Martin Freeman Blackjack

When you start to play Texas Holdem you will undoubtedly make some mistakes as you learn how to play. One rule a lot of poker players follow is that if you can limit your mistakes you’ll walk away a winner. In some cases you might not be able to make any mistakes since you could potentially lose your entire stack, but in other cases you can make a mistake and still have money left to play with. If you end up making too many mistakes while playing Holdem then your bankroll is going to end up dropping down to zero. Below is a small list of common beginner mistakes that Texas Holdem players make.

* You play to many hands due to not setting strict starting hand guidelines. As a Holdem poker player you need to be patient and wait for the cards to come to you. On some occasions you’ll be able to win pots by bluffing and stealing them, but for the most part you’re going to need a few hands to walk away a winner. If you waste too much of your stack on marginal hands then you’re not going to have enough chips left to make an impact when you have a real hand.

* You don’t use a poker calculator to properly calculate your pots odds or how many outs you have when you’re playing poker. If you aren’t doing these two things then you’re definitely not playing up to your potential. By not calculating the pots odds you’re going to have no idea whether you’re making the right moves. Calling any sized bet is a huge mistake that a lot of new players will make when they play poker. If you have a made hand that you think is ahead in the hand then go for it, but if you’re on a draw or a marginal hand then you should fold if you’re not getting pot odds.

* You play pocket pairs all the same preflop. If you’re playing your pocket deuces the same way that you’re playing your pocket aces then you have a huge problem. You need to make sure that you learn what pocket pairs you should play strongly and what pocket pairs you need to be careful with. For instance, low pocket pairs are only good generally if you hit a set. If the board is all over cards then you’re going to have a hard time calling anything with low pocket pairs. This is why you want to commit as little chips as possible on low – medium pocket pairs.

* You don’t manage your Full Tilt bankroll properly and you’re playing above your means. If you have a $100 in your bankroll and you’re playing in $20 sit and go tournaments then you’re not going to be playing poker for long. You should make sure you read a few articles about bankroll management so that you can lessen the chance of going broke. You generally want to have 20-30 buy-ins for cash games and 50+ buy-ins for tournaments although this is just a rough guide.

When playing in a No Limit Holdem Multi-Table tournament, the way a poker player should play and the different hands the player plays are going to depend on the size of your stack. As the size of the stack changes, a poker player has to adjust their aggression level, either adding or taking away the types of hands they play.

20 or more Big Blinds

When your internet poker stack consists of 20 or more big blinds, you can play as you wish. This usually is the case when a tournament is just starting. Some players choose to be tight and others choose to be aggressive. When you are playing with deeps stacks, you are looking to play hands with Implied Odds. Hands like small pairs and suited connectors are hands with great implied odds.

12 to 19 Big Blinds

So you lose a decent size pot and your stack size drops somewhere between 12 and 19 big blinds. It is time to adjust your play! You can no longer play as you were when you had a big stack. Those suited connectors and small pairs you were playing lose most of their value, so you do not want to be playing these hands. Instead, you now want big cards, like AK, AQ and high pairs. As well, you want to increase your aggression and take a few more risks so you can get rebuild your stack. The ideal play when you have this size stack is to 3-bet shove over an opening raiser. One successful 3-bet shove will earn you 4.5 big blinds. (3 big blinds from the open reraiser + 1.5 big blinds from the small and big blinds)

6 to 11 Big Blinds

Now your stack is getting low. It is time to adjust your play again. 3-bet shoving is no longer the best play, as you are definitely going to be called by the opening raiser, which you do not want. Instead, now you want to be the opening raiser. Remember, do not open a pot unless you are willing to call a 3-bet that puts you all in. Do not raise KJ if you are going to fold when the big blind puts you all in. Small PokerStars.com pairs and suited connectors have lost all of their value, so throw them away. You are still looking for hands with big cards.

6 Big blinds and Under

Your stack is now at a critical level and it is time to become a short stack ninja. Whatever hand you play, you are pushing all in. This level is very easy to play since your only play is to raise or fold. In late position, push any ace or high king. From middle position, you can push suited aces, small pairs and any two broad way cards. From early position, big aces and middle pairs are playable in this manner.

Deciding when to 3-bet in an MTT can be a crucial decision, especially when it is in the later stages. When a player at the table opens for a raise and you decide to 3-bet, you are most likely going to be committing 7-9 big blinds pre-flop – which will be a huge chunk of your stack in the late stages of an MTT. So before you commit 9 big blinds, make sure you are picking a good spot to 3-bet.

Why 3-bet?

3-betting is appropriate when re-raising for value, when you think the Full Tilt Poker opening raiser is steal-raising so you 3-bet to resteal, and to induce a shove by your opponent. Additionally, the three bet is appropriate when you have a vulnerable hand and think you can get the opening raiser to fold a hand, which is either slightly ahead or slightly behind your hand.

For example, a middle position player opens for a raise, and you have As-Js on the button. You and your opponent each have 30 big blind stacks. You 3-bet, thus committing 7.5 big blinds of your stack. After you 3-bet, he 4-bet shoves and you fold. Many players make this common mistake. Unless you are 3-bet stealing, do not re-raise if you are going to fold to a 4-bet.

Consider player type before Re-raising

When three betting on FullTiltPoker.com, consider the type of player who is opening the pot. A potential three bettor is wise to consider stack sizes, as well as the players to act behind you. If a very tight player is opening for a raise, you should really think twice about reraising with a pair of Tens. If the player opening the pot is a crazy LAG, then 3-betting with Tens is a much better play. You do not mind taking down the pot pre-flop and if he shoves, you can still confidently call.

Stacks sizes also will play a role in your decision. In general, 3-betting when your opponent has a big stack, rather than a short stack is a better decision. Take this example: With blinds at 100-200, a stack with 2400 in middle position opens to 600. You are directly to his left, have 10,000 chips and look down at Aces. Rather than 3-betting try flat calling, especially when there are aggressive players left to act behind you. In this scenario, many aggressive players will try a squeeze play, which you would more than welcome.

3-betting can often make or break a player late in a MTT, so take your time and think about all your options before doing so.

What constitutes a “bad” game? I’m not talking about the company at the table, or the strength of the drinks, or even the odor in the casino. I’m talking specifically about the rules variations at the blackjack table, and how it affects the house advantage. We’ve run down the differences before, and how they affect basic strategy. The sound advice from the experts is to stay away from the games that take too much away from you as a player.

But how do you know what too much is? And what if there’s no other options around?

I was at some…well…less than popular casinos recently, and a few not uncommon restrictions popped up while I was sitting some low-stakes games. The first was that the dealer always hits on soft 17. I hate this rule, but tolerate it since it tends to be fairly common around the U.S. But then the restrictions kept coming. Ace/Ten combinations in a split or double down situation was counted as 21, but not as blackjack (I later realized this is actually the norm, and I’ve gotten lucky at a few casinos that treated it the other way), I wasn’t allowed to re-split Aces, you couldn’t double down and split on Aces, and although I’m not one to play multiple hands too often, I noted a four-hand limit at the table, as well. I almost felt like the dealer slapped some handcuffs on me and wished me luck before taking my chips. Needless to say, I didn’t spend too much time playing at this establishment, but it did get me thinking.

So after sharing my story with a few friends, I didn’t get the response I expected. They were only mildly sympathetic, saying they’ve heard of worse games. I don’t know whether I find that hard to believe or not, but it was more than the rules at this place, you could just feel the shadiness around every corner. I won’t go into what specific type of online blackjack casino it was, but if you’ve ever been bullied unfairly, or made to believe the U.S. laws don’t applyinside that casino, you know what I’m talking about.

Why did I go in to begin with? I like trying new places out, seeing how they play. This would obviously be a place I don’t return to.