No Limit: Playing an Underpair

Calling a pre-flop raise with a medium pair against a single opponent is clearly a decent play and tends not to be too difficult to handle when the flop comes because the combination of the board and the opposition’s action (or lack of it) gives us quite a bit of useful information.

Facing a bet from the raiser on a flop containing an ace or king isn’t good news, but at least we can give up the chase with a clear conscience (we could be up against a random pre-flop raise and subsequent continuation bet but – particularly at the lower levels – it wouldn’t exactly be a shock to be up against top pair).

But what happens, for example, when we have called with 99, there’s a queen-high flop such as Q 7 2 and our opponent opens with a bet? This is indeed something of a poker conundrum. Of course there are numerous factors to take into account that will be specific to the situation, but this is one of the many scenarios that we can contemplate in advance to make life so much easier.

It is possible we are dominated by aces, kings, AQ, KQ and even QJ, which is why previous history can be important. But if we are dominated by a pair of jacks or tens, a hefty enough raise should be enough for us to steal the pot. We will also take the spoils if our opponent has thrown in a c-bet with AK (again, more than a fair share of similarly aggressive plays will help us come to this conclusion).

Either way, with a flop that doesn’t quite tell us as much as we would like in terms of where we stand, a call here might very well not be the most practical of our options.

Good luck,

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

When not to bluff…

Picture the scene – the hero (a rugged, strong and silent type) has just gone all-in on a scary looking board, having put his house, car, all his money and his faithful wife’s family jewels on the line. The only other player left in the pot, who has been loud and arrogant until now, suddenly looks uneasy. Colour seems to be draining from his face as he takes a long look at his cards and he curses his bad luck as he throws them down on the table and surrenders an enormous pot. Our hero finally smiles as he reveals a brilliant bluff, and we all live happily ever after.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, we feel that a hand is slipping away so try to bluff the river against a player we’ve thus far struggled with. We’re called and the session goes from bad to worse. Unfortunately the latter scenario is the more accurate description of the two, and this is because bluffing is a difficult part of the game to get to grips with. Moreover, to compound the problem, we seem to miss the best opportunities yet bluff when we shouldn’t.

In order to help minimise our mistakes, here are the times when we should avoid bluffing. It’s a safe bet to assume we’ve all been guilty of not heeding the following advice. Of course these are guidelines rather than inflexible, absolute rules.

Don’t bluff when we’ve recently been caught bluffing

Even if it’s possible that we could be as crafty as a Bond movie baddie and thus might get away with it, generally we’ll be caught out once again. After a failed bluff it tends to be a good idea to keep the bluffing powder dry for a while.

Don’t bluff into numerous players

Again we might pull it off, but it wouldn’t be surprising that a bluff into a multi-way pot won’t make its way through all the players – someone is likely to make a stand, and (remember) any made hand beats us.

Don’t bluff against weak players

This is just as foolhardy as trying to steal from several players, as it only takes one weak (and ‘fearless’) opponent for a bluff to fail. Some people simply won’t back down with any type of hand, and they even like the idea of rooting out bluffs and (worse) keeping players honest. Instead of bluffing against them, wait for a strong hand and let them call when they’re behind.

Don’t bluff immediately after coming off worse in a big pot or straight after a bad run of hands. There’s a very good reason for this: we could well be on tilt, in which case consciously keeping a check on how we react to reverses can help nip emotionally driven mistakes in the bud, and, importantly, even if we’re not tilting, if someone thinks we are we’ll anyway be called.

Don’t bluff when bluffing is the most plausible play

This isn’t as strange as it sounds – there will be situations where various factors combine to make a bluff the most reasonable means to pick up the pot and, against experienced players, attempting to do so will set their alarm bells ringing.

Don’t bluff on flops that may well have hit the opposition

A typically dangerous flop would be a co-ordinated one such as QT9, for example, while it is generally a risky strategy bluffing with an ace showing as many players are in the habit of sticking with an ace and subsequently not letting go when they connect with the flop/board.

Finally, try not to bluff when the pot is so big it will justify a call. In such circumstances players are more likely to call by convincing themselves they’re being bluffed, or even ‘mistakenly’ call in the hope of having the stronger hand.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

No Limit Cash Games Guide Part 2

The hand we all want to see – whether it’s FL or NL – is a pair of aces. Not surprisingly there is more than one way of playing, but in certain circumstances in the popular lower buy-in NL games that most people play, which are often populated with at least one person who is up for an occasional pre-flop duel, the all-guns-blazing-all-in isn’t as silly as it might seem. It is particularly worth a try when a few players have limped in or a couple have called a small raise, at which point going all-in will get action (sometimes even from more than one player!) more times than we’d imagine. Tables with a recent history of these all-in encounters are also good for our attempt with aces. What often happens is that there will be a brief period of mass activity, during which maybe one player’s inability (on seeing so much in the pot) to resist a gamble will prove infectious, and then without warning the tempo of the game will suddenly return to a more sober pace.

Of course rather than recommending we assume gung-ho mode every time we are dealt aces, the point is really to make players with little or no experience of NL games aware of the fact that even this kind of unsubtle, extreme play is by no means unusual in this format. Moreover it would be unusual to play for an hour or so and not see at least a couple of pre-flop all-in match-ups, and when they do happen they won’t necessarily involve aces, either.

Nevertheless, as always, patience is an absolute imperative. There should never – in any format – be any rush to win, and this is especially true of NL games. We should be prepared to mix our play occasionally with ‘outrageous’ moves with aces, for instance but, in the main, by biding our time we are able to be both solid and tricky.

Cutting our way through the NL jungle with a purposeful, measured aggression helps us get used to both avoiding unnecessary gambles and closely observing the play. We should anyway be keeping an eye on how the others are playing (during all hands, not just those we’re involved in) but this is a must in NL.

Losing our stack because we simply failed to notice a particular aspect of someone’s game is a sin. Observing what others are doing and earning ourselves a reward through our diligence and patience is what we sat down for in the first place.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador 

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No Limit: Can we play a full ring table in short-handed mode?

The answer should really be no, but that isn’t to say we should discount the possibility altogether. In the ‘old’ days, when online poker more mirrored the traditional casino version, full tables were not only considered a good starting point for beginners – as is still the case – but also a more popular choice for experienced players than we see today.

As the game became more tactical and aggressive the 6-max tables saw a considerable gain in popularity, the modern style of getting involved more in the action being the appropriate way of addressing the more frequent blinds.

So-called tighter players prefer to stick to full ring games, which have the additional attraction of being cheaper due to the cost per hand thanks to the ‘longer’ orbit – this might seem insignificant but over many hands makes a big difference. ‘Fewer’ blinds also means that not needing a compensatory loose approach tends to produce less variance and this, in turn, allows us to feel a little more relaxed than might be the case at a 6-max table.

Because there are far more short-handed tables nowadays (as well as heads-up tables, where tight in its literal poker sense simply won’t work), and because short-handed poker is viewed as the more fashionable and exciting game, people tend to discount full ring as an option despite the fact that it might well suit them better. But even if we ultimately end up choosing 6-max there’s something to be said for trying out bigger tables in order to better appreciate such aspects of the game as hand selection and patience. Full ring play also places more emphasis on stronger hands and implied odds.

Furthermore, once we have spent some time on both kinds of table we can return to full ring and exploit the players who are clearly the archetypal tight, conservative, no-risk full ring regulars as well as those who demonstrate little or no experience and are just too loose. It is indeed possible to apply short-handed bullying tactics and (re)steals and so on at a full table, rather than feeling that by definition we must revert to a style of ABC poker that runs the risk of being one-paced.

Poker has evolved enough over the years to afford us some flexibility.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD at the 32Red tables)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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Heads-Up Fun with your Redbacks!

I mentioned a while ago that 32Red Poker now gives you more ways to use your Redbacks (RB). Remember that you earn Redbacks while you play, whether it’s on cash tables, in a sit & go tournament or scheduled multi-table tournaments. Quite simply, for every $1 you generate in rake or tournament fees, 32Red rewards you with 10 Redbacks and, as well as being able to use them for 32Red Poker’s multi-table tournament buy-ins, you can now play for ‘free’ in the Sit & Go section too (watch out for ‘RB’ next to the buy-in info).

I recommend the exciting world of Heads-Up tournaments. In fact there’s such a good selection on offer it’s worth taking the time to see which particular format suits you best. For example you can choose from a simple €5+0.50 HU match-up – which will cost you around 750 Redbacks – to win the €10 prize, start another one, and so on, or for the same RB750 outlay enter a 4-player HU winner-take-all tournament, win the same two matches and instead pocket €20 for 1st place. And if this challenge seems doable, then there are 8-player HU tournaments with a 70%-30% split for the two finalists. This means that winning the first two matches guarantees you a minimum payout of €12, and a €28 return for your RB750 if you win the final! Note that buy-ins go up to €10+1, while 8-player tournaments are available for €1+0.20/RB163 and you can play 1-on-1 HU for as little as $0.10+0.01 or 11 Redbacks!

As well as deciding between the number of players you must also choose between so-called Normal, Super-Turbo and Extreme formats. These are quite different in terms of blind levels and thinking time, so it is important that you find what’s right for your game. Normal HU means 8-minute blind levels, 25 seconds response time and a 60 second time bank, while in a Super Turbo you get 5 minutes, 20 seconds and 45 seconds respectively. Extreme lives up to its name with 2-minute blinds, only 15 seconds to make your decision and a 30-second time bank – considering that (with starting stacks of 1500 chips) in this case after 10 minutes the blinds will already be up to 100/200 whereas in the Normal format you’d be only a quarter way through the 15/30 level, the conditions can be drastically different.

Whichever you play in, remember that in these tournaments it is imperative you adhere to the age-old sporting golden rule of taking the matches one at a time. And remember, too, that it’s great fun!

Good luck at the tables!

AngusD

€5,000 FREEROLL ‘GOODBYE 2010′

Join us as we bid farewell to 2010 and welcome the arrival of 2011.  We hope you have all had an amazing year with 32Red Poker and we look forward to an even better year ahead.  Those of you who have collected your Coupons during the 32 Days of Poker period will be able to take part in our €5,000 ’GOODBYE 2010′ Freeroll on December 27th at 9pm GMT.  Please find below a list (in alphabetical order) of players that have qualified to our €5K Freeroll and the number of Coupons they have collected so far.  Remember, each Coupon is worth 500 starting chips!

€5,000 ’GOODBYE 2010′ Freeroll … Coupon Holders!  (Updated 27/12/10 @ 12:00)

ALIAS		COUPONS
778778		1
55667788		1
_BigGL_		1
_FEAR_ME_		11
_Pat_		2
1TrickPony		3
2easy4y		4
2hottie01		1
2raul2		1
32MichFran32		5
32RDisco		1
32redvip		1
7lettters		3
84ian		3
acejez		1
Adetrick		1
adzbouk		2
alanbphoto		1
ALlBABAAAAAA		3
Andreeva		4
andy1964		1
andybell1977		2
andyjofish		1
Andzons777		4
AngusD		14
Apollo1308		1
applepie59		1
artistupoker		1
autkest		3
autosrj		3
b0unc3		3
BadWolfOne		11
Bafiorka		2
baineno111		6
balo666		1
bamba3		1
banton1		3
BASKETAA		9
Baygon		1
beano672003		4
bearsRus		6
benwkenobi		1
betweenyou		2
bigken2k7		7
bigu1		2
billwadd		2
bjani		2
Black17		1
BOAB		1
bobstar11		2
Boricco		1
bremensha12		6
brock1		1
Bulinda		1
bumer120		1
buzzyon		1
caitiernan		5
caljo7		3
Callum_Ryan		2
camiti4ever		2
camshirl		1
canbetmoess		3
cappyt-59		5
celia		2
cfr1907		1
chabeeka79		8
cheechee		1
chincheta9		2
Chiwis007		1
choo160		1
Chriscall		4
chumley0		3
citysharon		2
clem		2
cnacwolfie		3
collin0111		1
cottenbear45		1
coxlaud1		1
crazyhoot		3
Crespo25		2
DaMatrix		10
danny32209		1
Dan-The-Dog		4
DarkRalph		4
davetheone		2
DAZZID		1
dci_assassin		4
deemci3		1
DeFaSSS		1
derek42julie		4
deval12		7
dhufish		3
diiingdong		1
dills74		3
dj101248		2
djr300		1
DK38		1
dm1988		1
dnomyar1		2
DNY200		5
dominf		1
DonBhoy		7
DonChatoman		2
DontGiveMeJJ		1
Dreamkiller4		4
dugong		1
ECFC1975		6
Edzinsh89		9
evghenie		1
evilbow007		2
Farsan_Baloo		2
Filozof12		2
filozof767		3
Fish4chips12		5
fistik333		1
flipnfill		4
Fourgrand		4
fradger69		1
fyrzymyrzy		1
g_m_more		6
GauravHitman		3
GazBlades		4
gemrp		4
GeoffA		1
gill007		1
gizmo175st		6
glceud		3
goallie		2
goforthenick		2
going4gutgut		1
goldendice		1
GOLFPRO202		2
gonnaeatyou		2
Greenhead		1
GregLM		1
griffter		2
grizzilyuk		2
GUPIIIII		1
haihaigamer		1
hanator6		2
hashhh		3
Haz1x2		1
heniek31		3
Higgs24		2
higgy56		7
Holt3nd3r		1
horba1988		3
Huggy04		4
Ians81		1
IceManRox300		1
Igotdanuts1		2
Impromtu		1
ingentingen		2
InsaneAces		7
invisibility		3
Iron1973		1
JABBA147		3
jacccobi888		2
jacesaces		1
jachin		2
Jamesp362000		5
Jardemyren		4
jebeshajduk		1
jimjamjim		1
jodie3		3
joe99		1
john44nhoj44		8
johnny313		3
johnnyboy		1
jorad208		1
JUDGEnJURY		1
jvtelemark		5
k00p1		1
kablonk333		1
kalabbbb		3
kalviitis		1
Kian		3
kingNevsta		1
kk2008		3
kondrad4444		2
konradk188		1
kristina41		1
KROMgod		3
La_Molly		1
LadyLoon		3
Larren		1
LeknoKPL		1
leopoker		2
lhbn		5
lil_J		6
Lili-LaFae		1
lillegut		1
Linda_s		1
Lini		2
linlinwon		3
lintay		1
llh1234		1
Lucky4Leon		3
lucypig		1
luvspud		1
lvaici		3
LX7		3
M_Ederz		1
mackem22		2
MadMurphee		2
mafiniscool5		1
Maggerholm		5
maggie2010		5
maguf		1
MakBsc		1
malcb		6
mam48		5
mamuku222		2
Manu0Exeter0		10
MarkyMark032		1
Matt362		7
matty4686		1
maxelsen		1
mcrobo		3
MDK24		1
Memo-HB		2
Mercer666		1
Mgielka1		1
MiaTheBest		1
mick1987		1
mihaicjxxx		1
militas		2
miss_ing_rid		1
misu_unic		1
modennys		2
mosul0505		1
MPA3b		1
MrHandsome69		3
Muck__Off		1
mudmaster007		1
muppetdonk		1
murakanator		1
Murleen1986		1
mylo114		8
Neooo		1
nev_o		3
nhggfu1		2
nicelife		2
nicgeo		1
NixieJ		1
Nobler_		1
NOROCEL		10
OJP		1
ominieks		1
onlinetells		6
ooblio		9
OOT		3
PaddyJGD2006		3
Painkiller23		6
Pam0767		1
Pastieman		7
Paul_Moyler		1
paulo1975		1
PBsef		10
Pelelele16		1
perns		1
perturbed		2
PeteGO78		10
piankaa		2
pilsen1971		10
Piotr6660		1
playpoker000		3
pmcthe1		3
podh_2k11		1
poetsFINTONA		2
PokeGrabber		1
pokeman25		1
Poker13God		1
pokermalc		5
Postman_Ste		2
POWER28		6
Pred1ctable		1
pushpush		2
qpr303		1
ralphy10		1
rami3304		1
redcloud1		1
Rhjoydgg		1
RiverChaser_		4
RoboSquirrel		3
RomanticasZb		1
roseandcrown		4
RRadziu31		2
rugg1		11
run355		1
runninglea		2
russ11		1
saft_suse		5
sammyace19		1
Sanyomano		1
SashaSku		2
Saturn40		2
Saxtogue		2
sb1wsb1w1111		3
scousemaster		1
SDL8700		3
ShonkyO_o		1
sirustv		1
siwrexham		1
slinks		1
Slobi		3
smellyfinger		1
smith0001		1
smithsonno1		1
snakeeyes11		5
Snowsmile		4
Solvendo		1
SONEMIN		1
SonicMan555		1
spades4fun		1
spiersey1		1
spilari		4
squidward		4
sspslagelse		2
stachu7		1
Stan648		4
stealth90		7
steviec7		9
studaces		3
super668		7
sutzu		1
SWEETHAYLEY		1
Swish2k		5
SyrusDaVirus		4
TaadsSSaads		8
takis_1984		2
TamirSimchi		1
tasedano		1
tatydt89		3
taytoman2000		1
tcbkitty		3
teebo73		1
tehnuub		2
tennistosse2		2
THEDCM		1
TheKingBet		4
theplague27		2
thequietman		7
TheRookie5		2
thesheikster		2
thornton21		1
tibiszosz		4
tigger7732		3
tilkepierke		1
tink44		1
TomRoyal		2
toonboy1		8
trevor371		2
turkelton		1
Twidget		3
twm74		1
uk837shane		4
VAL-I-UM		3
vectrav6		1
vegasjj49		6
victoria200		1
Vikla_76		3
visulmeu7222		1
warbirds		6
wasskeithr70		1
WelshMackem		1
whiskyjock26		9
WilcoDP		2
willtord13		1
wowshebangs		5
xkatykatx		6
xSTENAx		11
XxR00KiExX		1
Yorkie42888		1
Yorkieman		2
Your_round		3
Zcromag		1
zwiero		1

32 Days of Poker this Christmas

Packed with a selection of generous gifts and goodies, our 32 Days of Poker promotion is once again making Christmas headlines across the poker industry. With 32 days of non-stop poker action and tons of exciting surprises in store for players this December, you’d be mad to miss this year’s festivities at 32Red Poker.

Our poker entertainments this Christmas includes 32Red’s exclusive Be the Bounty tournaments where each week we’re giving away free iPads and up to €1,000 in bounty prizes. We are also putting up hundreds of Euros in added money on our very own Everyone’s a Bounty tournaments where you can win €5 for every player you knock out. Watch out for our fantastic Freerolls with prize pools of up to €1,000 and don’t miss our Lottery events on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Click here to visit our famous Christmas tree!

‘Be the Bounty’ Results – 28/11/10

VAL-I-UM claims €700 in Bounty Prizes!

Thanks to the 70 entrants who took part in yesterday’s Be the Bounty tournament and congratulations to everyone who made it in the money! (see results below) Read more

Wise Guys Results: 22nd – 28th November

Win at the 32Red Poker cash tables and you may qualify for even more cash rewards with our Wise Guys weekly leaderboards. Yes, we reward our biggest winners at 32Red Poker and we reward them well, with over $1,000 in prizes every week!

Congratulations to last week’s prize winners…

32Red’s Wise Guys

32Red Poker rewards loyalty, and winners – so if you’re a winning player, don’t be shy and try out our Wise Guys weekly competition. Have fun at the tables and good luck this week!

Wise Guys Results: 8th – 14th November

Win at the 32Red Poker cash tables and you may qualify for even more cash rewards with our Wise Guys weekly leaderboards. Yes, we reward our biggest winners at 32Red Poker and we reward them well, with over $1,000 in prizes every week!

Congratulations to last week’s prize winners…

32Red’s Wise Guys

32Red Poker rewards loyalty, and winners – so if you’re a winning player, don’t be shy and try out our Wise Guys weekly competition. Have fun at the tables and good luck this week!

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