Hey everyone, it's the first newsletter from ThePokerBank. Happy New Year! I'm sorry to all those who signed up a few months ago and haven't heard anything from me, the newsletters are going to be more regular from now on. I didn't have many sign-ups at the start so I decided to postpone the newsletter until I had a nice amount of people to email Texas Holdem strategy and tips to, so that more people could benefit. But anyways... Welcome to the first ThePokerBank.com Texas Holdem newsletter! I hope you find it useful =]
Site Updates
- I recently added a 'Hand Guide' section to give strategy and advice on every betting round of a Texas Holdem hand, from preflop to river. I feel the information here is pretty comprehensive and provides a lot of valuable information to anyone struggling on one particular street, or would like a general strategy outline for each street. www.toptexasholdem.com has something similar, but I felt that a lot of information was left out or a little inaccurate. So have a browse around, I'm really happy with it. Hand Guide>
- It has been great to receive a top-notch guest article from an excellent Holdem player the other week, discussing some key strategy on how to put opponents on a range of hands, and then how to bet according to the range. The article was written by Chris 'casaubon' Mortell, who is a much respected NL Holdem player that regularly wins money at the $2/$4 tables. The article is a little advanced, but it should be very interesting for anyone who has been playing the game for a while. Putting Opponents On A Hand>
Texas Holdem Strategy
Going All-In
The All-In is a pretty powerful move in the game of No Limit Texas Holdem, and can help players to win some pretty big pots with such an aggressive play. However, many no limit players abuse the all-in move and bring it into play far too often, and risk a lot more money than they should by using it. Many players feel the need to use the move on a regular basis just because they are playing in a no-limit game, but this is simply not the case.
In cash games, there are not many instances where I will use the all-in manoeuvre, especially not on a bluff. I am more than happy to move all in when I feel I have the best hand, but if I'm going to move all-in on a bluff, then I really must be in a sticky situation. Risking my entire stack in one hand on a bluff is not something I like to do regularly, and so I try to avoid using the all-in as a bluff as much as I can, unless I feel very confident that I will be able to get my opponent off the hand.
The all-in can and should be used more often in tournaments than in cash games. This is not just because of the fact that you are in a big heated tournament and need to make extravagant plays, but because a lot of the time your stack will become quite small in relation to the blinds, and so the all-in is warranted. The all-in can be a very powerful move because of the following reasons...
- The all-in stops any action on further rounds, so you cannot be bluffed off the hand.
- It puts your opponent to a call or fold decision, so they can no longer have fold equity.
Both of these combined mean that your opponent is put to a tough decision, and they have to make the decision to call or fold based on the strength of their hand and on the amount that they have to call to see the remaining cards. So when the all-in is used effectively, you have a good opportunity to make your opponent fold and take down a much-needed pot.
It is important to have a decent amount to move all-in with if the move is going to be effective. If you have very little in your stack then it is unlikely that any opponents are going to fold to your bet because they will be given the correct odds to call most of the time. Therefore to put your opponents to a tough decision, you want your all in to be a raise that is at least the size of the pot, or at least 4 times the size of your opponent's bet if they have made one before you act. This will give your opponent bad odds to call for any draw they might have, and will make them question whether or not it is worth the call with a mediocre holding.
So there is a little 101 on the all-in for you, and how it can be used to make successful bluffs at the table. Going all-in is a move that you should use sparingly, and only use it when the time calls for it because of the size of the blinds in relation to your stack, or because you feel that you will be able to get your opponent off the hand. If you over-use the move, your opponents will give you less respect each time you make it, and you may find yourself in some very sticky situations. It is more common to use the all-in in a tournament game because the size of the blinds are always increasing, and in cash games you will normally have a large stack compared to the size of the blinds.
Quick Tip
Try not to get mixed up with odds and fractions when using pot odds. I often see people mistaking odds like 4 to 1 to mean the same thing as having a 1 in 4 chance to complete a draw. Fractions are different to odds, as odds tell you how many times you will win compared to how many times you will lose, whereas fractions tell you the chance of you winning or losing.
So with 4 to 1 odds, you will miss your draw 4 times but hit your card 1 time. To get a fraction we want to find the chance of our event taking place. If you add all of these events together you get 4+1 = 5. And so to put it into a fraction we will have 1 in 5 chance of hitting the card we want to complete our draw.
So 4:1 = 1/5
It is not really necessary to work out the chance of winning as a fraction, but just be careful to not get mixed up between fractions and odds. Hopefully this tip wasn't too confusing if you are already comfortable with odds, but nonetheless, stick to using the odds and you will be just fine.
Best Bonus Deal
For those who haven't noticed yet, Bodog are offering a new 110% deposit bonus to all new depositing players. Bodog have always had a great unlimited 10% bonus offer that allowed players to receive an instant bonus to play with at the tables after depositing, but they have recently added a 100% up to $500 dollar bonus on top.
Therefore after receiving your initial 10% bonus, you will then be able to redeem a further possible $500 by playing at the tables. This actually makes the bonus one of the best around, and I'm not sure if it's going to be very profitable for the room. With all the bonus money being given away they may stand to make less money from players, so I'm not sure how long this bonus will actually last for. It's pretty new and so it may last for a while, but it could be withdrawn if it doesn't turn out to be profitable for the room.
But anyways, I'm not going to complain. The requirements to redeem the bonus are pretty damn good, so it's a good idea to get your moneys worth whilst you can. Unfortunately I already have an account with Bodog so I can't get the bonus, but I would seriously recommend anyone who hasn't got an account yet to take advantage of the bonus whilst its still available.
Get The 110% Bonus at Bodog>
More Bodog Bonus Info at ThePokerBank>
Good Luck at the tables, and a Happy New Year! If you have any questions, comments or feedback, just shoot me an email at webmaster@thepokerbank.com. I'm happy to hear from everyone.
www.ThePokerBank.com
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