Using Tracker software to improve your Texas Holdem game
The modern Online Texas Hold em poker game is a far cry away from the online poker environment that I first entered in 2000 when I played my first game of online limit hold’em. Since then there has been a procession of developments that have led to the online poker game becoming far tougher in which to make money. One such development is in tracking software. This allows you to follow your opponents play in a mathematical way and a statistical way.
In a live game or even an online game for that matter then it wouldn’t be possible for you to know that your opponent had only defended their big blind on ten occasions out of over 900 hands. You wouldn’t know that the button player had open raised with 73% of their hands in that position. This is the power of tracking software and is why the serious online players are using it more and more.
What this does show of course is that the modern online poker game is all about data collection and usage. To prove that this is the case, without naming any names then some very famous poker players have lost absolute fortunes in online poker despite being very successful in live game play. Many have rubbished online poker as being crooked in some capacity. In actual fact what they have failed to appreciate is that not only is online poker a far tougher environment in which to make money but what you have to do to make money online has become totally different to how you would make money in a live game.
You can read the remarks of some big named star players about online poker and it is a clear indication in many cases that the player is totally ignorant of what is required to succeed online. Many top live tournament players would not and could not succeed even at levels as low as NL100 and NL200. Using tracker software like PokerTracker is almost a skill in its own right given how complex the software is.
Many serious players’ online data mine or even go as far as to purchase ready made databases that have the breakdown of the poker games of millions of players. If you do not use this software or are at least aware of it and what it can do then your online poker game is in need of a serious overall. At the middle limits then it simply would not be possible to make money without one or at the least it would be very difficult in which to do so.
I am aware of many players who make a lot of money online at the high-stakes levels who do not use tracking software but the manner in which they operate and the tiny player pools and world class opponents means that other factors become far more important. However it has been clear for sometime that tracking software has been a very important part of online play.
Texas Holdem Turbo Poker Strategy
Texas Holdem turbo poker tournaments are extremely popular. They are popular because you can play a tournament in a fraction of the time it would normally take you to play one with a normal structure. Turbo tournaments are played in Sit and Go, Single Table and Multi-Table formats. Usually a turbo tournament will have blinds that are 5 minutes or less. The blinds increase much more rapidly and you are likely to see multiple players in the pot during all-in scenarios. So the real question is this. How do you win a Turbo poker tournament? What strategy should you use?
Fundamentals
Good fundamental Texas Hold’em poker is rarely replaceable. Considering the fact that turbo tournaments have an aggressive nature you need to know exactly what you are doing before playing one if you plan on being successful. Seeing as you are not going to have a lot of time to find a hand I always recommend getting your chips in with [T][T] or better if you are up against one player calling or pushing all-in pre-flop. This allows you to be the most likely to have the best hand against one or even two opponents. You must be as active in opts as possible. Remember, this is not the time to not play hands with the blinds increasing every five minutes. You can afford to wait for the third or fourth blind level before you have to find a hand to get you chips in with but you cannot wait forever.
Assessing Risk
Texas Hold’em poker tournaments are still about accumulating chips and turbo tournaments are no different. That means you have to pick your spots and do it quickly. Even midway through the poker tournament you are constantly assessing what kind of risk you should take in order to accumulate more chips. If everything breaks even you are going to get your share of premium hands. However, so are the other players you are up against. That means just because you have a big stack early on or midway through the tournament it does not mean that you can put it on cruise control. You have to continue pushing the edges in a turbo tournament. If you don’t you are planning your own demise.
Don’t Bluff!
By now you have probably figured out that it will be extremely hard to bluff in a Texas Holdem turbo tournament. What will happen is you will get shoved on with a re-raise. It’s as simple as that. Turbo tournaments do not lend themselves to big or small bluffing. Players are there to either double up or go home. If you can understand that concept going in and adjust your game accordingly you can avoid losing chips with bluffs that will do anything but intimidate your opponents.
Play your big hands strong even late in the tournament. Once you have made it into the money you will still need to keep your foot on the gas. Premium hands need to be played with premium aggression! That means [A][A], [K][K] , [A][K] and [Q][Q] have to be played for keeps. This is not to say that some of the shorter stacks with small and middle pairs won’t call. At this point that is exactly what you want and if you pick up a big stack within that double up that’s icing on the cake. Start calling all-ins from smaller stacks with [J][T], [K][Q] and just about any Ace. This will allow you to continue your momentum building enough chips to be a factor at the final table.
Remember, when you are playing Texas Holdem turbo poker tournaments there is no resting or sitting around. Play smart, aggressive and like there is no tomorrow and you just might pull out a win.
Poker Opinion: Could Ivey Be Facing Ruin?
Phil Ivey is one of the most well-known and respected poker players in the world. He has multiple World Series of Poker bracelets and added two to his haul this year. He also had a place on the final table of the November Nine 2009 and almost added the main event win to his growing collection of bracelets. He is considered one of the top Omaha and Texas Hold’ em cash game players as well as a top, tournament player and his nickname is the “Tiger Woods” of poker. This reflects his status as the best player but also the huge amounts of money he earns from various avenues.
A story circulated on the Internet which said that in one Craps session Ivey lost $6.8 million. I have looked at previous quotes and articles about Ivey and his gambling activity is very interesting. Contrasting stories float around and he is either the addicted gambler who is lucky to earn plenty of money or he is someone who simply wants to gamble what they have with an acceptance that he could get money if he lost it all. In my view he is probably both.
Any time gambling is undertaken we understand we are speculating to accumulate, but we may lose. In poker, Ive´’s skill edge is massive and you can understand why he would play many hours because he simply is the best player and can win enough money to make it worthwhile. It is more difficult, however, to hear stories about his dice play and other casino games and wonder if he is quite as measured in his other gambling activities, when the casinos make it almost impossible for you to win in the long run.
Fellow professional poker players can be seen in interviews and videos marvelling at the extent of his casino gambling. In a video blog series by Barry Greenstein Ivey can be seen in his own exclusive Craps table in a back room of a Las Vegas Casino playing high stakes dice for $200,000 a throw on occasion. Craps is a game where the casino has a visible and guaranteed mathematical edge to always beat the player. This suggests that to lose millions in one session is a refusal to accept what is right in front of your face that you cannot win in the long term. This is a classic hallmark of an addicted gambler who plays even when they know they should not.
We do not, however, know what Ivey’s total bankroll is. There is also much speculation about how much Ivey gets for his high profile role in Full Tilt Poker. Estimates abound that he earns anywhere in the region of $1 million per month for his position within the company although a cash game professional friend of mine speculated recently on a podcast with me that he thinks Ivey could earn up to $4 million per month due to the size of the site. Should Ivey be earning in the region of $50 million per year from poker related business, then losing $6.8 million must be put into context. From the articles we read about Ivey and his commitment to bankroll management, perhaps this large loss suggests he has more money that we think rather than he is suddenly ignoring bankroll management and betting too high.
I would suggest that Phil Ivey is not a gambler that the “normal” person should seek to emulate. He has a huge profile and considering his earnings are so phenomenal each month he can operate on a level gambling that few people could ever stomach or afford. Is the use of his money responsible? Probably not but he earns it so can spend it as he wishes. As Ivey is such a private person we would not get to hear about charitable causes he supports. Barry Greenstein is a close friend of Ivey so speculating that Ivey does not do his bit for the needy in the world is probably incorrect. He is simply a gambler who has a lot of money to gamble. He enjoys betting and wagering, fortunately for him he is a top poker player who has developed earning power to subsidise this wish to risk large amounts of money. He operates on a different playing field than the rest of us and we can only watch in awe as his gambling stories leak to the world through the Internet.
By Malcolm Clarke
