Know EXACTLY What Your Opponents Are Holding

"SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, and WATCH."

Don't start running your mouth... don't try to act cool...
and don't daydream. The first few minutes you're at the
table is perhaps the most IMPORTANT time there.

Once you've done this, be sure not to rush into any hands.
In fact, I recommend NOT getting involved in any hands at
the very beginning... and here's why:

If you're an experienced tournament player, you know that
most players are eliminated from tournaments when they are
in "shuffle times" (when they are moving from table to
table).

It is at these times when the BIGGEST MISTAKES are usually
made.

Let's say that you sit down a new table. You may have been
playing at a tight table where you could buy a lot of
pots...

You sit at this new table... and fall right back into your
betting pattern. You make a bold move, try to buy a pot, and
get burnt because THIS TABLE is much LOOSER than the last
one.

This puts you at a disadvantage right away... one which you
might not recover from.

When I move to a new table... or begin at a game where I
don't know the players... I always wait at least 3-4 rounds
of betting before I get involved in a hand... and a lot of
times I wait EVEN LONGER.

This gives me a chance to get to know my opponents... BEFORE
I risk any chips.

I call it my "Study Period."

Of course, the WHOLE GAME is a study period in itself... but
these first few hands is 100% devoted towards just watching
my poker opponents.

And here's the added benefit:

If I don't know my competition, THEY don't know ME, either.
By taking my time and doing my study period, I learn about
THEM... but they DON'T LEARN ABOUT ME.

If anything, they just ASSUME that I'm a tight player...

That means within 10 minutes, I immediately have an
advantage over all the other players at the table... even if
I haven't won a pot yet... or even played a hand.

OK, so when you do your study period, what should you look
for?

A lot of newbies think it's all in the face and in the
eyes... which is a mistake.

Most poker tells are the COMBINATION of an entire set of
movements and behavior...

On TV-- especially in movies-- poker tells are portrayed as
something as simple as the twitch of a nose or the movement
of a leg.

Kind of like in "Rounders," when Mike McDee figures out
Teddy KGB based on how he ate his cookies.

TAKE NOTE...

For the most part, this type of portrayal of poker tells is
a TOTAL MYTH.

If you think you can figure out a player's hand just based
on how he blinks, you're in for a rude awakening... and
you'll lose your chips fast.

In REAL LIFE (where you play), tells are more complex...

...VERY RARELY are they "cut and dry."

When you study your opponents... here are the things you
should think about:

1. Past Play

Think about how this player has acted in the past...

Is he usually strong or weak?

Aggressive or timid?

Smart or dumb?

And so on...

2. Timing

If your instinct tells you that a player deliberated for a
long time trying to make a choice, chances are that his hand
isn't too strong.

However, you should also note how long he has taken to play
in the past, to make sure that the move wasn't just a
regular timing move.

3. Posture

Especially with bad players, the posture of a player is a
key tell that will reveal a lot about a hand...

If the person leans back, that USUALLY represents strength.
If he leans forward, that USUALLY represents weakness.

Once again, poker tells aren't black and white. It's a gray
area, where everything needs to be considered together...

4. Bet Amount

If a player tends to make small bets, but then places an
unusually large bet, he could be holding a strong hand. Or
he may be trying to buy the pot.

Always watch for irregularities in betting patterns... most
amateurs don't mix up their bets enough, which gives you an
easy edge if you pay attention.

5. Pulse

This is one of the only "body tells" that I find works most
of the time. You can usually see the intensity of a player's
pulse by looking closely at his neck.

Often if a player gets "shaky," he usually has a great hand.
If the player is cool and collected, it's probably a fake.

6. Your Gut Feeling

Depending on your poker experience, your gut will often be
your best guide...

I've been playing poker for so long now that when I sit down
with newbies, I can usually read the players almost
INSTANTLY, without much thought.

It just comes naturally... and it will come naturally to
you, too... once you gain a lot of experience under your
belt... and once you spend enough time studying the game.

With the pros, of course, you've got to be much more
careful, because they DO know how to disguise their tells
and play their hands in an unpredictable manner.

So, to recap:

1. When you sit down to play at a table of strangers...
especially in a tournament... take your time before becoming
involved in a hand.

2. Go through a careful "Study Period." During this time,
SHUT UP and STUDY the players intensely.

3. When you start betting, watch for the six things we
discussed: past play, timing, posture, bet amount, pulse,
and your own gut instincts.

Finally... there's one more step to add...

And that is:

NEVER REVEAL THE WAY YOU THINK.

Here's what I mean...

Poker is truly a BATTLE of minds. The tells we've been
discussing are mostly simple REFLECTIONS of how a player is
thinking at the time of a bet.

For some reason, it's a natural tendency in all of us to
share our thoughts at the poker table... ESPECIALLY when we
aren't involved in hands.

This is more common during "home games" than in tournament
play or casinos...

For instance, let's say there's a heads up match between Don
and John after the river card.

Don goes all in...

The river was the third diamond on the board. John has trip
Aces.

(Of course, a flush would beat John's three of a kind.)

Anyway... John's has to decide whether Don is a on a
bluff... or if he caught the diamond flush.

THIS is where everyone starts screwing up:

Since Don is all in... and can't change his mind... John
shows his trip Aces to the other guys at the table who
aren't in the hand.

He says, "Man, I don't know whether to call. Don made a
pre-flop raise... I think he's just pot-committed and is
trying to buy it."

Someone else might chime in, "Yea, but he seems like he's
got the flush. Did you notice how he's been quiet the whole
hand?"

Someone else says, "C'mon wuss. Just call his bet and go
all-in... I'm getting tired and want to get going."

And so on...

Do you see where I'm going with this?

John should NEVER show his Aces to the other guys of
course... aside from being bad poker etiquette, now they
just saw an entire "free hand" and got to see how John acted
the whole way with his three of a kind.

The next guy just revealed that he's been watching how
SILENT Don has been... which clues everyone in on how this
guy thinks about tells. Now you know to be very conscious
about how much you talk around this player.

And the third guy reveals an attitude of carelessness...
which means as soon as I caught a good hand I'd try to get
in a heads-up match with him and go all in... because
there's a decent chance he'll call.

When you reveal your THINKING PROCESS, you're simply GIVING
AWAY tons of crucial information... FOR NO REASON.

The other players at the table with pick up a read on you
quickly... both consciously and subconsciously.

So don't do it.

Period.

As you know, Texas Holdem is filled with TONS of techniques
and strategies like these, that anyone can understand if
they just take the time to learn them.

Unlike popular belief, poker is NOT about having natural
talent.

It's about LEARNING-- through experience, analysis, and
expertise-- how to MASTER the game.

How To Gain An Immediate Edge Over Your Opponents

The trick to WINNING POKER is to always be at least ONE STEP
AHEAD of your opponents...

To be one step ahead, it helps to understand the COMMON
EXPERIENCES and thoughts that every poker player goes
through.

It seems there are three distinct LEVELS of poker
intelligence. Knowing which level your opponent falls under
can be a MAJOR ADVANTAGE for you at the table...

I call these the "Three Stages of Sophistication".

As you read these, think about the guys you play cards with.

Think about what level they're at... AND... think about
which stage YOU ARE IN right now. It will help tremendously.

Here they are...


STAGE 1: Analyzing the CARDS.

This is when a player focuses his mental energies strictly
on the cards.

This is someone who waits to play only premium hands, and
perhaps spends a lot of time calculating "pot odds".

Usually, this type of guy plays TIGHT, and is fairly "see
through". He'd be better off playing LIMIT Texas Holdem
rather than NO LIMIT.


STAGE 2: Analyzing the PLAYERS.

This is the person who understands that to win at no limit
Holdem, you've got to PLAY THE PLAYERS, not just the cards.

This is the guy who sits there all night and STUDIES your
every move. He's convinced that there are "secret" tells
behind every player...

And he'll do ANYTHING to figure them out.

You can spot a player like this just by watching him when
the cards come out. If he's watching YOU, rather than
looking at his cards, then he's probably in the second stage
of sophistication.


STAGE 3: Analyzing how players will analyze YOU.

Stage 1 players are easy to beat. You can bluff them out of
big pots, rile them up, and then sit back until you catch a
monster and put them all in...

It's like taking candy from a baby.

Stage 2 players are harder to beat, because they understand
the Cardinal Rule of no-limit Holdem, which is to...

PLAY THE PLAYERS, NOT THE CARDS.

You can't always push them around at the table, which means
you have to devise a different strategy...

Which is why Stage 3 is so powerful.

Because when you're a Stage 3 player, you KNOW that the
Stage 2 player is analyzing you. And you simply stay ONE
STEP AHEAD of him.

A Stage 3 player is someone who gets pocket Aces before the
flop and takes FOREVER to call a pre-flop raise.

Why?

Because by taking his time and making it LOOK like he's
contemplating a decision, the Stage 3 player knows HIS
OPPONENTS WILL THINK THEY CAN BLUFF HIM out of the hand.

Sure enough, after the flop one of the STAGE 2 players will
go all-in... trying to buy the pot... not knowing they just
fell right into the Stage 3 player's trap.

To be a Stage 3 player, you've got to ADOPT YOUR STYLE OF
PLAY ACCORDING TO WHAT THE OTHER PLAYERS THINK ABOUT YOU.

That's the key.

Here's an example that happened to me recently...

I was in a local game with a bunch of friends and players
who know me well.

I've built up a reputation in my town for being an
AGGRESSIVE player at the table... who's always pushing
around the action and throwing out feeler bets.

In addition to being aggressive, people also know me as a
BLUFFER. My buddies have seen me push my entire stack into
the middle on a 2-7 offsuit... when I can't even beat the
board.

And they've seen this happen MORE THAN ONCE.

This reputation has a TREMENDOUS IMPACT on my strategies at
the table. And I can use this "image" to my advantage.

In this particular example, I was dealt pocket 3's while on
the button. Three of my opponents limped in and the action
was to me.

I liked my positioning, so I decided to throw out a pre-flop
raise in hopes of spiking a three.

"Make it $20 to play", I said.

This was a rather large bet with respect to pot size, but I
did it for a reason. I wanted to either STEAL THE BLINDS by
forcing everyone to fold, or create heads-up action... which
would give my small pocket pair better odds at winning.

Anyway, Blake was the only player to call my bet, so I was
feeling pretty good about my chances.

The flop came out:

A-4-3

All different suits.

Fantastic. I just spiked my three... which gives me trips.
AND there's an Ace on the board.

Blake checks.

Now here's where I have to make a decision...

Do I slow-play the hand by checking right behind him?

The answer is NO.

Because like I said, I have a reputation with these guys.
They know I bluff a lot, so they'll usually give me a lot of
action.

So instead of slow-playing, I actually OVER-BET the pot in
this situation...

Blake called my large pre-flop raise... and now there's an
Ace on the board. So he's probably sitting on a hand like
A-J or A-Q and thinks that HE is slow-playing ME.

"Seventy-five to play", I say in a very arrogant tone. (This
was a large bet for this particular game.)

Blake-- who is a Stage 2 player-- thinks I'm pushing him
around. He's sitting on about $300 in chips and decides to
go all-in.

EXACTLY what I wanted.

I call, and throw over my threes.

He throws over A-9 off-suit.

And sure enough, I took the pot down. All because I was ONE
STEP AHEAD of him...

I KNEW that he was analyzing me and putting me on a bluff,
so I reeled him in by "over-betting" the pot with a touch of
arrogance.

Of course, I didn't always know how to do this.

I can remember a hand I once played COMPLETELY WRONG on a
riverboat in St. Louis.

This was when I was first really "getting into" poker. The
guys on the riverboat didn't know me... so they weren't
familiar with my style of play.

They didn't know I was a very aggressive player who often
bluffed. (Which I was, even back then.)

It was the second or third hand of the night and I was dealt
pocket 6's. One of my opponents made it $10 to play and I
was the only one to call his bet.

I spiked my six on the flop... which means I had
three-of-a-kind.

My opponent was first to act and threw out another $10 bet.
The action was to me.

Unfortunately, I was only focused on my cards and my
opponent. I was between levels 1 and 2 of the "Three Stages
of Sophistication."

I figured he had a strong hand since he'd raised the pot
twice... and I was excited as hell about my three 6's.

So without hesitation, I made a raise.

"I raise you $40", I said... in the same "pushy" tone I'd
use with my buddies.

My opponent thought about it for a moment and then mucked
his cards.

I had COMPLETELY misplayed the hand... and all I made with
my monster was a lousy 20 bucks.

The MISTAKE I'd made was failing to adjust my style of play
to WHAT MY OPPONENT WAS THINKING ABOUT ME.

Back at home, I would've gotten a call with my $40 raise.

But not on this riverboat.

Because on the riverboat, my opponents didn't know me...
they didn't have a "read" on my style... and we were only a
few hands into the game.

For all they knew, I could've been an extremely TIGHT
player... just like most of the young guys they show up on
the riverboats.

Anyway, the lesson I learned is this:

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR OPPONENTS ARE THINKING.

Do they see you as tight, aggressive, reckless, bad, good,
crazy...?

See the game through the eyes of your opponents, and you'll
be able to win against ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

A lot of pros will tell you that the only way to master
these skills is through EXPERIENCE.

But don't take this advice too seriously.

I've known guys who have played poker for 40 years and STILL
can't play worth a damn.

And I've known guys who pick the game up and after ONE YEAR
are making a FULL-TIME INCOME in card rooms across the
country...

The secret is NOT experience.

The secret is KNOWLEDGE.

What matters is how far along you are in your "poker
intelligence".

If you're young, and you understand the strategies and
techniques I share, then you can have a MAJOR ADVANTAGE over
your opponents...

Because a lot of guys will underestimate you.

If you're older... or more experienced... the exact OPPOSITE
is true. You'll be at a clear DISADVANTAGE if you're up
against someone with a higher POKER IQ than you.

The solution... no matter what your age or experience
level... is to KEEP READING MORE and STUDYING MORE about the
game.

Stop Losing Big Hands Part 2

Listen. The other day I emailed you about how to STOP losing
big hands.

We talked about why it's CRUCIAL that you learn to
ANTICIPATE your bets and your opponents' bets BEFORE they
happen.

Today I'd like to share with your part TWO of how to prevent
big losses, and that is:

DON'T GET GREEDY.

Successful poker players all have one thing in common:

They understand the PSYCHOLOGY of greed, and how powerful it
really is.

Let me share a story with you how *I* fell victim to greed
the other night at my local $1-2 no limit game... and how it
emptied my pockets.

Here's how it went down...

I get dealt pocket 6's and am sixth to act.

Josh is first to act and makes it $5 to play. Don and Brett
are next in line and call Josh's pre-flop raise.

The action is to me, with the pot size at $18.

There's no doubt I'll play this one and hope to spike one of
my sixes.

One other guy behind me calls the bet.

Okay... flop comes out:

Ah, 9d, 6s

Perfect.

I've just spiked my 6's and there's an Ace on the board,
which I'm sure someone is holding.

It looks like I'm going to rake a HUGE pot at this point.

Josh comes out firing, as I expect. I immediately put him on
AK or AQ.

Brett folds and Don calls Josh's $20 bet.

Who knows what Don has... I can never put him on a hand
because he's the manic at the table. He'll play just about
anything. He's probably sitting on 10-J, looking for a
runner-runner straight draw for all I know.

Needless to say, he's not the guy I'm worried about.
Actually, I'm not really worried about ANYONE at this point.
I just flopped trips... and all I'm thinking about is how to
milk these guys for all their money.

I decide to not slow-play the hand. I want to find out where
I'm at... so I re-raise Josh's bet. I'm confident I'll get a
call. I know Josh won't fold if he has the Ace, like I
think.

"Make it $50", I say, as I push in my red chips.

The guy behind me folds and the action is back to Josh. He
thinks for awhile as he shuffles his chips.

"I call", he says.

Don, however, doesn't hesitate one bit. He throws in his
chips with some frustration and splashes the pot.

I've done everything right so far... I'm very
well-positioned to rake in a huge pot.

The turn card comes... 4 of diamonds.

Now the board reads:

Ah, 9d, 6s, 4d

So the 4 doesn't scare me at all.

Josh and Don both check this time because I'm in control.

"Seventy five" I say... in a rather DEMANDING voice that
makes it sound like I'm trying to buy the pot.

Josh mucks his hands... which he later told me was an AJ. So
he made a good lay down.

Don, on the other hand, thinks for a moment before calling
my $75 bet. Now I'm feeling GREAT about this hand...

Josh was the guy I was really worried about, not Don. Don's
probably got pocket 2's, or something crazy like that. Who
knows?

The river card is a 2 of diamonds.

Now I hope Don DOES have ducks! If he does, I'm going to
take the rest of his stack.

The board now reads:

Ah, 9d, 6s, 4d, 2d

Don checks to me.

I see the backdoor flush on the board, but I throw out
another large bet anyway.

AND THAT'S WHERE I SCREWED UP.

I SHOULD have checked right behind Don when I saw the flush
on the board. Instead, I got GREEDY and made a stupid bet
because I figured there was NO WAY he chased the flush all
the way down.

Don raises my large bet by going all in, and he seems
confident.

I lean back in my chair and take a deep breath. Then I
call... with the remainder of my stack.

He turns over a 7-8 of diamonds.

He's got the flush, which beats my trip sixes.

So he had flopped an open-ended straight draw... and ended
up catching the flush instead.

I had played the hand perfectly right until the backdoor
flush hit. THAT is when I let greed take over.

I had made another bet when Don checked to me... but I
SHOULD have just checked back.

If I hadn't let greed take over, I would have saved a lot of
chips, and stayed in the game.

Greed is a powerful emotion that can empty your pockets...
just like it emptied mine.

But of course, you can use greed to your ADVANTAGE...

Because once you have your OWN greed under control, you can
learn to make positioning moves and bets based on the greed
of OTHER players.

You can literally COUNT on the fact that your opponents will
get greedy too...

How To Stop Losing Big Hands

I have something important to share with you.

This single poker strategy that I'm about to reveal is one
of the BEST (and most PROFITABLE) tips that I've given you
in a long time... so listen up:

When it comes to winning poker, most players have "tunnel
vision."

What I mean is this:

They focus only on how to WIN more pots and larger pots...
whether it's through bluffing, calculating odds, or reading
poker tells.

But what they DON'T FOCUS ON... (what I'm about to show
you)... is actually MORE important than 90% of all the other
"stuff"... and can both INSTANTLY and DRAMATICALLY increase
your poker winnings over the long term.

And that secret is this:

How to STOP LOSING big pots.

You see, there's a lot of strategies out there for how to
WIN hands... but very rarely does a player focus on
strategies on how to NOT LOSE big hands.

Why?

Because they blame THAT PART of the game on luck and other
forces "out of their control."

The reality is, you can win tons of great hands and gain a
chip lead, but it doesn't mean ANYTHING if you don't know
how to keep it.

Think back to when Greg Raymer won the World Series of
Poker... what was the key to his success at the final table?

The key was he had a huge chip lead AND he knew how to keep
it.

He didn't lose big hands, which is what allowed him to keep
his gigantic stack of chips and bully the other guys around.

The concept is equally (if not MORE) important for players
who AREN'T in the chip lead... because no matter how many
pots you win, you won't win a game or tournament if you LOSE
a lot of big hands.

Notice the "catch" here...

I didn't say, "Stop losing hands."

I said, "Stop losing BIG hands."

Because those two statements mean two TOTALLY different
things.

You CANNOT stop losing ALL hands... it's just not realistic.

But you CAN use strategies to stop losing BIG hands...
AND... those are the more important "turning points" of a
game anyway.

So... what's this "hidden" secret strategy that most players
overlook that will allow you to STOP losing big pots?

I thought you'd never ask...

Preventing major losses is a very complicated and
"multi-layered" concept, as I explain in my course...

However, one of the MAJOR components and "core" strategies
behind it can be summed up in one simple, 12-letter word:

ANTICIPATION.

That's right... you can literally cut down on the number of
big hands you lose by simply ANTICIPATING better...

And I don't mean anticipating the CARDS.

I mean anticipating THE BETS, based on what cards COULD come
out of the deck.

Here's an example that will make it clear...

Let's say you're on the button and dealt AJ off-suit. The
blinds are $1-2 and Aaron (a very tight player) makes it $15
to play. Everyone at the table folds and the action is to
you.

This is the best hand you've seen in awhile, so you call the
bet without much hesitation.

That is where you made your FIRST MISTAKE.

You KNOW that Aaron is a very tight player that only makes
pre-flop raises with monster hands.

But you called the bet anyway... because you didn't
ANTICIPATE what YOU would do, even if you hit your Ace on
the flop.

OK, so the flop hits, and the cards are: A,9,2.

Aaron comes out firing with a $30 bet right away...

Now what do you do?

You have to put him on AK, AQ, AA, KK, or QQ. These are
pretty much the only hands that Aaron will make a pre-flop
raise with.

Of course, he didn't check to you, so he probably doesn't
have the cowboys or queens.

So now you think about what Aaron is holding... You put him
on hands that beat yours, but instead of folding you decide
to see another card for $30.

This is where you made your SECOND MISTAKE.

You felt pot-committed and only thought about the $30 bet.

What you SHOULD have been doing though is ANTICIPATING what
Aaron was going to bet after the turn card.

Let's face it... you have to figure he's going to fire
again. Are you prepared to call ANOTHER large bet after the
turn with your AJ?

Of course not... and what you've done here is simply dug
yourself into a big hole because you played only to win.

You got dealt a good hand and flopped the top pair and then
stuck it out in hopes of a better card... when what you
SHOULD have done is ANTICIPATED Aaron's behavior and folded
your cards before the flop.

Hands like these happen to even the best poker players, and
you MUST develop the discipline to fold that AJ and fold
that top pair when you've anticipated what's coming next.

Think about what your opponent is going to bet.

Think about what you'll be WILLING to bet.

Then think about what will happen after the next cards...
and then the ones after that... and then the ones after
THAT... and so on.

It's all about anticipation. If you anticipate the different
scenarios BEFORE they happen, you will prevent big losses.

And when you stop losing big hands, you'll get to KEEP the
chips you win.

And that will help you finish in the money... virtually
every time... and lead you to a successful poker career.

Of course, like I mentioned earlier... anticipation is just
ONE of the crucial skills you'll need in order to kick ass
at Texas Holdem poker...

How To Beat The Short Stack In Heads-Up Poker

Have you ever been in a heads-up poker match and realized
just how much DIFFERENT one-on-one poker is from
multi-player poker?

Most players learn strategies for winning no limit Texas
Holdem when there are 4... 6... 8... or 12 players at the
table.

Not 2.

Yet, you can't win a game or a tournament without MASTERING
heads-up play. In fact, heads-up play is perhaps the MOST
IMPORTANT aspect of Texas Holdem... and here's why:

If you can't win at heads-up poker, you'll never come in
first place.

Period.

And I don't know about you, but I play to WIN. Not to come
in second place.

Most players-- when they make it to a heads-up match-- are
COMPLETELY CLUELESS and don't know what to do. Especially
when it comes to DEFENDING a chip lead.

Why is that?

I think there are three main reasons...

1. Most players only make it to a heads-up match once in
awhile.... so they have very little EXPERIENCE playing poker
one-on-one.

2. The strategies for starting hands, odds, tells, and
betting are so RADICALLY DIFFERENT for heads-up poker
versus-- say, at an 8-man table-- that most players don't
have the KNOWLEDGE needed.

3. Most players don't get to watch and study poker GREATS
play heads-up Holdem, because even the greats will only make
it to a heads-up match once in awhile.

With that said, let me share with you a rather EMBARRASSING
story of how I got "schooled" in a heads-up match earlier in
my poker career... and how I learned the "secrets" to
winning in heads-up poker:

I had fought my way through a 100-man tournament, and found
myself heads-up with someone named Brandon.

Brandon was (and is) a very skilled poker player who loves
to push the action... but at the time, I wasn't intimidated
by him. Because I thought I had this baby in the bag...

You see, I had been catching monster after monster in this
tournament, and I had JUST finished knocking out two players
at once with trip kings.

My chip lead was HUGE. 10 to 1 over Brandon, actually.

I was on a roll.

I had over $100,000 in chips, versus Brandon's $10,000, with
the blinds at $500/$1000.

This thing is OVER, right?

The first hand I looked at was Q-9 while I was small blind.
I limped in, and the action went to Brandon.

"All in," he said.

I folded.

I didn't want to give him the chance to double up.

The next hand was K-4 offsuit. Once again, Brandon went
all-in.

I folded again, and Brandon raked in more blinds.

The next hand I was dealt was A-4. Brandon goes all-in
AGAIN.

This time, I called.

He threw over pocket 4's. The flop, turn, and river come
out:

K-7-9-2-Q

So I didn't hit my ace, and Brandon doubled up.

By this time, he was sitting on $24,000 in chips, and I was
at $86,000.

The next few hands played out... and Brandon continued to go
all-in time after time... and I continued to fold hands like
K-7, Q-9, J-8, and so on.

I just didn't want to risk doubling him up AGAIN with such
"mediocre" hands.

But before you knew it... it didn't matter.

Because I'd let Brandon right back into the game. He had
taken about 10 straight pots from me...

I was frustrated as all hell, and went on tilt. As you
probably guessed, I blew the rest of my chip lead and lost
the match.

Honestly, I think this CHOKE should go down in the history
books right next to the Yankees versus Red Sox in the 2004
ALCS.

Just writing this newsletter makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyway, what's REALLY IMPORTANT is what I did AFTER I lost
that tournament.

I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

We started playing at 7 P.m. and didn't finish until well
after 5 A.M. in the morning. We completed OVER 50 GAMES THAT
NIGHT...

Now let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that night for ANY
other experience in my poker career.

It changed EVERYTHING for me.

And here's why:

Because I crammed in YEARS of heads-up experience into that
one night...

I learned how to play with a big chip lead... how to play
when I was short-stacked... how to "lean" on my opponent
with a small chip lead... and so on and so on.

And since then, I've done this same exercise with TONS of
other poker players... to keep my skills FRESH and to master
the techniques needed to win against different playing
styles.

When I was up against Brandon in that tournament, I had made
a TON of mistakes.

You see, when you have a big chip lead in heads-up action,
the first secret is YOU MUST ATTACK.

To get a perspective on this, think about how you play when
you're the SHORT STACK...

You're prepared to go all-in as soon as possible, right?

Well, you must use this to your ADVANTAGE when you're the
big stack, and PUT YOUR OPPONENT ALL-IN right away... rather
than the other way around.

When you have a big chip lead, YOU must be the one to create
"coin-toss" situations... and fast.

A coin-toss situation is when both players have virtually
equal odds... and the winning hand is determined by whatever
the flop, turn, and river cards are.

In heads-up poker, any starting hand with a FACE CARD is
playable. Or any pocket pair. It's that simple.

If you've got a big chip lead on your opponent and he CHECKS
or LIMPS-IN (calls the blinds), then you should IMMEDIATELY
put him all-in.

He wouldn't be checking or limping-in if he had ANYTHING
DECENT at all...

If he folds, you've stolen the blinds from him, which is
crucial. If he calls, you've created a coin-toss situation.

Odds are you'll win at least one out of every two coin toss
situations. Or at the very least, you'll win one out of
three.

Here's a basic summary of the "rules" you should follow when
playing heads-up poker with a huge chip lead. When I say
"huge", I'm talking about 10 to 1 or more...

Of course, you won't START with a 10:1 chip lead very often
(like I did against Brandon), but you will frequently BECOME
the 10:1 chip leader in a heads-up match if you're a skilled
player.

And that's the exact moment when you MUST PULL THE TRIGGER
AND WIN THE GAME.

If you don't, the chip stacks can quickly even out again and
you may lose your chance forever.

Anyway... here are the RULES you should follow:

1. Any starting hand with a face card or any pocket pair is
good.

2. You should either FOLD or go ALL-IN every time. Nothing
else.

3. Force COIN-TOSS situations... In other words, leverage
the 50/50 ODDS as much as possible. Do this two or three
times and you will almost always win the match.

4. If you're playing against a tight player, it will be even
easier. Keep going all-in on just about every hand and let
the blinds eat him to death.

Read and re-read those four principles and you'll be
prepared the next time you make it to a heads-up match.

In the meantime, you should IMMEDIATELY do two things:

1. Call a friend or poker buddy and invite him over to play
you heads-up. Put $5 or even just $1 on each game... it
doesn't matter.

The point is to play game after game after game in a
heads-up setting. Play for as long as you possibly can.

When you're done, call a different friend and do the same
thing again. And then do it again next week. And keep doing
this over and over...

Win More When You Bluff

HERE'S A SIMPLE BLUFFING TECHNIQUE you can use the next time
you play Texas Holdem poker...

I call it the "Mini-Bluff".

The Mini-Bluff is an easy way to win BIGGER POTS when you
bluff... AND... decrease the chances that your opponents
will call your bluff.

It goes like this:

When you want to "buy the pot" and bluff out an opponent you
think is weak, what you do is make the MINIMUM RAISE
possible in the current round of betting.

After they call, make your REAL BLUFF on the NEXT round of
betting... and take down the pot.

Here's what I mean...

Let's say you're playing $1-2 no limit with good
positioning. Josh makes a pre-flop raise of $15.

The next few players fold... and the action is to you. You
look down at J-10 of diamonds. You know this is a "hidden
hand" that could bust Josh if something good hits on the
flop... so you call.

It's just you and Josh heads-up. The flop hits:

7h-9s-2c

Not exactly the flop you had hoped for. It gives you an
inside straight draw... which means you have outs... but YOU
KNOW BETTER than to chase an inside straight draw.

Josh represents the flop and bets $25. You know he doesn't
have anything... there's no way that flop helped him.

He's been representing the flop all night with that same $25
bet...

So YOUR READ on Josh is that he doesn't have anything, and
that YOU can buy this pot.

What do you do?

The answer is to make the MINIMUM RAISE.

Come back over Josh and make it $50 to play.

(This is your "Mini-Bluff".)

By doing this, you're taking control of the action and
finding out EXACTLY where you stand in the hand.

Most likely, Josh will call your raise. If he has something
really good, he'll re-raise you. And in that case you should
probably fold.

BUT IF YOUR READ WAS CORRECT-- and Josh DOESN'T have a
strong hand-- he'll just call...

The reason he won't fold is because HE made the original
bet. And since you only raised him the MINIMUM amount, it
won't be enough to scare him off.

OK, so Josh calls, and the turn hits:

7d

That pairs the board... but is no help to you.

Josh is first to act again, but this time taps his fist
against the table and checks.

Just as you'd hoped.

NOW it's time to make a REAL bluff and buy this pot.

You come out firing $100 in chips...

Josh shakes his head and says, "I can't call."

He flips over his A-J.

You throw your cards into the muck FACE DOWN... leaving
everyone wondering what you had. And you rake a nice pot.

Here's why the Mini-Bluff technique is so powerful:

1. It gives you control in the hand.

When you raise your opponent, you automatically assume a
level of CONTROL. If your opponent re-raises, he takes
control again...

The entire POINT of a bluff is to get your opponent to fold.
If he feels like he's in control, he won't fold... and your
bluff won't work.

2. You get a better read on your opponent.

In our example, Josh could have easily had something like
A-9 (and hit top pair) or an over pair or whatever.

You didn't THINK he had something good, but it's tough to
know for sure.

Your Mini-Bluff eliminates the confusion. If Josh had a
monster, he would have either gone back over the top of you
with a re-raise... or would have bet after the turn card.

Instead, he just CALLED and then CHECKED the turn. That's
pretty much a dead giveaway that he didn't have anything.

3. It builds the pot.

In this case, you won $25 more by "setting up" your bluff
with the Mini-Bluff. That's $25 more in your pocket at the
end of the night...

If you use the Mini-Bluff technique five times a game,
that's a nice chunk of change added to your wins.

4. There's less risk involved.

A MINIMUM RAISE is much safer than trying to buy the pot
outright... especially when you're not completely sure your
opponent is weak.

The Mini-Bluff prevents pot-commitment and leaves you room
to GET OUT of the hand if necessary.

5. Your bluff is more believable.

The Mini-Bluff raises "red flags" for your opponent...
mostly because he's not used to it.

It doesn't APPEAR that your bluffing-- and that's the whole
point, of course.

After he calls your Mini-Bluff, he's going to be weary of
you... confused about your hand. And THAT is the perfect
setup for taking down the pot.

So that's the power of the Mini-Bluff.

It's a great technique to add to your poker "bag of
tricks"...

But as with all strategies, use the Mini-Bluff SPARINGLY.
Don't get careless with it or use it too much.

The Mini-Bluff is NOT a replacement for your regular
bluffing patterns. It's meant to keep your opponents off
balance and MILK them for a few extra dollars once in
awhile.

Also, only perform the Mini-Bluff when you've got good
positioning and sense weakness at the table... the same
conditions as any other bluff.

When To "Smooth Call" Your Opponents

A smooth call is when you're holding a REALLY GOOD hand and
someone bets into you... but instead of RAISING, you simply
CALL.

The smooth call is VERY POWERFUL, but a lot of players
totally mess it up. Here's how to do it RIGHT...

Let's say you're playing a cash game of no-limit Holdem at a
10-man table. The blinds are $5-10.

You're sixth to act before the flop (good positioning) and
you pick up pocket Aces...

Nice!

A couple players limp-in and the action is to Don, who's an
aggressive player.

He makes it $125 to play.

This is a rather large pre-flop raise at this table. The
normal pre-flop raise has been between $50 and $75 up to
this point.

You immediately put Don on something like pocket Jacks or
tens.

Why?

Because you know that if someone makes an UNUSUALLY large
pre-flop raise, it's probably because they have a hand they
DON'T want to play.

And quite often that hand is 10's or J's.

So anyway, the next guy folds and now the action is to you
with your monster American Airlines.

What should you do?

This is an ideal situation for a smooth call.

Here's why:

You know Don is going to bet again after the flop--
regardless of what hits-- since he made such a large
pre-flop raise.

And you also know that you've got Don beat right now. If you
call his bet, there's no way he's going to put you on Aces.

If you RAISE, Don is going to be scared. Because RAISING
after a big bet means you must have a monster. And that
basically gives away your hand.

OK, so you make a smooth call and put $125 in the middle.

Everyone else mucks their cards, so it's just you and Don to
see the flop.

The flop comes out a "rainbow" (which means there are three
different suits on the board):

8-7-4

This is the perfect flop for you. You figure Don has a
pocket pair HIGHER than the cards on the board, which means
he'll be confident betting his hand.

The only thing to be WORRIED about is if Don has pocket 8's,
since that would mean he just made trips. If he DID have
trips, he'd probably check after the flop and fake weakness.

So anyway, the action is to Don and... as expected... he
comes out firing a $250 bet.

What now?

Well, you could come back over the top of him and take this
pot right now. Or you can do ANOTHER smooth call and go for
the kill.

You think for a few moments... hesitate... then smooth call.

The turn card comes and it's a four, which is PERFECT for
you.

Don doesn't hesitate and puts his last $500 into the pot
now... thinking he has the best hand.

You call, and throw over your monster Aces.

Don shakes his head in disgust and throws over his pocket
Queens.

And you win a massive pot.

Now, that's basically the "ideal" way the smooth call works.
Let's discuss the RIGHT CONDITIONS when you'll want to make
a smooth call... and how you can add this powerful move to
your "poker toolbox"...


*** CONDITIONS FOR A SMOOTH CALL ***

The smooth call is the combination of two main components:

ANTICIPATION + SLOW-PLAYING

The INTENTION of the smooth call is to FOOL your opponents
while letting them dig their own grave.

Here's what I mean...

The smooth call operates on the fact that you ANTICIPATE
that your opponents will continue betting... AND... that you
have the best hand at the table.

When your opponents think THEY have the best hand, they'll
be confident with their betting. They'll become
pot-committed... and will get frustrated that you won't back
down.

That's when they'll make a mistake and go all-in, or simply
bet too much, and you'll come out on top.

There are four main "conditions" for performing a smooth
call... Here they are:

1. You don't need to figure out where you're at, because you
KNOW you have the best hand.

2. You ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent.

3. You have good positioning.

4. You're not worried about too many players getting in the
hand.

The first condition basically means you should only smooth
call when you have really good hands. We'll talk about the
EXACT hands to smooth call with more in a minute.

We've already gone over the second condition... you need to
ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent. Most of the time,
players who raise before the flop will bet AGAIN after the
flop.

The third condition is POSITIONING. You can't perform a
smooth call if you're first to act. Then what you're doing
is just check-calling your opponents... which ISN'T the same
thing.

And the final condition for a smooth call is that you're not
at risk of having lots of players in the hand.

This last condition is important because it will help you
prevent bad beats.

Basically, when you have a monster hand before the flop, you
want to narrow the field down to one or two callers...

If you have three or more players seeing the flop, your
monster will get run down by someone who gets lucky.

In the example I shared earlier, Don had made a large
pre-flop raise of $125. That meant there was no danger of
too many players calling...

If the pre-flop raise had been only $40 or so, it would NOT
have been a good situation to smooth call... because the
raise would have gotten multiple callers. And then you're at
risk of a bad beat.

OK, so those are the conditions that need to be present in
order to make a smooth call.

Remember, the REASON a smooth call is powerful is because it
"represents" something like a draw, low pocket pair, or hand
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

If you smooth call before the flop, your opponent will
probably put you on something like suited connectors, two
face cards, or a low pocket pair.

After the flop comes out and your opponent THINKS he has you
beat, he'll keep INCREASING his bet sizes to try to scare
you out. This is a fundamental poker principle...

For each successive round of betting, the bets and raises
will INCREASE. The bets after the flop will be larger than
the bets before the flop. The bets after the turn will be
larger than the bets after the flop. And so on.

In our example, if you came back over the top of Don BEFORE
the flop, he would have folded. That means you would have
won his $125.

At MOST he may have called a $125 raise from you... but then
would have check-folded after the flop. In that case, you
would have won his $250.

But by smooth calling, you got BOTH his $125 bet (pre-flop)
and $250 bet (post-flop)... and then by smooth calling again
you got his remaining $500.

The key is to trick your opponent into thinking he has the
better hand... and let HIM take the offensive. If you can do
that, you're money.


*** HANDS TO SMOOTH CALL WITH ***

You want to smooth call before the flop with hands like Aces
or Kings. You DON'T want to smooth call with something like
A-K or A-Q.

Big Slick is a great hand... don't get me wrong... but it's
not "complete". By itself, Big Slick is just an Ace high. If
the flop doesn't help you and your opponent comes out
firing, you're in trouble.

If you're going to smooth call after the flop or turn,
you'll want to do it with hands like trips, two pair, or an
over pair (like in our example).

Trips and two pair are usually "hidden" from your opponent,
which is why they make great smooth call hands. (Remember,
it's all about making your opponent think he's got the best
of you.)

OK, TWO MORE THINGS to keep in mind...

First off, there are DANGERS to smooth calls. The main
danger is if your opponent catches a better hand than you.

You should be ready for this if there's something on the
board like a straight draw, flush draw, or two face cards.

Let's say you smooth call before the flop with pocket Kings
and the flop comes out 3-Q-6, all diamonds.

If your opponent comes out firing aggressively, be careful.
He wouldn't come out betting UNLESS he felt like he's still
got you beat.

I mean, think about it: Those three diamonds are going to
SCARE him... unless they HELPED him.

It's the same way with flops like 10-J-Q, K-K-5, K-Q-10,
J-A-3, and so on. If there are two face cards out there,
your opponent might have just made trips or two pair. If
there's a straight draw on the board and he's not scared,
YOU should be scared.

The second thing to think about is how you can INTEGRATE the
smooth call into the rest of your game...

The smooth call is a "maneuver" or "play". It will bring you
tons of extra pots and winnings when added to the STRONG
FOUNDATION of your poker skills.

How To Win With Big Slick In Early Position

Let's discuss how to win when you're dealt Big Slick (A-K)
in early position.

First, let me clarify what is meant by the term "early
position".

If you're in an early position, it usually means you're one
of the first three players to the LEFT of the dealer.

Of course, if you're small blind, that means you're almost
last to act before the flop, but first to act AFTER the
flop.

If you're big blind, that means you're last to act pre-flop,
but second to act after the flop.

And last but not least, if you're the THIRD player to the
left, that means you are the FIRST to act before the flop,
and third to act after the flop... This position is also
known as "under the gun".

Ok. Enough with the definitions. Re-read those four above
paragraphs if you're confused. Otherwise, let's dive into
the strategy...

As we discussed a few days ago, Big Slick is a monster hand
that most players pray for... BUT... it can actually be a
TERRIBLE hand for you if you don't know what you're doing.

It can be terrible if...

1. You go "all in" (or bet a substantial pile of chips)
before the flop, but then don't catch anything...

Or...

2. You catch an Ace or King on the flop, bet a lot of chips,
but then get run down by another player who gets a better
hand.

Since even a pair of DEUCES can beat Big Slick by itself, I
recommend that you don't go all-in with Big Slick before the
flop with a lot of players in the game.

It's usually too risky. Because there are so many hands that
can beat you.

Going all-in with Big Slick pre-flop is the equivalent to
saying, "Hey, I'm not that confident I can win this game, so
I'm going to HOPE to get LUCKY and risk all my chips on the
CHANCE that an Ace or King hits, or that my Ace high wins."

Obviously that's not ALWAYS the case (especially if you're
short-stacked), but for the most part it's pretty accurate.

The second scenario-- getting run down by another player
even though you hit your Ace or King- can be EXTREMELY
frustrating.

For example, let's say you're holding Big Slick and the flop
comes out:

A-K-5

You're obviously excited because you flopped top two pair...
but what if Marty, that new guy who just learned how to play
Holdem a couple weeks ago, is holding a pair of fives?

Chances are, he's going to clean you out for all your chips.

Your strategy then, should be to DECREASE the chances that
someone at the table (like Marty) is going to get lucky on
the flop.

And you do that by making sure they don't even SEE the flop
in the first place, by making a pre-flop raise or strong
bet.

The ultimate goal should be to create "heads-up" action
before the flop when you get dealt Big Slick. Force players
like Marty to fold before the flop hits.

That will prevent the "bad beats" and allow you to focus on
a single opponent.

The most difficult way to win with Big Slick is if you're in
an early position AND you don't catch anything good on the
flop.

Here's how I play it:

Let's say I'm "under the gun" (first to act before the
flop... third player to the left of the dealer) in a no
limit cash game.

I look down to see A-K of diamonds.

Great hand, terrible positioning.

Instead of limping in and letting all the crap hands at the
table see the flop, I make a raise as we discussed.

"$15 to play."

Some players will limp-in with AK when they're first to act,
hoping someone ELSE will make the raise for them (which
gives them the chance to re-raise).

I don't like this strategy. Because if someone else makes
the initial raise, that means they get control over the
table and betting.

For example, let's say I limp-in and Josh makes it $25 to
play. Everyone else folds and then I come back over the top
of him for $100 more.

Without hesitation, Josh goes all-in and pushes in his stack
of $350 in chips.

See how this could get ugly?

Josh may be holding pocket 9's for all I know... which will
BEAT me if I don't catch the right cards on the flop. Then
again, he might be holding a pair of face cards... or maybe
just A-J.

No matter what, I really don't care.

Because I don't want to risk all my chips on A-K and leave
my night up to chance.

As much as possible, I want to be in FULL CONTROL of my
destiny at the card table.

There will inevitably be players who are more reckless with
their chips-- and these are the players who rely on LUCK
more than SKILL...

But not me... I know I can beat the game, which is why I
don't limp-in here when I'm first to act with Big Slick.

OK, back to the hand...

"$15 to play", I repeat.

I'm hoping to get just one caller, or two at the most.

The action goes around the table, and everyone mucks their
hands... except for Don. He splashes the pot and calls.

So I've created heads-up action and taken control of the
betting... exactly as I wanted to do with my monster hand in
this position.

The flop hits:

2h-9d-7s.

I'm first to act.

Obviously, this flop is terrible... the best thing I've got
going is a possible runner-runner diamond draw.

So what do I do now?

Should I check my Ace high?

No. This is where you should fire AGAIN, and continue to
play aggressively...

Because the flop probably didn't help Don either.

If I CHECK, Don will sense my weakness and might try to
steal the pot.

My bet will give him the impression I'm on on over-pair and
have the best hand... so he'll probably muck his cards now.

Even if he calls, I'm still in good shape.

If the turn card doesn't help me, I'll back down and
minimize my losses. I DON'T want to dig myself in a deeper
hole and try to bluff it out.

Or I may catch my top pair on the turn or river and be able
to win that way.

So no matter what happens, I'm not risking too many chips
and I'm putting myself in a great position to win the hand.

Now... rewind for just a moment. What if my $15 pre-flop bet
had multiple callers?

Having multiple players in the game would have increased the
odds that someone actually benefited from the 2-9-7 flop.

Which means I would NOT have made a strong bet after the
flop. Instead, I would have backed down and just checked. If
someone else bet strong, I would have mucked my A-K and
lived to see another hand.

So THAT is how you play Big Slick under the worst of
circumstances... with scraps on the board and bad
positioning... and STILL have a great chance at winning a
nice pot.

Of course... the chances of getting A-K are just 1 in 83.
And the odds of getting A-K suited are just 1 in 332. And
that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your
positioning.