PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY # 8:
Deal 100 Hands at Home
Have you ever wondered which hand is the favorite in certain situations? Suppose you want to knowing how bluff one hand will stack up against another hand at the river. Is there an easy way to see which one will win after the flop?
For example, let's say that you want to know how it comes out when one play poker flops a set, and his opponent flops an open-end poker straight flush draw hand with neither of them getting any help on the turn card. How often will the set win on the river? How often will the flush draw win on the river? Here's how you go about poker it with just a deck of cards.
First, deal out the two hands that you are curious about. For starters, deal the K ? Q ? to Player A and deal the J ? J ? to Player B.
Now deal three cards in the middle of the table-the flop-plus the turn card, to make a board of four cards.
Now deal four board cards that will give Player A the flush draws and Player B the top set.
You can find out who is the favorite by simply dealing through online poker the rest of the deck and turning up one card at a time in the middle, as though it were the river card. Every time the K ? Q ? wins on the river, put the river card face down in a stack in front of that hand. Every time the J ? J ? wins a hand, put the river card face down in a stack in front of that hand.
At the end of this simulation, you will find that the winning principles for the set of jacks will have thirty-two cards in it, and the winning pile for the K-Q will have thirteen cards. This is a good way to practice reading hands with just a deck of cards. If you prefer a faster way, computer software programs are available that can run simulations very quickly to see which hand is the favorite. For free use of one of the simulation programs, visit www.cardplayer.com We thank Steve Brecher, a software developer and player from Reno, for offering our readers his free ware program. You can access this easy to-use Dos software at www.brecware.com/software/software.html.
After the turn, how many "outs" does the K ? Q ? have? An out is a card that will make your hand. The K-Q has seven card stud flush cards, two of which will give him a straight flush, three aces (in addition to the A ? ) and three nines (in addition to the 9 ? ) will give him a straight.
Therefore, Player A has thirteen outs going into the river. How many outs does Player B have? He already has the nuts unless Player A hits one of his outs-in this sense, an out" actually is a card that will turn a losing hand into a winning poker game hand.
Another way you can have fun and learn at the same time is to deal introduction out nine holdem poker hands. Then turn up three cards in the middle of the table. Starting with the player under the gun (the first player to the left of the big blind ), decide whether he will bet or fold on the flop. Then make playing decision for each player around the table. You might also decide which hand you would prefer holding on the flop. Then act for all of your "opponents" and deal the hand through the river.
Keep a Poker Diary
Think of playing poker as a pleasurable business venture. Just like any other business, keeping a log with records of your daily activities and results is important. Looking at your results in cold black-and-white, you will be better able to determine what weaknesses you have and need to work on. You also can see the areas in which you are strong so that you can capitalize on your strengths. Most players find that records don't lie.
You might ask, "What do I need to record?" Keep track of the date you played, where you played, the size of the game, and notes about players in the game. Then record your win or loss for that session or poker tournament. At online casinos you can keep notes on players in the program's software, making it much easier to keep track of your opponents' playing styles.