Crush The Game.com

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

Flop Defense Notes Updated

The Flop Defense Notes Package for NoteCaddy has been updated and is available for download. The updated notes now support all game sizes from Heads-Up to 6-Max to Full Ring. (The previous version did not support Heads-Up.) Keep in mind, the definition for ‘Reg’ should be very different for Heads-Up players versus Full Ring or 6-Max… so adjust this according to how you see fit if you would like to use the Flop Defense Notes for Heads-Up play.

You will need a new password for the updated Flop Defense Notes.

Send an email to support@crushthegame.com with the following in the subject line only,:

FDN Update

and I will email you your personal password (good on up to 2 computers) for the Updated Flop Defense Notes. (Please send from the email from which you purchased the original Flop Defense Notes.)

Tags: definitions, General, hold 'em, HUD, no limit, NoteCaddy, notes, opponent modeling, Poker, poker software, poker tools, statistics

Color Code Your Full Tilt & Poker Stars Notes

In Less Than 10 Minutes With Poker Tracker 3… for free.

There are now a few programs for purchase out there that color code your Full Tilt or Poker Stars player notes. These programs typically range from $25 to $50. They also often take several hours to run and not one of them presently supports custom statistics for PT3. I’m going to show you how you can color code all your player notes in less than 10 minutes for free using Poker Tracker 3.

Should I take this seat?

› Continue reading

Tags: Color Coding, Exploitation Play, General, hold 'em, HUD, no limit, NoteCaddy, opponent modeling, Poker, poker software, poker tools, Poker Tracker, PT3

Free Upgrade to The Destroyer HUD

The Destroyer HUD has been released and is described here.

For those who have purchased the previous HUD package (now known as ‘The Crusher’) for $45 before The Destroyer HUD was released, you can get a free upgrade.

Here’s How:

1. Go to the newly created ‘Testimonial Forum’ and post your testimonial in the thread I’ve started here. If you are not registered in the forum, you will have to register. And if possible, please register with the same email from which you sent your payment notification email when you purchased your $45 HUD.
2. Once you have posted, I will send you a PM with your password for the Destroyer HUD download found on the ‘Download Poker Software Tools’ page.
3. Download The Destroyer HUD, input your personal password (good on up to 2 computers) and enjoy!

You are among the FIRST to own The Destroyer HUD. I have been using it and alpha-testing it for 2 months now. It is working perfectly on my computer setup. However, in exporting and creating the download files, there may be some technical snags we hit upon. Let me know if something is not working properly in the Technical Issues Forum and I will resolve it immediately. I appreciate it!

Note: I am selling a combo package of The Destroyer HUD and the Flop Defense Notes (the 640 custom note definitions for NoteCaddy) for $90. If you purchase The Destroyer HUD alone after its release for $70 (its standalone selling price), there is an option to purchase the Flop Defense Notes at a later date for a reduced price of $20; bringing the total for the two to the ‘combo price’ of $90. If you received a free upgrade to The Destroyer HUD, you will not be able to purchase the Flop Defense Notes for the ‘combo price’ of $20. They will only be available to you for their standalone price of $30. (Which is still a great deal!)

Getting a free upgrade to The Destroyer is still the best deal by far, I just want to be clear on the prices of the products I’m offering.

Tags: General, hold 'em, HUD, no limit, Poker, poker software, poker tools, Poker Tracker, PT3, 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

NoteCaddy

The new HUD is very near completion; and in fact, it would have been done already except I recently found an awesome new poker toy called: NoteCaddy.

NoteCaddy is an automatic note generator that puts notes on your opponents based on definitions you create. For a guy who likes to program formulas, statistics, definitions etc. NoteCaddy is a dream. I’ve programmed several hundred note definitions and have been testing them out at the tables. NoteCaddy biggest strength is in “noting” postflop hand ranges. If I want to know what hand range an opponent’s check/raise on the flop signifies, I look at my notes and it’s most likely there.

Poker Tracker 3 has the capability to do what NoteCaddy does. But at this time, postflop hand strength stats are buggy for PT3. (Now before HEM users say, “Ha!” let me remind them that HEM has no such capabilities whatsoever.) So NoteCaddy is an easy-to-use add-on to PT3 (and HEM) as well as NoteCaddy. It is efficient and effective. And using my custom definitions, it has allowed me to pull some sick moves at the tables.

Which brings me to this point: NoteCaddy is best used with custom definitions. That means it is a hands-on program that may require you to mess around and input things to get what you want out of it. For example, I’ve spent the time and effort and created 640 Custom Note Definitions to assist in identifying postflop hand ranges. Make these requests in this forum!

Tags: definitions, General, hold 'em, no limit, NoteCaddy, notes, Poker, Poker Tracker, PT3, statistics

A New HUD Update Is Coming… Seriously

1. A new HUD is coming.
2. It has been delayed while the developer at PT3 is working on improving the HUD’s performance in PT3. (It’s THAT powerful.)
3. It will be $90.
4. The old HUD will still be available for $45.
5. Anyone who buys (or has bought) the old HUD before the new HUD is released will get a free upgrade to the new HUD if they wish, providing they’re willing to give a testimonial. (I’ve contacted a few people about this via email. If I haven’t contacted you and you’d like to participate: send an email to “support [at] crushthegame [dot] com”.)

Tags: General, no limit, Poker, Poker Tracker, PT3, statistics

An Advanced PT3 HUD, More Stats & Pop-Ups

I’ve made some +EV upgrades to my HUD and am now calling it The Crusher HUD. This is what it looks like:

› Continue reading

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

A Non-Poker Topic: Effective Value

The principle of Effective Value (FV) is this: a product’s worth is determined by the length of time using or deriving use from the product, and/or the amount of time spent gaining benefits derived from using the product.

Each unit of time is worth an amount of money. For simplicity’s sake, the lowest unit of time is 1 hour and it is worth $1.

Effective Value can be labeled as FV for short; as in e’F'fective ‘V’alue, so as not to be confused with EV (expected value – now common nomenclature in risk-taking communities).

A friend of mine bought a bag of candy. We were prowling around the town, hopping from bar to bar and he had the urge to buy a bag of “Red Dollars” from the convenience store. He bought the candy and enjoyed it. I, for the life of me, could not understand this purchase. It seemed so ineffective! I thought my money was much better spent on a cheap beer at the bar. But looking at these two purchases (his Red Dollars and my cheap beer) through the lens of Effective Value, I then saw that his purchase was ultimately more effective than mine. › Continue reading

Tags: discipline, General

Poker and God: Jesus Boosts My Winrate

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. – Proverbs 1:7

As I gamble for my living wages, I have often been asked how I reconcile my profession with my Christian faith. I want to write this out so all know where I am coming from on the subject. I’m not going to debate if playing online poker is sinful. To some folks it will be and to others it won’t be. Honestly, many of the Christians who will talk about what is and isn’t sinful forget that everything we do is sinful. We do not live a split second without “living in sin.” › Continue reading

Tags: discipline, General, God, hold 'em, is gambling a sin, no limit, Poker