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Then I goggled your website.  And I printed and read everything you wrote.  And I started to learn not only what are good cards and what are not (odds) but how to play, when to play, defenitions, etc, etc.  I will probably reread this many a times knowing full well I have only picked up a fraction of what you are saying the first time through.

The result?

2nd (out of 1300) in a $1 tourney the following day, 24th (out of 900) in a $5 tourney, and a couple more tourneys where I moneyed, but just at the back end. In the tourneys I didn't money I consistantly was in the 80th percentile with ease. My game has improved dramaticlly because of your website.

Now the question. How to close the deal. In both the 2nd and 24th finishes I had high chip count late in the game (had 1.3 mil to a couple of 300k in the 2nd place finish). I ended up playing way to loose and tried 2 bluffs (in each occasion) that killed my stack. I would have been better off I think posting and folding. How do you close the deal?

I am enjoying the game, and taking it as a game, but am perturbed at myself for blowing two great chances.

Thanks,

Mike

Answer: Thank you very much for the compliment and congrats on your great start.

Let's talk a little about bluffs first. Bluffs and semi-bluffs don't always work, but that doesn't mean they weren't solid plays. I'm not sure whether or not the spots you picked to bluff in where smart, but again, just because you got called doesn't necessarily mean you were incorrect in trying to run one. Let me give you an example of something that happened to me yesterday that could have gone either way, yet in either outcome, I'm proud of my play.

Everyone folded to me and I was on the button with AJ of spades. I raised and the small blind made it three bets. (He was a solid player.) So we were heads up and the flop came back King high and two lower cards with one spade. He bet and I called. (A flop bet in this situation doesn't mean anything.) The turn was another King and also a spade. Now instead of just calling, I raised. I raised as a semi-bluff here because I thought there was a good chance he would fold, and if he didn't fold I could still catch a spade and have the nut flush or I could potentially catch an Ace or Jack and still be good.

I was surprised when he reraised. I called. The turn did bring the third spade. He bet, I raised. He thought for a second and folded. So I was correct that if I caught my Ace or Jack I would have been good. He would have certainly called with trip Kings, Queens, Jacks or any other pair. If he had nines or sixes he would have had a boat. Now, had that spade not hit on the river, I would have lost a big pot but I wouldn't have regretted my play.

Next, what makes up a good bluff and when shouldn't you try to run a complete bluff? Number one, in both tournaments and live games, when a player has already invested a lot in the pot, it is very rare you will push them off it with a big bet. People are stubborn and even if they think they are beat, they feel like they have options other than to pay you off. Next, in tournaments, when someone has very few chips left, the chance of you betting them out of a pot is slim. This is part of the power of a small stack, you have limited options and are committed.

Next, I've found that it is hard to bluff someone if they are having a really bad day. People play worse when they aren't doing well that day and folding is a big part of playing well. If you can't get them to fold, bluffs won't work. Lastly, when a lot is at stake, people are more afraid of being bluffed out than they are of paying someone off. Times when bluffs work well are when no one else has a big interest in the pot. Another time that works well is if you are certain your opponent assumes you are holding a specific hand. Then you work along with what they are already thinking to manipulate them.

Let me give you an example of a successful bluff I ran. I was playing shorthanded and raised from late position with JToff. A player called to my left from the button and we were heads up. The flop came back 9 - 7 - 4, giving me a gutshot and two overcards -- 10 outs. Instead of betting I decided to check. I wanted to do this to mix up my play and also get in a check raise if I did hit. The turn was nothing and I called her bet again. The river was a King so I bet out. She threw her cards away in disgust. See, I was playing into what she assumed I had, either AK or KQ or something. Bluffs work much more often if you keep your play consistent with what the opponent is already thinking.

Now, enough about bluffs. In the tourney above you had a commanding chip lead. My first question would be what were the blinds like? The larger the blinds, the faster/looser you have to play. One major mistake you can make if you have a big chip lead is to play too loosely relative to the blinds. Avoid feeling rushed, like you need to finish them off quickly. Chips in tournament poker mean time and options. The more time and options you have, the more miserly you can be with your preflop hands.

Sit back, and wait. Let the opponents kill each other off some. You swoop down every now and then when the cards allow and you maintain. Maintain first, build later. The flip side of having lots of chips is that the other players don't. As the blinds increase desperation will kick in for the small stacks and they will be forced to gamble. You don't have to play unless you like your hand. You have the time. Now a big stack does mean you can bully people somewhat, but ideally you want to keep the pots small when you do this, not for all their chips.

Think of your bullying like jabs in boxing, not a big knockout punch. A big knock out punch that isn't well timed will leave you open (losing 300k in chips). Instead you would be content with just raising and getting them to lose another 20k-30k -- just little jabs. Let me give you an example of a jab. You are in middle to late position with any two cards. Cards here don't matter because you aren't looking to hit a flop, just steal some from the small stacks in the blinds.

You raise with some garbage like 94. You make a standard sized raise (3 times the blinds or so). If the big blind calls, then you just bet the flop once into him. If he raises, you just muck. Most likely you'll win. You shouldn't do this though if the blinds are a big percentage of the opponent's total chip stack because he will likely consider committed. Now, as you get down to 3 or 4 players total, an important tip is to get a feel for how the game is going to go -- what the flow is like. What you are looking for is how aggressive the players are going to be.

Playing longer favors the person with the most chips. The worst option for the player holding the big stack is that everytime in a hand the opponent goes all-in. You'll have to make a stand sometime, but if you can keep the pace slower it will benefit you. Lastly, it is ok to loosen up some when you are heads up and threehanded. Give a lot of weight to position because it is hard to flop something heads up when it is just the blinds and usually the person betting first will win. Also, try to play hands that do well heads up like pairs first, then an Ace

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