About the Author
Curtis Mayfield III is a freelance poker writer with several years of online and live experience. He is also the son of R&B superstar Curtis Mayfield. As a player Curtis excels in all forms of poker and prefers No Limit Deep Stacks tournaments. Curtis is author of the Do or Die Poker blog He resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and 2 daughters. Favorite Quote: “In order to live, you must be willing to die!” –Amir Vahedi Personal Articles |
Curtis Mayfeild III's Poker BlogPoker and the EconomyBefore the poker boom in 2003 tournament fields for $5000 and higher buy-ins could be as small as eighty players in some venues. Since then the fields have grown each year much to the chagrin of professional poker players as it decreases the skill factor and increases the element of luck in the game. Today, we may be seeing the beginning of a decline in live tournament play as the global effects of the economy hit pocket books around the world. Honestly I believe that online poker will not be as affected simply because of its convenience. People can deposit relatively small amounts of money at their discretion and they also do not have to travel anywhere to play which makes it a good deal compared to going out to a casino. Showing Your CardsShowing your cards after a hand has always been a bit controversial. Typically I do not recommend it as it gives away far too much information. In general if you are able to win a pot with meager holdings you should not show your cards. Why give your opponent the free information telling him that you were bluffing and ultimately arming them with your tactic in a similar hand down the line? Some would suggest that this is show boating and they would be correct in many situations. However, there are times when showing your cards can be a very relevant strategy. John Juanda Finally Getting the Credit He DeservesFinally, John Juanda is getting the credit he deserves as one of the best tournament poker players in the world. I know John tends to come off as being extremely quiet with a laid back demeanor but who can blame him? He is a silent assisin. Johns relaxed approach to the game can easily lull you to sleep while he slits your throat at the table. Year after year we have all witnessed John make one WPT final table after another only to be knocked out or short stacked before reaching his goal. Lately, John has been on a bit of a tear. Over the past three years John Junada has taken down titles on the Professional Poker Tour, Aussie Millions Crown Poker Championship 2006, and most recently the World Series of Poker Europe Championship Main Event. Deep Stacks Mean Small PotsA lot of players have a tendency to play the same way in Deep Stacks tournaments as they do in faster structures. This is the wrong approach. Fast structures in tournaments by their very nature lend themselves to large pots. You simply do not have the time to wait around for the nutz. You will see player after playing pushing their chips in the middle with small and middle pairs along with Ace King on a regular basis. Although I still do not recommend this strategy and believe that the fast structure tournaments still allow some play early you will still see that kind of play in those tournaments. Keep the Lead in Your HandIn order to win in any form of poker you must be capable of making bets when you have absolutely nothing. Many times I see players that take the lead in a pot when they are heads up simply check after the flop hits the board with low cards after making a pre-flop raise . This is the wrong way to approach the game. The fact of the matter is that you will miss the flop around sixty-seven percent of the time. That means your opponent(s) will miss the flop just as much as you will. By not staying in the lead with a continuation bet you are giving your opponent the green light to take the hand away from you on the turn. If you make a bet on the flop no matter what hits the board it does a couple of things for you. First, it allows you to take down the hand immediately. Second, it allows you to find out where you are at in the hand should you get a call or re-raise. The result is that you get information that you can use should you continue to play the hand against your opponent. Be Consistent and the Cash will ComeLately, I have been on another incredible run. I have made several cashes over my last ten online tournaments with two wins in multi-table tournaments. However, I am still trying to win the big one. That elusive ten thousand dollar or more first place prize is ever looming in my mind. Normally, the online tournaments I participate in have a first place prize of anywhere from three to five thousand dollars. Despite earning my way into several big Sunday tournaments I have yet to make a final table but have six very nice cashes in the top twenty this year. Definitely frustrating but I am still pleased with my play. It would be one thing if I were getting out played by my opponents or making dumb plays but I have simply been out drawn a number of times while I was ahead in the hand. I got my chips in good and that is all that really matters to me. Running it TwiceI am sure you have heard the term "let's run it twice" before. Running it twice is a common occurrence in poker cash games. You will not see this kind of deal in a poker tournament. Currently only one online poker site that allows you to "run it twice." Running it twice provides a way to determine the winner of the hand when all of the betting is completed before the last community card has been dealt. This is only done in a heads-up scenario and can be done after the flop or turn. Here is how running it twice works: Johnny Chan on Phil HellmuthJohnny Chan has come out of hiding and boy did he come out with a bang. I happen to be a huge Johnny Chan fan. I also happen to be a big Phil Hellmuth fan despite his penchant for throwing childish tantrums that only serve to make him look stupid. You would think that with all the fame and good fortune Phil would finally turn off the "act" and simply enjoy the game. Time after time we have all been exposed to his overly critical tirades after taking a beat or losing a hand. Johnny Chan called Phil a great guy and I am sure he is. Chan also said that Hellmuth is a very sociable person and a great guy when he is not sitting at the table. However, when he is in a poker game he turns into a "Sissy Person." Honestly, I am not sure if I could have coined a better phrase for Hellmuth myself. We have all watched the likes of Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Eric Lindgren, and Chan himself and thought about how classy these guys are. In my minds eye each of the aforementioned has the kind of demeanor we should all aspire to when involved in a poker game. The Continuation BetMany times we see players miss the flop completely and then check the hand. I highly discourage this approach when you are at a passive table or have position on your opponent(s). The fact of the matter is that your opponent is going to miss the flop as much as you are. So why give them an opportunity to steal the pot when you don't have to? What is a continuation bet? A continuation bet is a bet after the flop whether it hit your hand or not. It doesn't mean that you shove a bunch of chips in the middle without thinking about it. It is simply a well thought out bet that will not cripple your stack to see where you are in the hand. The continuation bet in the hands of a skilled player is an extremely handy tool to pick up pots with absolutely nothing against weaker players that will not bet out unless they have hit something. It also allows you to portray somewhat of a loose image which allows you to set up bigger players as the game moves along. Understanding Betting PatternsUnderstanding your opponents betting patterns is crucial to your success in poker tournaments or cash games. Recognizing when someone is bluffing or actually has it can many times be determined by betting patterns. If you are playing online poker betting patterns are the only tell that you have on your opponents most of the time. What is a betting pattern? A betting pattern is determined by how your opponent is betting his hands along with what position he is betting them from. By understanding betting patterns it allows you to narrow down the range of hands your opponent may be playing. Understanding betting patterns also allows you opportunities to win pots that you may not have won otherwise.  |
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