After that miserable piece of poker knowledge that Mr. Blue dropped here last time, I will show you something today that you can really use to improve your own game. It’s all about certain moves you can make on the river.

I stumbled upon this subject because I was involved in a specific situation this week during a tournament on FTP:

I like my hand a little more because I’m on the button here. I could have raised, but try to see a flop cheaply here. Now the Ace flops with a pair of threes and the small blind leads out: always risky. However, I’m not folding of course and try to see what he’ll do on the turn. He bets the same amount on the turn which could be a sign of having a three: there’s a small chance that I’m going to outdraw that hand on this board. When he bets small on the river again I have enough information and I make a raise for two reasons.

First of all I was playing fairly loose-aggressive on this table and he could call me here with a medium pocket pair because of my image. And second, he might have a smaller Ace and pay my value raise. I think he had like 55 or something and he folds. Btw, if you would like to read more of my plays and the terrible beats I have to face now and then in specific, you can visit my own very interesting poker blog!

Submitted by Mr. White

Every poker player will have its own different tactics to play the big pocket pairs from let’s say Queens to Aces. Hand like Jacks and Tens are known as ‘problem-hands’, as people are often dragged into big pots with those hands. But how to play the small pocket pairs preflop?

The great part of all poker players agrees on how to play them in early and middle position: just limp when possible and try to flop your set. Of course, in late position you can be a little more creative and try to win the pot preflop or acquire pot control. I have a little expample from a tournament I played this week, where I had 33 in early position:

Now this is a relatively weak raise on the button: three times the big blind with already two callers in front you. Maybe I should have bet the flop with the paired board but in the end I’m still able to pick up the pot with a good bet.

Mr. Brown has also sent me an interesting hand from an heads-up game he played on Full Tilt:

Apparently he’s playing Pot Limit Omaha for the moment and apparently he made a royal flush . Now I don’t know much about this game but the pot looks nice ^^.

Submitted by Mr. Blue