by Barbara Connors
 
Defending against a continuation bet is a tricky proposition. The c-bet is a powerful play because it tells a good story. By raising before the flop and then leading out on the flop, the bettor consistently represents a strong hand across two separate betting rounds. Problem is, we all know (or we should know) that the flop will usually miss any two starting cards, and since premium pairs are rare that means the c-bettor must be betting with air a goodly portion of the time. So how do you know when to play back at the c-bet, and when to give it some respect?
 

by Barbara Connors
 
If ever a concept appeared to be a perfect fit for the game of poker, it’s schadenfreude. A German word now commonly used in English, there’s no precise translation but essentially it refers to feeling pleasure from the misfortune of others. Schadenfreude is the opposite of compassion—instead of experiencing pity and a desire to help when we witness a fellow human in distress, we feel a secret (or not-so-secret) sense of delight.

by Barbara Connors

In a game where we strive to misdirect, obfuscate, and confuse the players on the other side of the table, few things can cause an opponent to knit his brow in befuddlement like acting in the dark. Simply put, acting in the dark means you commit to your next action—be it a check, bet, or even shoving all in—without the benefit of actually seeing the next card dealt. And while it is technically possible to make the move preflop, practically speaking players who act in the dark almost always do so on the flop or later, and the dark action is almost always destined to be a check.

by Barbara Connors
 
Not all battlefields are created equal. The combatants who come to a poker tournament hoping for fortune and glory must consider the landscape before deciding on a battle plan. In short, they must consider the payout structure. Traditionally, poker tournaments have favored a very top-heavy payoff scheme that awards about 70 percent of the total prize pool to the top three finishers, with the lion’s share going to the champion. However, many tournaments feature a flatter payout structure, one that spreads the prize money out more evenly among all those players who are skilled enough—or lucky enough—to make it into the money.

by Barbara  Connors
 
 For aggressive poker players who love to steamroll over the competition, nothing is quite so satisfying as a big bluff. Pushing a mountain of chips into the middle of the table, then watching with quiet satisfaction as your opponent agonizes over the decision, hems and haws, tries to work up the nerve to make the call—only to fold the best hand in the end. It’s a classic form of poker warfare that never gets old.

When the Nine meet at the Rio on November 5,   poker’s ultimate final table will also be its ultimate feature table, watched by millions of viewers around the globe. Ever since the invention of the “holecard cam,” televised poker has been hugely popular, but what exactly are we seeing when we watch a televised poker game?

Is it just like any other sporting event on TV, with the camera as passive observer clinically recording each play but rarely having an effect on the players themselves? Or is it more like a sedentary, hoodie-drenched reality show, featuring a cast of characters who can’t help playing to the cameras—even if they’re not consciously aware of it?

by Barbara Connors
 
Poker players put up with a lot. Obnoxious opponents, unhealthful food, and the ever present threat of bad luck. No matter how skilled you are or how hard you work at making the correct decisions, you’re always at the mercy of cold cards and cruel suckouts. You can play your heart out and still go broke. But for all the slings and arrows we endure at the poker table, perhaps no single blow is more crushing than the cooler.

by Barbara Connors
 
Of all the excuses and justifications that poker players use to explain why they call and see flops with inferior hands, the most oft repeated has got to be, “But it was suited!” No matter how measly, raggedy, or uncoordinated two starting cards are, once both cards are sporting the same suit, they somehow begin to appear playable. Even something like 8-3—one of the ugliest of ugly duckling starting hands—can start looking like a swan to many players when those two cards are suited.

Now that live poker is coming back into vogue, this is probably a good time to remember one of the fundamental caveats of live play: Protect your hole cards at all times. There are two sides to this issue. At the start of the hand, as you gaze down in anticipation to find out whether you’ve been dealt a premium hand to raise with, a drawing hand to call with, or another in a long line of useless junk hands—you must be careful to view your cards in such a way that players sitting next to you can’t see what you have.
 
If you should inadvertently flash your hole cards to a neighbor, the player on the receiving end of this free information is under no obligation to let you know that you’ve just given him a gift. The usual poker etiquette is to warn the flasher once. If the hole card-flashing continues—well, all’s fair in love and poker. Many players won’t even warn you once. So peek with care.
 

Poker players are an eccentric lot. Whether we base our strategy decisions on  mathematical expectation, a gut feeling, or the whim of the moment, we all have peculiarities. For example, take favorite hands. They can be on the junky side or they can be downright rubbish, but for some private reason—we’ve won a lot with that hand in the recent past, or the combination of the two numbers has some special meaning—we feel good whenever we look down to see those two particular cards.