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Hello,

I’m curious if you have any idea about the strategy used when playing short handed. Once here on you site I’ve read something about a strategy for full tables of 9 players. But how about for tables with only 3 or 4 players, or just when you’re on heads up? Do you know which cards are best to play then? Well, to me, it seems that straights and flushes are not profitable.

By the way, I’ve been looking for hand held pocket poker games but haven’t found even one, do you know of a place I can have one?

Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Chester
Chester,

With short handed and heads up games, you need to play a wider array of cards. Pair, most suited aces, any two cards 10 and up, and suited connector all become playable. The best way to approach this is to try and play a small ball approach where the pots are kept small preflop to allow you to see cheap flops. When you hit your flop, you then try and extract maximum value for your hand.

You can find a hand held poker game in many stores and toy stores. You can also do a search online for hand held poker game and you should find plenty of places to find one.

Hello,

I believe you once said that A5s is a pretty good hand for hitting straights and flushes. One thing I’m bothered of is that I’m actually under the idea that you couldn’t use wrap-around straights, A2345, in holdem. Another thing, in case you can use them, is JQKA2 a valid wrap-around straight? Your thoughts?

Warm regards,
Jones
Jones,

A-5 suited can be used to make flushes, but the straight potential is weak. I would see a flop in the blinds or late position, or in limit holdem I might play this.

Wrap around straights are not legal in any form of poker. An ace may be used to make a wheel or broadway, and that is all.

Hello,

Just last year, I started to seriously play Holdem. Well, I’m not fond of reading so I haven’t read most of the Texas Holdem books. However, I regularly watched ESPN.

As of the moment, I’m into online poker. I actually started as an average player in “online standards” however just after few weeks I changed and became very tight. Tight in a way that I already fold pairs, 9s or less in a long to medium table. I believed then that there was nothing wrong as I typically end up being on the top 3 out of 10. And for several times, I finished first about just half the time.

I really believe in starting tight and getting more tight as the game progresses down to 6 – 5 players then gradually loosing up when down to 4 once down to 3. And when there’s a need to be aggressive, then be aggressive.

I played with the above approach for some time. However, things started to change when I tried playing in tables with terrible players. I started witnessing really bad beats more often than usual. I also then discovered the huge difference in the skill level of various tables $10, $20, $30, $50, $100, and $200. Later, I decided to go down from $200 to $100 and much later to $5. Sad to say, my luck wasn’t that significant, for once in 10 games, I ended up on the bottom.

Can you feel it, the lower I go the worst it gets? For a number of times, I lose with trip As for nothing with a flush draw in the river, with straights to flushes and even to Quads on the turn and river. I don’t know what went wrong.

Any thoughts?

Warm regards,
Bill
Bill,

The bad players are at the lower levels. Some of this is due to their play and some is due to the normal variance you will see in poker, especially online poker. It sounds like your approach is working, but realize that when you play solid poker, you will take some bad beats. Also, you should loosen your card holdings depending on position. Folding all pairs below 9’s sounds excessively tight just based on the information you have given. Work on opening your hand ranges up in position and as the tournament gets later.

Hi,

Last night, I was in a NL tournament with 12 players. I remember re-buys are allowed for double the original buy-in if in case a player goes out on the very first hand of the tournament.

First hand came and all of us had 1000 chips. Blinds then were 10/20 and I was the small blind. I remember there were 6 callers. At some point, when my turn came, I immediately raised 100 with pocket Js. As a result, player A called, player B folded, player C raised all in, player D called, player E followed and also called, and lastly player F folded. After a while I decided to fold and player A called. I can sense back then that player A would call thus making 4 callers against me, two of the four are for sure tight ones. Well, with 12 sets of cards I don’t think my cards would hold up. At such point, do you think I should just fold?

Before I forget, turns out all of them were searching for flushes and a pair of 6′s took the winnings.

Glad to hear from you soon.

Many thanks,
Eric
Eric,

Since this was rebuy event, you should have called, even if you felt you were behind. In rebuy events, you need to push your strong hands and hope to get lucky. If you bust out the event, rebuy. The fact that this was a rebuy event explains the amount of action. As a result making calls such as that will usually pay off. Yes, you hand has reduced odds when its multi way, but you need to take some chances in rebuy events. Otherwise you will just sit there with a normal sized stack at the end of the rebuy period with a long road to travel to have a chance to do well.