I’ve been playing poker only a short time and have read a few books. I’m the guy at the table you love to play because I’m meddling along losing my money. But I’m learning. My question: How do you calculate outs in hold’em? I read, you have 15 outs with pot odds of 8-1 etc etc. 8-1 meaning the pot is 8 times your bet. How do you calculate outs since you don’t know what the opponents have folded? For instance, if any diamond would help you, and you say you have 8 outs, how do you know the other players haven’t folded 6 of them and so there are only 2? Anyone who could give me a crash course on this pot odds to outs thing would be great. Also, any suggested reading would be good. Answer 1: I’m new to poker as well, but from what I’ve learned, you don’t worry about what your opponents have folded, basically, after the flop, there are 47 cards you haven’t seen, if 8 cards can help you, you’re at 39 to 8 which is just about 5 to 1 (i know this isn’t exactly correct, but its close enough to do quickly in your head, it actually reduces to 4.875 to 1,but 5 to 1 is good enough in my book) those cards that have been folded are just thought of as part of the deck, because the odds are still the same. For every 5 cards that don’t help you, there is 1 that does. So let’s just say you DID want to consider what your opponents had. with the odds we figured here, say 6 people folded, that’s 12 cards gone, but the odds are still the same, including what they held, out of those 12 cards gone, 2 would have been what you needed, so the odds within the deck are still the same and the odds you calculate for you to draw what you need included ALL unseen cards, even the ones in your opponents hands. I hope this makes sense, and surely someone will put me in my place if any of my thinking is incorrect here. Answer 2: Only include the cards you know about in your calculations. This might include any cards that end up face up in the muck, flashed as they are folded, flashed by the dealer, or intentionally displayed by your opponents together with the ones on the flop and ones in your hand. If you have AsKs and the flop is QsJc2s then you have 4 tens for the Broadway and 13-4=9 spades for the flush (overlapping one of the tens). That’s 12 outs to strong ands. Additionally any of 3 aces or 3 kings will gives you strong hands although you have to be concerned they could make somebody else a straight. Answer 3: You don’t know if your opponents are holding your outs, “theoretically”, those 8 outs you have could be in the dealer’s hand or in player’s hands. Say you have three Aces. The dealer holds the other 49 cards. Your odds of getting the forth Ace if the dealer deals one card is 1/49. Say the dealer deals out 6 cards to each of 8 players. That leaves the dealer with one card. Your odds are still 1/49 that that one card is an Ace…
Low-limit holdem, you are on the list and scouting the potential games you might be seated at. You notice at one of them, a maniac raising blind pre-flop, and betting and raising anything all the way to the river. As luck would have it, two people leave the game, and a seat directly on either side of him is now yours for the choosing. Do you sit directly on his right, or directly on his left? I can think of good reasons for taking either seat and would be interested in what you all would do.
Answer 1:
It depends on how loose/aggressive the rest of the table is. If the table tends towards very loose, then a seat on his right gives you more control of the betting on the flop, when it counts. Traditional wisdom says sit on his left which will give you more control of the betting pre-flop. If you’re on his right, and the game is very loose, then you can check raise and trap the table in for two bets on your very strong draws but can bet and have him raise on your weaker top pair flops making the others face two-cold with their weaker draws. It really depends on the rest of the table. At most loose tables, having the seat to the left won’t really let you control the pre-flop betting all that much anyway, which is the only real benefit from that seat (isolation).
Answer 2:
I would choose to be on his right. Since he is a maniac, knowledge of what he does is worthless, it gives you no insight. However, by being on his right, you get to see what everyone else does in reaction to his moves. By being on his left, you are constantly going to be the one who has to react to his raises first. On his right, you get to sit back and watch what everyone else does. I don’t see much reason to be on his left. I think of it like this, when you are on the left of someone who bets, you are temporarily under the gun, when you are on the right, you are on the button.
Answer 3:
You can always tell a good question about Poker, because all good Poker questions have the same answer: it depends. Your general strategy if sitting to his left will be to isolate him by making it 2 bets cold to everyone behind you whenever you decide to play. If sitting in front of him, it’ll be easier to trap people by letting them call his bet and then popping it. Think of it this way: you can target the maniac from anywhere – who ELSE at the table can you put at a disadvantage by the way you play off the maniac? So, what’s the rest of the table like? Are 5 people calling a capped pot? If so, it doesn’t matter where you sit, but trapping is going to be slightly more likely than isolating, especially on later rounds. Are 6 people calling for 1 bet but only 3 or 4 if there’s a raise? Sit to his left and control the number of players. Are 4-6 people calling one or two bets normally, and capped occasionally? Sit to his right and control the pot size.
I seem to have a problem with my game, I do well in tournaments, where fundamentally sound play is generally a good thing, but in ring games I get smoked. Usually by suck outs, people playing garbage, or simply not catching cards. It’s growing really tiresome. In tighter games where people play better starting cards I can hold my own, but when people start throwing chips around and play “bad” starting cards that’s when I can’t ever seem to win. Generally I play 4-8, occasionally 2-5 when no 4-8 games exist (small room), and have even dabbled in 10-20, with mixed results depending on looseness. I like hold’em, but leaving the casino empty-handed nearly every time I play is not encouraging. I’ve read and re-read several poker manuals, including the “excellent” book by Lee Jones, whose fundamentals seem to run counter to the people who generally win where I play. What to do? Give up the game? Find a new room? Are there books on “slop play”? I really have a hard time “dumbing down” my play to these stiffs who always seem to do better than me.
Answer 1:
You can either play the good cards and just wait it out, or can start playing more like your opponents. If you expect to win in these games you just have to play what would be marginal hands in a tournament situation. I just don’t raise anymore with AK,AQ,etc. It just does not run anyone out and you’re still up against 5-6 players when the flop comes. Even AA, and KK get beat very often even with a raise. Just too many people seeing the flop, which usually hits a couple of them, either with a little pair, back door flush/st., etc. If it’s there they are in until the river. In these games you just have to believe in the luck factor much more. It’s a gamble and you just have to be ready to gamble. However, if you are careful, you can still win at these games. I have been able to keep a winning record for the last couple of years by playing 5-10 and below. And, if you really want to get frustrated…play 1-4 or 3-6 hold’em on Paradise Poker.
Answer 2:
Hold’em is a game of fluctuation. You do not know when you might have a bad run and when it happens it can get ugly. The game that you are playing may be geared to different style. You will have to gauge the game to your starting hands and future plays. If the game is losing you can start with more small pairs up front. You have to gauge the value of each hand that you play. You may play more 87s and 76s but I hope you have enough experience to know when to fold them. Some tough games require that you try to always be on top of the player that you are playing other games require hands that need odds. Get some good technology behind you and get Mike Petriv’s book odds on holdem and work out some values yourself. Use the pair value, straight value and flush value tables to ensure you are playing the right hand values for the games that you are in. You will soon find yourself destroying the game if you judgment is any good after the flop. No more lessons for tonight have a good night. One last thing get a copy of Mahmood’s book and read it many times the one thing he says in there will make you a great player when he talks about combinations of hands.
Answer 3:
Cards can run bad for a long time. The short term luck factor can be a lot longer than what any books will tell you. It might be best to give poker a rest depending on your emotional state, if you get to the point where you expect to lose or if you get the feeling that here we go again early in a session then a break is in order. I once ran badly for the better part of a year where I was constantly drawn out on. If the game was stud, hold em or Omaha it didn’t matter it was a terrible run of cards.
A lot of theCalifornia6-12 games have a live $3 button charge. Let’s say that 4 or 5 people limp in ahead of you for $6 pre-flop. You have the best position and it only costs you $3 to play. The blinds only raise with group I hands. How loose should you be in calling in this spot?
Answer 1:
In my experience playing in CA casinos (at least around LA) the button charge is essentially a rake (since my understanding is that CA law doesn’t allow pots to be raked) and you have to place a full bet on the button. If this is not the case then obviously you would loosen up with best position and only 1/2 bet to see the flop.
Answer 2:
I call with most anything. If you’re the kind of player who cannot release one pair on the flop, then you might be better off mucking that K3 or Q7.
Answer 3:
I play it very loose. Any ace, any king and any queen. Also any suited cards. Unsuited connectors down to about 76, and unsuited one gapers to 9-7. The key is that you have to dump a lot of the hands if there is any action ahead of you. Say that you have Q-7 and the flop comes Q-8-2. If there is a bet and a call ahead of me, I am done with the hand. I may even fold to a lone bet depending on the situation.
Does anyone know where I can find plans or even just more information on building my own poker table? I have scowered the net but to no avail. Please assist…I want to begin work on it as soon as possible.
Answer 1:
Get measurements of your ideal table — including length, width, and end radius. Get sheets of the lowest grade of 3/4″ plywood or wafer board you can find. Screw them together with sheetrock screws, staggering the joints. You now have a huge plane 1 1/2″ thick. Pencil your outline and cut very carefully with a jig saw IN ONE CUT. Save the trimmings. Get a yard and a half of the BEST carpet padding you can find. Get some mastic and a throw-away scratch trowel. Glue the padding to the wood (worst side) and trim with a knife. I am partial to denim for a cover. Whatever you use, stretch it as tight as you can and staple it into the end grain of the ply board
AND underneath. Use 1/2″ staples and plenty of them; 2″ apart is not too close. You will have to cut (or fold) darts in the fabric as you go around the corners. Spray this with Scotch Guard NOW! Go to K-Mart with a beer bottle. Find some tapered plastic cups, about 5″ tall, that the beer bottle will set all the way down in. The cups should have a rim near the lip. While you are there, pick up a cheap hole saw with a diameter slightly smaller than
the rim of your cups. Test the leftover wood oval to make sure it drops snugly over the table. Scribe 4″ or so larger than your first cut. Make sure there’s plenty of screws holding this together before you cut it. Locate and drill your cup holes. Get about 50′ of 1/4″ x 3/4″ clear pine and go around the inside of the top layer TWICE using 3d finish nails about 6″ apart. The resulting oval
will now be 1″ smaller than the table and should sit nicely on it. Pad and upholster as above; then carefully X your cup holes with a razor, and your rail is ready. For a base, go to OfficeMax or some such and get a 6′ by 30″
folding table for about $30. Or you could go to a restaurant supply place and get 2 of the HEAVIEST pedastal bases you can find.
Answer 2:
Just a guess- but why don’t you take the schematic from say a large dining room set. Shorten the legs, and round the corners and pad it. Do you want a round table or a box space for a dealer? Let me know? I know that bob villa and home depot have websites and the like offering stuff. Try wood working
magazine.
Answer 3:
I might add that I built my own table and used folding picnic table legs [2 legs in one unit no single bridge table legs]. It is easy to store and very sturdy. For the playing surface I went to a fabric store and bought green double-knit, the stuff they used to make 1970′s leisure Suits out of. It is indestructible and inexpensive and looks way better on a table top than in a suit.
IM curious as to the difference between a four dollar collection in the 9-18Omahahi-lo game at the commerce and paying a time collection of say 6 dollars in a 10-20 hi-lo game. I would think that due to the limited number of hands dealt in om hi-lo it’s cheaper to pay the four dollars. I am probably missing something but can’t figure it out.
Answer 1:
It really depends on the game, now, doesn’t it? If you’re playing very tight, trying only to win a few very large pots, perhaps the rake is better. But if you expect to win more than four or so pots an hour, the time charge is better for your stack. 4 pots at $4 each = $16 Three time charges @ $6 = $18 If you drag five pots, you’re better off paying time (assuming all pots are over $40). The character of the game, of your opponents, and of your own general style of play will determine this for you. If you see a lot of showdowns, and play a high variance game, play in a time game. If you sit back, see flops but fold frequently when you hand doesn’t develop quickly, play a rake game.
Answer 2:
Let’s say you’re playing an average 9-18 game with 30 hands dealt an hour. That’s $120 an hour coming off the table. With a $6 time collection, that’s $108 an hour coming off the table. If you’re at a real slow table, you may save a bit with the button drop, but I think that’s rare, and in virtually all cases, time collection is going to cost you a lot less in the long run.
Answer 3:
The $4 charge at the Commerce is a button charge, not a rake. Therefore, it has the same effect as a time charge, except it adds up to more, as a rule, as the button comes around at least 4 times an hour.
I’m in a 10 – 20 Hold’em Texas game. Player to my left in a notoriously loose player who loves raising and will never fold one hand. I’m on BB and he blind straddles 20. Player in the middle raises, everyone calls, and then the straddle makes in 30. Original caps it at 40 and there six players in Pre-flop. I’m BB and holding pocketQueens. Flop comes up 2-6-8. I check, Straddle raises, Raiser re-raises, everyone else calls, I three-bet, straddle caps at 40 and two players fold. 4 players to the turn. Turn card comes up 10. I bet again, straddle raises again, original raiser folds, so does the other player…and I raise again. Straddle re-raises.I call thinking that he’s made a set. River card comes a 2. I check, he bets. I call. He shows me 92o! I nearly blow a gasket! What happened here? Was I just unlucky, or was I up against some real pro?
Answer 1:
Well obviously you were unlucky at the end, although the middle position raiser may have had something like AK, in which case you are the very slight favorite (assuming Mr. Straddle has junk, which he has). Also, given the fact so many players saw the flop, your Queens aren’t in great shape for most of the hand, and so mentally your hopes shouldn’t have been over high. It hurts like hell to suffer beats like that, but you HAVE to be philosophical about it. It’s thanks to players like Mr. Straddle that competent players make their money – not from great play, but by playing solid poker of percentages. Going into River there are a mere 5 cards (2, 2, and 9, 9, 9) that can help Mr. Straddle and the other 39 help you. That’s wonderfully in your favor, especially when the pot is so huge. You’ll get him next time and next time and next time and next time and next time and next time and next time and next time and probably the time after that too…
Answer 2:
In this situation I feel the best thing to do is tell Mr. Straddle nice catch, wow what a huge pot, and hope he continues to play like that.
Answer 3:
Did you consider cutting him for high card before the hand? Sounds like he would have played the hand the same way without looking at his cards. Therefore :
[1] Yes, it was a bad beat given the last card but your only option was to have put him on two pair somewhere along the line which might have curbed some of your betting. (No too sure myself where I would have slowed down, if he was truly a loose player.)
[2] Tell the dealer to load them up again … if your bankroll survives, you’ll get plenty of shots at this guy.
I was playing a little dealers choice this evening with not just one but three, I repeat three, lesson givers sitting at the table. Lesson givers are those people who feel they play better than everyone else at the table and have to explain how to play every hand correctly. The worst is when they have to yell at everyone who bets nut low. What is the best way to handle these people, they are driving me INSANE.
Answer 1:
First you go out a buy a 2 by 4 about 3 feet long…. then…. you hit them on the right side of the head as hard as you can… If you have their attention then you tells them to shut up if you don’t have their attention you hit them on the left side of the head…. repeat as needed.
Answer 2:
Sit back quietly and take their money. Seriously, it’s been my experience that a lot of lesson givers are also people who easily tilt. Trap them once or twice with a AA or KK in Hold’em, or put a bit of a beat on them, like making a flush on the river in 7-stud, and they’ll take it personally. Then you can take
their money while they are proving to you that they can beat you with inferior holdings. Although lesson givers are annoying I lot of times I find them good for the game.
Answer 3:
In dealing with them, I general like to hear what they have to say. And then I always act like I am actually trying to learn from their sage advice – without divulging my thought process. In reality what I am doing is learning something of how they play the hands. Lesson-givers aren’t always giving you the right advice. What they are giving you is insight into how they would play the hand – which you can use later against them. I had a situation come up last night in a lose 6-12 game where I had an over pair to a flop that contained two spades. Now with 6 or 7 callers pre-flop, I fear the flush draws. I bet and the turn card came with another spade. I backed off, and the river card came a 4th spade. I lost the hand, although the guy only held one spade. A wild one to my immediate left starts ranting and raving telling me I made a big mistake by not aggressively hammering it the whole way. The real mistake I made was not folding it on the turn. I just acted like he was right and I was dead wrong and learned a little about him. Then I used this against him a little later when the roles were reversed and I had the flush draw, made it on the turn, and let him do all the betting with his top pair. So keep in mind, that unless you truly respect the lesson-giver (as I do with my friend SLAM), don’t necessarily assume that it is the proper book wisdom.
This is a question of money management, I guess. I will be playing and staying inLondonfor ten days in August, and my question relates to how much money to bring into the country in cash to play poker, or would I be better off getting money out of my Citibank cash machine inLondon, which always has a fair exchange. What I am concerned about is getting stuck with a lot of pounds at the end of the journey, and not wanting to change them back into dollars because of the unfavorable rate on the other end. Last time I solved the problem by taking all my pounds to the airport and buying a lot of unblended scotch with them. But there is only so much of that you can carry and also take into customs. Any help greatly appreciated.
Answer 1:
Change your money at theVictoriaCasino. You will get the best rate available, no commission. They will hold the money for you and you can buy it back at the same rate. So, if you win it costs you nothing to exchange. If you lose, what the hell! Not sure if you get the same deal at Ladbrokes or not. Details ofLondon/UK/ European poker can be found at
Answer 2:
Assuming you are originating in the US: From the US Customs Service Website .There is no limit on the total amount of monetary instruments which may be brought into or taken out of the United States nor is it illegal to do so. However, if you transport or cause to be transported (including by mail or other means) more than $10,000 in monetary instruments on any occasion into or out of the United States, or if
you receive more than that amount, you must file a report (Customs Form 4790) with U.S. Customs (Currency & Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, 31 U.S.C. 1101, et seq.). Failure to comply can result in civil, criminal and/or forfeiture penalties. Monetary instruments includeU.S. or foreign coin in current circulation, currency, travelers’ checks in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. I suggest you check out the website.
Answer 3:
The problem is that 10k is also a magic number that triggers forfeiture under other statutes. If you’re a frequent traveler toLondon, just open a bank account in a London bank.
I have been pondering at this question for the longest of time since I’ve started playing Hold’em? Should I raise if I am in the BB position? Let’s say that I am holding AA, KK, or AKs and I am in the BB. If I raise, that would clearly send a signal to the other players that I have a strong hand. So thinking this, I shouldn’t raise for deceptive play. After all, if the BB usually just checks after everyone calls then his hand is virtually unknown. But I was also thinking that I could raise with say J10s to get more value should a draw become available on the flop. That would have others guessing that my hand and in the odds are more to my favor. What does everyone think?
Answer 1:
There is something to be said for deception, but you just have to raise with AA and KK. There should be no question about those hands. QQ is certainly worth a raise. You will get a flop without an A or K about half the time. JJ is where you might think about just calling. With a large field, you almost have to play to hit a set. AKs plays well in a big pot, go ahead and raise it. AQs and KQs too. AKo is still a premium hand. I’d raise with it from the BB most of the time. Check maybe 30% of the time for deception. And go for
a check-raise if I hit the flop. I like the idea of raising with JTs (or something like that) from the BB to keep people guessing. IMHO, *that* is the best way to be deceptive. Not by checking with AA and KK.
Answer 2:
I think you’re on the right track. Although you can raise or re-raise from any position profitably with AA or KK, it’s a good idea to make deceptive plays such as you describe. Against a large field, you could also take your option to raise with a middle or small pair. That way, if you hit your set on the flop, many callers will pay you off to the river. The ideal would be that you hold, say, 55, and the flop comes 5 A 9 rainbows. Anyone with a baby ace will pay you off.
Answer 3:
My experience is that a raise from the blind is unlikely to oust anyone who has already called one bet. If there is a raiser in the back of the field, and you can force folks up front to choose between calling two bets cold by re-raising, then re-raising is probably mandatory. Otherwise, you’re raising just for value.