Casino Training Academy

I am a beginner to Hold ‘Em, and I was looking on Amazon.com, and I came across 2 books, by the same author, and I was just curious if anyone knew which book I should pick up, and if I should get both, which one first? Titles are: Hold’em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner AND More Hold’em Excellence: A Winner for Life The titles tell me I should go with the first one first……Is this
true? I am just wondering if it is the same book, just a newer edition, as the 2nd one is 188 pages, compared to 159.

Answer 1:

Get the first one, along with Lee Jones’ Winning Low Limit Holdem. Read them, study them, apply the principles when you play. Then, get the second book, which I believe is the best holdem book in existence for somewhat experienced and mid-limit players (and not just because Lou Krieger pays me a royalty every time I recommend one of his books).

Answer 2:

I second that the Krieger books are worth reading, but would like to throw in Lee Jones’ _Winning Low Limit Hold’em_ (available at amazon, or www.conjelco.com, rec.gambling. Poker’s favorite gambling store. Extremely well written, and it’s the only poker book I’ve read where I’m willing to say you *will* be a consistent winner at the game if you apply the advice therein.

Answer 3:

You can read some of Lou Krieger’s Hold’em articles on his website … http://www.loukrieger.com/. There’s information on all of his books, including his newest one, Poker for Dummies. Before the jokes on the “for Dummies” tag begin … I used to be a for Dummies” snob. The series title simply turned me off. After all, those framed brag thingies stuck in a box in my garage say I’m no dummy, right? Only I am…when I have to learn a new subject. I learned to appreciate the “for Dummies” books when I had to hurry up and learn Unix, Windows NT, networking, Photoshop and a few other subjects. Those “… for Dummies” books saved my tush more than once. In general they’re twice as informative and half as expensive as other books on any given topic. I wish Poker for
Dummies had been available when I started playing poker six months ago. As it was, I was fortunate to be directed to Lou’s books as well as Lee Jones’ Low Limit book. One of the things I wanted Lou to include on his website was his recommendations for poker books. They’re at http://www.loukrieger.com/bookrec.htm.
Based on my own experience, I recommend confining yourself to one or two books MAXIMUM for the first month or two while you’re learning the fundamentals. I didn’t. Being a book junkie I went out and bought about 10 books and Turbo Texas Hold’em within about a month … and yes, I read them all! But I didn’t have (and still don’t have) the experience to evaluate the various (yes, the authors disagree!) philosophies. Thus I know tons of great information but I’m still stumped on what gets applied where. I had a really HUGE meal and it’s taking me a long time to digest it! Along with reading books, there’s a tremendous amount of great information available online on various websites and here in RGP. I must admit that my eyes glaze over when I read some of the stuff but I read it any way. Somewhere along the line I figure it will kick in and make me some money!

What would you do if the following rather delicate situation developed? One loosish limper to you with AA, and you raise 2 from the button with AA. A solid player on your left 3-bets, solid player in the SB calls 2.5 bets cold, loosish limper calls, you cap. 4-way action for four bets. Flop: Q77 (computer love!) It’s checked to you, you bet and the pre-flop 3-bettor calls, and out of nowhere, the good player in the SB check-raises you. Do you immediately have to put him on a 7, or can you conceive of him check-raising you with as little as AQ? But that’s not my main question. This is: When a random turn card falls, the SB checks. Hm. I guess it’s not a terrible play to check behind, seeing as if you’re ahead, there’s no free cards you can give that will likely make your opponent a stronger hand. I remember reading a similar scenario to that in _TTOP_. But then you’re missing a value bet. It’s also not wrong to bet in case your opponent has KK. But then you risk being check-raised again. And if that’s the case, you have to immediately lie down, or call two more big bets. Well, that’s no fun. I filed this one away because what the SB effectively did, in a sense, is take away AA’s positional advantage by showing strength on the flop and then checking the turn. The way AA has played here is consistent with only three hands at best–AA, KK and *maybe* AQs. The check on the turn almost compels the average player holding AA/KK/AQ to bet the turn for fear of missing a bet, but with the option of springing the trap in case the SB has that third 7. Another thing to consider for AA though is: Why is the SB calling 3.5 bets BTF with a 7?

Answer 1:

With 12 big bets in the pot, it would be a mistake to lay down your over pair, because of the full house draw on the river. (Although if it is the case that your opponent does have that third 7, he will make quads. But that’s a small enough possibility to discount, I figure.)

Answer 2:

Check. You get way more info for the river at this point by checking. If guy to your left bets then you can watch SB act. If everybody checks, when the river falls you can watch SB again. If he bets you can consider calling – if he has the nuts (QQ, the only hand he could be holding to see the flop in the first place, and even that is marginal) then he played it badly. If he was bluffing on the flop, he played really stupid since obviously he should have bet the turn no matter what it was. Whatever he has, he played it badly, by checking on the turn you put yourself at less risk of throwing away chips on a hand that cannot be read due to SBs behavior. Check thru as much as possible and as they say, “next case.”

Answer 3:

If you think you are behind, your opponent either holds a 7, in which case the case 7 makes him quads at the same time you make your full house, or else he has QQ and already has Q’s full of 7′s while the 3rd 7 just makes you 7′s full of A’s. Either way you only have 2 outs, so folding for 12:1 is correct (again, if you think you are behind). This assumes you were already behind on the flop and someone didn’t stick around to hit a set < 7 on the turn. Other than that, I’ll fall back on the usual “depends” here, based on re-raiser’s standards and SB’s tendencies with A7s, AK/AQ s/o (is the Q suited with one of the 7′s on the flop?), KK/AA in the blinds (automatic cap or not?), QQ, etc. Do they think you would cap it 4-ways with QQ? On the flop, I would be worried about either of the opponents having QQ. If I’m reasonably sure the SB doesn’t hold a 7, I would have re-raised on the flop and see in particular how the player behind me reacts. This should also make them afraid that YOU hold QQ, inhibiting a move on the turn if they just have KK or AQ or a flush draw. On the turn, I would expect the SB to bet out most of the time with QQ or a 7 since the pot is already kind of large, unless they’re really greedy. Having been checked to, I grit my teeth and bet. If raised, I have to make a read: to what extent have I advertised aces as opposed to QQ, and how likely are they to pull a move?

I know this is a basic question for most everyone, but I am consistently confusing the hand values in Omaha 8 or better hi lo split. Your help is appreciated. Which of the following hands is low and why?
Hand a: Ac 4c 8c 4h
Hand b: 7s 3s 2s 8d
Board cards: 10h 7c 8s Jc 5s

Answer 1:

Well, player A has 8754A. Player B has 87532.
Now, let’s say for a moment that they had two different hands: KQJT2 and KQJ98. Since player 1 has a higher fourth card, he would be high, correct? In the same way, Player B’s ’3′ is lower than player A’s ’4′. so Player B gets the low.

Answer 2:

Or to fully explain:
Hand a’s lo hand is:
Ac 4c from hand and 5s 7c 8s from board.
Hand b’s lo hand is
3s 2s from hand and 5s 7c 8s from board.
So a has a 8-7-5-4-A hand and b has a 8-7-5-3-2 hand. Therefore A’s hand is higher on the 4th card as a kicker. Therefore B gets the lo pot. (B also has the better high hand in playing for the hi pot).

Answer 3:

Ace is the lowest card, but low hands are compared like all poker hands, first by type of hand (in this case, no-pair), then by rank starting highest-ranked in your hand. So, for 8754A, the A is the lowest card in the hand. It’s used ONLY to break ties if both hands “start” with 8754. Your confusion isn’t that A is the lowest card, it’s that hands are compared using the high card first. Aside from the fact that Ace is counted low and straights and flushes are ignored, the comparison is “worst 5-card hand”. Figure out which no-pair hand would win if it were regular high poker, and give the pot to the other hand. Thus, 8765A loses to 76543 (straights and flushes are ignored for low, by the way). The highest card is compared first, so it doesn’t matter that the 8-high hand has an Ace, the fact that it has an 8 kills it compared to the 7-high hand.

Is the 90 bucks worth it? As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a newbie, but want to learn as much as possible. The reviews I read make it look great, but lets be honest, the manufacturer’s website would not put negative reviews on there. Would you, an RGP reader, recommend it?

Answer 1:

If you are serious about becoming a good holdem player, then this software is absolutely a no-brainer “strong buy” recommendation.

Answer 2:

Download the demo version and see what you think yourself.

Answer 3:

If you question the recommendations, go play in the casino for a couple of sessions. Keep good records of the hands you play and those you don’t. If you are not ahead, spend the $90. Set it up as close to the conditions you have locally as you can and see what you learn. My point, loaded TTH, practiced for two days, played in a tourney after finding a HUGE hole in my game and came home $2,400 ahead. Was it a good investment, you figure it out for yourself, but it is a no brainer as far as I am concerned.

Will be flying to Seattle area in mid. June. Would like to find out the best places to play 10-20 holdem and above.

Answer 1:

There are two places that deal 10-20 hold’em: Muckleshoot in Auburn (20 miles south of Seattle) and Hideaway in North Seattle (145th & Aurora). Only Muckleshoot offers 20-40.

Answer 2:

You can play 12-24, 8-16 and sometimes 15-25 at New Sonny’s in Federal Way. The hideaway has a $2 rake, the others have a $3 rake and all have a $1 jackpot drop. If you’re going to be in the Downtown area the Hideaway is the closest, but it’s not a very nice place. New Sonny’s and Muckleshoot are both farther away but are pretty nice.

Answer 3:

I’ve only played once in Seattle, it was at the Hideaway. Many people claim it’s the best 10-20 on the west coast. The game was excellent, lots of chips on the table and loose players. The club itself is from the old school. A bit worn out, but we are playing poker, not bridge.

How well does Chip Reese’s 7cs section of S/S hold up today? On a related note, how about the A-5 lowball section as well?

Answer 1:

Although the structure of the game described in the stud chapter of Brunson’s landmark compendium is bizarre (limits of 10/20, ante of 2, low card bring-in of 4), the concepts, strategies and tactics discussed in the chapter are as valuable as ever. There isn’t all that much literature on 7-card stud. Besides reese’s chapter in Brunson’s book, there’s the malmuth/sklansky/zee book, the roy west book, and the George(?) Percy book. Why not read them all?

Answer 2:

As for lowball… if you can find a game, the folks playing it had been playing the same way long before the book was written… I don’t think much has changed and what is in the book should be good today.

Answer 3:

The hold’em section holds up pretty well too. In fact, the whole book holds up pretty well. It’s a pity that Omaha wasn’t a popular game back then.

What is the value of a hand like 76s heads up? Let’s say there’s a single limper to you on the button with tight players in the blinds, such that your raising will probably get you heads up, with position, on the limper. Would you consider isolating with this hand? Of course, it depends (knew that was coming) on how well you play flop and beyond, but assuming you’re a reasonably strong flop-beyond player, is 76s strong enough heads-up to win its fair share? Typically we tend to think of such a hand as a drawing hand that thrives on implied odds, yada yada, but something I think that is frequently overlooked is the number of semibluffs a T9s-65s gives you on boards like K87. Some people will argue to the death that 76s will never win unimproved, but of course they neglect the fact that it can do just that, if you can get your opponent to lay down over cards. The worst thing that can happen to a middle suited connector is, of course, to be up against an over pair. This presents a problem. If you’re facing the average UTG limper, you have no way of knowing whether you’re against TT which dominates your hand and then some, or just a meek AJo that you can bully. On the flop, I’ll typically play second pair/no kicker/three-flush heads-up as hard as I’d play AK on a king-high flop, meaning usually betting or making it two bets, occasionally three bets, but rarely four bets. Is this overplaying? Or perhaps I should just stick to the standard “thrives on implied odds” mantra and muck the damn thing BTF. What do you think?

Answer 1:

You can’t squeeze blood from a stone, and you can’t squeeze pos. e.v. from 76s head-up, no matter how hard you try (especially against weaker players, who don’t know that they should lie down their over pair to your semi-bluff).

Answer 2:

This hand has little or no value. Odds of a drawing hand ARE important. Even if you guessed that you could bluff with this hand, making no pair, 40% of the time, you are still not winning enough money to make it worthwhile. What you are setting up is an ugly scenario. If your opponent has a weak hand, and misses the flop completely, he checks the flop, you bet, he folds. You’ve made a total of 2 bets profit (plus blinds). Or, if he hits the flop, he checks, you bet, he raises. Now you are screwed, and you better find a way to make two pair or a flush to win the hand. If you bet, and he just calls, now what do you do? Assuming you have missed on the flop, or even hit one pair, his call must tell you he probably has you beat. Do you keep betting, assuming you don’t improve on the turn, or give up at this point? If you bet the turn and he calls again, you are definitely beat (let’s assume this is an average player, not an idiot who would call all these bets with just a gut shots or something like that). In my opinion, the only way this hand has significant value
is if you hit a flop of, say, A67 and your opponent has an Ace. You’ll get some action here, and you’ll still have to pray that another Ace (or his kicker) doesn’t show up.

Answer 3:

Suited connectors are excellent heads up, as long as you’re not against an over pair. You should routinely re-raise a late opener (stealer) with 65s and fire again on the flop with any kind of semi-made hand or draw, including gut shots and three card straight flush draws. Three-way is bad, though. Don’t try it if the blinds hate to fold. Ten-way is best. Look at www.twoplustwo.com archives for some detailed discussion on suited connectors. I wrote plenty (need I say good?) on this matter a while ago, so did Abdul (who actually has the best grasp on this subject).

I have the 7 and 6 of spades. The flop shows four spades headed by a 10. There are three players. I get this bad feeling and I figure that all somebody needs to beat me is any one spade higher than a 7—not too unlikely, so I fold to gasps as I expose my flush. The winner had a full house, but all it would have cost me was a $4 call in a pot with maybe $45 in it.

Answer 1:

Your most critical mistake is showing the table that you made a tough laydown. Also, you might need to give some more information about the betting history of the whole hand. Did you bet your flush on the turn? What did the rest of the board look like? What position were you in with regard to the other players? Had there been a bet and a call before you had to decide to call or not?

Answer 2:

Your seven-high flush with 4 of the suit on board *and* a pair is almost worthless against two opponents, unless you have a read that the bettor is bluffing. It depends on how they’ve been playing to that point of course, but you’re almost always beaten.

Answer 3:

It depends, but only a little. In the vast majority of games with any but the craziest or cleverest of opponents, this is a routine fold. There exist folks able to bluff in this spot (presumably they’re in because they had outs to a boat but missed), but they’re quite rare. Less rare are folks who’ll bet two pair here out of sheer cluelessness, but unless you’ve identified your opponent as this type of player, give it a pass. In no case would I show this hand as I fold it. You risk teaching someone to bluff at you in this situation, and that would be quite bad.

I play 3-6-12 Hold’em at Harrah’s in E. Chicago. The bets are 3 before and after the flop, 6 on the turn and 6 or 12 on the river. A raiser on the river can bring a bet of 6 up to 18 (I think) and 12 can be raised to 24. Does this betting structure encourage or discourage loose play? Neoncap suggested to me that loose play is probably more correct. Is it because the higher bets on the river give better implied odds to those on a draw? Or do the big bets discourage draws because of the cost of drawing out? Anyway, the play there is quite loose – they’ll usually play any two suited cards or connectors in any position and 1, 2, and 3 gappers in middle or late position. Money opportunity here or snake pit?

Answer 1:

To me what makes sense is to adapt your play to the conditions rather than try to force the conditions to match your play. It’s not about a loose call. It’s about understanding how the betting structure gives value to certain hand characteristics. It adds implied odds value to suited cards. It makes it more important to get raises in early with big off-suit hands, when you can be surer they are good. Against loose players you should often be raising pre-flop with off-suit hands like AQ and even KJ. The river bet means you should sometimes make more value bets, sometimes try to induce bluffs on the river. It becomes more important to be aware of your opponents bluffing tendencies. The player who thinks the key to playing winning holdem is to play with a tight pre-flop hand selection will often get destroyed with this structure. And, that’s exactly the kind of player you really don’t want at your table anyway. It’s a great structure. There is a reason many card rooms have that flat structure. It’s because the card rooms would just as soon have a cadre of tight players filling up their games every day. But, home games, which are more likely to rely on a cadre of loose players spewing off chips and coming back every week, tend to have escalating limits.

Answer 2:

I would definitely loosen up my starting requirements, especially if the game is passive pre-flop, or when you are in late position and can get in cheaply. The implied odds justify limping in with hands that you would throw away in a “regular” game. If you have a draw after the flop, you would probably want to fold more because the pots will likely be smaller in comparison with the $6 flop bet. When you do have a strong starting hand, be sure to raise and re-raise before the flop to try and thin the field. If you find the raises do not thin the field, you would want to only raise with AA and KK, and don’t be surprised if they don’t hold up. If there are a lot of callers before the flop (which is likely), it will be harder to put people on hands, so you want to play tighter after the flop. Be prepared to release medium strong hands. Don’t be stubborn and assume your “regular” game is the best way to play, regardless of the limits. It is a different game.

Answer 3:

The answer to whether you should play looser depends on what players do on the river when faced with the double bet, because that is what ultimately determines whether your implied odds increase or decrease in that structure. If your opponents routinely fold to a 12 dollar bet/raise if they don’t hit a big hand, then many of your drawing hands do not pay off. But if they routinely call, then it pays to draw. On the other hand, if they fold a lot, it may give you more bluffing opportunities. All in all, I don’t think you should change your strategy much, if any, until you get to the river, because of the *betting structure*. On the other hand, just as in any poker game, if you are faced with a lot of loose calling players, it is profitable to loosen up a little bit (but not as much as them).

Having only ventured downtown but never stayed there, can people give me some insight on the Binion’s rooms? – And whether the East or West side rooms are preferred.

Answer 1:

Approach a Binion’s hotel room. You find: A door. A door just like most every other door. Not a portal into a hyper-dimensional time warp. Not an entry through a Looking Glass. In short; a door. Enter through that door. The room is strangely familiar. Like tens of thousands of hotel rooms elsewhere across this vast nation-state of ours. Three dimensional. A ceiling, walls. A floor. Once in the room, nothing extraordinary happens. Saying ‘xyzzy’ or ‘plugh’ results in nothing resembling instantaneous teleportation. A bed. A dresser. A television. An enclosed bathroom, with indoor plumbing. A window, through which photons of various wavelengths enter, for your visual stimulation. Indeed, A Binion’s hotel room is an unparalled affirmation of that truest of sayings: ‘No matter where you go, there you are.’

Answer 2:

I like the $25 rooms because they remind me of the Alaskan Hotel in Juno, AK. (I was just getting off a 3 month scientific cruise and had a great time in Juno.) Anyway, the rooms are efficient (i.e. pretty small) but as with most hotel rooms in the U.S. it has its own
bathroom and TV. Laugh if you like, but I stayed in the only hotel in Dikson, Siberia and while the room was spacious (probably because it only had a bed and one chair in it) you had to walk down the hall to the bathroom and there was no TV (not like there was anything to watch.) (Like I said, it was the only hotel in town, but it cost like R10,000 (1994 rubles, OK about $7 a night) and had a giant smilin’ Lenin painting over the front door.) So, if it’s just you (i.e. you snore like a banshee,) you are tight with a lodging buck, or you plan on spending most of your time with the deck of 52 then the cheap side is just what you are looking for.

Answer 3:

Stay in the new part. A little more expensive but a shade nicer, and they’re closer to the poker room.