http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/ Stop giving away your hard-earned cash to poker pros and the casino pits. Discuss strategy here, ask questions, and become the guy taking all the money. en Sat, 25 May 2013 15:00:04 GMT vBulletin 3 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/ http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?4332-50k-Blackjack-free-role-tourney&goto=newpost Thu, 21 Mar 2013 02:22:46 GMT I got a ticket to a 50k free role into a BJ tourney at a casino because of some of my degenerative patterns. I have hardly played blackjack in my life, all of my pit action comes in the form of throwing dice or betting on the outcome of a spinning wheel.

I've played online today with a chart to learn some basic strategy, but how should i factor in that this is a free roll and a tourney structure. I think there will be around 50-60 entrants, and the payout structure looks like this

1)25k
2)10k
3)7k
4)5k
5)3k

I'd imagine i should just double down like a maniac and split ATC? ]]> backdoorb http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?4332-50k-Blackjack-free-role-tourney http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?3685-quot-Beyond-Counting-quot-James-Grosjean&goto=newpost Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:13:36 GMT Druff, have you read this? Any opinions? It's pretty hard to find these days. And when it can be found, you can't get it for less than around $800.

Mostly outdated information, or worth the money? Not that I would ever spend this much on a book, anyway. Just curious of your thoughts on it, if any. ]]> JMM http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?3685-quot-Beyond-Counting-quot-James-Grosjean http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?3478-Card-counting-back-counting-6-deck-blackjack&goto=newpost Tue, 25 Dec 2012 00:50:01 GMT A video of card counting 6 deck blackjack involving back counting (or Wonging) I made on Greek Easter under the influence of a couple glasses of wine before dinner almost 5 years ago. Made a few mistakes, but the overall lesson of beating blackjack via card counting is valid. Don't think Druff has covered table hopping in his excellent description of beating blackjack on this site. ENJOY!!!

]]> JSTAT http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?3478-Card-counting-back-counting-6-deck-blackjack http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2697-Anyone-else-use-K-O-instead-of-Hi-Lo&goto=newpost Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:11:08 GMT Been using K-O for a while now. I switched to K-O because I wanted to teach a few of my friends how to count and it was a lot simpler system. On a six deck game I have been starting with a -3 initial count and max bet comes at +20. I was just curious if anyone else likes any other Unbalanced systems and if anyone uses K-O? Been using K-O for a while now.

I switched to K-O because I wanted to teach a few of my friends how to count and it was a lot simpler system. On a six deck game I have been starting with a -3 initial count and max bet comes at +20.

I was just curious if anyone else likes any other Unbalanced systems and if anyone uses K-O? ]]> abrown83 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2697-Anyone-else-use-K-O-instead-of-Hi-Lo http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2550-Asking-for-good-poker-advice-on-hard-situation&goto=newpost Sat, 29 Sep 2012 23:40:09 GMT Should I have checked raised her all in on the flop? She is a big bettor and would have bet 2K into a 1500 pot on the flop. If I only check raise her to 5k she would have 4 bet me all in I am sure of it having played with her before. If I check raise her all in most likely she would have folded. But she limped and could of had 2 pair that's why I flat called. 2> When she raised me on the flop should I have went snap all in? Then there would have been 19,700 in the pot and cost her 11,800 more to call and she would be getting 1.7 to 1 on a flush draw. Old people love to chase the flush. Also she would have 10K left even if she loses. 3> Should I have acted first on the turn and went all in knowing most likely if I check and she goes all in I would call anyway? It would be the same odds as option 2, there would have been 19,700 in the pot and cost her 11,800 more to call and she would be getting 1.7 to 1 on a flush draw, but I would have been the one shoving and she would be put to a test and not me. I am leaning towards option 3 as a better way to play it. Any real help would be appreciated.]]> I am writing this email as I just got home still on tilt from busting a tourney. I lost yet another 70% vrs 30% on the turn where I am the 70% to win and all the chips get into the pot. I know there is variance in poker but I have lost literally 10 in a row of these situations. So maybe I need to change the situation so I am not faced making an all in call even when I am ahead only to be sucked out on. The one thing that takes some of the sting away is 10 out of 10 times I made the right decision to call the all in and I was ahead every time. I know in the long run these situations are good for me but still who like risking busting?

Situation: $220 buy in NLHL tourney with 75 people 15K starting 30 min blinds. We are down to 60 people average stack is around 19k and I have 15K. Blinds are 150/300. I get AH QD under the gun. I have an 80 year old agro lady 2 to my left with about 25K. The way the table has been if I raise preflop to 7 or 800 I know I will get 3 callers so I elect to limp. Miss 80 year old agro lady limps, button limps, small blind and big blind are in for the 300. So now there is 1500 in the pot.

Flop is AS TC 5C. I am first to act and fire 1100. Old lady agro raises to 3200. Everyone folds to me. I have played this lady many times and she loves to raise the flush draw. I don't put her on top 2 of AT because she would have raised preflop, same if she had 55 she would have raised preflop. So I think there is a slight chance she has A5 for 2 pair, but most likely she has the flush draw.

I flat call and now there is 7900 in the pot and I have 11.5K left.

Turn is 4H. I look at her and she puts her hand on her stack like she is going to go all in. I check, she snap goes all in. If I call and win the pot I have over 31K and am in the top 5 in chip count in the tourney. This lady has done this move many times in past tourneys and 3 times in the last 90 mins. I think about it for 2 mins and call. She shows AC 2C. She has a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw. So I made a good call, ................... river a club.
I am not to upset about not raising preflop, she would have called anyway.

1> Should I have checked raised her all in on the flop? She is a big bettor and would have bet 2K into a 1500 pot on the flop. If I only check raise her to 5k she would have 4 bet me all in I am sure of it having played with her before. If I check raise her all in most likely she would have folded. But she limped and could of had 2 pair that's why I flat called.

2> When she raised me on the flop should I have went snap all in? Then there would have been 19,700 in the pot and cost her 11,800 more to call and she would be getting 1.7 to 1 on a flush draw. Old people love to chase the flush. Also she would have 10K left even if she loses.

3> Should I have acted first on the turn and went all in knowing most likely if I check and she goes all in I would call anyway? It would be the same odds as option 2, there would have been 19,700 in the pot and cost her 11,800 more to call and she would be getting 1.7 to 1 on a flush draw, but I would have been the one shoving and she would be put to a test and not me.

I am leaning towards option 3 as a better way to play it.

Any real help would be appreciated. ]]> Matt The Rat http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2550-Asking-for-good-poker-advice-on-hard-situation http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2504-How-much-did-this-hurt-BJ-players&goto=newpost Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:52:12 GMT The casinos that I play blackjack at out in Wendover just changed their house rules a few weeks back. The two changes they made are:

1) Can only double down on 10 or 11 (can't double down on 55 for some reason). You used to be able to double on any two.
2) Can only split aces once, you used to be able to split again if one of them drew an ace.


How much did these changes help the house edge? ]]> Serial Fail http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2504-How-much-did-this-hurt-BJ-players http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2413-Card-counting-EZ-Baccarat-Panda-8-side-bet&goto=newpost Fri, 14 Sep 2012 05:22:14 GMT Today, I uploaded how to beat the Panda 8 side bet with the JSTAT Count at EZ Baccarat on Youtube. It is linked here first to here to hear Druff's respected opinion of it. and give him first crack. What do you say Todd? Up or down? It's ground breaking news on how to beat the Panda 8 side bet via card counting. The JSTAT Count is 2-9=+1 and 10-K=-2. Bet the Panda 8 side bet at a JSTAT true count of -10. Divide the number decks left into the JSTAT running count to get the true count.

]]> JSTAT http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2413-Card-counting-EZ-Baccarat-Panda-8-side-bet http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2329-IAmA-former-Casino-Surveillance-Agent-AMAA&goto=newpost Fri, 07 Sep 2012 21:52:04 GMT A decent IAmA. Some info for poker players and blackjack counters: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/zbtjp/iama_former_casino_surveillance_agent_amaa/?sort=old A decent IAmA. Some info for poker players and blackjack counters:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...amaa/?sort=old ]]> bukowski72 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2329-IAmA-former-Casino-Surveillance-Agent-AMAA http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2304-This-One-s-Been-Bothering-Me-1-2-Live&goto=newpost Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:18:09 GMT I cover everybody with about $440, a couple other's have 300ish stacks.
Villian in this hand starts with about $350, he had $62 about 15 minutes ago.

7am, bunch of old AARP having nits, only one other semi-competent player.


Ep opens to $7, a total of 7 people go to see the flop including me in the cutoff with (33)


flop a23

mp leads out for $20, i call, as does the button and ep.


turn 10 (putting two hearts on the board)

mp bets out $30 this time, i make it $80, Button (who is about 70 years old) makes it $230


--now my default here against an old nit 3-betting is to instamuck (which was also my gut reaction), unless I have the stone cold nuts.
as played, i feel like i'm holding the second nuts at this point...

the problem is if you add 22 to his range maybe 15% of the time and a10 in there 10-5%, i can def make the math work
even if he turns his hand faceup and has the 45, i still fill up about a quarter of the time for about ~$800 pot

or i can just fold and still be up about $150, with a very good table draw


thoughts? ]]> WillieMcFML http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2304-This-One-s-Been-Bothering-Me-1-2-Live http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2293-20-40-Bellagio-LHE-hand&goto=newpost Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:55:34 GMT Druff or anyone else who plays this game:
9 handed.
Villain is a young competent reg but don't have a ton of reads on him.
Haven't played many hands together so not sure how he views me.

villain opens utg, mp (random tourist)cold calls, hero 3! on btn with QQ, blinds fold.

flop K82 rainbow.

checks to hero, bet, both call.

turn A completes rainbow.

checks around.

river 6. checks to hero. bet, utg c/r, mp folds....hero? ]]> Action http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2293-20-40-Bellagio-LHE-hand http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2069-I-lived-John-Robert-Bellandes-life-Sunday-(The-poker-part)-warning-bad-beats&goto=newpost Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:58:33 GMT I get to the casino and sit at the table around 8:30 Sunday night. I leave 10:30 Monday morning stuck 5 buyins.

I must vent b/c I vented to the wife and she just said things will get better, live and learn and you always learn from mistakes. The wife is a Great person!!!

I started off playing very TAG and was doing great. I was up a few buyins or so and moving along nicely. Had a good read on the table until the dreaded old lady sat. She beat me 5 consecutive hands. The first three were me flopping top 2 and her making some ridiculous runner runner with 69o or some other crap. I finally have AK and flop top 2 against her JJ and move all in. She calls and wins it on the river. The other 2 hands I flopped min. of top pair top kicker and she made 2 pair on the turn and rivered a flush. Thank God that table broke and I played with a table of 5 donkeys. I still lost. My final buyin I went all in with was QQ against 22 and 68. The flop came a 2 and the runner brought 68 a straight, it was only about a $700 pot.

Oh, well flame as I know this site will. My luck stinks and I'm going to go kick the dog b/c the wife took it to well. ]]> Goodpoop http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?2069-I-lived-John-Robert-Bellandes-life-Sunday-(The-poker-part)-warning-bad-beats http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1979-Is-this-correct&goto=newpost Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:37:51 GMT Carbon Poker Double or Nothing Tourney

11th hand
10 handed

SB posts 25
BB posts 50
GUN folds
GUN +1 all-in for 2250
GUN +2 folds
GUN +3 folds
HIJACK folds
HERO Qd Qs folds
DEALER folds
SB folds
BB folds

Don't think hes got AA or KK, but very well could have a smaller pair, but I'm worried about AK and didn't want to get into a race. I usually do pretty good in these tourneys and my stack was 1425 so not in a desperate spot. Thought it wasn't worth the risk at this point and let the QQ go, but did think about it the rest of the game. Did manage to finish in the money FWIW.

Opinions? ]]> herbertstemple http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1979-Is-this-correct http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1590-GOING-TO-ATTEMPT-BUSTO-TO-ROBUSTO&goto=newpost Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:00:53 GMT Have 50 dollars on lock that has been there for a while, always kept it there for a busto to robusto run and I am pretty sure I am going to attempt this tonight. This will be the running thread for it! Have 50 dollars on lock that has been there for a while, always kept it there for a busto to robusto run and I am pretty sure I am going to attempt this tonight. This will be the running thread for it! ]]> PokerPrince2 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1590-GOING-TO-ATTEMPT-BUSTO-TO-ROBUSTO http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1579-Duplicate-Poker&goto=newpost Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:38:20 GMT Have any of you played duplicate poker before? I remember trying it a few years ago but preferred regular poker so I never tried it again. Is it legit? I saw a new site that claims its legal because of some "skill" element. I prefer regular poker but what's a US player to do :(

Lacey Jones is sponsoring this site (skillbet) and the site looks pretty professional, thoughts? ]]> craftbeerdrinker http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1579-Duplicate-Poker http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1536-micro-limit-Omaha-8-thread&goto=newpost Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:51:34 GMT I figured that I'd kick up a thread for anyone that may play micro or low limit O8 here at PFA. I just started yesterday at .05/.10 limit and am up an amazing $4 or so. Does anyone have any strat suggestions for that low of a limit versus the higher dollar amounts? Also, once my sample size is up to a significant size for comparison purposes, what is a good bb/100 average? ]]> shortbuspoker http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1536-micro-limit-Omaha-8-thread http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1465-Surrender-in-Blackjack&goto=newpost Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:02:41 GMT I don't play blackjack, not a game I'm interested in, but one of the local casino has these signs in the pit area that say that they offer Late Surrender on all blackjack tables. Knowing nothing about Blackjack is this even a big deal, do you even get any advantage or does this just create the illusion of advantage? ]]> newmex102 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1465-Surrender-in-Blackjack http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1445-Review-of-Yebsite-Druff-Video&goto=newpost Sun, 17 Jun 2012 08:25:50 GMT Well, the thing is: I won't be able to play any serious games for another month or two and I miss the HUHU. I also want to keep my mind sharp so when I start playing again I don't have to go through that painful re-learning process where you keep saying to yourself, "Oh yeah, now I remember why that's a bad line."

I realize some may feel it's poor form to post any HULHE strat, but I honestly don't belong to any study groups or private forums at this time so I figure fuck it, I'm just gonna do it. Maybe my play isn't as good as I think it is, and you'll all get a good laugh out of it. :(

I used the Yebsite versus Druff match as a vehicle for this review. The video is embedded below. My only reason for choosing this match is because I knew it was available and I remember from watching it previoulsy that there were a lot of spots I had opinions on.

Finally, I'm not pretending to be a coach or an expert, and I don't wish to give that impression. Druff's accomplishments in the poker world far exceed my own. If anyone disagrees with any of my comments, I would really appreciate any feedback and maybe we can get some discussion going on some of the hands.

So far, I've reviewed the first 30 minutes of play. Depending on what happens with this thread, I may or may not be encouraged to continue working through the video.

GL at the tables.



~01:16 I like Druff's play. I think Yebsite's flop trey w/ 55 is pretty bad. He has close to 0% FE versus better hands and very few worse hands are calling. Even when Druff is drawing, he will typically have an equity edge.

~02:01 I agree with Druff that he likely has the best hand on the turn, especially since you would expect a player who treys 55 to also raise the flop with a stronger draw. I'm not sure there's a lot of value in the bet, however. Checking to induce is likely the better play.

~2:19 Folding T5o otb is pretty tight for HULHE.

~3:19 Agree with Druff that limping the btn is a bad strategy in LHE. There are a ton of different ways to play these spots from the bb. I don't mind checking back such a weak holding and leading the flop is fine precisely for the reason Druff states. A c/r might be sexier as it gets more money in the pot.

~04:11 I like the play of the hand. I think Druff's comment that he should have bet the turn, while correct from an FTOP perspective, is kind of results-oriented. Nothing wrong with keeping the pot small and trying to induce a river bluff on a tricky board texture that some opponents will get kind of crazy with. The flop peel with K5o is better than it looks. Assuming a conservative 75% btn opening range and 100% c-bet on that flop, you have about 45% equity in the pot and decent sd value.

~6:11 Another really tight fold with 69o otb. Playing a lot of hands IP is a good thing -- it makes you difficult to read, you have some FE pf and many opponent's will c/f a majority of missed flops and you ofc have a positional advantage postflop.

~06:25 Pretty tight fold from the bb w/ Q2o. Theoretically, if you're folding this hand, you are defending less than 69% of your bb's. It's true that such hands are harder to play postflop but part of HU play is learning to make marginal decisions OOP and this hand has a lot of high card value and makes good pairs (tpwk or bpgk).

~07:17 T2o is another really tight btn fold.

~7:42 The turn spot is kind of tricky from Yebsite's perspective. It's okay as a thin value bet as he still beats any other pair. It's a gross spot when raised because against a player you have little info on, you likely have to call down. I'm kind of torn. Checking back to induce a river bet saves you from a potentially tricky turn spot. Alternatively, if we are going to bet the turn, I almost think we should bet the river as well. An argument for the latter would be that Druff would have 3-bet pf with almost any hand that makes 2pair on that board and the 5s is usually a brick. Could be an interesting hand to analyze further.

~8:19 Druff plays a lot tighter in this match than almost any other HU player I have ever studied. 69o is almost always a defend unless the IP player has a ridiculously tight opening range and even in those cases you could argue that you have decent enough implied odds.

~8:55 I barrel turn some % of the time but it's another example where you rarely if ever get value and you almost never fold out any better hands (maybe a handful of weak Kings depending on the opponent). It's somewhat opponent dependent but if you can get a guy to bet the river a lot, then there's actually more value in inducing that bet.

~9:07 K2o is an incredibly tight fold in the bb.

~9:33 Q3o is another really tight fold. By this point in the match, Yebsite should be considering opening nearly 100% of his btns. He obv doesn't know what hands Druff has been folding but he will have noticed the high frequency by now and should be adjusting accordingly.

~11:12 3-betting AJo pre is obv a fine play. Just a very quick note that some very good players almost never put in a 3! pf (especially if the betting is capped and they feel their opponent is capable of hand reading) as a way of disguising their range and also allowing them to represent a wider range when c/r'ing the flop. Alterntively, you can balance your 3-betting range with hands that your opponent would expect are a part of your calling range. In some cases, one strategy is more effective than the other versus particular opponent types (who may respect one line more than the other leading them to play fit or fold on the flop).

~11:48 With bpwk, I think Druff is better off trying to induce bluffs. Basically, the math for LHE suggests that if your opponent will continue putting in bets UI, inducing bluffs is more profitable than protecting your hand. Although Yebsite's flop trey is okay (especially if Druff is going to be c/r'ing bp), I would be on the lookout to see whether he balances this play or waits for the turn to raise his strong made hands.

~13:02 Folding is fine but the oop player should consider bluff raising some % of these dryer flops.

~13:46 OOP c/r's are super questionable. Obv it's great when they work out and you get extra value, but it's pretty costsly when your opponent checks back. It's somewhat player dependent but unless you are extremely confident that your opponent will b/c AND call a river bet UI, I think it's usually better just to bet.

~14:21 In this case, I think Druff's c/r is okay since he's getting called by almost ATC. Yebsite's 3-bet is okay as a free card play, but if he had barrelled the turn I wouldn't have liked it. And, again, we have yet to see him take this line with a strong made hand. One question to consider from Druff's perspective otf is how often your opponent will barrel the turn with his missed overs. Taking a broader veiw of the hand, you may sometimes get more value by allowing your opponent to continue barreling while simulataneously avoiding a raise on the turn when behind.

~15:04 One of very few siuations where I might check back the flop. The bb caller flops a piece here often and even though our equity isn't bad when bet/calling, we seldom if ever have an edge. Obv it's kind of transparent if we only bet these textures when we hit, however, so I think we should be betting some % of the time versus observant opponents.


~16:09 I don't like Yebsite's 4! w/ K5o, in part because I don't think it's a hand that plays well in a bloated pot and also because this is only the second time Druff has 3! if I'm remembering the action correctly. Even though it's a big pot, I also dislike calling Druff's flop raise since (a) it's not a texture most players will bluff and (b) off the top of my head, I don't think K5o has enough equity at this point in the hand. As played, I wonder if he should be raising the turn. Given the action and taking card removal into consideration, Druff's range is weighted toward flopped pairs or draws. There are actually very few combos of hands that Yeb is losing to at this point.

~16:15 I open T4o.

~16:26 I would defend Q5o.

~16:37 Depending on the opponent, I don't mind folding 43o. Anything in the bottom 10% is a wash at best against all but the worst opponents and I like to preserve the illusion that I'm just running hot.

~16:52 I would defend 92s.

~17:15 I'm undecided about Druff's flop raise. I tend to just smooth call a lot of flops IP, in part because I like to raise the turn a lot, but maybe I miss some value and cheaper bluff opportunities because of that. In this case, it's also a 3! pot so I think Yeb's range hits the K more often and when he has a club it probably beats our 8. I also think he's somewhat more likely to blindly barrel the turn after treying pre. In general, I think that's just a population tendency. I think maybe Yebsite can just b/f the flop. Although I think on two-tone or rainbow flops you usually have decent enough pot+implied odds to peel for a gs, when you get raised on a mono flop your opponent holds at least one club often enough that you're really only chasing 3 outs. Against any halfway decent opponent, I agree with Druff that the clarkmeister bluff is never going to be profitable in this spot. I will usually try it against an unknown in the husngs, however, and without doing any hard math on my results, my experience seems to be that it works often enough.

~18:05 One thing I haven't put enough thought into since I tend to be a smooth caller in the bb is how best to mix up one's pf 3-betting range. IIRC, Druff has only 3! twice so far and both times with a really strong hand. Should he consider a 3! with T7o? Why or why not?

~19:06 This is probably getting somewhat redundant, but I would defend 95o as well.

~20:21 I would defined 96o ofc. If I'm following the game flow correctly, it does appear Yeb has adjusted to Druff's tight blind defense and is opening more loosely than he was at the beginning of the match. Although I wouldn't be playing as tight as Druff regardless, he should be adjusting by calling a wider range and maybe playing back on some flops.

~22:38 In general, I don't mind firing the turn again with a big Ace. I don't agree that the reason is that we don't want to give a free card, though. IMO it's for value because you get called by any worse A, many K's and often enough even big Q's. A couple of things that might disuade me in this case: (a) Yeb has been 3-betting pretty wide so maybe he doesn't have as many of those combos in his range and (b) he seems to be aggressive enough that bluff-inducing lines will prove profitable.

~23:24 I think Yeb should be raising the flop almost always oop with a hand like K5o. Again, you're just taking such a big risk of letting the turn check through. As played, he should def fire the river. There are some draws that missed but the stronger ones probably fire the turn trying to fold out bw gutters or other loose peels and the board ran so dry you can get looked up light a lot.

~24:20 I open 85o.

~24:44 I open T4o.

~25:01 I defend T6o.

~25:36 With absolutely no sd value on the turn, I probably fire again with my gutter hoping to fold out gutshots and loose peels.

~25:46 I defend 54o.

~26:32 I don't like Yeb's river donk. Another spot where you're hardly ever getting value or folding out a better hand.

~26:51 I like the 3! with T8s. I suspect Druff should have been doing a little more of this.

~27:28 I disagree with Druff when he says he doesn't get called by worse if he raises the Ace. I think most flopped pairs will call down and the board offers a decent number of draws. I guess it's close since it was 3-bet pf, but we've seen Yeb's 3! range isn't necessarily especially tight or A-heavy and you have to take card removal into account. ]]> themuppets http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1445-Review-of-Yebsite-Druff-Video http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1126-Casino-Prop-Game&goto=newpost Fri, 25 May 2012 00:48:02 GMT So, the other day my friend and I were at a Kansas City casino. We were there to play poker, but the list was long and we found ourselves with a couple hours to kill. Not wanting to fire off money at slots or any other -EV casino game, we came up with a cool prop game to play while we waited.

The 1 Cent Voucher Game
- Number of Players: 2
- Game Materials: .01 cent voucher, Stop watch/Timer

- Now here's the game: The idea is that you're going to drop the .01 cent voucher face down on the ground somewhere on the casino floor, and bet on how long it takes someone to pick it up. The line on how long it will take is set by Chinese auction. The person closest to the actual time wins.

- First, throw a dollar into a penny slot and spin it down till you have .01 left, then cash it out.
- Next, decide on a wager amount and Chinese auction on how long it will take for someone to pick the voucher up.
- Then, pick a spot and nonchalantly drop the .01 cent voucher, ensuring that it lands face-down. Then walk away.
- The person not dropping the voucher starts the stop watch/timer the second the voucher hits the ground.
- Finally, wait and watch the degens scramble to pick it up.

- The only rule is that if a casino employee picks up the voucher, the bet becomes void.

(Hint): Start the bidding at 1 second, you would be surprised at how incredibly fast it gets picked up. We played this game 4 times, and I think the average time was around 12-15 seconds. One of the times, an incredibly old guy with a walker hustled over and snatched it within 5 seconds.

So next time your in a casino and don't want to -EV gamble, try this game out.
It's super fun and really sick to see how fast people will clamor over to snatch the voucher. ]]> SpewArtist http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1126-Casino-Prop-Game http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1077-What-should-I-be-playing&goto=newpost Mon, 21 May 2012 20:45:29 GMT I make the occasional trip out to Wendover and, with it being such a small gambling town, the options aren't too large out there. The only poker games going are usually 1-2NL and 2-5 spread. The only other choice I will make is counting cards at the blackjack table.

So, which of my two gambling options is my best choice?

The 1-2NL and 2-5 Spread rake is 10% of each pot up to $4 and, depending on the casino, either $1 or $2 goes to the BB jackpot per hand.

The blackjack games pay 3:2 for blackjack, 2:1 on insurance and almost all of the casinos offer single deck BJ and they deal through the entire deck.

Which would be a better gamble out there? Does counting cards swing the BJ odds enough in my favor where it would be better to do that rather than try to beat the rake at the 1-2NL game? ]]> Serial Fail http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1077-What-should-I-be-playing http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1013-Dealer-free-poker-tables-not-the-heads-up-bot-machines&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 05:30:39 GMT I remember a couple of years ago there was talk of installing poker tables that did not require dealers.

Players would "cover" the hole card icons on the table, which would reveal the cards to them only, and then place bets accordingly ala online poker.

Did these ever take off?
Do they get much play? ]]> zealanddonk http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?1013-Dealer-free-poker-tables-not-the-heads-up-bot-machines http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?899-Limit-Holdem-EV-Shows-arCHived&goto=newpost Thu, 10 May 2012 15:31:45 GMT While listening to some of the older DD radio Coldcall shows from back in the "good ol days", I heard Druff mention some +EV shows dealing specifically with Limit Holdem strategy.

I checked the arCHives and downloaded the 02/05/2009 show but when I started listening, Druff referred to an earlier show (from the previous May perhaps?) and so I thought I should download that one first.

Well, what do you know? The donkdown archive pages seem to be broken -- every time I click on +EV show and try to get to page 2 or 3, it snap ships me to a Coldcall show archive page.

Does anyone have a proper link to this earlier LHE show? Or arrange to send it to me via e-mail? Thanks. ]]> Sandwich http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?899-Limit-Holdem-EV-Shows-arCHived http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?895-1st-time-in-vegas-How-should-I-fire-off-my-roll&goto=newpost Thu, 10 May 2012 07:07:24 GMT I'll be in vegas from june 1st-29th for my first world series. I'm bringing 10k and looking for the best value at nlh tournaments/cash. I'd like to play a couple 1k's. Any suggestions on events, satellites or cash games that I should definitely play would be great. Also, I'd appreciate some ideas on how I should spread out my action so that I'm not busto in the first week. As far as my skill level, I should have a solid edge in any of the 1ks or 1.5ks, and cash games up to 5-10. Thanks in advance. ]]> l3alance http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?895-1st-time-in-vegas-How-should-I-fire-off-my-roll http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?571-What-about-BJ-tournaments&goto=newpost Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:18:57 GMT I keep getting invited, but I hate the ones where there are 20+ tables and the top 40, or whatever, make it.
I only like the ones where the top 2 from each table advance, but if not online those seem hard to find.
I liked the UB ones for a while.

Any tips or advice for these?

When I'm 3B, I like to bet the minimum and then take the bust card, or whatever the 3B is NOT supposed to do.
Doubt it is + EV, but it sure tilts the F out of people. ]]> JimmyG_415 http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?571-What-about-BJ-tournaments http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?417-Counting-the-Dragon-bet-in-Bacarat&goto=newpost Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:29:22 GMT any one try it? druff? http://wizardofodds.com/games/baccarat/dragon-bet/ any one try it? druff?

http://wizardofodds.com/games/baccarat/dragon-bet/ ]]> yaahello http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?417-Counting-the-Dragon-bet-in-Bacarat http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?371-Was-a-hand-I-played-recently-played-correctly&goto=newpost Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:33:07 GMT Upfront, I have played hundreds of mtts (recreationally), and can pretty much spot differences between good and bad plays (at the low levels that I play at), but the following hand frankly puzzled me. I'm not sure if I played it optimally or not. I'd like to hear perspective from someone with more advanced skills.

This occurred in the middle stages of a nlhe mtt on a full table where the 3 of us involved had relatively deep stacks and were sized fairly equal.

Preflop: a player open min raises, another player calls, I call with Ac Qd, in position


flop Ad As Ts


first player checks, 2nd player checks, and I checked too (which I rarely do in a situation like this, but I didn't want to play a big pot just yet)


Turn was Jd, board is now Ad As Ts Jd (other than another spade, possibly the worst card to flop)


1st player now shoves, 2nd shoves; it seemed apparent to me that at least one has KQ so I reluctantly fold

It turned out both had KQ, making my pot equity following the turn at 20%, theirs 40% each

Even if I somehow knew what they were holding prior to the river card, should I have called and gambled FTW? What decision process could I have used to help decide? Am I missing something obvious or did I play this reasonably, considering everything?

not that it matters, but the river was the Jc ]]> Sitting Out http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?371-Was-a-hand-I-played-recently-played-correctly http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?76-Live-MTT-Tourney-Strategy&goto=newpost Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:22:55 GMT Druff,

I remember listening to some podcasts where you talked about playing WSOP events and you gave out a lot of solid advice. Even though NL tourneys are not your main game, you seemed to like playing WSOP events due to all the terrible players. Was thinking of going to the WSOP for a week to play a few tourneys and cash games, but want to make sure I have a solid understanding of MTT Live Tourney strategy.

Could you do a post sometime on just the basic theories of NL Tourneys and the best way to play them.

I understand how stack size/BBs left effect how you play but could you go into detail on the basic strategy in them. For example, its the 1st level of the main event, you are dealt AA and another player is dealt KK. He shows you the KK and he has you covered. Your around an 81% favorite. Do you risk your entire tourney life at this stage in the tourney? Obv cash game you take this all day, but in a tourney like the main, I'm not so sure.

Another example, played a tourney where I called a raise knowing the player must likey had a big hand pre-flop. I flop top 2 pair and we get it all in on the flop and villain shows pocket kings I had about a 75% edge when the money went in. But of course the board pairs and he wins the all in. I put my tourney life at stake but it seemed like the right play since I'm a huge favorite. I know in cash games you will take this play every time as in the long run your going win 75% of the time. But with tourneys how do you deal with things like this since its do or die?

With tourneys and the blinds increasing so quick you just can't wait for 100% lock hands.

I think I read somewhere that you just got to keep making positive expectation plays in tourneys and eventually they will add up. But unlike cash where you know all those positive EV plays are going eventually add up to profits in the long term. In a tourney, if you go all in with a 75%, 60%, 80%, etc edge a bunch of times, you are bound to lose one or a few of them and get donked out of the tourney.

Any insight into how to properly play Live MTTs would be great! ]]> iceman http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?76-Live-MTT-Tourney-Strategy http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?41-How-to-handle-a-maniac-in-limit-hold-em&goto=newpost Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:17:42 GMT Let him bluff you (fold) when you have no-pair-no-draw, even if you think HE is bluffing. Check-call all draws that don't have showdown value if they miss. "Showndown value" is defined as having king-high or better. Pound him back with top pair or better. Never fold any pair and most ace-highs.

Some people feel the need to "out-bluff" maniacs, and that's a mistake. You want to out-value maniacs, meaning forcing them to put in the most bets when you're ahead, and the fewest when you're behind. There's no harm in letting him bluff you a few times. You'll get that money back (and more) when you actually hit a piece of something.

You also need to avoid slow-playing maniacs. Therefore, you should play middle pair on the flop the same way you would a set. The only difference is that you will eventually slow down on the turn with the middle pair, whereas you'll keep firing with the set! Don't slowplay huge hands against maniacs, because you will be giving up lots of value, and the maniac may actually slow down if he thinks you're slowplaying! If you go to 4 bets on the flop (in position) with middle pair, he is likely to give you 4 bets on EVERY STREET if he has something like top pair or 2 pair against your set or better. This is because he will think that YOU are willing to raise him back with light holdings, and therefore he won't give your huge hands the respect they deserve!

Now, how do you handle games with several maniacs? In those cases, you need to tighten up some pre-flop, and then pound your hands hard post-flop if you hit. Remember not to go TOO crazy with hands like top pair (if encountering re-raising), because SEVERAL maniacs increases the chance that one will hit something freaky on you (such as a weird 2 pair or straight). At the same time, you can't play scared, or you will be giving them better odds to suck out on you. It's a balancing act. It's FAR easier to play against one maniac than several. This is why my "dream" lineup of opponents would include 2 passive limp donks and 3 tight, straightforward players. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?41-How-to-handle-a-maniac-in-limit-hold-em http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?40-Mistakes-NL-players-make-at-limit-and-vice-versa&goto=newpost Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:07:28 GMT Can you kill NL games but suck at limit? Or do you have the opposite problem? Perhaps consider the fact that you might not be adjusting right. Take a look at these mistakes NL and Limit players make when playing the "other" game...


Mistakes NL players make playing limit:


1) Bluff-raising an opponent who appears to be holding top pair or better.

2) Not giving up on a bluff attempt when an opponent re-raises, but instead re-bluffing by raising again.

3) Failure to value bet. Constant fear about overcards, straight draws, and flush draws beating you, even when it's checked to you in a heads-up pot.

4) Obsession with trapping. Always slowplaying big hands until the turn or river, even multiway.

5) Folding decent/good hands too easily when raised on the flop or turn.

6) Being afraid to reraise without the nuts.



Mistakes Limit players make playing NL:

1) Overvaluing AK and other big cards.

2) Overvaluing suited connectors.

3) Refusing to fold top pair for large bets.

4) Love for hands like J9, QJ, AT, and KJ, which can play well at limit but often lead to expensive trap situations in NL.

5) Obsession with value-betting, often finding them costing more money than they make.

6) Over-defense of the blinds to pre-flop raises, especially from early position.

7) Giving too many free cards/showdowns by expecting opponent to value-bet scare card on turn or river.

8) Playing too many hands pre-flop, especially in a full ring game. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?40-Mistakes-NL-players-make-at-limit-and-vice-versa http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?39-How-to-deal-with-quot-donk-bettors-quot-in-heads-up-pots-in-limit-hold-em&goto=newpost Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:30:57 GMT Sometimes you'll be in a limit hold 'em game with a "donk bettor". I'm talking about lousy players with the odd habit of usually firing a bet on every street, regardless of the action on previous streets.

Here's how I found is best to deal with such players, once you get them in heads-up pots (or are playing them heads up):


These games will see greater variance because most pots will be a decent size -- even ones you win with ace or king high.

You need to realize that it's okay to fold sometimes, even if you know they're bluffing. You don't have to win every pot or outplay them every hand.

If you're up against a limit hold 'em donk bettor who does so every time (or almost every time), do the following:

- If you have ace high or better, raise him on the flop. If he still bets into you on the turn, and your hand is ace high or bottom pair, just call down at that point. If you have middle pair or better, raise him again on the turn, and again on the river. If he re-raises, just call, unless he gets into a lot of bluff-reraising, at which point you need to treat him like a maniac, but we'll assume for now that his only overly aggressive behavior comes in the form of donk betting each street regardless of holdings.

- If you have king high, or ace high on a lousy board, just call down the donk bets. Be willing to fold, however, if it gets really bad, such as king high on a 4-suit board, or ace-high with 89TJ on the board.

- If you have a draw, raise him if it's a HUGE draw (one that is above or near 50% to make it), and call down all other draws until you hit. The one exception is an ace-high flush draw, where there is probably value to raise him -- at least on the flop. It is important, however, NOT to overplay most draws, as this guy is not likely to fold. Therefore, if you have 6h8h, and the board is Kh7h2d, don't raise his flop bet. Your hand has zero showdown value at this point, and you aren't buying any free cards with the way he plays.

- DO NOT SLOWPLAY. Since you will be raising him a lot for value -- even on the flop -- this will provide great cover for monsters. It may be tempting to slowplay a flopped straight, flush, set, or boat. Don't do that. Just raise him and keep being willing to re-raise from the moment you flop it. He won't fold.

- Fold if you get into a shitty situation, even with promising-looking preflop hands. For example, if you have QdTd, but the flop comes Ah9s3h, toss it. Yes, your queen high might be good, but you have nowhere to go, and it's not worth continuing. Save your chips for better spots.

- Raise above-average hands pre-flop, even if you're out of position and he limps on the button. For example, if you have Q9o, and he limps on the button, raise him. You will run into frustrating situations where you miss and waste money, but you will get extra out of this when you do hit (or spike something on the turn/river), and you will better disguise your hand from out of position by taking control pre-flop. Try to avoid taking the "check from out of position and see what I flop" line when you get dealt an above-average hand against a player like this.

- Fold total trash on the button pre-flop. Your big edge on a player like this will be playing big cards, especially in position. You don't want to raise 83o, flop nothing, and be facing a donk-bet into you on the flop.

- Do not ever bluff a player like this, aside from typical continuation bets on the flop. If he doesn't fold, you are wasting your money bluffing him. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?39-How-to-deal-with-quot-donk-bettors-quot-in-heads-up-pots-in-limit-hold-em http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?35-21-observations-about-poker&goto=newpost Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:46:36 GMT I wrote this on June 5, 2010, which was 10 months before Black Friday. Too bad more people didn't follow #18....

================================================== ===================================


1) The absence of good players is more important to game selection than the existence of bad ones.

2) If you think someone is a bad player, yet they consistently put up better results than you, they either game-select better or you don't understand their style.

3) Most people typically want to play one level higher than their skill level belongs. If you're not doing as well as you'd like, step down one level and your results will probably improve dramatically.

4) If you play where and when everyone else is playing, follow the same strategies everyone else is employing, and go about your poker career the same way that most people do, you are probably a losing player.

5) If you think someone is a lot worse than you, they probably are. If you think a person is somewhat worse than you, they're probably only a little worse. If you think someone is a little worse than you, they're probably about the same skill level. If you think someone is about the same as you, they're probably somewhat better. If you think someone is somewhat better than you, they're probably a lot better.

6) The poker players who aren't broke aren't necessarily the best ones, but are best at handling losing.

7) If you significantly change your lifestyle when running well, you will go broke.

8) If your heart starts to pound during big pots, you're playing too high for where you truly feel comfortable.

9) If you have to think about the consequence of what will happen to your life or bankroll if you have a bad session, you are playing way too high.

10) You can only play your best when you are focused on the game and not the money.

11) The best tournament players don't care much if they bust from any particular tournament. That's why you tend to do the best in tournaments that are too low for your bankroll, where you don't care about the results all that much. Fear is a big enemy in tournaments.

12) Even with millions of hands under their belt, some people will be luckier than others in poker in their lifetime. Accept it.

13) Nobody at the poker table is your friend. If your goal isn't to take every last dollar off the table, you will lose in the long run, unless you're so good that you can overcome the additional handicap, which is unlikely.

14) Anyone who borrows from you has a MUCH higher chance to stiff you or slow-pay you than pay back as promised. The one exception is someone temporarily borrowing because they just don't have the money currently on them.

15) If you develop a reputation for generosity in the poker world, people will take advantage of you.

16) Look around during any tournament or cash game, and a large percentage of people are playing on borrowed money.

17) If you're on a long losing streak and don't actively change something, you will go broke.

18) Money in your online poker account isn't yours until it hits your bank account. Remember that. Never leave more online than you need for your poker play.

19) It's more important to win money than to have others think that you're a good player.

20) One of the biggest favors you can do yourself is refrain from dating other poker players.

21) There are a few people in the poker world who truly believe that everyone "is horrible" aside from a few top players. These players are almost always broke, because this means they have a completely warped view of game selection. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?35-21-observations-about-poker http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20-Wynn-Poker-Room-promoting-2-max-rake-for-all-Limit-Hold-Em-Games&goto=newpost Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:56:53 GMT Will that increase Wynn's marketshare for Limit Hold-Em? I like the atmosphere of the Wynn Poker Room but do not play there as I am not a NL cash game player. I hope they spread 4-8 8/16 or 10-20 games. ]]> Bootsy Collins http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20-Wynn-Poker-Room-promoting-2-max-rake-for-all-Limit-Hold-Em-Games http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?13-Ask-me-questions-about-limit-hold-em&goto=newpost Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:51:07 GMT I've been actively playing limit hold 'em nearly every day for the past 11+ years.

It's limit hold 'em that I have to thank for the fact that I haven't held a regular job since 2003.

If you'd like to ask me limit hold 'em questions, or post hand histories to analyze your play, do it here.

I'll post some basic strategy tips for limit hold 'em shortly, but this thread can be used for questions and answers. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?13-Ask-me-questions-about-limit-hold-em http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?12-***-OFFICIAL-Blackjack-Card-Counting-Thread-***&goto=newpost Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:37:11 GMT If you play blackjack and are tired of losing money, read this thread.

Note that the information here will not automatically make you a winning blackjack player. Note that showing a profit in blackjack can sometimes take a long time, as the edge is small and the variance is high. However, you can greatly improve your odds in blackjack by just taking a small amount of time to learn the basics of card counting.

First, learn basic strategy. Basic strategy is the "correct" strategy that nearly everyone (at least everyone besides complete morons) bases their play upon. You know... stuff like hitting 12 versus a dealer's 2 or 3, but not against 4 through 6.

Next, read the following article that teaches you how to count cards:

http://www.bj21.com/bj_reference/pages/9541.html

(Do not read further until you have done the above.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next, memorize the following exceptions to basic strategy based upon the count (in order of importance):

1) If the true count is at least +3, take insurance against an ace (regardless of what hand you hold).

2) If the true count is zero or positive, stand on 16 versus a dealer 10.

3) If the true count is at least +4, stand on 15 versus a dealer 10.

4) If the true count is at least +2, stand on 12 versus a dealer 3.

5) If the true count is at least +3, stand on 12 versus a dealer 2.

6) If the true count is -1 or less, hit on 13 versus a 2.

7) If the true count is zero or negative, hit on 12 versus a 4.

There are many other modifications, but the above are the most important ones. If you don't want to memorize these, at least memorize #1 and #2, as they are easily the most important to gain edge. Keep in mind that I am also giving basic numbers here, and am not accounting for minor differences that occur when playing 6-deck shoe versus double-deck, etc.

Other strategy notes:

- Penetration (how far they deal before reshuffling) is very important. If they cut off more than 2 decks out of 6, or 1 out of 2, it is very difficult to play a +EV blackjack game, even if you are counting.

- The number of players matters. Try to get tables with few players, preferably one other person. Playing heads-up is great EV-wise, but bad in the sense that you get watched far more closely by the pit. If your table is full, your EV will go down, and you may not even be a favorite in a marginal game (i.e. mediocre penetration and/or mediocre rules).

- The rules matter. NEVER play the single deck where they pay 6:5 for blackjack. It is unbeatable. Also avoid any games where you can't double on any two cards. It is advisable, especially in shoe games, to only play games where you are allowed to double after splitting. It is always to the player's advantage to have the dealer stand on soft 17 (rather than hit it), but this is getting more difficult to find other than at high-end Vegas strip casinos. Don't obsess over the hit/stand soft 17 thing, but keep in mind that it makes a difference.

- Do not ever place gay sidebets on what cards will be dealt. The house has a HUGE edge on these.

- Stay true to yourself and be disciplined. It sucks when you slam out 5 big bets in a row when the count is high, lose all 5, and then the shuffle comes before you can get unstuck. It's tempting to keep firing big after the shuffle, but that move is -EV and will kill you in the long run if you don't get that impulse under control.

My next post will discuss the very important concept of "cover" -- i.e. making yourself NOT look like a counter. ]]> Dan Druff http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?12-***-OFFICIAL-Blackjack-Card-Counting-Thread-***