| Marc Goodwin |
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| Poker Pro's Corner - Poker Pro's Corner | |||
 Marc Goodwin of Birmingham, England, has been one of Europe’s biggest poker stars for the last half decade, and in 2008 was named European Player of the Year and Player of the Year for the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour. The 49-year-old started out following the tournament circuit, making money off the juicy cash games, but four years ago he switched to tournament play and today he has career winnings of more than $1.3 million. He answers readers’ questions this month. What’s your advice on playing small pocket pairs such as deuces through eights? Are they worth the risk or should I not even consider them? – Adelle Bernardo, Atlanta If you can get in cheap, especially in position, you should always play them, and in later stages of tournaments re-raise with them to exert pressure on your opponents. I love broken suited connectors – every time I see them I feel a warm tingle inside and I’ll play them even if someone raises. Hell, I’ll play them sometime even when there’s been a reraise. Though this occasionally nets me a big pot, it’s costing me quite a lot when I lose the small to mid-size pots. How should I play them and should I play them differently in cash games and tournaments? – Dave, Seaside Heights, NJ I tend to play this type of hand more in cash games than in tournaments. The only time I can play it a lot in a tournament is when it’s deep stack and the blinds are very small. You are probably behind with this sort of hand because you are playing it out of position. In cash games the blinds do not increase so it’s always a low entry cost to see the flop, thus making it less of a percentage risk to your bankroll. One of my friends has told me that I should never look at my cards until it comes to me and instead watch the other players look at their starting hands for tells. I’ve done this several times and on the very rare occasions I think I spot something “telling,” I’m usually wrong. Any advice on spotting tells or things I should look out for? – Dominic Claude, Delaware A lot of players adopt this approach, but not me. If I have a tell I am not aware of then the last thing I need is for all eyes to be focusing on me while I look at my cards. I tend to look very fast then observe others. By watching carefully you can often see players behind you reaching for chips about to raise and so play your hand accordingly I have a problem and I’m not too sure of the solution. I love tournaments and on a good game day I’m very likely to cash, though not necessarily in the big three. We’re not talking high stakes here, merely between $25-$100 freezeouts, and like the vast majority of people I will lose more often than I cash so mostly it’s a losing game for me. Cash games, on the other hand, even on bad nights I break even or make a small loss, but more often than not I spend a good two or three hours if not longer recouping my tourney fee – again I only play $0.50-$1 NL. Cash games are fine and all but I don’t love them as much as tourneys. What do you think I should do? – Indecisive in Indiana Spend some time improving your tournament play. Read books, watch tutorial videos and speak to winning tournament players. Life-changing amounts of money can be won in tournaments, but rarely in cash, so it’s important you adapt. What questions do you ask yourself while in a hand? – Harry Johnson, Manchester, NH You should start by first asking what you have, then what your opponent has. The next level after that is what does your opponent think you have and what do I want him to think I have. On top of that I’ll think about the amount of chips/bankroll I have, position, my table image and the composition of the table – is it tight, loose, etc. There’s a hand I was in the other day and I’d like to hear how you would have played it. I’m in a $5-$5 Dealer’s Choice game playing NL hold’em, and in the cutoff I pick up the dreaded pocket jacks. It seems like I’ve caught a break because everybody folds except one limper, so I raise it to £20. The button and the blinds fold to me, and after much umming, the original limper calls too. The flop comes 5-9-10 rainbow, he checks, I bet and he comes over the top of me. What would you do? – D.C. King Dependant on several factors I would put him on a range of hands. He will not have a set here as he spent time deciding whether to call or pass. That leaves J-10, Q-10, K-10, A-10 or Q-J for the straight draw, or more difficult to spot maybe 10-9 suited or 7-6 or 8-7. So of all the hands only 10-9 is beating you, so I would probably call to see the turn, and if it’s not a scare card continue in the hand. I quite like playing K-Q even if it’s offsuit, but a lot of my friends say it’s a donkey play. What are your thoughts? – Adam Johnson, Hoboken When blinds are high – dictating I have to play a hand – the K-Q is a monster. Also I would not be afraid to reraise with this hand from position. But calling from out of position is what makes this type of hand expensive. What do you think is more important preflop: good cards or good position? – Alexis Karras from Albany Naturally, both are best! Normally, having the best hand is more important then position but on a weak table or in the later stages of a tournament, position does become much more important. Which style of play do you think is better for making a consistent cash-game profit, tight-aggressive (TAG) or loose-aggressive (LAG)? – Ben Finder, Lancaster, PA You have to be fluid in all games in order to make it pay. Play all styles, mix it up but always be aware of how you stand in a pot. If you’re in a tournament, what do you think is the best type of hand to go all-in with? – Gus H., Chicago Aces, of course. Lots of players shove with A-K, which is OK, but don’t get married to this hand – it is, after all, a dog to all pairs. If you have a much larger stack than the rest of the players, do you think you should use it to bully, or still play the same, keeping the extra chips as insurance? – Bully Boy from Boston With tournaments all being top-heavy as far as payouts, you have to press home your advantage and smash them up. A friend of mine says that if you’re a decent cash player you can make good money following the tournament circuit and just playing cash against the tourney players. Do you think this is true? Also, we have about 3000 euros each for our bankroll – is that enough? – Pytor Lebed, Michigan I agree 100 percent. I make lots from cash at live events. Regarding your bankroll of 3000, then of course you have to play at a level relevant to resources. Blind-stealing is so common these days that it’s almost a cliché. Is it worth doing today when everybody knows what you’re up to and are likely to just re-pop you? – Harry Smith, Dover, DE I try never to steal blinds until it gets to a level worth stealing. By then the blinds have got used to me giving them a walk and tend to believe I have a hand now. Do you think players play differently in other countries? I’m going to Ireland soon. – Sharon Wide in Westchester Players in general are much better now as a whole, so every country has great players, Ireland having loads. Cash games at the Irish Open are very lively and aggressive, usually as a result of alcohol! So beware, as they take no prisoners.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 22 May 2009 18:06 |
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