pokerstars cracked [robert eagle].pdf

8/17/2019 PokerStars Cracked [Robert Eagle].pdf

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Poker Stars

“Cracked”


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This BOOK is copy written. We are selling a limited number of copies

and ask that you don’t share this information with anyone.

All Rights ReservedRobert Eagle 2004 United States of America

Unless otherwise noted, all materials contained in this documentare copyrighted and may not be used except as provided under

these terms and conditions. This document is for personal use onlyand is not to be redistributed, sold or copied without the author’s

explicit permission.

Version 4.03 Venetian Publishing INC


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Introduction

Poker is an amazing game. It allows you to have many freedoms withvirtually any style of play that you choose. Your personality definitely and

inevitably comes out on the board. The reality is however that there are onlya few playing methods that will ever achieve profitability. Many poker

players that play often and with the same people can become very predictable. But, it’s the best players that are the one’s who always keep youguessing. They change gears continually and unpredictably. Just when youthink they are bluffing, they are holding the nuts. Just when you think they

have an incredible hand they are holding a hand that isn’t worth the ink printed on the cards. After it’s all said and done they are the ones holding thechips and you might be the one left holding the bag.

This book is based on a system that has helped yours truly becomehighly successful in the world of online poker. As it turns out the system isstrictly for PokerStars.com because of the algorithm (shuffling pattern).However, this book can help you become successful in poker on virtuallyany online casino. The reason is that I will touch on all points of playingwinning poker. The last part of this book is devoted to gaining an

additional edge (a mind blowing edge, good thing you found this book)

on Poker Stars that to my knowledge you can’t get anywhere else!!! Didyou know that only 5% of all poker players ever make money consistently? I

don’t say, “win” money because “win” implies luck. Yes poker has someluck, but skill and odds will overcome luck all the time.


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Winning gambling is all about having an edge. If you don’t have anedge and you still want to gamble you might as well take your entire

bankroll and head to Vegas. Don’t waste any time, just hop onto a roulettetable and bet the entire amount on “black”. You almost have a 50/50 chanceof winning minus the Houses “edge” of course and see what happens. At

least it would save time for some of the poker players I have seen. Theywould get even better odds doing that than they would ever get playing

poker.

I don’t recommend you do anything like that of course, but it’s aninteresting point. Winners take educated risks, not blind ones. A winner in

poker is the one who has the chips and nothing else. It’s not the pots, it’s notthe ego, it is the chips. No matter what your playing level, there is somethingin this book that can and will improve your game if properly applied. Let’slearn how to make and keep those chips.

Let me assure you that it is totally possible to make money on PokerStars.com without the use of this system. However using sound tightaggressive play coupled with this pattern system can give you an edge unlike

no other. This edge can be unparalleled and can make a huge difference inyour outcomes.

The first part of this book is devoted to bringing you up to par andhelping you to become the great online player you should be if you’re not

already. The second part is how to turn Poker Stars algorithm (shuffling pattern) greatly in your favor.


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“Poker Stars Cracked”

This is what you have been waiting for so let’s get right to it. This isnot some 400-page book that will bore you. It is designed to be brief,effective, and to be easily mastered.

Please note the Poker Charts, as you should refer to them often while

reading this and playing. I personally have it printed out and taped to thewall next to my computer for easy reference when I gamble online.

When I go to the casino and play limit Texas Hold’em I usually win 4out of 5 times. I play tight and aggressive. When I first started playing onlineI couldn’t believe how diverse the players and the cards were. I was winning1 out of 5 sessions online. What a joke I thought. I know I am good but why

am I losing so much?

Please note, that this book is based on my experience and opinion ofPoker Stars. I am not, nor have ever been affiliated or employed by anycasino or any online casino at any time!

When utilizing the information presented in this book, you agree to doso at your own risk. The author and other parties affiliated assume noliability in the outcomes of your gambling.

I would like to assure you, that if you only learn and retain just a fewof the strategies in this book, it can more than pay for itself. I think you willhave a much better time playing online poker with this knowledge.


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Get your priorities straight. In my opinion, the ONLY thing that

matters in poker is winning chips. It’s not singling a player out and havingan ego battle. It’s not losing most hands just to say you were strong enoughto stay in. The only winners at the end of any session are the ones who walkaway with more chips than they started with!

Please do yourself a favor and focus on learning the repeating pattern

cycles. The only way to do that effectively is to write down every startinghand you have and keep track of ALL of your wins and losses.

I strongly recommend doing this on PLAY MONEY FIRST for at least40 hours. It will be time well spent and will really prepare you for REAL

MONEY with these new strategies!!!!

I must stress that in real life, playing no limit poker, I would notdream of using some of these strategies. Although, I am not a known

professional poker player, I am definitely good enough to make a great

living playing poker.

You are most likely aware (mathematically) of how to properly betwith certain hands in Hold'em.

Please remember this book is a strategy to use Poker Stars’ flawedalgorithm (shuffling pattern) against it. That means sometimes betting onrags (garbage hands), and sometimes placing improper betting amounts.

That means this system is SOMETIMES diametrically opposed to real life

betting strategies in some situations.


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Have no fear, because not only does this system work, but you canalso test this on play money for as long as it takes, before you get the hangof it. Certain positions, you should gladly lay down even pocket Aces. Iknow that must sound crazy, but the only way for you to realize thosesituations is to practice using these strategies.

Most of the time, you are going to want to use sound playing methods,

BUT if you want to take advantage sometimes you will not.

If you enjoy playing poker on Poker Stars.com and have discoveredthe undeniable level of uncertainty in securing more consistent victories,then please allow me to assure you that NOT everything is random aboutPoker Stars.

In fact, the only thing that is consistent in online gaming is the fact

that it is not always truly random. The cards follow undeniable patterns overand over again. In my opinion, this algorithm ensures that online gaming

continues to attract and retain the largest percentage of players.

Not only could you increase your winnings per session when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em on Poker Stars.com, but also you could minimizeyour losses by applying this knowledge.

This book can help you win consistently when gambling online, playing ALL TYPES of poker on ALL TYPES of online casinos. After

applying the principles in this book you should be much better off and findyour way to the top.


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Table of Contents

Part 1 Pages

Chapter 1 The differences between online poker, 9-16

casino poker, and home games.

Chapter 2 The graph and betting / odds 17-21for LIMIT Hold’em

Chapter 3 Position 22-23

Chapter 4 Limit verses No Limit 24

Chapter 5 Other Tips 25-27

Chapter 6 No Limit Strategy & Poker Stars Algorithm 28-42

Part 2

Chapter 7 Pattern Introduction & shuffling process 43-59

Chapter 8 Conclusion and Bonus Codes 60-64


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Chapter 1

The differences between online poker, casino poker, and home games

Money

There are many differences between online poker, casino poker, andhome games. In a home game you might just play strictly with cash. It canmake you stop and think before you call a $15 raise and have to physically

put three more $5 bills into a pot just to see one card that may not even helpyour hand.

In real life at the casino and sometimes at a home game, you usuallyhave to buy chips with real hard cash. There is a certain shift that occurswhen this happens. It is psychologically easier to throw three $5 chips into a

pot than three $5 bills. Chips make counting and stacking a lot easier but

they also disassociate you from real hard cash.

Real money can once again become clear for a brief time as soon asyou have to buy more chips with real hard cash. It always makes you thinkwhen you have to reach into your pocket or purse and grab your wallet.

In an online casino, it’s usually just a matter of using a credit card orsending a money order/wire transfer to the online casino to get your virtual

bankroll started. There are no real chips, just icons that represent chips,which are in fact virtual numbers. You must have an even greater disciplineto respect your money in this scenario.


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Time

In fact, you don’t even have to push the chips onto the table to make a bet, call a raise, etc. etc. All you do is click a mouse button and you’re done.It can be done so fast that if you don’t take a breath; it’s easy to have your

judgment thrown off by emotion.

Your play is magnified on an internet casino. One main reason is that

the cards and hands are played so much faster. There is very little physicalmovement, as all you have to do is point and click the mouse. It literallytakes seconds. In real life there is the physical motion of picking chips up,counting chips, and placing them in the appropriate place. This all takesadditional time and fortunately can help you when having to make a

decision.

There is no real dealer in online poker other than an icon representinga dealer. That means no tipping. At a $1 or $2 tip per win, this can save your

bankroll a lot of money.

The rake still exists and actually varies depending on the online casinoyou choose to play at. The rake should be considered because after all saidand done if you break-even while playing, the rake would eventually take allof your money over time.

When there is a rake involved in poker it is your responsibility to findand play with players that you are better than. A home game is the only

exception as there typically is no rake.

If you’re in a heads up game online and your opponent is almost equalto you in playing ability, then you are both going to break even most of thetime with each other, and find your bankroll slipping away to the housesrake.


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On average, an online poker game will move three times as fast as areal casino. That means your weaknesses will be magnified three times. Thatmeans the rake is three times as much. Of course you’re still getting threetimes as many hands for your money. For some players however, this can becatastrophic. What seems like hours for someone to call a raise may inreality only take seconds in online poker. It’s so easy to get used to thisfaster type of play, that you can easily lose perspective on the real amount oftime passed.

To go to a real casino takes planning. For some of you it might entaila flight, for others a lengthy drive. The time that it takes to get to the casinocan be very helpful for your mindset because it psychologically forces togive you time to prepare.

In an online casino, you can play it right in your own home. Whatmight take an hour or so to get to the local casino or a day or so for some ofyou, others can get into a Hold’em game online for real money in oneminute or less. You don’t have to shower and shave or change your clothes.

You simply have to click a few buttons and you’re ready to play. There may be no transition of mind set at all. If you’re in a bad mood or good mood,happy or sad, you will most likely stay in that mood while you are playinguntil you have time to adjust. If it’s a mood problem, it might cost you anarm and a leg during that transition.

Whenever I am driving to a casino, I typically look in the rearviewmirror and smile at myself. I then say, “you’re going to win tonight”. I do

this several times during the drive providing it is safe. In essence I pump and

psyche myself up. It’s one way I personally prepare for poker. I have foundthat when I expect to do well at something I usually do. If I am angry orhave problems on my mind it definitely affects my game and not in a goodway.


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Distractions

Distractions will kill your bankroll. There can be 10 times as manydistractions from your home as there can be in a real casino.

Here is a list of the most common home distractions that should beaddressed and dealt with if you expect to play poker well.

The list can go on and on. Sometimes it seems like as soon as I escape

into the virtual world to play a few hands, I become bombarded by theimpossible. My phone rings off the hook. My favorite song is on. Iremember the movie I wanted to watch is starting on cable. I get a businesscall. My girlfriend says I don’t give her enough attention. My parents callwanting to know when I am going to visit them. The FedEx guy knocks on

my door etc. etc.

Imagine flopping a nut flush and 4th

street pairs the board. You haveto analyze your opponent and decide if he has a full boat. With five otherdistractions hitting you at once, how are you going to make a good

judgment? Even as I am writing these words my puppy (she’s a pug) just jumped on my lap and is demanding attention. Do I throw her off my lap? Ilove animals so I gently put her down on the floor. Now she’s staring at mewith a sad look on her face and I am beginning to feel guilty. I am glad I amnot in a tough hand of poker right now as it could be just enough of adistraction to make the wrong call.

I love a smooth drink just like the next guy. Have a couple of those

and win a few hands while playing poker and you’ll feel like you’re on top

of the world. Give it 30 minutes and you can watch your bankroll run for thehills. For me poker is so much fun and I live to play it that I never used tothink of it as work. The bottom line though, is that if you want to win andwin consistently, then you have to treat poker like your job and treat it withrespect.


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Whether you’re in a home game, casino game, or virtual game;alcohol and drugs should be avoided completely if you expect to win. Nowif you have a few buddies over and you’re all drinking having a good timeand playing poker, then so be it. Enjoy yourselves. But don’t expect to breakall of your friends especially if they aren’t bad players.

Below is a list of the three types of games and their potentialdistractions. Just think if you have encountered any of these in the past and

how you could best deal with them to keep from getting distracted in thefuture.

Home Game

AlcoholSmokingFriendsOther people watchingMusic

TVThe opposite sexReal CashHome Games w/ variations such as wild cards.

Real Casino

Alcohol

Music

TV’sHot Cocktail WaitressesLights

NoisesOther Gambling games like Black Jack and slots


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Virtual Casino played from a computer

AlcoholSmokingHome PhoneBusiness LineCell PhoneTelevision

RadioSpouseRoommateParentsDogs

CatsMulti Tasking on other computer programsPlaying two or three tables at onceEmail

Neighbors

Door BellPlaying while Working

I am not going to address each of these possible distractionsindividually, but these are many of the one’s I have encountered in the pastthat have managed to affect my game play. Distractions will affect every

player differently and of course it also depends on the type of distraction. Ifyour roommate calls you up and tells you your rent check bounced, I can

only imagine that would have an impact on your game.

You’ve got to be in the moment. Distractions threaten to take you outof it. So let’s readdress this. When playing at home online you can havethree times as many distractions, you can play three times faster than ever

possible before since it’s all just a click of the mouse, and you can even playthree tables or more at the same time.


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It doesn’t take a bean counter to understand that this is a recipe for

disaster. I know several people who can play well at a real casino, but whenit comes to online casinos their playing ability goes way down. You may beone of the best poker players out there, but with enough things workingagainst you, you might be chopped liver in the virtual world.

So what’s the solution? I’ll tell you what works for me. I do this out of

necessity, because it works. The changes seemed unbearable to me at first, but after a few weeks I never looked back, and my wins have only grownsince.

I turn off all of the ringers and announcements on all of my phones

(home phone, business line, and cell). I disable my email so that it only givesme new messages when I reboot the mail server. I feed and walk my dog,then run him up and down the street to exhaust him. I feed the cat and cleanher cat litter. I call my girlfriend and talk to her for what seems like hoursand then let her know I am going to be M.I.A for a little while due to getting

a business matter resolved.

I literally attach a “do not disturb” note on my door. I close my blinds.I turn my lights up and away from the computer so there is no glare. I

position my betting and odds chart for easy viewing. I turn off the TV. I turnoff the radio. I typically play in the evening, but not too late because whenyou are tired you can and will make costly mistakes.

After all said and done I get rid of about 80% of the distractions.

There is always something that comes up or sneaks up it seems, but I dealwith it. I take breaks every 200-300 hands. I’ll explain letter when the besttime to take those breaks are so that they are aligned with the pattern playyou’ll learn about in Part Two.


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Some of you may have pressing matters like kids and wives whodemand your attention or who want to use the computer. Only you can bestdecide how to handle those distractions diplomatically so that you don’t endup in the doghouse or are disowned.

The biggest difference, which commands further discussion, is theability to play multiple games at the same time with online poker. Unlikereal casino poker you can play two tables or more on the same online casino

or even a different online casino. All in all it doesn’t matter because. To sumit up in 5 words or less: You can’t serve two masters.

In fact, whenever you discover someone who is playing 2 or 3 tablesat the same time you should highly consider them a target. Many players

who play two tables at the same time rationalize that it makes them a tighter player by nature because they play only the best starting hands. That’s fine, but when position comes into play (discussed next chapter) certain marginalhands can become much stronger and even powerhouses at times.

It will become very clear later in this book that playing two tables isnot advisable and not as profitable in the long run. For starters though, the

pattern tracking explained in Part Two will be very difficult if notimpossible to accomplish when we take in all the factors that are required forsuccessful profitable play.


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Chapter 2 The graph and betting / odds for LIMIT

Hold’em

(See Notes for No Limit)


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Print This Page These actions are ALL Pre-Flop.


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There are only 48 hands I recommend to consider playing of the 92

possible. I won’t even play the non-colored or magenta hands in No limit ora loose table. Position vastly reduces when you choose to play all of thesehands. Most players in Hold’em could be decent if they just considered theleverage position has. If you want to be successful you will follow this chart96% of the time and NO LESS. The 4% are exceptions that will beexplained a little later. There is nothing positive that will come from chasingthe other starting hands. It will cost you more money in the long run than it

will make you. Don’t overplay a hand with an Ace. Many people do and loseto kickers quite often. My rule of thumb is to play any Ace that’s suited, butonly if it is cheap enough and I have good position for the lower Ace hands.

• Pocket Jacks are tricky. Always use discretion with pocket jacks, as

they seem to lose as much as they win. They are one of the best hands, but don’t overestimate them especially in early position.

• These hands are in order from the mathematically highest to lowestfor percentages of absolute wins. Checking, raising, bluffing, etc. willchange the outcomes. That will be explained later.

This chart is for LIMIT Hold’em. The No Limit chart is close to this but

must be played so much tighter. If you want to be successful in Hold’em youwill NOT deviate from this chart more than 4% of the time.

Following this chart strictly in limit play alone can make your game profitable. You probably won’t make a killing, but you won’t lose much

either. There are many other factors in poker, but the first most importantthing in limit is to get your starting cards right. Limit Hold’em is verymechanical and because of that it’s hard to get hurt as much as in No LimitHold’em. Bluffing still plays a part in Limit Hold’em but to a lesser extent.The worst thing that can happen when making a bluff in Limit play is losingone more bet. In No limit it can cost you ALL of your money at the table.


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Texas Hold'em Hand Odds And Probabilities Chart

Percentage Odds of Hitting

Pair pre-flop

Suited cards pre-flop

Suited Connectors (2/3, KQ, ...)

AA or KK pre-flop

AK pre-flop

AKs pre-flop

A in hand pre-flop

AA, KK, QQ, JJ

Flop being all one kind (JJJ or QQQ)

AA versus KK pre-flop (heads up)

AK dealt pre-flop and hitting an A or K by the riverQQ versus AK heads up till river

Two cards pre-flop that are Js or higher

6%

24%

4%

.9%

1.2%

.3%

16%

1.8%

. 24%

.004%

50%56%

9%

16 to 1

3.2 to 1

24 to 1

110 to 1

82 to 1

331 to 1

5.25 to 1

55 to 1

424 to 1

22559 to 1

even14 to 11 favorite

10 to 1

Four flush completing (Ts 8s Flop 6s 2s Ad 9h Qs)

Open Ended Straight-Flush completing to flush or straight by river

Open Ended Straight completing (8,9 Flop 10,7,4, 8,6)

Two Pair on flop Improving to Full House

Three of a kind on flop improving to Full House or 4 of a kind

39%

54%

34%

17%

37%

3 to 2

1 in 1.85

approx. 2 to 1

approx 5 to 1

approx 3 to 2

Pocket pair improving to three of a kind on flop

One pair on flop improving to two pair or three of a kind by river

Pocket pair improving to three of a kind after flop

Two over cards improving to a pair by riverTwo over cards and a gut-shot improving to pair or straight

Gut-shot straight draw hitting by river

Gut-shot and pair improving to two pair or better

Backdoor Flush hitting (3s4s Flop 7sKd9c TsQs)

Runner Runner Straight (5,6 Flop 3KJ 47)

Backdoor Flush and One Over Card improving to that pair or flush

Catching Ace on turn or river (A5 Flop T74 KA)Backdoor Flush and Gutshot improving to one by river (Ac4c Flop 3s5cQs)

Backdoor Flush And Two Over Cards improving to pair or flush

5 players on flop, that someone has an A when one is on board



2 players on flop, that someone has an A when one is on board3 of one suit on board and another coming (Kd9d3d) if you have one

5 players in with board paired, chance of one of them having it




12%

22%

9%

26%

43%

17%

39%

4%

1.5%

17%

13%21%

30%

58%

47%

35%

23%39%

43%

34%

26%

17%

7 to 1

approx 4 to 1

10 to 1

approx 3 to 1

4 to 3

5 to 1

3 to 2

23 to 1

67 to 1

5 to 1

7 to 13.8 to 1

2.3 to 1

1 in 1.7

1 in 2.1

1 in 2.9

1 in 4.33 to 2

1 in 2.4

1 in 3

1 in 4

1 in 5.8


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Ok, there you have it. That is a simple chart showing you the odds of

your hand improving. It really is important to learn the chart or at least haveit handy while you’re playing online. (Good luck whipping that out at a realcasino. You’d be escorted out pretty quickly chart in hand lol.) This justmakes another example of how online poker has its advantages; it’s liketaking a test that is open book!

When I play online, I always make sure to have access to these charts

next to my computer. No matter how smart you are, you probably shouldtoo. There is also a thing called pot odds and implied odds. I am not going togo into great detail in this book about them, but I will cite an example. Thereare some books out there dedicated to these topics.

The most important thing is to decide when it is worth drawing to tryand make your hand. The biggest mistake most players make is deciding todraw to their hand and then have it hit. The only problem is that it loses to a

better hand. This happens quite often with straight draws. If there are twoclubs on the flop and three clubs on the turn (4

th street) with 3 other players

in the hand, then it’s probably a good idea to abandon your straight draw. Ifit hits you will pay dearly to someone who has made a flush.

Ok, so you’re in the big blind in a $5/$10 game and a player raisesfrom middle position and three people call. You call with J, 10 off-suitmaking four total callers.

The flop shows:

k - 10 - 2 (different suits) $40 Pot


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The middle position guy bets and everyone calls. You can call $5 for$55 giving you about 1/11 odds. There are two 10’s in the deck and threeJacks giving you a total of 5/47 for the turn making it about 8.4:1. So if yourhand hits, you will make money by calling once. If you plan on calling tillthe river for it then your chances of hitting it would be:

5/47 and 5/46

For figuring out odds for a draw that can hit on either the turn or theriver, you need to keep calculating. You figure out what the odds are of nothitting it and then subtracting that number by 1. Since 5 cards give us ourhand, there must be 42 that don't. Then on the river if we haven't hit theremust be 41 cards that don't make our hand.

42/47 * 41/46

This gives us .795; subtract that from 1 to get the percentage of 20%.

Flop to River % = 1 - [ ((47 - Outs) / 47) * ((46 - Outs) / 46) ]

That means to make your call profit you'll need to get better then 1/5,4:1 return on your money for the WHOLE hand, not just that card (turn orriver). That's where implied odds come in. So that means that if the total costtill the river for you was $35: $10 pre-flop, $5 flop, $10 turn, $10 river you'll

have to make back $140.

This is where common sense comes in. You really should know theodds, but if you have a general idea you don’t have to be a rocket scientist.

Rule of thumb is like this. The harder your draw, the more players you wantto be in the pot and the larger the pot you want it be. It’s that simple.

If you’re on an open ended straight draw or a flush draw after the flopwhere you only need 1 card, then you usually only need two other people inthe hand calling or betting to the river to justify the odds of drawing to your

hand.


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Chapter 3 Position

Position is one of the most important aspects in NO limit poker, andvery important in Limit poker as well. It amazes me how many poker

players that I encounter who are oblivious to this law of poker. Whoever acts

last always has the advantage in poker. In limit play it’s always about saving bets on the hands you lose and gaining bets on the hands you win. It’s really

that simple.

Position is the key factor in allowing you to save and gain bets. Forexample when you are the last to move, you have the advantage of raising orfolding. You can call or check as well if possible too. Obviously when youraise you are gaining a bet, and if you fold when someone else bets you can“save” a bet by folding.

It’s those bets that make up your bottom line. It’s possible to win 7hands and lose only 3 hands and still be down money. And Vice Versa.

There are 10 positions in Hold’em. The dealer has the largest edge,and the Big Blind has the smallest edge when it comes to position. This iswhy some marginal hands like a suited K, 8 should only be played in late

positions.

It’s almost worth seeing a flop with this hand every time providingthere aren’t a large number of raises. Your goal with marginal hands is tostill see flops, but only to see flops that aren’t heavily raised. The reason

being again that those raised bets cost you dearly.

Also something to keep into consideration is the number of players inthe hand. If there are 9 players going into a flop and there is only 1 raise,your K, 8 suited is getting great odds to see that flop. The problem is that if

you are in early position it can become very difficult to predict the numberof raises especially if you’re up against several large pairs.


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The bottom line is that it’s all about the odds. You play aggressively,or at least accordingly when they are in your favor, and you lay down (fold)your hands when they are not. Position affects the odds because of potential

raises and re-raises. It’s that simple.

Now, here’s another reason why position is so important. Let’s sayyou play your Kd, 8d suited and the flop comes Kc Ac 8h. You have hit two

pair. Not the top two pair either. Not to mention there is 2 clubs on the board, which may have given someone a flush draw. If you played this handin early position and the board has been raised several times, this could be avery expensive hand for you not to mention there are several possible handsout there that can beat you. If you were in late position, your hand becomes

much harder to read and you have the advantage to see how everyone else is betting before you have to make a decision.


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Chapter 4 Limit verses No Limit

Limit play is hard to get hurt on because the betting is typically

capped to 4 bets and the bets are typically the same. For example in a $5/$10limit game the bets stay at $5 until 4

th and 5

th st when they are $10. The bets

are capped at 4 bets each time maximum. When play is heads up somecasinos allow the other players to raise each other indefinitely, but that’sabout it.

In No Limit Hold’em there are no betting restrictions. OnPartyPoker.com for example you can buy into a $25 no limit table. The

blinds are .25 and .50 and the betting goes from there. The nice thing aboutno limit hold’em is that you can always bet accordingly to get your odds. Ona hand when you have the nuts, you can bet your whole stack, and have nofear if everyone calls. The flipside however is that if you aren’t very good at

poker, No Limit will definitely take ALL of your money and quickly.

The Limit chart can be applied to No Limit games, but you musttighten up even further. I will only play suited mid to high connectors, and ifI get raised heavy going into a flop with a low pair, I am not going to playaround with it. I will usually just lay it down. The $25 no limit tables onParp are usually very loose with a lot of maniacs. That is a good thingespecially for pattern play taught in Part 2 of this book. However, when thetables are loose it is your responsibility to tighten up your play with only

some of the best starting hands. This way you end up better, and you punishyour opponents for playing weak starting hands.


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That’s why position is crucial in No Limit. You can’t throw a bet outin early position that might be sound in Limit, because someone might goAll IN on you, and for you to call would be shooting yourself in the footwith the odds you’re getting.

Odds will make or break you over time. It’s just math. You can watchthese maniacs come in with rags and for some reason they seem to win

sometimes all day long. That’s fine, but the next day you can watch thissame person lose twice as much as they won the day before. The odds catchup to all of us sooner or later!

Chapter 5

Other Tips

Taking Notes

One great thing about Poker Stars is the ability to use the Notes foreach player. This can be one of the most valuable tools in itself. You cannote if the player is weak or aggressive, even a fish. The best part is you cannote what kind of hands they play. This can be as helpful to your game asmany players are very predictable.

Now instead of having to have a photographic memory of thehundreds of different players you encounter, you can have the information atyour fingertips. I also put the date on the notes each time I make one so I can

see if the player ever progresses.

Quite often I see the same players again and again. Even if I takenotes on a player and it is the only time I ever see them, those notes are goodfor the entire time I play with that player. Some players have similar handlesand the notes really can help you from confusing those players.


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Chat Box

When people chat while playing using the chat box, they can giveaway many tells. First of all, most people who chat online during play areexperienced. It doesn’t mean they’re good, just means they play a lot.Typically these online chatters are very loose.

When someone makes a miracle draw and they are holding “rags”,

you should congratulate them on a great hand. This way you are encouragingtheir terrible play. If you chastise them, it may help them tighten up and

become better.

When you beat someone and it is a bad beat, you can rub it in by

telling them. This will encourage that player to go on tilt and to play worse.Just remember that what goes around comes around, so always usediscretion.

The best thing you can do if someone asks what your hand was or if

you had a specific hand is to lie. They are probably taking notes on you andare testing your playing ability. Always keep them guessing.

If you want to put someone on tilt… show your bluffs, brag aboutyour wins, talk about how you’re going to take all of the table’s money withyou when you leave, and rub in those bad beats. I don’t personally do thisoften because I don’t want to be a target, but this can be very powerfulagainst someone who deserves it. Just make sure you really tighten up your

play because you’re sure to have a few people come after you on the table.

Bluffing

Bluffing is very important in poker. It is your responsibility to bluff.In a real casino I bluff just over 10% of the time if the situation is right.Online, I typically bluff only 5% of the time. The reason is that more people

bluff online and more people call hands (catch bluffers) online.


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I usually do not want to advertise my hands too much, but if you don’t

advertise your hands and you don’t get caught, you will be labeled as a supertight player, and it can be very hard to get anyone to call your hands. It isimportant to get paid off on your good hands.

“You have to give action to get action.” There are few exceptions.When playing online, the bluffs are much different but they are stillnoticeable to the trained eye. There’s no eye contact but here are some tells.

A delay followed by a check indicates a weak hand. Quick calling is amotive to get you to stop betting. Not betting on weak turn cards indicates aweak hand.

When someone is slow to match a bet, or a player who makes a small

bet in late table positions, indicates a weak hand. A player who consistentlykeeps chatting during a hand they are in, indicates a weak hand.

Now, here are some indicators of a strong hand. A quick raise on theflop usually indicates top pair. Betting on weak turn cards. An opponent who

pauses then raises or re-raises usually has a strong hand. An opponent whouses the “raise” or “raise any” auto button usually has a strong hand.Intentional and noticeable long pauses indicate a strong hand as well.

Players who bluff online tend to never use the “auto action buttons”.

Be careful of bluffing looser players as they tend to be callingstations. Most of the time the other players are not bluffing, so keep that in

mind. It takes a very strong bluffer to call a raise or re-raise. Don’t bluff

when the flop has an Ace, Jack, or Ten because those are the hands almosteveryone will play.

Tight, Aggressive, and Selective

Those three words should sum it all up. “The aggressive gain manyriches.” This is where your notes come in. When you discover what type of


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player someone is, you can dominate them or stay out of their waydepending on their style. The smart poker player goes after the fish. You can

butt heads with a tight aggressive player once in awhile, but if you’re both pretty equal in skill don’t waste your time unless you have the nuts. You canobserve and note who is playing rags, who is over protecting their blinds,who plays super tight (making them predictable), and a myriad of differentthings.

Bankroll and Buy Ins

A rule of thumb is to have enough money for 100 times the large blind. If you’re playing in a $5/$10 limit game, you should have a $500

budget and no less to accommodate any losing streaks which you mayencounter along the way. Poker is said to be one long session. Not a two orthree hour session. Unlike casino house games, there is no reason to session

play in poker. If you’re having a bad night simply quit. If you’re having agreat night stick around. If you’re tired or distracted quit. If you are up

against a bunch of weak players enjoy the spoils. If those players leave andare replaced with a few stronger players, maybe it’s time to find a new tableas your wins are likely to be less. That’s another thing about online poker,there’s always a different table available in ten seconds or less.

I hope one of the main reasons you bought this book is to makemoney. Let’s keep that a priority. Some people just want to play the game.They enjoy poker and truly love the game. There is nothing wrong with that.

If you want to get better however, you have to have as many things going

your way as possible. Your environment is one of the most important factorsnot to overlook in poker. Too many distractions and your playing abilitydefinitely goes down. From my experience those factors are most of thereasons why.


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Chapter 6

No Limit Strategy

For this entire part of this section, we are going to assume that you’re

playing real money $25 buy in no limit hold’em with 8-10 players at thetable. Big blind .50 cents Small Blind .25 cents. I don’t recommend playing

no limit until you get very acquainted with the pattern play.

****** Do yourself a favor and play $.05/$.10 limit hold’em

tables in the beginning. These tables are typically very loose,

and that helps because in order for pattern play to be

successful you need to see a lot of flops. These are the

parameters I only recommend playing until you master the

“online” game. ******

Limit tables are typically more mechanical but can still achieve decentresults. You will see a lot of flops also in a $25 No Limit Table, but not asmany as you go up to the $200 no limit tables. Keep that in mind.

Keep in mind the following betting amount that I use for this type oftable is not set in stone. I always change the amount I am betting and striveto play the same hands differently. Position of course is a huge considerationas well.

In real life I get so excited when I get a Level one hand! On PokerStars, I sometimes cringe when I get a Level one hand unless I am in a “cashout” or “pattern” cycle. (explained later)


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Am I crazy you might ask?

AA KK QQ.

Whenever you get one of those 3 hands, two other players willindefinitely have a pocket pair as well a large percentage of the time onPoker Stars. You’ll know by the way, unless you are first to act because the

betting will start getting really big pre-flop. This scenario happens very

often. I would say that an above average percentage of the time that 1 of the2 smaller pocket pairs will flop a set (three of a kind), or outright win thehand.

This means your AA KK or QQ can be liabilities on Poker Stars.

Don’t get me wrong I win with these “great” starting hands but it’s a smaller percentage of the time. Statistically, pocket AA’s should win about 31.00%of the time and that’s if all 10 players stay in the hand in real life.

In real life I wouldn’t think twice about going all in on AA.

With Poker Stars I will not call a raise, or place a bet more than $5 preflopwith AA, KK, or QQ!!!!! (UNLEES IN PATTERN WHICH ISEXPLAINED LATER) If I bet $2 and it goes to $10 I am usually going tolay that hand down (fold) unless I am in pattern. I always bet these hands,

but only a few dollars if they are out of pattern. After the flop, if I don’t get aset or appear to have the best hand, I might just lay it down.

Patterns will be explained later in the book.

I used to raise, call, re-raise, check-raise, you name it with these handsonly to be sickened at the outcome in Poker Stars.

Here is why this happens in Poker Stars. You will come to a table andafter playing for a while with correct strategy you will usually win 3-4 handsand your money will be doubled/tripled on average. (You started with a $25

buy in, meaning you have $50-$75 at the table.)


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Once this happens, (because of Poker Stars fairness policy), thewebsite will literally COME AFTER YOU. You will start seeing things likegetting 3,4, or 5 Pocket pairs, within just 10 hands. (statistically impossible.)This is just one of many things the website will throw at you.

Your temptation and possibly greed will be so overwhelming you will be tempted to “go all in” with your pocket Aces, Kings, etc. Watch out

because you will see the worst bad beats in history. Here is one example of a bad beat that happens all too frequently.

EX: You flop AA and bet $5. You get raised to $25 by some other player. It’s obvious he has a Pocket pair as well. Probably kings or queens.

The flop comes and there are no face cards. If he has any money left he bets$10 and you call. 4

th Street comes and you notice there are 3 spades on the

board. You have A diamonds and A clubs. You don’t know this but youropponent has Q hearts and Q SPADES. 5

th st produces a 10 of spades and

you lose to a flush with your opponent having the Q of spades.

This has happened to me countless times and it will make yourstomach turn. You may work very hard for an hour and a half and be up $80in profit to have most of it go away with one hand that you statistically weresupposed to win.

Solution: Don’t call AA KK OR QQ with more than a $5 preflop bet.(unless you are in pattern) If you don’t flop the set and the bets are getting

big RUN RUN RUN and FOLD!

(This is provided that you are winning money on Poker Stars. If youare down money or just getting started, these hands on the flip side produceamazing wins. Once your winning consistently though, these hands willcome back to haunt you.)


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JJ

Pocket Jacks seem to win about half the time in real life and half thetime on Poker Stars. One actual congruence. Amazing. I won’t call pocket

jacks for more than $4 preflop. If I bet $2 and it gets raised to $10, I am probably going to lay down (fold) the hand unless I haven’t won a hand thatI have bet on in what seems like ages.

If you don’t flop the set and the betting gets big with over cards, RUN.

10,10 9,9 8,8 7,7 6,6

Some of The best hands in PS (Poker Stars). These hands pay off the best. There are pitfalls. I usually slow play or limp in with these hands butmake sure the bet is close or up to $3 per player before the flop. I flop setafter set with these hands, and they are the absolute hardest for youropponents to read!

Be careful and this is the reason for the slow play. But remember, youhave to get something in the pot pre-flop for any hand to pay off.

Legend: s-spades h-hearts c-clubs d-diamonds

Example:

You have pocket 6’s pre flop and there is $12 in the pot. 3 others players are in with you. The flop comes 7s 6h Qs. This is a hand you probably will lose in PS. Here’s why. Either someone has a set of 7’s, orsomeone is on a flush draw that will probably hit. If you can get away with4

th st for under $2, go for it. If a spade hits on 4

th st be careful.


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We will touch on bluffing and maniacs later in this book, but in myexperience it’s better to play tight and fold unless you have a great read onyour opponent and it’s obvious he doesn’t have a flush and was never on aflush draw in this situation.

5,5 4,4 3,3 2,2

These are also great hands because they are almost impossible to read.When you flop a set with these hands nobody can put you on themespecially if you slow play the flop. I will call up to $3 but usually $2 onhands like these.

Here is one great thing to know about PS and pocket pairs. If you flopa set and there are 3 different suits for the 3 flopped cards and there is onlyone connected string i.e. 4,5 6,7 8,9 J,Q etc. different suited of course, youare going to win the hand a large percentage of the time. You could go all in

but you might scare everyone away, so use tact. You definitely need to bet

strong say $4-$7 to scare off the players with 2 suited cards in their hands.

The ACE

I believe that any ACE, (6-9) in PS is usually worthless.I believe that any ACE, s (s-suited card) in PS is worth up to a $3 call in pre-flop in late position.

Playing hands like these will never be worth a big pot or raise by

another player unless you flop 2 pair, or 4 of the same suit or a straight draw(straight draw with an ace is always inside so be ready to run if the bettinggets big). Flop a flush draw however and you could be sitting on the “nuts”

potentially.


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When you flop 4 of the same suit you have roughly a 1 in 3 chance ofmaking your flush. It is practically worth chasing (semi-bluffing) that handall the time. Do your best to keep the betting moderate until the flush hits. Ifthe betting is reasonable I will usually stick a hand like that out to see if ithits providing there are at least 2 other players and the betting is reasonable.Another congruence of Real life poker and PS is that you should never chasea hand unless you are getting good pot odds, and you only need one card to

hit, and there are a lot of ways it can hit.

If you’re chasing a 7 and you have 2 of them, it is NEVER worthchasing unless the table is checking or betting small bets. It’s abouta 20 to 1 shot.

NEVER CHASE unless it’s free or very cheap.

If your opponent doesn’t punish you for chasing by betting severaldollars or more, then take advantage of it. (Providing you only need one

card, not two)

If you need 2 cards to make a straight or 2 cards to make a flush after

the flop RUN RUN RUN and fold unless it is being checked to you!!!!!!!!

Unless if you think bluffing might take the pot.

Suited connectors 10,J 8,9 7,6 etc

Suited connectors rock and are by far the most fun hands to play in PS

because they can hit in so many ways. Besides flopping sets these are thesecond most profitable hands in PS. I will call up to $4 with these hands pre-flop with suited connectors 8,9 or higher. I will call up to $2 in PS for suitedconnectors 7,8 or lower. (i.e. 4h, 5h. Providing they are in position.)


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It’s either hit or miss. And you’ll know. There are only three ways tohit after the flop. You either end up with an open-end straight draw, a 4 cardflush draw, or two pair. (Naturally you could flop a set, a full house, astraight, a flush, and bigger hands but we’ll touch on those flops later.)

If you have 8s,9s and the flop is 10s, Jd, you are looking pretty good.

To sum it up, it’s quite simple if you need one card to make the str8 orone card to make the flush, it’s usually worth the ride.

Here are some examples where it’s not worth the ride in PS, as these

come up all the time.

Example:

You have 9h,10h and the flop is 7s, 8s, Ad. Be very careful because

flushes come out of nowhere in these types of scenarios. What will mostlikely happen is that someone has just flopped a pair of ACES, and they willstart building the pot. Your straight draw is happy to call and so is the flushdraw. (If someone has one) If you have been winning a lot you can expectPS to throw a js or 6s on 4

th or 5

th street. You make your straight and some

pud makes his flush. If the betting is reasonable stay in, but if it gets high getready to run. You’ll most likely be beat.

Never chase an inside straight draw unless it’s so cheap (checked toyou or .50 cents) that it’s worthwhile and there is no flush draw out there aswell. Example (6, 8, 9, 10) you need a 7 to hit. Good luck be cause it rarelyever happens. Another good bluff opportunity if your hand doesn’t hit butyou think a bet may take the pot.


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Turning The Tables:

Here is one very important thing to note.

Poker Stars Algorithm

As you win more and more hands in PS. (Real money or playmoney) a shifting occurs.

Level 1 and 2 hands become slightly devalued!Level 3 and 4 hands and worse become slightly more valuable!This shifting happens for several hundred hands at a time and youhave to become aware of what is going on!

There is one way to turn this around and it is a must if you want to have anedge in PS.

You have to cash out often, all the time, and more often.

When you cash out, you are in essence helping to reset the system thatis keeping track of you.

******CASHING OUT MEANS TAKING YOUR MONEY OUT

OF THE CASINO, NOT JUST OFF THE TABLE.********

When you cash out, Poker Stars loses. When you deposit money into

PS, they win. It’s that simple. When you cash out, they lose because there isless money in their casino. There is less money for them to rake and lessmoney for them to take. If you never cash out, you will be fighting an uphill

battle.


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When you cash out, HOWEVER, you generally get worse starting

hands and more bad beats for awhile. (Typically several hundred hands) Youhave about an hour or two sometimes longer from when you cash money outthat your (good to great) starting hands will truly NOT beso worthwhile.

During those periods is when A,A K,K Q,Q A,Ks etc. will be LEMONS.

During those periods get ready to run with those great starting hands, because they can really hurt you.

Here is a way to cash out. I don’t know what your bankroll is, so let’s put it in layman’s terms.

Let’s say you start an account with $200. Play tight. If you can get upto $300, cash out $150 immediately!

When I first discovered the repeating patterns and repeating bad beats,

I didn’t realize that cashing out could possibly make a difference. You caneven transfer cash to a friend from your account, and the same result can bereached. AGAIN, THE ONLY WAY TO REALIZE A PROFIT IS TOCASH OUT, BUT WHEN YOU DO YOU MUST BE VERY PATIENTAS THE BAD BEATS MAY BE AT THEIR PEAK!!!!

“Reward the Raiser”

PS is notorious for rewarding the raiser, so get some brass. You still

need to be within your “cash out” cycle and your affordable bankroll, or youcan’t expect to be able to take advantage of it.

The best way to practice these theories is to play on PS with playmoney. There is no cashing out in PS with play money so look at the belowexample:


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Real Money – Money on Table - Savings Account – Cashing out

Play Money – Money on Table – Savings Account.

Your savings account in play money equals cashing out in real money.You wouldn’t believe how many people in PS don’t even have a savingsaccount for PLAY money.

The reason is they never saved or left the table after winning large at a No Limit table. Or they never even tried playing for play money.

The comparison is; the people that never win playing for real money.They never cash out real money after a successful session, only to lose their

real money later in a real money session.

When I first started playing I never cashed out. I started with $50 andthen $50 more. Then $100 more and $100 more. Before I knew it, I wasdown $700 and had nothing to show for it. At one point I was up $600 but

told myself I would cash out when I hit a $1,000 profit. Guess what I neverdid, and lost all of my real money savings account money.

“When I discovered that I had to cash out often to retain any profits, it

was a very exciting realization.”

The Small Big Blind:

I will CALL level 1-4 on the big blind and small blind providing I can do itfor a dollar or less.

By the way a few hands that are known as trouble hands are:(All Offsuit) A,Q -A,J- A,T- K,Q -K,K- K,T- Q,J -Q,T -J,T- 9,8


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The reason is, these hands can help someone else’s hand a lot more

than they help yours.

Maniacs flock to the $25 No Limit Hold’em tables so you must becareful. I do recommend starting on this table for No Limit real money

because there are weaker players as well, and there is less real moneyinvolved.

Action: “You have to give action to get action”

I am not sure who said that, but it’s very true. It’s called no limithold’em for a reason. If you get a table that is betting 50 cents here andthere, and there is a lot of checking, then that’s your dream table. That is

what you are looking for by the way on PS. Those people don’t belong ona no limit table. They belong on a .50/$1 table. It is your job and yourresponsibility to break the entire table. Here is how to do it.

You should have enough card theory by now ADJUSTED FOR

Poker Stars,

So let’s get to the meat of how to make the big money.

When you find a table like that, and there are many of them outthere…(I just look for the table that has at least 8 players and the smallest

pot average ((which is listed under table categories by the way.))

What you do is wait for one of your good starting hands like a

medium sized pocket pair or a nice suited connector like 10,J or even an A,xsuited hand. Then you bet $2. Most of the table will fold. Doesn’t matterwhat happens win or lose. Get your next good hand and bet $2 before theflop again. Doesn’t matter what happens. After about 4 or 5 hands that you

bet on, which may be 20-30 actual deals the table will start to get acclimatedto YOUR STYLE.


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Before you got there everyone was calling a $.50 big blind hoping tocatch a great flop and then betting $1or $2 after the flop and then like 7 outof 8 players would fold. Loose passive is what it’s called; the opposite of awinner on a NO LIMIT HOLDEM TABLE even in PS.

After you start betting your $2-$3 (only on good hands of course) the

players who were calling every $.50 bet will start to get bored and impatient because before you got there, they were calling every blind.

They will step it up a notch with you, but they are still playing thesame crappy hands they were playing before but now with a $2 bet and a

sense of having pot commitment.

What will happen then is you have to be patient for a really good flopand you just keep betting incrementally higher. Say $3 after the flop $4 4

th st

and $5 or more $5th

st. I always like to mix it up so there’s no one right way.

I might just do $3 $3 $3 flop, 4th street, river etc., or $2 $5 $4 etc. with a potential all in on the nuts.

People will start to fear you, they will possibly start to get upset at youand leave, only to be replaced by yet another person who shouldn’t be

playing no limit hold’em. This strategy works so well that I can usually turn$100 into $400 within just a few hours. Just remember, even though you bet$2-$3 before the flop that if you don’t like the flop get out of the hand or

bluff if you think it will take the pot.


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Bankroll:

Let’s talk about No Limit bankroll. To play tight aggressive no limit poker, you need at least a $500 bankroll on a $25 no limit table. Sometimes Iwill often drop $50-$75 in the first hour or so that I play priming up thetable. Then people get excited and start betting more and more. This iswhere you take advantage. Now instead of someone calling only a $1 raise

they will be likely inclined to call $6 or $7 bets, and even all ins. Keep inmind only consider going all in when you have the nuts or damn close to it.

This type of “conditioning” I like to call it will start to win you pots inexcess of over $60 each. You are only looking to win 5-7 big pots per night.

You can expect to lose 2-3 pots that you play all the way as well. That’s whyit is better to lose early as you are acclimating the table, as the pots will besmaller.

You can’t quit for an hour and come back, you must get through the

hands PS will throw at you. (This is after you cash out!)

Remember once you win 3-5 hands you can expect up to an hour ofgetting second best hands while PS works on evenly distributing yourmoney “fairly” back to the players. After playing for a long time you will

begin to recognize the patterns of PS.

I think of it like a slot machine. It has payouts and pay ins. PS is so

blatant about it that you will hit 4 of a kind say 4 10’s on 4th

st only to lose to

a straight or royal flush. It has happened to me more than a fair share oftimes. The inspiration of writing this book came from so many playersnoting the quirky things that have happened on Party Stars.


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More bad beats to watch out for:

4 of a kinds are quite common on PS and it is sickening. I know thesetypes of bad beats happen in real life, don’t get me wrong. I have playedthousands of hours in casinos all over the world and have seen manyincredible bad beats.

BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN AS MANY BAD BEATS WITH THE

FREQUENCY AS I HAVE ON Poker Stars!!!!!!!!!!!

****This takes into consideration that as many as 5 times the hands can

be dealt in online casinos verses real casinos.****

I play a lot of $100 no limit on PS and the players are of a differentcaliber. Regardless, one night I dropped $600 in 30 minutes. Here’s whathappened. In 10 consecutive hands I had AA 4 times KK 2 times QQ 1 timeand JJ one time, A,Ks and A,K. Every hand lost and 6 of those times it wasto a lower pocket pair that flopped a set or caught a flush meaning 4 suited

cards on the 5 card layout!

Talk about sickening. I was up $500 from a different table that tookhours of work, and I lost it all in a twinkling of the eye with some of the best

possible starting hands!!!!!!

The solution, which I finally found, was to cash out and cash out oftenin PP. Be very patient however, because generally once you cash out, you

are thrown on a “pay in” cycle. You really should cash out because it’s the

only way to realize any profits. You just have to be very careful for severalhundred hands usually right after!


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I also do a lot of trapping. When I start out with the nuts I usually

slow play to see where the table is going. Even though you cash out, you stillhave to be aware of many factors. I literally will have to fold 100-200 hands(sometimes MORE) before I can get back on a recognizable pattern.

Here’s my advice; Start with play money. Go into a $25 no limit playmoney table. The blinds are smaller in play money by the way. (.10 and .25)Find a weak passive table. Check the pot averages to find it. Play

aggressive. Play level 1-4 hands, bet no less than $2 if you decide to bet ona hand. (check category 1 hands except J,J and A,Ks) If the flop doesn’t hit,run, but occasionally raise a .50 bet to throw people off your tracks. Whenyou hit a good flop incrementally raise the stakes (a blessing of no limit). Iwould say that after you turn $100 into $500 on a single table (play money)

at least 20 times!!! you are ready for the real thing. I would recommendgetting your play money account up to at least $10,000 strictly from $25

play money buy-ins on No Limit Hold’em. That means you buy in for $25 play money and maybe you lose it. Buy in for $25 more, and maybe you losethat. You’ll know you have PS figured out well when you lose no more than

$100 ($25 at a time) and have your table play money built up to $500consistently.

I did a test the other day and it took less than 45 minutes per table. Istarted with $25 play money, and I was able to get up to $700 on the firsttable. Almost $500 on the second table, and over $1,000 on the third table.It’s not quite that easy in real money because the weak players will usuallyleave sooner.

Conclusion: Specific betting theory:

First of all, in my experience one of the hardest hands to draw to in PSis a flush. It is disgusting, so take advantage of it. In other words, if you have2 spades in the hole and the flop is S S H, expect to hit that flush LESSOFTEN than you would in real life.


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It is very important to mix up your bets. So when I give you a hand

with a max call amount pre flop, you should check, bet, or raise to get asclose to the max call amount with different increments as you can. That waythe other players will have a very tough time getting a good read on yourhand.

What is a HIT?

Leave luck to the other players. Luck is a good part of No Limit

Hold’em, but rely on it as little as possible. Leave luck for the weak

players. Whether you want to play for fun or to make money, or both,

do yourself a favor and be a strong player. That means folding hands

often if they don’t hit well. Here are the only types of hands you should

consider playing out after the flop.

Largest Pair on board with a HIGH kicker.

Two Pair.

4 card straight draw.

4 card flush draw.

Small pair but with a flush or straight draw as well.

Straight

Flush

Full House

4 of a kind

Straight Flush or Royal Flush

(OTHER HANDS APPLY BUT ONLY IF YOUR ON A CYCLE)(discussed later)


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Flopping the straight:

Flop a straight and you may have some problems on PS especially ifthe board is paired. If there are 3 different suits on the flop then bet strong.You will win a large percentage of the time.

Flopping the Flush:

Flop a flush in PS, and you will lose most of the time. If the board pairs you are probably going to lose to a full house in PS a marginal percentage of the time.

Flopping the boat:

Flop a boat in PS and you will win a very large percentage of the time.These hands are easy to win money if you follow this strategy.If there was betting action before the flop, then you have pot commitment,

and you can bet moderate bets all the way to the end.Say, $2 after flop $4 on 4

th st, and if some sucker is still in go all in at the

end if you still have the nuts.

If you don’t build pots (you need too, to be successful in no limithold’em), everyone will FOLD when you flop a full boat most of the timeunless there are a lot of weak players. Remember, “You have to give actionto get action.”

Flopping a set that turns into 4 of a kind:

When you get 4 of a kind (providing there are no straight or royalflush draws), this is PS’s way of saying we’ve decided to give you a break.Most of the time if the 4 of a kind comes out right, you will be able to get an


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all in bet called to pay you off. Although 4 of a kinds are rare, they come upfrequently in PS.

I typically see two or three quads every night I play on PS. At a realcasino, I see them about once every two weeks. Also, I see these quadshappen up to 3 times on the SAME table. Give me a break Poker Stars.

******The bigger the hands the bigger the pots. Online casino’s

purposefully create those, so they can take BIGGER rakes. It’s thatsimple. ******


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Part Two

Chapter 7

Pattern Introduction

Example:

Let’s say you were able to play out the cards with (5 other players)until the end every time. You would know ultimately who would win everytime. Out of 2,000 times that you would win, say 12,000 hands total, here iswhat happens on PS.

20 Example winning starting hands:

AA JJ AK TT A,Js J,Ts 7,7 J,T 5,5 J,8s

5,4s 2,2 Q,8s J,7S 8,5s 3,2s A,9 Q,9 8,7 3,4

You will find that although seemingly random, the starting hands youwould win on will get predominately worse as you win more. It’s not thiscut and dry but a definite pattern exists.

The solution is to give “marginal” starting hands slightly more credit

and less credit to “great” starting hands as you win more. You want to getinvolved with these less than desirable hands for as inexpensively as

possible, but you DEFINITELY WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITHTHEM. The reason is simple.


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Example: Someone has A,K to your 5,4s.

If he’s smart, he’s going to bet that hand to try and get drawing handsout. Your job is to make it to the flop as inexpensively as possible to see ifyou hit. Position is always a factor and so is the “cycle” explained next.

In a nutshell:

Poker Stars banks on the fact that you will bet big with great startinghands. It’s one of PS’s solutions to redistributing your funds evenly back tothe players. Remember, PS takes over 5% of every pot until you go to higherlimit tables. It’s in Poker Stars best interest to keep as many players alive

with money. That’s the bottom line of Poker Stars existence!

To succeed in PS consistently, you have to drastically be able toadjust your playing style. It’s simple to practice this in real money.Get up to $150 in real money starting with $25 buy in. Once that happens

cash out and force yourself to fold every hand for 2 hours straight. Everyhand you are simply in a learning process. Watch what would havehappened to you. You will see that your AA KK TT would have lostmiserably (your folding EVERY hand right). Then you will see that your5,7s, which you probably would’ve folded to a $6 bet, would have hit astraight flush. It can make you feel queasy.

Patience and Discipline:

These are two things I didn’t have when I started playing poker, andthey must have cost me a small fortune. After you get tired of losing,these “unnatural” traits will start to develop. In a nutshell, keep in mind thatyou may only want to play, actually call a hand 1 out of 30 times on somenights. Naturally you would force yourself to play at least a few “marginal”hands like (K,7s or Q,6s) when they are in cycle just to keep your opponentsfrom thinking you play super tight and are overly predictable.


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Getting Paid Off:

To get paid off well in no limit hold’em, you have to build enough ofa pot before the flop to make it worthwhile to the other players to stay in.If you have pocket kings you check them and the whole table checks, you’re

probably not going to get paid off if they hit. As soon as you bet after theflop everyone is going to get out. However if you placed a $2- $3 bet you aregoing to continue to get some action after the flop most of the time.

Remember, this is not a tournament, so there really is no reason to goall in before the flop unless you are in a pay out “cycle”. Why have a crapsshoot which is luck when you can capitalize on your skill of poker and yourknow how of Poker Stars tricks?

PATTERNS PATTERNS PATTERNS

By now you should be familiar with the mathematically correct BESTstarting hands in Texas hold’em. You should be familiar with the betting

strategies that yield the largest winnings in $25 no limit hold’em in PS. Youshould be familiar with adjusting those starting hands due to Poker Stars“fairness policy.” You should be familiar with what to watch out for evenwhen it seems you have the most incredible hand. You should be familiarthat in order to be successful in PS you still have to cash out often, but whenyou do, you have to be very patient with what the site will throw at you.

Now let’s talk about Poker Stars patterns.

Again, these patterns only seem to work in a Table with 8-10 players.This book is not about heads up or playing with just 3 or 4 players.These patterns also seem to hold true in other forms of poker as well as inPoker Stars larger tournaments. (Limit Hold’em is fine especially whengetting started; it’s actually much safer).


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PS distributes its winning and losing hands in patterns. You want a full,loose table at all times. Below I am going to show you a sequence of winsand losses. This has taken hours and I encourage you to test this out yourselfwith play money first. Then test it out again with real money. Then go totown. These patterns are predominant and are very easy to recognize.

There are several variables so take your time to learn this well.

Variable 1:

Is it possible for you to win every hand all the time in PS? Well, if everyonefolds every time except you then the answer is YES.

Variable 2:

Is it possible to lose every hand in PS? YES, just fold every time.

Variable 3

Second or third best hands can and do win in poker. It happens all the timewhen someone bets enough money to get the other player out.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you have the best hand most of the time?

Algorithm:

An online casinos algorithm is man made by a programmer.


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A program (The algorithm) is responsible for the shuffling of thecards. ALL programs have deterministic value. Therefore it is

possible to simulate randomness but NEVER to achieve it.Poker Stars algorithm can be predictable sometimes.

Explanation:

The main patterns to look for repeat often in sets of three. Forexample, you win the 9

th hand from when you sit down. You will most likely

win the 18th

hand and 27th

hand (providing you bet on them). It’s also possible for the pattern to win the 8

th hand 16

th hand and 24

th hand. Etc, etc.

(Obviously at different times.)

All you have to do is note which hands you’ve won or would’ve won.

Of course you need loose enough tables that see most of the flops. Also, ifyou have a table where people are coming and going constantly, this willnaturally affect the pattern.

The patterns come in sets of two’s all the way to sets of fives. Most ofthe time, they are in sets of threes however.

In my experience, you have about the first 200 hands to be able toconsistently track the patterns. After that it is time to move into another

table. If the table your at is weak and your making a killing, then there’s noreason to leave, just rely more on your playing abilities than the patternswhich may not be identifiable.

Also, patterns are trackable about 2/3 of the time. That means that ifyou go to 3 tables and only stay at each table for 200 hands, you will be ableto track patterns on 2 out of those 3 tables.


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This edge has helped me in tough situations and hits more than it

doesn’t hit. The pattern could be the 5th

hand 10th

hand 15th

hand or the 12th

hand 24

th hand 36

th hand. Simply write down every hand and pay extreme

close attention.

Sometimes I will be in a table and I will recognize that the 7th

handwon, the 14

th hand won and now I am on the 18

th hand with pocket Aces. I

would be very hesitant to bet those Aces “All In” as I realize I am outside of

the tables’ pattern. If my pocket aces fell on the 21st

hand I would be veryexcited. Not only do I have a great hand, but I am also in line with therepeatable patterns. In that example, the pattern is of 7’s. So 7

th hand 14

th

hand, 21st hand.

After the 21st hand I would expect to have to look for and note a

different pattern. It may jump to 12th

hand 24th

hand etc. As far as the patternis concerned I always start counting from the last hand I won.

I truly believe over time even in PS, you can only expect to have the

best hand 1 out of 10 times with 10 total players at the table. So if you winthe 4

th hand 8

th hand 12

th hand and the 16

th hand, you have had you share of

wins and may have to wait 50-200 hands to start winning again and get backon a recognizable pattern. Usually it’s not that extreme, however it doeshappen.

The pattern could be as small as every other hand winning 4 times in arow. So the 2

nd hand 4

th hand 6

th hand 8

th hand all winning. Another thing to

note is when you win two hands in a row. When you’re at a table and

winning two hands in a row, that is another pattern and as you win again,you will win two hands in a row quite often (providing your betting thehands).

So, if I just won with my pocket jacks and now I have 8,10 suited, you bet I am going to be willing to see a flop (if it’s cheap enough) even in early position.


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I have found it’s most profitable to rely on the patterns and my good play. If I have 2,5 off suit and I am in early position with a huge raise, I maylay that hand down even if my notes indicate I am in a pattern hand. I preferto have as many things as possible go my way when it comes to a hand.

The patterns are just one more huge edge to add to your arsenal. It is possible to only play patterns and not even bother looking at the cards, but

you have to be one patient and disciplined person to pull it off. The reasonwhy is you would only bet on the second pattern set (3

rd potential win) each

time from your notes. Realistically you would only be betting on 8-10 handsin a 2-3 hour period. For online that could seem very, very boring.

It’s also important to note that sometimes you will win in broken up patterns of say 10 or 11. An example would be that the 10

th hand wins then

the 20th

then the 22nd

then the 32nd

and the 42nd.

So you win in patterns of 10 but it is split up a little. If you can’t tell it’s a pattern and your hands not thatgreat, or there’s a huge pre-flop raise just get out of the hand. It doesn’t cost

anything to fold.

I win more money playing my tight, sound, aggressive game coupled with pattern recognition then just doing either one alone. Not to mention Ihave a great time doing it.

If you only win one extra hand per hour and lay down one extra hand per hour, your outcomes will be vastly different and much more profitable.

It is important to note that there are sub cycles. Sub cycles are likeWin, Win or Tie, Loss, Win or Tie, Loss, Loss, Win. When these happenyou are most likely on a “payout” cycle. You’re usually better off playingyour hands and not the patterns in these situations. They can be very hard totrack. Winning many hands in a short time will surely be profitableanyways.


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Let’s start with a real win/loss chart made up of several sessions.

For illustration purposes we are going to call ties Wins.

W = Win L = Loss

Session 1:

Hand 1 9d 9c Loss2 3d 6c L3 3h 9c L4 8s 3c L5 7s Jh L Big Blind

6 4c Kc L Small Blind7 Kh 7d L Dealer

8 3d Js Win with a pair of 3’s

9 9s Qs L

10 2h Kc Win straight (possible win see below for

explanation)11 Ah 8c L

12 Ad Jc L13 Kc 6s L BB14 3h 10c L SB

15 7c Jh L Dlr16 Qh 5d L17 QD 4h ??? NO FLOP I FOLDED18 8d 4d L19 3h 2h L

20 8d Ad ? folded to an all in PROBABLE WIN no flop

21 Kd Jh22 9d Jh L


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23 8d Kd Win tied with a straight24 10h 8s L BB25 9h 2d L SB26 Ah 3s L Dlr27 Kh 2d L28 5c 9c L29 5s Qc L

30 2h 8d L31 Qh As Loss-played to flop (I would’ve played out if 10

th

hand, I had an open end straight draw that DIDN’T hit by theway.) It was the 8

th hand from the last win. Will be explained

later.32 10c 4s L

33 10s 8c WINNER with a pair of 8’s (it’s clock work)

34 Js 3d L

35 Jd 2c L36 Qd 7h Win 2 pair $52 pot

37 Qs 10h L

38 Ah 8h Win A’s

39 2h 10c L40 3d 8d L

41 7s 4c Win Straight $47 pot Explanation below follow this

chart carefully

42 AA Loss Didn’t even call a $6 bet43 3c 4s L44 Js 10s L45 7h 10h L46 8s 6s L47 8s 2s L48 As 4c L49 9d 10h L

50 8h 4h L

51 10d 10h L No set flopped, I folded would’ve lost anyways52 9h 6s Winner Large preflop bet I folded Would’ve had

straight

53 8s Jc L

54 Ah Jh Winner but I folded a $40 preflop bet (stay sane)

55 7h kc L


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Session 2:

1 2D QC L

2 AD 5C Win

3 5H 10C L4 7S8C L

5 9C JD TIED

6 8C 10H Win but folded

7 10D JD Win

8 4D 7C Win

9 10C 8S Win but I’m sure the hand was 2nd

or 3rd

best

(Bluff) 10 8c 7s L11 8S 10D L

12 3H 7H L13 QS 7C L14 2H 9H L15 AC 5H L16 10H 4H L

17 2c 10d L18 5D 2H L

19 JS QS Tie (but folded) 10th

win from last win!!!!

Whenever this happens you can bet I am going

to consider betting on the next tenth hand even

If I have something as terrible as an 8,3 offsuit.

(at least if I can get in with a cheap flop!!!) 20 KH JC L21 4S 10C L22 JC 3C L23 3S 8D L24 7S 9C L25 5C 2D L

26 5H JH L

27 9H 8C L28 JCKC L

29 KS 4S WIN – 10th

hand again by the way!

30 10s 2s L31 AS 10D L32 9D4D L33 5H7H L34 QH 4C L


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35 6S 2D L36 4S JD L37 3H 5S L38 3C 4S L

39 7S JH TIE!!! 10th

hand again by the way! Terrible

starting hand but I called to the flop and chased

(I WAS DEFINITELY IN PATTERN)and

ended up with a straight. Sometimes it takes a

few rounds to recognize the current pattern.

A great example would be that if a 4,9 off suitwould have won and it was the 12

th hand since a

win, you can bet the farm that I would be willingto see the flop on the following 12

th hand even if I

had “rags.” Another important thing to note is thata winning “pattern cycle” typically only lastsa few times. Like 2-5 to be exact, and then itswitches to another cycle. So, you might have acycle that wins on the 10

th hand 3 or 4 times in a

row, and then you might lose 15-20 hands, andthen you’ll probably have a few sub cycles, andthen the pattern will typically go to something likeevery 12

th hand or 11

th hand, etc.

40 AS 5C L

41 AS 7H WOULD’VE WON but folded

42 10D QH L43 4H 3H L

44 KC KH Win Do you recognize the sub cycle? The last 3

winning hands were 2 sub cycles. W L W and

W L L W !!!!!

45 10H 2S L46 7S 5D L47 3D 5S L

48 10H 9D Win This is a little tricky. Notice a W L L L W

sub cycle, This is ALSO the 9th

hand won since

the last 10th

hand cycle ended. Do you see that?

Keep reading, it should make sense. Always try

to be aware if you are in a sub cycle, a main


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cycle, or rarely possibly both.

49 2C2H L50 JD 5H L51 6S 4C L52 4D 10D L53 10c 9s L54 7d 9h L

55 9C JH L56 QH 5C L

57 7S JD Win huge bonus because I paid attention to a

possible new main cycle. Sure enough it hit.

9th

hand cycle again wins with a straight

and another “rags” starting hand.

58 JH 10H Win Another 10th

hand Win

59 4S 6S L

60 JC 6S L61 AC 8C Win Another sub cycle. W L L W

62 KC 5H L63 10H 6S L64 KS 3D L

65 5D 3D L

66 6S 5S Win I folded this hand due to a large pre flop

bet. But, I certainly paid attention that it was on

a 5th

hand since a win and sure enough 5 hands later…..

(BY THE WAY, I STILL WRITE DOWNEVERY HAND AS I PLAY. IT’S THE ONLYWAY TO ACCUTRATELY KEEP TRACK OFTHE CYCLES THAT I KNOW OF.)

67 QD 5C L68 QD JS L69 AC 3S L70 2S 6S L

71 6D 5S Win 5TH

hand again. Not a very good starting

hand I must add. But who cares, it was in cycle,and cheap enough for me to get a flop to watch

this hand develop into a full house and take out

a straight and a flush for the largest pot I won

in that night’s session!

72 10C 3S L

73 JH AS Win Sub cycle W L W Now the pattern fell

apart because it was hard to pick up on for


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20- 30 or so hands as shown below.

74 4C AD L75 KS 6H L76 JD 7S L77 4C 9C L78 6S 9H L79 2S 3H L

80 KH 9H Win but I believe it was lost so I paused

and bluffed a large bet. He folded

pokerstars cracked [robert eagle].pdf

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