Protect That Built Up BankRoll

 

 Protect That Built Up Bank Roll

For most players, the lure of playing in high-stakes ring games or tournaments is not only an ultimate goal, but for some and more often than not a trap that leaves you broke. While there's no doubt that these games can provide huge rewards, the sad truth is that many beginners often leap into the depths of the sharks, destroying their self-confidence and leaving their bankrolls floating in a new bank account.
My advice to these players sounds simple, but is harder to execute; stay in the shallow end until you and your bankroll are ready to venture into deeper waters.

When I first started playing, I would build up a few hundred dollars and immediately move up to the next level, usually a level that I was sitting in with the minimum, just to get in.  This was always a pour move, I would run well for a while but, all it would take was a bad string or an over eager tournament entry and there goes all that hard work (and money) . I would build a bank roll to buy into the big tournament on sundays because the first time I played it I cashed, but the next six times were not so good, slowly there went my role and I had to start from scratch.  In the poker world, that can take more patience and understanding than ever imaginable.  Understand your means and do not think of yourself as a pro, play within your means!


When I finally tried my hand at another large tournament, I was sure to work at it differently, and in turn started playing satellites to get an entry.  After some diligence, Payoff! I won a seat into the tournament I was spending my roll on, now I am not spending a dime and getting a chance at over $150,000.

Because I didn't have as much of my bankroll invested in my tournament entry, I played the event without fear that I would be crippled again if I failed to cash. As it turned out, I took 11th place and walked away from the table with a great chunk of change for my future poker sessions. Eliminating the true downside of spending by satelliting into the event let me really put thought and feel on the poker and play a more solid and confident game than I could have if I had bought into the event with the roll I had built up.


While satellites are one of the most common and popular ways to secure your entry into a big buy-in event, they aren't the only option. For players who don't want to take their chances in satellites, search out a backer, family member or friend or even another player can be a reasonable source to play in bigger events than they can afford on their own. Before you go down this path, however, be sure to consider all aspects of the deal being offered and determine how much of your potential winning you're willing to give away.
No matter what path you choose, I fully recommend that you never commit more than 5-10% of your bankroll to an individual event or ring game.

Remember, building up a bankroll represents more than just the funds you have at your disposal. It's a constant reminder of the hours of work it took to grind and, as such, it's something that deserves protection. Treat your bankroll properly, remember it is still considered a job, treat it like one and you will reap the benefits for a long time.

Let me know what your bank roll strategies are, do you have issues with this job, or does it come as a natural way of doing things?

Hold'Em Situations That Will Help You Become a Winning Player

 

 

 Hold'Em Situations That Will Help You Become a Winning Player

Trapping Hands
These are my favorite forms of chip raking opportunities on the felt. The definition of a trapping hand is simple;  you hold a really strong hand and another person has a weaker hand that may show strength for him to continue playing with. An example of a trapping hand would be if you flop a set/trips, especially with a small pair, and another person has a big pocket pair. You can brutally clean him out at this point. Any player less than extremely experienced will fall in love with a big pair type of hand and almost always you can really empty his piggy bank.
There are a variety of trapping hands out there. For instance, flopping a straight and your opponent may also flop, but hits a set.  Trapping hands are hands that come in great when your maybe having a slow day, not seeing many cards to play, stay patient and there is your reward. There are mayne situations that could be considered a trap, I find the easiest to explain and make someone really understand is flopping the set.  This is a hand where the entire time you are aware that you are way ahead, especially if you flop top set. Again as said in previous posts, stay humble, dont fall in love with any hand, you could think you are running a trap hand, and you yourself are falling right into the hands of a trap, so be aware, think before you act!

Betting in Late Position - You won't make a bunch of money betting in late position when everyone checks to you but its worth mentioning because you could pick up the scraps (blinds) and grind a couple hundred dollars that way, even without having hands to play.


Drawing Hands - Drawing hands are tricky in no limit. When you flop four of one suite in limit holdem, it is an easy decision to keep calling till the river. In no limit that isn't always going to be the case since if you miss your draw on the turn card, often the next bet will be too large to make it profitable to keep calling. I've found that if I'm in early position with a flush draw or straight draw it is often better to come out betting, almost  a feeler bet, but enough to make them think,  instead of checking and calling. First, if you check and call you give away your hand as well as show weakness, also you leave yourself open to being over bet or just bet out of the pot. Second, you may even win the pot by tossing chips into the middle as a feeler. The risk of betting is that you are going to get raised an amount you can't call. My advice for drawing hands is to learn the odds and then compare them to the size of the pot.  Also, get a feel for your opponents, do they tend to form a continuation bet or do they check performing a trap.


Big pair over big pair (AK included) - I mentioned above about how most of the time you won't make that much with your big pairs. The usual routine is that you raise preflop, get a caller or two and then bet the flop and everyone lets go of the hand. Sometimes you'll get a freshy who doesn't believe you and calls you down but those folks do not usually last that long. A good percentage of the time I take down smaller pots with my AA, KK or AK. The rest of the time I come away with the win, I end up against someone who has a smaller pair. AA and KK can be hands that sadly lead to a way for you to lose your stack because it is very easy to fall in love with the best starting hands because they are the best. If you're dealt AA or KK on the dealer button, You have a better chance of making more money with it since people assume that you're playing  position instead of the cards in your hand. This is why if you are on the button with a big hand and everyone folds to you, don't slow play it and limp in, raise it since people won't believe you. Sometimes I'll even make a raise much larger then I normally do on the button if everyone folds to me. For example, if I normally raised to 15-20 dollars preflop, I'll raise it to $35 or $50. Then people really think I'm trying to steal the blinds. Every now and then you'll have a guy who tries to raise over the top of you  thinking you're bluffing and it will end to your benefit. Those are the dream moments.

Small Pots - Most of the pots in no limit, and the ones you'll win, are going to be small. Everyone will be winning little pots for a while and then ACTION, someone will get nailed and lose their stack. That's how it goes. The small pots can add up after a while though.  Stay patient and persistent, and success will follow.

 Bluffing -  It's almost impossible to bet someone out of a pot in limit poker since it just costs them one more big bet. In no limit this situation has much more potential for earning, especially coupled with a good read of a hand and position. Learning when to bluff is an advanced skill that you will pick up as you learn the true feel of the game, thousands of hands and situations, seeing and understanding why things happen, and again analyzing your opponent. We will go into the bluff in later posts, but keep in mind a decent player is hard to get off his medium hand, and a novice is simply called a calling station, they are almost impossible to bluff, just keep that in mind and pick your spots.  Don't become to obvious, or your bluff will be voided and you will lose!

The Basics to No Limit Hold"em

No Limit Texas Hold'Em

One of the most popular forms of poker today is Texas Hold'em. In This great game called Texas Hold'em each player receives two hole-cards and five subsequent cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table, these cards are simply known as the "flop", "turn", and the "river". The object of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand possible using your two hole-cards and the five community cards.
To indicate which person is the dealer from round to round, a disc or other such marker, called the button, is placed in front of them. To start the action, the person to the left of the dealer posts the "small blind", a forced bet usually half of the minimum bet. The next person to the left posts the "big blind", a forced bet equal to the minimum bet. These two bets are called "blinds" because they are posted before the two players look at their cards.

Players are then dealt the two pocket cards, face down, and the person on the left of the player who posted the big blind will begin the first round of betting. In the first round, a player can call, raise or you could also fold . In order to call, the player must place a bet that is equal to the previous bet. After the first player, each subsequent player is given the option to call the current bet, to raise up the bet, or to fold. Players who fold are out of that round until the hand ends and the next deal is out.


After the first round of betting is finished, the dealer takes the top card and sets it aside (called "the burn card"), and then lays the three community cards face up on the table. This is called the flop. At this point all other betting rounds now start with the first player to the left of the dealer. Players now have the option to check (the term used to pass on betting without folding), or to put out a bet. After the betting is opened by a player, players can no longer check when it is their turn to act, but can instead call or raise the action occurring at that point. The round concludes when all bets have been called, or in a limit game, when the maximum number of bets possible (the "cap", usually 1 bet and 3 raises) has been reached.
After betting is finished another card is burned and the fourth card, called the "turn card" or "4th Street," is added to the community cards. Players bet again just as they did on the flop betting round. In a fixed limit game, the bet is now double the previous bet and remains double for the final betting round as well. After the third betting round, another card is burned and the fifth and final card, known as the "river" or "5th Street," is dealt. There is one last round of betting, after which the remaining players turn up their pocket cards. The highest five card poker hand that can be made using any combination of the available seven cards (a player’s two hole cards and the five community cards) wins the pot. If there is a tie, then every player who is tied divides the pot evenly between them.
After the hand is finished, the Button moves clockwise to the next player, who becomes the dealer and play begins again after a new deal, and the blinds are right.
Heres the Basics, look for future posts on strategy and the best online sites to dive into, with the best chance to get your share of the Millions being made online in the poker rooms