Bluff Magazine

How to Transfer Online Poker Experience into Live Results

Saturday, September 6, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

Recently at the WPT North American Championships in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I had the chance to apply what I've learned in 6&43; years of playing online poker. I have long preached about the valuable lessons learned from online poker; but i...Read more...

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*Text		<p>Recently at the WPT North American Championships in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I had the chance to apply what I've learned in 6&43; years of playing online poker. I have long preached about the valuable lessons learned from online poker; but it is rare to go deep into a massive tournament like this one by using everything that was learned. In Niagara Falls, it was my chance to parlay my thousands of hours of online big field tournament experience into a great result. At the end of four days of marathon play resulting in my first WPT final table appearance, I finished in fourth place for a score of just over $289,000.</p><p>Day 1 was all about surviving the landmines and trying to pick a good spot to gain some chips. I struggled throughout the day, picking my spots, staying out of big pot coin tosses and slowly and steadily picking up chips. I didn't over-commit to pots against players who I knew would be willing to gamble for large pots; instead I tried to win the pots either pre-flop or on the flop, with strategic betting and plays. It was working amazing well for the better part of the day, considering I wasn't getting very many big hands to play with. I was hitting my suited connectors and low pairs for decent-sized pots, but not doubling up. We started with 20,000 in chips and within about four hours, I was up to about 28,000, through good play. I took a hit about an hour before the dinner break when I lost set over set in a 25,000 pot. That knocked me down, but I wasn't out.</p><p>Just before the dinner break on Day 1, I limped in fairly early position with an A-7 of hearts, if I remember correctly, and was raised approximately three times the big blind. I decided to take a flyer and call the raise to see the flop. The flop came down with two hearts on it and I had the ace as an overcard. The big blind checked, as did I, and the original raiser followed through with a bet on the flop. I don't remember the exact amounts of the bets so I can only give an overview of the action. The bet he made wasn't a substantial bet and the big blind called, giving me slightly better odds to try and chase the flush, so I called as well.</p><p>The turn brought a heart and I had the second nut flush based on the straight flush possibility that was out there. I discounted either player having a straight flush, so I was not too scared of the hand. The big blind came out betting pretty heavily, and after what looked like a hard decision for me, I flat called, trying to induce a call or raise from the original raiser left to act behind me. He folded, so I was heads up with the big blind, holding what I thought was the nuts. I was just praying that the board didn't pair on the river. The river card brought a brick. The big blind came out swinging pretty big. I thought about it for quite a while, posturing before I announced all in. The big blind almost fell off his chair. He turned white and went into the tank for what seemed like ten minutes. He finally called, flipping over the king-high flush, and was sick when I rolled over the ace-high flush, busting him. That hand propelled me up to 49,000 in chips just before the dinner break. I left for dinner feeling energized, positive, and in great spirits.</p><p>After the dinner break, things slowly disintegrated. I don't remember if we played three or four more rounds after dinner, but those hours were the worst card-dead experience I've had in ages. When I did finally get bigger pairs like Q-Q or JJ, after I'd raise, I'd get one to three callers; the flop would have one or two overcards and I'd be facing large bets. My stack dwindled down to 13,000 before the final two hands of the day. I had no intention of paying the blinds again just before the end of the day.</p><p>I was stalling on the final three hands before the big blind was going to hit me. On the second hand I got dealt 8-8; I raised and the blind called me. The flop came with all unders, he checked, and I moved all in. He folded, giving me a few chips. On the very next hand, with about three minutes left to play, I stalled for as long as I could before a player actually called a clock on me. When the time was starting to run out on my clock, I looked down at pocket aces.</p><p>It was the first time I had been dealt pocket aces in six live event tournaments. With five seconds to go before they called my hand dead, I raised the minimum amount and was called by a middle-position aggressive young player. The flop came down with nothing scary and I bet weakly into the flop, trying to induce a raise from this player. He did as I thought he would and put in a good-sized raise. I waited quite a while before saying something like, well, I'd rather double for tomorrow, or bust and not have to drive here; then I moved all in. He folded fast... maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I ended day one at a disappointing 26,600 chip stack</p><p>I drove the hour back to my house and arrived home at about 3am. I was exhausted, frustrated, and depressed. I didn't sleep well that night,and on my drive back to Niagara Falls in the morning, I made the decision that I wasn't going to pull any punches: I was going to have a great day of cards, or go down swinging.</p><p>I started off day two with a KILL, KILL, KILL attitude. I wasn't going to be bullied and I was determined to scare the snot out of the players at my table if they dared raise me or enter a pot with me. The strategy worked and I was the only player getting walked in my big blind. I started to take some risks and played some hands aggressively, slowly starting to build my stack. After busting two players, I was into the zone and on a roll. I raised pre-flop with J-J, another player moved all in on a 9- high flop; I called and the player rolled over A-Q; he didn't improve and I gained some much needed chips.</p><p>The other player I busted was amazed I made the call on him, but something just didn't seem right to me and that induced me to make the call. The cutoff had raised about 3 times the big blind, I was on the button with 6-6, and I called. The small blind instantly moved all in for a fair-sized bet, and the original raiser folded. I thought about my hand for a very long time. I studied the player and, quite frankly, he looked like he was going to have a heart attack. I made the call and was delighted to see him roll over 4-4. He didn't improve and the hand propelled me to over 70,000 in chips.</p><p>After taking a 4-1 favorite all-in beat a little while later, I was sitting at about 53,000 in chips when Freddie Deeb was moved to my table. I have all the respect in the world for Freddie's game, but I know that he is capable of making moves in position with a wide variety of hands. One hand that was very interesting came up and to this day I don't know whether I made the right decision or not in terms of chips, the pot, etc. I just had a very bad feeling and ended up folding. Freddie was sitting one seat to my right and raised the pot on the cutoff. I looked down on the button at Q-Q and reraised his 4,500 bet to 12,000 to go. The small blind beat me into the pot for an additional 23,000 over and above my bet. Freddie folded and I was left with a big decision. Calling him would leave me with only 18,000 in chips after I had been playing so hard and well to finally start moving in the right direction; and I could only put the guy on one of three hands. He was a tight player and wasn't making many moves at all. I could reasonably only put him on A-A, K-K, or A-K. Two of the hands completely dominated me, and I was racing against A-K. The pot had approximately 53,000 in dead money for a 23,000 call.</p><p>I just couldn't get past my bad gut feeling, and I ended up folding. I was a little sick when he rolled over A-K, but I still could have lost the hand. The problem was that the decision I made rattled me. My instant gut feeling when he moved all in was to call if Freddie folded. But, after counting down the chips and outthinking myself, I changed my mind and folded. Regardless, because of my finish in the tournament, I was happy I made the decision I did; as I could have lost the hand crippling myself - but I still don't know if it was the right decision or not.</p><p>For the next three hours I played terribly and got my chip count into trouble. Things finally started to swing my way after I was moved to John D'Agostino's table, and I started chatting with him that I was going to double on him. We had some friendly competitive banter back and forth for quite a while, as I was sitting there short-stacked at this point, under 19,000 again, and no threat to anyone at the table. I went on an aggressive little heater, raising and betting the flops and built my stack back up to about 41,000.</p><p>I was finally dealt A-A when J-Dags limped into the pot in front of me. I did about a four times big blind raise and J-Dags called me. The flop came something like 9-8-2, with 2 clubs. J Dags checked and I bet about three-quarters of the pot. J-Dags called me fast. The turn brought the 4s; he checked and I then moved all in, grossly overbetting the pot. I was worried that he was trapping with a set, but I thought that he had a piece of the flop and maybe a flush draw. He thought about it forever, trying to talk to me, doing his best to gain some information. I tried to look as nervous as I could and didn't talk back to him at all, instead, trying to look away to induce his call. Once he hesitated I knew I was ahead. He finally made the call, rolling over the 7h 8h. The river was a blank, and it doubled me up and rolled me over 100,000 for the first time in the tournament.</p><p>After that hand, I really got into the groove and started playing my Agame again. I got into a hand a while later with Steve Paul-Ambrose who was playing very aggressively to my left at the new table I was moved to. I started chatting at him to see if I could get under his skin a bit, as he was by far the most aggressive player at the table. I think it worked because a hand came up that I raised with Q-10 off in middle position when it was folded to me. Steve called on the button and the board came down 3-K-J. I was first to act, and after a little pause I checked, with Steve checking behind me. The turn card was a nothing card for me - an off suit six - but I took a swing at the pot anyway. My heart sank when he flat called my bet. I had already decided that I wasn't going to invest another dime into the pot if I missed the river. The river was my dream card, an off-suit ace, giving me the nut straight. I hesitated a bit and checked again, figuring that Steve would take a good swing at the pot, as he was playing aggressively and he obviously had a piece of that board. He did what I wanted him to do, and after a delay I moved all in on him with a massive overbet. He had me easily covered at this point and I was praying he was going to put me on a steal and call me. After about five minutes, without moving any chips into the pot, he quietly said, "Call."</p><p>No one really heard him; I know I heard something, but had no clue what he said. I asked him out loud, "Did you say 'Call'?" He confirmed his call and I was tickled to roll over my Q-10 for the nut straight. That pot propelled me to over 180,000 in chips, and gave me a real boost in confidence. I was extremely happy with the way I played the hand and had maximized my return with my check-raise on the river.</p><p>After that pot I yo-yoed a bit on my stack and took a few hits. I got into a pot again holding Q-Q, and it played out similarly to how the hand that Freddie had raised earlier in the day played out. But this time I made the call and busted the player, getting back up to about 150,000 in chips. We ended the day at 45 players and I had built my stack up to a respectable 202,000 to finish the night. I was exhausted again and really didn't feel like driving home. The floor managers arranged a room for me at the hotel and I decided to stay in Niagara for the night and try to get some extra sleep. It worked well - I slept in until my alarm went off at 11am, giving me a great night's sleep.</p><p>The first hour of Day 3 three started off fairly slowly for me. I didn't get any hands at all. Didn't even get good position for steals, so I just had to ride it out and wait. I got moved off my starting table to another table and was put into the big blind at that table. My big blind was noneventful; someone raised and I folded junk. On my small blind, however, a player under the gun moved all in for 85,000 in chips. It was folded to me and I looked down at K-K and moved all in over the top of him, isolating him by inducing the big blind to fold. The player turned over Q-Q and was busted when he didn't get any help. I was on my way. I won a few more pots through aggressive play and found myself sitting at about 350,000 in chips a couple of hours into day 3.</p><p>A little while later, Allen Cunningham moved all in on my big blind from early position; again I looked down at K-K and made the call. I believe he had 8-8 and ended up busting out. I was over 500,000 in chips now and really playing well. I continued to build my stack over the course of the day, making some great reads, folds, and calls. Sometimes it seems like you're making all the right decisions and day three was one of those days for me. I wasn't really getting lucky; I just wasn't getting unlucky on my biggest hands.</p><p>At the dinner break on Day 3, I was at about 860,000 in chips and sitting pretty with only 16 players remaining. It was getting exciting! I went card dead for a few hours after dinner, so I just played tight and maintained my stack. I actually even increased it a bit through steals with position. They made a single table when we got down to ten players. I was still card dead but had a healthy stack. When we got down to the final seven players, needing to bust one player for the final table of six, I was still card dead and hovering around 800,000 in chips. John Juanda and Adam Dunkle were both the shorties, with about 450,000 in chips. Right after a break, I had the small blind, with a very aggressive Marc Karem to my left in the big blind and he had about 1,290,000 in chips. It was folded to Adam Dunkle on the button and he moved all in for 400,000. I looked down in the small blind at 9-9 and was sick because I didn't know what to do and, honestly, I didn't know if I had the guts to call him for more than half my stack.</p><p>On top of that I was scared that Marc would wake up to a big hand and clobber my 9-9. I thought about it for nearly ten minutes, agonizing over what to do. I decided to make the call, but not reraise all in, just in case Marc woke up to a hand. If he reraised me, I was prepared to fold and make the final table and fight it out tomorrow, even though I would be short. I called, Marc ended up folding, and Adam rolled over 5-5. The board came J-8-4, then a 10. And after a drama delay by the dealer, he rolled over a 3, busting Adam in seventh place and soaring me to the final table with 1.3 million in chips. I jumped about 20 feet in the air and probably have never been so excited about any hand I've played in my entire career as I was about that one. My girlfriend Monica jumped into my arms and the room went wild. It was a pretty exciting moment. My first WPT final table and it was me making the call to bust the seventh place player. It was truly the scariest call I've ever made since I started playing tournament poker.</p><p>Day 4 was filled with interviews and prepping for the final table. Monica and I relaxed and watched movies in the room for the rest of the day and just tried to remain calm and focused. The final table started with a bang. On the very first hand of the day, it was folded to me on the button, where I made a standard three times big blind raise. I was raising into Marc Karem's small blind and Jason Sagle's big blind. I had already decided what I was going to do if either player reraised me. I knew that Marc was playing aggressively and decided that if he reraised me pre-flop I was going to push all in on him. If Jason reraised me, I was going to flat call and see the flop. Jason seemed to be playing tighter and better starting hands. I'm not taking anything away from Marc's game, as he had played three days of dominating cards. It's just that his game was more open than Jason's seemed to be. Anyways, Marc reraised my 90,000 bet to 290,000 and I stood up and said something like, well, this could be my fastest final table ever, and announced that I was all in.</p><p>I think my family and friends in the audience all suffered strokes when I said that because I looked back at the 14 people who were my guests and they were all as white as ghosts. Marc thought about it for a while and mucked his hand. You'll have to wait for the program to see what we had. I reraised Jason when he raised my big blind and he mucked. I reraised all in a few more times and wasn't called pre-flop.</p><p>We had gotten down to four-handed when Jason Sagle raised my big blind and I looked down at Ah Qh. I had 1.1 million in chips with monster blinds. He had raised it to 250,000ish on 40,000/80,000 blinds and I didn't think it was wise to flat call and have to lay down that hand. I took a swing at the pot all in and Jason, after thinking for a while, made the call.</p><p>To my horror, he had A-K of clubs and I didn't get any help. I busted in forth place for a payday of just over $289,000. It was a great result, but as a competitive poker player, it is hard not to get the win I so badly wanted.</p><p>The final table day and play were a lot of fun. It was my third TV table and I was very relaxed and enjoying the moment. The players at the table were fun to compete with and enjoyable to have there. It was a memorable day that I will look back on with both fondness and regret. I regret two decisions I made at that table, but because there was no flop, who knows whether they would have worked out had I acted differently on those hands. I was happy with my final table play for the most part, but still agonize over the two decisions that might have been mistakes. Mistakes happen in this game; you just have to try to minimize them and reduce the damage done by them.</p><p>All of my experience playing thousands of online tournaments did more to help me be successful in this tournament than I ever could have imagined. My instincts were honed and right on, and my situational awareness was sharp. Don't discount what you can learn from playing the maniacs online; you just may be pleasantly surprised one day in a live event when things seem to come together for you, with you making all the right reads and plays because of your online experience.</p>

How to Handle the Inevitable Online Swings

Sunday, August 31, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

One of the most frustrating aspects of playing online poker is the swings. Regardless of how good a player you are, swings are inevitable. They can be mind boggling, they can be harsh, and they can wreak havoc on your sanity. After playing ...Read more...

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*Text		<p>One of the most frustrating aspects of playing online poker is the swings. Regardless of how good a player you are, swings are inevitable. They can be mind boggling, they can be harsh, and they can wreak havoc on your sanity. After playing online for nearly seven years, I've seen it all, but to this day I have trouble handling the swings, both emotionally and financially. The secret to success in the long run is to understand the reasons behind these swings and minimize their contributing factors.</p><p>There is luck in poker; if there were no luck involved, very few players would continue playing the game. Bad players (i.e., poker's bottom line) would lose every pot and quit. The reality is that it's the luck factor that keeps many players liquid in this game and allows them to play on. But that luck factor, or variance, can kill your bankroll when you take a bad swing in results. You could conceivably play 100 tournaments online, play them all very well and not cash much overall because you keep taking devastating all-in beats at critical moments. It seems like the sites have it in for you, the poker gods hate you, and your karma is all messed up. My laptop has been in jeopardy many times after being launched across the room following a string of really bad beats in major online tournaments. Some days, no matter what you do, everything goes wrong. On other days, even the wrong plays turn out right. The difference between the good player and the amateur is how he capitalizes on the good runs and minimizes the losses on the bad runs. The truly great player recognizes the mistakes he's making that compound his bad run and he takes steps to correct them.</p><p>Compounding factors can be anything from tilting to external factors that can affect a player's judgment. It is very hard not to get angry and emotional over a bad run or a bad string of beats. But as hard as it is, you cannot let that bad run bother you. It should be water off a duck's back. Keeping a positive attitude throughout a bad run is critical to helping you overcome and correct it. I keep hearing players cursing their luck, complaining about how many bad beats they are taking even though they're playing great, and how they just can't get out of their rut. I've watched them play and I see them chasing bad draws, making bad calls, going all in when they don't need to —basically pushing the envelope and not getting lucky, making mistakes because they're trying so desperately to get out of their tailspin.</p><p>So stay upbeat, and try not to get mad. Your positive attitude will help you keep a clear head and help you make better decisions during play.</p><p> </p><p>Stepping down rather than up</p><p>Many players make the mistake of climbing up in limits, rather than stepping down, when they are in a bad run. They try to get their money back faster at higher limits, when most of the time that backfires and they dig themselves into a deeper hole. If you want to learn how to stop your tailspin, you have to force yourself not to make this mistake. Stepping down in limits will have a couple of positive effects. First of all, it will build your confidence. Secondly, you can build up your bankroll, albeit slower at lower levels, but with much less risk. By moving up, you may blow your entire bankroll if you aren't playing sharp and on top of your game, nullifying your ability to recover. Get rid of your ego while in a bad run.</p><p>You can take an extreme step by lowering the limits dramatically and practicing the aspects of your game that may not be as sharp. You can do this in low limits with virtually no risk to your bankroll, but the upside to your game could be dramatic.</p><p>When you're in the midst of a bad run or swing, relax, breathe, and do everything in your power to stop the bad run. But take the right steps and don't panic. Baby steps will help you much more than chasing that one big lucky score. Your bankroll and your sanity will thank you!</p><p>Knock 'em dead Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth</p>

Lessons Learned from WSOP

Friday, August 29, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

VARIANCE This year's WSOP was a lesson on the dramatic impact of variance on your tournament success or failure. Variance, in simple terms, means that you will win a certain number of hands based on your holdings versus your opponent's h...Read more...

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*Text		<p> </p> <p>VARIANCE</p> <p>This year's WSOP was a lesson on the dramatic impact of variance on your tournament success or failure. Variance, in simple terms, means that you will win a certain number of hands based on your holdings versus your opponent's holdings over time. An example would be A-K versus Q-Q, which is basically a coin-toss situation. Math dictates that you will win with either hand roughly half the time, Q-Q being the slight favorite. Variance, however, could mean that you win with the A-K 20 times in a row, but over time, the Q-Q will slightly overtake the A-K in the number of times it wins. Variance also means that you could lose with the Q-Q versus A-K a seemingly impossible and mathematically improbable number of times. And the bigger the fields, the more variance you will see in each individual tournament.</p> <p>Over time, it will even out, but it will always seem like you lose more times than you should in bigger field tournaments. The problem is that you have to survive many more coin-toss situations and survive against more draws than you would face in turnouts with fewer players.</p> <p>In this year's WSOP, you had to negotiate recordbreaking attendance and what seemed at times to be insurmountable odds. The number of coin flips and dramatic situations you faced increased over previous years. The luck factor also increased over previous years, simply because of the number of players in each event.</p> <p> </p> <p>COMBATING THE FIELDS</p> <p>A few years ago, pros talked about small pot poker in their approach to the WSOP Main Event. Although it's a sound theory, the problem with it in these enormous tournaments is that you will simply face too many situations where your chips will be in jeopardy. This means that different tactics are necessary, unless you're intent on leaving everything to chance, hoping to pick up huge hands when it matters.</p> <p>Odds say, however, that you will not pick up those hands exactly when you need them. That means you have to change your tactics and practice new things to combat the changing dynamics of these tournaments. Players are generally more aggressive now and aren't afraid to gamble with you. They are overplaying their hands and overvaluing their holdings, forcing you into confrontation more and more. I can't even tell you how many times players moved me all in during the WSOP tournaments when I was sitting there with top set on a safe-looking board, only to beat me with some obscure draw. In a case like that, there is really nothing you can do but pray that your hand holds.</p> <p>To combat those inevitable situations, I feel you need to take risks early in a tournament, with the objective of getting chipped up to absorb the inevitable beats and drawing situations that players will force you into. This affords you the opportunity to make plays that your opponents cannot reasonably make. It also gives you the necessary cushion you will need to survive those situations where you are forced to go all in to protect your hand, or when an aggressive player puts you all in while he is on a play or draw. The only way to practice against big fields is to play online.</p> <p>This year's WSOP had the all the big-name professionals that we all have seen on TV. What was different, though, was that in the massive 8733-player Main Event, there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of "professional" online players with a wealth of experience from their play online. You may be sitting with nine unknown faces at your table, and to underestimate their skill levels can prove to be a tournament-ending experience for you. My bust-out hand was against an unknown internet player who played the nut hand about as well as it could possibly have been played. And he got me to put all of my chips into the middle with my secondnut hand. It was no fluke. He had won his seat online and was a student of the game. His play was something that I would expect from Phil Hellmuth or Phil Ivey, not from an unknown young kid sitting at my table. I had seen, over seven weeks of play, such aggressive yet weak play that I underestimated the kid's hand and it ended my day.</p> <p>You need to be aware that, despite not sitting with recognized players, you could still be sitting with players who have literally played thousands of tournaments and have a wealth of experience from online poker. If you want to compete with this seriously, you need to be mixing it up online against the big field tournaments, or else you will be at a distinct advantage against players at your table.</p> <p>Every week, online has tournaments with fields of up to 8,000 players. Expect play and learn how to overcome it. We all will take horrible beats and wonder at times why we love tournament play, but once you hone your game and get used to these big variance tournaments, it will make any success you have that much sweeter. Practice playing aggressively early and take more risks to get chipped up. Yes, you will bust faster in many tournaments, but when you do manage to get chipped up, you may find yourself in a position to actually win one of these giant tournaments. Good luck!</p>

How to Play in Big Player Fields

Monday, August 25, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

It seems that every year, the number of players in each live event keeps on growing, and none more so than at the World Series of Poker, where thousands of players throw their money into the mix to try and get their little slice of poker hi...Read more...

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*Text		<p>It seems that every year, the number of players in each live event keeps on growing, and none more so than at the World Series of Poker, where thousands of players throw their money into the mix to try and get their little slice of poker history. You can play all the live tournaments you want to gain valuable experience, but where can you get the quickest training in negotiating these huge field tournaments?</p><p>The best place happens to be online.</p><p>Playing online tournaments, especially the big Sunday tournaments, is your best training tool for getting ready to tackle such overwhelming fields. Sure, there are live events across the country daily, but none of them have the number of players to come close to a World Series of Poker event. So, if you want to be ready to play in the World Series of Poker, get online and get your game strategy worked on before you head to Vegas to play.</p><p>You can play tournaments from freerolls to larger buy in tournaments online almost every day. Don't dismiss a 5,000-person freeroll event as a waste of time, because the reality is, with the number of players that will play this years' WSOP, you will run into every type and style of player imaginable. You have to learn how to dodge as many landmines as you possibly can to survive and flourish in a WSOP tournament. Playing in these large field events online, whether it's a buy in or a freeroll, can give you this valuable experience, and teach you how to pick good spots to get your money into pots. Hopefully, with some luck, you will be able to get yourself chipped up and, in doing so, give yourself added flexibility in the way you can approach your tournament.</p><p>Sure, in bigger-buy in online tournaments, like many of the big Sunday events at various online sites, the quality of play will be much higher than in the freeroll events. The problem for many players, though, is forking out the $200 to $500 buyins each Sunday. This is a good opportunity to refer to my article in last month's Bluff Magazine, in which I talk about playing the sit-n-gos/single-table satellites at the WSOP for both cheap entry into bigger tournaments and for the extra earning potential they offer. Likewise, you can use the sit-n-gos online to satellite into the big Sunday tournaments. And not only will you gain valuable experience as you maneuver through the big fields, you also can get a shot at taking home up to a quarter of a million dollars.</p><p>In these big field tournaments, whether it's online or the WSOP Main Event, you will have to come up with a reasonable strategy to survive and prosper. You can't win the WSOP Main Event on the first day of play, nor can you win an online tournament within the first few hours. Therefore, you need a good plan of attack. Again, the only place you can practice this sort of tournament regularly is online. By playing as many large-field tournaments online as you can before you set foot in the RIO, the betterprepared you will be to survive the marathon of poker you will face. Even the smaller buy-in tournaments at this year's WSOP are three day marathons, so it's obvious that the organizers are expecting huge turnouts. So make sure you tinker with your strategy online and find out what works for you. You have an opportunity that you normally don't get in live play. And you can play multiple tournaments a day online, whereas you can only reasonably play one live event a day.</p><p>So get online and give these tournaments a try. Not only could they give you one hell of a nice payday, but they will also sharpen your game.</p><p>Knock 'em dead, Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth</p>

How to Single-table your way to the World Series of Poker

Friday, August 22, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

The atmosphere of the WSOP is magical. Just being there, amongst the hundreds of poker tables and thousands of poker players all vying for their place in poker history, is a real buzz. I'm sure it must be a very intimidating experience for ...Read more...

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*Text		<p>The atmosphere of the WSOP is magical. Just being there, amongst the hundreds of poker tables and thousands of poker players all vying for their place in poker history, is a real buzz. I'm sure it must be a very intimidating experience for a rookie tournament player to walk into that big ballroom. Even to the seasoned professional player, the electricity in that room is mind-blowing.</p><p>Along with the money and fame that go with taking down a WSOP tournament, there's a golden opportunity to make money in the side games. The reputation of the ring games that surround WSOP is legendary. Some poker players come to the WSOP and do not play any tournaments. Instead, they do their hours in the side action ring games, and do extremely well from the massive influx of money and players.</p><p>One area that is somewhat ignored, however, is the single table satellites, or sit-n-gos as they are called online. Most players will only play a single table satellite with the direct intent of winning their way into a following day's tournament. Apart from a few hardcore single table players, most people fail to realize the true earning potential of these single table tournaments, preferring to devote their time to the ring games. But by doing so, they may be leaving one of the best moneymaking opportunities out of their playing time.</p><p>You will rarely see me in a ring game at large poker events, unless I am horsing around with some friends in the same game. I'll either be playing the tournament of the day, or slugging it out for hours in the single table satellites. I play probably 10 to 15 single table sit-n-gos a day online and have naturally become pretty strong at them. Online sit-ngos will prepare you well for the live games, as the strategy and tactics are nearly identical. And in my opinion, the single table satellites at live events are much easier to beat than the ones online. Thus, practicing online can open up a world of potential earning power at large poker events like the WSOP.</p><p>The dynamics of a sit-n-go constantly change as the game progresses and players are lost, and you have to adjust your play accordingly. Hand values increase as the field size decreases, forcing you to be flexible in your game. Hands that you wouldn't dream of playing at a full table become good, or even great, with position on a short-handed table. Having a bare ace or king three-handed is actually a better than average starter.</p><p>Aggression is key in this kind of tournament, both online and live. Forcing your opponent to make the tough decisions is way easier and more effective than having to do so yourself.</p><p>Playing very small stakes sit-n-gos online can train you to play aggressively without much risk to your bankroll. Sometimes I'll play a very small stakes sit-n-go online, and raise or reraise every hand I play for no other reason than to push the envelope and try to get a good read on whether I'm behind or not. This has really sharpened my instincts and taught me how to control the play at the table. It's much more effective and profitable to be the guy the other players hate to get into a hand with, rather than sitting there scared to death of the maniac to your left.</p><p>Knowing how to use your stack while it's big enough to intimidate your opponent is critical. I've seen many rookie players blind themselves down to an ineffective stack size. When they finally come into a pot, their chip stack size is too small to really damage me, which allows me to take a shot at them with a hand that I wouldn't dream of calling against a bigger stack.</p><p>Basically, you have to know when it's time to start shoving your stack into the middle, either trying to steal a few critical blinds, or to get lucky if you are called, so you can become a threat again.</p><p>Playing sit-n-gos online can train you in the skills you'll need, should you decide to step into the world of live single table satellites. They will not only give you the opportunity to win a seat into your targeted event, but they will also give you a great opportunity to make a lot of money. Pop online and practice your play before you head to your next live event. It could end up being your little pot of gold. Just go easy on me if you see me at your single table; after all, I just gave you some good advice.</p><p>Knock 'em dead, Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth</p>

Beam Me Up: Online Satellites

Wednesday, August 20, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

Chris Moneymaker won his way into the Main Event at the World Series of Poker through a $40.00 online satellite and went on to win the whole thing, plus $2,500,000. What a story that was! He parlayed those 40 bucks into a life-changing expe...Read more...

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*Text		<p>Chris Moneymaker won his way into the Main Event at the World Series of Poker through a $40.00 online satellite and went on to win the whole thing, plus $2,500,000. What a story that was! He parlayed those 40 bucks into a life-changing experience; a dream come true. I actually sat with Moneymaker on Day 1 of the 2003 WSOP. The great thing was that we both instantly recognized each other when we mentioned our screen names, and that let us prepare our games a little. Because we had played online so many times before, we each had some idea of the other's capability. I immediately started attacking his blinds and continued all day long, but evidently, he outlasted me. Chris and I have become good friends since; a friendship that began by playing online tournaments and satellites together. </p><p>The internet has become the most convenient way for players to win their way into major events all over the world, and is now the simplest way to get yourself to the Main Event of the WSOP. Even better, most satellites not only pay for the buy-in, but also give the player expenses for travel and accommodations. Players from all around the world can win trips to fantastic events in Aruba, St. Maarten, Australia, and all over Europe and North America. Some of these guys have won their way into big events for under $5.00. </p><p>Online poker gives people the opportunity to live out their dreams. The Aruba promotion, through Ultimatebet.com, is a classic example of this. This year, hundreds of players from all around the world won a poker vacation of a lifetime. The buzz of excitement in Aruba is overpowering. You will be sitting at a bar in the beach talking to 30 people you have never met in person, but have clashed with numerous times online. It is like a meeting of old friends. Then, if you bust out of your tournament, you can go to the beach or do fun stuff on the island. That's not too hard to take! </p><p>Playing live big buy-in tournaments is very tough to do financially and pretty much out of the vast majority of people's ability. Online changes that, and the number of people who will win their entry into this year's event on the internet will be measured in thousands, not in the hundreds of just a few short years ago. </p><p>So, if you haven't yet tried to play a satellite, but harbor dreams of playing on the big stage, then give it a shot. If you can get yourself to Aruba, you can be assured that you'll see me sitting at the tournament table banging chips around, or outside enjoying the beautiful Aruba beaches. And if you dream of playing in the World Series of Poker Main Event, you just may become the next Moneymaker story! Give it a shot and go capture a dream! </p><p>Knock 'em dead James "KrazyKanuck" Worth

Fast Tracking The Learning Curve

Thursday, August 14, 2008, James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth

I've played poker now for approximately 13 years. I started playing online poker roughly six years ago, after I walked into a business client's office and noticed he was playing a poker game on his computer. Being someone who loved the game...Read more...

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*Text		<p>I've played poker now for approximately 13 years. I started playing online poker roughly six years ago, after I walked into a business client's office and noticed he was playing a poker game on his computer. Being someone who loved the game and played it live regularly, I was naturally interested, and asked him about the software he was using. I thought at the time that he was just playing an online game of poker against the computer, like Hoyle's Texas Hold'em. I had no idea that he was playing interactively with other players from around the world, let alone for real money. </p><p>When he explained it wasn't just a "video game," I was so excited about the prospect of playing online from home, rather than in the smoke-filled poker rooms in Calgary, that I ended my day early and rushed home to download the poker site. I promptly deposited $500 into my real money account and proceeded to turn that into roughly $2,500 within a short period of time. I thought I had died and gone to poker heaven. </p><p>Within a couple of weeks, however, I was down over $10,000 and realized that, obviously, internet poker was rigged. I mean, what else could be the reason for my sudden loss? I continued to play, despite knowing in my heart that it was fixed, figuring I was good enough to beat the game anyway. After losing and losing and complaining about "the cash out curse" and all the other things that players choose to blame for their losses online, I finally went back to complain to the guy who had originally introduced me to the site. </p><p>After he stopped laughing at me, he showed me his track record over the previous few months. Then he made a comment that really stuck with me: "Jim," he said, "maybe you aren't as good a player as you think you are." </p><p>Maybe, he suggested, the tilt factor, the speed of play, the number of hands seen, and all the other reasons that make internet poker different from brick and mortar poker were making me lose. After realizing that almost all of the blame rested on my own shoulders, I went home with the knowledge that I had to learn how to play better and adjust. Lesson number one was learned. Internet poker is not rigged; it just forces you to evaluate your own game, make adjustments and become a better player. </p><p>There are so many factors that can turn a winning live player into a losing online player. The simple fact that you are betting with your mouse button can make it all seem less real. Picking up real chips that you know are of a certain value and making a bet in live play carries weight to it. Clicking a mouse button can become all too easy, and you can easily forget the importance of each bet you make. It's scary how you can be sitting at your computer and it feels just like a video game: Call, call, call, raise, chase, chase again, and you keep on doing it. </p><p>So if you are going to play online, you had better take what you are doing seriously, because you can bleed through your bankroll so fast it will make your head spin. You need to learn discipline. Minimize distractions and get yourself into an environment that helps you to concentrate on the game. It's all too easy to play from home with the TV on, stereo blaring, kids running around, and your spouse yelling at you to take out the garbage. If you are playing to win, you need to isolate yourself from as many distractions as you can. I'm not saying you should shut out your life completely to play online poker. It's just that trying to play your A-game and balancing other distractions around you is damn near impossible. Little distractions affect your decisions and that costs you money. The accumulative effect of many bad decisions over time can be very expensive. </p><p>The reality is that online poker can make you a better player much quicker than playing live can. The simple speed of internet play will either force you to get better faster or blow through your bankroll at lightning speed. If you realize early that the key to improving your results rests fully on your own shoulders, rather than believing that the sites rig the flops, then you are on your way to much better play and greater financial reward. </p><p>Knock 'em dead, </p><p>James "KrazyKanuck" Worth

How to Improve Your Poker Game

Tuesday, August 12, 2008, Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth

It was an honor to be asked to write a regular column for Bluff, and I was even happier when they asked to write about my favorite topic, online poker.I've never said I'm the best online player, or the authority on online poker, but I've ha...Read more...

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*Text		<p>It was an honor to be asked to write a regular column for Bluff, and I was even happier when they asked to write about my favorite topic, online poker.</p><p>I've never said I'm the best online player, or the authority on online poker, but I've had consistent and profitable results over the past few years. One of the most effective ways I can share some of my success, and relay that to other players, is to describe what I think has most helped me improve my game over the years. And that's exactly what I want to do in this regular column.</p><p>Making the adjustment to online play, in comparison with playing live, takes some time. First and foremost is the speed of online play: without the dealer taking time in between hands to shuffle the cards, the speed can be up to three times faster. Therefore, it goes without saying that any leaks that you have in your game will be magnified online because you're seeing many more hands over a shorter space of time. Some tables deal out at 80 hands per hour, in comparison with an average of about 27 per hour live. And if you get proficient at playing online and start playing multiple tables at once, the number of hands that you see per hour will increase exponentially. Playing three tables simultaneously, you could be seeing as many as 240 hands per hour - that's nearly ten times the number of hands you would see in a casino! You will take more bad beats, see more weird draws hit, and witness far more quads and straight flushes than you would in live play, all of which can lead you to conclude that online poker is crazy poker.</p><p>The reality is, however, that if you view online poker in a positive way, you can use it to improve many areas of your game in a much shorter period of time than you would by strictly playing live.</p><p>Once I realized the mistakes I was making online, I worked hard to tackle them and become a better player. I found different games that I thought could help me improve different facets of my play, and I played as many of those games as I could in a day, working hard on areas where I felt I was weak.</p><p>One of the first things I realized early on was that I was pretty good at playing tournaments. I could consistently make it deep into my tournaments, occasionally cashing, and making final tables through solid play; but I would find myself getting eaten alive by superior players at those final tables. Soon, I started playing the sit'n'gos and I realized that I had found my little pot of gold. Not only could I make money on these single table tournaments, but I could also practice an area of my game where I felt I was weak - final table play. The sit'n'gos afforded me the opportunity to get valuable final table experience in order to finish off tournaments better, without wreaking havoc on my bankroll. I could play single table sit'n'- gos for as little as $5.25 (in those days) and experiment with ideas that I would never have dared try out at the $100 plus level. I could play twenty $5.25 sit'n'gos in a row without worrying about the financial impact. Even if I lost every match, which was rarely the case, I'd consider the money spent an investment into my poker future. Today, you can play for as little as a dollar.</p><p>By tinkering with different aspects of my play, I started to understand the psychology of the game as the table became short-handed. There were ten-handed sit'n'gos, six-handed sit'n'gos and heads-up sit'n'gos, all of which allowed me to start my "final table" full-table or short-handed, depending on the aspect of my game that I felt I needed to improve at the time.</p><p>Sometimes I would cover my screen in heads-up matches and play my hands blind. I would try to read betting patterns of my opponents and learn how to react to them. I would play the player's style only, and try to represent the different flops, rather than my actual holdings. What this did for my game was to leapfrog my ability to read certain situations. Investing time in expanding my comfort zone and reading-ability of situations started to pay off when I made final tables. So rather than being eaten alive by the more experienced players, I started becoming a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>I still play sit'n'gos daily online. I play the bigger ones seriously to make money, but will still jump into the smaller matches to practice new things. It's not uncommon to find me in a $5 dollar game. I'll blow off 80% of my chips in the first couple of hands for no other reason than to practice short-stack play. I believe that repetition is key to improving your game and the beauty of online play is that it gives you that opportunity every day, seven days a week. Online play gives the serious player the chance to improve different areas of his or her game in months, rather than in the years it would take in a brick and mortar casino. So jump into the sit'n'gos, not just for the moneymaking opportunities, but also for the priceless experience you can gain from them for tournament play. I would say with confidence that the sit'n'gos have been the biggest factor in the improvement of my tournament play. Hop in, try new things and expand your comfort zone. Some people play poker for 30 years and never change their games. Don't get caught in that rut - there is always room for improvement.</p><p>Knock 'em dead, James "KrazyKanuck" Worth</p>

How to Get in Your Opponent's Head

Friday, August 8, 2008, Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth

When I get my seat assignment in a new tournament, I'm rarely the first one to sit. I find my seat and walk straight past it. I generally like to scout out who's at the table before I sit down, and then I will plan out my strategy, based on...Read more...

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*Text		<p>When I get my seat assignment in a new tournament, I'm rarely the first one to sit. I find my seat and walk straight past it. I generally like to scout out who's at the table before I sit down, and then I will plan out my strategy, based on the players that I see at the table. If I'm unfamiliar with some of them, I'll ask advice from friends that I've made on the circuit about their style of play. When I found my seat for the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the RIO, for the main event of the WSOP Circuit event in March of 2005, I saw right away that I had a tough table. I had drawn Seat 6 and realized I had my work cut out. There were three California-based pros sitting to my left, and Alan Boston and Daniel Negreanu sitting to my right. I didn't like my draw too much, but tried to plan out my strategy anyway, based on the three fast-playing wildcards to my left, and the totally unpredictable Negreanu sitting on my right.</p><p>I had arrived a good 20 minutes before the event had started and began to stress once I saw the players start to take their seats at my table. The problem with such a table is that it can rarely be predictable. The fast playing players to my left were capable of making unorthodox plays and chasing draws that could become expensive if they were lucky enough to hit. And with Negreanu there, I knew that there was a great opportunity to chip up given the right situation, but it was going to take some cunning to catch Dan fast playing a hand into a strong holding of mine.</p><p>As I arrived at my seat, the tourney director announced, "Dealers, shuffle up and deal!" Without time to unpack my IPOD or my favorite pair of shades, I sat down in time to get my first hand, a pair of threes. The button was in seat 9 with the blinds in seat 10 and 1. Alan Boston, who was in seat 2, was first to act and came out raising the 25/50 blinds to 150 right away. Dan Negreanu was in seat 2 and quickly called. Two more players in front of me called as well, which made my pair of threes an easily called hand. I called and three more people called behind me. I already knew that, unless I flopped a set, I wouldn't see past the flop with any bet. The flop came down 2-3-4 with 2 hearts. I had flopped my set, but was facing a very scary board. I knew full well that Alan Boston likely had a large pair with his under the gun raise, but Dan Negreanu and the three fast-playing pros from LA behind me could have almost anything in their hands, so I had already made up my that I was going to play the hand cautiously.</p><p>The two blinds checked the action to Alan Boston, the original raiser, and he came out betting strong, 700, into the pot. Dan Negreanu called pretty fast, as did one of two in front of me. Considering the action so far, I had a big choice to make here. I had flopped middle set, but by no means had an unbeatable hand. In fact, with the pot being the size that it was already, there was potential to go broke, based on all the potential holdings and draws that might be out there. I wasn't worried about Alan's hand, as I didn't put him on 5-6, A-5 or pocket fours. I put him on Q-Q, K-K or A-A. I was hoping it was Q-Q or K-K, as that would reduce his potential outs on me. I was, however, scared to death of what Dan Negreanu, the caller in front of me and the three wildcards to my left were holding. Any one of them could easily have a flush draw, a 5-6, A-5 or 4-4. I decided to play it safe and just call, rather than overcommit by raising. I wanted to see how the action would play out behind me and hopefully get to see the turn card before I made a move to isolate the competition. Two players called behind me, putting six players in the pot to see the turn. The pot was already huge and I was nervous as hell about my hand.</p><p>The turn card paired the twos and I breathed a sigh of relief. Two hands could beat me at this point, 4-4 or 2-2, but I was willing to put my chips on the line now - because no one had raised the flop, I was pretty sure that no one else had flopped a set.</p><p>Then Alan Boston did the unthinkable. He bet 3,000 into the pot. I couldn't believe it because he had so many people call his flop bet. I felt that he had a large pair and I had really only been worried about the other players in the hand. After a long period of time, Dan Negreanu folded his hand, as did the other player in front of me. Rather than pushing all in, I decided to raise Alan's 3,000 bet, but wanted to price him in by only minimum raising him. I made it 6,000, and the two remaining threats behind me folded their hands quickly. I knew in my heart I had Alan beat. Alan looked at me and remarked out loud, "What? Am I going to go broke on the first hand of the tournament?" (I was hoping he would). Alan looked at me again and shocked me by announcing that he was all in.</p><p>I said, "Well sir, if you have 4-4 or 2-2 it's your pot." He turned over Q-Q and I rolled over my threes full of twos and watched as he went white. The river card was a face card and I thought for a split second that it was a queen. I felt my stomach drop, but noticed the moustache on the card; it was a king, giving me a win and putting my stack at almost 24,000 after the first hand.</p><p>I think it took almost a half hour for my hands to stop shaking. The thrill of putting my $10,000 buy in on the line a minute into the tournament was one of the most exciting and scariest things I've experienced in tournament play in my career. You mustn't be afraid to mix it up, but doing so on the first hand of a major tournament must rattle the most seasoned professional.</p><p>Knock Em Dead<br /> Jim "KrazyKanuck" Worth</p>

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