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Full Tilt Poker Tips From The Pros

For more articles please visit: Full Tilt Poker > How To Play > Tips From the Pros

Playing the Main Event
Gus Hansen

"When playing against weak opponents while holding lots chips, you should try to see more flops as cheaply as you can."

Managing the Short Stack
Mark Vos

"In No-Limit tournaments, it's very important to do your stealing when you have at least eight to 10 big blinds."

Playing Pot-Limit Tournaments
Rafe Furst

"In Pot-Limit tournaments, I prefer to be the player re-raising the open-raise."

Red for a Day
Brian Koppelman

"I felt like every raise, weak call or foolish bluff I made was magnified."

A Big Stack Mistake at the 2006 WSOP
Phil Gordon

"Given the table dynamics, there was no need for me to risk one-third of my chips on this hand."

Winning Poker - It's About More Than Money
Ben Roberts

"There are a couple of common mistakes new players make that lead them to draw faulty conclusions about the strength of their play."

Seventh Street Decisions in Seven-Stud
Keith Sexton

"Some of the tougher decisions on seventh street arise when you're holding one pair."

Big Blind Play in Limit Hold 'em
Jennifer Harman
June 12, 2006

"Even if the check-raise doesn't win the pot, this move helps keep a tough, aggressive player off balance."

Firing the Second Bullet
Greg "FBT" Mueller

"If you're up against an opponent who is unwilling to play without a very big hand, firing the second bullet can force them to make some bad lay downs."

Fourth Street Decisions in Seven Stud
Keith Sexton

"If fourth street builds straight or flush possibilities for my opponent, I'm likely to muck a lot of hands; if it appears to be a complete blank, I'll usually continue."

Finding Your Inner Maniac
Greg "FBT" Mueller

"I had convinced him that there was no difference between a $25 raise and a $4,000 raise."

Beware the Min Raise
Phil Gordon

"Every time I've been faced with a minimum re-raise, I've been up against a monster - pocket Kings or Aces."

Playing Bottom Two Pair
Rafe Furst

"Many players overplay top pair and over-pairs, and will either call or re-raise all-in."

The Other Danger in Slow Playing
Howard Lederer

"If he bets on the turn and you raise, you're signaling that the turn card helped you."

Why I Prefer Cash Games to Tournaments
Huckleberry Seed

"If you're attuned to your opponent's moods, you'll find opportunities to profit from their weakened states."

Early Tournament Play
David Grey

"I'd rather gamble early and bust than cling to a short stack for hours on end."

Bad Position, Decent Cards
Howard Lederer

"In spots like this, your best move is to press an edge while you have it - before the flop."

Inducing a Bluff
Layne Flack

"It's hard to bluff on three consecutive streets, and most players won't launch that third bullet."

Back to Basics
David Grey

"As players improve, they inevitably see more opportunities for profit, and thus, see potential in a greater number of hands. "

Representing a Bluff
Huckleberry Seed

"If you had the nuts, he'd reason, you'd bet smaller, trying to get some value."

Viewer Beware
Howard Lederer

"In the last couple of years, I've noticed that some of the less experienced players who have entered $10,000 buy-in tournaments don't fully appreciate what they've seen on TV."

When Passive Plays
Chris Ferguson

"Ideally I want to get one decent sized bet in over the course of this hand and by checking, I prevent my opponent from giving me more action than my hand can handle."

Book Smarts vs. Table Smarts
Erik Seidel

"Just as there is no right way to write a song or paint a picture, there is no right way to play poker."

Playing with John D'Agostino
Jay Greenspan

"After such a difficult opening, it's not uncommon to see even very good players overwhelmed with resignation."

On Cavemen and Poker Players
Ben Roberts

"Endeavor to leave each session in the same emotional state."

Small-Pot Poker
Gavin Smith

"I'm looking to pick up a lot of small pots by applying a constant level of pressure to my opponents."

Tips From Tunica
Andy Bloch

"When he check-raised, he failed to ask himself a critical question: What hand can I call with that he could beat?"

How Big a Bankroll?
Team Full Tilt

"If you're nervous about what you stand to lose in a given pot, you're probably playing too high for your bankroll. "

Thoughts on Omaha-8
Jennifer Harman

"Whenever possible, you need to position yourself to take every chip from a big pot."

In Defense of the Call
Gavin Smith

"A strategic call might keep me from going broke in a hand where I hold a good, but second-best hand."

Stepping Up, Stepping Down
Kristy Gazes

"Early in my poker career I set a simple rule for myself: I would never move to a higher limit until I won three consecutive sessions. If I lost three consecutive sessions at a given limit, I would move down to a lower limit."

40   Playing a Big Draw in Limit Hold 'em
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson

"Playing big draws aggressively against multiple opponents can create very profitable situations."

Know Your (Table) Limits
Paul Wolfe

"As I play, I take note of the loose players and tight players, and then use that information to decide which seat will be most profitable."

Getting Started in Stud-8
Jennifer Harman

"The major mistake that new Stud-8 players make is that they play aggressively with hands that might serve them well in a regular game of 7-Card Stud."

What's Your Starting Hand Really Worth?
Steve Brecher

"There is no universal definition of what "better" means when comparing hold 'em starting hands."

Big Slick: A Slippery Hand
Rafe Furst

"Many people fall in love with A-K pre-flop in No-Limit Hold 'em because they know that they can rarely be much worse than 50-50 to win the hand if they get all of their money in heads up."

 

Bad Cards or Bad Plays?
Team Full Tilt

"I know that some days, even if I play perfectly, I'm going to lose."

Strategies for Short-Handed Limit Hold 'em
John D'Agostino

"The position raise puts me in control of the hand and, even if I'm holding total trash, the pressure puts the blinds in a spot where they need to catch a piece of the flop."

Taking on a Short-Handed No-Limit Game
John D'Agostino

"Three- or four-handed games are usually very aggressive, and I will never limp in."

What I learned at the WSOP
Jay Greenspan

"When playing, keep your mouth shut and don't do your opposition any favors."

Back to the Drawing Board
Perry Friedman

"If you're against a player who likes to slow play or a player who will bluff you out with a big bet, a small bet gives you the best chance of seeing the turn."

30   It's Not Easy Being Green. Or Is It?
Team Full Tilt

"Everyone agreed that one of the best ways to improve your game is to play against better players."

Texture Isn't Just For Fabric
Phil Gordon

"If my hand is unlikely to improve, I tend to bet more than 2/3 of the pot. I want to take this pot now."

Know Your Opponent; Own Your Opponent
Paul Wolfe

"Poker is often not so much about the cards you have, but knowing the way your opponent plays."

How Bad are the Beats?
Steve Brecher

"After my bet and the opponent's all in-raise, I was getting pot odds of 3.7 to 1 to call, so the call is clearly correct."

Third Street in Seven Stud
Perry Friedman

"You should almost never bring in for a completion in Stud Hi, except in very rare tournament situations."

Flopping a Monster

 

Richard Brodie

"Big hands can mean big pots. But, with a big hand, it's even more important to strategize and figure out how strong your opponent is."

Our Favorite Poker Books
Team Full Tilt

"Chris Ferguson believes David Sklansky's Hold 'em for the Advanced Player and Theory of Poker are perhaps the two best books out there."

Holding On To Your Winnings
Aaron "GambleAB" Bartley

"One slip-up can spell disaster for a bankroll, and watching six months of hard work disappear in six hours of foolish play is enough to crush anyone's spirits."

No-limit by the Numbers
Andy Bloch

"In poker, it's the long run that matters, so he should only call if his probability of winning is greater than 40%."

Chip Sandwich
Phil Gordon

"If my raise gets the initial raiser to fold, the meat of the chips will very often be coming my way."

Sizing Up Your Opening Bet
Chris Ferguson

"Poker is like real estate. The three most important factors in deciding how much to raise are: Location, location, location."

So You Wanna Go Pro
Rafe Furst

"Poker is a great game; it's tons of fun, and has never been as potentially profitable as it is today. But try to keep it in perspective."

Dealer, Leave the Bets in Front of the Players.
Greg Mascio

"The first and most important thing, especially in Omaha/8, is knowing where you're at on every street."

Not Playing By The Book
Phil Gordon

"Poker is not a game that is best played by the numbers. Poker is a game of situations."

Playing Two or More Tables at Once
Erick Lindgren

"...the best way to keep up with the action is to look for hands you can fold automatically."

How To Win At Tournament Poker, Part 2
Chris Ferguson

"Most people would be better off making no changes at all, rather than the changes that they do make"

How To Win At Tournament Poker, Part 1
Chris Ferguson

"How much of a difference is there between ring game strategy and tournament strategy? The answer: Not as much as you think."

Specialize At Your Peril
Howard Lederer

"Playing the other games will develop skills that will simply make you a better poker player."

Common Mistakes
Phil Gordon

"I will very rarely bluff against a "calling station"."

Don't Play a Big Pot Unless You Have a Big Hand
John Juanda

"All of a sudden, I don't like my hand -- so much."

Ask And Ye Shall Receive Part II
Erick Lindgren

"Wouldn't Casey have been more than happy to raise with his A-A, knowing the older gentleman would reraise him?"

Ask And Ye Shall Receive Part 1
Erick Lindgren

"I want him to view me as a young hot-shot, with the hopes that he'll bully me later when I have the goods."

8   Should I Stay Or Should I Go
Jennifer Harman

"Usually a losing player is scared to get involved with a winning player, so it's easier for you to pick up pots."

Keep Your Toolbox Well Stocked
Chris Ferguson

"One essential element of playing winning poker is forcing your opponents to make difficult decisions."

Why I Leave My Sunglasses And iPod At Home
Howard Lederer

"I am confident that the information I take in with my eyes far exceeds what I give away."

In Pot Limit...
Clonie Gowen

"What many beginning pot limit Omaha players do not understand is that Omaha is really a game of redraws."

The Script
Phil Gordon

"After a careful analysis, if I'm not sure if I should raise and I'm not sure I should fold, I feel confident that calling a bet (or checking) is correct."

Just A Few Things When Playing Razz
Jennifer Harman

"If your opponent catches a baby and you catch big, you should let it go."

A Way To Approximate The Odds
Clonie Gowen

"Knowing the approximate likelihood of making your hand is a good beginning step on the road to better poker."

Sit N Goes Made Easy
Howard Lederer

"The Sit N Go is the flight simulator of Final Table play, and mastering it should be considered mandatory homework for the serious student."