Gus Hansen

Many players understand the concepts involved in building a large chip stack during a tournament. What they don’t understand, however, is how to use their chips effectively once they’ve gotten them. Once they’ve accumulated a lot of chips, many players want to control the action, but they haven’t thought through how to take command of the table.

When I’m the big stack in a tournament, being the bully is always my first consideration. I want to eliminate players, continue to build my stack, and avoid dangerous situations. If I can create a scenario where I’m the table captain – meaning I dictate the size of the pots – the rest of the action becomes easier to read. I can frequently steal the blinds and antes, and if someone else re-raises, it’s pretty easy to put them on a hand because I know they can only play back at me with really strong cards.

One of the first keys to becoming an effective big-stack bully is to stay aware of your fellow players and the size of their stacks. Don’t give short stacks easy access to all-in moves with any Ace. If you raise with a hand like 9-8 suited and a short stack comes over the top and pushes all-in, then you’ve created a bad situation. Even if you’re getting the right odds to call, you don’t want to double anybody up.

You also have to recognize those players that won’t stand for your bullying or who are just trying to survive and make the money, but are so low in chips that they have no choice but to push. At some point every player reaches their breaking point. You should be conscious of that moment so that you don’t needlessly hand over chips to someone who is ready to play back by pushing all-in and putting you to a tough decision you don’t want to face.

Sometimes, being the bully means that you’ll have to make a crying call even when you don’t want to. For example, if I feel like the short stack is pushing with any Ace, I’ll sometimes gamble even if I think I may be behind before the flop. If I’m holding something like K-Q suited, I’m going to try to knock the player out of the tournament. I’ll basically play with anything down to K-8 suited, because if he has something like pocket 6s or a naked Ace, it’s a choice I can live with.

Of course, being a bully doesn’t mean you should let your aggression outweigh good sense. Playing smart poker – raising at the right times against the right opponents – is always something to keep in mind. For example, if you’re raising on the button with a weak hand like 10-6 against two small stacks in the blinds and one of them pushes, you’ve created a bad situation that you really could have avoided.

If I’m raising in these spots with hands like K-9, J-10, A-9, I’m not worrying too much about getting called or re-raised by a short stack. But with 10-6 off-suit, you have to think – maybe I don’t need to lose a bunch of chips with this hand and double someone up. A good rule of thumb here is to ask yourself if your opponent would push with 10-6 themselves. The answer is, probably not. They would have folded with 10-6, so you created a bad situation by raising with it in the first place.

When you’re trying to be a bully, try to think about what your opponent would do if they were holding your cards. Put yourself in their position and reverse the hands. If you think they would push all-in with the same hand you’re holding, then your hand is strong and you should be a bully and push. If they would have folded your hand, then you should probably let it go too.

There are some hands you’re going to play no matter what, and if you’re behind, you can’t worry about losing. Just say to yourself – that time I was unlucky, next time it will be different. If you raise with A-8 on the button and the blind pushes with A-10 – well, it happened. Put the hand behind you and move on.

To be a successful bully, you have to be willing to take some risks and to lose some chips. Remember, it’s OK to lose the occasional battle in order to win the war.

Brandon Adams

To the uninitiated, the only discernible difference between a game of Omaha and a game of Hold ‘em is that players start each hand with four cards instead of two. But what a difference those two extra cards can make throughout the course of a hand.

In Hold ‘em, your two cards represent one of 169 possible hands. In Omaha, where you must use two of your four starting cards to make your hand, you’re essentially being dealt six different Hold ‘em hands. But don’t let the seemingly endless hand combinations frighten you away from Pot-Limit Omaha because it’s one of the most entertaining forms of poker you can play.

If you’re new to the game, I’ve got three important concepts that will help you lay a solid foundation for improving your game.

Play Dominating Hands

The basic idea of PLO is to play hands that have your opponent dominated if you both hit. The advantage of any A-X flush draw means that when you make your flush, it’s the best possible hand you can, unless the board pairs and brings full house possibilities. This becomes especially important at lower limits because most players will pay off big bets with a lower flush. If you face a large bet or re-raise when you make a low flush or the board pairs, it’s usually wise to let it go and wait for a better spot.

Know the Value of Your Starting Hands

Generally, the best starting hand in Pot-Limit Omaha is A-A-K-K double-suited. You hold both a pair of aces and a pair of kings, and being double suited means that you also have two flush possibilities in your hand. As-Ks-Ah-Kh has more value in PLO than a rainbow A-A-K-K because of those potential flushes.

Hands that are double-suited and hold four to a straight also rank high in value. For example, Qc-Jc-10d-9d runs fairly close to A-A-K-K. When you play a hand with four to a straight you’re not looking to make one pair, but instead, looking for a board with strong drawing value. A good flop for this hand would be 10-9-3 rainbow ? you hold both a made hand (top two pair) and a draw to the nuts (an open-ended straight draw).

Generally, you should tread carefully with hands like Ad-Ks-Qc-Jh. At first glance, this hand looks appealing, but the lack of flush draws lessens its value. While you hold the top straight on a flop of Js-10s-9h, you could easily be up against someone with the same straight and a spade flush draw. You’re in especially bad shape against a hand like Kc-Qs-9s-9h.

You should also stay away from hands with only one pair and little else. Hands like 8-8-J-3 have very little value, even if they are double-suited because you are too easily dominated if you make your flush.

Don’t Overplay Aces

Beginning players make this mistake more than any other in PLO. While Aces are a strong starting hand, too many players are unable to lay them down when the situation demands it. This is especially true for players moving into PLO from No-Limit Hold ‘em, where Aces are worth much more before the flop. Don’t be the player who blindly pushes their chips into the middle with two Aces hoping that they simply ‘hold up.’

The main rationale for raising or re-raising with a hand that contains two Aces is that if you and your opponent both hit your hands, you will have hit yours harder. You figure to get all-in where you are a major favorite over your opponent, either with a higher set, a higher flush, or a higher straight.

It’s also important to remember that if the flop doesn’t improve your hand, it will very likely help your opponent. I don’t recommend playing a big pot with one pair – even if they are Aces – in PLO.

Because Pot-Limit Omaha is such a multi-layered game, it’s important to realize that most of the action is going to happen after the flop. With four cards in your hand, you’ll have many more opportunities to draw to winning hands than you do in Hold ‘em. Of course, your opponents also have many more chances to outdraw you, which is why understanding the value of different hands before the flop is so important.

By developing a solid understanding of the basics of PLO, you’ll give yourself a strong platform on which to build your game.

Phil Gordon

To limp or not to limp – that is the question. I’m not going to name any names here, but there are some big-time pros who will argue that it’s OK to limp into a pot before the flop. They reason that the more flops they see, the more likely they are to hit something big. If not, well, then they’re pros and they can outplay their opponents after the flop.

I tend to land on the other side of the fence in this debate. My pre-flop strategy is this – its raise or its fold, there’s no in between. I’m not injured – I don’t have a sprained ankle or a broken leg – so why would I limp? There’s nothing wrong with seeing flops, but why let your opponents get in cheap with an inferior hand?

I like to size my pre-flop raises based on my position. A lot of inexperienced players raise based on the strength of their hands, but good players will pick up on this play before too long. If you always raise four times the big blind with pocket Aces, Kings, and Queens, but only three times with everything else, skilled opponents will notice these patterns and exploit them later on.

If, on the other hand, you always raise a predetermined amount based on your position, your holdings will be much better disguised. By adopting this strategy, it doesn’t matter if you’re holding pocket Aces or 7-8 off-suit (which is the kind of junk I highly recommend you don’t play), your opponents will have a much harder time putting you on a hand after the flop. Cards aside, here’s how I like to play before the flop:

• From early position – including the blinds – raise two-and-a-half times the big blind. You are more susceptible to a re-raise from this position, so it’s best not to risk too many chips. Still, this raise lets everyone know that you mean business.
• From middle position, raise three times the big blind. Hopefully a couple of people will already have folded to you, so there’s less chance of being re-raised. Hence, you can afford to make a stronger push and possibly steal the blinds.
• From middle/late position, raise three-and-a-half times the big blind. You really want to encourage those last couple of players to fold so you can go heads up with the blinds or just steal them outright.
• From the button, raise four times the big blind. You either want to steal the blinds or make it really expensive for them to re-raise you.

Now, obviously when you play this raise or fold style before the flop, you can’t be afraid of action. A lot of players – especially when they raise with a hand that they’d rather not see called – get that internal dialogue going that says “Please fold, please fold, please fold.” But here’s the thing; you should want action and welcome a call.

The fact is your opponent is going to miss the flop such a high percentage of the time that it shouldn’t matter whether you hit or not. You’re the one who raised and you’re the one in the driver’s seat. Every chip that your opponent put into the pot before the flop is, in all likelihood, coming over to your chip stack. Even if your opponent does hit the flop, chances are they might not hit it very hard. If your opponent has A-8 and the flop comes K-8-4, the pot can still be yours. Steel those nerves and fire off a continuation bet – you’re going to get them to lay down their hand a good amount of the time.

At the end of the day, it’s all about how many chips are coming back to your stack. The more you put in pre-flop, the more you should get out of the pot when it’s all said and done. Forget about limping, it’s time to go full speed ahead.

John Cernuto

As I discussed last week, there are many factors that come into determining how you play from the blinds in tournaments, including your opponent’s position at the table. Of course, that’s not the only factor to take into consideration.

Throughout a tournament, everyone develops a table image that impacts how people play against them. Depending on your opponent’s style of play ? and how your opponent perceives you ? you might be able to play back at someone who is trying to steal your blinds from late position. As mentioned earlier, this is especially useful later in tournaments when the blinds are much bigger and antes come into play.

You always have the option of re-stealing at anytime in a tournament, but this isn’t a move you should make without some careful consideration. For example, if you’re worried about your opponent calling your re-steal attempt, I recommend not even attempting this play unless you’re holding a hand no worse than A-9. Preferably, you’re looking for something even stronger.

If, on the other hand, you think your opponent will fold to your re-raise, the cards in your hand shouldn’t affect your decision to make this play one way or the other. I’m not suggesting that you re-raise blind, but rather, that you shouldn’t let a weak hand deter you from playing back at an opponent you’re sure is going fold under pressure. If I know my opponent is going to fold if I re-raise, but I look down at 7-2, I might second guess myself and not make the move.

This concept may be a little difficult to pull off when you are playing online, so try to employ the “ATC Rule.” If you have a good handle on the situation and a strong read on your opponent, then Any Two Cards will do the trick. Make sure that you don’t try this too frequently because the success of a re-steal partially depends on your table image. If another player sees you making this move frequently, they might be willing to gamble with a hand they would normally let go.

For example, if there’s a kamikaze out there who just keeps firing away, I’m going to wait until I have position on them to pick them off. These types of players are too willing to gamble to make re-stealing a profitable play for me. There’s nothing worse than making a move with Q-4 and being called by Q-J. You should primarily be looking to re-steal against a relatively tight player who knows how to release a hand.

Sometimes, calling from the blinds can be a better option than re-raising. Again, the decision comes back to the criteria of your opponent’s position, playing style, and perception of you. In a recent tournament, I had a very aggressive player who not only raised a lot of pots, but continued to fire away at every street. When I was in the big blind, he made his standard raise and I looked down at pocket Kings. I chose to just flat-call because I knew I could get at least one more bet out of him. In fact, I check-called him all the way to the river because I knew he was hyper-aggressive and would read my flat calls as a sign of weakness rather than strength.

Remember, you have three options when you’re in the blinds and your default option should be to fold. However, players who win tournaments do so because they made the right moves at the right times. If you decide to either re-steal or flat-call from the blinds, it should be based on your opponent’s position and playing style. If you can learn to read these situations correctly, both your chip stack and your tournament success will grow.