The Ten Biggest Keys to Winning at Poker (Day 30 Course Discussion)

[Collin Moshman]

I am very happy to have had the opportunity to participate in this excellent beginner course sponsored by Cardschat.com.

I am grateful to the excellent teachers Collin Moshman and Katie Dozier who taught the course with incredible quality and good humor so that we can take this long course to the end (after all there were more than 150 book pages and 30 long videos).

I took the course in the best way, pausing the videos, using the calculator and burning the neurons, because that way the armor of the winners is forged.

I am convinced that this is a first step in a long partnership with this site, because in addition to providing extensive content, it also provides us with free practice with its freerolls.

Thank you and you can count on me in the next missions.:aetsch::aetsch::aetsch::aetsch:

We're so glad to hear that Jeanpierre, congrats!!

 

[belizebum]

Thanks again to Collin and Katie for the course, as well as the Cardschat team. I just recently started studying again and realized that if you dont, you get left behind.

 

[Polytarp]

Any replays that interest you The $22's are quite a bit softer than the $109s that have a lot more regs -- there's a significant skill difference between online mid and high-stakes games.

If I am playing theoretically optimal and correct poker within every freeroll I enter, will I be a winning player? If so, can I calculate an expected average ITM placement and the playing time required to achieve specific financial metrics?
Here's a link to 2+2 where Malmuth and Sklansky weigh in on a comment by Acevedo: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/15/poker-theory/ninth-best-player-1751489/
I found this thesis which addresses a question I asked you regarding ICM models:
https://docplayer.org/127583385-Eval...ent-poker.html
Here's a link (containing other good links) which intersects with the above:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/ceece3/ama_we_are_noam_brown_and_tuomas_sandholm/

I'm now using a dual screen system where I can play 2-10 MTT's on five different poker sites and am transferring player specific notes from my HP Touchsmart to this (dated) 32G Asus home brew computer which I've re-purposed. I'm going through the course discussions on a regular basis along with re-visiting material in your pdf book. Here is a recent post of mine where your opinion would be greatly appreciated since this is the direction I'm "tacking into."
https://www.cardschat.com/forum/get...be-a-millionaire-new-454369/post-5607032.html

Any feedback that you or Katie could provide regarding any aspect of this post will certainly help my games. To close, here's a link to Negreanu's site where he describes his "perfect" tournament.
https://danielnegreanu.com/my-perfect-poker-tournament/

 

[Collin Moshman]

If I am playing theoretically optimal and correct poker within every freeroll I enter, will I be a winning player? If so, can I calculate an expected average ITM placement and the playing time required to achieve specific financial metrics?
Here's a link to 2+2 where Malmuth and Sklansky weigh in on a comment by Acevedo: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/15/poker-theory/ninth-best-player-1751489/
I found this thesis which addresses a question I asked you regarding ICM models:
https://docplayer.org/127583385-Eval...ent-poker.html
Here's a link (containing other good links) which intersects with the above:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/ceece3/ama_we_are_noam_brown_and_tuomas_sandholm/

I'm now using a dual screen system where I can play 2-10 MTT's on five different poker sites and am transferring player specific notes from my HP Touchsmart to this (dated) 32G Asus home brew computer which I've re-purposed. I'm going through the course discussions on a regular basis along with re-visiting material in your pdf book. Here is a recent post of mine where your opinion would be greatly appreciated since this is the direction I'm "tacking into."
https://www.cardschat.com/forum/get...be-a-millionaire-new-454369/post-5607032.html

Any feedback that you or Katie could provide regarding any aspect of this post will certainly help my games. To close, here's a link to Negreanu's site where he describes his "perfect" tournament.
https://danielnegreanu.com/my-perfect-poker-tournament/

Yes, you should definitely win playing good/optimal poker. The simulators we talk about in the bankroll section should help you come up with estimates for ITM and how long it will take to reach different financial metrics. Hope that helps and thanks for the links!

 

[Luvart]

The lesson is over!

Finished Day #30 (and read the Bonus Day #31).

Personally, I decided to take this course very seriously.

It was an interesting, well-written and well-structured course for complete beginners in the game, as well as for players who play the game for some time, but for whatever reason they are losing players. The authors have put the fundamentals of SnG/MTT play in a smooth, nice-to-read manner, and I enjoyed it quite much.

Plus for the course, the quiz questions.

1. Continuous study.
2. Good (the best possile, to be honest) table selection (I've leveled up this factor, as the second most important factor for winning in poker. I've always underestimated this, but now it's a matter of paramount importance for me).
3. Value betting.
4. Push/Fold strategy.
5. Aggression

My top-5 tips for me in that order.

Time to put these concepts into play!

:top:


PS.: a break for the weekend. I left the Grand Final Quiz for the next week. I will make another one re-read of the course on some concepts I want to study again, and then I will complete the final quiz. It's the "test" that will show how good students we were....

 

[Collin Moshman]

The lesson is over!

Finished Day #30 (and read the Bonus Day #31).

Personally, I decided to take this course very seriously.

It was an interesting, well-written and well-structured course for complete beginners in the game, as well as for players who play the game for some time, but for whatever reason they are losing players. The authors have put the fundamentals of SnG/MTT play in a smooth, nice-to-read manner, and I enjoyed it quite much.

Plus for the course, the quiz questions.

1. Continuous study.
2. Good (the best possile, to be honest) table selection (I've leveled up this factor, as the second most important factor for winning in poker. I've always underestimated this, but now it's a matter of paramount importance for me).
3. Value betting.
4. Push/Fold strategy.
5. Aggression

My top-5 tips for me in that order.

Time to put these concepts into play!

:top:


PS.: a break for the weekend. I left the Grand Final Quiz for the next week. I will make another one re-read of the course on some concepts I want to study again, and then I will complete the final quiz. It's the "test" that will show how good students we were....

Luvart, I want to say thanks for your excellent posts in these threads giving your thoughts, feedback, and answers to the quiz questions. I'm impressed with how well you've done and wish you good luck in the final exam next week! Let us know how it goes, I'm sure you'll do great

 

[redboy23]

Hello CCers,


This course has been absolutely wonderful. I learnt a lot and intend to put it in use at the table.

Response to video questions:

Hand 1: 98s

I have been the victim of many beats early in the tourney because 3 x BB in not much and stacks are still deep. I would still go aheas and bet 60 bucks there and continue aggression if I hit the flop hard and cool down otherwise.

Post flop, I do not have much showdown value and need double gutshot draws so I will bet like I have the world here; 3/4 to full pot. If villain calls, I check it down and fold to aggression.

Hand 2: QJo

On the river, I check and give villain a chance to bluff. I will call any bet made and shrug my shoulders if he has a flush.

Hand 3: 72s

I fold. I will not get clever here since from experience people are still willing to play for stacks on the bubble.

If I have to give and answer post flop, it is to c-bet on the larger side and try to take the pot down here. I have nothing to hope for.

Hand 4: KQo

I bet half the pot post flop and check on later streets, intending to keep the sizing if my hand improves on a later street.

Hand 5: 96s

I would call here and take a flop. A nice up and down straight draw here and I do not want villain to see another card here but expect a bet so with go with a pot bet raise if he bets after my check.

Hand 6: 98s

I say 12 outs here; 9 hearts and three 7's.

Using the 4-2 rule, 12 x 2 = 24 %

Facing a half pot bet, I would call with the present odds but very tempting to bite the bullet and shove since I do not expect another bet from villain if I hit. This may be the only way to get villain to fold or double up in this tournament.

Hand 7: T3s

I would call to take a flop and hope to connect well.

Post flop villain does not appear to have connected and I opt to call and see if a Jack of heart come in on the turn. After that nice turn card, I believe the winds are in our favour and would through out a nice pot sized bet here.

Hand 8: Q7o

I would not double barrel here after villain called my c-bet.

Hand 9: AJo

I would shove here since it is pretty hard to imagine villain with pocket A's, Q's or K's. That would be sick.

Range for villain in that spot TT+, T9o+.

Hand 10: A7s

Never call here - shove of fold with that stack.

Hand 11: J9o

Shove here.

Hand 12: J2o

Suppose to shove any two but not my cup of tea - fold here.

Hand 13: QJs

Shove here.

Hand 14: 85s

Call and hope for a great flop.

Donk shove on that flop. Top pair and good draws.

Hand 15: KQo

Shove here.

Hand 16: K6o

I would go for the steal here; 3 x BB

Hand 17: KJs

Standard 3 x BB pre-flop.

Effective stack is 523.4 K

Shove post flop.

Hand 18: AQo

Shove and hope for the best. Expect AK+ and TT+. Quite the toss up here.

Hand 19: 22

A disgusting shove here - hoping that villain folds!

Hand 20: AKs

Insta-shove and hope no sick joke.


Good to get to the finish line. Thanks for a great course guys. Definitely made a difference in my knowledge of the game.

 

[PsychoVas]

I did get an A, but I lost the J2o hand. And still I am not convinced it was a correct play, regardless that it won. I probably have a lot to learn still.

 

[Collin Moshman]

Hello CCers,


This course has been absolutely wonderful. I learnt a lot and intend to put it in use at the table.

Response to video questions:

Hand 1: 98s

I have been the victim of many beats early in the tourney because 3 x BB in not much and stacks are still deep. I would still go aheas and bet 60 bucks there and continue aggression if I hit the flop hard and cool down otherwise.

Post flop, I do not have much showdown value and need double gutshot draws so I will bet like I have the world here; 3/4 to full pot. If villain calls, I check it down and fold to aggression.

Hand 2: QJo

On the river, I check and give villain a chance to bluff. I will call any bet made and shrug my shoulders if he has a flush.

Hand 3: 72s

I fold. I will not get clever here since from experience people are still willing to play for stacks on the bubble.

If I have to give and answer post flop, it is to c-bet on the larger side and try to take the pot down here. I have nothing to hope for.

Hand 4: KQo

I bet half the pot post flop and check on later streets, intending to keep the sizing if my hand improves on a later street.

Hand 5: 96s

I would call here and take a flop. A nice up and down straight draw here and I do not want villain to see another card here but expect a bet so with go with a pot bet raise if he bets after my check.

Hand 6: 98s

I say 12 outs here; 9 hearts and three 7's.

Using the 4-2 rule, 12 x 2 = 24 %

Facing a half pot bet, I would call with the present odds but very tempting to bite the bullet and shove since I do not expect another bet from villain if I hit. This may be the only way to get villain to fold or double up in this tournament.

Hand 7: T3s

I would call to take a flop and hope to connect well.

Post flop villain does not appear to have connected and I opt to call and see if a Jack of heart come in on the turn. After that nice turn card, I believe the winds are in our favour and would through out a nice pot sized bet here.

Hand 8: Q7o

I would not double barrel here after villain called my c-bet.

Hand 9: AJo

I would shove here since it is pretty hard to imagine villain with pocket A's, Q's or K's. That would be sick.

Range for villain in that spot TT+, T9o+.

Hand 10: A7s

Never call here - shove of fold with that stack.

Hand 11: J9o

Shove here.

Hand 12: J2o

Suppose to shove any two but not my cup of tea - fold here.

Hand 13: QJs

Shove here.

Hand 14: 85s

Call and hope for a great flop.

Donk shove on that flop. Top pair and good draws.

Hand 15: KQo

Shove here.

Hand 16: K6o

I would go for the steal here; 3 x BB

Hand 17: KJs

Standard 3 x BB pre-flop.

Effective stack is 523.4 K

Shove post flop.

Hand 18: AQo

Shove and hope for the best. Expect AK+ and TT+. Quite the toss up here.

Hand 19: 22

A disgusting shove here - hoping that villain folds!

Hand 20: AKs

Insta-shove and hope no sick joke.


Good to get to the finish line. Thanks for a great course guys. Definitely made a difference in my knowledge of the game.

Way to go Redboy, and congrats on finishing the course! Thanks too for your great posts and comments in the daily threads along the way

 

[redboy23]

Way to go Redboy, and congrats on finishing the course! Thanks too for your great posts and comments in the daily threads along the way

You guys did an awesome job.

I took a look at my pokerstars activity for May and realized that the goal of the book was accomplished!

I am a winning player after 30 days.

Based on my analysis, I have to focus on improving at the the ring tables and avoid the .55 & 1.10 tourneys.

Any insights from the attached?



*Just realized the 1.10 MTT difference should be -4.92 and my overall Profit/Loss = $13.28

 

[Katie Dozier]

You guys did an awesome job.

I took a look at my Pokerstars activity for May and realized that the goal of the book was accomplished!

I am a winning player after 30 days.

Based on my analysis, I have to focus on improving at the the ring tables and avoid the .55 & 1.10 tourneys.

Any insights from the attached?



*Just realized the 1.10 MTT difference should be -4.92 and my overall Profit/Loss = $13.28

Congrats on completing the course and on the profitable month, Redboy! Thanks for sharing this [emoji4] My only insight would be that I wouldn’t actually avoid the .55 and 1.10 tourneys based on those results; I’d want more of a sample first , probably of at least a few months at that volume. They will be swingier than the SNGs so it will take longer to get a statistically significant sample as you probably know.

Way to go!!!

 

[Luvart]

I have to give the answers of the Grand Final Quiz as I promised.

Not good overall, especially on the second part.

8 correct answers and 7 wrong answers, so I barely passed the minimum.....

3 wrong answers in the first part, and 4 wrong answers in the second part.

I have to study much more.

It was a good test.

Missed a bunch of subquestions, so I had to to mark the whole answer to the question as wrong.

Some hands were quite interesting, such as the pocket deuces at the last question. I answered "raise".

Also, on the question no. 10, I answered "fold". I kept the "shove" option of course, but my thought was to make the call with the A7s with the intention to shove on most flops.

I'm thinking to start playing some SnGs, as I rarely play them the last years. We will see.....

Anyway, I enjoyed hugely the whole thing.

What matters is keep studying and studying.

 

[Katie Dozier]

Anyway, I enjoyed hugely the whole thing.

What matters is keep studying and studying.

Thanks very much and you’re so right about studying being so important. Well done on completing the course; congratulations!

 

[Tux97]

I liked all lectures but this last one was very educational because it brought everything together. My only question is about the AJo hand where we got a full house on the river. I know the basic equation for EV and I agree that a shove is more profitable than a min-raise, but doesn't a high raise more likely induce a call from villain than a shove? I mean that paired board should immediately alarm villain to the possibility of a full house and therefore not call a shove, but he may well call a high raise. So can we factor into EV the *likelihood* of villain calling if that's the right way to put it?

When I accidentally stumbled on this course when I was visiting the CC site, I liked the interactive nature of it. For every lesson, I read the book then watch the video and then come to read the corresponding thread here where I can see other students' comments and more importantly ask any questions that Katie and Collin happily answered. This last feature is what distinguishes this course from other free options. I think it's the best starting point for anyone embarking on a serious study of this complex but beautiful game.

Thank you very much CC and the great teaching couple Katie and Collin for this invaluable course. I am surprised at how much I have learned in the last three weeks. You should go further and make a more advanced course, even a paid one. I feel much more confident to tackle intermediate books on poker now.

 

[Collin Moshman]

I liked all lectures but this last one was very educational because it brought everything together. My only question is about the AJo hand where we got a full house on the river. I know the basic equation for EV and I agree that a shove is more profitable than a min-raise, but doesn't a high raise more likely induce a call from villain than a shove? I mean that paired board should immediately alarm villain to the possibility of a full house and therefore not call a shove, but he may well call a high raise. So can we factor into EV the *likelihood* of villain calling if that's the right way to put it?

When I accidentally stumbled on this course when I was visiting the CC site, I liked the interactive nature of it. For every lesson, I read the book then watch the video and then come to read the corresponding thread here where I can see other students' comments and more importantly ask any questions that Katie and Collin happily answered. This last feature is what distinguishes this course from other free options. I think it's the best starting point for anyone embarking on a serious study of this complex but beautiful game.

Thank you very much CC and the great teaching couple Katie and Collin for this invaluable course. I am surprised at how much I have learned in the last three weeks. You should go further and make a more advanced course, even a paid one. I feel much more confident to tackle intermediate books on poker now.

Thanks so much for the nice words Tux, and congrats on completing the course!

The EV here is:

EV = Raise-Size x Opponent Call Probability

Based on that, we generally want to increase the one factor we have direct control over which is the raise-size. But of course, like you point out, that doesn't always mean we should over-bet shove our strong hands because we might heavily lower the call probability (and also become too predictable).

So you're absolutely right that a raise bigger than the min but smaller than a shove maximizes EV here. We just wanted to convey here that jamming definitely beats min-raising.


Congrats again and we hope to continue hearing from you as you keep furthering your poker journey

 

[Coinuss]

Learning to play this game an endless journey? Every year, the ways of the game are transformed and you need to adapt all the time.
I do not understand the hand #2 QJo vs Q9o My answer was a check back river. What is the best hand fold, and what is the worst hand call when we push? I think villain call with better hand and fold with worse hand but SPR<1 and sometime hand doesn't matter.
And hand # 3 is a good bluff, but which hand are we representing here. I think a hand with an ace high. My answer was a check fold. ICM presure on the bubble works on us.
Is this a big mistake?
Thanks for the great course, Katie and Collin.

 

[lollipopas]

Thanks for this course, it was very enlightening! The hand reviews were very helpful, and the way you explained your thinking really helped me understand the concepts.
The ebook is so well written and I love the layout - really pleasant to read, clean design.
I'll be coming back to this course and book to further cement my knowledge.

 

[Collin Moshman]

Thanks for this course, it was very enlightening! The hand reviews were very helpful, and the way you explained your thinking really helped me understand the concepts.
The ebook is so well written and I love the layout - really pleasant to read, clean design.
I'll be coming back to this course and book to further cement my knowledge.

Thanks Lolli, we really appreciate these kind words and are so glad you enjoyed the course!

And all of the formatting was done by the CardsChat team btw, you are 100% right that they did an amazing job with this

Please keep us posted on your poker journey, we wish you the best of luck!

 

[Collin Moshman]

Learning to play this game an endless journey? Every year, the ways of the game are transformed and you need to adapt all the time.
I do not understand the hand #2 QJo vs Q9o My answer was a check back river. What is the best hand fold, and what is the worst hand call when we push? I think villain call with better hand and fold with worse hand but SPR<1 and sometime hand doesn't matter.
And hand # 3 is a good bluff, but which hand are we representing here. I think a hand with an ace high. My answer was a check fold. ICM presure on the bubble works on us.
Is this a big mistake?
Thanks for the great course, Katie and Collin.

Definitely Coinuss, very important to keep adapting!

Hand #2: No better hand will fold, we're only trying to get worse hands to call including the worse straight as well as bluff-catchers like two-pair. Remember that your opponent might always decide you're bluffing and call you with a weak hand. Additionally, it's very tough for him to have a better hand here. So on balance, you will make more money from him calling with weak hands than the occasional time he has a flush or the nut straight.

Hand #3: With 72s, our c-bet can definitely rep an overpair, a good hand with a 9 like A9o or T9s, or even just decent hands that might not fold to aggression like ace-high. Apply pressure as the big stack facing the mid stack!

Hope that helps and thanks for the nice words

 

[deyvsonflp]

"Study something with each session you play."
I've done it but I stopped doing it and I see that I need to do it again. It makes a lot of difference. Thanks for these tips.

 

[Katie Dozier]

"Study something with each session you play."
I've done it but I stopped doing it and I see that I need to do it again. It makes a lot of difference. Thanks for these tips.

I think it's def an important habit to have and to help ourselves remember that playing itself is like an ultimate version of studying

 

[johnnylawford]

Thanks for all of this great free content! I appreciate how well this book was laid out and the short to-the-point chapters. For this particular chapter I would also consider bankroll management as a 'top ten' success factor, but that might be implied in the 'game selection'.

 

[Collin Moshman]

Thanks for all of this great free content! I appreciate how well this book was laid out and the short to-the-point chapters. For this particular chapter I would also consider bankroll management as a 'top ten' success factor, but that might be implied in the 'game selection'.

You're welcome Johnny, thanks for posting in the threads with great feedback and questions for us.

I agree that BRM definitely competes for top-10 status, maybe we should have made it a top 11 list so we could include bankroll without removing others on the list. But then again, top 11 doesn't have quite the same ring to it Either way, you're totally right on the importance of BRM!

 

[Cecret]

Just finished the curse and wanted to say thank you for making such an amazing tool for beginners like me.

I basically just started out playing the game 2-3 weeks ago and was so glad when i found this course. Especially the 2 tests were really good to get a realistic view of how well you understood main concepts/lessons.
And despite passing both on first try (yaya, humble brag ) it was super helpful to find out the concepts i may didnt really grasp yet or the questions i needed way too long to come up with a good answer and which are now put up to review and read/watch again.

So, once again: Huge Thank you for creating this course - and even for free. I am not sure i am ready to stand the variance of Tournaments yet, but even aside from MTTs i learned a ton and it feels great to have a deeper understanding of many important concepts and ideas

 

[Collin Moshman]

Just finished the curse and wanted to say thank you for making such an amazing tool for beginners like me.

I basically just started out playing the game 2-3 weeks ago and was so glad when i found this course. Especially the 2 tests were really good to get a realistic view of how well you understood main concepts/lessons.
And despite passing both on first try (yaya, humble brag ) it was super helpful to find out the concepts i may didnt really grasp yet or the questions i needed way too long to come up with a good answer and which are now put up to review and read/watch again.

So, once again: Huge Thank you for creating this course - and even for free. I am not sure i am ready to stand the variance of Tournaments yet, but even aside from MTTs i learned a ton and it feels great to have a deeper understanding of many important concepts and ideas

Congrats on passing the course Cecret! It sounds like you did a great job passing both tests on the first try and absorbing the info. We really appreciate these nice words and hope you'll keep us posted on how things go