If there is one mistake novice players make time and time again, other than the most popular error of playing bad hands, it is their utilization of the All-In bet. Over 90% of all players that bust out of tournaments do so because they have pressed the action. They pushed All-In, got called, and busted out. An All-In bet is not designed as an offensive weapon, it is a defensive weapon. It is not designed to entice a call; it is designed to entice a fold. Keep in mind, no matter how great a player you think you are or how good a hand you may be holding anyone can suck out and win with any two cards. Sometimes they don’t even need two cards. One card is more than sufficient. Can you double up with an All-In bet? Yes you can, but your hand has to first hold up. The first classic mistake beginners make is as soon as they see two good hole cards they can’’t get their chips in fast enough. In an average session of Poker you are only going to get so many premium hands. Don’’t waste them on a stupid bets that no one is going to call. Especially when you have been playing tight the last half hour and this is the first hand since then you have entered the pot with. Place out a good size bet of 3-5X the BB and limit the competition without limiting your tournament future. You need to have your premium hand pay off otherwise your stay at any tournament will be short lived.

One good way to look at the All-In bet is as a powerful protective shield that can be utilized to protect your hand. Here is one simplified example when All-In bet can be utilized to protect a hand. You are in late position with AK suited. You have two callers out of position. The flop is Ah, 2h. 3c. You have top pair top kicker. This was a very good flop for you. However, there is both a possible straight draw and flush draw on the board. The first player checks, the second player bets out a bet of about one half the pot, you come over top and push all in. In this example, you are trying to protect what is currently the best hand against any possible draws. Your All-In bet does not provide the necessary Pot Odds that a skilled player would require to continue play and it certainly prohibits any under pair from continuing on drawing to a set.

Another way the All-In bet can be utilized as a defensive weapon is in short handed situations when you are one of the chip leaders. The last thing you want to permit in this scenario is short stacked players to accumulate chips easily. I have seen short stacks push All-In pre-flop and the chip leader on the button, who has the short stack covered 20:1 fold his hand. This was a horrendous lay down on the part of the chip leader. You have the responsibility to protect your lead and make any short stack making a play at a pot realize that their entire tournament will be at risk the second they enter a pot. When you have isolated short stacked players always make it a habit to push them All-In. This will keep them in check and afraid to take a shot at the blinds and antes that they desperately need.

A very good example of this strategy being properly utilized is Greg Raymer’’s play at the final table at the 2004 WSOP Main Event. He knocked out the first three short stacked players in a matter of minutes by not being afraid to put a few chips at risk to improve his standing at the tournament. Keep in mind, at a final table or anywhere in the money for that matter, every time someone gets knocked out you move up in the pay out structure. The beauty of this game is that you have a direct benefit from every hand played even when you are not in the hand. If another player knocks out a short stack, you have just moved up in the payout structure along with all the remaining players, without any risk to you whatsoever.

If you ask 100 Professional Players their opinion, 50 will most likely tell you not to press the action and the other 50 will tell you not to call your money away. Both are very good pieces of advice. Well if you do not do either, then what do you do? Confusing, isn’’t it? What you do is learn to rely on the information available to you so that you can make an informed decision specific to your current predicament. When facing an All-In bet you have to do a great deal of analyzing in a very short period of time. First of all, is the player bluffing? How have we gotten to this point in the hand? What have his actions been that led up to this decision? Could any of the cards that have hit the board improve his hand in any way? Did they improve your hand? (It’’s unlikely that it improved both). You need a lot of information quickly and the ability to process it so that you could begin to assess where you stand. When you can answer the necessary questions then you could convince yourself of what the appropriate action would be. When you cannot or are unsure, then remember one third piece of extremely valuable advice. “There is no such thing as a bad lay down.”” Get away from the hand, regroup and live to fight another day. At the end of the day an All-In bet should be a primary action, not a reaction.

Logic would tell us that this is a very powerful gift for one to possess in a tournament setting. That’’s what I thought too. Perhaps prior to the Internet and the poker explosion this would have been an accurate statement. Unfortunately your ability to read a player will not guarantee that you make it to the first bathroom break at a tournament these days.

In a WPT event this year I decided to enter a satellite. Good practice I figured. It sure was. I started taking control of the table early on as I like to do. People are real tight the first hour, or so, of any tournament, and it is easy to take advantage of the situation. This is where one’’s ability to read is a blessing as it insures that you are not going to get caught with your shorts around your ankles.

In one particular hand I find myself in third position with Pocket Queens. First position called (a novice player), probably a small pair or suited connectors. I raise 4x the BB, fifth and six fold. Seventh position called the raise (a very loose elderly player wanting to teach this bad boy a lesson. Had him tilting a half hour ago when I took him off of mid-set with nothing). It gets to the Button and I get re-raised 3 times my bet (12x the BB). This guy I had a good read on. He was crunched over in a ““Chris Moneymaker”” type position. He was dress like a walking billboard for some poker site I have never heard of and was wearing $3 sunglasses that he had purchased earlier in the day from the last rest area on the Garden State Parkway before the Atlantic City exit. An after-thought. I put this guy on absolutely nothing. He was making a play at a very bad time and was about to get slapped. I decide to come over top with 60% of my chips. Much to my surprise the gentleman in seventh position calls (thinking we will be heads-up) and…you guessed it. The Button comes over the top of me, all in.

Prior to calling him (there was never any doubt in my mind that I would call) I made this statement to him. “I am calling you so that you could learn an inexpensive lesson. When we all see your cards not only will we see that you have absolutely nothing, but if you even have one card in the paint (a face card) I will never play again.” A pretty bold statement, but that’’s how certain I was of my read. The gentleman in seventh position, realizing at that point that I was not just making a play at the pot, he laid his pocket Jacks down (as he later revealed) and the Button opened up his hand to proudly reveal a 10, 6 off suit.

What a read. I was busy getting congratulations from the three tables around us that were rolling on the floor laughing at him and he was busy gathering his things when the dealer flopped a 10, 10, 2. The turn and river revealed two more rags and I was out.

Luckily it was still early enough in the evening so that I could get a dinner reservation at the steakhouse in the Borgatta and made the best of the remainder of my evening. Now, as I sat there going through every hand………every gesture………in my mind I was still confused as to what I did wrong. I played him like a fiddle. It was the read from hell and I nailed it. I went in with the best cards. I was a strong favorite. Yet I am the one that is out.

The truth of the matter is that as much as we do not care for Phil Helmuth’’s antics and attitude he is actually right sometimes. In one of his recent failures he was quoted as saying ““I played it perfectly. I guess if perfect play always won I would never loose a tournament.” Phil’s right. The best players in a tournament are obviously not always rewarded. However, I still did make a mistake. My mistake was revealed to me at breakfast the next day when I was walking into the restaurant and who should I run into at the door on his way out? You guessed it. Mr. 10 6 off suit himself. He turned three shades of grey when he saw me. I extended my hand to him stating laughingly, “”Don’’t worry, I’m not going to hit you.”” He the turned and spend the next five minutes trying to explain to me his actions.

Up until I called the all in he actually thought I would fold. My question was why would he pick that lousy a hand to make a play with? He had an answer I did not expect but a truthful one. He said. ““Listen John, I know I suck. There is not a chance I was going to make it an hour on that table unless I tried to make something happen and even then, I would still probably need to suck out somewhere along the line. I know I could not play with you guys and could not sit around and wait for the nuts all night. I saw you in early position with a another caller that was still upset from the last beat you gave him and I figured if I pressed the action hard enough I can get you to lay the hand down. I never thought you would call.”” This statement not only exposed his inability to play but also exposed the fact that he had no math skills whatsoever not having realized the fact that I had already priced in to the hand. One bad decision and assumption after another.

This is when I realized where I went wrong. It wasn’’t the hand. It wasn’’t the read. It was the way I chose to process all of the information I had compiled on this player. It was early in a tournament. There was a very weak field of players and the good ones stuck out like sore thumbs. I put myself and my tournament at risk against a reckless individual making a bad play and bad assumptions at my expense. After all, I was the Pro and I was going to bitch slap him in front of the whole table and teach him a lesson. I guess I did. I taught him that if he can suck out enough times against stubborn players he too can be a champion. At least that’s what he got out of it.

While at the WSOP main event something very similar occurred to another player. It was day three of the tournament. About an hour into it. Jennifer Harman had just about busted out on the feature table catching a horrendous beat from a straight flush on the river after turning a full. The whole room was still buzzing over that one when I witnessed a hand that made my head spin. The player was a friend of mine that I had played with often. A very success and established internet player having turned Pro a couple of years ago. He found himself in early position with Pocket Aces. He lays down a reasonable sized bet only to get raised by the button. The flop comes A, 4, 5, rainbow. (No, it’s not what you think……wait). With top set my friend is getting ready to push all in with his remaining chips when what should happen? The ESPN cameras come running over to the table. This is customary at the WSOP as they try to get as much “”All-In” footage” as possible on everyone until they see who makes it through so that they had full tournament coverage of those at the final table. My friend does what we all expect him to do and he was surprised to hear the words ““I call”” coming from the other side of the table. The Button turns over his cards to reveal K, 8 off suite. No it’s not a typo…I said K, 8 off suite. The board turns a 6 and the river a 7 and the button is the proud new owner of my friend’s chips. My friend was still in total disbelief two days later when I saw him after I busted out on abad beat on the bubble.

So where did He go wrong. Well we know he played the hand perfectly. He also processed the information correctly; unlike I did in my earlier example. So what beat him? Well in this case, it was the situation. I spoke to the brother of the genius that made the call who revealed to me that 16 of his relatives had come up from North Carolina to witness Jeff in his moment of “fame”. Yes, “”Jeff is going to be on TV you know.”” Said his brother. As soon as those cameras came running over Jeff was in Heaven. Here was his big chance. He was going to be on TV… on ESPN, worldwide coverage, All-in against a Pro at the biggest tournament in the world. He was not going to pass up on that opportunity, even with a double gut shot. Jeff got what he wanted and fulfilled his destiny. He busted out after the break to another guy that played a double gut shot just like him.

So what’s the moral of the story? Obviously, reading is a good thing and it could get you in to trouble with the type of “”talent”” that frequents the tournament circuit these days. If at all possible, try not to put your tournament at risk with someone that has nothing to loose but time.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos is a professional poker player with 27 years of experience.

The question, however is, when are you pot committed in tournament play? The popular thinking is that when you are short stacked you want to get the remainder of your chips in the middle of the table. There are situations though when a more cautious approach may lead to a better outcome. Thus, this is not a rule of poker, it is a mere suggestion to be used as a guidance tool to assist in you in the decision making process. I cannot count the number of times I have witnessed someone pushing his remaining chips into the pot when he is clearly behind in the hand and has little or no hope of survival. Yes, this is the difference in a tournament that does not apply to cash game play. It is about survival and about getting paid. The logic when they loose the hand, as expected, is that they were pot committed at that point and had no other choice. I’m sorry but you always have a choice.

At the WSOP main event I found myself in just this exact situation. I was doing well throughout the first day. I wrapped up the evening with a decent chip count, placing me in the top 40% of the field going into day two. When day two came, however, it was a whole different ball game. I could not catch playable cards to save my life. My best hand the first hour was a J-8 off suit. I tried taking a couple of stabs at the pot, just to get some blinds back. Every time I would enter a pot I would end up with an average of two callers and a raise. Nothing was going right and I began to realize rather quickly that my presence at the tournament would likely be short lived.

After the brake I found myself significantly short stacked with 4,200 in chips and on the Big Blind. After laying off the Blind and ante I was left with 3,200. Much to my surprise I look down to see pocket 9’s, the best hand I had gotten all day. One player called the blind in late position as did the small blind and I pushed in a 2,000 raise. I could have pushed all in, and most players with my chip stack would have. However, I did not. Both the other players called the bet and we went to the flop.

The board flopped A, Q, J rainbow. Not the best flop in the world when you are holding pocket 9’s. As a result of the flop and in poor position I checked as did the small blind. The button makes a pot sized bet followed by an All-In raise from the small blind. At this point I am “pot committed” I am getting great “pot odds” and conventional wisdom would tell you to push in the remainder of you measly stack. I folded. The Button called. The small blind revealed pocket Queens and the button A, K suited. The board turned a 10 and rivered a 9. Even though I would have made a set I was third best at the table with a set of Queens out on the flop and the pot going to the nut straight on the button.

The good news was that I made a great read and a great lay down. I did not let odds or statistics influence my decision. No matter how good the odds are sometimes you know you are beat and you need to lay the hand down. The bad news was that I had almost no chips left and perhaps this was merely an exercise in futility. Then again, perhaps not.

The most famous saying in No Limit Hold’em is “a chip and a chair” well, I had three chips and a chair and all the necessary tools required. A few hands later I caught pocket 6’s and pushed all in with three callers getting almost 6-1 on my money(with the Antes and Blinds). Not to bore you with the details of every hand, but I was still at the table seven and a half hours later and had build up my 3 chips to over 28,000.

The above play completely defies conventional wisdom. But then again this is Poker. This is not a road test at the motor vehicle bureau where we need to follow all the rules and regulations. The poker police are not going to come running out of the back room and arrest you or even fine you. If you “know” your beat lay the damn hand down. I don’t care how much you have in the pot or what position you are in. Stop marrying losing hands post flop because you can justify making a stupid call as a result of odds and calculations.

Your goal at a tournament is first and foremost to get paid. If you are in the money and are willing to take the chance, then go ahead have fun and knock yourself out. You have secured a pay check. If you are out of the money, and, especially close to the bubble then let’s stop the bullshit and focus on why we entered the tournament in the first place. Yes, you entered to win. But in order to win the tournament you have to make it in to the money first, and then survive the feeding frenzy that follows.

No one is going to come out and give you a “Player of The Year” award because you busted out of every tournament on day one but you followed the rules flawlessly. They will however give you that award if you have the most cash finishes that year and as a result, you are, most likely, leading the field. Once you get past the bubble go ahead and open up your game. Push in early and hope for callers. You are not going to make a final table unless you accumulate chips. And you are most certainly not going to win a tournament without them either.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos is a professional poker player with 27 years of experience.

Phil and Rafe began a drive to help fund cancer prevention and research by asking their friends to donate just 1% of their winnings at the WSOP Main Event to the Prevent Cancer Foundation as a tax-deductible donation. Their efforts raised enough money to fund a research grant for an entire year.

7 years later, Bad Beat on Cancer (BBoC) has raised more than $2 million for cancer prevention research and has grown in every level to include players donating 1% of their winnings from virtually every tournament played around the globe, all the way down to leagues and home games. The list of players inspired to donate 1% of their career tournament earning ranges from the likes of the most notable pro’s (Such as Phil Hellmuth Jr., Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, and more) all the way to some of the most competitive home games, just like the Twitter Poker Tour.

On Sunday, February 21st, the TPT will be conducting its 3rd Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation, pledging to yet again put another Bad Beat on Cancer. This time, there will be 3 different tournaments with 3 different buy in amounts beginning within 15 minutes of each other. This will offer players to compete against some of the top pro’s on Full Tilt Poker for cash and prizes, and at the same time, raise funds to put a Bad Beat on Cancer, all at a buy in level that best suits their bankroll. Join us by registering for any or all of the following events:

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $5 Donation
ID: 135222348
Buyin: $10 ($5 Buyin + $5 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:00 PM EST

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $10 Donation
ID: 135896328
Buyin: $20 ($10 Buyin + $10 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:15 PM EST

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $20 Donation
ID: 135896400
Buyin: $40 ($20 Buyin + $20 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:30 PM EST

Have you played many twitter poker tour events? According to the leader board, this was your first December event.
I believe I have played one or two others previously. It’s a fun group to compete against, and I like to play when I can find the time. Sometimes I get pretty swamped running PokerNations.

How long have you been playing poker?
I’m 32 years old, so I’ve been playing a long time. I grew up in an Italian household, so I learned games like 5 card draw, 7 card stud, etc. Then hold em hit the scene and I picked that up, then started learning games like Omaha hi/lo, Razz, Badugi, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

You are also the founder of PokerNations. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes, it’s essentially a Facebook/Myspace aimed at poker players. We have all the regular social networking features (profiles, blogs, photos, videos, forum, etc). But we also have a built-in rewards system where you earn poker chips for almost everything you do on our site. You can then use these poker chips to enter giveaways to win poker books, jewelry, glasses, clothing and even tournament entries and poker coaching. Another nice feature your readers will appreciate is our Twitter integration. You can access your Twitter friends feed directly from within our network and even update your Twitter status when you update your status at PokerNations.

Another thing we do differently than our competitors is we aren’t affiliates. PokerNations does not receive any kickback for you joining, depositing or playing at any online sites, or for buying any products or services. This way we maintain industry neutrality, without having an agenda for or against any particular brand, product or service.

What do you want to get out of Pokernations?
Our goal in 4-5 years is to have the largest and friendliest poker community on the planet.

Too many poker communities permit their members to insult each other, which really discourages people from posting hands and asking for advice to improve their game. If you feel like you’re going to get attacked for asking questions, many people just won’t get involved, and then the community suffers for it. So we don’t permit that type of behavoir, so even newcomers and novices to the game can feel comfortable asking questions and improving their game.

We also want PokerNations to be a place where the players can voice their approval or issues with sites they play on, casinos they frequent or poker books and other products. And where they’ll be able to interact with the companies directly to resolve issues and improve the industry for everyone.

And of course, we want PokerNations to be the place to find your favorite poker pros and catchup on their blogs, tweets, photos and more.

Do you have a favorite hand to play?
I assume you’re asking about Hold Em, because I play a lot of different types of games, some which contain four cards or five. I don’t really have a favorite actually. I suppose if I had to pick something I’d choose 78 of diamonds. At a full table in a tournament if you raise UTG with this hand and get called, most people are going to assume you have an Ace or a pair. So you can either get a flop that allows you to bluff, and represent you hit it, which your opponents may believe. Or you can hit a big flop and your hand is well disguised, and someone thinks you completely whiffed and you get paid off.

What advice would you give to a beginning player?
I would recommend they read up on the game they want to play, learn as much as they can and don’t stop learning. Not all poker books are created equal, so ask for advice from other players and see what they recommend. Post hands you’ve played in your blog or in a forum and get input from others on what you did right and wrong.

Another piece of advice I’d offer is to consider cash games. It’s easy to get caught up in the glory of Hold Em tournaments. But let me drop some knowledge on your readers. If you were to come in 10th place out of over 6,000 players (the year Jerry Yang won the Main Event) for 17 years in a row, you still wouldn’t make as much money as he did winning it once. Think about how sick that is. It would obviously take a LOT more skill to come in 10th seventeen years in a row, but it’s not rewarded as much as busting for sixteen years and winning once.

Cash games generally provide less variance than tournament poker, and are a more stable source of income. Most poker professionals make their living through cash games. Sure, you may not get rich overnight, but the roller coaster ride will be less bumpy. If you want to play tournaments for a living, you really have to be able to lose a LOT, so you can hit one big win that carries you through more losses. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of losing 19/20 games, that gets a little old after awhile. Plus, in a tournament you’re stuck playing until you bust or it ends. With a cash game you can play for 8 hours, 3 hours or 20 minutes and then leave. So there’s a bit more freedom there as well.

Your Pokernations bio says you are a “semi-pro” do you someday hope to become a full fledged professional?
I went semi-pro in Dec 2005, supplementing my income while still working for “the man”. By September 2006 I was losing money punching the clock instead of playing poker, so I left to pursue it full-time. So I’ve actually done the whole professional player thing. I consider myself semi-pro because I’m just too focused on the launch of PokerNations now to play as much as I used to.

I am perplexed by your statement that you “enjoy scratch-off tickets”. What does this mean? You enjoy scratching them or you enjoy them after the scratch or are they just good company in general?
Lol. I used to be addicted to the little buggers in my late teens and early 20′s. But now I only buy a ticket I haven’t played before, and then I’m done with it. I live in Massachusetts, and the variety of scratch tickets they produce on a regular basis is ridiculous, but it’s big money for the State (probably part of the reason we don’t have any Casinos here)

Every poker player has a story, whether it be a bad beat given or taken, a huge win or outplaying someone, etc…, what one story do you have that sticks out?
It was my first trip to Vegas during the 2007 WSOP. I only had 2 hours of sleep the night before (my wife Jenn and I had been at the Bluff Magazine WSOP party at Sapphires Gentleman’s Club, and she had a bit too much to drink, so I had to hold her hair back while she prayed to the porcelain god) it.

So anyway, I’m on 2 hours of sleep and she’s finally resting so I hit the Bellagio for a 40/80 mixed game (this is limit). There were four games in rotation, Omaha hi/lo, Stud hi/lo, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball and Badugi. So three of my best games and one I had never played before (Badugi). I only played for two hours and I sat down with $2,500 and I left with $5,200. A pretty sweet profit for such a short session. I have to admit I was a card rack that game, and no one ever believed me. I’d get three people calling me to the river and I’d scoop or three-quarter them in massive pots, it was really great (and helped offset all the lap-dance expenses from the previous night).

Mike “The Mouth” Matusow has been advocating the power of positive thinking when it comes to poker. I have tried this method and I have found out that no matter how much I positively think I won’t get rivered by a donkey, I end up getting rivered by a donkey. I bring this up because I believe that attitude is important when it comes to poker, what are your thoughts?
Perhaps you haven’t mastered the positive thinking then? All I know is that if you’re miserable playing, perhaps it’s time to take a break, step back and have a breather. Then come back refreshed, rather than with that doom & gloom (I’m going to get sucked out on) attitude.

Likewise, in my line of work I see a LOT of people who are quick to blame external factors for their losses. One of the worst things that can happen to a poker player is to be winning when they first start out. This can create a false sense of skill and entitlement, when they may just be experiencing short-term variance in their favor. So when the luck evens out and they’re losing all the time, they don’t realize they were never very good to begin with. They don’t try to plug the leaks in their game, but instead blame it on this or that.

The best players in the game will analyze hands they won and hands they lost and determine if they played them optimally. There are tons of resources out there to help you, from poker books, coaching sites and communities with people to offer advice. I know from my experience playing the Twitter Poker Tour that the fields are relatively soft. I don’t mean that as an insult to anyone, but there is a LOT of minraising going on and people betting 60 chips into an 800 chip pot, etc. If I was going to recommend one thing to all of the TPT players, it would be to read the Harrington on Hold Em series of poker books. They’re easy to read and offer a great foundation to grown upon. Those books took my game to the “next level” and through experience you’ll continue to grow beyond that.

Some players get tilted very easy, do you get tilted easy? How do you handle going on tilt?
I can’t deny it, I certainly have some Hellmuth rage inside. But I think a lot of people suffer tilt not just from poker, but from external factors. Maybe you’re fighting with your significant other, something at work pissed you off or credit card debt is depressing you. So you repress that anger and then when things go sour at the poker table people freak out because they feel like they just can’t catch a break in life.

To handle my tilt I’ll take a break from playing poker and maybe play a videogame on my computer. Fire up a round of Left 4 Dead versus mode and pwn some n00bs that way, where my skill isn’t going to be influenced by luck (except if I get some n00b teammates, but then I can grief the crap out of them for sucking)

You have an awesome giveaway that is going on at Pokernations where the winner gets to live in Vegas for a week and is bought into a WSOP event. Give us the details man! Also, is living with you for a week really something someone would want to win?
I’ve seen so many companies that give away a seat to the Main Event. But the problem with a prize like that is most players don’t have the skills or experience to succeed in a deep-stacked multi-day tournament. So it’s like giving someone a lottery ticket. Instead of giving a person a meal ticket for one day I’d rather teach them to fish. So our big promotions we plan to include a training element of some kind. The winner of our PokerNations 2010 Vegas Experience will receive:

• Entry into $1500 WSOP Tournament
• Entry into $550 Super Satellite To The Main Event
• Private Home Accommodations Near Vegas Strip
• Private Poker Coaching
• (Signed) Winning Poker Tournaments: One Hand At A Time
• PokerNations Logo Clothing
• $1,000 Travel & Spending Cash

They’ll be staying with myself and professional player, coach and author Eric “Rizen” Lynch (he trained one of the inaugural November Nine members, Darus Suharto, who went on to win $2.5 million). What’s really great about this promotion is you don’t have to play a tournament with thousands of players and be the lucky one player who wins their way into another tournament with thousands of players, so you can win your way into a third tournament where first place gets the package.

Here, even if you suck at poker, even if you’ve never played a hand in your life, you still have a chance to win this package (because our system will award it randomly to one of our members). You can influence your chances at winning this package by being active at PokerNations. This will help you accumulate poker chips to enter multiple times for this prize package.

As far as living with me for a week, of course you want to, I’m awesome! We can hit the clubs in Vegas and I can bust out my “running-man” dance. It’s the only move I know, but really, it’s the only move you need to know.

What’s your best win, whether live or online?
I’m mostly a cash game player. I’ve had plenty of deep finishes and final tables in a number of events. I used to play the Party Poker 40K guaranteed, which would have over 2K entrants and I came in 50th, 35th, 28th and 12th. It was so frustrating to win a few hundred bucks when first was over 10 grand. I obviously prefer to play tournaments with a few hundred players, rather than 1,000+.

But to answer your question, my best win would be middle-high four-figures in a limit cash game.

Most poker players i know prefer live play to online. What about you?
Playing online is convenient, but there’s nothing like playing with real chips and cards. And players in live settings are generally much weaker than their online counterparts (i.e. a 20/40 limit game online is usually much tougher than a 20/40 live table).

I am currently 1 of 58 in a .25c tourney on PS while I write this. Don’t screw me up. Wait, there’s no question there…um…lets see. Okay, on a board with K52 and two spades, a guy just bet 240 into a 150 pot. Why would he do this? My thought is he hit the K and wanted to discourage flush chasers. What are your thoughts on over betting the pot?
My thoughts on over-betting the pot are “it depends”. Poker is situational, and what works in one spot won’t work in another. You have to factor in stack and pot sizes, current position in the tournament, your opponents style of play, your image and if your opponents are aware enough to consider your hands when making their decisions (i.e. some people can’t look past their own two cards)

What’s funny is that in a .25 tourney there will be tons of players that will chase their flush even after the guy overbets the pot. I’ve played in games where a guy put in 2000 chips on the turn chasing his flush and left himself with 300 chips behind on the river just in case he missed.

Min raising: Is there ever a reason to do it?
I’m not a big fan of min-raises, but again, “it depends”. If this sort of raise has been working at the table and people are folding to it, then you can accumulate blinds with a lot less risk (generally you see this late in a tourney when most everyone is shorter stacked with the rising blinds, although mostly it’s 2.5x the BB raises)

I have a bad habit of protecting my big blind almost to where I’ll call most any preflop raise with almost any two cards. Good idea or bad idea?
“It depends”. Lol. Seriously though, position is HUGE in poker. Whenever you’re playing a hand out of position you’re at a disadvantage. If someone is abusing the crap out of button raises or something then yes, you’re going to need to defend against it at some point, you can’t just let them continue to run you over. It’s hard to give more advice without knowing what you do after you call these raises out of position. How often are you then check-folding?

If you used tracking software to record your hands, you could find out how much money you’ve won or lost calling raises from the BB. That would help you to know if it’s a good or bad idea for your playstyle. Is it working or is it costing you chips?

Have you used any training sites, such as TPT sponsor DeucesCracked?
I have not. I’ve watched a few videos from a few different sites, but generally the voice-over work turns me off from these clips. But I know a number of players who benefit from these sites. I prefer to learn via reading books, playing and discussing hands with friends and members of the PokerNations community.

BTW, I am now 5 of 52. Damn it. Anyway, what’s more important in terms of stats, ROI or ITM%? My take is ITM% because a bad player could luckbox one big tournament and thereby increase his ROI astronomically.
Are we talking SNG’s or MTT’s? Because you could constantly be just barely cashing in an MTT and winning a paltry 1.5x your buyin while having wasted 4-6 hours doing it. So that’s the flip-side of the coin as far as someone luckboxing a big tourney and boosting their ROI.

When someone limps AA and then cries about it gettiing cracked with Poop/Crap Off suit by the Big Blind, I laugh hysterically. Is there ever a reason to limp AA?
Yes. Oh, did you want examples? This is another “it depends” spot. You want to get value out of your big hands. Generally I advocate playing your big hands and your bluffs in the same way, making it difficult for your opponents to know what you hold (i.e. when you bluff, consider the “story” you’re telling with your betting………if you really had Aces there, how would you play them)

There can be times to limp Aces. Examples include where you’ll be up against only one or two opponents, and you really want them to hit something so they can pay you off (i.e. they may not call a preflop raise, so you take a risk of them outdrawing you to give yourself a shot at a double-up because just winning the blinds won’t improve your situation).

Another option is to limp when someone behind you has been playing aggressively and you’re confident someone will raise or shove after you’ve limped.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, do you have anything more to add, something I didn’t cover or any shout outs in general?
Sure, I’d just like to thank all the players and admins from the TPT for making me feel so welcome in your games, and I hope you’ll all get involved at PokerNations, would love to help everyone with strategy advice and see you take down some big wins!

Last week’s final table of the WSOP crowned a new champion, Joe Cada. An amateur poker player, who decided to trade in his history textbook for a deck of cards full time. This young amateur quit college, to pursue a life full time as a professional poker player. His decision paid off instantly, as he won the WSOP in his first year in trying, making himself the youngest ever. Not to mention the sweet $8,550,000 cash prize that accompanied his gold bracelet.

His epic journey to becoming a champion was not easy. He outplayed over 5,000 poker players, in hundreds of hours, and outlasted the best of the best.

When Joe Cada entered the final table of the WSOP, he came across a tough decision. When Phil Ivey pushed all in with pocket Kings, Cada had a very hard decision. Should he call Phil with his pocket 10s, and be known as the man to double up Ivey, or he should he throw it into the muck. Cada chose the latter. With the luck of cards that Cada has been coming across, he might have sucked out to knock out Ivey, but he didn’t want to be known as that person either.

Phil Ivey, the Albert Pujols, the Kobe Bryant, and the Peyton Manning of poker, (yes, he is that good) saw his final table stay end abruptly. When Ivey was short stacked, and had less than 12 BB left, he had to push all in when he looked down at AK. But Darvin Moon, the logger from Maryland, who had the chip lead looked down at AQ, it was no thinking as to whether he should call Phil or not. Unluckily for Phil, Moon paired his Q, and Ivey just stood up, and left the final table, ending all dreams of winning the bracelet that he’s always desired, the bracelet given to the winner of the $10,000 entry no limit Texas hold em tournament at the WSOP.

The old poker saying, “all you need to play poker is a chip and a chair,” couldn’t have been proved to be more real than on this final table. The tournament winner, Joe Cada, at one point, had less than 2% of all chips at the final table. But after his pocket 4s held up, his pocket 3s flopped a set, and his pocket 2s flopped a set (all 3 times he pushed all in and was called.) he was right back in the tournament.

Cada’s heads up play with Moon lasted 88 hands, and just a little bit under 3 hours of play. These men only received one 20-minute break. In heads up play, these men switched the chip lead various times, and neither one of them were looking to let the other one win. But this all changed when Moon looked down at QJ suited, and raised the pot. Cada then looked down at pocket 9s and re raised the pot, causing for Moon to re raise the pot once again. This move is what poker truly is made of. Before even seeing a flop, these men were already pot committed. Following the re raise by Moon, Cada pushed all in, a move which would cause Moon to push all in as well, which he did. Cada turned over 9s, and Moon turned over QJs. These men had an equal chance of winning the pot, with Moon having 2 over cards to Cada’s 9s.

The flop came out 7,7,K. This was no help to Moon. The turn was an 8. Cada could smell victory coming. The river was a 2, which was a blank for Moon, and was the perfect card Cada wanted to see. The card that made him the 2009 WSOP champion.

Moon was interviewed afterwards and was asked why he pushed all in with QJ suited. He responded by saying, “I knew if I could catch him, that I got him for the rest of the tournament, I just took a shot. He made a great call, and this is why he is the WSOP champion.”

Cada was interviewed shortly after, where he was seeing taking pictures with poker legend Doyle Brunson, poker brat Phil Hellmuth, and the man who’s record he broke to become the youngest WSOP champion, Peter Eastgate.

Cada was asked how did it feel to become WSOP champion. He responded, “ I ran really well and didn’t think this was possible. It was one of those dreams I am thankful came true.” Cada was also asked what he plans to do now that he has reached poker stardom, especially at such a young age. Cada responded by saying, “to win it back to back.”

Only time will tell if this dream will be relived again.

This article was written by Elton Cepeda. He is enlightening the world with humor, one prostitute at a time.

I woke up a couple hours before the 12 noon start of the $1500 PLO8 WSOP event. My first real poker tourney.

A bite to eat, a ton of nicotine, and I was excited. Brian, a local Las Vegas thief, drove me to the Rio. I found out Michael Jackson died on the way. Sucked.

I walk in wearing a Susan Marsh Dance T-Shirt. What a circus. Half naked women, postponed starts, and cameras everywhere. I thought I was playing poker. ooops. This was far from civilized poker.

So after I am redirected from one room to another, we start.

Allen Kessler is sitting across from me. Allen Cunningham is on the table behind me, which is right on the ropes. The stage is ten meters away, i mean the platform for pretentious clowns. ooops.

We start, and I win several decent hands. Quickly the table realizes that the dealers have no clue what they are dealing. “The Chainsaw” is asked, by a dealer, to help out on split pots. Sick. I came all the way from Alabama for this joke. Yep.

Then music comes on outta every speaker. Jeff Lisandro is paraded up to the platform, and everyone stops. The place looked like a religious gathering for a couple minutes. I asked the dealer how could this be happening. He said the guy won three bracelets, so deal with it. Seems silly. He already got the bracelets. We were trying to play poker. OOOps.

I lost a big pot with 10 minutes left in the first round.

After that hand, I decided to go on and leave. I left my chips on the table, gave chainsaw my cell number, and told the man in the suit that I wouldn’t play another event, ever. I mean it. What a joke. Las Vegas must be dangerously broke to treat people so poorly.

How did you first get started playing poker?
I found it on TV like so many other people, and asked someone to show me the rules. I started playing online at microstakes in November 2005. The next summer I found out about the free bar leagues in our city and started playing live in the late summer of 2006.

What types of mistakes were you making in the beginning?
Over-valuing pocket aces. I busted out of my very first live tournament with pocket aces that were cracked by an inferior hand and went to my car and cried. I also assumed that the players I was playing free poker with were trying to play “correctly” and it took me a while to realize there is “free poker” play and “real poker” play. Even though I play the same either way, I keep in mind that most people are not, and will chase because what does it cost them to do so?

What is your interest in Razz? A lot of poker players do not know it and the ones who do, don’t like it!
I don’t know why I gravitated to it, but I did. I had to read the rules then I started playing it online and I loved it. One of the draws was that most people do NOT play it as you said, and so I thought it would be good for me to get good at something other than NLHE because the competition would be less, not necessarily easier but fewer in number. I don’t mind being a big fish in a small pond as opposed to being a small fish in a big pound.

Could you give us some tips on a beginner trying to learn Razz?
Realize that, esp. online at low limits, there are a number of people who literally do not even know the rules but are just throwing $5 away to see what this game is. I’d see people in the chat boxes ask what the rules are while they are in a razz tournament! If you are not getting much resistance, it’s okay to bet 7th street if you have anything that looks like a decent hand because people chase too much. If you make a rule to almost always start with all three cards 8 or under, it’s hard to go too wrong because unless you just keep hitting bad because most players do not have that discipline.

You play a range of games, which ones would you consider your favorites and why?
Razz is of course my favorite. I was second to last woman standing on Day Two of the 2008 WSOP Razz event, and I loved every minute of it except busting out of course! I play all the HORSE games and was fortunate to play HORSE in the WSOP Circuit event in 2009. I made it into the top 20% of players so I think that was good. I can appreciate the difference between limit and no-limit Holdem, and sometimes players cannot do that. I play limit Holdem when I play in casinos mostly because of my available bankroll but I don’t find it boring like a lot of aggressive young online players do.

How much time do you spend playing online poker? Live? How many live tournaments do you play in a year?
2009 has been a bit different that the last couple years because I went through both a divorce and lost my job of 20 years, so I did not have the money and mental energy that I had before when I was playing 20+ hours online on the weekends and a couple hours each weeknight as well. As for live, I currently play two days a week, two tournaments each day for a total of four a week with American Rounders. I have consistently come in the top three spots each session for at least the last two years and have won at least one of my “nights” more often than not. There had also been some small cash games in there as well as monthly HORSE tournaments that I used to host but again, this year I have not done that many. I hope to be throwing myself back into poker soon.

Any tricks or tips for keeping your head in the game for long periods of time?
I have always been a disciplined person so it is not hard for me to sit at a table for 12+ hours at a time. I rarely if ever drink alcohol while I play so I’m sure that helps. I do know that if I start running bad and just cannot get any traction, I will walk away before I lose any more because sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s just not going to work that particular day.

What’s is the worst thing anyone has said to you at the table?
There was a drunk player early on in our league that bluffed me out of a pot (I had top pair but the board had straight and flush textures) who threw his cards at me as he raked in the chips, saying “THAT’S how you play 7-2 offsuit!”

What professional has given you the best advice?
I haven’t been fortunate enough to really talk to pros in person about poker, but I did have an online pro sitting next to me tell me, deep into Day One of the 2008 WSOP Razz tourney, that I was playing “exceptionally” and he couldn’t recall any mistakes that I had made all night. That certainly made my confidence soar! In books though I have gotten a lot of good advice from Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, Mitchell Cogert, Ed Miller, David Sklansky and Arnold Snyder.

If you had to offer advice to a beginner, what would you say to them?
I do a little tutoring here and there, and the biggest thing beginners do not seem to do is look at the texture of the board to see what hands are possible and have little concept of position. Also it is very important not to change your style of play because you see “bad” players hitting miracle hands on the river because they play, for example, any king and it hits two pair. Remember, bad flops hit bad players. Anyone can win one tournament or cash big in a home game once, but it’s consistent correct play, regardless of a bad run here and there, that will pay off over the long run.

How long have you played? When was your first time playing? Who taught you?
My first time playing poker for money I was in the Army in Europe in the early 80′s. The only thing there was to do was drink and gamble.

What games do you play? Stakes? Your biggest profit in one sitting? Largest loss?
My normal game is Holdem’ only because it’s the easiest to find a game playing. I prefer razz and Omaha High, but it’s hard to find a them in the casino. I’d love to play more mixed games, but my Omaha Hi-Lo is terrible. I need to work on it a lot.

Normal stakes are anywhere from 5/10 to 20/40 NL in private games. In the casino’s here in AZ the max bet is $150 so I play a lot of 10/150 (5/10 blinds, max bet / raise is $150)

My biggest profit in one session was around $23,000 Biggest loss was around $9,000. Both were in private cash games.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos has told me repeatedly that a cash game player is the true poker player. Do you agree with this statement? Why?
I think a true poker player is someone who can play both forms of the game well. Tourney, and Cash. (P.S. I am NOT a tourney player).

Has all the publicity of the WSOP, WPT, and online poker been good for your cash game? Have you seen an increase in your profit margin due to it?
It really helped 3-4 years ago. Now it’s leveled off, more people are becoming good players and not as easy to beat a few years ago.

What poker pros have you encountered that have been “regular” people? Have they given you tips that have helped your game?
I’ve played with a lot of pro’s over the years. My two favorites.

Daniel Negrano – Fun at the table even when he is losing. Brings a lot of action to the table and a truly nice guy.

Tom Schneider – The hardest player I’ve ever played against. He lives local to me and has taken me to school on many occasions.

Have you ever played in the WSOP or WPT events? Buy-in? What did you take away from it?
2006 WSOP main event. What a crazy place, felt more like a lottery than a poker tourney if you know what I mean. Finished 1,000 people out of the money.

I prefer to play the cash games in Vegas during the WSOP, much more money involved and much easier to make a nice profit.

If you could type yourself, what kind of poker player are you?
I’d say I am a mid level cash game player. I am usually the guy always talking and am very friendly at the table. I think that’s why I’m a big fan of Daniel Negrano and Phill Laak.

Do you feel you can read players, determine what type of hand they have? Are you trying to hone this skill?
With my Masters in Mathematics, I depend on math more than reads, but I’m always working on getting better at reading people.

Do you read any of the “must read” poker books? Any you recommend?
I do read a lot of the books, but by far the BEST book I’ve ever read on Poker (and how to be a better player) is Barry Greenstein’s Ace on the River. I’d love to have an autographed copy of it from him if you know what I mean.

Do you have a poker goal(s)? Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I guess I have the same goal as just about every other poker player – make more money!

I’ve been toying around with the idea of playing full time the past year or so. Right now I play about 20 hours a week, But to do that and make decent money I’d have to leave Arizona and I’m not sure my wife would be thrilled with that idea. If that does not work out, I’d like to start up a private local poker room.

Why did you start up Bad Beat Clothing? Was there a gap in poker clothing? How long has the company been in existence?
John: Poker players aren’t really known for their fashion sense. You can’t blame them, either. They sit in casinos and card rooms, playing for hours on end and they want to be comfortable. They wear t-shirts and hoodies. Plus, most casinos keep it just above freezing in their poker rooms, so you’ve got to put something warm on. We figured there was a huge market for t-shirts, thermals and hoodies that were both comfortable and stylish.

Joe: I had some experience marketing and designing poker t-shirts for a friend’s company but they were mostly novelty shirts — the kind with funny cartoons and sayings on them. When John told me earlier this year he wanted to develop a line of designer t-shirts geared toward poker players, I told him to count me in. We’re both fans of mixed martial arts and felt that there was room to do for poker players what Affliction did for MMA fans.The company is only a few months old.

Of the poker personalities you have met, who has been the most memorable? Why?
John: I’ve played with quite a few pros in Atlantic City and Las Vegas and the ones who stand out are the guys who aren’t full of themselves and don’t let their egos get out of control. I sat next to Gavin Smith for a session and he was a funny dude. I also played with Jamie Gold and thought he was a lot nicer than TV made him out to be. ESPN really made him look bad during the 2006 WSOP.

Joe: I used to write a syndicated poker column and interviewed Phil Gordon once. He was a great guy to talk to — real down to earth. He went out of his way to explain poker strategy in a way that the average player could understand. I would highly recommend his books to the beginning player. I’d also be remiss not to thank Jerry Yang, winner of the 2007 WSOP main event, for wearing our shirt at a recent charity tournament at Bay 101 in San Jose. I admire Jerry because of his willingness to give back to the community. The poker world needs more players like him. We met Jerry through Frank Wiese, author of the upcoming book, Eat Professional Poker Players Alive!. Frank is really an interesting guy who has some great connections in the world of poker.

What poker tournaments have you worked the floors at? Has the feedback been positive? Have new ideas been planned because of feedback?
John: Since the company hasn’t been around too long, we haven’t had a chance to go to a lot of tournaments. I get to Atlantic City about once a week and the feedback from the recent WPT event at the Borgata and the $350,000 Deepstack tourney was encouraging. Players love the feel of our shirts. They are very soft, not stiff at all.

Any new product lines can you reveal?
John: Right now all of our apparel is designed for guys but we want the ladies out there to know that we’re going to be introducing some tops and hoodies for them sometime in the beginning of the year.

Any advice to an e-commerce start-up? What you did right? Wrong?
John: I’ve run a successful mortgage company for the last four years and was in the limo business before that, so I know what it takes to get a company off the ground. Still, it doesn’t prepare you for everything you have to deal with as an online retailer. We’re really learning a lot of this as we go — what works and what doesn’t. The thing to remember is not to cut corners — when you’re trying to stand out in a crowded marketplace, quality is important. We hired a top, up and coming graphic designer and insisted on top-quality material for our shirts. I also have to give a shout out to my wife, Judy (Joe’s sister). She keeps the business organized, oversees inventory and handles the books. So, my advice is to have a great wife!

Joe: Neither of us are Web designers. John and Judy used an off-the-shelf template for our Web site. John’s thinking was he wanted to invest in developing a great product line first and then concentrate on the bells and whistles later. I think that’s great advice: produce a high-quality product, first.

What is your poker background? How long have you played? Stakes? Any WPT or WSOP entries?
John: I’ve been playing seriously for about three years. Last year I played the main event of the World Series of Poker and sat at the featured table with Jamie Gold. I got knocked out on the first day with AJ, just before the dinner break. I’ve also played in WPT events and WSOP Circuit tournaments in Atlantic City. I won $11,000 for taking 7th in a WSOP Circuit event this past March at Caesar’s in Atlantic City. I also finished in the money in the 2007 Borgata Summer Open in Atlantic City. My usual game is $20 – $40 limit at the Borgata. We both plan on playing in next year’s WSOP main event.

Joe: I haven’t had as much luck as John in big events, though I did finish in the money at a WSOP circuit event at Caesar’s in March 2007 (53rd out of 1,155). I’ve had better luck in the regular tournaments at the Borgata and Taj. My best win was a $9,000 cash in a Borgata tournament. The game I play the most is $5 – $10 N/L, $10 – $20 limit and $20 – $40 limit.

What is your favorite game? Why? Do you play other varieties?
John: I like the $20-$40 limit Texas Hold ‘em because you can pull some big pots without risking your whole stack in any one hand. At that level, you can also start bluffing people off of hands.

Joe: I like N/L Texas Hold ‘em tournaments the best. There’s a lot more strategy in tournaments and the loose, wild players will eventually get punished. I’ll play Omaha and stud online but I never play stud in a live game. Those stud players are usually the best poker players in the casino and they look at someone like me as fresh meat.

What type of player do you find is the most difficult to play against?
John: Inexperienced players with money to burn are always dangerous in cash games because they’ll call just about any draw or with any bottom pair. It’s very difficult to push someone off a hand if they don’t know they’re supposed to fold.

Joe: I’ll agree with John on that one.

Do you have any habits or superstitions at the poker table, live or online?
Joe: I won’t sit in the 1 seat next to the dealer and, in a live limit game, I always play Q-4. One time I folded Q-4 twice in the same session and each time it flopped a full house. Also I have this thing I say in my head when I sit down at the table: “I’m not here to be your friend. I’m here to take all your money. It’s not personal. It’s just poker.”

If you could give one piece of advice to the average player to help improve their game, what would it be?
John: Remember that when the cards are running well, you’re never as good as you think you are and when they’re running bad, be patient, eventually the cards ALWAYS change.

Joe: Buy one of our shirts. It might not make you a better poker player, but at least you’ll look good.