400. What should you do?
a) Fold
b) Call
c) Raise, and to what amount?

See what happened here. Now you missed your straight, and you can't control the pot size. That call may have been a typical play by most players, but it may have been the wrong play. That call resulted in putting yourself in a difficult or unpleasant situation.

Question 3: You raised your opponent. Why? Did you make that raise because you thought your opponent was weak? Did you make that raise for another reason?

Raising here to get a free card is the reason the Pro player gave when asked. Or, he said if a scare card hits on the turn, he could win with a bet on the turn.

He raised to $2,200. He was called. The pot is now $5,900.

This is a bold play, and one you should consider adding into your game.

Question 4:

The turn card is the Kh. Your opponent checks and you decide to check. It's a scare card, but the Pro said he didn't think his opponent would fold to a bet here.

The river card is the Ac. That completes a potential flush. Your opponent checks.
What should you do?

a) Check
b) Bet and how much?

Answer tomorrow.

Poker Quiz: River Play-What should you do?

Poker Quiz-River Play

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It is the 2008 World Poker Tour Championship. You buy-in for $25,000 and you get $50,000 in chips. Sounds like a deep stack tournament to me=)

Because of the deep chip stack players are coming in with all sorts of hands. Including you!

Blinds are $100-$200, two players limp and you have the 6c-3s. A power house of a hand. Instead of raising or folding, you call. There are lots of callers. Seven see the flop. The pot is $1,400.

The flop is Qc-6h-3c. You hit two pair. There is the potential flush draw.

After three checks, the solid player in front of you, bets $1,200. You call.

The real loose player next to you, raises to $4,200.

Everyone folds back to you. What does your opponent have? He is a loose player, so who really knows for sure. But, I'd guess anything from a set, two pair (doubtful), a flush draw, and maybe even a straight draw--after all it is a loose player, with players coming in with any two cards.

You don't fold. You just call to see the turn. The pot is now $11,000.

The turn is an Ah. You call. Your opponent bets $10,000. What does your opponent have?

Hmm...maybe a set, a flush draw, a straight draw...what about if the Ace helped his hand..maybe A-Q? At this point, I am thinking that I can either fold, or move all-in and just go home. I don't really want to see another card because if it is a club, it will be a tough decision.

Instead you just call. The pot is now $31,000.

The river is the 7d.

What should you do?

Answer tomorrow. Yes, this is a real hand. And I got it wrong, because I'd move all-in on the turn and get ready to party in Vegas, or keep playing. Risk is good.

So...now, it's up to you...

Good luck.

Tournament Poker: What should you do when your blocking bet is raised?

A Difficult Poker Question

Here is a difficult question for you. It involves hand reading and a blocking bet that gets raised. Good luck!

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You are playing in the $10,000 WSOP main event. You are down to $15,000 in chips from the starting stack of $20,000.

The blinds are $150-$300, and you are in the small blind with Kc-7s.

Everyone folds to the player in the cutoff position. He is a passive player and just limps into the pot. The button also limps. You decide to call for a half-bet. The big blind calls. There is $1,200 in the pot.

The flop is 7c-3s-2h. You have top pair with the second best kicker.

You bet out $600. After all it's doubtful anyone has a big pair, your opponents probably have calling hands like mid-rank suited connectors, and you only have to worry about a big blind special.

Only the player in the cut-off calls.

The turn is a Jd.

Now what? This kind of overcard is expected on a flop 7 high. You check.

Your opponent bets $750 into the $2,500 pot. What does that bet mean? It doesn't look like much of a bluff. Your opponent could have a monster or he could be making a small value bet with a hand like...what range of hands do you put him on?

It's such a small bet, you call.

The pot is $4,000. This pot is starting to get rather big relative to your chip stack. You don't want to be crippled with a pair of 7's.

The river is a 6s.

You don't want to make a call of a big bet, so to control the pot size you make a blocking bet of $1,000.

Your opponent raises to $3,000.

Have you figured out what hands your opponent may have?

Based on what you are thinking here, what should you do?

a) Fold
b) Call
c) Re-raise
d) Move all-in

Answer tomorrow.

Poker Quiz: You Are Johnny Chan

Poker Quiz

In this quiz, you are going to be Johnny Chan. You are playing in the WSOP main event. You started with $20,000 in chips and you just sat down at your starting table.

The tournament director says, "Shuffle up and deal."

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It's the first hand. Yes, you bought in for $10,000 so make sure you don't lose it all on hand #1=)

Blinds $50-$100. You are under the gun and find Ah-Ac. You are Johnny Chan, so it makes sense you'd find pocket Aces, right? And, since you are Johnny Chan you are going to raise, right? Wrong. You limp with Aces.

4 Players call as well. The pot is $550.

The flop is 4d-3d-2h. No you don't have the Ace of diamonds.

The big blind checks. You bet $250. There are three callers. The pot is $1,550.

The turn is a 9d. The big blind checks, you check, one player bets $4,750. The big blind calls. What should you do?

a) Fold
b) Call and go for a straight.
c) Move all-in. You are Johnny Chan, and players fear you.

Answer tomorrow.

My Johnny Chan story

Okay, I picked this quiz just so I could tell you my Johnny Chan story. I was playing in the WSOP $1,500 buy-in event many years ago. At my starting table was Johnny Chan. It was pre-internet poker, so everyone was playing very conservatively; whomever raises pre-flop tended to win the blinds uncontested.

In this one hand, near the end of round 1, a player in early position raises the big blind of $150 to $450. Everyone folds to Johnny Chan in late position. He moves all-in for $1,500. The pre-flop raiser insta-calls with his $1,000 and shows pocket Queens. Chan shows A-K. The flop has the Ace and Johnny Chan doubles up.

On the very next hand, another early position player raises to $450. It's folded to Johnny Chan. He moves all-in. Again, an insta-call. This time the raiser has A-K, and Chan shows pocket Queens. Yeah, Chan wins again as this player gets no help.

Sure enough, someone at the table speaks up on cue with "That's why he's Johnny Chan."

Is This a Stupid Poker Article, Poker Quiz?

"You, sir, are an idiot!" Phil Hellmuth at last year's WSOP

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I often share Phil's thought when I read poker articles that demonstrate how smart a winning player is in the way he handles a poker situation, when really it is nothing of the sort.

Heck, I am sure, I have written articles where you think the same about me.

I thought it may be fun to use some of these articles and turn them into a different kind of quiz. You not only have to decide on the right play, but you also have to figure out the point of this poker hand situation in the first place.

Here goes..

Is This a Stupid Poker Article Poker Quiz?

You and I have entered a $10,000 buy-in event. It is early in the event. The blinds are $50-$100. We both have $12,000 in chips. You are in the cut-off. I am in the big blind.

A player in early position raises pre-flop to $300. You have 2h-2d and call. I am in the big blind and call as well. The pot is $950.

The flop is Qs-10c-2c. You have a set.

I check, the other guy bets $600, and you just call.

Question 1:
If I make a big check-raise to $2,500, would you:
a) Fold
b) Call
c) Raise

Question 2:
If you called or raised in question 1, is there any action I can take to get you to fold your set?
a) Yes
b) No

In this article, I am going to show you how smart I am by just calling.

The turn is a 3c. Possibly completing someone's flush. I check, the other guy checks, and you check.

The river is a 4s. The pot is $2,750.

Question 3:
How big a bet do I need to make on the river to get you to fold your set?
a) I bet a small amount, $1,200.
b) I bet the pot, $2,750
c) I over-bet the pot, $4,000.
d) I move all-in putting all your chips at risk.
e) You are going to call me, no matter what I bet.

Answers tomorrow.

But think about what hand I have and why I am such a smart player...and why it ends up being such a stupid poker article.

Answer to Yesterday's Tournament Poker Quiz Question

The Countdown to the WSOP continues...

Thanks for all your answers on my blog (previous post) and on Twitter. When you read what actually happened and the analysis, compare it to your thinking.

Question & Answer

This hand is taken from the final table of a $10,000 buy-in event at The Plaza in 2004.
The player with the 8c-5c was Layne Flack and his opponent was Daniel Negreanu. While everyone has seen Daniel's game on TV, few know much about Layne. Layne Flack is an aggressive player, and likes to raise pre-flop with a range of hands.

The hand was featured in a CardPlayer article and analyzed by Roy Winston and Michael Binger.

Main Event
$10,000 buy-in.
First place over $1 million.
You are one of the final 6 players.
You are Layne Flack.
I am Daniel Negreanu (without the cash wins, of course:))

Blinds are $1,500-$3,000 with a $500 ante

You have $110,000 and are under the gun. You find 8c-5c. You limp in for $3,000. Another player limps. I am in the small blind with $130,000 and call. The big blind also calls. There is $15,000 in the pot.

(Michael: Flack had 110,000 and the total of the blinds and antes was 10,500, which gave Flack an M of about 10. Either fold 8-5 suited or come in for a raise of about 8,000.)

(My comment: Six handed I like to raise with this suited connector hand because there is $10,500 in the pot to steal. Online a min raise can work to get your opponents to fold, while live play a 2.5 times the big blind raise has a better chance. Against top Pros, the reality is that you will be called when you come in with almost any raise.)

The flop is Ac-9c-6c. You hit your flush!

You bet $12,000. The first player calls and I call. The big blind folds. There is $51,000 in the pot.

(Michael: Likes the bet size as it may make your opponents think you are bluffing, betting top pair, or betting a monster. Betting 80 percent of the pot keeps them guessing.)

(Roy: Should have bet more on the flop.)

(My comment: I agree with Michael.)

The turn is a Kd. You bet $22,000 and only I call. The pot is $95,000.

(Michael: Bet half the pot, maybe $25,000-$30,000.)

(Roy: A $22,000 bet prices in your opponent. Bet more.)

(My comment: This is where I totally disagree. Here is why: there is $51,000 in the pot. You have $95,000 left. If you bet the pot and get called, you will have only $44,000 left which is not enough to make a pot sized bet on the river. After reading Gus Hansen's book, I would move all-in on the the turn. Gus will shut out action on the turn and not give his opponent the opportunity to draw out on him on the river.)

The river is a 10c. You check and I bet $14,000.

(Michael: You have to call with 8-1 odds.)

(Roy: If you know your beat, just fold.)

(My comment: I don't want to see the river.)

In the actual hand, Daniel revealed the Kc-10h for a bigger flush. Layne said that the only thing he would change is that he might not make the river call.

As you can tell, some Pros like to extract more value on the turn with smaller bets. However, given the chip stacks I would try to close things out on the turn and not give my opponent an opportunity to beat me.

For the full analysis go to the original article: http://snipurl.com/h9o6a

Poker Quiz: How To Play A Flush On The Flop

30 days to the WSOP...

Another Quiz
There continues to be a lot of interest in these one hand quizzes. What I am trying to do with these poker situations is to take a real hand, challenge your thinking, and show you how the Pro would approach the same situation. I also will provide my comments.

You will have a hand to play, and I will be playing against you. Good luck!

Main Event
$10,000 buy-in.
First place over $1 million.
You are one of the final 6 players.

Blinds are $1,500-$3,000 with a $500 ante

You have $110,000 and are under the gun. You find 8c-5c. You limp in for $3,000. Another player limps. I am in the small blind with $130,000 and call. The big blind also calls. There is $15,000 in the pot.

The flop is Ac-9c-6c. You hit your flush!

You bet $12,000. The first player calls and I call. The big blind folds. There is $51,000 in the pot.

The turn is a Kd. You bet $22,000 and only I call. The pot is $95,000.

The river is a 10c. You check and I bet $14,000.

What should you do?

Additional questions:

What hand do you put your opponent on?

Would you have played this hand any differently?

The answers will be posted tomorrow. I will provide what the pros think about this hand, and I will also provide another line of thinking.

Poker Quiz and Answer: One Hand of Tournament Poker

The countdown continues to the WSOP....

Here is an actual hand of poker played at the Bellagio. You decide what the best course of action is based on the information provided below.

This hand is taken from a past issue of CardPlayer with analysis from Roy Winston and Michael Binger. I don't know Roy Winston, but I have played against Michael Binger. If there is one player I'd like to talk poker with one day it is with Michael.


Bellagio
First place is over $1 million.
No limit MTT
$15,000 Buy-in
There are 74 players left.

The blinds are $4,000-$8,000 with a $1,000 ante.
You have $430,000 and are in early position.
The big blind has $440,000.

The player under the gun who is extremely tight and has $225,000, raises for $23,000. The next player folds. It is your turn and you have 10d-10h. You call. Everyone folds to the player in the big blind. He calls. The pot is $82,000 with three players taking the flop.

(Michael: Calling is the right play. A re-raise turns your hand into a bluff and puts you into a difficult decision if you are re-raised all-in.)

(Roy: Re-raise)

(My comment: If your read is that the player under the gun is extremely tight, I would just call the raise. Before the flop, I would be putting both my opponents on a range of hands. The raiser will have a big hand, such as A-K. While the caller will have a pair or suited connectors.)

The flop is Jd-10c-7d.

The big blind checks. The initial raiser checks. You have a set and bet $60,000. The big blind calls. The initial raiser folds. The pot is now $202,000. (You have $347,000 left.)

(Michael: Agrees with bet. Wants callers with a set.)

(Roy: Should have made a bigger raise to end the hand here.)

(My comment: I have a set, but I don't like this coordinated a flop. My opponent may have a straight or a flush draw. If I bet here and get called, I no longer like my hand unless I hit a boat. If I bet the pot, my opponent will call given the implied odds. If I bet a little less, the same things will happen. I lean towards agreeing with Michael, especially if I'm just destined to lose this hand.

When I get called by the big blind, if the wrong card hits the turn, I will have to ry to get to the river as cheaply as possible.)

The turn is 2d. A possible flush, but you do have the 10d.

The big blind bets $80,000. You call. The pot is now $362,000. (You have $267,000 left.)

(In the actual hand, the player with pocket 10's did not call. He moved all-in and lost all of his chips. However, to me, that line of thinking is not very instructive, so I changed the play to a call.)

(Michael: You are priced-in to make the call here.)

(Roy: Call or fold.)

(My comment: No way I can fold to such a small bet, with the chance of hitting a boat on the river.)

The river is the 3s.

If the big blind moves all in, what would you do? If the big blind bets $140,000, what would you do?

(It seems to me that Michael and Roy would fold to either sized bet absent any other information about the opponent. The reason for the fold is that they want to save their chips for a better situation. If a call is made, and the call is the wrong decision, it is over.)

What did the big blind actually have in this hand?

5d-4d. He hit the flush on the turn.

Finally, they asked the player who lost with the set of tens, what he should have done. He agreed with Roy Winston. He said he should have re-raised preflop, which would have gotten the big blind to fold. And given the flop texture, he would bet more on the flop.

My comment: Hindsight is 20/20. Overall, though, I found this to be an interesting situation and one that we all face playing poker.

You can read the entire column here.

Poker Quiz: How Good Of A Player Are You?

The countdown continues to the WSOP....

Here is an actual hand of poker played at the Bellagio. You decide what the best course of action is based on the information provided below. You are going to be playing against me. Oh yeah, you are playing for over $1 million! Good luck!

Bellagio
First place is over $1 million.
No limit MTT
$15,000 Buy-in
There are 74 players left.

The blinds are $4,000-$8,000 with a $1,000 ante.
You have $430,000 and are in early position.
I am the player in the big blind with $440,000.

The player under the gun who is extremely tight and has $225,000, raises for $23,000. The next player folds. It is your turn and you have 10d-10h. You call. Everyone folds to me in the big blind. I call. The pot is $82,000 with three of us taking the flop.

The flop is Jd-10c-7d.

I check. The initial raiser checks. You have a set and bet $60,000. I call. The initial raiser folds. The pot is now $202,000. (You have $347,000 left.)

The turn is 2d. A possible flush, and you have the 10d.

I bet $80,000. You call. The pot is now $362,000. (You have $267,000 left.)

The river is the 3s.

Questions:

1. If I move all in, what would you do?

2. If I bet $140,000, what would you do?

3. Would you have played any of the above streets any differently? If so, why?

The answers will be provided tomorrow.

Answer to Play Pocket Aces Against Me On This One Hand

Here is an actual hand of online poker that puts you to the test with pocket Aces.

Thanks to everyone for all the great answers I received on my blog and on Twitter.

Let's get back to your hand with pocket Aces. While this hand is from Cardplayer's March 2009 issue, I changed it just a little so you could learn more about how you play and how a Pro thinks about the game.

Let's set the stage again:

You are dealt pocket Aces. Your opponent is me. You have never played poker against me, so you don't have any clue about how I play the game.

Full Tilt Poker
$150 Buy-in no limit tournament
400 players

It is the second level. The blinds are $20-$40. You have $5,000. You are in the small blind. (In this hand, you are the poker player Bryan Devonshire.)

I am under the gun with $3,500. The cards are dealt and I limp. A player in the middle position limps. It is folded to you in the small blind. You find Ad-Ah.

You raise to $210. I call and the other player folds. It is heads-up. The pot is $500.

Bryan: When a player limps and calls a raise, it often means a small pair. But, when the raise is from the blinds and the early limper has position post-flop, the range widens considerably.

My takeaway: I think the pre-flop raise should have been greater. There is $140 in the pot, and the raise builds it to $350. The limper is getting a little more than 2-1 on the call. Online players make loose calls, especially when in position.

The flop is Qc-10d-10s. You bet $223, and I call. The pot is $946.

Bryan: The flop is favorable. The range of hands is: 2's to J's, and suited connectors like J-10 to A-10, K-J, Q-J, and K-Q.

My takeaway: This is either a very good flop or a very bad flop. Most likely, it is a very good flop. I think the bet size is good to keep the pot small.

The turn is 8c. You bet $500.

I raise to $1,200.

This is where I changed the situation. In the actual hand his opponent called the bet. I thought it would be more instructive to put in this raise.

What should you do with your pocket Aces?

Bryan: We'll be raised by any hand that beats us on the turn, and we can safely fold.

With my raise, I got some of you to fold and others put me on a bluff. Brian's stack would have gone from $5000 to about $4,100. If he moved all-in, and was wrong he would have been down to $1,500.

In actuality, I have Kd-Qh.

What did we learn from this hand?

1. A Pro is looking to manage pot size since he believe he can outplay his opponents in a tournament. Since he had no read on his opponent, he decided to fold a winning hand. The expression is "a good fold is a good thing."

2. This hand may reveal your style of play more than anything else. Your decision to fold, call or re-raise reflects the kind of player you are in a no limit event.

Did you fold because you tend to believe a raise on the turn or were you thinking you would have a better opportunity to accumulate chips? Did you re-raise because you knew it was me you were playing against, or is your style to embrace more risk. If you decided to call, what were you hoping to accomplish since your opponent will fire again on the river.

3. I was playing the player by raising on the turn.

First, I would never call a raise pre-flop with K-Q offsuit in this situation. I would only call that small a pre-flop raise with all pairs, and a range of no-gap suited connectors.

Second, that flop with K-Q offsuit is trouble since I could be up against A's, K's or A-K. But, with such a small bet on the flop, I would have called.

Finally, on the turn when my opponent bets half the pot it either means a monster or fear. I would raise since it is not likely to be a monster and I want to put my opponent to the test if I sense fear or weakness.

I hope you enjoyed this quiz. Hey, I did you give pocket Aces! Let me know if you found this exercise useful. If it is I well do it again. Thanks!

If you want to read the actual hand from Cardplayer go to:
http://snipurl.com/g4jfq

Poker Quiz & Answers to Up Your Game

The countdown continues to the WSOP...

1. You have Jd-10d on the button. It is the middle of the tournament. You have $45,000. The blinds are $2,000-$4,000. The player under the gun limps, you limp, and the BB taps the table. There is $14,000 in the pot.

The flop is 9s-6h-3c. The first two players check and you check.

The turn is a 3s. Everyone checks.

The river is a 3d. Everyone checks. At showdown, the pre-flop raiser wins the hand.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Answer:
On the flop when both players check after limping in, you can assume they have a typical limping hand and whiffed. It is a rainbow flop, so making a bet will most likely take down the pot. Bet $9,000 and expect a nice win.


2. You have pocket 4's on the button. It is the middle of the tournament. You have $85,000. The blinds are $2,000-$4,000. The player under the gun raises to $10,000. He has $72,000. Everyone folds to you. You call. Only the two of you see the flop.

The flop is Qs-8d-2h. The pre-flop raiser bets $16,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Answer:
Folding is ok here, since the raise was from early position. If this was a player who has been raising too often, I may consider a call because he is loose and it is a steal flop. A steal flop is where there are no draws and a player would need a queen or a higher pocket pair to feel comfortable betting on the flop.


3. It is late in the tournament. You have pocket 2's on the button. Everyone folds to the player next to you. When he looks at his cards, he is distracted and pulls back his cards so you see he has pocket Aces. The blinds are $25,000-$50,000. He has $1,500,000, and you have about the same. He raises to $100,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Answer:
I always want my opponent to have pocket Aces when I have a small pair, and I'm getting great implied odds and risking a small percentage of my chips. If you hit that deuce you are risking only about 7% of your chips to possibly double up if your opponent is reckless.


4. It is late in the 45 player satellite event. Only the winner gets a seat to the WSOP. No one else gets paid. You have pocket J's on the button. The blinds are $5,000-$10,000. The player under the gun raises to $30,000. Everyone folds to you.
You have $60,000. Your opponent has $155,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Answer:
Calling here is a bad play, since you are going to be pot committed and the flop will have a card higher than a Jack over 65% of the time. Moving all-in in this situation is the best move since you only have 6 times the big blind and this may be the best hand you will get. Your opponent will call and you need to get chips to win the satellite. Even if he shows up with Ace's, you can hit your Jack and double up. A fold is a strange play unless you know for sure you will get a better opportunity real soon.


5. You are heads up at the final table of the main event of the WSOP against Daniel Negreanu. Daniel and you both have about $6 million in chips. The blinds are $50,000-$100,000. The first heads up hand has Daniel acting first. He limps. You find Ah-Jd. You will act first from the flop on. You raise to $400,000 and Daniel calls.

The flop is 9s-8s-2d. You make a continuation bet of $500,000, and Daniel calls.

The turn is a 6h. You check. Daniel bets and you fold, losing $900,000 on the first hand.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Answer:
This is the WSOP. You want to manage pot size. You want to play position poker. You don't want to grow a pot out of position against a pro.

Daniel will not fold to your pre-flop raise since he is a great player after the flop. Raising with A-J out of position makes the pot bigger when you must act first. Your continuation bet will be bigger and your loss will be bigger. That is what happened in this hand.

A call is a fine play against top players. A good flop could allow you to trap. A bad flop lets you get out of harms way for just your blind.

When is the raise the right play?
a) When your opponent has folded often to your pre-flop when you are out of position. b) When you have this hand and have the better position.

I hope this was a worthwhile quiz for you!

Poker Quiz to Up Your Game

Day 53...the countdown to the WSOP continues...

This quiz is designed to help you up your tournament poker game.

1. You have Jd-10d on the button. It is the middle of the tournament. You have $45,000. The blinds are $2,000-$4,000. The player under the gun limps, you limp, and the BB taps the table. There is $14,000 in the pot.

The flop is 9s-6h-3c. The first two players check and you check.

The turn is a 3s. Everyone checks.

The river is a 3d. Everyone checks. At showdown, the pre-flop raiser wins the hand.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?


2. You have pocket 4's on the button. It is the middle of the tournament. You have $85,000. The blinds are $2,000-$4,000. The player under the gun raises to $10,000. He has $72,000. Everyone folds to you. You call. Only the two of you see the flop.

The flop is Qs-8d-2h. The pre-flop raiser bets $16,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?


3. It is late in the tournament. You have pocket 2's on the button. Everyone folds to the player next to you. When he looks at his cards, he is distracted and pulls back his cards so you see he has pocket Aces. The blinds are $25,000-$50,000. He has $1,500,000, and you have about the same. He raises to $100,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?


4. It is late in the 45 player satellite event. Only the winner gets a seat to the WSOP. No one else gets paid. You have pocket J's on the button. The blinds are $5,000-$10,000. The player under the gun raises to $30,000. Everyone folds to you.
You have $60,000. Your opponent has $155,000. You fold.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?


5. You are heads up at the final table of the main event of the WSOP against Daniel Negreanu. Daniel and you both have about $6 million in chips. The blinds are $50,000-$100,000. The first heads up hand has Daniel acting first. He limps. You find Ah-Jd. You will act first from the flop on. You raise to $400,000 and Daniel calls.

The flop is 9s-8s-2d. You make a continuation bet of $500,000, and Daniel calls.

The turn is a 6h. You check. Daniel bets and you fold, losing $900,000 on the first hand.

Question: What would you have done differently and why?

Poker Quiz: Guess Who Said These Famous Quotes About Poker?

My Attorney Said "No"

When I wrote the book "Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves" I hired an attorney to make sure I wasn't going to get sued.

She told me it would be better to take out the poker quotes. Bummer.

The famous people behind these quotes

Doyle Brunson
Erick Lindgren
Daniel Negreanu
Stu Ungar
Rick Bennet
Steven Wright
Chip Reese
Dr. Max Stern
Cool Hand Luke

Can you figure out who said these things about poker?

"Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."

"Tournament poker is not about survival. Tournament poker is about accumulating chips."

"In early position, beyond the middle stages of a tournament, limping should almost never be a consideration."

"Try to decide how good your hand is at a given moment. Nothing else matters. Nothing!"

"Sometimes in order to live, you have to be willing to die."

"Yeah, well, sometimes "nothin" can be a real cool hand."

"In the long run there's no luck in poker, but the short run is longer than most people know."

"The mathematically correct play is not always the best play."

"Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full hours and four people died."

Answers

Tomorrow.

And please don't sue me.