How To Stop Losing Big Hands

I have something important to share with you.

This single poker strategy that I'm about to reveal is one
of the BEST (and most PROFITABLE) tips that I've given you
in a long time... so listen up:

When it comes to winning poker, most players have "tunnel
vision."

What I mean is this:

They focus only on how to WIN more pots and larger pots...
whether it's through bluffing, calculating odds, or reading
poker tells.

But what they DON'T FOCUS ON... (what I'm about to show
you)... is actually MORE important than 90% of all the other
"stuff"... and can both INSTANTLY and DRAMATICALLY increase
your poker winnings over the long term.

And that secret is this:

How to STOP LOSING big pots.

You see, there's a lot of strategies out there for how to
WIN hands... but very rarely does a player focus on
strategies on how to NOT LOSE big hands.

Why?

Because they blame THAT PART of the game on luck and other
forces "out of their control."

The reality is, you can win tons of great hands and gain a
chip lead, but it doesn't mean ANYTHING if you don't know
how to keep it.

Think back to when Greg Raymer won the World Series of
Poker... what was the key to his success at the final table?

The key was he had a huge chip lead AND he knew how to keep
it.

He didn't lose big hands, which is what allowed him to keep
his gigantic stack of chips and bully the other guys around.

The concept is equally (if not MORE) important for players
who AREN'T in the chip lead... because no matter how many
pots you win, you won't win a game or tournament if you LOSE
a lot of big hands.

Notice the "catch" here...

I didn't say, "Stop losing hands."

I said, "Stop losing BIG hands."

Because those two statements mean two TOTALLY different
things.

You CANNOT stop losing ALL hands... it's just not realistic.

But you CAN use strategies to stop losing BIG hands...
AND... those are the more important "turning points" of a
game anyway.

So... what's this "hidden" secret strategy that most players
overlook that will allow you to STOP losing big pots?

I thought you'd never ask...

Preventing major losses is a very complicated and
"multi-layered" concept, as I explain in my course...

However, one of the MAJOR components and "core" strategies
behind it can be summed up in one simple, 12-letter word:

ANTICIPATION.

That's right... you can literally cut down on the number of
big hands you lose by simply ANTICIPATING better...

And I don't mean anticipating the CARDS.

I mean anticipating THE BETS, based on what cards COULD come
out of the deck.

Here's an example that will make it clear...

Let's say you're on the button and dealt AJ off-suit. The
blinds are $1-2 and Aaron (a very tight player) makes it $15
to play. Everyone at the table folds and the action is to
you.

This is the best hand you've seen in awhile, so you call the
bet without much hesitation.

That is where you made your FIRST MISTAKE.

You KNOW that Aaron is a very tight player that only makes
pre-flop raises with monster hands.

But you called the bet anyway... because you didn't
ANTICIPATE what YOU would do, even if you hit your Ace on
the flop.

OK, so the flop hits, and the cards are: A,9,2.

Aaron comes out firing with a $30 bet right away...

Now what do you do?

You have to put him on AK, AQ, AA, KK, or QQ. These are
pretty much the only hands that Aaron will make a pre-flop
raise with.

Of course, he didn't check to you, so he probably doesn't
have the cowboys or queens.

So now you think about what Aaron is holding... You put him
on hands that beat yours, but instead of folding you decide
to see another card for $30.

This is where you made your SECOND MISTAKE.

You felt pot-committed and only thought about the $30 bet.

What you SHOULD have been doing though is ANTICIPATING what
Aaron was going to bet after the turn card.

Let's face it... you have to figure he's going to fire
again. Are you prepared to call ANOTHER large bet after the
turn with your AJ?

Of course not... and what you've done here is simply dug
yourself into a big hole because you played only to win.

You got dealt a good hand and flopped the top pair and then
stuck it out in hopes of a better card... when what you
SHOULD have done is ANTICIPATED Aaron's behavior and folded
your cards before the flop.

Hands like these happen to even the best poker players, and
you MUST develop the discipline to fold that AJ and fold
that top pair when you've anticipated what's coming next.

Think about what your opponent is going to bet.

Think about what you'll be WILLING to bet.

Then think about what will happen after the next cards...
and then the ones after that... and then the ones after
THAT... and so on.

It's all about anticipation. If you anticipate the different
scenarios BEFORE they happen, you will prevent big losses.

And when you stop losing big hands, you'll get to KEEP the
chips you win.

When To "Smooth Call" Your Opponents

Hey, let's talk about the "smooth call".

A smooth call is when you're holding a REALLY GOOD hand and
someone bets into you... but instead of RAISING, you simply
CALL.

The smooth call is VERY POWERFUL, but a lot of players
totally mess it up. Here's how to do it RIGHT...

Let's say you're playing a cash game of no-limit Holdem at a
10-man table. The blinds are $5-10.

You're sixth to act before the flop (good positioning) and
you pick up pocket Aces...

Nice!

A couple players limp-in and the action is to Don, who's an
aggressive player.

He makes it $125 to play.

This is a rather large pre-flop raise at this table. The
normal pre-flop raise has been between $50 and $75 up to
this point.

You immediately put Don on something like pocket Jacks or
tens.

Why?

Because you know that if someone makes an UNUSUALLY large
pre-flop raise, it's probably because they have a hand they
DON'T want to play.

And quite often that hand is 10's or J's.

So anyway, the next guy folds and now the action is to you
with your monster American Airlines.

What should you do?

This is an ideal situation for a smooth call.

Here's why:

You know Don is going to bet again after the flop--
regardless of what hits-- since he made such a large
pre-flop raise.

And you also know that you've got Don beat right now. If you
call his bet, there's no way he's going to put you on Aces.

If you RAISE, Don is going to be scared. Because RAISING
after a big bet means you must have a monster. And that
basically gives away your hand.

OK, so you make a smooth call and put $125 in the middle.

Everyone else mucks their cards, so it's just you and Don to
see the flop.

The flop comes out a "rainbow" (which means there are three
different suits on the board):

8-7-4

This is the perfect flop for you. You figure Don has a
pocket pair HIGHER than the cards on the board, which means
he'll be confident betting his hand.

The only thing to be WORRIED about is if Don has pocket 8's,
since that would mean he just made trips. If he DID have
trips, he'd probably check after the flop and fake weakness.

So anyway, the action is to Don and... as expected... he
comes out firing a $250 bet.

What now?

Well, you could come back over the top of him and take this
pot right now. Or you can do ANOTHER smooth call and go for
the kill.

You think for a few moments... hesitate... then smooth call.

The turn card comes and it's a four, which is PERFECT for
you.

Don doesn't hesitate and puts his last $500 into the pot
now... thinking he has the best hand.

You call, and throw over your monster Aces.

Don shakes his head in disgust and throws over his pocket
Queens.

And you win a massive pot.

Now, that's basically the "ideal" way the smooth call works.
Let's discuss the RIGHT CONDITIONS when you'll want to make
a smooth call... and how you can add this powerful move to
your "poker toolbox"...


*** CONDITIONS FOR A SMOOTH CALL ***

The smooth call is the combination of two main components:

ANTICIPATION + SLOW-PLAYING

The INTENTION of the smooth call is to FOOL your opponents
while letting them dig their own grave.

Here's what I mean...

The smooth call operates on the fact that you ANTICIPATE
that your opponents will continue betting... AND... that you
have the best hand at the table.

When your opponents think THEY have the best hand, they'll
be confident with their betting. They'll become
pot-committed... and will get frustrated that you won't back
down.

That's when they'll make a mistake and go all-in, or simply
bet too much, and you'll come out on top.

There are four main "conditions" for performing a smooth
call... Here they are:

1. You don't need to figure out where you're at, because you
KNOW you have the best hand.

2. You ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent.

3. You have good positioning.

4. You're not worried about too many players getting in the
hand.

The first condition basically means you should only smooth
call when you have really good hands. We'll talk about the
EXACT hands to smooth call with more in a minute.

We've already gone over the second condition... you need to
ANTICIPATE future bets from your opponent. Most of the time,
players who raise before the flop will bet AGAIN after the
flop.

The third condition is POSITIONING. You can't perform a
smooth call if you're first to act. Then what you're doing
is just check-calling your opponents... which ISN'T the same
thing.

And the final condition for a smooth call is that you're not
at risk of having lots of players in the hand.

This last condition is important because it will help you
prevent bad beats.

Basically, when you have a monster hand before the flop, you
want to narrow the field down to one or two callers...

If you have three or more players seeing the flop, your
monster will get run down by someone who gets lucky.

In the example I shared earlier, Don had made a large
pre-flop raise of $125. That meant there was no danger of
too many players calling...

If the pre-flop raise had been only $40 or so, it would NOT
have been a good situation to smooth call... because the
raise would have gotten multiple callers. And then you're at
risk of a bad beat.

OK, so those are the conditions that need to be present in
order to make a smooth call.

Remember, the REASON a smooth call is powerful is because it
"represents" something like a draw, low pocket pair, or hand
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

If you smooth call before the flop, your opponent will
probably put you on something like suited connectors, two
face cards, or a low pocket pair.

After the flop comes out and your opponent THINKS he has you
beat, he'll keep INCREASING his bet sizes to try to scare
you out. This is a fundamental poker principle...

For each successive round of betting, the bets and raises
will INCREASE. The bets after the flop will be larger than
the bets before the flop. The bets after the turn will be
larger than the bets after the flop. And so on.

In our example, if you came back over the top of Don BEFORE
the flop, he would have folded. That means you would have
won his $125.

At MOST he may have called a $125 raise from you... but then
would have check-folded after the flop. In that case, you
would have won his $250.

But by smooth calling, you got BOTH his $125 bet (pre-flop)
and $250 bet (post-flop)... and then by smooth calling again
you got his remaining $500.

The key is to trick your opponent into thinking he has the
better hand... and let HIM take the offensive. If you can do
that, you're money.


*** HANDS TO SMOOTH CALL WITH ***

You want to smooth call before the flop with hands like Aces
or Kings. You DON'T want to smooth call with something like
A-K or A-Q.

Big Slick is a great hand... don't get me wrong... but it's
not "complete". By itself, Big Slick is just an Ace high. If
the flop doesn't help you and your opponent comes out
firing, you're in trouble.

If you're going to smooth call after the flop or turn,
you'll want to do it with hands like trips, two pair, or an
over pair (like in our example).

Trips and two pair are usually "hidden" from your opponent,
which is why they make great smooth call hands. (Remember,
it's all about making your opponent think he's got the best
of you.)

OK, TWO MORE THINGS to keep in mind...

First off, there are DANGERS to smooth calls. The main
danger is if your opponent catches a better hand than you.

You should be ready for this if there's something on the
board like a straight draw, flush draw, or two face cards.

Let's say you smooth call before the flop with pocket Kings
and the flop comes out 3-Q-6, all diamonds.

If your opponent comes out firing aggressively, be careful.
He wouldn't come out betting UNLESS he felt like he's still
got you beat.

I mean, think about it: Those three diamonds are going to
SCARE him... unless they HELPED him.

It's the same way with flops like 10-J-Q, K-K-5, K-Q-10,
J-A-3, and so on. If there are two face cards out there,
your opponent might have just made trips or two pair. If
there's a straight draw on the board and he's not scared,
YOU should be scared.

The second thing to think about is how you can INTEGRATE the
smooth call into the rest of your game...

The smooth call is a "maneuver" or "play". It will bring you
tons of extra pots and winnings when added to the STRONG
FOUNDATION of your poker skills.

To build your foundation, I recommend that you PLAY poker as
much as possible and LEARN about the game as much as
possible.

How To Beat The Short Stack In Heads-Up Poker

Have you ever been in a heads-up poker match and realized
just how much DIFFERENT one-on-one poker is from
multi-player poker?

Most players learn strategies for winning no limit Texas
Holdem when there are 4... 6... 8... or 12 players at the
table.

Not 2.

Yet, you can't win a game or a tournament without MASTERING
heads-up play. In fact, heads-up play is perhaps the MOST
IMPORTANT aspect of Texas Holdem... and here's why:

If you can't win at heads-up poker, you'll never come in
first place.

Period.

And I don't know about you, but I play to WIN. Not to come
in second place.

Most players-- when they make it to a heads-up match-- are
COMPLETELY CLUELESS and don't know what to do. Especially
when it comes to DEFENDING a chip lead.

Why is that?

I think there are three main reasons...

1. Most players only make it to a heads-up match once in
awhile.... so they have very little EXPERIENCE playing poker
one-on-one.

2. The strategies for starting hands, odds, tells, and
betting are so RADICALLY DIFFERENT for heads-up poker
versus-- say, at an 8-man table-- that most players don't
have the KNOWLEDGE needed.

3. Most players don't get to watch and study poker GREATS
play heads-up Holdem, because even the greats will only make
it to a heads-up match once in awhile.

With that said, let me share with you a rather EMBARRASSING
story of how I got "schooled" in a heads-up match earlier in
my poker career... and how I learned the "secrets" to
winning in heads-up poker:

I had fought my way through a 100-man tournament, and found
myself heads-up with someone named Brandon.

Brandon was (and is) a very skilled poker player who loves
to push the action... but at the time, I wasn't intimidated
by him. Because I thought I had this baby in the bag...

You see, I had been catching monster after monster in this
tournament, and I had JUST finished knocking out two players
at once with trip kings.

My chip lead was HUGE. 10 to 1 over Brandon, actually.

I was on a roll.

I had over $100,000 in chips, versus Brandon's $10,000, with
the blinds at $500/$1000.

This thing is OVER, right?

The first hand I looked at was Q-9 while I was small blind.
I limped in, and the action went to Brandon.

"All in," he said.

I folded.

I didn't want to give him the chance to double up.

The next hand was K-4 offsuit. Once again, Brandon went
all-in.

I folded again, and Brandon raked in more blinds.

The next hand I was dealt was A-4. Brandon goes all-in
AGAIN.

This time, I called.

He threw over pocket 4's. The flop, turn, and river come
out:

K-7-9-2-Q

So I didn't hit my ace, and Brandon doubled up.

By this time, he was sitting on $24,000 in chips, and I was
at $86,000.

The next few hands played out... and Brandon continued to go
all-in time after time... and I continued to fold hands like
K-7, Q-9, J-8, and so on.

I just didn't want to risk doubling him up AGAIN with such
"mediocre" hands.

But before you knew it... it didn't matter.

Because I'd let Brandon right back into the game. He had
taken about 10 straight pots from me...

I was frustrated as all hell, and went on tilt. As you
probably guessed, I blew the rest of my chip lead and lost
the match.

Honestly, I think this CHOKE should go down in the history
books right next to the Yankees versus Red Sox in the 2004
ALCS.

Just writing this newsletter makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyway, what's REALLY IMPORTANT is what I did AFTER I lost
that tournament.

I called up my buddy Don... and I told him he was going to
come over and play in me $20 heads-up games.

I think Drew could hear the frustration (and DESPERATION) in
my voice... so he came right over.

We started playing at 7 P.m. and didn't finish until well
after 5 A.M. in the morning. We completed OVER 50 GAMES THAT
NIGHT...

Now let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that night for ANY
other experience in my poker career.

It changed EVERYTHING for me.

And here's why:

Because I crammed in YEARS of heads-up experience into that
one night...

I learned how to play with a big chip lead... how to play
when I was short-stacked... how to "lean" on my opponent
with a small chip lead... and so on and so on.

And since then, I've done this same exercise with TONS of
other poker players... to keep my skills FRESH and to master
the techniques needed to win against different playing
styles.

When I was up against Brandon in that tournament, I had made
a TON of mistakes.

You see, when you have a big chip lead in heads-up action,
the first secret is YOU MUST ATTACK.

To get a perspective on this, think about how you play when
you're the SHORT STACK...

You're prepared to go all-in as soon as possible, right?

Well, you must use this to your ADVANTAGE when you're the
big stack, and PUT YOUR OPPONENT ALL-IN right away... rather
than the other way around.

When you have a big chip lead, YOU must be the one to create
"coin-toss" situations... and fast.

A coin-toss situation is when both players have virtually
equal odds... and the winning hand is determined by whatever
the flop, turn, and river cards are.

In heads-up poker, any starting hand with a FACE CARD is
playable. Or any pocket pair. It's that simple.

If you've got a big chip lead on your opponent and he CHECKS
or LIMPS-IN (calls the blinds), then you should IMMEDIATELY
put him all-in.

He wouldn't be checking or limping-in if he had ANYTHING
DECENT at all...

If he folds, you've stolen the blinds from him, which is
crucial. If he calls, you've created a coin-toss situation.

Odds are you'll win at least one out of every two coin toss
situations. Or at the very least, you'll win one out of
three.

Here's a basic summary of the "rules" you should follow when
playing heads-up poker with a huge chip lead. When I say
"huge", I'm talking about 10 to 1 or more...

Of course, you won't START with a 10:1 chip lead very often
(like I did against Brandon), but you will frequently BECOME
the 10:1 chip leader in a heads-up match if you're a skilled
player.

And that's the exact moment when you MUST PULL THE TRIGGER
AND WIN THE GAME.

If you don't, the chip stacks can quickly even out again and
you may lose your chance forever.

Anyway... here are the RULES you should follow:

1. Any starting hand with a face card or any pocket pair is
good.

2. You should either FOLD or go ALL-IN every time. Nothing
else.

3. Force COIN-TOSS situations... In other words, leverage
the 50/50 ODDS as much as possible. Do this two or three
times and you will almost always win the match.

4. If you're playing against a tight player, it will be even
easier. Keep going all-in on just about every hand and let
the blinds eat him to death.

Read and re-read those four principles and you'll be
prepared the next time you make it to a heads-up match.

In the meantime, you should IMMEDIATELY:

Call a friend or poker buddy and invite him over to play
you heads-up. Put $5 or even just $1 on each game... it
doesn't matter.

The point is to play game after game after game in a
heads-up setting. Play for as long as you possibly can.

When you're done, call a different friend and do the same
thing again. And then do it again next week. And keep doing
this over and over...

Trust me, your poker skills will SKYROCKET when you follow
this simple exercise.