by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Point 21: Remember to Remember What They Remember. An essential question to ask when contemplating your next move is what do my opponents know about me. What cards have I shown down, from what position, what size of bets have I made, do they have player notes 2 pages...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Actually, I almost didn’t write this article simply because I thought that writing it might be a waste of time. The reason being is that the vast majority of players who read this will probably, through a combination of conceit and egotism, think that I am not...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Beginner Poker, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
It’s one of the scariest feelings in poker – You’ve just lost a huge pot to a three-to-one underdog and given up most of your stack. As you watch the opponent sort your chips and integrate them into his pile, a sickening realization creeps up on you…...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Beginner Poker
Introduction This is the sixth part of the free NLHE Foundations Series that I’m running here on FTR. This series is designed to give you a very clear set of tools that will teach you how to study what will really make you a better NLHE poker player. If you want...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Poker Strategy
The new year typically brings resolutions in your personal, professional, and more importantly, poker life. Many players view the beginning of another year as a fresh start, a time to get rid of bad habits and to begin implementing changes. Those looking for some...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
I have to say that I absolutely love poker but I guess that I have written enough articles now for FlopTurnRiver for you to already now that. In this article I want to look at the concept of pot control. This is something that has been expanded over the past few years...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Featured Omaha, Omaha, Poker Strategy
After educating yourself on pre-flop strategy, positional awareness, and other basic poker fundamentals, it is time to move onto more complex strategies. One of which is the oldest form of winning a pot, bluffing. There are a few different types of bluffs including...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 5, 2022 | Featured Poker Rules, Poker Rules, Poker Strategy
HORSE is a mixed-rotation game consisting of five games played in a limit format. Each game is played for eight hands and then the next game is dealt. HORSE is an acronym for the games in the rotation. H – Hold’em O – Omaha Hi/Lo R – Razz S –...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Point 30: Artificial Intelligence Can Be Deadly On this site and others, there has been a lot of talk about what style to play, what hands to play, what situations to play in, etc. All of this serves as a mock up of real play, similar to building a model suitable for...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | Omaha, Poker Strategy
Hopefully this will be a semi-regular feature where I’m going to make strategy posts or hand analyses of varying lengths on varying Omaha topics depending on my mood. Here’s today’s installment – a hand that I discussed with a friend: Pot Limit...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
Click here to read our PokerStars Review. PokerStars recently introduced a new mixed-game, 8-game, to their games. 8-game combines eight different poker games in a 6max format, testing a player’s ability in a wide variety of games. 8-game can be played in both a...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Videos
Grinding sit & go’s, most of the profit comes from heads-up situations. In part 4 you will see a review of 3 more hands played heads-up and the thinking behind maximizing your profits on each street.
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | Beginner Poker
One of the problems that some players, especially newer ones, run into is that they don’t quite understand the power of semi-bluffing. A lot of these players use the bet/(bet+pot) guideline to figure out about how often an opponent has to fold for a bluff to be...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 4, 2022 | Live Poker, Poker Strategy
Brodie discusses games, seats and opposition in the brick and mortar poker setting. DaNutsInYoEye suggested that someone write up a brief guide to playing poker in B&M venues. I do a fair amount of B&M playing, so I thought I’d start it out as sort of a...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Introduction As part of the free NLHE Foundations Course, I’ve been providing a “hold my hand” approach to different types of analysis that you can do to learn about poker. If you want to take part, go to the link above, post in the thread, and...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
This is a continuation of DavSimon’s Single Table Tournament (SnG) strategies. Click here to read DavSimon’s Part 1: Sit-n-Go/Turbo Strategy Guide or here to read Part 2: SNG Strategy Guide – 6 Max SNG & Other SNG’s. Sit-n-Go Strategy Guide...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Group 1: any two cards Group 2: any two cards you found in your wallet (Blockbuster, Visa, library card) Har har! Not really. But yes, the starting requirements are a lot looser and a lot more vague than in a full ring game. I don’t consult a chart – a lot...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Beginner Poker
Introduction Whether you want to call it “playing on feel” or whatever else, the fact of the matter is that practical play on a strong level is based around a higher level of abstract thought. The reason for this is simple: Poker is a very complicated...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Beginner Poker
This is the first in a series of articles about building a practical understanding of game theory regarding poker. Game theory is a branch of mathematics that can be used to model and evaluate certain types of games. Poker is a natural target for this kind of thing,...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Cash Games
For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the basis of pre-draw hand distributions. In this week’s edition, we’re going to put it all together and start looking at actual pre-flop hand ranges as a whole. You will need to know the material from...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Point 42: Heads Up The most frequent question I get asked is how do I play heads up. This is truly a difficult part of the game for most people because they have so little experience. All most all their poker play is based on tables with large fields. I haven’t...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
The indepth discussion on the bet/fold and the check/call: I’d like to discuss a really simple concept that is killing your winrate. I discovered it not to long ago. It’s really not that hard, but truthfully for the 1/2 grinder who just can’t seem to...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
I have to admit, most of my articles give advice that is hard to understand. When you don’t understand preliminary concepts to the ideas of talking about, it’s almost impossible to truly understand anything I or high stakes players talk about. In later articles I’m...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Poker Psychology
Introduction My goal with this strategy series is to help you to make more money. I’ve had posts on the mental game in the past, but this one is going to be the most important. We’re going to essentially cover a super-simple form of meditation that is...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Omaha, Poker Strategy
Omaha-Hi, one of the most popular non-hold’em game types, utilizes many of the same rules as other poker games. Indeed, Omaha is extremely similar to Hold’em in several respects. The betting structure (blinds, flop, turn, river, etc.) is identical, the...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Michael1123 has been a member of FTR since June of 2004 and has over 1,700 posts in our poker forum. Michael1123 is a successful and accomplished tournament player. Michael1123 had a fantastic run at the 2005 WSOP Main Event, which you can read all about here. Below...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
Disclaimer: This guide is based on my experiences of $10 & $20 DON SNGs. Introduction This post follows on from my ‘DONs Mid-Tournament & Post Flop Play’ and looks at end game strategy based around bubble play and collusion. Bubble...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Videos
Grinding 18 or 27 man sit & go’s, most of the profit comes from heads-up situations. This time you will see a review of 3 hands played heads-up and the thinking behind maximizing your profits on each street.
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Poker Rules, Poker Strategy
Pot-Limit Omaha Hi is becoming one of the more popular card games around the world. Known as an action game, PLO is played at the highest of limits in card rooms such as Bobby’s Room in Las Vegas where typical blinds are $500/$1000. Pot-Limit Omaha is a high-hand only...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 3, 2022 | Limit Hold’em, Live Poker, Poker Strategy
It is finally time to start getting to the nitty gritty. My previous posts have dealt more with getting you psychologically prepared for the game, and that is a very important part of the game, but most people reading this are likely to be more interested in finding...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
Background About 3 years ago my house-mate introduced me to the idea of online poker. I started playing cash games at Party Poker and I wasn’t very good. I had little what I was doing and was playing anything up to $1/$2 on a bankroll of less than $100 (in fact,...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured SNG, Poker Strategy, SNG
I’m not going to cover the theory underlying ICM as this has been covered much more comprehensively elsewhere (Link here), so these posts are intended to be a step-by-step guide to the following situations that cannot be calculated using SNGPT (note that SNG Wiz...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Tools
Mac users don’t have it easy when it comes to online poker. But before you begin to weep uncontrollably into your ergonomic keyboard, pause for a moment and take stock. We may not be afforded the attention lavished on our Windows-using compatriots, but things aren’t...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Beginner Poker, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Most of us have played poker in one form or another. The game is universal, reaching across the world to unite players of all ages and nations. Let’s get to the basics. Players are each dealt a set number of cards in a predetermined timing system (deal, flop,...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured SNG, Poker Strategy, SNG
I’ve seen some excellent sng guides out on the boards. Now it’s my turn to put my own personal spin on it…. This is not intended to be a step-by-step sng guide. It is an attempt to answer the big picture question: What are the main strategic areas...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Patience is a very important factor when playing larger field MTT’s. Maintaining concentration, proper pace, and patience is key to making it deep in a tournament. aokrongly discusses his thoughts on maintaining patience and pacing in the essay below. aokrongly...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how to calculate your expected value (EV) for pushing all in from the small blind against the big blind. In Part 2, we’ll take a look at what to do with very short stacks. There are a few factors that compliment the EV...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Beginner Poker
Practical Play After part 1, part 2 and part 3 of this series, you’ve probably seen that we’re working a lot more within the realm of what’s practical than trying to get into heavy, mathematical explanations and range analysis. This is mostly out of...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
This is a continuation of DavSimon’s Single Table Tournament (SnG) strategies. Click here to read DavSimon’s Sit-n-Go/Turbo Strategy Guide Part 1. SnG Strategy Guide – Section 4 Alright, now we know what stakes we should be playing at, we now have to...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Group 0: AA KK Group 1: QQ JJ AKs Group 2: TT AK AQs AJs KQs Group 3: AQ 99 88 77 ATs KJs Group 4: AJ KQ QJs KTs JTs AT Group 5: 66 55 44 33 22 KJ(?) QTs(?) A9s(?) A8s(?) QJ(?) Group 6(?): KT QT JT A7s K9s Q9s T9s J9s A5s A6s A4s A3s A2s Group 7(?): A9 K9 98s 87s (?)...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold’em, Poker Strategy
Here is a topic that we have been debating about in another thread: Pot Equity Edge….and what the hell do you do with it? When we get to debating topics, it does a couple of things for me, personally. First, it makes me choose a side and "fight."...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured Live Poker, Live Poker, Poker Strategy
Often in live games you will see the looser, gambling players posting a live straddle. What is it? How does it affect the game and what should we do about it? This article will take a more technical online-like view of the phenomenon usually only seen in live...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Having spent around twenty years in the gambling industry in one capacity or another and numerous years in online poker, you cannot help but become aware of the seedier side of the industry. But this applies to all fields, it doesn’t matter what it is or how high...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured MTT, MTT, Poker Strategy
Point 24: Celebrate Your Bad Beats I realize the title of this point sounds moronic, but let me expand. When you take a bad beat, someone had to draw uphill on you. They committed their chips in a situation where they had negative expectation. This my friends is the...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Leading the flop when you were not the pre-flop aggressor is very similar to continuation betting. You have a range, your opponent has a range, and you have now made a bet that your opponent will have to react to. However, there is another relationship that leading on...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Tools
This article explains some methods for how to play online poker on your iPhone and other iDevices like the iPad. If you would like to read our article explaining more of the background and relationship between the iPhone and online poker, please see this related...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Featured Strategy, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
#1 Playing a Wide Range Out of Position Position is paramount in poker, and while most have certainly heard this statement, understanding why this is a fundamental truth is key. Position gives us an edge we cannot gain otherwise in poker. It gives us the edge of...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 2, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Poker Strategy
In Part 1 of this series we looked at the more popular non-Hold’em games including Omaha and the Stud variations. In Part 2 we looked into draw games which are in fact more popular in live settings than they are online. There are a few more games to touch on...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Limit Texas Holdem vs. No Limit Texas Holdem – the debate goes on. Which game should you master? Well, everyone here at FTR has their own opinion. We have very skilled and profitable players profiting from both forms of the game. I have my opinion too, and No Limit...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | MTT, Poker Strategy
Ok – this post is probably going to be coming in segments. Instead of posting my entire hand history, I’ve decided to post pertinent hands and discuss how they did or maybe did not go with my overall strategy. First of all – a little background. I...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Tools
The FTR Hand History Converter is a great tool which should be used to help Players share their Hand Histories with other poker Players on a variety of poker forums. Players can convert hand histories from their favorite poker sites or databases into a forum-friendly...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Most players who are new to online poker will start at the lowest stakes possible, commonly known as “Microstakes”. In general, microstakes are considered to be any poker stakes up to $0.10/$0.25 blinds in NL and $0.50/$1.00 in Limit games. The concept of...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Limit Hold’em, Poker Strategy
In this article I would like to discuss just what you can expect to find at various levels these days at six handed limit. Gone are the old days when a good strong solid player could make a living playing $20-$40 online with just the rudiments of the game as a weapon....
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Featured Omaha, Omaha, Poker Strategy
With the recent explosion of non-Hold’em games such as Pot-Limit Omaha and mixed games, there are many players realizing there are profits to be made outside of NL Hold’em. With television shows such as the FullTilt Million Dollar Cash Game broadcasting...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
For the original ISF theorem post go here: ISF Theorem When I wrote ISF Theorem a half year ago, I was at a very frustrating point in my game. I was a very marginal winner at 200nl and was going on two straight losing months, which was absolutely devastating to my...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, No Limit Hold'em
Introduction I’ve been doing the free NLHE Foundations Course here on FlopTurnRiver to give players a straight-forward path to go from the beginner levels to the intermediate levels with a mind towards being able to systematically improve over time. If you want...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Limit Hold’em, Live Poker, Poker Strategy
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF A SMALL STAKES GAME The most common characteristics of a small stakes game are that the players will be loose and passive. Most of the players will believe that luck is a more important factor in the game then skill; and most of the players...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Cash Games, Featured Beginner Poker, Featured Cash Games, Featured No Limit Hold'em, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
One seemingly simple concept in No-Limit Texas Hold’em which tends to get a large amount of discussion is continuation betting. For those unfamiliar with the term a continuation bet (c-bet) is a bet by the pre-flop raiser on the flop. The term refers to this...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Poker Rules, Poker Strategy
Omaha Hi/Lo is typically played as a limit game but can be played as pot-limit as well. Omaha Hi/Lo is also known as Omaha8b, or Omaha 8-or-better. Omaha H/L is a split-got game in which half the pot is awarded to the player holding the best five-card hand while the...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
Click here to read our PokerStars Review. There are many different types of PokerStars Multi-Table Sit And Gos. Formats start as low as two-tables and as high at 20-tables. The most popular forms of these games are 2, 5, and 20 table SnGs, also known at 18, 45, and...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Live Poker, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
For many U.S. players, Black Friday has meant the end of playing poker online. For those players, the only way to currently play poker without the worry of legality or cashouts is to go to a brick and mortar cardroom and play honest to god live poker. I happen to be...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
This is a continuation of DavSimon’s Single Table Tournament (SnG) strategies. Click here to read DavSimon’s Part 1: Sit-n-Go/Turbo Strategy Guide here to read Part 2: SNG Strategy Guide – 6 Max SNG & Other SNG’s, or here to read Part 3:...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Featured Beginner Poker, Featured Poker Psychology, Poker Psychology, Poker Strategy
Whether you are a cash game, tournament, or SNG grinder, putting in time at the tables is a big key to becoming a winning player. It takes hundreds of thousands of hands to become proficient at any of the poker disciplines and to do so you will have to grind. Some...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, No Limit Hold'em
Introduction This is the fifth part of the NLHE Foundations Series. This series is designed to give a clear set of topics to study and methods for studying that will bring players up to the intermediate levels in no-limit hold’em. People who are signed up in the...
by FTR Poker Admin | May 1, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Poker Strategy
One of the biggest mistakes players make when signing up for a new poker site is failing to take advantage of bonus offers. Every site offers some sort of initial deposit bonus to new clientèle, and for those new to the game it can make the difference in having to...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Poker Strategy, Poker Tools
Below is a nice write-up provided by Calculatem Pro that describes the software package, its benefits, and some testimonials! How To Take Advantage of Bad Players At Online Poker The increase of poker popularity has led to a flood of fish who are just WAITING for you...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Poker Psychology, Poker Strategy
Most of my recent blogs have been geared toward live poker. However, since we’re in an online environment, I felt that it was high time that I gave some tips and tricks to help you in the internet age. We’ve all fallen prey to the common ills of online...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Poker Psychology, Poker Strategy
Poker tell: “A tell in poker is a subtle but detectable change in a player’s behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player’s assessment of his hand. A player gains an advantage if he observes and understands the meaning of another player’s...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Poker Strategy, SNG
(10/20, 15/30 and 25/50 + 5 blind levels) PRE-FLOP CARD SELECTION As we have discussed previously, you should play fairly tightly in the opening. The exact nature of how tight depends on personal preference. Since I am frequently playing 15+ tables at once, I want to...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
The alpha value is one of the most important numbers in a discussion of poker because it gives you a lot of information with a simple calculation. However, it’s often applied incorrectly because of a lack of understanding of what it can and should be used for....
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Limit Hold’em, Poker Strategy
This first hand takes place in a $5-$10 full-ring game on Pokerloco. One player had limped in and I held the Ah-Qd and raised from middle position. The button cold called the raise behind me and everyone else folded except the original limper who called. Before we...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Beginner Poker
This is the second in a series for beginning and intermediate players on building a practical understanding of game theory as regards poker. In our first edition of this series (link), we looked at how attack and defense correspond to exploitation and protecting...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
In last week’s article, we looked at the basic components of EV calculations. We made two very important points that we’re going to use this week: The EV of an event is equal to the EVs of each possible outcome added together. The EV of an individual...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Beginner Poker, Poker Strategy
If you were to ask this question to any player who is a successful multi-tabler, then they would probably laugh you out of the room. Anyone who successfully plays multiple tables and plays them very well without making stupendously dumb plays and who makes good money...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Cash Games, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Let’s face it, we all know how important aggression is in poker. But years ago I used to remark how easy it was to be aggressive and that anyone could do it. If I told a novice player to empty the clip every time he entered a pot then his violent aggression...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 30, 2022 | Poker Psychology, Poker Strategy
There are many things that are important in Poker; your position during a hand, your starting hand (cards), your opponent tendencies, the odds for a certain draw to hit, how that draw fares versus your holding, bluffing opportunities, recognition and exploitation of...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 29, 2022 | Limit Hold’em, Live Poker, Poker Strategy
In this post I am going to continue with my basic guide on how to play specific hands preflop. 2) The Big Broadways and a note about suitedness (AQ-AT; KQ-KJ) Our big broadway cards are profitable because most limit players are playing way too many hands, so when we...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 29, 2022 | Beginner Poker, No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Let’s suppose, just for purposes of illustration, that you and I are both playing in our local casino’s 10/20 Limit Hold ‘Em game. We both play about the same number of hours per year, and we are similar-style players. Let’s just be...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 29, 2022 | No Limit Hold'em, Poker Strategy
Over the past three weeks, we have been building up to this week’s material. This week, we’re going to look at how to use what we’ve learned so far to perform EV calculations for extremely complicated scenarios. The math involved does not change at...
by FTR Poker Admin | Apr 29, 2022 | Beginner Poker
Introduction During December 2014, I ran a series of articles in this column about the study of tactics vs. strategy in poker. While that series got a lot of attention from intermediate players, it left out a lot of people who weren’t really established with a...