Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold 'Em

by McEvoy , Tom; Cloutier, T.J.

• ISBN13: 9781580421270
• ISBN10: 158042127X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Cardoza

Summary

This is the acknowledged bible to winning at two of the world's most exciting poker games: pot-limit and no-limit hold'em tournaments. Packed with insights, game play situations, and advice on every aspect of the game, you'll get all the answers here -- no holds barred -- to the essential strategies and concepts that will allow you to beat no-limit and pot-limit tournaments, satellites, and supersatellites.

Author Biography

Tom McEvoy -- The 1983 World Champion of Poker, Tom has won four World Series titles. Formerly a 9 to 5 accountant, he quit his day job in 1979 to join the high-pressure poker tournament circuit. In 1995 he wrote the acclaimed Tournament Poker, "one of the most important poker books of all time," according to the Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas. McEvoy is also the co-author of the "Championship Series:" Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em, Championship Stud, Championship Omaha and Championship Hold'em.

T. J. Cloutier -- The 1998 Player of the Year, T. J. has won four World Series of Poker titles. He is the only player ever to have won bracelets in each of the three types of Omaha games: Omaha high-low, limit high Omaha, and pot-limit Omaha. A former football star in the Canadian league, T. J. turned to playing professional poker in the '80s as a road gambler and has become one of the most celebrated tournament players in the world. He is the co-author of Championship Omaha, Championship No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold'em and Championship Hold'em . The entertaining road stories he includes in each of his books have become legendary among poker players.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD	13	(280)
by Mansour Matloubi, 1990 Champion, World Series of Poker
1. INTRODUCTION	17	(4)
2. GETTING TO KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS	21	(16)
OVERLY-AGGRESSIVE PLAYERS
Keeping a Book
SETTING UP PLAYS
WATCHING THE QUALITY OF CARDS
OBSERVE THE OTHER PLAYERS
KNOW YOUR OWN HABITS
FOLLOW YOUR FIRST INSTINCT
PLAYER ANALYSIS
3. POT-LIMIT HOLD 'EM STRATEGY	37	(52)
GOALS IN POT-LIMIT HOLDEM
EFFECTS OF BLIND SIZE ON GAME STRATEGY
STARTING HANDS
Big Pairs and Big Slick
Ace-Small Suited
Small Pairs
Small Suited Connectors
Two Big Cards
STARTING HANDS BY POSITION
RAISING HANDS
When Not to Call a Raise
The Purpose of the Pre-Flop Action
The Check-Raise
Playing the Blinds
PLAYING ON THE FLOP
Playing Second Pair in Late Position
Top Pair, Big Kicker
Walking Back to Houston
Playing Big Slick
Playing Draws
Playing Bottom Two Pair
Playing Big Pairs
Hitting a Set on the Flop
When You Flop an Overpair
Playing Pocket Aces
PLAYING ON THE TURN
Drawing Hands
The Bluff
The Big Bluff
Playing on the River
4. HOW TO WIN POT-LIMIT HOLD 'EM TOURNAMENTS	89	(26)
TYPES OF PLAYERS
PERFECT TOURNAMENT STRATEGY
EARLY STAGE
Draws
The Maze
Middle Stage
Semi-Aggressiveness
Picking Your Spots
Playing a Short Stack
LATE STAGE
Betting Yourself Out of a Pot
THE LAST THREE TABLES
Playing a Big Stack
THE FINAL TABLE
Breaking Other Players
THE FINAL FIVE
Playing a Short Stack
PLAYING HEAD-UP THE ZONE
"Move" Times in Tournaments
GETTING INTO THE MONEY
5. HOW TO WIN NO-LIMIT HOLD 'EM TOURNAMENTS	115	(66)
NO-LIMIT HOLDEM STYLE PLAYING STYLE
OBSERVATION
Looking at Your Hand
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
MAKING MISTAKES
BUILDING AND PROTECTING YOUR CHIPS
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
TYPES OF HANDS TO START WITH IN EARLY POSITION
PLAYING THE SMALL PAIRS
PLAYING THE ACE-KING
THE RAISING HANDS FROM EARLY POSITION
THE STARTING HANDS IN MIDDLE POSITION
THE AMOUNT OF THE RAISE
How Much Will They Call?
Setting the Standard
Varying the Size of Your Bets
BLUFFING
THE LUCK FACTOR
THE CLOCK
THE IMPORTANCE OF STACK SIZE
Playing a Medium Stack
Stack Size and Tournament Stage
Playing a Short Stack
Playing a Big Stack
Moving Up the Ladder
PLAYING A PATIENT GAME
MATH AND POKER
THE NATURE OF NO-LIMIT POTS
PLAYING THE ACE-KING AFTER THE FLOP
Against an Ace-Rag-Rag Flop
When a Paint Comes on the Turn
When the Flop Comes with Rags
BIG PAIRS AFTER THE FLOP
WHEN YOU FLOP A SET
The Check Call and the Flat Call
THE RAISING HANDS AND THE RERAISING HANDS
PLAYING POCKET ACES
RERAISING WITH ACE-KING
PLAYING THE SMALL PAIRS
Small Pairs After the Flop
Jeopardy
SUITED CONNECTORS
A Rule for Suited Cards
PLAYING THE SMALL CONNECTORS
DANGER HANDS
PLAYING THE BLINDS
Picking Up the Blinds
Defending the Blind
GETTING TO THE FINAL TABLE
Sizing Up the Opposition
When You Get into the Money
6. HOW TO PRACTICE FOR WINNING THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER	181	(16)
GETTING EXPERIENCE
Small Tournaments
One-Table Satellites
Supersatellites
Your Best Value
SATELLITE STRATEGY
REBUY TOURNAMENTS
POST-TOURNAMENT STRESS
WORLD CLASS NO-LIMIT HOLD 'EM PLAYERS
7. NO-LIMIT HOLD 'EM PRACTICE HANDS	197	(48)
PRACTICE HAND 1
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
PRACTICE HAND 2
Scenario One
Scenario Two
PRACTICE HAND 3
Scenario One
Scenario Two
PRACTICE HAND 4
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
PRACTICE HAND 5
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
Scenario Four
PRACTICE HAND 6
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Flat Call on the Flop
Raise on the Flop
PRACTICE HAND 7
PRACTICE HAND 8
PRACTICE HAND 9
Scenario One
Scenario Two
PRACTICE HAND 10
PRACTICE HAND 11
Scenario One
Scenario Two
PRACTICE HAND 12
Scenario One
Scenario Two
PRACTICE HAND 13
The Scenario
PRACTICE HAND 14
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
PRACTICE HAND 15
An Example from the World Series
PRACTICE HAND 16
Analysis
PRACTICE HAND 17
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
PRACTICE HAND 18
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Ace-Small in Late Position
Ace-Small in the Blind
Ace-Middle Card
PRACTICE HAND 19
An Ace-Small Card Scenario in a Major No-Limit Hold 'em Tournament
PRACTICE HAND 20
Another Ace-Small Card Scenario in a Big No-Limit Hold 'em Tournament
8. TALES FROM T.J.	245	(24)
Jack "Tree Top" Straus and His Principle
George McGann, Robber-Player
Troy Inman, the "Protector"
A Very Unlucky Day in Odessa
Crawfish and Poker in Baton Rouge
The Poker Player with a Sense of Humor
Head-Up Against the Best
Little Red and Five-Card Stud
Where a Lot of Stories Begin and End
Kenny "Whatta Player" Smith
The Mystery Hand Play
The Worst Bad Beat of All Time
Speaking of Bad Beats ...
Mr. Brooks and the Two Jacks
The Best Woman Player in the World
The Worst Decision in the History of Poker
The Toughest Table in Tournament Poker
9. A CONVERSATION WITH T.J.	269	(24)
with Dana Smith
10. FINAL ADVICE	293