How To Use Bad Beats To Your Advantage
When I first started playing online poker I'd log on to a
low-stakes game... thinking I'd win EASILY against all the
fish.
I'd make my deposit... buy-in to a tournament or ring
game... and use the same strategies I'd use in casinos and
local cash games.
But in no time... sometimes MINUTES... I'd be out of money.
Poof!
Just like that. Back to zero.
I'd think to myself, "Wow, I just caught a cold streak of
cards... I'll make it back."
I'd put in another deposit (this time without the bonus) and
play again...
Poof! Gone again.
And again.
And again.
Then I started thinking, "Wow, these poker rooms must be
rigged somehow... or someone must be cheating..."
The WORST part was when I'd catch a "bad beat".
But not just ONE bad beat...
It seemed I was catching them CONSTANTLY-- way more than in
"regular" poker...
I'd hit trips and put my opponent on two pair... only to
learn that he chased an inside straight draw and hit it on
the river.
Opponents would bet middle-pair aggressively... and then
make three-of-a-kind on the turn.
I'd have K-Q and the flop would come K-10-3. I'd bet my top
pair aggressively and my opponent would call. Then I'd watch
in awe as he beat me with A-5 as the Ace fell on the
river...
Then I'd scream at my computer:
"WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE CALLING WITH? THIS IS COMPLETE
BULL$&#@! WHAT AN IDIOT!"
Has this ever happened to you?
If so, give me a silent nod.
Now... here's the thing:
After a lot of frustrated nights of cursing at the avatars
on my computer, I made a BREAKTHROUGH.
It was this breakthrough that helped me turn my online poker
game into a PROFITABLE, money-making MACHINE... the same as
when I played in casinos and cash games.
What was this breakthrough?
I STARTED TO USE THE "BAD BEATS" TO MY ADVANTAGE.
Yes, you read that right.
Now hear me out...
It all started when I finally asked myself one crucial
question:
"Could it actually be MY FAULT that I'm suffering all these
bad beats?"
And the answer was YES.
Indeed... I wasn't necessarily CAUSING them to happen. But I
was LETTING them happen over and over.
You see, online poker is RIPE for bad beats. If you've
played much, you already know what I'm talking about.
The reason is because the amateurs chase when they
shouldn't, bet when they shouldn't, and call when they
shouldn't.
It's that simple.
Now as I've explained in previous newsletters, when you pick
up a monster hand pre-flop you MUST narrow the table down to
one or two callers.
DO NOT see a flop with pocket Kings with five other players
in the hand. You'll lose.
The solution is to raise EXTREMELY aggressively-- more so
than you'd do at the local casino.
Then the odds are fully in your favor going into the flop...
and your chances of getting "sucked out" decrease
dramatically.
Now... the SAME EXACT CONCEPT can be extended to your
betting patterns AFTER the flop.
It just gets more tricky.
For instance, let's say you limp-in with a hidden hand like
suited-connectors or a small pocket pair. Then you hit big
on the flop. What do you do?
Obviously there are a lot of considerations. But in GENERAL,
the natural thing to do is SLOW-PLAY it...
But online, you CAN'T do that if there are multiple players
in the hand. Because that's what leads to bad beats.
The key is to BET AGGRESSIVELY and always find out "where
you stand" against your opponents.
And when I say "aggressive", I mean AGGRESSIVE. You'll have
to risk more chips than you're used to in order to get rid
of the chasers.
To find out where you stand in the hand, you've got to use
some special techniques...
The first is simple: RAISE. If your opponent is chasing, he
probably won't go over the top of you. But if he's already
made a hand, he'll re-raise.
Another technique is to simply make two very large bets in a
row. Anyone who calls TWO large bets in a row (after the
flop and turn) probably already made a good hand.
Also, watch for "check-calls". That's when you have
positioning on your opponent and he checks... then calls
your bet. This is a sure sign of a chaser, or someone with a
marginal hand.
"Check-call" usually translates to:
"Please don't bet... Please don't bet... Damn! He bet. Oh
well I have to call... I have to see the next card..."
OK, one last point.
DON'T be afraid of scaring EVERYONE out of the pot.
Sometimes you'll mis-judge the situation and EVERYONE will
fold to your bet or raise... and all you'll have won are
some blinds.
That's OK. It will happen... but it's better to err on the
side of TOO AGGRESSIVE rather than getting busted.
All right... let me show you an example. This will show you
how to use bad beats to your ADVANTAGE...
Let's say you're in the big blind. You pick up your cards:
Jd-9c
Three players limp-in... including the small blind. You
check to see a free flop.
The flop hits:
Jc-9h-3d
Nice. Top two pair.
The guy in the small blind is first to act... and he comes
out firing with a medium-sized bet. Now it's on you. What's
the play?
You have to raise. You want the next two players OUT and to
go heads-up with the SB. He'll probably call your raise if
he came out firing first...
But let's say you DON'T raise. Let's say you call and the
other two players call.
Now let's look at your PERCENTAGE CHANCES of winning this
hand... based on some "hypothetical cards" that your
opponents are holding.
Let's say the guy in the small blind is holding:
Qs-10s
That means he just flopped the open-ended straight draw.
The other two players have:
Ad-9d and 2c-2h
The guy with A-9 has middle pair. He can hope for the Ace or
runner-runner diamonds.
Deuces boy on the button is just looking for a third deuce.
IF THIS WERE THE SITUATION, WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?
Well, if the hand plays out with all four of you, the odds
of you winning are just 45.9%.
That's right... LESS THAN 1/2!
Now if you were playing this hand in real life and lost to
either:
- The Ace on the river...
- A deuce...
- Or a King or an eight...
...you'd probably call it a "bad beat".
At least it would FEEL like a bad beat, right?
After all, your odds of winning are HIGHER than anyone
else's!
But the fact remains, your odds of winning this hand are
LESS THAN 50%.
Now here's the kicker...
Probably MOST of your low-stakes opponents online WOULD call
a medium-sized bet with those hands...
SO, the solution is to raise. You already know that. When
you raise, your odds go way up...
If you raise enough to force only the small blind to call,
your odds of winning are about 70%. Sure beats below 50%!
Now... the turn comes:
7h
Great. You know this didn't help him... He checks to you,
which suggests he has the straight draw or a marginal hand.
Now THIS is where you make your move.
After the turn your odds of winning are over 80%. LEVERAGE
THOSE ODDS.
If you know your opponent is on a draw MAKE HIM PAY FOR IT.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you let him see a free river.
Because if he misses he's going to fold.
This is where your all-in move is good. You've got an 80%
chance... and your opponent is feeling pot-committed.
Get all your money in the middle RIGHT NOW.
OK, so you go all-in. Your opponent calls with the
open-ended straight draw... all he can pray for is a King or
an eight...
The river hits:
Kh
BOOM!
Your opponent MAKES HIS STRAIGHT and you lose all your
chips.
Haha... I'M JUST KIDDING!
The river is a five of clubs and YOU WIN!
(Hey, they're my examples... I gotta have fun with them once
in awhile... ;)
The key is to LEVERAGE those loose players by UNDERSTANDING
what makes them "tick".
LEVERAGE means RAISING THE STAKES. You've got to put all
your money in the middle and be OK with losing it 1/5 of the
time... and enjoy the rewards of winning MASSIVE POTS the
other four times.
Now the IMPLICATION of raising the stakes is that you must
CHOOSE BATTLES WISELY.
Don't bluff very much... certainly not from the beginning of
a hand. Only bluff towards the end when you sense weakness.
Choose the high-stakes showdowns when you've already made a
hand... not when you're on a draw. And do it against
opponents who don't have as many chips as you...
When you take everything into consideration, you realize
it's not just about "betting big". It's about adopting BAD
BEATS into your OVERALL STYLE OF PLAY.
For example, you'll think twice about getting into a
showdown with 60:40 odds (in your favor) when you're playing
in a big tournament. Because you know that there's a 40%
chance of getting ELIMINATED... and you know that your
opponent is probably loose enough to risk all his chips on
it.
It's the same way with something like flush and straight
draws. How you play them will depend on WHERE you're playing
them...
Ring game? Multi-table tournament? 6-player Sit and Go?
And WHO are you playing them against... Chip leader or short
stack?
And at WHAT STAKES?
Listen... the thing that immediately transformed my online
poker game was simply realizing that all the bad beats were
coming for a REASON.
Don't just play the cards... and don't just play the
players... also play the fact that PEOPLE WILL MAKE
IRRATIONAL DECISIONS.
Risk lots when the odds are in your favor... and don't count
on your opponents being too intelligent. You'll start
winning HUGE POTS by feeding on the "fish".
Here's something SCARY...
Rumor has it that 99% of online poker players LOSE money
over time.
Yeah... 99%.
A portion of that is because of the rake, of course. I
mean... if you play break-even all the time you'll end up
DOWN because of the rake.
But the rake doesn't account for THAT big of percentage!
If this is true that 99% of online poker players are losers,
it means something VERY important...
THAT 1% IS MAKING A FORTUNE!
Think about it: The only other place for all that money to
go (besides the rake) is to those winners!
Crazy to imagine, huh?
Now if you're one of those LOSING players right now, you
have three options:
1. Stop playing and go spend your money somewhere else.
2. Keep playing for the fun of it... and think of your
losses as the price of "entertainment".
3. Figure out how to be in that top 1%.
Option three is pretty damn sweet... I'm not gonna lie.
Because there's nothing better than knowing you can sit on
the couch in your underwear, click your mouse a few times,
and START MAKING MOOLA.
You've already taken the first step by subscribing to my
newsletter.
The next step is to put these strategies and tips into
ACTION... through practice and hard work.
You should also study and LEARN MORE about poker every
chance you get. If you haven't read my eBook yet, go get it
now...
http://www.NoLimitHoldemSecrets.com/tl/618GqYh
low-stakes game... thinking I'd win EASILY against all the
fish.
I'd make my deposit... buy-in to a tournament or ring
game... and use the same strategies I'd use in casinos and
local cash games.
But in no time... sometimes MINUTES... I'd be out of money.
Poof!
Just like that. Back to zero.
I'd think to myself, "Wow, I just caught a cold streak of
cards... I'll make it back."
I'd put in another deposit (this time without the bonus) and
play again...
Poof! Gone again.
And again.
And again.
Then I started thinking, "Wow, these poker rooms must be
rigged somehow... or someone must be cheating..."
The WORST part was when I'd catch a "bad beat".
But not just ONE bad beat...
It seemed I was catching them CONSTANTLY-- way more than in
"regular" poker...
I'd hit trips and put my opponent on two pair... only to
learn that he chased an inside straight draw and hit it on
the river.
Opponents would bet middle-pair aggressively... and then
make three-of-a-kind on the turn.
I'd have K-Q and the flop would come K-10-3. I'd bet my top
pair aggressively and my opponent would call. Then I'd watch
in awe as he beat me with A-5 as the Ace fell on the
river...
Then I'd scream at my computer:
"WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE CALLING WITH? THIS IS COMPLETE
BULL$&#@! WHAT AN IDIOT!"
Has this ever happened to you?
If so, give me a silent nod.
Now... here's the thing:
After a lot of frustrated nights of cursing at the avatars
on my computer, I made a BREAKTHROUGH.
It was this breakthrough that helped me turn my online poker
game into a PROFITABLE, money-making MACHINE... the same as
when I played in casinos and cash games.
What was this breakthrough?
I STARTED TO USE THE "BAD BEATS" TO MY ADVANTAGE.
Yes, you read that right.
Now hear me out...
It all started when I finally asked myself one crucial
question:
"Could it actually be MY FAULT that I'm suffering all these
bad beats?"
And the answer was YES.
Indeed... I wasn't necessarily CAUSING them to happen. But I
was LETTING them happen over and over.
You see, online poker is RIPE for bad beats. If you've
played much, you already know what I'm talking about.
The reason is because the amateurs chase when they
shouldn't, bet when they shouldn't, and call when they
shouldn't.
It's that simple.
Now as I've explained in previous newsletters, when you pick
up a monster hand pre-flop you MUST narrow the table down to
one or two callers.
DO NOT see a flop with pocket Kings with five other players
in the hand. You'll lose.
The solution is to raise EXTREMELY aggressively-- more so
than you'd do at the local casino.
Then the odds are fully in your favor going into the flop...
and your chances of getting "sucked out" decrease
dramatically.
Now... the SAME EXACT CONCEPT can be extended to your
betting patterns AFTER the flop.
It just gets more tricky.
For instance, let's say you limp-in with a hidden hand like
suited-connectors or a small pocket pair. Then you hit big
on the flop. What do you do?
Obviously there are a lot of considerations. But in GENERAL,
the natural thing to do is SLOW-PLAY it...
But online, you CAN'T do that if there are multiple players
in the hand. Because that's what leads to bad beats.
The key is to BET AGGRESSIVELY and always find out "where
you stand" against your opponents.
And when I say "aggressive", I mean AGGRESSIVE. You'll have
to risk more chips than you're used to in order to get rid
of the chasers.
To find out where you stand in the hand, you've got to use
some special techniques...
The first is simple: RAISE. If your opponent is chasing, he
probably won't go over the top of you. But if he's already
made a hand, he'll re-raise.
Another technique is to simply make two very large bets in a
row. Anyone who calls TWO large bets in a row (after the
flop and turn) probably already made a good hand.
Also, watch for "check-calls". That's when you have
positioning on your opponent and he checks... then calls
your bet. This is a sure sign of a chaser, or someone with a
marginal hand.
"Check-call" usually translates to:
"Please don't bet... Please don't bet... Damn! He bet. Oh
well I have to call... I have to see the next card..."
OK, one last point.
DON'T be afraid of scaring EVERYONE out of the pot.
Sometimes you'll mis-judge the situation and EVERYONE will
fold to your bet or raise... and all you'll have won are
some blinds.
That's OK. It will happen... but it's better to err on the
side of TOO AGGRESSIVE rather than getting busted.
All right... let me show you an example. This will show you
how to use bad beats to your ADVANTAGE...
Let's say you're in the big blind. You pick up your cards:
Jd-9c
Three players limp-in... including the small blind. You
check to see a free flop.
The flop hits:
Jc-9h-3d
Nice. Top two pair.
The guy in the small blind is first to act... and he comes
out firing with a medium-sized bet. Now it's on you. What's
the play?
You have to raise. You want the next two players OUT and to
go heads-up with the SB. He'll probably call your raise if
he came out firing first...
But let's say you DON'T raise. Let's say you call and the
other two players call.
Now let's look at your PERCENTAGE CHANCES of winning this
hand... based on some "hypothetical cards" that your
opponents are holding.
Let's say the guy in the small blind is holding:
Qs-10s
That means he just flopped the open-ended straight draw.
The other two players have:
Ad-9d and 2c-2h
The guy with A-9 has middle pair. He can hope for the Ace or
runner-runner diamonds.
Deuces boy on the button is just looking for a third deuce.
IF THIS WERE THE SITUATION, WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?
Well, if the hand plays out with all four of you, the odds
of you winning are just 45.9%.
That's right... LESS THAN 1/2!
Now if you were playing this hand in real life and lost to
either:
- The Ace on the river...
- A deuce...
- Or a King or an eight...
...you'd probably call it a "bad beat".
At least it would FEEL like a bad beat, right?
After all, your odds of winning are HIGHER than anyone
else's!
But the fact remains, your odds of winning this hand are
LESS THAN 50%.
Now here's the kicker...
Probably MOST of your low-stakes opponents online WOULD call
a medium-sized bet with those hands...
SO, the solution is to raise. You already know that. When
you raise, your odds go way up...
If you raise enough to force only the small blind to call,
your odds of winning are about 70%. Sure beats below 50%!
Now... the turn comes:
7h
Great. You know this didn't help him... He checks to you,
which suggests he has the straight draw or a marginal hand.
Now THIS is where you make your move.
After the turn your odds of winning are over 80%. LEVERAGE
THOSE ODDS.
If you know your opponent is on a draw MAKE HIM PAY FOR IT.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you let him see a free river.
Because if he misses he's going to fold.
This is where your all-in move is good. You've got an 80%
chance... and your opponent is feeling pot-committed.
Get all your money in the middle RIGHT NOW.
OK, so you go all-in. Your opponent calls with the
open-ended straight draw... all he can pray for is a King or
an eight...
The river hits:
Kh
BOOM!
Your opponent MAKES HIS STRAIGHT and you lose all your
chips.
Haha... I'M JUST KIDDING!
The river is a five of clubs and YOU WIN!
(Hey, they're my examples... I gotta have fun with them once
in awhile... ;)
The key is to LEVERAGE those loose players by UNDERSTANDING
what makes them "tick".
LEVERAGE means RAISING THE STAKES. You've got to put all
your money in the middle and be OK with losing it 1/5 of the
time... and enjoy the rewards of winning MASSIVE POTS the
other four times.
Now the IMPLICATION of raising the stakes is that you must
CHOOSE BATTLES WISELY.
Don't bluff very much... certainly not from the beginning of
a hand. Only bluff towards the end when you sense weakness.
Choose the high-stakes showdowns when you've already made a
hand... not when you're on a draw. And do it against
opponents who don't have as many chips as you...
When you take everything into consideration, you realize
it's not just about "betting big". It's about adopting BAD
BEATS into your OVERALL STYLE OF PLAY.
For example, you'll think twice about getting into a
showdown with 60:40 odds (in your favor) when you're playing
in a big tournament. Because you know that there's a 40%
chance of getting ELIMINATED... and you know that your
opponent is probably loose enough to risk all his chips on
it.
It's the same way with something like flush and straight
draws. How you play them will depend on WHERE you're playing
them...
Ring game? Multi-table tournament? 6-player Sit and Go?
And WHO are you playing them against... Chip leader or short
stack?
And at WHAT STAKES?
Listen... the thing that immediately transformed my online
poker game was simply realizing that all the bad beats were
coming for a REASON.
Don't just play the cards... and don't just play the
players... also play the fact that PEOPLE WILL MAKE
IRRATIONAL DECISIONS.
Risk lots when the odds are in your favor... and don't count
on your opponents being too intelligent. You'll start
winning HUGE POTS by feeding on the "fish".
Here's something SCARY...
Rumor has it that 99% of online poker players LOSE money
over time.
Yeah... 99%.
A portion of that is because of the rake, of course. I
mean... if you play break-even all the time you'll end up
DOWN because of the rake.
But the rake doesn't account for THAT big of percentage!
If this is true that 99% of online poker players are losers,
it means something VERY important...
THAT 1% IS MAKING A FORTUNE!
Think about it: The only other place for all that money to
go (besides the rake) is to those winners!
Crazy to imagine, huh?
Now if you're one of those LOSING players right now, you
have three options:
1. Stop playing and go spend your money somewhere else.
2. Keep playing for the fun of it... and think of your
losses as the price of "entertainment".
3. Figure out how to be in that top 1%.
Option three is pretty damn sweet... I'm not gonna lie.
Because there's nothing better than knowing you can sit on
the couch in your underwear, click your mouse a few times,
and START MAKING MOOLA.
You've already taken the first step by subscribing to my
newsletter.
The next step is to put these strategies and tips into
ACTION... through practice and hard work.
You should also study and LEARN MORE about poker every
chance you get. If you haven't read my eBook yet, go get it
now...
http://www.NoLimitHoldemSecrets.com/tl/618GqYh
posted by Orphee at 12:28 PM
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