Chris 'Fox' Wallace (Poker Pro, Coach and Author) - Ask Me Anything!

[ChrisFoxWallace]

hello!) tell me how to improve your level of the game you need to read books or watch YouTube or frequent practice

All of those things. Less youtube, but a lot of study.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Whats the best place to live for a poker player?

It depends on the stakes and the games you like. Right now Texas and Florida are pretty great.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Can you profitably defend your small blind, with flat calls to raises, in Multi-table NL Holdem tournaments. What key factors should be considered? Should relatively inexperienced players avoid this play?

I would say that you should basically never defend with a flat call from the small blind. It's very hard to be balanced and you will be out of position as well. Raise or fold.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Fox,

I was recently discussing with a poker buddy about if it's easier to earn money in MTTs or cash games - assuming you have the same knowledge of both.

What's your point of view on that?

Personally I suck at cash games so much, that's why my view is highly biased, lol.

You're making the right choice for you, it very much depends on what you are good at. But cash games are where the highest hourly profits are.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi, if you don't mind, could you give me some advice on how to take care of my bankroll as a professional player, since that's what I dream of.

bankroll is definitely an important part of being a pro. The number of buy-ins you need to play a tournament is quite high if you can not replenish your bankroll from other sources, probably something close to the square root of the field size plus ten. For cash games, at least 20 buy-ins, and the more the better because if your roll is bigger you won't be as bothered by downswings.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello Chris...


Nowadays, numerous well-known poker pros offer their expertise in seminars as poker coaches!

> In your opinion, what makes you stand out that keeps you in demand as a poker pro, coach and author ("... Best Seller in it's first month and continues to get great reviews.") ?
> What advice do you give students to take with them? Do you convey a certain philosophy?


Best wishes

Most of my students these days come from referrals, so I guess I'm doing okay, and my students have had a lot of success. I think the key is finding someone that is not only a good player and understands the game, but also knows how to teach. Many great players have no idea how to articulate what they know or teach it to anyone.

My overall goal for my students is to help them understand the game well enough to answer their own questions and analyze hands on their own. If I can help them understand what questions to ask, and how to answer them and do the logic and math stuff on their own, then I have done my job. Then they can shine on their own and let their particular talents take them as far as they can go.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris. I have been playing poker for over 10 years now and it has been my life time dream to win 🥇 a big tournament. I have a question 🙋‍♀️ In what area are most important to study I know everything is important but what would you say most Amateurs make their mistakes weather pre flop . Exploitative. GTO . Post flop don’t bet enough on river extra.? Thank you 🙏 for your feedback.

Unfortunately there is no magic bullet for this one. Amateurs make mistakes on every street. The only way to find success is to study every aspect of the game and learn it all. Learning how the game works and understanding the math and logic and all the ways of playing hands is the only way.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello. What style of play do you recommend in freerolls, such as Cardshat freerolls, when the pace is slow and the game pool is relatively small (about 300 people). Should I play more tight or should I be more aggressive?

You sort of have to be tight because others are not folding to your bluffs very much. But be aggressive and try to win big pots when you have a real hand.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris

Welcome to Cardschat

My first question would be which is favourite game within the H.O.R.S.E format.

Secondly which game is your strongest within the H.O.R.S.E format.

And lastly is there any training software or books you would recommend for learning H.O.R.S.E

Thanks in advance

Gl on the grind all and as always see you at the tables.

The answer to both of the first two questions is Stud/8. As for training, my book Getting Started With HORSE Poker is the only book specifically on the games in HORSE and I don't know of any software that is specific to HORSE. Pro Poker Tools has an equity calculator that covers the games, which might be useful to you.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

I want to win a million dollars.
I've been playing poker for more than 20 years, but I can't win a million dollars in any way. What should I do

Have you tried a good luck charm?

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

-Question:

What is the most important preflop concept a beginner should master? 3betting strategy, defending the blinds, preflop range, etc? I'm talking about cash games.

Ranges. Master reading ranges and how to exploit your opponent's ranges. That sort of covers everything.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris,

My question to you is;

As a coach, what would you say is the most crucial skill to learn and how does it differ between live and online play?

Thanks ✌🏼

Every piece is so important that it's hard to pick one. I guess it would be hand reading. You get some extra clues sometimes in live poker, but it works the same live and online generally.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris, what advice would you give to someone who is planning to play at the WSOP for the first time?

Thanks

Play smaller buy-ins until you are used to it, and enjoy the ride! Also, read my article series that went up last week on how not to get beat by the pros at the wsop.

 

[seiya1989]

Hi Chris how are you? , I would like you to recommend the most important things I should know when I decide to try poker for a living, what things will I need without exception?

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

How do get over of a bad beat?
Sometimes it cuts deep within and has its effect on my gameplay, any information is appreciated 👂

Bad beats are a part of the game. We have this idea that we don't deserve to lose these hands, but poker doesn't owe you anything. Take a break, play smaller, do whatever you have to do to get past it. But remember that poker is filled with bad beats constantly. It is the very nature of the game.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello Chris. Do you believe that in the future, the American online poker market can return to the global scene? Or will we never again have the possibility to see American players playing regularly without vpns and other illegal methods, on the core platform of pokerstars or ggpoker?

Sadly, I don't think it will. It's up to the states now, and they can't agree on anything to even create shared player pools. We'll be locked out of the international market for the foreseeable future unless pokerstars and GG Poker start bribing the right politicians.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris, how are you?

I would like to ask you a question about strategy in an MTT.

I'm telling you, the start of the MTT and even the bubble because of my way of playing is not too much of a problem for me. I generally play Bountys, KOs and DeepStacks in all forms. I'm already talking about Holdem.

But in general it happens to me very often, that in the 1st hour of the MTT I feel very comfortable in main positions, let's say from 5th to 20th.

But as the MTT runs many times I can't find a way to keep that place.

I usually land in the middle of the bubble zone, which always makes me happy because the ITM will almost certainly collect it, and once the bubble has passed, unless there is a very important hand in question and it rises again. It is very difficult for me to stay in the middle of the table of players and up.

The question....is this normal??? Or is it my strategy error????

I would appreciate the answer.

A hug...Carlos from Argentina

This is a common problem. There is no single solution for it. You just have to keep improving and have more chips when you get near the bubble and make more money every hand. If you make more money on hands you win, or lose less on hands you lose, all the way through the tournament, you will have more chips in later stages and survive longer and win more.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello Chris, I hope you are well.

I have a question regarding a tournament player's long turn objective.

Is it better to play a little loose to hope to make an advanced place in the tournament in order to compensate for the other lost tournaments? or is it better to be a little conservative to ensure an ITM place ?

The first strategy implies a low ITM percentage and the second implies a higher ITM percentage, but does doing ITM while playing tight allow you to win on the long turn ?

Thank you.

Both strategies are much too simple and neither is correct. The best strategy is to play every hand as well as you can. Whether that is loose or tight, passive or aggressive, depends on so many factors. Your table and opponents, your table image, your stack, the field strength, how close you are to the money, and many more things, are all important.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello Chris,

Do you recommend any good mental coaching books, or courses?

Thank you

I have heard that Jared Tendler's books are good, but I haven't read them. I like Al Schoonmaker's books myself. And I have read a few books on general sports psychology that are useful too.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris, What book that help you to improve your skills or what way you improve your skills playing poker?
Thanks for your answer.

My book Short stack Ninja helps a lot of people. I learned a lot from David Sklansky's books when I was starting out too.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi Chris, I hope you are doing well.

Is ICM important to consider or ignore in micro stack MTTs ?

Thank you !

ICM is always important.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hi, Chris, nice to meet you...
... i want to ask you for your professional opinion for a particular case, that actually happened...
So, the action is (preflop) at the freeroll on CC, early stages, my current place is ~ 600th of ~ 1500 starting players (I have no idea how many are left at this time), (my stack is about ~15BB; note: before that to hapen i was sitting out), (the goal is wining the tournament):

I'm on UTG with AKo and i open with bet of 2xBB; the player, at left from me (through one or two places), shove (all in), everyone to BB folds, BB shove also (all in)... So, the action back to me and i... shove too (all in), (my main thought then was to triple up my stack )...

... The big blind caught us all with pocket queens.

I will be verry gladfull to know your professional opinion about this...

You definitely made the right play. There was no option that was better. You can not fold AK with 15BB.

 

[nasty bent gorilla]

Thank you for this comprehensive, extremely useful video; Very cool. If applied judiciously, quids in!

Further to this, In similar scenarios, how much extra weight does any suited ace provide you, in terms of equity against premium hands?

Thanks

 

[ratbat615]

Unfortunately there is no magic bullet for this one. Amateurs make mistakes on every street. The only way to find success is to study every aspect of the game and learn it all. Learning how the game works and understanding the math and logic and all the ways of playing hands is the only way.

Thank you 🙏 very helpful

 

[jose_saleh]

Hi Chris, does min bankroll depends on wich kind of games do you play? for example, if you focus on omahas turbo tourney you should have the same available amount than if you only focus on deepstacks NLH? Thanks in advance.