Q: Why do we bet in poker?
A: We bet to build a pot, buy a pot, or to get information.

How do we bet:
Bet two thirds the pot.
Bet half the pot.
Bet the pot.
Over bet the pot.
Under bet the pot.
Minimum bet.
All In bet.

Those are a few examples of common ways to bet.

How do we interpret bets?
A solid steady player has consistently bet two thirds pot on the flop, then seemingly out of the blue he comes in for a minimum bet. How do we interpret his bet? Weakness? Strength?
A loose aggressive player calls out of the blinds and then leads out. Weakness? Strength?

There are no right or wrong answers here. Bets are player dependent. I’ve called a guy 100bb deep when he shoved all in on the flop after flopping the nut flush. Was his play brilliance or lunacy?

The purpose of this article is not hand reading. The purpose of this article is to make you think about bet sizing and why you size the way you do.
If you think your opponent might actually be capable of drawing conclusions about your bet sizing, then you want to try and make sure he reads the signals you are sending (but not seeing through them.)

One way to lock into the efficacy of different plays is to actually try them. Before you make a bet think about why you are betting that size and why. Think about the ways your opponents might react if you cut your bet in half or if you doubled it. Will they see weakness? Strength? What might seem like an obvious move to one player might look like second level play to another.

So mix it up, get into your opponents heads, and have fun.

GG GL

Full Tilt Poker Game #13026962254: $8 + $0.80 Tournament (96683914), Table 14 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold’em - 16:46:51 ET - 2009/06/25
Seat 2: asico (7,195)
Seat 3: thaifyta2gzz (3,505)
Seat 4: 6-4 NO GOOOOOD (1,360)
Seat 5: jalaman (770)
Seat 6: Monti060685 (8,367)
Seat 7: hokumfool (2,095)
Seat 9: daddyo47 (7,205)
6-4 NO GOOOOOD posts the small blind of 50
jalaman posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Qh Qd]
Monti060685 folds
masterscruffy sits down
masterscruffy has been disconnected
masterscruffy adds 2,125
skoby78 sits down
skoby78 adds 7,883
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
masterscruffy has reconnected
hokumfool raises to 300
daddyo47 folds
asico calls 300
thaifyta2gzz has 15 seconds left to act
thaifyta2gzz folds
6-4 NO GOOOOOD folds
jalaman folds

——- I make a standard raise with my QQ———

*** FLOP *** [Td 5s 7h]
hokumfool bets 100

——–I min donk bet , what doe smy opponent think? —————

asico raises to 6,895, and is all in
hokumfool calls 1,695, and is all in
asico shows [6h 6s]
hokumfool shows [Qh Qd]
*** TURN *** [Td 5s 7h] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [Td 5s 7h 9d] [7c]
asico shows two pair, Sevens and Sixes
hokumfool shows two pair, Queens and Sevens
hokumfool wins the pot (4,340) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
 Easy game

Poker is a game of incomplete information. As a player you want to gather as much information as possible to help define were you stand in a hand. As a player you also want to send as much information as possible so your opponents think they know where they stand in a hand. To send information you have to know that the villain is capable of reading and interpreting information.

As players become more advanced in their reading and interpreting skills they begin to communicate in deeper levels of thought processes. The overwhelming majority of players in the micro levels are thinking at a base level, if they are thinking at all. One of the things I have noticed as I have moved up to the low levels is that I have gotten trapped a few times, wow, there are players that are actually thinking. Of course thinking players actually allow me to bluff more, so at the low levels I run into a higher percentage of players that can hand read and therefore can fold to a bluff.

Here is a hand where I am against a competent villain, his stats were TAGish for the sample size and I had not seen him get out of line.

Full Tilt Poker Game #12791640618: $21,000 KO Guarantee (95008692), Table 127 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold’em - 15:22:16 ET - 2009/06/13
Seat 1: diera (4,370)
Seat 2: hokumfool (3,383)
Seat 3: Norm682 (1,672)
Seat 4: garamond10pt (2,355)
Seat 5: DirkBravo (3,790)
Seat 6: TKROCKET (2,615)
Seat 7: du_duaraujo (3,455)
Seat 8: alexisonilt (5,930)
Seat 9: zulek (3,515)
DirkBravo posts the small blind of 20
TKROCKET posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Kd Ks]
du_duaraujo folds
alexisonilt has 15 seconds left to act
alexisonilt folds
zulek folds
diera calls 40
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
hokumfool raises to 180
Norm682 folds
garamond10pt folds
DirkBravo folds
TKROCKET folds
diera calls 140

He limped in, there was 100 in the pot and I raise it to 180 with position. I put him on a pocket pair, obviously.

*** FLOP *** [8c Th 2h]
diera checks
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
hokumfool bets 275
diera calls 275

The pot size was 420 so I make a standard C-bet of two thirds the pot. As a thinking player I can expect him to call this most of the time. He probably has AK,AQ as a huge percentage of my range. Something I notice a lot is guys with an overpair to the board JJ-QQ will frequently bet pot here. So I like my bet size which screams AK, AQ.

*** TURN *** [8c Th 2h] [Ts]
diera checks
hokumfool bets 300
diera calls 300

This is where I get tricky. The pot size is 970 and I bet 300. I make it really hard for him to get away from the hand here. Even if he is capable of seeing this as a pure value bet, he is getting great odds to call.

*** RIVER *** [8c Th 2h Ts] [9s]
diera checks
hokumfool bets 888
diera calls 888

My read on him still stands as a pocket pair. Yes, perhaps he limped a suit-connector but most players open raise the connectors preflop. I also think if he was anywhere near the board with a connector, 76 or JQ, I think there is a great chance he would have check raised me on the flop. So I have him firmly on a pocket pair and I bet just over half the pot and I get paid.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
hokumfool shows [Kd Ks] two pair, Kings and Tens
diera mucks
hokumfool wins the pot (3,346) with two pair, Kings and Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,346 | Rake 0
Board: [8c Th 2h Ts 9s]
Seat 1: diera mucked [4d 4s] - two pair, Tens and Fours

I could have played this hand faster but I think he would have folded. I think the key to getting some chips out of this guy was the small turn bet. A good hand reader might have known he was on a ride to value town but probably would have called with the great odds he was getting. This is an example of getting some value out of a hand that typically folds out on the turn versus a standard turn continuation bet.
Of course he might have called me down the whole way with standard bets and I could have lost some value here but I obviously do not think that is the case. The floor is open for discussion.

GG GL

http://realpokertraining.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=5447#5447

Poker beats, what’s a player to do? You get it in as a huge favorite and boom!, you’re busted. How you handle your bad beats is a huge part of your overall poker game. If you go on life/poker tilt because of an unlucky turn of the cards, you are going to spew in every aspect of you life/poker game. So why am I rambling on about handling the suck-outs? It’s all a prelude, a set up, an introduction for a couple of my bad beat stories.

Beat #1
3 handed, 1st pays $11,193, 2nd pays $7223, 3rd pays $5,349.
KK is a 82% to 18% favorite

Full Tilt Poker Game #12206156211: MiniFTOPS Event #16 (84243348), Table 212 - 80K/160K - Pot Limit Hold’em - 22:37:42 ET - 2009/05/13
Seat 3: OH for SURE (1,133,580)
Seat 6: GoldRivr (10,465,596)
Seat 9: hokumfool (2,185,824)
GoldRivr posts the small blind of 80,000
hokumfool posts the big blind of 160,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Ks Kc]
OH for SURE folds
hokumfool raises to 1,440,000
GoldRivr raises to 4,320,000
hokumfool calls 745,824, and is all in
GoldRivr shows [Qs Qd]
hokumfool shows [Ks Kc]
Uncalled bet of 2,134,176 returned to GoldRivr
*** FLOP *** [Ts Qh Td]
*** TURN *** [Ts Qh Td] [Ad]
*** RIVER *** [Ts Qh Td Ad] [6d]
GoldRivr shows a full house, Queens full of Tens
hokumfool shows two pair, Kings and Tens
GoldRivr wins the pot (4,371,648) with a full house, Queens full of Tens
GoldRivr: im sorry

Beat #2
In this hand I am a 91% to 9% favorite. Everyone was fairly short stacked with M’s of around 5 except for the chip leader whose M was closer to 20. The payout for 5th place was $1183. The payout for 1st place was $4247.

Full Tilt Poker Game #12741865532: MSOP Event #22 Overflow (93981311), Table 47 - 20000/40000 Ante 5000 - No Limit Hold’em - 22:15:17 ET - 2009/06/10
Seat 1: zdarko54 (580,973)
Seat 3: hokumfool (409,570)
Seat 5: mlowery (407,466)
Seat 6: MOD36 (579,698)
Seat 7: amarillion (1,883,293)
zdarko54 antes 5,000
hokumfool antes 5,000
mlowery antes 5,000
MOD36 antes 5,000
amarillion antes 5,000
mlowery posts the small blind of 20,000
MOD36 posts the big blind of 40,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Kc Kd]
amarillion raises to 82,999
zdarko54 folds
hokumfool raises to 404,570, and is all in
mlowery folds
MOD36 folds
amarillion calls 321,571
hokumfool shows [Kc Kd]
amarillion shows [Kh Qs]
*** FLOP *** [As Jc Td]
*** TURN *** [As Jc Td] [3d]
*** RIVER *** [As Jc Td 3d] [3h]
hokumfool shows two pair, Kings and Threes
amarillion shows a straight, Ace high
amarillion wins the pot (894,140) with a straight, Ace high
hokumfool throws up

All I have to say is yes these beats cost me thousands of dollars but I am so glad they didn’t happen an hour earlier. I am so glad they happened deep at the final table and not in the first twenty minutes of the tournament. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

GG GL

“Limp, check, flop, check, bet,fold” welcome to the micro/low limits of online poker. I have seen this scene play out ad nauseam amongst the weaker players online. Common remedies for limpers on your big blind include:

1. Raising preflop with any two - chase those limpers out before the flop hits and if they stick around, lead out any flop. I have a limp/fold statistic for my HUD, because it is a great stat to know.
2. Check raise any flop - keep the buggers honest. A strange phenomena of the micro limits is many players can not fold to a check raise, but they will lay down to a turn lead out after a check raise (a little something something to keep in mind.)
3. Lead out any flop - push those monkeys off your pot.
4. Fold - This is the most commonly used play against a limper who raises the flop (very effective.)
5. Float the flop - Call the flop with any two and see how the player reacts on the turn. See example below.

Always keep in mind that there are players in these levels that will not fold Jack high so beware the calling station when bluffing with air. Personally, I like to have some outs or at least an Ace for some kind of showdown value when bluffing.

The play in the example below is a basic poker move, a float with an Ace high. I could check the river but I think a bet folds out smaller pocket pairs enough to be profitable. Obviously most of you have this move in your repertoire, and for those of you who don’t, add it today.

GG GL
Example -

PokerStars Game #28913542941: Tournament #168050134, $3.00+$0.30 Hold’em No Limit - Level X (100/200) - 2009/06/02 15:59:34 ET
Table ‘168050134 535′ 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: charterbus (8095 in chips)
Seat 2: MAKKZ (23910 in chips)
Seat 3: hokumfool (9673 in chips)
Seat 4: PokerPete04 (11235 in chips)
Seat 5: veippa (25169 in chips)
Seat 6: THEKIDS2007 (9110 in chips)
Seat 7: Aces_jjAcKs (8720 in chips)
Seat 8: Albert47 (4175 in chips)
Seat 9: El_PoRTu_KK (8400 in chips)
charterbus: posts the ante 25
MAKKZ: posts the ante 25
hokumfool: posts the ante 25
PokerPete04: posts the ante 25
veippa: posts the ante 25
THEKIDS2007: posts the ante 25
Aces_jjAcKs: posts the ante 25
Albert47: posts the ante 25
El_PoRTu_KK: posts the ante 25
MAKKZ: posts small blind 100
hokumfool: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [7c Ac]
PokerPete04: folds
veippa: folds
THEKIDS2007: calls 200
Aces_jjAcKs: folds
Albert47: folds
El_PoRTu_KK: folds
charterbus: folds
MAKKZ: folds
hokumfool: checks
*** FLOP *** [8h 3s 9c]
hokumfool: checks
THEKIDS2007: bets 550
hokumfool: calls 550
*** TURN *** [8h 3s 9c] [Ts]
hokumfool: checks
THEKIDS2007: checks
*** RIVER *** [8h 3s 9c Ts] [9s]
hokumfool: bets 1200
THEKIDS2007: folds
Uncalled bet (1200) returned to hokumfool
hokumfool collected 1825 from pot
hokumfool: doesn’t show hand

Abusing the bubble is a great way to chip up for the long haul to the final table. Pay special attention to your table as the bubble draws near.
If the table seems to be playing tight, get active.
If there are certain players playing tight, attack their blinds.
If you notice a player using his timebank, he is only going to be playing his top 3-5%, raisy-daisy.
If a big stack is obviously abusing the bubble and you have some fold equity, three bet that monkey (with position.)
Obviously stay away from tight players who call or four bet you.
Stay away from the big stacks with whom you have no fold equity.

Here is an example of me gambling it up 5 players from the bubble:

Full Tilt Poker Game #12240231088: $10 + $1 Tournament (91334346), Table 7 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Omaha H/L - 19:19:24 ET - 2009/05/15
Seat 1: COMEBACKID1 (17,314)
Seat 2: iwntmymummy (31,137)
Seat 4: fleegreen (12,787)
Seat 5: BobbyRutts (43,127)
Seat 7: eric_the_actor1 (22,296)
Seat 8: hokumfool (17,320)
Seat 9: NativeAK (30,959)
COMEBACKID1 antes 75
iwntmymummy antes 75
fleegreen antes 75
BobbyRutts antes 75
eric_the_actor1 antes 75
hokumfool antes 75
NativeAK antes 75
BobbyRutts posts the small blind of 300
eric_the_actor1 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Ad 6h 4d 2d]
hokumfool raises to 2,625
NativeAK folds
COMEBACKID1 calls 2,625
iwntmymummy folds
fleegreen folds
BobbyRutts folds
eric_the_actor1 folds
*** FLOP *** [5c Tc Th]
hokumfool bets 5,000
COMEBACKID1 has 15 seconds left to act
COMEBACKID1 folds
Uncalled bet of 5,000 returned to hokumfool
hokumfool mucks
hokumfool wins the pot (6,675)

The table was playing really tight, I had a better than average hand, so I popped it up and took it down with a strong continuation bet.
I would have still cashed no problem if he had raised me, and if he just called, I was done with the hand.
It was a really great flop for me. Only a few specific hands could make a call or raise, especially considering our stack sizes.

There is nothing particularly note worthy about this hand. It is a standard play. A standard play all of you should be making.

GG GL

The power of the raise can not be denied. A raise will turn your opponents imagination on, like opening the refrigerator will turn on a light (well maybe not quite as consistent but you get my point.)
A raise will give you momentum in the hand. A raise will give you the initiative.

Initiative :
1.The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.
2.A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem.

You are on the button with 57s. You have 15,000 chips and the blinds are 200/400 with an ante of 50. There is a one limper from cutoff+2 who has a stack of 13,500.
You could easily fold here and wait for a better spot but you could use your position and take the initiative and raise the pot. There is 1450 chips in the pot, so I like to raise somewhere around 1400-1600. Let us say that you raise it to 1600.
The blinds fold and it is back on the the limper. He is getting great odds to call and he should call, but very often a limper will fold her and you will take down the pot.
Let us say he calls. There is 4250 in the pot and the flop is AQ6 rainbow.

The most likely scenario is he checks, you bet, he folds. This is your bread and butter play. I use it in cash games all the time and in MTT’s after the antes kick in. Your opponent will most likely have no problem laying down a Q or a pocket pair, and you pick up a nice pot with 7 high.
But if you had limped, it might be a hard sell to get him to lay down a QJ or a pair of 8’s.

No move is 100% but like all good moves it will be highly profitable in the long run. So raise!!!

GG GL

Inducing bets from your opponents can be a profitable skill to have but it can lead to trouble. In my last article I discussed different ways to get the villain to put money in the pot. A couple of days after writing that article I had a curious hand come up. Here is how it played out:

Full Tilt Poker Game #12071070984: MiniFTOPS Event #1 (84239296), Table 2499 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold’em - 21:34:35 ET - 2009/05/06
Seat 1: DDubya97 (5,835)
Seat 2: hokumfool (4,440)
Seat 3: Batman Wins (4,555)
Seat 4: UnFckinReal (5,630)
Seat 5: Sir MafioSo94 (3,455)
Seat 6: scags23 (6,085)
Sir MafioSo94 posts the small blind of 20
scags23 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [Qs Ac]
DDubya97 folds
hokumfool raises to 120
Batman Wins calls 120
UnFckinReal folds
Sir MafioSo94 folds
scags23 folds

—–Notice how deep we are. I make a standard raise. I feel his range here can be very wide – AA, any two broadway cards, any suited connectors, any pocket pair. I feel like he would 3-Bet KK, QQ, JJ and perhaps AA or AK. I have no reads on him.

*** FLOP *** [4h Qc 9d]
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
hokumfool bets 225
Batman Wins has 15 seconds left to act
Batman Wins calls 225

—–I make a a standard continuation bet and he calls. The range I put him on preflop holds, I can see a player not wanting to run me out of the pot with overs or a set. I can also see him floating with any suited connector, pocket pair, or even KQ-10 type hands.

*** TURN *** [4h Qc 9d] [7d]
hokumfool checks
Batman Wins has 15 seconds left to act
Batman Wins bets 320
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
hokumfool calls 320

—–I check the turn because he has position and I don’t want him to fold to my turn continuation bet. He bets around half the pot. I consider a raise here, but I think the only hands that would call me are hands that have me beat or perhaps KQ. I think it is too likely he will fold, so I just call the raise to try and get more value on the river.

*** RIVER *** [4h Qc 9d 7d] [Kh]
hokumfool checks
Batman Wins bets 3,890, and is all in
hokumfool has 15 seconds left to act
hokumfool folds
Uncalled bet of 3,890 returned to Batman Wins
Batman Wins mucks
Batman Wins wins the pot (1,390)

—– The river was an ugly card but I was not that concerned. I did check for pot control and because the king did hit a large part of his range. I was perfectly willing to call a pot sized bet but he shoves. The shove actually made me think he had missed everything and I was very tempted to call. I felt my implied skill odds of recouping my loss in this hand was actually greater than the chance that he had air so I made the fold.

If I would have continued betting on the turn I would have had a tighter grasp of his range, but I was gambling to get more value. I use this move many times a day and it is very effective, but sometimes an attempt to reap value does nothing but induce trouble.

GG GL

A powerful move in your poker arsonal should be inducing bluffs. An aggressive villian can easily stack off if you are showing weakness but you could lose value if your oppenent does not bite, and you can lose money if you give them a free or cheap card while they are on the draw. Use this move thoughtfully.
Typical spots and way to induce are:

Cbet the flop then check the turn. I get a truck load of action this way and it protects your missed AK type hands.

Underbet. Say the pot is $210 on the flop and you bet $75, this will frequently induce just the action you desire.

Overbet. Frequently, an oppenent will see this as weakness but of course you might just push your oppentent out of the hand.

Just checking the flop will frequently have aggesive oppents building the pot for you where many times they would be folding.

A minimum raise from late position will often induce.

Just calling raises versus an aggressive villian. Use a timing tell to feign weakness for optimal results. In the example below I took just an extra second or two before calling.

GG GL

PokerStars Game #27860270505: Tournament #160529379, $8.00+$0.80 Hold’em No Limit - Level XI (125/250) - 2009/05/05 17:52:31 ET
Table ‘160529379 147′ 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Trap_Door04 (14480 in chips)
Seat 2: hokumfool (11775 in chips)
Seat 3: superjokke (4920 in chips)
Seat 4: jackthuca (9890 in chips)
Seat 5: Goggen_S (3732 in chips)
Seat 6: Zeifod (19430 in chips)
Seat 7: bullets911 (19502 in chips)
Seat 8: JackTheRipa (17962 in chips)
Seat 9: funtas1 (7974 in chips)
Trap_Door04: posts the ante 30
hokumfool: posts the ante 30
superjokke: posts the ante 30
jackthuca: posts the ante 30
Goggen_S: posts the ante 30
Zeifod: posts the ante 30
bullets911: posts the ante 30
JackTheRipa: posts the ante 30
funtas1: posts the ante 30
bullets911: posts small blind 125
JackTheRipa: posts big blind 250
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hokumfool [As Ad]
funtas1: folds
Trap_Door04: calls 250
hokumfool: raises 500 to 750
superjokke: folds
jackthuca: folds
Goggen_S: folds
Zeifod: folds
bullets911: folds
JackTheRipa: folds
Trap_Door04: calls 500
*** FLOP *** [6d Ah 4c]
Trap_Door04: bets 1000
hokumfool: calls 1000
*** TURN *** [6d Ah 4c] [Js]
Trap_Door04: bets 1000
hokumfool: calls 1000
*** RIVER *** [6d Ah 4c Js] [8d]
Trap_Door04: bets 11700 and is all-in
hokumfool: calls 8995 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2705) returned to Trap_Door04
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Trap_Door04: shows [Qh Kc] (high card Ace)
hokumfool: shows [As Ad] (three of a kind, Aces)
hokumfool collected 24135 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 24135 | Rake 0
Board [6d Ah 4c Js 8d]
Seat 1: Trap_Door04 showed [Qh Kc] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 2: hokumfool showed [As Ad] and won (24135) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 3: superjokke folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 4: jackthuca folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 5: Goggen_S folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: Zeifod (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 7: bullets911 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: JackTheRipa (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: funtas1 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)

tough game…

How has the inflationary spiral affected the WSOP? The first WSOP was in 1970, the first that featured the $5000 no limit hold’em main event was in 1971, and the first that featured the $10,000 no limit hold’em main event was in 1973. The entry fee doubled after two years, but has remained static ever since. However, the economy has changed a great deal over the last 40 years.

The Price of a Cadillac

In its initial conception, the entry fee for the main event was worth about the price of a new Cadillac (Cadillacs actually ran from about $3000-$5000 in 1971 depending on the model), and in fact, Doyle Brunson coined the phrase “the Cadillac of poker games,” to refer to no limit Texas hold’em. Today’s Cadillacs can go for as much as $100,000, but the price of the World Series of Poker main event remains the same.

The Effect of the Inflationary Spiral on the WSOP

While the large majority of people still cannot afford to plunk down $10,000 on a poker tournament, the number who could do it back then was no more than a handful. The first few WSOP main events had less than 20 players. Today, there are thousands. The creation of satellite tournaments and particularly online satellites, has been a great contributing factor as well, but the fact remains that $10,000 isn’t what it used to be. Nowadays a vast majority of Americans can afford to enter super-satellites or at least any cheap sub-satellite via us poker rooms such as PokerStars or Full Tilt.

Response to the Effect of the Inflationary Spiral on the WSOP

The $10,000 event is not likely to be changed anytime soon. Tournament organizers feel that the 10K is an immutable part of the tradition of the WSOP and they like the fact that more people are able to participate. Furthermore, with the current recession counteracting some of the effects of the inflationary spiral, $10,000 has gained in value a little bit in recent years. However, the WSOP has responded by adding more $10,000 events, and adding events that have a greater than $10,000 buy in, most notably the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E event but also in 2009 a special $40,000 no limit hold’em event in honor of the WSOP’s 40th anniversary.

In my last article, Comfort Zone, I discussed why you should deconstruct your poker game into its essential elements. In this article I will go over some exercises that will help.

Do you use your position?
Are you aware of position?
Exercise – Play blind. Sit in the far left seat and drag your table to the the left until you can not see your cards. This will teach you how to play position and situation. Whether it is the OOP stop-n-go move, the squeeze play, the three betting a late position raiser, attacking limpers, or just continuation betting, this exercise will help you learn the fundamentals of position and it’s power.

Are you comfortable heads up?
Exercise – play heads up.

How is your post flop play?
How “on” are your reads?
Do you bet the river for value?
Do you have the odds to make that call?
Exercise - Play short handed cash games. Make sure you get plenty of Limit Holdem in the mix, not just No Limit. Make sure you think about position.

Are you confident in your bet sizing?
When you reach the final table do you feel like the tournament is yours or are you hoping to get lucky?
Exercises – Sit and Goes, Sit and Goes, Sit and Goes. They will teach you final table play and they will teach you bet sizing.

How “on” are your reads?
Are you aware of your opponents playing styles?
Do you know he is going to check raise you before you raise?
Exercise – Pay attention.
Three hands ago your opponent checked super fast when he was first to act, did he three bet when he was raised or did he fold? That is a tell you want to know. Does he snap call a flop raise and fold to a turn raise or does he stay with the hand.
Watch for out of the ordinary timing and use that extra information.
Does your opponent limp fold to a raise?
Does your opponent fold to three bets? Check raises? Ect….

Here are a few random exercises I really like:
Play a whole day just calling, no raising.
Play a whole day just raising, it’s either raise or fold.
Play a whole day super tight: AQ+ JJ+ to open and AK,QQ,KK,AA to call/raise.
Play a whole day super laggy: 3bet any pocket pair, suited connector, connector, suited, ect.
Go nuts and have fun.

When doing poker exercises I recommend playing at a level where you can afford to lose, but remember, you don’t have to lose. Play smart, play aware and learn. These drills will make you a better player.

GG GL

In my last few articles I have talked about putting your opponent(s) on hand ranges and hand reading. In my last video I talked about what to do with that information. Now I thought I would talk about how to use this information and how to get comfortable with your new skill sets.

“Practice” is the punch line/truism from the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall.
Billiards, golf, baseball, basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, music, painting, skateboarding, juggling, writing, cooking, sewing, or running it does not matter what you want to do, if you want to get better at it you have to practice. Poker is no different.

You could just pick up your guitar and play along with your favorite song day after day and you will eventually pick out the different parts. Perhaps, in time, if it is not to technically challenging you might be able to play the song. But what if you actually broke the song down, deconstructed it and learned it inside out. If you studied the techniques used for the fills or the solos so you could pull them off flawlessly, effortlessly.
If you are a baseball player, what if you worked on your bunting skills so often that when the time comes for you to lay down a suicide squeeze and the pitcher throws a 97mph pitch at your ear you are able to drop the bunt, effortlessly, thanks to all the time you put in practicing. You are not going to be able to drop that bunt a 95% of the time if you are just passively playing baseball everyday.

So what is my point?
I am talking about actively finding areas where you can improve your game and working on those areas.
Do you use your position?
Are you aware of position?
Are you comfortable heads-up?
How is your post flop play?
Are you confident in your bet sizing?
When you reach the final table, do you feel like the tournament is yours or are you hoping to get lucky?
How “on” are your reads?
Are you aware of your opponents playing styles?
Do you know he is going to check raise you before you raise?
Do you bet the river for value?
Do you have the odds to make that call?

There are ways to deconstruct your poker game and focus on your weaknesses. Just playing poker is great and you will improve but it is a passive way to learn. Actually getting down and dirty and micromanaging your games strengths and weaknesses will turn you into a beast. Tuff plays will become second nature and you will find your sweet spot, your comfort zone.

GG GL

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I’ve been with RPT a long time now. When I started here, Todd was the only one making NLHE vids, Ryan barely played any holdem at all and was only making draw vids, and nobody was writing any articles. Now we still have Todd making NLHE vids, but Ryan has made the TV table of a major WPT event, we have vids in all the major types of poker from such diverse guests as BodogAri and LilHoldem, there are vids and articles from David Williams, and there are so many articles here that we could start our own library.

Over the years I have also written for other websites and print magazines, but my favorite place to contribute has always been right here at RPT. Ryan and the staff here have always been honest and fair, the other instructors are insightful and responsive, and the members full of curiosity and eager to participate in thoughtful discussions.

So, why then is this going to be my final article here?

For starters I am getting more and more old and tired with each passing year. There was a time when I was making three vids and writing ten articles every month and all this work has taken its toll on me. I’m not sure I even have anything fresh and relevant to say anymore.

Also there is the fact that, after thirty years of playing, at least for a while, poker is not that big a part of my life anymore. I am writing for a few scholastic publications now and I like having the focus on other areas of my life. I am also more than a few chapters into writing a novel and I’d really love to be able to finish it before my brain turns to mush. I have given up teaching poker completely as well so I am down to just a few games a week.

For a while I worried about those members who only play low limit games. Most of the instructors here at RPT are players with a capital P and play some of the biggest games in the world. But the recent addition of Hokumfool now has that area covered. He has been doing a great job making vids and now writing about that end of the game, and our members are in good hands.

And it’s not as if I am dying or anything. It’s not even as if I am giving up the game forever. I like to think of this more as an extended version of me going on a break from the game. Should my priorities change in the future, and RPT still be interested, there is always the possibility that you will hear from me again.

But for now, I would like to say a warm farewell to everyone here at RPT. I wish everyone here all the happiness and success you all deserve. This place is the best. I’d like to leave you all with something to think about, a short piece that I wrote many years ago:

George Colon was a proud and spiritual man. Even though losing his job had cost him his home and his family, he still struggled to get by each day with quiet dignity. Sometimes that struggle led him to search through a dumpster as he was doing now.

The cold and wet Seattle morning air tore right through the worn out old coat he had gotten from the Goodwill. His hands felt like two icicles as he rummaged through the dirty garbage in search of anything useful. He cut his finger on some broken glass and instinctively grabbed some rough fabric nearby to use as a makeshift bandage. As he pulled the cloth up out of the bin his mouth fell open in surprise. In his hands he was holding a heavy winter coat in fairly decent condition.

He quickly wrapped the coat around his shivering frame. “Thank you God,” he said softly. “Now I will be warm outside.”

As he turned around to get the feel of his new coat he noticed an old homeless lady he had seen before standing in the next dumpster. She was wrapped in rags against the cold and had no coat on at all.

George sighed and took off his new coat and put his old one back on. He got out of his dumpster, walked over to the woman and gave her the new coat. She smiled a toothless grin and thanked him as he walked off.

As he walked, George said softly, “Thank you God, now I will be warm inside.”

For those of you who are not already putting your opponents on hand ranges, wtf? Welcome to the world. The first thing you do when a player puts money into a pot is put him on a hand range. The under the gun limper, what could he have? Yes he could be limping AA being tricky, he could have A2s, Jqs, or K9o. Who is this player? What do you know about him? Have you ever seen him limp fold? Have you ever seen him limp then re-raise a raiser? How about the guy on the button who raises ever unopened hand? What does his range consist of? As a poker player, you want to gather as much information as possible

Put a player on a hand range every time they put money in the pot. If he is a chronic late position raiser who could literally be raising any 2 cards. Define his range as such, and act accordingly. What do you do to a guy that has a range of any two? I re raise him every time. It does not matter what my cards are if I put a player on any two. What about a tight passive player who only continues with a made hand post flop. Call with any two and try and take it from him post. If the passive player comes out barreling it is easy enough to fold, if he is checking, it doesn’t matter what your cards are, raisy-daisy.

Narrow your reads on later streets and act accordingly. Don’t bet if you are positive the guy has air with position on you. Let him bluff. Bet if you think they have a draw, bet big. If you have no idea, get one. Raising helps narrow a range. Does he three bet, just call or fold. I bet he doesn’t fold if he has a set, but does he just call or does he re raise. Things to think about are board texture. If it is a rainbow flop and you lead into a player and they just call. They could have a monster and are not afraid of the board. If the board has two of any one suit, players tend to play their monsters faster. Use this information. Think.

In the micro limits, I will c-bet and then check the turn out of position. I am no longer shocked by the number of players that shove any two after I check. I sometimes wonder why I ever bet, but I know why I bet. Because there are different types of players. Some see a c-bet as weak, some as the nuts. If you see a guy folding to every c-bet, raise and c-bet every time, obviously, but when he finally calls, proceed with caution. If a player floats every flop raise, check your made hand, and watch him make his move. Know your enemy.

Are you beginning to see the value of putting a player on a hand range? The more defined a players range is the more chips you can take from the player or conversely, the more chip you will not just hand over to an obvious monster. I am obviously just scratching the surface here and will discuss narrowing ranges in future articles and videos.

GG GL

Know your enemy:

1. Know his hand range:
   You should put your opponent on a hand range every hand and adjust this range as you gather information.
2. Know his showdown range:
   Some players will check down or use pot control and keep things small with top pair second kicker, some go crazy with second pair, some shut down on coordinated boards, ect…
3. Know his shove range (blind vs stack size is a huge factor here):
   Do they like to gamble?
   Do they isolate small stacks with suited connectors?
   At what point do they get it in with any pair?
   At what point do they get it in with AQ,AJ, A10?
   What do they show down versus 3-bets?
   What do they show down versus 4-bets?

Take notes on these attributes and frequency they occur:

1. Does he limp/fold to a raise?
2. Does he limp/call and fold to C-bet?
3. Does he float the flop and fold to turn bet?
4. Does he check raise?
5. Does he fold to a check raise?
6. Does he fold to a 3-bet?
7. Does he fold to a 4-bet?
8. Does he donk bet/fold to a raise? On flop? On tun?
9. Does he shut down on the turn?
10. Is he a calling station?
11. Does he lead out or check with the nuts?
12. Does he seem to vary his play?
13. Does he seem aware of players table images?

Taking notes and paying attention will help you define your opponent, his style and his hand ranges. I will talk about how to use your reads in follow up articles. And as always in my articles I am speaking from my knowledge base at the micro buy-in levels. This is ABC, 123 level one stuff.

GG GL

ps- I am just scratching the surface of note taking and reads. Post your favorite notes/reads on players and I can add them to the list. Things like - “he likes to represent the Ace” or “will fold whenever an Ace is on the board”, ect…

So you put hundred bucks on a poker site and you want to build a bank roll. There are a number of roads you could take:

1. Cash Games - you’re looking at .5/.10 games with your bankroll and you should be fine. These games are very easy but easy doesn’t mean you are gonna double or triple your money every hour. Be patient and play more for stacks. Your AK is great but do you want to play for your whole stack with top pair top kicker? The old adage “big hand big pot” should be your mantra. The Limit games are super soft. Nobody folds in the Limit games so don’t get too bluff happy.

2. Sit and Go - Sng’s are a great way to build your roll and to practice for MTT’s. There are so many videos and articles out on Sng’s that I don’t need to go into it. Do a little studying and you’re off to the races. Start low and move up. You can play the dollar tables until you are comfortable and have won 20 or 30 bucks and that will give you some dough to move up to the five dollar level. There are also multi-table SNG’s these get to be more like tournaments but the same basic rules apply. You will want to study up on the concept of “M” (M= your stack / blinds plus antes). Patience should be your mantra in SNG’s.

3. Multi Table Tournaments - the fastest and/or the slowest way to build your bankroll. For 50cents you can play for a couple of hours and make a $1 profit or perhaps you get crazy lucky and take down the tournament and you win $250. It is hard for a player of any level to beat a tournament with 2500 players in it. You have to get lucky and by lucky I mean you have to hope you don’t get sucked out on too often. The great thing about micro limit tournaments is all the dead money out there. More than half the field will be gone in the first hour of a standard tournament often almost two thirds will be gone. So be cool, play your big hands fast and reap the benefits. I will look up my opponents stats for quick reads when necessary, you will find some players have ITM (in the money) less than 10% and some more than 20%. This is great info to have, use it wisely. Straight forward TAG is the way to own these games. That doesn’t mean you don’t bluff or play tricky, you still have a full arsenal of moves, just pick your moments wisely. Like SNG’s, patience should be your mantra.

4. Games besides hold’em - There are many games out there to play and if you thought there was dead money in the hold’em tournaments play any other game and wow, so many of the players are dead in the water. Learn the game and the hand ranges. If you are new to the game play it extra tight until you learn the moves and where you are at in the hand. Some games have AA is a great hand and in others if that is all you have you are probably gonna lose.

5. Create exercises to improve your game. Play heads up, play single table sng’s, play TAG, play LAG, play passive, play maniacal. Try it all, work all your muscles, experiment.

Use standard bankroll guidlines, get used to the suckouts, and have fun. Use the micro limits to study and learn the game and make a few bucks.

GG GL

It was a gray dismal November day. The chill in the wind was nothing compared to the chill I received at the prospect of having to, once again, drain my poker roll for beans, bread, beer and bills. I left a paltry $40 on PokerStars. There was no coincidence in choosing that number, I had turned $40 into over $8k earlier in the year. Could lightning strike twice?

I was going over my options: $1.10 SNGs, $3 and under MTTs, and/or .5/.10 cash. I can play TAG in those arenas and normally not go broke. Then I received the fateful call, it was my buddy Zac with info on a hyper-aggressive short handed .10/.25 live lag game. When I told him of my financial woes he staked me for the evening, $40. At the end of the night I had over $340, $150ish for me with a juicy cheeseburger on Zac.

I returned home buzzing from excitement and such and I remembered a poker staking site I had signed up for earlier in the year. I found the info, did some light reading up on the rules, applied for a stake, and almost instantly (boom!!!) manna from heaven had been transfered to my account to play a tournament. Nikbritain, that cheeky bastard, shipped me $3.30 (I think he just had a big score and was probably drunk.) The tournament did not go so great, I got in in AQ vs. KQ preflop in level IV and of course lost to a flopped straight. I was a nervous wreck, I had just lost $3.30 of someone else’s money. Nik said “GG Sir” and I felt better and of course I owed Nikbritain cake.

The aforementioned site was www.parttimepoker.com, known to its members as PTP. Part Time Poker is a poker portal that is best known for it’s poker staking forums. The staking occurs in two different ways:
1. BAPs - Buy a Piece. A player will sell shares of his action for a MTT, multiple MTT’s, cash games, and/or SNGs.
2. Applying for a Stake - Backers will post stakes in the Make a deal Forum and horses can apply for the stakes, if qualified.

I received my first stake but I was having a hard time getting another one, so I posted a question asking how new members can get staked. The answer was unanimous, “place a couple of stakes yourself”. So I did and with-in a couple of hours I had a solid horse running a $4.40 180man and I began to get accepted for stakes. Backers do not want to throw their money away. They are looking for people who have winning stats and people they can trust. A player that backs other players shows a level of commitment.

I made enough dough on PTP to start backing my favorite player, me. My bankroll was over $250 with-in a couple weeks of my first stake, not so great but not so bad. I then received a private stake from an RPT member who saw me on PTP. I more than doubled his $250 with my Full Tilt action and I had my bankroll up over $1200 by the end of December.

Going from $40 to $1200 is no huge feat obviously but it opened my eyes to another revenue stream for poker. I still look for stakes above my average buy-in (good luck with that Hokum) and I still invest in players. One of the players I invest in is a PTP member named Shlune. Shlune is a great example of how beneficial PTP can be for a players bankroll. Here are a few examples of how this cat runs:
1. One his BAPs
2. One of his investments (how to turn $10 into $1500)
I will continue to invest in Shlune. He runs a tight ship and is a solid consistent player, exactly what I am looking for in a horse.

The major concern on the site is rolling. While it is no fun if a horse loses at the tables, it is expected. What is not expected is if a horse has a big win and the backer never hears from the horse again. Or if the horse just takes the money and vanishes. Because of this, the site has very strict guidelines and does not hesitate to ship members gear or to ban members. There is no begging and if someone is acting shady they are gone. The site tracks IP addresses and multi-accounting is not allowed. The site instills a confidence in it’s members because of it’s strict rule enforcement. Common sense is key when investing, there are plenty of established players who would love to make you and themselves some money.

From .10c to $10k, there are stakes for every buy-in on PTP. There are micro stakes for SNGs where the backer is willing to train you and there are BAPs for the WSOP. PTP regulars love the site for good reason: traffic is high, the site runs great, the site is well maintained, and the moderators take care of business professionally. I poked around on a handful of other staking sites but they all seemed to pale in comparison to PTP. I will continue my relationship with PTP and since I am heading to Europe, once again draining my bankroll, I see a BAP on the horizon.

GG GL

So, early on in your usual NLHE tournament you get red aces under the gun. You decide to play them a little tricky and flat call hoping for a raise from another player behind you. As fate would have it though, your hopes are dashed and you get five callers behind you and no raise. You take the flop seven handed and it comes up 3c5c7h. Now what?

Or maybe you have TJ suited in diamonds on the button. There is an early position raiser and two callers and you decide to call as well. The flop brings the 7d9sQs and the original raiser bets the pot and both callers call now too. Now what?

What if you limped behind four other limpers with a pocket pair of sixes in the first round of a tournament and then the big blind goes all in? Everyone else folds around to you again. You know the big blind from previous play and have some good notes on him and you think his most likely hand is AK or AQ, putting you slightly ahead of him with your pair. Now what?

If you are expecting me to go over the three examples then you must not be familiar with my work. My style has always been more big picture and anecdotal than step by step. Besides, we have a daily poker quiz here at RPT where we handle the nuts and bolts of situational examples. I am much more interested in what those three examples have in common. And in this case, the common thread is re-thinking.

I must admit that I am a proponent of big picture thinking in poker. I rarely go into a tournament without first making a game plan. I even go so far as to check for new trends in the metagame that might influence my decisions that day. But, as prepared as I like to be, I am always flexible. And I never stop thinking.

I hope that after watching some of the videos here at RPT you have started to see a pattern. The best players are never locked into one course of action. Even after getting an initial idea about what to do next, they are always thinking and re-thinking. Get into the habit of continually asking yourself questions. Is raising really the right thing to do here? Am I sure my opponent is weak? Are my aces still the best hand?

I know some guys who are able to do this kind of thinking even with a bunch of games going at the same time. Me, I am not that much of a multi-tasking genius. I sometimes find that even two or three games at once impairs my ability to ask myself the right questions and really evaluate every situation. If you find you are not able to think critically with several tables open, then drop one or two and see if it helps. But definitely find a way to keep your head in every decision.

I understand that there are many times that NLHE is not about the cards at all. But these times are not what I am talking about here. This is for the times when cards speak, when you really have a hand, and when you are likely to be up against somebody else with a hand. In some ways it is a bit easier to play the players than it is to play the cards. We get aces so infrequently that sometimes we feel that we are entitled to win with them every time. Throwing those aces into the muck after an unfavorable flop can be really hard.

Taking a moment to re-think helps to take your emotions out of the equation. It can be as simple as a deep breath and a few seconds to close your eyes. Sometimes by mentally stepping back you can divorce yourself from those aces.

And the same can sometimes be said for a big drawing hand. This is especially true if you haven’t been so lucky in the tournament. After getting pounded on hand after hand, staying calm and level headed can be almost impossible. It’s these times that a draw starts looking like the nuts. Or maybe you feel that you are due for a win. Either way, it is very important to look at the situation you are in and make the best decision you can. After all, poker may be a lot of things, but it is never played in a vacuum.

It’s been a while since I did my first videos here at RPT. At the time I was playing a lot of pot limit omaha. There weren’t a lot of big tournaments for PLO back then, but the ones they had were very profitable for several reasons. There is no doubt that things have changed quite a bit.

For starters, back in the day there were lots of new players trying out PLO games. Most of these players were converts from NLHE and more than a few of them thought the games should be played the same way. It made sense to them because both games look similar with the flop, turn, and river. Since many players had just jumped right in without any training, they just assumed that the same hyper-aggressive style that was winning them pots at NLHE would work in PLO.

Of course we all know that the fact that you start with four cards is a huge difference. When all four starters work together we PLO sophisticates understand that gives us six good starting hands. Even naked aces are an overall dog against six coordinated stating hands. So, simply by playing less hands and waiting for the times we had a four card hand, we were able to win often against the majority of players.

Nowadays there are more PLO players than ever. But, at the same time, many more of these players understand the game. The wild and unrestrained aggression of the old days has mostly been replaced by the more controlled aggression that wins games. Educated, experienced players have flocked to the game in droves and to say that it is harder to win consistently is a real understatement.

But with this newfound popularity has come new opportunity as well. Today there are more and bigger PLO tournaments than ever. Every time there’s a big online series of tournaments there are always at least a few PLO events. And the number of regular, weekly tournaments has exploded as well. Most of the bigger online poker sites have at least one weekly PLO tournament with a five figure guarantee.

Inexpensive daily tournaments have grown as well. There are lots of games daily on most sites where the newer players and the shorter bankrolls can practice their PLO craft. Many of these are rebuys, but there are lots of freezeouts as well. It has never been easier or cheaper to get some experience at PLO.

And then, once you are confident in your game, there are lots of ways to move up too. Satellites for the weekly big games are prevalent and many guarantee at least one seat. Also, the sit and go selection has blossomed. You can now play a one table PLO tournament for stakes ranging from micro to macro at most sites.

So, my take on the current state of PLO is very positive. Even though the general competition has improved, there is still a good deal of money to be made. Opportunities abound for all skill and bankroll levels. So, why not dig up some of those old PLO videos and see what all the fuss is about?

I know, I know – I wrote the section here at RPT about money management. I am supposed to be the calm, rational voice of reason, always cautioning against giving in to those urges to gamble too big. But, even I think that once in a while, it is good for your mental state to take a chance and play a big game.

Even though I stand by that statement, let me start off with a caveat. You don’t want to play a game so big that if you lose it will completely take you out of action. That is, if for example you have a $5000 bankroll and you normally play $50 tournaments, then playing a $3000 tournament or higher will make it very hard to impossible to continue playing $50 tournaments. But if you play a $1000 tournament, then your new $4000 roll will be a little light, but sufficient to stay on track. So let’s at least stay within twenty to twenty five percent of your bankroll at a maximum.

Now that we know our range, let me get back to the benefits. And let’s continue to use our example above and say we play a $1000 game with our $5000 bankroll. For starters there is the financial reward factor. Playing your regular tournaments may start to get a little routine. I know that this happens to me. Just the other day I made the final table of a small tournament. I lost a big race and ended up winning $600 and instead of being happy I was mad. This is great if it was due to my competitive nature and I was just upset that I didn’t win. But, in truth, the $600 was too small to make any kind of consolation.

Now, that same final table finish in a $1000 buy in tournament would have given me a five figure score. I’m not saying that I may not be disappointed not to win that one as well. However, going home with an extra ten or twenty thousand in my pocket goes a lot longer to making me feel better.

This also spills over into the general excitement factor. There is just something to be said for being in a game that really makes you sweat. When the entrance fee in large enough that, should you lose, it will make a difference to you in some way, then the butterflies in your stomach start to come out. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I crave that kind of excitement. And, even if I lose, I usually still walk away feeling like I enjoyed the experience and that I would do it again.

And let’s not forget the “what if?” factor. As human beings we tend to dream. We all want to be Michael Jordan, or Michael Phelps, or even Mike Matusow. But, for the majority of us, these kinds of dreams are never realized, or even attempted. The beauty of poker is that it is easier to go for your dream than it is in almost any other situation. I may not be able to play a round of golf against Tiger Woods, but I can pay my money and play a poker tournament against Doyle Brunson. And, while I may never beat Tiger no matter how much luck I have when we play, sometimes a little bit of luck is all we need to win any poker tournament.

Again, I am not suggesting that anyone gambles with money they don’t have. Consistently gambling with money you don’t have is a sure sign of addiction and should be treated by GA right away. But taking a shot once in a while with money that matters but is still inside your comfort zone is important.

So, here’s how I go about doing just that. First I carefully check out my finances and figure out just how high my limit is. Next, since I know I only get one shot, I do my homework. I look over all my tournament options and figure out the real cost of each one. A shot in the main event of the WSOP may be my dream, but I have to remember that going to Vegas for a week or two to play will cost me at least an extra thousand or two and that added money may put that dream out of reach for now. So maybe the $5000 buy in event at the Borgata where I can drive there and sleep at home in between is a better option for me. Then, once I know what game I am going to play, the final step is to prepare. I watch more videos and read more articles and practice as much as I can before the big game. Finally I eat well, sleep well, and get myself into fighting shape.

If all this sounds good to you, then I wish you the best of luck. Be careful and do it right. And, after the smoke clears and the game is over, if you find yourself out of the money, hold your head up high. Not everybody gets to take a shot at their dreams. And, who knows, maybe another year of grinding will find you back in financial shape to do it all over again next year.