Poker Basics

VPIP stands for voluntarily put $ in pot, and it measures the percentage of hands in which a player voluntarily enters the pot before the flop. VPIP is the most important stat in any HUD, […]

PFR stands for pre-flop raise, and it measures the percentage of hands in which a player raises before the flop. Of all the poker stats available in a poker HUD, PFR is the one I […]

The squeeze play in poker is a re-raise (3-bet) made after one player raises and at least one other player calls. The squeeze strategy exploits the “sandwich effect”: the original raiser now faces pressure from […]

Crazy poker games are alternative poker variants specifically designed to create more action, wilder hands, and memorable moments than standard Texas Hold’em or Omaha. They include games like Irish Poker, Badugi, Pineapple, Short Deck Poker, […]

Poker HUD stats are numerical measurements of your opponents’ tendencies, displayed in real time over the table by tracking software, and they are one of the most powerful weapons available to online poker players. The […]

A poker straddle is a voluntary blind bet placed before the cards are dealt, typically by the player to the left of the big blind, for twice the big blind. It acts as a third […]

Limping in poker means calling the big blind preflop without raising, and it is almost always the wrong play in a cash game when you are first into the pot. You give up initiative, invite […]

The best Texas Hold’em starting hands are, in order: pocket aces (AA), pocket kings (KK), pocket queens (QQ), ace-king (AK), pocket jacks (JJ), ace-queen (AQ), pocket tens (TT), pocket nines (99), ace-jack (AJ), and king-queen […]

What if the entire game slowed down around you? If you’re a baseball fan, you may know that “hitting a pitched baseball represents the biggest challenge in all of sports.” The people who make it […]

A poker downswing is a prolonged period of losing results that stems from variance rather than poor play. Most players experience multiple significant downswings each year regardless of their skill level, and some lasting hundreds […]

Poker etiquette is the set of unwritten behavioral standards that govern how players are expected to act at a live poker table, from how you handle your chips to how you behave after a bad […]

Equanimity is a state of steadiness that’s impervious to external conditions. Equanimity is calmness and composure, even in the face of difficulty. Equanimity is the acceptance of whatever is, on an ongoing basis. That sounds […]

Insurance in poker is an optional agreement, typically in cash games, that allows a player who is all-in and a favorite to win to pay a premium in exchange for a guaranteed payout if they […]

Sit and go strategy is the approach you use to navigate SNG poker tournaments from the tight early stage through the critical bubble and into heads-up play. I have coached hundreds of students through sit-and-gos, […]

RTA in poker, short for real-time assistance, refers to any tool or method that helps a player make decisions while a hand is actively in progress. This ranges from static preflop charts consulted during play […]

A bluff catcher in poker is any hand that beats the bluffs in your opponent’s range but loses to all of their value hands. It does not have to be a strong hand in absolute […]

Poker tournaments have changed a lot over the years, and the introduction of online poker has certainly had a massive impact on the way tournaments are played. Online poker operators have introduced countless tournament formats […]

There are poker players you will come across who speak adamantly about how they cannot stand playing pocket jacks. Often their uneasiness with fish hooks comes from a lack of understanding on how to play […]

This chapter continues my discussion about specific poker strategies that have helped me, including board texture and bet sizing. If you wish, you can start reading at Chapter 1, or download the entire e-book as a […]

Here I continue my discussion about specific at-table strategies that have improved my game, and I cover three important topics: draws, position, and multi-way pots. If you wish, you can start reading at Chapter 1, […]

This is the final chapter of the e-book. It covers important meta-game improvements I’ve made, including a concept that may be the single most important idea in this document. This chapter also wraps a bow […]