Last time we explored the idea of Pot Odds, by drawing parallels to a “risk/reward” approach. Let’s Shoot some Hoops! Here is a quick review: For the basketball fans out there, think of Stephen Curry, arguably one of the best 3-point shooters in the history of the game. Even for a player like that, a […]

Ever heard of the phrase “risk/reward”? Well, a 5 year old probably hasn’t, so it is only fair for me to elaborate. Basically, as the two words suggest, a risk/reward situation is an occasion where a person is willing to risk something in the hopes of getting a nice reward in the end. Risk/reward scenario: […]

Let’s say it gets folded around to you on the button. The big blind and small blind both have 35 big blinds. They are competent players, if not exactly exciting. You have Q-8d. There is an ante in play. What do you do? Now, let’s say this is the beginning of the tournament. You have […]

Nasdaq defines financial options as "… contracts through which a seller gives a buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specified number of shares at a predetermined price within a set time period. Options are derivatives, which means their value is derived from the value of an underlying investment." That’s […]

Have you ever raised a top pair for value on the flop? Without going all-in? If you just answered, "no," then you have a big problem. It’s unlikely you raise on flops as a bluff enough because, well, almost no one does. That means almost any thinking opponent will be able to understand that when […]

What are your greatest enemies in poker? Go ahead. Try to think of them. Okay, you got yours? Here are mine. One, your greatest enemy is yourself. It’s you who can behave like a damn child who doesn’t know they’re playing a game of chance. It’s on you to not fling your chips in without […]

On a recent podcast, we had a guy write in to us. He was making a decent wage from 100 NL. He was a profitable player and had the database to prove it. Still, he was working a job to get by. He wondered if he would ever make it, and if he should take […]

I cannot remember a single person in my high school asking me where I wanted to go to college. Everyone just assumed I wasn’t going. In high school, I wore the same bummy oversized Adidas sweatshirt every day with holes in the sleeves. I was constantly zoning on one amphetamine or another. Given the medication […]

"Why do you even play this game?" Every time I play poker I want to ask this question to half a dozen people. You know the type. Huffing and puffing. Complaining. Shaking their head every time they lose the pot. Even more insufferable are the serious poker players. Every time I hear a bad beat […]

Whenever a trader on Wall Street loses all his money, one of the most common criticisms you’ll hear from an experienced trader is that the gentleman spent all his time with other traders. You can always spot people within a bubble. Many poker players have severely dated strategies because they spend all their time with […]

“Sleep is for broke people,” I said disdainfully, after my girlfriend gave me a hard time for sleeping three hours the night before.

When you see someone tilting, are you really watching an insecure child? I have wrestled with this question for years. I cannot tell you the exact answer. However, I can tell you that seeing tilt as insecurity is a profitable filter to fix upon one’s view of life. I have a storied history with tilt, […]

The smartest quote I ever heard about poker was from Chip Reese. "If you want to really get to know a poker player, watch him when things are going bad." Nassim Nicholas Taleb, one of the greatest thinkers of our era, says you shouldn’t trust an idea unless it’s been tested through the ages. Chances […]

No Limit Hold’em is the most beautiful game in the world because it teaches empathy. Why do you think that is? Every time you do not understand a play, you have two options: You can either mock it or do your best to understand it. Most people take the former option over the latter. It’s […]

If there’s one thing I cannot stand it is a man who talks about what he’s about to do. In the words of one of the smartest football coaches on Earth. "Don’t tell me. Show me." There is another phrase. "Show me what you hate, and I’ll show you what you are." I hate the […]