27/10

i was reading a interesting article i want to share with all of you

TheWacoKidd” stunned seasoned pros when he won two preliminary events this spring at the WPT Championship at Bellagio, and then made it deep in the $25,000 championship event. A month later he won an early event at the Mirage Poker Showdown, then made the final table of WPT Mandalay Bay, finally finishing second for $459,000.

Fresh off that final, he jumped right into the World Series, but things slowed down – until the Main Event, that is. He finished a superb 88th out of 6,358 for an $82,476 payday.

In just seven months, the Internet star – who now lives in a Vegas suburb – has eight live cashes for more than $1 million! A true online junkie, when once asked what he would like to change most about the poker world, he responded: “Bring PartyPoker back!” Jared answers readers’ questions in this month’s edition of Pro’s Corner.

I am constantly getting bluffed when I play online. I am totally lost. How do I figure out when I am being bluffed?

Sick of It, Bangor, Maine

I would say that you have to learn your opponent’s betting patterns and you just have to run back through the hand and gain as much info as you can. You have to base it on how he has previously played hands. The most important thing is you have to know what the other player thinks about you. If he thinks you are going to make tight laydowns, he is more likely to bluff you, so you have to think about what your image is and go off of that. If you are perceived as a weak-tight player who people can run over, he is more likely bluffing. I would say to make sure you put all the information on the hand together, and then think about the way that guy has played previously. Figure out what that guy thinks about you and then use your instincts. You just have to practice and put it in there and then eventually you just have to be right more than you are wrong.

In no-limit, how strong a hand is top pair, top kicker. When should I be willing to go all in with it?

Pair Problem, Brookfield, Wisconsin

It all depends on the blind level in the tournament. You never want to go broke with one pair if you have more than 30 times the blind. It also depends on the preflop action and the opponent. Versus some opponents I am willing to get it in all day with that, but some people if they show resistance I know one pair is no good. It just all depends on whom you are playing against. If you have more than 30 times the blind, you should never go broke with top pair.

In a no-limit cash game, an early position player raises the blinds and a loose player reraises. I am on the button with pocket queens. What do I do?

Rock, Oklahoma City

I would say most of the time you are supposed to raise there. You are on the button, you have position, and you have the third best hand in poker. The first person’s raising range could be pretty wide and if it’s a loose player reraising him you want to take control of the pot and define your hand and use your position on the button. I would think that is almost always a reraise.

In the middle stage of a multi-table event, I have an average stack. There has been a raise and two limpers and I am in late position with A-K. What is my play?

Benny, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

It sounds like the easiest all-in in the world to me. As long as you have 20 to 30 times the blind and with a limp, a limp and a raise, that sounds like all-in all day.

How should I play pocket deuces in a sit-n-go?

Loose Moose, Biloxi, Mississippi

In the first few levels, limp in only to try to flop a set. Also, you can call a couple raises early on when its like 20-20 or 15/30 because you know a lot of the times when someone raises early in a sit-n-go they have a big hand and you have a lot of implied odds with deuces if you flop a set – you could make someone go broke with an overpair. I would say early on try to see the flop and later on when the blinds are like 50-100 and you have 1,300 chips, you should just fold it, but if you are in late position and you have a dozen big blinds or less it is an all-in hand. If you are in early position, it is a fold.

Should I play hands like A-K and A-Q the same when they are suited as when they are unsuited? I’m

Soooooted, Mesquite, Nevada

Well, suited I believe adds 2.7 percent equity to your hand, so it’s not like it’s nothing, but it is a pretty small edge. Sometimes what I try to do is pretend like suits don’t matter. Occasionally, if the pot odds aren’t there, the suiting is a little more tempting. I would say, yes that’s a pretty good rule to live by. I would play them the same whether they are suited or unsuited.

Which has tougher players, a World Poker Tour event or a World Series of Poker event?

Cereal Killer, Battle Creek, Michigan

World Poker Tour by far, not even close. The World Series of Poker attracts so many fish and so many amateurs it is unbelievable. Some of the worst players that I have ever played with were at the World Series. There were better players on $10 tournaments on PokerStars than there were at a $1,500 event at the World Series. It’s amazing how bad the players are. In the WPT, there are a lot more pros; there are not as many amateurs. The World Series is only once a year and everybody comes to it, so it’s going to attract a lot more random players, a lot more amateurs, a lot more Average Joes, 9-to-5 type players. The WPT has a lot of professionals. The Mandalay Bay that I took second in, it had about 230 people in it and about 200 of them were full-time pros. At the World Series, maybe 10 percent are full-time pros. It’s not even close; it’s not even a debatable question.

I am confused when I get to be big stack in a sit-n-go or final table. What is the best way to play a big stack?

Clueless in Sheboygan

A lot of people like to go crazy when they have a big stack, but that’s not how I do it. I would say be aggressive in late position, don’t flat-call anyone’s raises, reraise people instead of just calling people and try to hit flops. So, just raise or fold and be really active in late position. Make sure you know which hands to call off with when the short stacks go all in on you. The thing about playing a big stack is you really have to pay attention to stack sizes behind you and make sure you aren’t priced in if they go all in. You don’t want to raise up and the guy behind you moves all in and you are priced in to call. You have to pay attention to stack sizes. If the table is letting you put pressure on, keep pounding it, and if they are playing back at you, you have to slow down. Just make sure to stay active in late position and just don’t start calling raises if you have chips. Reraise or fold and constantly put pressure on the blinds.

I am a short stack and have to go all in within a few hands. What are the best hands to go all in with (assuming I’m not going to get a premium hand): ace-rag, king-rag or a hand like 9-7?

Raggedy Ace, Bell Gardens, California

This is a good question. If you have, let’s say, around seven to 12 times the blind, which I call a short stack, you are in push all-in mode. A hand like 10-9 or 9-7 suited plays much better than ace-rag or king-rag because of the ranges of hands that are calling you. Let’s say it folds around to you in position and you have 3,500 chips and the blinds are 200-400. You have about nine times the blind. I would not shove A-3, but I would shove 10-9. Most of the time if you are getting called there, you are getting called by A-J, A-Q, A-K and you are going to be dominated instead of having live cards. I would much rather shove with suited-connected middle cards than ace-rag or king-rag on a short stack.