After learning to play poker with friends in high school, Christian Harder began playing online while he was attending college in Maryland. Known online as "charder30," he has since racked up some major accomplishments both online and live. In mid-2007, Christian won the Full Tilt Monday $1k for more than $80,000, along with the UltimateBet $75,000 guarantee.

Christian also has two second-place finishes in the Sunday $500 on PokerStars, one of them just a day after his final-table appearance at the 2009 WPT $25,000 Championship, where he finished fourth for more than half a million dollars. Christian also has multiple European Poker Tour final-table appearances, finishing seventh and eighth in back-to-back months, and last July he won a Bellagio Cup event for $200k. His online and live tournament scores are well over $3,000,000 at the ripe old age of 22.

You can always find Christian playing in the biggest tourneys on the ’Net, and his game has transferred very well to the live arena, meaning he will be a force in coming years. He answers readers’ questions this month.　

Should I play pocket tens like pocket aces, or like pocket twos?

Nome, Alaska

In general, playing pocket tens gets more difficult as your stack gets deeper relative to the blinds. When you have a shorter stack (less than 25 big blinds, give or take), it’s best to play pocket tens aggressively with the intent of getting as much money in preflop as possible. There are a lot of bad flops for a hand like tens and putting in a large percentage of your stack and folding post-flop is generally a big error, so look to get your chips in preflop when you begin to get short-stacked. As your stack gets deeper, proceed with caution especially when you’re out of position. Playing tens out of position with lots of chips behind can be tough, especially against good players. Don’t be afraid to just call preflop with tens and control the size of the pot when the board gets bad.

In cash play, how aggressive should I be with A-K and A-Q preflop?

– Soboba Shark, California

Hands such as A-K and A-Q are very typically played fast and aggressively in tournament poker. With shorter stacks, there will be more all-ins preflop and hands such as A-K and A-Q do very well against most players’ ranges. However, in cash play the average stack is much deeper and these hands become more difficult to play. Try to slow down with these hands when the stacks get deep and look to flat-call more preflop. Reraising will oftentimes make your opponent fold dominated hands like A-J or A-10 that they might get in trouble with post-flop when they make pairs with lesser kickers. Don’t be afraid to stay aggressive, but avoid getting into all-in pots with these hands with a deep stack, unless facing very aggressive opponents.

How should you handle someone insulting your play in a brick-and-mortar game?

For the most part, you should turn the other cheek when somebody insults your play at the table. Usually they’re hoping that you’ll get upset or overly emotional and quit playing your best game. Keep playing your "A" game and you’ll punish them for their mistake the right way. Though if it gets personal, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself or even get up and leave.

I have an average stack in the middle stage of a tourney and there are two all-in players in front of me. One has me covered. What do I do with A-K?

This situation can be difficult and there are a few things to consider. First, how have your opponents been playing up to this point? If they are loose and aggressive, don’t be afraid to get your chips in there. A-K is a hand that dominates a lot hands and is very rarely in terrible shape. However, if they have shown that they will only be getting all their chips in with premium hands, don’t be afraid to fold and move on. Finally, if you aren’t quite sure of how they’re playing yet, consider your skill edge relative to the table. If you’re winning a lot of pots with ease, don’t be afraid to fold and continue on your way picking up chips the easy way.

When pushing all-in as a relatively short stack, does it matter if your cards are suited?

Having suited cards does add a small amount of value to your hand, but don’t overestimate it. You should usually be aggressive and willing to move all-in on the short stack, but generally it shouldn’t matter much.

How do you play against a table full of really tight players?

Having a table full of tight players is the perfect table. The key to beating up on a tight table is aggression. It’s as simple as raising frequently with a wide variety of hands. Tight players are only going to give a lot of action with big hands, so be willing and ready to fold when facing aggression from the tight players.

I have top pair/top kicker and I get check-raised. Do I assume I am beat here?

It all depends on the situation. There’s no concrete answer for how to play top pair when facing a check-raise, but there are some clues at the table that can help you. Some things you should consider: How aggressive has my opponent been before this hand? What is the texture of the hand, i.e., are there draws present that my opponent may have? Finally, consider the stack sizes present – people’s actions change dramatically based on the amount of chips they have. Try to use these questions to narrow your opponent’s possible range of hands and make a decision from there.

What is the best way to build a bankroll: Slowly grind your way up or borrow money from complete strangers?

Generally, the better way to build a bankroll is through steady grinding. Making sure you have enough money to comfortably play at your current limit is a great way to reduce stress and handle the swings that inherently come with poker. However, there are some cases where you have the skill to beat a certain game or a certain limit, but not the money to do so. In these situations, getting backed can be the best situation for you.

I keep getting bubbled in tourneys. I build a stack early and then go card dead. If I try stealing at this point, it seems it never works. What am I doing wrong?

It sounds like you aren’t adapting to the table conditions as they change throughout the tourney. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy that will work for constant accumulation of chips. As you move deeper into the tourney, try to realize that the average stack will get bigger and people will be more and more willing to gamble with you and move all-in over your raises. If people are moving in over your steal-raises, try to tighten up and preserve your stack. Alternatively, if you are noticing other players playing very aggressively, make a play of your own and reraise them occasionally, even if you don’t have a great hand. Winning these smaller pots without a showdown can add up over time.

When I’m sitting at a poker table I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to be looking for when I’m watching the other players. Is it that important that I watch my table closely and if it is, what should I be looking for?

– Carlos at the Bike

Try to focus on things such as betting patterns; for example, how they bet when they have a strong hand, and how they bet when they show a weak hand. Find out who at the table is looking to gamble and who is only interested in playing strong hands. These things can add up, so stay observant and pick up all the information you can.

The worst player at the table often seems to win the most money. When I win, I don’t win nearly as much as the donkeys do. Why is this?

– Frustrated in Frankfurt

Don’t forget that in the short term, anybody can win at poker; that’s what makes it such a great game, where total amateurs have a real chance of beating the best in the world. Don’t be fooled however, in the long term that player is losing money, and if you’re playing the game well, in the end the money will belong with you. Try to stay focused on what you can control (the quality of your play), and ignore the things you can’t control (the luck of the cards.)