The Blog

The small blind is the worst position at the poker table. You are forced to put money in before the cards are dealt, and then you play every postflop street out of position against everyone […]

A pair with an open-ended straight draw feels like a hand that wants to bet, bet, bet. Out of position against a caller, though, the most profitable line is often more patient and more thoughtful. […]

Most players decide on a bet size by looking at the pot, picking a number that feels right, and moving on. They do the same on the next street. And the next. Then they arrive […]

Suited connectors are some of the most profitable and most misplayed hands in poker. When they hit, they win huge pots, but most of the time they whiff and leave you holding a weak draw […]

When your opponent checks and hands you the betting lead, a weak draw becomes a weapon. Semi-bluffing a gutshot is one of the most reliable ways to win pots you have no business winning at […]

Most players in small-stakes games are afraid to bluff. They check rivers where a bet would win the pot uncontested. They give up on semi-bluffs the moment they miss. And they wonder why their win […]

KK feels like a hand you can never fold, and on most boards that instinct is correct. But an overpair on a paired board is one of the great traps in tournament poker. The moment […]

Most players approach hand reading the wrong way. They try to put their opponent on one specific hand, decide that is probably what they have, and play accordingly. The problem is that they are wrong […]

Suited connectors love to make a little bit of everything and rarely a lot of anything. Turning second pair with a backup draw is a perfect example: it feels too weak to bet for value […]