Crush The Game.com

Plan Your Poker “Streets Ahead”

It’s actually a great phrase for poker.

Many poker authors and coaches tell you to plan ahead or have a plan with poker. But the mechanics of how this is done is elusive. Chamber philosophy is a “big picture” plan for the hand – how many bets before all-in, how a strong player can manipulate the pot size. But I want to talk here about the practicality of hand planning in poker. Specifically, always think of how the action will go down on the next street. › Continue reading

Tags: Chamber Philosophy, Effective Stack, Exploitation Play, hold 'em, no limit, opponent modeling, Poker, statistics

4 Mistakes I Saw Players Make At the WSOP

“Standard Plays”

Players actually chuckled when they saw me min raise preflop. And they rolled their eyes when I overbet bombed the turn. But I picked up pots in both those spots more than a few times.

Many folks have a set strategy for playing poker and consider themselves winners when they play their strategy against others who have a less superior strategy. This may work for them in soft games, but even in the softest game this way of playing isn’t the most profitable… and when you’re not playing most profitably, you’re making a mistake.

This phenomenon has been noted before (by Ed Miller, I believe) but there becomes a sort of “table norm” for bet sizing, especially preflop, as the time at the table unfolds. When this happens preflop raise sizing is determined more by courtesy than the eagerness to exploit. And doing something because everyone does, without thinking of if it’s the right course of action for the situation, is (while perhaps our human nature) illogical. › Continue reading

Tags: 3-betting, Exploitation Play, General, hold 'em, Macro-level, no limit, online poker, opponent modeling, Poker, statistics

Big Developments at CTG

New HUD by Thurs Oct. 28th. Small site overhaul as well.

For now, here are some specs and screenshots to make you drool.

The Destroyer HUD

Screenshots (click to enlarge):

REMEMBER: Purchase the presently offered HUD for $45 before Thurs. Oct. 28th to receive a free upgrade to the new HUD when it comes out. (All you have to do is provide a quick testimonial in a thread I’ll start on the 28th.) This will save you $$$!!

Tags: Exploitation Play, General, hold 'em, HUD, no limit, opponent modeling, Poker, Poker Tracker, PT3, statistics

Exploiting Opponents Using Auto-Rate Icons

Very few people appreciate and use Poker Tracker 3′s Auto-Rate icons. I’m a big fan. Granted the default settings are junk, but once you import custom rules and make them your own (meaning something that you can understand and derive profit from), they can be a very powerful force at the table. Since I play 8-10 tables, it’s important to me to get a quick overview of my opponents at the table and their tendencies/weaknesses. My auto-rate rules are as follows and the stats that trigger these rules can be found here. The following rules and icons are for NLHE cash games. › Continue reading

Tags: 3-betting, Exploitation Play, hold 'em, isolating, LAG, no limit, opponent modeling, Poker, Poker Tracker, PT3, statistics

Exploiting High 3-Bettors – The 4-Bet Bluff

In my Auto-Rate rules, I’ve created an icon for high-preflop-3-betting-TAGs. You want to keep an eye on them. Note where they are if they are on your table. If a Tight/Aggressive/Timid player opens from the cutoff, you are on the button, and a High 3-Bettor is in a blind, don’t smoothcall the open hoping to take the pot away postflop, because you will likely be squeezed by our friend in the blind.

High-3-Betting-TAGs can also give your late position raises trouble if they are in a blind, and your earlier position raises trouble if they are on the button. Against an H3B’s 3-bet of my open (with a not-so-solid hand) I will sometimes fold, sometimes call (especially if I have an awesome read and believe I can take the pot away on later streets), and sometimes 4-bet bluff. › Continue reading

Tags: 3-betting, Exploitation Play, hold 'em, no limit, opponent modeling, Position, re-steal, steal

Opponent Modeling

Exploiting your opponents begins with observing their tendencies. Everyone is exploitable in a cash game. From these tendencies in your opponents observed over tens, hundreds and thousands of hands played, you can create a model in your mind of who exactly this opponent is, what mistakes they make and how to capitalize on these mistakes. › Continue reading

Tags: Exploitation Play, hold 'em, no limit, opponent modeling