I’m working a meeting this week on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Need some info on Omaha HiLo games. How early do the Omaha HiLo games get started during the week at the Biloxi and Gulfport Grands. What are the usual limits? Any description of game styles will be helpful. (Wild n Crazy to loose/passive?)

Answer 1:

Sorry can’t help much. Both Grands have 1-4-8-8 or 4-8 games going when I am there but that is usually on the weekends. Usually one game with half kill. 1-800-WIN2WIN and ask for poker room.

Answer 2:

I can only speak for the Biloxi Grand, however, the O/8 game has been going everytime I went there (4-5 times on both weekends and weekdays). Also, I have been there in the middle of the afternoon so I think you have a pretty good chance of finding this game going. As for the game itself, I have played in it a couple of times and would term it (based on my limited experience) basically loose/passive. I have not encountered many maniacs. However, there are some rocks and you better be careful calling without the nuts (especially on the low side).

Answer 3:

You should be able to find a game at either Grand most any time. Gulfport plays mostly 1-4-8-8 and Biloxi play 4-8 with a 1/2 kill (an insane amount for the kill is $40). Gulfport sometime spreads a 10-20 and Biloxi always has at least one 10-20 on Friday and Sat and some days during the week. IMHO the 1-4-8-8 game in Gulfport is weaker than the Biloxi game even though there are two or three decent plays in the Gulfport game. The game is almost always loose-passive with the usual suck-outs. The 4-8 game in Biloxi can range from moderate to down right tough. Also many times the week-end 10-20 can be easier than the 4-8.

I plan to take a trip to Vienna in the near future. I would be interested in playing in a tournament or two (I prefer no limit HE events) while I am there. Can anyone provide me with information on where to play, types of tournaments available, etc.? I would also be interested in information on ring games that are available.

Answer 1:

There are two card rooms in Vienna.

Answer 2:

In Vienna there are two main poker clubs – The Concord and Poker World. They both are open 24 hours, have lots of cash game tables, and run regular tournaments with buy-ins ranging from ATS100($8) to ATS500 ($40). The $40 tournaments usually have a prize pool guarantee of ATS100, 000 ($8,000) and are run on Tuesdays & Saturdays at 7:00 pm at the Concord and Fridays at 8:00 pm at Poker world. The concord is known for regularly having ATS100-200 Stud and HE tables running, while Poker world has lower limits usually 20-40, 30-60 and 50- 100. Both offer Pot Limit Omaha, typically with 2 blinds of ATS 50 and a buy-in of ATS 2000. The Omaha games come and go, depending on the mood of the players at the time. Best times are tournament nights as well as Monday nights, don’t ask me why. There are also government-run casinos in Vienna, Velden, Baden, Seefeld, Bregenz, Innsbruck, and maybe other places as well, but these have limited hours, limited number of tables, the rakes are high, the toke expectation is ridiculous and the personnel treat you like you are there to serve them and not the other way around. I personally avoid these like the plague. I think another poster gave the websites of the above casinos. In addition there is http://eppa.bigfoot.com which is the site of the European Poker Players Association (EPPA) – worth checking out.

Answer 3:

For a list of upcoming major tournaments in Austria and the rest of Europe, go toThis is a travel website I operate for major poker tournaments in Europe (primarily) with descriptions of the events. I haven’t updated in several weeks, but will add the busy fall schedule descriptions soon.

What are the stats you should keep to track a bad run of cards. A bad run of cards can shake you off of a potential winning strategy. Let’s say you are using HPFAP, Lee Jones or Lou Krieger starting requirements How many hands BASELINE (I realize you are sliding up and down the scale based on circumstances) Would this be a valid stat: Number of flops seen per hundred? What are other indicators? I am just interested in preflop play

Answer 1:

Well, if you see zero flops in a hundred hands, you have certainly gotten unlucky for starting cards, but you’ve lost relatively little, only about 4.5 small bets. It’s when you’re getting a bunch of good starting hands and they’re not holding up that you lose a lot of money. You could keep an informal track of how many AA’s and KK’s you get and whether they hold up. However, it’s a waste of mental energy.

Answer 2:

Since we only use, what, 3 or 4 percent of our brains for thinking, how can anyone possibly waste mental energy? I tracked a session once when I went 1 for 14 with my premium hands. It’s just something I store in my tiny but under-utilized brain for occasional amusement, and reminders that “it could always be worse.”

Answer 3:

It makes no difference at all what percent of your brain you do or don’t use. Thinking is tireing. Thinking about things that don’t matter is a waste of mental energy because it tires your out and gives you no return. If you’d spend less time at the table thinking about things that don’t matter and more time thinking about things that do matter then your game would improve.

You’re playing 4-8 7CS, 50-cent ante, $2 bring-in. Most of your opponents are weak-passive and easily intimidated. As a result, one player at your table (we’ll call him Steamroller) is amassing a large amount of chips by betting out or raising frequently and aggressively, especially when he has scare cards showing. You know he’s just running over the table because (a) nobody gets dealt that many good hands, and (b) he’s been called down a couple times and has shown trash hole cards. He has otherwise shown no detectable poker skill at all. Also, when he loses a big pot, or has lost several hands in a row, he gets pissed off and has to leave the table to calm down. He gives all the signs of being one of those players who thinks he is entitled to win every hand. Anyway… Your hand is (Th)(Qh)Td and there is one heart showing. The other hands have assorted medium to small cards. Steamroller, two seats to your left, is showing Jd, and there is one other small diamond showing. The bring-in is between you and Steamroller. Steamroller raises to $4 and all fold to you. You reraise. Bring-in folds. Steamroller eraises, you call. Fourth street: you catch a small, very dead brick. Steamroller catches a small live diamond. He bets. The question is, what would you do here?

Answer 1:

Fold and wait for a better hand to bring him down with.

Answer 2:

Of course, you must call in this spot. You have an apparent underpair and an over card. Your pair may or may not be good at this point. You’ve already put in three small bets on 3rd street (I’m not convinced that your raise was correct – there was about a 99% chance that steamroller would re-raise), and 4th street only costs you one more small bet. Having decided to play the hand in the first place, the time to make your next important decision is on 5th street, when the limit doubles.

Answer 3:

Only call his raise on third, since you already have the pot heads-up. If you’re fairly sure he has nothing, the time to raise is on sixth street. On fourth, you have to call and go to the river. Given the three bets on third and your live over card over his hand, and the fact that he may not have what he represents, it’s a clear call. Even if he flashed a jack, you would still have to call here. A .50 ante is moderate, and you should treat this as “real stud” rather than trapping stud.

This hand took place about 6 or 7 years ago when I was playing in a low limit stud game and I haven’t forgotten about it as it isn’t too likely to ever happen again in my playing days. The pot was multiway action with 6 players (as one would expect in a 2-4 limit stud game at the commerce casino). The player in seat three started the hand with a deuce showing and he was calling all these raises and reraises and I couldn’t understand why. He had rolled up deuces as it turned out. That in and of itself is not amazing. What is amazing is what happened after that. On Fourth Street he caught a queen. On Fifth Street he caught a queen. On Sixth Street he caught another queen and by now you can probably figure out that on Seventh Street he caught the fourth queen. Has anyone ever seen this happen before?? He made quad queens after starting with rolled up deuces. At the time I didn’t think much of it but since I have seen that hand I have never seen anything like it. That’s all for now. And yes if you have any poker brains at all you will be as amazed now as I was then that someone would call his bet with three queens showing. I don’t remember what the other guy had but needless to say he was in second place.

Answer 1:

Recently in a recreational game I ended up with quad Jacks, all up in a seven card stud game. I was happy, to say the least, and the opposition had to concede.

Answer 2:

In a stud game in Reno, on 6th street one player had quad 4′s showing, I paired my door card 6. He bet, I raised with my pocket sixes. One hand I always remember.

Answer 3:

I’ve seen hands like these go six cards, but it’s rare for the hand to even get to Seventh Street because everybody usually folds to open trips. However, some years ago I had open trip aces on 5th street and had two callers. Then I caught the case ace on Sixth Street, for four aces up, and the same two people called! It was a bad-beat jackpot game and they both had straight flush draws. Neither caught their card, unfortunately.

Mason Malmuth apparently believes that there exists no range of games for which it is correct to always raise when opening the pot (first one in) in early position in hold’em. He seems to say that he has never seen any successful player in a mode of raise-or-fold when the pot has not yet been opened early. What do you think?

Answer 1:

I would think that a player could be successful with a “pump or dump” strategy, but it would be more profitable to expand that strategy. Surely there are some hands to be played from early position that want to see the flop cheaply. Since we’re discussing MM’s approach, I remember reading him saying that he’ll sometimes limp in with a small pair in early position in the hope of luring in more limpers. Of course the benefit of always raising when opening from early position is that you don’t give any information away. I guess the question is do you gain enough from this to overcome not being able to play certain hands.

Answer 2:

“There is no one that I know of who is successful and raises every time they are first in.” I believe Mason intended to say “most every” time as I doubt anyone would claim “every” time. In early position, say the first three, I would say at least 75%-85% when I am first to open, it is with a raise. This too is what I observe of successful middle limit players. Towards the middle and especially the back, open raise 90%+. Frankly, at the cut-off position and button, it will “nearly” always be an open raise. I would rather flip the cards in the middle than limp for reasons stated earlier. Your points related to more of a spread limit game, 50-100, and bring it in for say 10. That is a different game calling for different strategy.

Answer 3:

Players who do indeed raise every time they are first in. Just because you guys don’t do it doesn’t mean nobody at all does it. In my limited experience with hold’em, these are not technically sound players. They are, instead, the type of poker player who relies on aggression, instinct, bluffing, and people-reading skills. Using these tactics they can often beat a soft game, especially at lower limits, but they don’t have the right stuff to play in the major leagues. You certainly run into these types in stud. They raise immediately after the bring-in with any playable hand, no matter how many over cards are still behind them to act. I do not pretend to understand their rationale, but of course they always have one, as do all poker players.

Mason Malmuth apparently believes that there exists no range of games for which it is correct to always raise when opening the pot (first one in) in early position in hold’em.  He seems to say that he has never seen any successful player in a mode of raise-or-fold when the pot has not yet been opened early.  What do you think?

Answer 1:

I would think that a player could be successful with a “pump or dump” strategy, but it would be more profitable to expand that strategy. Surely there are some hands to be played from early position that want to see the flop cheaply. Since we’re discussing MM’s approach, I remember reading him saying that he’ll sometimes limp in with a small pair in early position in the hope of luring in more limpers. Of course the benefit of always raising when opening from early position is that you don’t give any information away. I guess the question is do you gain enough from this to overcome not being able to play certain hands.

Answer 2:

“There is no one that I know of who is successful and raises every time they are first in.” I believe Mason intended to say “most every” time as I doubt anyone would claim “every” time. In early position, say the first three, I would say at least 75%-85% when I am first to open, it is with a raise. This too is what I observe of successful middle limit players. Towards the middle and especially the back, open raise 90%+. Frankly, at the cut-off position and button, it will “nearly” always be an open raise. I would rather flip the cards in the middle than limp for reasons stated earlier. Your points related to more of a spread limit game, 50-100, and bring it in for say 10. That is a different game calling for different strategy.

Answer 3:

Players who do indeed raise every time they are first in. Just because you guys don’t do it doesn’t mean nobody at all does it. In my limited experience with hold’em, these are not technically sound players. They are, instead, the type of poker player who relies on aggression, instinct, bluffing, and people-reading skills. Using these tactics they can often beat a soft game, especially at lower limits, but they don’t have the right stuff to play in the major leagues. You certainly run into these types in stud. They raise immediately after the bring-in with any playable hand, no matter how many over cards are still behind them to act. I do not pretend to understand their rationale, but of course they always have one, as do all poker players.