Recent Posts by FTR Poker Admin

FTR Admin


Pyroxene’s Common Flop Odds

Pyroxene’s Common Flop Odds

detailed analysis of common flop odds in poker, specifically focusing on 8-out straight draws, and categorizes them into two types—TYPE-1 and TYPE-2—while offering mathematical probabilities for each scenario based on different types of connectors
iPhone Poker

iPhone Poker

challenges and solutions for playing online poker on iPhones and other iDevices, highlighting that native real-money poker apps are currently not allowed on the App Store but there are workarounds like using Java clients through jailbreaking or employing remote desktop methods
Sit-n-Go Strategy Guide Part 2

Sit-n-Go Strategy Guide Part 2

There are important differences in play between single-table and multi-table SNGs. There are other important considerations if you're playing satellite Sit and Gos. Regardless of the type of SNG you play, you should observe your opponents and take relevant notes on them.
The $6,000,000 Poker Player

The $6,000,000 Poker Player

by combining the skills and attributes of various top players, one can conceptualize the ultimate poker player, with attributes such as the fundamentals of Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, the aggression of Phil Ivey, the creativity of Tom "Durrrr" Dwan, and the hand-reading abilities of Phil Galfond
The Best Time to Bluff

The Best Time to Bluff

Ever wonder what differentiates good bluffs from bad ones? This article explains the conditions that are the most ideal for you to pull off a bluff and the situations in which you’re least likely to succeed at bluffing. Your playing image and other factors determine when bluffing is a wise move.
In the Trenches: Winning at Low-Limit Poker

In the Trenches: Winning at Low-Limit Poker

Low-limit novice players will move all-in at the drop of a hat, or make ridiculous calls in obvious folding situations. They're playing for pennies, not pride, and their decisions fall into the “What the hell, let's gamble” category more often than veteran players would like.
Chardrian’s Guide to Live Small Stakes Limit Holdem (Part 7)

The UTG Live Straddle

Straddling under the gun is sometimes done in live, loose poker games. When a player straddles, the blinds lose value, but every other position gains value. Because the pot will play about twice as large as normal, you should change your starting hand requirements to take account of the straddle.
Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 1

Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 1

When it's folded to your SB in a poker tournament, you ought to be shoving pretty wide if your stack is small. You need to consider how often the big blind will fold, how often he will call and win, and how often he will call and you will win to be able to calculate if it's profitable to go all in.
Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 1

Andy Holt’s Guide to Satellite Poker Tournaments

Satellite poker tournaments can be very profitable, but they require strategic adjustments from normal tournament play. You don't want to risk your stack early on because survival is more important than chip accumulation. This changes later on in the tournament.
The Problem with Physical Tells

The Problem with Physical Tells

While many novice poker players place significant emphasis on physical tells and bluffing, the article highlights the challenges and inaccuracies of relying solely on these cues, emphasizing that tells can be misleading, often overlap with standard play, and can detract from more critical aspects of the game like spotting betting patterns and board reading
Card Looking Poker Tells

Card Looking Poker Tells

the importance of observing opponents' reactions when they look at their cards in poker games, suggesting that players can gain valuable insights into their opponents' hands by noting their behaviors, such as the speed of their reactions, shuffling habits, and responses to the flop
Bluffing Poker Tells

Bluffing Poker Tells

Players often exhibit specific tells when bluffing at the poker table, and while individual reactions may vary, there are general tells, as discussed by Caro, that can indicate a bluff
Bluffing Frequencies and Exploiting Opponents

Bluffing Frequencies and Exploiting Opponents

Appropriate for lower stakes players, this article demonstrates how to calculate your unexploitable bluffing frequency and your competitor’s unexploitable folding frequency. It also explains how and when to apply these unexploitable strategies to your advantage to maximize your winnings!
Pyroxene’s Common Flop Odds

Calculating Hand Combinations

understanding hand combinations in poker, discussing the probability of specific hand occurrences, the impact of blockers on potential hand combinations, and how to quickly calculate the likelihood of certain hands based on visible cards and known blockers
Crazy Pineapple Rules

Crazy Pineapple Rules

Crazy Pineapple is just like Texas Hold'em, but it has a fun twist! There are three hole cards, and after the flop, you choose and discard one. Due to the extra card, hands tend to be stronger than they would be in a normal Texas Hold'em game.
Crazy Pineapple Rules

7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules

7 Card Stud Hi/Lo is an exciting variant on normal 7 Card Stud play. In this split-pot format, players can win the high half of the pot, the low half of the pot or scoop the entire pot. Beware of getting quartered though! It can be costly.
Crazy Pineapple Rules

5 Card Draw Rules

5 Card Draw is a game that's familiar to many poker players through fondly remembered games around the kitchen table. With only two betting rounds and the possibility of replacing cards you don't like, the game is completely different from Texas Hold'em.
The Problem with Physical Tells

Babysitting Blunders: How Not to Treat New Players

During my time at the tables, I've had a chance to observe an extensive amount of human behavior. Thanks to the growing popularity of the game, I'm seeing more and more diverse personalities sported by players operating on a variety of skill levels. But with the ever-expanding pool of competitors, I find many of my brothers and sisters who've been around for a while are forgetting some of the cardinal rules of the game. I'm talking, specifically, about the treatment of new players at the tables. It happens both at live events and when surfing through the online card rooms. There are veterans (and even more who think themselves to be veterans) who, by carrying themselves in a certain fashion, do themselves a disservice and consequently reduce their own level of play.
Order of Poker Hands – Omaha

Order of Poker Hands – Omaha

There are a few superficial similarities between No Limit Texas Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha. The names of the streets and the rounds of betting are identical. There are important differences as well, not least of which is the fact that there are four hole cards in PLO.
Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 1

Win MTT Poker 10 – Developing Skills

the importance of adapting one's poker strategy based on the table dynamics and opponents, cautioning against rigidly following any single approach, and highlights the need to play poker based on situations and opponents rather than just the cards in hand
Order of Poker Hands – Omaha

Salsa4evers PLO Hand of the Day

detailed analysis of a Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo hand played by Salsa4ever, discussing the strategic decisions made at each stage of the hand, from pre-flop to the river, with insights on betting patterns, hand strengths, and the implications of board texture
Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 1

Win MTT Poker 12 – Poker Secrets and Tilt

various MTT poker strategies, emphasizing the importance of understanding betting patterns and making accurate reads on opponents, while also highlighting the detrimental effects of tilt and the need for emotional control, using vivid metaphors and references to literature to drive home key points
Pre-flop Strategy – Starting Hand Rankings: Groups 3 to 4

A Different kind of Quiz for SHNL: Adjusting?

various scenarios and challenges poker players to think about how they would adjust their strategies in response to specific opponent tendencies, emphasizing the importance of observation, information gathering, and adapting to different forms of aggression to succeed in higher stakes games
Pyroxene’s Common Flop Odds

Pot Odds and Outs Chart

You need to learn the odds of completing common drawing hands in order to have any chance at the poker tables. Memorize the chart contained in this article or at least learn how to approximate your chances by applying a simple formula. There are also software tools that allow precise calculation.
Limit vs No Limit Texas Holdem Poker

A Hand in Action from the Hijack

in-depth analysis of a poker hand played from the hijack position in a NL100 full-ring game, emphasizing the strategic decisions made at each stage, from pre-flop to the river, and the importance of understanding opponent tendencies, hand ranges, and board texture to make informed decisions
Studying Poker With Spreadsheets (Part 5): Checking to Induce

Poker Hands Odds

breakdown of the odds and percentages associated with various poker hand match-ups, both pre-flop and post-flop, helping players understand the likelihood of specific outcomes, such as the chances of an overpair beating a flush draw or the odds of a set over set scenario
Crazy Pineapple Rules

7 Card Stud Rules

7 Card Stud was "the" game before Texas Hold'em became popular. Though it has been surpassed in popularity, there are still many players who enjoy 7 Card Stud. With neither community cards nor flops, the dynamics of the game are very different from what you may be used to.
Adjusting to Different Buy-in Levels

New Approach to Table Selection

unique method for table selection in poker, suggesting that players can attract fish by starting at an empty 6-max table and waiting for them to join, emphasizing that this strategy can lead to a table filled with less skilled players, thereby increasing one's chances of winning
Sit-n-Go Strategy Guide Part 2

Playing Blinds in SNGs

Playing from the blinds in a SNG tournament is tricky. You'll often be getting very favorable pot odds and thus be inclined to play many hands. But you should remember that you'll be out of position without the initiative. In early levels, it's far better to stay out of trouble by playing tight.
Before Moving to $3/6

Before Moving to $3/6

several strategic poker plays that players should be familiar with before advancing to higher stakes, emphasizing the importance of understanding and effectively utilizing these plays to maximize profitability and outmaneuver opponents in various game situations
The Best Time to Bluff

A Post About Bluffing

Bluffing is an integral, exciting part of poker. Defending against suspected opponent bluffs is no less important to your overall strategy. But becoming too focused on bluffs to the exclusion of other considerations can lead you straight to the poorhouse.
Apply Yourself at Learning Poker

Apply Yourself at Learning Poker

Whenever you read poker strategy guides or books, you must be prepared to study them carefully. Merely skimming the contents will not advance your game very much at all. You should always consider the strategic implications of anything you read to get the maximum value from it.
Emotional Mastery Over Poker Tilt

Poker Discipline

the importance of discipline in various aspects of poker, from bankroll management to in-game decisions, highlighting that while knowledge is crucial, the discipline to execute that knowledge is equally vital for success in poker
Sit-n-Go Strategy Guide Part 2

Double or Nothing SNGs – Part I – Pre-Flop

Disclaimer: This guide is based on my experiences of $10 Double or Nothing SNGs (DONs).   Introduction This is a brief introduction to the ‘Double Or Nothing’ tournaments (DONs) that run on PokerStars. These are 10 man SNGs but with a flat payout...
Apply Yourself at Learning Poker

Learning the Other Games

Even if you’ve never played anything but Texas Hold’em, there are universal poker principles that will make it easy for you to learn how to play other variants of the game before you master them. Your position, seat selection and bankroll management are critical when you are picking up a new game.
Order of Poker Hands – Omaha

Bluffing In Omaha Poker

While value-betting is important in PLO, it's also important to have bluffs in your ranges. Semi-bluffs have incredible value because many drawing hands are tied with or even ahead of decent made hands. Holding blockers to the nuts can really help your bluffs succeed.
Scuba Chuck’s What is Expected Value(EV)?

Scuba Chuck’s What is Expected Value(EV)?

the mathematical concept of Expected Value (EV) in poker, emphasizing its significance in making profitable decisions by consistently choosing the most +EV situations, and discusses the intricacies of calculating EV in different poker scenarios, particularly in NL SNGs
Limit vs No Limit Texas Holdem Poker

The Anatomy of an Adjustment

the importance of making strategic adjustments in low stakes poker to exploit opponents, emphasizing that many players fail to grasp the true essence of exploitation and offers insights on how to recognize and implement effective adjustments based on opponent behavior
Dealing With Bad Beats

Dealing With Bad Beats

the inevitability of bad beats in poker, emphasizing that they are a part of the game, often reinforcing poor play in some players, and highlighting the psychological stages players go through when faced with such situations, from anger to indifference
Dealing With Bad Beats

Poker Bad Beats And You

You have a pretty looking hand and your opponent has a funny, lopsided looking hand and you’re happy to see that all the money goes in the pot. The end. Everything after that is just an illusion taking your focus away from a truth in poker. You’ve made the...
Limit vs No Limit Texas Holdem Poker

3 Bet Strategy

advice for 200NL or lower 6Max poker games, emphasizing the importance of adjusting strategies based on effective stack sizes of 80-125BB preflop and considering opponent's assumptions about one's play
Chardrian’s Guide to Live Small Stakes Limit Holdem (Part 7)

More Poker Tells and Reviews

When playing live poker, you can get important tells on your opponents by carefully paying attention to their movements and actions. Whenever players seem to deliberately go out of their way to give you information, the actual information is usually the opposite of what they're trying to tell you.
Adjusting to Different Buy-in Levels

Beating Small-Stakes Cash Games

challenges and misconceptions faced by skilled players when playing at lower stakes, emphasizing the importance of adjusting one's strategy, avoiding over-bluffing, and recognizing that advanced poker knowledge can sometimes be a hindrance in games where straightforward play is more effective against weaker opponent
Crazy Pineapple Rules

Razz Rules

Razz is a form of poker very similar to 7 Card Stud. The difference is that you're playing for low instead of high. A "wheel" consists of A2345 and is the best possible hand. Straights and flushes don't count against your low hand here.

Dumbest Poker Conspiracy Theories

For as long as online poker existed, conspiracy theories about every aspect of it have constantly been floating around. Just like any other persistent conspiracy theories, logic and facts never really phased any of them and the craziest ones live on to this day. Most...

Top 10 Jobs Poker Players Would Be Good At

Only a small percentage of dedicated professionals choose poker as their lifelong career and most of those who consider themselves professional poker players sooner or later choose to move on to a different career path. Fortunately, poker leaves long time players with...

10 Poker Life Lessons

Poker, much like most other forms of competition, has real-life parallels. The skills you learn grinding it out on the felt have more use than just getting your opponent to jam into your nut flush (although that is important). Controlling emotions, dissecting other...

Top 10 Craziest Televised Hands

A few weeks ago it was announced that 2015 will see the launch of the first 24/7 poker channel. While many poker players agree that the heyday of televised poker has passed, this is still an interesting development for poker, which shows that the game is not as ‘dead’...

Top 10 Biggest Poker Donations

Every year, poker players and organizations alike donate millions to various causes all around the world. Just a few decades ago, poker may not have been associated very closely with charitable causes, but this perception has been strongly changing ever since the...