The Guest Blog - PokerListings Poker Blog

Beating Microstakes Cash Games: How to Play Preflop

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:10:15 -0700

In this third instalment of this series I want to finally get into the nuts and bolts of profitable play. That is, how you should play your cards. In my opinion a tight and aggressive (TAG) approach is the most effective strategy at the micros.

Some people will advocate a loose and aggressive (LAG) approach but I think the chances that a beginner or even novice level poker player will be able to successfully pull it off are very low and so I advise against it.

The biggest reason is that a LAG approach will put you in many more marginal situations, which when running bad will make it rain twice as hard, and most newer players will not have sufficient tilt control to deal with this.

Nathan Williams has played millions of hands at the microstakes online.

So what is a TAG strategy? Well in a full ring NL cash game this would mean playing approximately the top 15% of all hands you’re dealt and raising preflop (3 times the big blind is usually fine) with about 12% (I will explain the gap in a moment).

In a 6max cash game I would advocate something like a 21/18 strategy. If you don’t know what cards these would actually refer to a good free little program to use is called Pokerstove.

You can simply plug in the numbers and it will give you a decent idea of what this range will look like. If you play within these parameters you will be entering the pot with a pretty strong hand the majority of the time. This will help keep your decisions at the table a lot more simple.

The reason for the gap is that sometimes you will be calling a raise preflop or even occasionally limping behind a bunch of other limpers with a speculative hand. But these should be small exceptions to the rule.

You should be raising or re-raising preflop the vast majority of the time that you decide to enter the pot. While there are very few set-in-stone rules in poker here is one: If you are the first person to enter the pot you should never limp. You should raise 100% of the time.

Raising and Re-Raising > Limping

Why do we want to do this many people will ask. Why not limp more and see a flop and get out cheaply if we have nothing? The reason that we don’t want to do this is that winning poker isn’t all about waiting for the nuts and hoping that somebody will pay you off.

Playing microstakes online is the perfect way to perfect your game before taking it live.

Most of the time in NL Hold’em nobody has anything very good. The person who has taken an aggressive stance is usually the one who takes down those pots. When you limp preflop you give yourself only one way to win the pot, make a hand. When you raise you give yourself two ways, make a hand or take it down with a continuation bet.

And you have the added bonus of taking down more money since you built a pot preflop. The numbers simply do not lie. Limping or calling is losing poker.

The other important point to note concerning preflop play is that position matters, a lot. You should be playing very few hands in the first few seats (early position) and playing a lot of hands around the button (late position). You should play a few more hands from the blinds than you do in early position but overall you should still keep it pretty tight.

Why? Well the reason is pretty simple once again. There is an old saying that “money flows towards the button” in poker. It couldn’t be more true.

Over enormous samples I have seen that my winrate in late position is far greater than all other positions at the table. In fact you will straight up lose from the blinds due to being forced to put money in the pot with a random hand once every orbit. But you still need to try and defend them a little bit as I mentioned before. But the principle is simple. Play more hands where it is profitable. Play less where it is unprofitable.

So to sum up, the best strategy at microstakes cash games is TAG. You should only be playing fairly strong hands most of the time and being the preflop aggressor as often as possible. Also, you should be playing much more hands the closer you get to the button.

Next time I will talk about postflop strategy.

Click through here to read more on Nathan "Blackrain79" Williams' blog, and to buy a copy of his book: Crushing the Microstakes.

Read More Guest Posts from Nathan "Blackrain79" Williams:

Beating Microstakes Cash Games: The Right Approach Beating Microstakes Cash Games: HUD Setup and Table Selection

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

How to Build Your Own Poker Table for Under $300 (Guide, Images & Plans)

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:04:44 -0700

By Jeff Kuronen

After constantly burning through cheap playing cards while playing poker with my friends I decided to finally invest in some plastic cards.

While scouring the internet for new cards I came across a great local site selling poker supplies.

They sell everything from cards to poker tables and building supplies, and it didn’t take long for my search to turn from cards to tables.

I quickly found out that a higher quality table would cost $1,500 or more.

These tables, at 3.5’ x 8’, were never going to fit in my small basement and I couldn’t justify spending that much.

So I decided to build one myself. The final dimensions of this poker table are 4’ x 6’ and it seats eight people comfortably.

About 25 hours and $300 were spent building it.

What You’ll Need:

Tools:

Jigsaw Drill 3-5/8” Hole Saw (You can substitute this with a Dremel and a hole jig as a cheaper option) 4” Hole Saw (optional) Hole Saw Drill Bit Belt Sander or Palm Sander Needle-Nose Pliers Level for tracing lines Pencils Exacto Knife Screw Driver Heavy Duty Stapler

Home Depot:

(2) 4’x8’x 5/8” Sheets of plywood Wood Screws Wood Glue (8) ¼”-20 T-Nuts (8) ¼”-20 x 2” Lg. Machine Bolts (8) ¼” Washers Wood Stain Fold-away legs Pack of 1000 Staples

Straight Poker Supplies (www.StraightPokerSupplies.com)

(8) Jumbo Cup Holders Copag Elite Playing Cards (optional – highly recommended)

Your Auto Trim (www.YourAutoTrim.com)

(3 yds) Whisper Vinyl (3 yds) Poker Speed Cloth

Foam By Mail (www.FoamByMail.com)

(6 Ft) 2Lb Charcoal Volara Foam, ¼” x 60” (1 Sheet) Lux Regular Foam, 82”x76”x1”

Build It

First, I traced out all the cut lines on both sheets of plywood.

After all my cut lines were laid out, I created a jig out of some scrap wood to guide my jigsaw in a perfect circle through the round cuts.

This process went horribly. Do NOT attempt the same thing.

After messing around with it for about an hour I was forced to admit defeat.

I ended up going really slowly with the jigsaw by hand and then sanding the edges smooth with a belt sander. A lot of imperfections will be hidden by the thick foam layer so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Here’s a picture of the first few finished plywood pieces. These three pieces were all cut from a single plywood sheet.

The next step is gluing and screwing all the rail pieces together, making sure to avoid putting screws in spots where the future cup holders will go.

Screw from the bottom surface of the rail - the top surface should be as consistent and smooth as possible. Use wood filler if there are any holes from knots.

There are three layers of plywood in this design to give the rail extra height.

The first two assembled layers are shown here upside down – the top surface should be the single plywood piece.

Here’s the bottom view with the third, thinner layer attached.

The bottom layer is used to position the rail on the playing surface.

Next, the two oval plywood sheets are glued and screwed together and the fold-out legs are added.

If you want to stain the underside of the table, you should do it before attaching the legs. I didn’t stain mine because most people won’t see the bottom.

If you want to be a bit fancier install wooden legs instead. I personally needed the portability and this finished table weighs roughly 80lbs.

Here’s a quick look at the rough assembly:

Clamp the rough assembly together to drill the holes for the T-nuts. This is done so that the rail can be removed for cleaning or in case something needs to be replaced (potentially the poker speed cloth).

Use a hammer to drive the T-nuts into the rail surface. This needs to be flush; otherwise you may have bumps under your rail.

Once the T-nuts are installed, fasten the assembled rail to the playing surface using the eight machine bolts coupled with the washers.

Drill the 3-5/8” holes for the cup holders while the table is fastened in this assembly.

Here’s a view from the bottom with the holes cut out:

Now the easy part is finished and it’s time to add foam and upholster the rail.

Remove the rail assembly from the table.

Lay the 1” foam on the ground, spray the top of the rail with spray adhesive and set the rail on the foam making sure to leave enough room so that you can wrap the foam around the rail.

Leave it like this for an hour with a few heavy objects on top. Make some rough cuts in the foam to make it workable.

Use the spray adhesive again on the sides of the rail and wrap it like shown. You may want to clamp the straight sides using a scrap piece of wood to hold it while it dries.

Do the same for the outside and then trim the excess foam.

You may have to re-apply spray adhesive more than once because it may peel off the rail in a few places.

Cut out the foam where the cup holders are going to be placed. Use a sharp knife.

Next up is the vinyl. Start by stapling one straight edge.

You’re going to need a lot of staples for this step; probably around 400-500.

Your hands may hurt for a few days afterwards from all the stapling but it is well worth the effort.

You can see that the vinyl is not long enough to go to the other side in the picture above.

This may seem to be a problem at first but you will need to stretch the vinyl with all your strength to get it all the way around the other side.

You may want a friend to help you with that to make it easier.

After you staple the straight edges you need to staple the round edges. Start stapling at the middle of the curve.

Make sure you stretch the vinyl to make it as tight as you can. Each new staple should be placed in the middle of the largest unstapled section until you feel as if you have it all secured.

This will most likely require staples to be very close to each other. This is very time consuming and you will want some pliers and a screwdriver to remove staples when sections don’t look right.

Don’t be discouraged here. Take your time with this because this is the most important step to make your table look great.

The vinyl will inevitably bunch up a little here but most should be hidden underneath the table.

The next step is to cut the centre of the vinyl like is shown in the picture below.

Don’t cut too close to the edges at first.

You can always cut more if needed as you test out this process.

Start stapling the straight section first and then work on the curved parts next.

Remember to always pull very hard when stapling.

Like before, on the curved section, each staple should be placed in the middle of the largest unstapled section until you feel as if you have it all secured.

Now it’s time for the most terrifying part of the job - cutting the holes for the cup holders.

Be careful. Cut an “X” shape in the middle of the holes.

Start small as you can always make the cuts larger later. Test out the holes using the cup holders.

If it goes in snugly then you’ve done it right.

Although it’s not shown here and is an optional step, there are thin wood rings that were cut using the 3-5/8” and 4” hole saws assembled together on the hole saw drill bit.

This wood ring helps support the cup holder and keep it level when a heavy drink is placed in it.

Put the wood rings into the rail under the vinyl before putting the cup holders in place. They should slip into the “X” cuts easily.

The hardest part is finished! It’s all easy from here on out.

On to the playing surface. Spray the table top with the adhesive and centre the ¼” foam.

You definitely want this foam – don’t skimp here as it adds some give in your table surface that will make playing more comfortable.

Once the foam is attached, cut the excess material off.

Next you need to staple the speed cloth over the table. Center the cloth over the table.

Staple the edges and the cup holder cutouts to secure the cloth.

Trim the excess material around the edges and within the cup holder cutouts.

Attach the rail to the playing surface using the eight machine bolts coupled with the washers from the bottom of the rail and you are done.

It’s time to have a game and a few drinks.

Complete CAD Blueprints for the DIY Poker Table

Click here for the full-size PDF of the CAD plans.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Beating Microstakes Cash Games: HUDs and Table Selection

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:40:07 -0700

Beginning with HUD setup, the Coke and Pepsi of the online poker world are Hold’em Manager and Pokertracker. Both companies have recently released new versions and you can’t go wrong with either.

Trial versions are available for both and even if you’re just getting started at the lowest stakes I recommend becoming familiar with using a HUD.

The main utility of these programs is to read the raw hand histories that you receive from the poker site when you play a hand and configure the data about your own play and that of others into useful information on every variety of statistics imaginable.

You can then get this information to show up on the table itself and have it update in real time as you play more hands and gain more information. Being able to quickly discern what kind of player you are up against immediately will be vitally important to making good decisions at the table.

Nathan Williams teaches you to beat the micros.

Less is More in the World of HUDs

I personally recommend a minimalist approach to HUD setup. The most important stats by far in my opinion are VPIP (voluntarily put in pot), PFR (preflop raise) and AF (aggression factor).

These stats, especially the first two, tell you what type of player you are playing against over a sample as small as just 10 hands.

If somebody has a VPIP of 90% (they are playing 90% of their hands) in an orbit or two you can be highly confident that this is a bad player. On the flip side, if their VPIP is only 10% you can be pretty confident that this is a tight regular.

PFR also aids in telling you how aggressive a player is. If the 90% VPIP player has a PFR of 10% for instance you can quickly discern that this is a passive fish. If their PFR is 80% then this player is a maniac fish.

A good rule to remember is that preflop aggression usually translates to postflop aggression and the reverse is also true. Preflop passiveness usually indicates postflop passiveness.

But the player’s AF will also help you determine this. Be careful to have quite a bit bigger sample with this stat than with VPIP and PFR but in general 3 or less is a fairly passive player and 4 or more is aggressive.

Beyond these three key stats you should also make sure that you include a number of other stats such as your opponent’s fold to cbet, fold to turn cbet, their cbet and turn cbet, their 3bet, fold to 3bet and steal percentage.

As I said, I don’t recommend cluttering up your screen with every single stat possible. These 10 or so should provide all the information that you need in 99% of your poker decisions. If you need to access something else, just make use of the full popup.

Table Selection Now More Than Ever

Probably the most overlooked key to success in online poker is good table selection.

HUDs give you important info so you can make faster and more accurate decisions.

In an era where fish are now the exception to the rule rather than the norm, sitting yourself at the right table (with them playing on it and much preferably having them on your right) is of vital importance.

You can of course rely on your HUD to supply you with this information. But using the note system, which nearly all poker sites provide, will also go a long way.

I prefer to colour code the fish in particular the second I notice them. I don’t really even concern myself with tagging the regulars much anymore. The utility of tagging the bad players is that the colour or tag will usually show up in the poker site’s lobby as well. So if you have the weak player already tagged you can easily notice which table he is seated at in the lobby.

It is very important to realize just how much of your profit will come from bad players especially at the micros. One of the easiest ways to notice this is to go through your HEM or PT database and look at the big hands that you have recently won. Almost invariably you will find that most of them involved bad players.

While learning how to exploit and win from the regulars is not a bad thing (and will be much more important at higher limits) I recommend that newer players really focus almost entirely on the fish at the lowest limits.

If you table select well you should almost never find yourself playing at a table which doesn’t have at least one bad player on it. There just isn’t any need as these player types are found a lot more easily at these limits.

Next time I will begin to talk about some of the fundament approaches to solid strategic play at the microstakes.

Click through here to read more on Nathan "Blackrain79" Williams' blog, and to buy a copy of his book: Crushing the Microstakes.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Pop Poker: The History of Poker on MAS*H

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:04:41 -0700

Spawned from the 1970 film of the same name, the long-running series became something of an American institution over its 251 episodes.

On the CBS network for 11 seasons, the show lasted many years longer than the Korean War itself, and remained popular right up until signing off early in 1983 with its farewell show -- at the time the most watched television episode in history.

The M*A*S*H film includes only a fleeting glimpse of the poker played by the those stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.

However, one verse of the grim theme song, “Suicide Is Painless” (employed as an instrumental in the TV show), does characterize life as a kind of hopeless card game: “The game of life is hard to play / I'm gonna lose it anyway / The losing card I'll someday lay / So this is all I have to say: / Suicide is painless ...”

While the M*A*S*H film features almost no poker, its director Robert Altman would go on to feature poker prominently in his later California Split (1974), one of the better gambling movies ever made.

McLean Stevenson as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake.

Meanwhile, the M*A*S*H TV series frequently had its characters engaging in a regular poker game.

Deal Me Out (S02E13)

An episode from the second season titled “Deal Me Out” features chief surgeon Hawkeye Pierce (played by Alan Alda, the actor whose name is sometimes used to refer to pocket aces), surgeon Trapper McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), Colonel Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Klinger (Jamie Farr), and a couple of others playing an all-night session of dealer’s choice.

They play variations of five-card stud and five-card draw for low stakes, with a buck appearing to be the usual betting amount and pots only occasionally creeping up to more than $20.

Interruptions occur -- at one point Hawkeye and Trapper get pulled away to the operating room -- but it’s clear that while the game is going it rates as the highest priority.

At one point the players humorously evoke the Old West, with Trapper announcing “I think it’s about time we separate the men from the boys around here.”

He claims to be the “new sheriff,” then jerks a thumb at Corp. Klinger who dresses in drag in a failed effort to get discharged.

“This here’s the new school marm,” he explains. “Deal, Tex,” says another.

Gunshots outside the tent suddenly erupt, further suggesting the Old West setting, and the game is interrupted again while they deal with a gun-wielding private (played by John Ritter in a guest spot) who’s hoping for a discharge of his own so as to avoid being sent back to the front.

All is settled without much trouble, however, and the game stubbornly continues until the episode ends at dawn.

“Same time next week?” someone asks as the game breaks up. “I thought this was the same time next week,” comes the reply.

Poker has always been at home in the military.

Payday (S03E22)

An episode from the third season titled “Payday” finds the game returning once again, with several looking to put their paychecks in play.

The unit’s chaplain, Father Mulcahy (William Christopher), joins the game this time around. He explains he’s trying to raise money for an orphanage, although that purpose fails to evoke sympathy from his opponents.

“No extra help, Father,” warns Trapper when he sits down, looking upwards.

“Oh, no no no,” says Fr. Mulcahy quickly in response. He then proceeds to lose enough to have to leave the game, perhaps proving he hasn’t solicited any heavenly aid.

As it happens, help does come to Fr. Mulcahy from an unexpected source after a problem arises with the paychecks.

An extra $3,000 arrives with the money intended for the officers and enlisted men, and rather than deal with the paperwork Hawkeye (that month’s pay officer) gives the extra funds to Fr. Mulcahy for the orphanage.

Later someone from Accounting and Finance appears looking for the missing funds.

All is swiftly resolved, though, when Trapper wins a big hand with quad tens after having re-bought back into the game with a watch he’s stolen from Hawkeye.

Hawkeye takes the big pot -- just about $3K -- away from Trapper and delivers it to the A & F officer.

The episode ends with the innocent Radar taking a seat and calling a new game. “Anybody know how to play Go Fish?” he asks. “How about Hearts? Old Maid?

Radar's poker face needs work.

Lieutenant Radar O’Reilly (S05E04)

By the fifth season Radar has learned poker well enough to play with the others, although he clearly needs help with his poker face.

In a five-card draw hand everyone stays in for the draw, and Radar takes three cards.

Radar looks at the first and chuckles. Then he looks at the second and begins to laugh. He turns up the third -- “Ha!” -- he says, with a wide grin. Sure enough he’s drawn a full house, and eventually drags a small pot with great satisfaction.

The game soon breaks up, and when a player named Woodruff doesn’t have the $85 he owes he explains how he works at headquarters and has access to the mimeograph machines with which he can somehow manufacture promotions.

Hawkeye and B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) ask him to make Radar a second lieutenant, and a couple of days later we learn he’s obliged.

When the news comes, Radar can’t figure out why he was promoted. But Hawkeye and B.J. ignore his confusion.

“It was in the cards,” cracks B.J.

Radar is predictably very uncomfortable with his new position of authority. Like that full house he couldn’t really profit from thanks to his inability to hide the truth, so, too, does his honest, generous nature make it hard for him to be a boss to anyone.

And so by the end Hawkeye and B.J. make sure he’s returned to being a Corporal.

The Merchant of Korea (S06E14)

This episode from the sixth season introduced a new character to the poker table, Major Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers).

David Ogden Stiers as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III.

Once more it is payday, although when a screw-up at HQ causes the officers’ pay to be delayed, Charles ends up loaning money to some of the others.

When Charles lords it over B.J. and Hawkeye -- thus inspiring them to call him “the Merchant of Korea” after Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice -- they get the idea to invite him to the poker game and he accepts.

A poker novice, all are greatly excited at the chance to win some money from “Losechester.”

“I must warn you, I’m a very lucky person,” says Charles. “Oh, we all are,” Hawkeye responds. “That’s why we’re in Korea.”

The game begins and in the first hand of five-card draw Charles raises, then asks for four cards, eliciting smiles all around.

Those happy faces quickly change, however, when he turns over a winning straight and rakes a huge pot, merrily whistling Verdi’s La Traviata as he does.

Charles proceeds to crush the game for several hours until finally the others discover his tell -- he whistles more loudly when he has nothing.

“Rhapsody in Bluff!” says B.J. Eventually all win their money back and then some, and leave the game whistling themselves.

Wheelers and Dealers (S10E05)

This episode “Wheelers and Dealers” from the tenth season finds B.J. upset about his wife back home having to take a job to help pay the mortgage.

B.J. takes out his frustration on his opponents in a poker game, beating them mercilessly in hand after hand.

Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.

One hand of five-card draw finds the group starting out making small raises of “two bits” before the draw. B.J. stands pat while others take cards.

“Must be hosting a royal reception” says a wary Sgt. Verbanic (Anthony Charnota).

After the draw B.J. and Verbanic start re-raising back and forth, with the latter finally saying “let’s play like grown-ups” before raising to $10.

B.J. comes back with $20 more, and when Verbanic re-raises again B.J. bumps it up another $100, tossing in his wedding ring to help make up the amount.

During that action, a cowboy hat-wearing Hawkeye is fixing a drink when he spots B.J.’s hand -- 10♥ 8♠ 9♠ A♠ 6♦! He’s stood pat with ace-high and is bluffing.

And it works, as Verbanic folds.

Play continues until the others get tired of losing to B.J. and the game breaks up. Still desperate for action, B.J. hits the officers’ club and starts hustling privates gambling at pinball until finally Hawkeye and Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit) intervene.

It’s Margaret who snaps B.J. out of his self-pity after he complains to the pair about having to be away from his family.

“Maybe you do have the most to lose,” she says. "But that's only because you’ve got the most.” It’s a life lesson that applies at the poker table, too.

Poker turned up elsewhere on M*A*S*H, including in the episode titled "Your Hit Parade" (SE06E18) when the gang play the made-up game Double Cranko -- a combination of checkers, chess, poker, and gin rummy in which the rules seem to change constantly according to players' whims ("Bishops are jacks!" "Checkers are wild!").

Less dark than the film, the M*A*S*H TV show frequently moved back and forth between comedy and drama, more often than not dealing with its wartime themes with grins rather than grief.

Thus was poker an especially apt vehicle to infuse some light-hearted fun into an otherwise serious setting.

Martin Harris is a poker writer and player and a part-time professor at UNC-Charlotte who teaches, among other things, a course on poker's role in American history and culture.

In a new bi-weekly column on PokerListings.com, Martin will be exploring the many ways poker and pop culture intersect.

Click here to read more work by Martin Harris on his own blog, Hard-Boiled Poker.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

How to Beat Microstakes Cash Games: The Right Approach

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:35:39 -0700

For many people who begin playing online poker, the microstakes cash games are where they choose to start. These are among the most widely populated limits played on the internet, and for good reason.

You can cut your teeth in the game at a limited cost. Losing 5, 10, or even 25 bucks in a hand is not enough for most people to worry about. However, these limits are also widely played because many people get stuck playing them with breakeven or worse results for years.

Nathan Williams

Many people scoff at the idea of the micros being difficult but the reality is that online poker has changed a lot in the last 5 years and these games are not a walk in the park anymore.

However, they are definitely beatable. With the right approach and understanding of the fundamentals these games you can crush these games for some pretty outstanding winrates.

Suck-Outs Happen, Suck it Up

For many newcomers to the game, or those coming from live poker especially, I believe success first begins with an attitude shift towards a business-like approach to poker.

Bad beats happen to everyone. Yes, when you play 8 or 12 tables of online poker the suckouts will come faster than you can imagine. What else did you expect?

The single biggest issue that I see with the players at these limits that I work with is a seeming inability or unwillingness to trust the long term and trust the process.

For me personally after having played 6 million hands of online poker I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that trusting in the process really does work. I think a lot of people are looking for that magic pill to end all of their problems in poker.

They want to believe that the top players really are just super geniuses who are making sick river check-raise bluffs and owning everyone.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Trust the Process

The players who have won the most are generally the ones who grind it out day after day and stay consistent in their approach. They aren’t morons by any means but the secret to their success often doesn’t involve anywhere near as much fancy play and soul reading as is often thought.

Keep an eye on the PokerListings.com blog for more from Blackrain79.

They find ways to minimize tilt and they don’t jump stakes. How do they do this? Again, there really isn’t any secret formula that I can offer you. They just do it.

You take poker seriously and you don’t let the emotional swings of the game get to you so much. At the end of the day you are in control of your actions at the table. And if you truly want to succeed then you will find a way to stop spewing away money and stick to the game plan.

This doesn’t mean that if you learn to be an emotionless robot at the tables that you will instantly become the next online phenom. But this is half the battle for most people. And I should mention that it's a battle you can never fully win.

I believe that all players tilt to some extent and different personality types may have an easier time controlling it. But I think that when you truly commit to the long term process and seriously learn the fundamentals it isn't that hard to succeed, especially at the lowest limits.

Attaining this mature mindset towards the game really underpins everything and that’s why I chose to start off this series by emphasizing how important it is.

I've seen countless seemingly talented, smart, good players come and go all because they could not hold it together when the cards went bad on them. If this is you then all the expert theory in the world won’t help you. Get your mind right and succeed in poker.

Next time I will discuss a few of the essentials of winning at the micros such as a good HUD setup and table selection.

Click through here to read more on Nathan "Blackrain79" Williams' blog, and to buy a copy of his book: Crushing the Microstakes.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Why Lederer and Ferguson (Maybe) Took Your Money

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:12:42 -0800

Howard Lederer

Perception is Skewed by Environment

Some Boy Scout that everyone likes and thinks of as a good kid goes into a school and shoots up the cafeteria. A respected businessman and pillar of the community is indicted for operating a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. A trusted neighbor and father of two is arrested for running a child pornography ring.

Everybody scratches their heads and wonders how could this “wonderful young man,” “respected financier” or “valued member of the community” do such a thing – just like poker players are wondering about the folks at FTP.

Psychologists who've studied these cases have found that the context, the environment within which we live, is more compelling than we often realize.

We tend to label people based on the things we see them do. So our poker-playing friends at Full Tilt Poker get thought of as smart, caring and sensible because we see them doing smart, caring and sensible things – and we wonder how they could have been scamming us.

But making these attributions neglects the role of the environment -- the kid who seemed so nice, like a Boy Scout should be, turns out to have been bullied for years by school mates and decided to pay them back. The revered investor turns out to be a Bernie Madoff who was consumed with greed and the desire to play with the big boys. The father of two is discovered to have serious money problems and was peddling child-porn to get out of debt.

Corruption is Just an Opportunity Away

The message here was captured nicely by the famous "Prison" study carried out some years ago by Phil Zimbardo at Stanford University.

Students were divided into two groups, prisoners and guards and a mock jailhouse was set up. Zimbardo was stunned at how easily perfectly ordinary, caring kids who just happened to have been put in the role of guards could turn really ugly and sadistic when the setting was right for it.

If you’re curious, go here for details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

Even Jesus prays.

So, maybe our very smart and sensible poker "friends" found temptation in large, unregulated stacks of cash. Maybe they just got notes from executives at FT asking them if they’re comfortable having a couple of million dollars shipped to their bank accounts from time to time. Who knows?

But it’s worth asking yourself what you would do in such a situation.

Everyone Has a Price

I’m sure that the vast majority of you are saying you wouldn’t be tempted, that you’re above board and honest. But the evidence is quite clear: Some would be and some would not. Greed does things to cloud the mind. Circumstances can be compelling.

There’s an apocryphal story about Abe Lincoln. He was apparently meeting with a wealthy businessman who offered him a hefty bribe to push for some legislation.

Lincoln just stared at him and stroked his beard. The businessman hesitated and then doubled the offer. Lincoln still looked at him, stroking his beard. So the guy doubled it again. At this, Lincoln got up, grabbed him by the collar and shoved him out the door.

Lincoln’s chief of staff smiled and said, “Mr. President, that was noble of you. That was a very substantial bribe.”

“Indeed,” replied Lincoln, “but nobility had nothing to do with it. Every man has his price and the son-of-a-bitch was getting awful close to mine.”

And so it goes. Remember, Lederer and Ferguson are innocent until proven guilty. But no matter what, their reps are in the toilet and that's gonna be forever. Just like another really smart guy we used to admire and respect, Russ Hamilton.

For ongoing updates Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Full Tilt Poker keep an eye on our Black Friday Bulletin Board.

Author Bio:

Arthur Reber has been a poker player and serious handicapper of thoroughbred horses for four decades. He is the author of 'The New Gambler's Bible and coauthor of Gambling for Dummies'.

His new book 'Poker, Life and Other Confusing Things' from ConJelCo Publishing was just released and is available on Amazon.com.

Formerly a regular columnist for Poker Pro Magazine and Fun 'N' Games magazine, he has also contributed to Card Player (with Lou Krieger), Poker Digest, Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Titan Poker. He outlined a new framework for evaluating the ethical and moral issues that emerge in gambling for an invited address to the International Conference of Gaming and Risk Taking.

Until recently he was the Broeklundian Professor of Psychology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Among his various visiting professorships was a Fulbright fellowship at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Now semi-retired, Reber is a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Kevmath Presents: Awkward Moments with Tatjana Pasalic

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:52:52 -0700

My dilemma was what exactly did I want to do? Since being let go from my last position, several sites contacted me about working with them, but it was for things I didn't really feel comfortable doing. Eventually after a flurry of emails between me and Matt Showell, we eventually came to an agreement. I'll admit the title "Kevmath Presents: Awkward Moments with ..." is a bit … awkward. But I pitched the idea and title to Matt and he liked the idea. For those about to view this video and many others (fingers crossed), the plan is to run the interview using Skype and my inexpensive webcam without any editing. Apologies in advance for any issues with the quality of the video, I was using some new software and hopefully future editions will look much better.

For those that have come in contact with me on my various journeys on the poker circuit the past year, the idea of me doing video interviews may seem strange as they're aware I can be incredibly shy in most social situations. My appearing on camera was sort of a big deal when people saw me for the first time just over a year ago. It has been an interesting experience. When I worked this year at the WSOP for BLUFF Magazine, the one assignment I dreaded the most was the idea to do a brief audio interview with a player for my daily recaps. Fortunately, most of them went off without a hitch (with some notable exceptions). For obvious reasons, I knew the first interview for this series was going to be with Tatjana Pasalic (@tattytats). Yes, because she's the one that convinced me to come out of hiding, and she's very attractive (WPT Magazine and Gambling911.com can't be wrong, right?).

The reason Tatjana was my first interview was because when she interviewed me, I was incredibly nervous and it showed. Some may consider the seven minutes or so cute, but it's something I've had a difficult time watching again. This was a chance to prove to myself that I have evolved to a point when I can be the interviewer instead of the interviewee. When I told her of my plans, she was certainly willing to do the interview, now the only problem was to actually have it take place. Unfortunately due to a series of miscommunications and scheduling, it would take two weeks to finally get it done. Thursday afternoon, before I was going to go out and take a walk, still frustrated from an attempt the day before that fell through, I got a DM from her on Twitter saying she would be able to do the interview in a few minutes. After finally figuring out how to record video, what you see is the finished product, for better or worse. Hopefully you'll like it. Also included is a special bonus clip featuring Tatjana and her boyfriend, McLean Karr (for those that didn't see it earlier when I posted on Twitter) where McLean enjoys some home cooking while answering questions about love of bacon and other questions. Any ideas on who I should talk with next, I'm always open to suggestions, so hit me up on Twitter @Kevmath.

Kevmath Bonus Clip with Tatjana and McLean Karr

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Forex Trading: Legit Plan B for US Online Poker Players?

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:21:19 -0700

The hard fact is thousands of people who made their living playing online poker are out of work.

Considering the lifestyle online poker offered – financial independence, massive earning potential, international travel, a tight community of friends and fellow diehards – it’s a double or triple blow for most.

With big gaps in their resumes, specialized skills in a misunderstood field and a less-than-booming job market, it’ll also fairly unlikely most players will find work right away. Especially work that offers a comparable level of autonomy and income.

With that in mind, we went looking for Plan Bs.

Given the natural and well-documented connection between poker and trading, we consulted an expert in the field to see what the crossover potential is.

By Tom Cleveland

For those online poker players that have devoted countless hours to improving their game, maximizing their edge and grinding out a living in online poker over the last 6-8 years, right about now you might be wondering if all those hours invested have been a waste of time.

The upside is your analytical skills are finely honed, you can manage key probabilities to gauge expected value and you’re not risk averse or afraid to follow your instincts.

But is that skill set easily transferable to another discipline - especially one where you can make comparable money?

Andrew Frankenberger: One of several crossover successes from trading.

Same Same But Different

The correlations between playing poker and trading currency pairs in the Forex market are fairly consistent.

Forex trading is high risk and does require specialized training, but the factors for success – knowledge, experience and emotional control – are the same required at any poker table.

A few other similarities are also worth mentioning:

The Table Game

You won’t be focusing on one specific game like Texas Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha, but you'll instead choose between currency pairs.

The major currency pairs are all linked to the U.S. dollar, and each has an individual style and personality to adapt to in order to gain a psychological advantage.

The Euro and the Yen are steady and most heavily traded, but the Pound Sterling can be erratic and more volatile, requiring a deft touch to warrant your time.

The Players

You're competing against other traders, large hedge funds and major global banks - all with more capital and experience - so you have to pick your spots carefully and latch onto predictable trends when they appear.

There is a psychology to trading, and the “tells” appear in the form of recognizable patterns of pricing behavior.

You must learn these various patterns to anticipate the moves of other traders.

The Deck

The Forex market is the largest and most liquid market in the world with over $4 trillion in daily volume.

No one is big enough to stack the deck, so to speak, but events on the global stage can influence the market to move in expected ways.

Luck does factor in at the Forex table, but there are many ways that you can make your own luck happen.

Success is all about risk/reward calculations and money management principles.

As in poker you will have losses, but you must cut your losers early and let your winners run.

You won't achieve this end through following a Martingale strategy, for example, but you do limit your bets until an obvious trend can provide a larger than normal payoff.

Practice Regimen

As with online poker, you must invest the hours on practice systems to gain the confidence and the consistency with your trading plan for the “real game” down the line.

Most Forex brokers offer free demo systems where you can wager virtual cash with real-time quotes to fine tune your individual trading plan and develop familiarity with the market and your choice of currency pair or pairs.

If you’re serious about getting started in Forex trading, take advantage of these offers.

The Edge

Technical analysis (“TA”) will be your primary tool, supplemented by pattern recognition, to assess whether you hold on to or drop your currencies.

Eugene Katchalov: Knows his markets.

Most academics believe the market is totally random, but traders rely on techinical analysis to provide an edge when it comes to picking market entry and exit points.

Markets are driven by fundamental economic data, but traders must interpret that data and make decisions about where the market will move.

The inability of the entire trading community to agree causes volatility, which produces predictable trends and opportunities for gain.

The simple fact is that the analytical skills, ability to assess probabilities at hand quickly and the intuitive recognition of repeating patterns is the essence of both online poker and Forex trading.

The First Steps

If your interest's been piqued, here are a few steps to take to make a deeper personal assessment whether Forex might be right for you:

Preparation: Immerse yourself on the topic of Forex and read everything you can find on the Internet or in your local bookstore.

The objective here is to become familiar enough with terms and strategies before you take a tutorial or formal class on currency trading.

Knowledge: Enroll in a formal class. Many are offered online. Forex brokers often hold free clinics in major cities.

Your instruction will typically cover the necessary topics of fundamental and technical analysis, Forex brokers and order management, trading systems and strategies, risk and money management and other rules of the road.

As with poker there are no shortcuts, but finding a mentor to guide your efforts is highly recommended.

Experience: A free demo system is your avenue for gaining experience before you put any real capital on the line.

Successful traders claim to have invested months of “practice” trading before ever venturing out into the real market.

Your actual market experience may vary due to time lags in order execution and other factors, but begin with small positions and work your way up before “turning on the green light”.

Emotional Control: Currency trading is about managing the numbers in a business-like fashion, devoid of any emotional considerations.

You must follow your heavily practiced, step-by-step trading plan to block your mind from undermining your logical decision-making process.

Sound familiar?

Emotional control is key in both trading and poker.

Similar Risk, Similar Reward

Make no mistake, Forex trading has a high-risk profile.

There is a high failure rate among beginners because they become impatient or lack the experience necessary to survive and thrive.

Successful trading is not about gambling or luck. It’s about playing the odds, cutting your losers, and letting your winners play out based on a disciplined approach to the market.

If you need a break from poker, or you’re being forced to take one, it may be worth looking at Forex as a substitute.

Author Bio:

Tom Cleveland has over 30 years of experience in executive management, corporate governance and business development. Tom served as CFO for various Visa International entities from 1980 until his retirement in 1999 and was instrumental in expanding the global reach of the Visa system. Tom’s writing on business issues has appeared in the NY Daily News and BusinessInsider among others.

Editor's Note: We know. It’s not a solution for everybody. And there are a lot of spammy Forex systems and sites out there. Proceed with caution. We’re just throwing the idea out there.

Us, we’re holding out for online poker.

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

Playboy Cyber Girl Elaine Forshee Bares All from WSOP

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:12:33 -0700

Hi guys! Just going to get right into it with an update on what I’ve been up to poker-wise!

I played all day last Friday and haven’t had time to fit in another WSOP venture since.

Expect more photos and videos from Las Vegas.

That day I was supposed to get midnight manis and pedis with Jessica Hinton (Dan Bilzerian's gf/ PB model) but couldn't because I was grinding the nightly tournament and single table satellites along with 2-5nl. Busy day!

Overall I broke even with the cost of buy-ins seeing as I didn’t cash in any tourneys. I was able to make it up in the cash games – that’s usually how it works out – so lol. Tourneys don’t go well so u have to grind cash. Gotta love it.

Today was fun – got some errands in – did some hardcore hitting the gym, eating healthy, chillin’ in the grindroom and sitting next to one of the best heads up crushers there are, WCGRider, jammin to Skrillex, We’re going to go get some hookah later.

Anyway back to poker, was thinking about trying to Satellite into the main event – and playing a $550 Mega whenever its running ...

Be expecting some interviews with friends (mostly poker players) coming soon ...

I almost forgot! I’m this week's Playboy Cyber Girl Of the Week started June 20th under the name Nicolette Shea and I’m in the running for October's Cyber Girl Of the Month!

Voting starts July 4th and lasts for one week! So excited!!!

Just got done shooting for Shoot the Centerfold Las Vegas @ Nikki Beach of Tropicana Hotel and it was awesome working with all the Playboy photographers again ... I’m very thankful to Ric Moore, David Mecey, Jarmo and Arny Freytag, Jeff with Casting Calls and Jon Paulsin.

Such amazing creative ability and insight.

That’s it for now but check back soon for another poker update and some of those interviews I was talking about :)

Visit www.pokerlistings.com

The Guest Blog - PokerListings Poker Blog

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Trust the Process

Why Lederer and Ferguson (Maybe) Took Your Money

Perception is Skewed by Environment

Corruption is Just an Opportunity Away

Everyone Has a Price

Kevmath Presents: Awkward Moments with Tatjana Pasalic

Forex Trading: Legit Plan B for US Online Poker Players?

Same Same But Different

The First Steps

Similar Risk, Similar Reward

Playboy Cyber Girl Elaine Forshee Bares All from WSOP

Pop Poker: The History of Poker on MAS*H