Mini Lessons Thread

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The free NLHE Foundations Course has gotten pretty popular, but I realize that it's not for everybody. Not everyone wants to put in a lot of work at poker, crush their opponents and stack money to the ceiling.

Along these lines, this thread is for mini lessons that don't require a ton of thought or practice. Instead, all of these lessons will be 250 words or less, and they'll have a simple, straight-forward point.

Post your questions and suggestions for the mini-lessons thread here.

If you're new to FTR and create an account just to post in this thread to ask a question, I'll guarantee to answer it.

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Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

A lot of people think about making bets based on whether or not the bet is profitable. A better way is to think about if it's better or worse than checking. The point here is that checking is not a break-even move, and it can be very profitable in the right circumstances.

A good example is when you have a draw as the last person to act on the flop or turn. While it's true that betting can give you a profitable semi-bluff a lot of the time, checking is also going to be profitable because you're getting a free shot at catching an out and getting the pot and whatever other bets you can manage to pick up.

Another good example is when you have a top pair type hand, maybe without the strongest of kickers, you don't want to build a huge pot. Sometimes it's best to check the flop in these situations even if you think that you'd be a little ahead of your opponent's calling range.

If you're facing a really aggressive opponent, checking from out of position can get you more value than value betting with some hands because that opponent will put in a bet with a larger, weaker range if you check than if you bet and try to get him to call.

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Stop Hitting the Call Button When You Know Something Bad's Going to Happen

Do you ever have one of those moments where you're like UGGGGGGGGH to yourself because you don't think you should call, but you can't get away from hitting the call button? A big part of why you get dragged into calling is that you don't trust yourself to make the right play, and you're deathly afraid of folding the best hand.

Here's the solution that will satisfy your insecurities: Note the hand and post it here on the forums in the Small Stakes NL Hold'em forum.

A lot of people don't know this, but the SSNL Forum is an extension of the Beginners Circle. I moderate both forums, and it's the same group of players in each. The only reason there are two separate forums is so that we can organize things better: Posted hands go in the SSNL forum, and general discussion happens in the BC forum.

I'm not joking about this satisfying that weird urge you get to call. Try it, and make sure that you note you were restraining yourself from calling in your post about the hand.

Above is a good post - I still do that far, far too much. I worry far too much about being bluffed/folding the best hand.

I'm going to get back around to posting hands again soon as well. I was expecting to crush 10NL and that just hasn't happened, so yeah, I got some work to do.

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The Steiner Screwdriver of No-Limit Hold'em

See this pro wrestling move? That's a delayed vertical suplex into a belly-to-belly jumping piledriver, and it's called the Steiner Screwdriver after Scott Steiner, the man executing the move in the above. In the state of Tennessee, it is illegal to use this move in a professional wrestling match. Illegal as in against the law. As in you will be fined and they will arrest your ass.

So what's the Steiner Screwdriver of No-Limit Hold'em?

It's double-barreling from out of position when you have a strong draw against an aggressive opponent.

• Why from out of position? Because checking has a lower EV with a draw out of position than in position.
• Why with a strong draw? Because it's incredibly profitable as a semi-bluff.
• Why against an aggressive opponent? Because this gives checking an even lower EV.

The point I want you to think about here is how to decide when to bluff (or semi-bluff). You shouldn't do it just because it's profitable, but because it's more profitable than checking.

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Wake Up With Money Under Your Pillow

Bottom line: You need to study every single day as a matter of habit, but this isn't because that makes you story more. It actually makes you study smarter and more efficiently. Let me explain.

Your brain needs time to process things on an unconscious level, and sleeping is a great time to let all of that happen. If you study for 30 minutes each day for six days straight, that's better than studying for four hours straight because you'll learn more, retain more and make more connections with other material that you already know and understand. This just has to do with how your brain works.

Habit is the key here. Develop a habit of studying poker for 30 minutes each day (my FREE NLHE Foundations course here in the BC is an excellent choice), and you'll see some pretty strong gains in your win-rate and understanding over the game inside of a month. This is pretty good for people who don't have a ton of time to devote to poker.