GTO vs. Exploitative Poker
When it comes to developing an overarching poker strategy that you can take to the table, there’s two sides to the coin that you need to look at. On one end, we have game theory optimal, or GTO, strategy, where we try to stick as closely to a “solved” game as possible. Essentially, this means making the move that, in the aggregate and against any opponent, will result in a winning game. On the other hand, we have exploitative poker. In this case, we’ll deviate from that defau
Hollywooding in Poker
“Hollywooding” is a piece of poker slang that’s all about acting. Since poker is a game of information, we always want to be picking up as much information about our opponents as we can while simultaneously denying them information about us. If they have a hard time getting a good read on us, then it makes it that much more difficult for them to play against us. Just like tells give away information about a player’s hand, Hollywooding attempts to disguise it. It’s a reverse t
3 Big Mistakes You’re Probably Making
Ready to become a better poker player? If you’re working to improve your game, you need to stop making these 3 big mistakes if you want to improve. By incorporating these quick tips into your play, then you’re guaranteed to see a spike in your win-rate! Especially in small games or tournaments, it can be easy to fall into these traps. We can get in our heads and make the wrong play. That’s why you need to learn to recognize these leaks so that you can plug them and beat your
Mastering the Mental Game
Mastering your mental game is a foundational step that every poker player needs to take in order to become a winning player. This, of course, is more than just a one and done occurrence—preventing tilt, staying focused, and working through difficult situations is an ongoing journey. If you can master your mind, you will become a better poker player. The problem, however, is that most people have a misconception about how to strengthen their mind. They believe that solving puz
Protecting Your Tournament Stack
There are some differences between optimal tournament and cash game strategies. One of the main things to keep in mind when playing tournaments is protecting your stack. In a cash game, you can rebuy whenever you want, so it’s not as big of a deal if you go all in and lose. However, in a tournament, once you lose your stack then you’ve lost the tournament. You’re done playing. That’s why it’s so important to protect your stack—it keeps your tournament life alive. Sometimes, t
