Poker Strategy: Live Poker
Learn how to transition from online play to your local casino.
Live poker games tend to be much softer than their online counterparts, but it’s still crucial to adjust your game so that you don’t leave any money on the table. While you could probably play like you usually do online and still make a profit, it’s far better to acclimate yourself to common live poker situations so that you can maximize your returns. There are many more multi-way pots in brick-and-mortar poker, so you’ll want to become familiar with how to take advantage of these bloated pots. Then there’s the whole aspect of spotting tells while giving away nothing yourself, which is largely missing from poker played over the internet. Adding live poker to your repertoire can really boost your bottom line. The articles below focus on traditional poker, as played around a physical table, so they’ll help you get a leg up on your opponents in casinos and home games.alike.
Featured Live Poker Articles
Fnord’s Brick and Mortar/Live Poker Guide for Online Players
There are a few important principles to remember when transitioning to live poker play from the online tables. In live poker, you should try to maintain a fun, friendly image. You don’t want the rest of the table to realize that you’re playing serious poker. Beware of relying overmuch on tells.
Personal Attacks and the Check Raise
There’s a weird school of thought that check-raising in live poker is unfriendly or ungentlemanly behavior. But it is merely just another tool in your strategic arsenal. It’s usually not used to make a personal assault against an opponent. Use it to bet for value or bluff as usual.
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.
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.
Most Recent Live Poker Articles
No Deposit – All Returns: How to Build a Bankroll from Nothing Part II
This is part 2 in a 2 part series. Make sure to check out Part I before reading this - No Deposit - All Returns: How to Build a Bankroll from Nothing Part I Freeroll Strategies Whether you are playing the freerolls at FullTilt or PokerStars you have to be good...
How to Make Actual Adjustments While Playing
Talking about making adjustments to your play is easier than actually making them at the table. Read through this example of how to make an adjustment to learn how to pull them off when you’re playing. Studying examples of successful adjustments will help you learn to execute them under pressure.
Practical Game Theory in Poker (Part 1): Attack and Defense
Attack and defense in game theory mean somewhat different things than what you might initially think about in poker.
Freeroll Finesse
Freeroll tournaments are a fine way to increase your bankroll without risking any of your funds. Many players play too loosely and crazily in these events, but you should resist the temptation to do so yourself. Make sure that the prizes offered are sufficient to interest you.
How to Earn Online Poker Bonuses
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...
The True Essence of Poker
Poker strategy almost completely surrounds knowing how to handle these two situations that we’re covering this week.
Limit vs No Limit Texas Holdem Poker
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...
Optimizing Your Sessions With Simple Routines
Establishing a set of routines to perform before you begin playing poker will produce long-term, positive results. By properly training your body, you’ll be able to condition your involuntary responses to make you calm, focused and ready to play whenever you want to.
Adjusting to PokerStars Buy-in Levels
Recently the world's largest poker site, PokerStars, announced the way they were handling the minimum/maximum buy-in amounts at their cash game tables. This mainly affects NL/PL Hold'em as well as Pot-Limit Omaha games as shallow/deep stacks in limit games means next...
Nine Noobie Myths About Microstakes NLHE
I feel like tons of the noobies in the BC have serious misconceptions about microstakes poker. Here are a few I've seen lately. 1. The micros are just too fishy to be beat for any decent win rate. 2. The micros are too hard to be beat since UIGEA. 3. The FTR regs at...
Poker Hand Percentages for Omaha
PLO is growing in popularity because it affords recreational players the chance to gamble, and it gives skilled players a pretty large edge. Keep reading to find out the best starting hands and learn the effects that the pot-limit betting structure has.
Traits of Great Poker Players
By examining the playing styles of five of the world’s best online poker players, we’ve identified the four traits they have in common: trusting their instincts at the table, taking advantage of their table position, having a strong work ethic and not selecting games based on their opponents’ skill.
The Basic Concepts that Drive Continuation Betting
When it comes to continuation betting, your table position and the strength of your hole cards are even more important than the flop itself. By carefully considering these two factors in the context of how your opponent plays, you’ll be able to determine when you should make a continuation bet.
Dumpster Diving: A Guide to Playing Trash Hands
If there’s any better way to bring yourself out of a funk at the tables, I have yet to learn about it. Sometimes, playing a few less-than-premium hands can generate big wins and increase your level of play.
Playing Long Sessions
By learning how to play longer sessions at the poker tables more effectively, you can increase the amount of money you win. By carefully choosing the right tables and using lobby filters to your advantage, you can keep yourself in good +EV situations for extended periods of time.
