Sunday, November 02, 2008

This great article contains great poker tips as well as news items.

We do not promote gambling of any type. This blog information is to be used when playing poker in its legal and non-gambling applications.

A Featured Texas Hold Em Article

Playing with Bubbles


By Garry Gates

After three long hours of play, you find yourself down to the last two tables of a poker tournament that started with just under 200 players. There are twenty players left, but only the top eighteen are rewarded. Not wanting to get knocked out �on the bubble,� or just outside the money, you notice that almost everyone at your table has tightened up their game. The exception is a player to your left who seems to be taking down pot after pot without even seeing a flop. He makes a standard raise of three times the big blind to which everyone folds, each time earning him the blinds and dead ante money, a decent chunk of change at this stage of the tournament. Before play started, this player had an average sized chip stack and now he�s the tournament chip leader, in position to make a big run at the final table.

Switching to an aggressive playing style when nearing the bubble in a multi-table tournament is an extremely effective method of padding your chip stack, in preparation for the final table. Truth be told, most players do not want to risk getting knocked out of a tournament after playing for hours when they�re just a couple of spots away from cashing. The fear of a bad beat or the possibility of running into a superior hand causes even the loosest of players to fold practically everything except aces or kings during this unique stage of the tournament. Throughout a poker tournament, you will make decisions based on an array of situations, rather than your cards and opponents. The decisions you make when approaching the bubble can mean the difference between first place money and just getting your buy-in back.

Changing your playing style to aggressive at this stage of a tournament carries as much risk as it does reward. You should practice selective aggression with your raises, being careful not to get involved with the tournament�s big stacks, or players you feel might be willing to come over the top of your attempted blind steal. Continue to make standard sized raises in position and try to avoid stealing when one or more players has limped into the pot before you; a limper here is often trying to set a trap with a premium hand.

Focus your pressure on tight players whose stacks are big enough that they will be able to fold their way into the money, but not so big that they can afford to challenge one of your raises without putting their entire stack in harm�s way. If one of these players does come over the top of your raise, do not hesitate to throw your hand away immediately. The possibility exists that he may have picked up on your aggressive assault and is simply making a play, but it is more likely that this player walked into a big hand and is making a stand.

Often times, when the bubble has been �popped,� or the last player before the money is eliminated, play will return to normal. Players will return to their regular playing styles, which means it�s time to put the brakes on your relentless aggression and resume solid poker. Before you attempt to apply this technique in a big tournament, consider your goals. If you�re content with just making the money, then by all means, conform with the masses and fold away. But if you�ve got your eye on the big prize, raise it up!

Source: http://www.wisehandpoker.com/articles/index.php?article=on-the-bubble.html

Latest Texas Hold Em News:

The PokerNews Profile: Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:57:00 -0800
Heads turned and eyebrows were raised when Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier walked into the tournament room at this year's APPT Macau. Perhaps inspired by that summer's runaway box office hit 'The Dark Knight,' the French poker sensation...

PokerStars.com EPT Budapest, Day 2: Albert Iversen Leads Final 42

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:07:00 -0800
The Las Vegas Casino in Budapest, Hungary saw 182 survivors from Days 1a and 1b combine to a single field as Day 2 of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Hungary stop kicked off. Leading the field to start the day was Mauro...




Play Online Poker
Online Casino and Poker
Everything Guys Love
Play Better Golf
|

Labels:

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Greetings fromColorado! I'mbored to tearsat work so I decided tocheck outyoursiteon my iphone during lunch break. Ienjoytheknowledgeyouprovidehere and can't wait to take a look
when I get home. I'mshockedat howfastyour blog loaded on mymobile.. I'm not even using WIFI,
just 3G ..Anyways,amazingblog!"This great article contains great poker tips as well as news items."Helloto
every body, it's my firstpay a quick visitof thiswebsite; thisweb sitecontainsremarkableandin factfineinformationin support ofreaders.

Feel free to surf to my webpage: http://beta.localbride.org/blogs/121351/197251/nike-air-max-flashlight-4

6:01 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home