POKER NEWS

01 April 2010

Three bet, c-bet?
Three bet, c-bet?

Dear Dr Tom,


Say I 3-bet with A-K or A-Q, get called and completely miss the flop. It’s checked to me. Should I always c-bet?


Thanks,
Phill, Waterford

25 March 2010

Sloppy game selection
Sloppy game selection

Dear Dr Tom,


I play low limit online ring games and generally just jump into any game going that befits my bankroll. Should I spend more practicing game selection and choosing an “optimum” game, and if so, what kind of thing should I be looking for?  


Thomas,
Galway

08 March 2010

Horses for courses
Horses for courses

When JJ Hazan bravely stood up in the Dragon’s Den last year to try to get funding for a series of tournaments, we saw a glimpse of a rare phenomenon: what the world outside our little niche really thinks about whether poker is a “good bet” or not.

Tricky Set
Tricky Set

I’m playing $5/$10 online cash, full-ring, with around $1,000 in front of me. I’m covered by everyone and things are pretty passive pre-flop. I’ve got ducks on the big blind. Two middle-position players limp as does the cut-off and button, and the small blind completes. I check and see rainbow 8-5-2. SB leads out the pot, I call, and the second limper raises to a total of $180. Everyone folds. Now what?


Ashley,
Berkhamsted

03 February 2010

Decisions…
Decisions…

It’s not the winning or the losing, it’s the decisions that count, says Nik Persaud

Folding Jacks
Folding Jacks

Dear Dr Tom,


I’m in a $200 online MTT, and on a fairly tight table (me included – I don’t normally play this high). Blinds are 150/300. I’m down to 7K from 10K. The player under the gun with 12K chips raises to 900 and the player two to his left calls with 15K. It’s folded to me in the cutoff and I’ve got Jacks. I just can’t work out how to play these babies.


Tim,
New Malden

Belgium Poker Championships
Belgium Poker Championships

Last year a few friends and I went over to Belgium by the Eurostar (which worked properly then) and played in the €1,500 entry Belgium Poker Championship – a fantastic 800-odd-player event with a remarkably slow structure.

Human donkey wins poker tournament
Human donkey wins poker tournament

After a final table which lasted a marathon 26 hours, the champion of the inaugural Global Poker Tour was crowned in London yesterday afternoon. Unknown player Mark Shetland from Surrey, UK survived a veritably terrifying final table which included Daniel Negreanu, Vitaly Lunkin, Dario Minieri and Jason Mercier.

25 January 2010

Balancing act
Balancing act

Dear Tom,
What does “balancing your range” mean? Is it the same as mixing up your play or is there something more complex involved?
Luke, Plymouth

06 January 2010

Licked in Latvia
Licked in Latvia

After winning a package on Betsafe Poker, I was off to Latvia for my first ever tournament in that part of the world, and I have to say the organisation of the event was superb, as was the hotel and the tournament venue, Casino Royale.