Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book

More Lessons and Hand Analysis in No Limit Texas Hold'em

Phil Gordon

• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN: 9781416938705

In Poker: The Real Deal and Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, Phil Gordon -- a world-class player and teacher -- shared the strategies, tips, and expertise he's gleaned during his phenomenally successful career. Now, he shows players how to apply those theories to actual hands in order to make smart, confident decisions with every move.

Gordon walks readers through hands that he's encountered in cash games; early, middle, and late tournament play; Sit & Gos; satellites and supersatellites; and the final table of the World Series of Poker, revealing not only what plays he made but also why he made them. He relates what goes through a pro's mind in every situation, whether it's a timely bluff or a questionable call, and helps players calculate their own best moves in the most pressure-fueled of situations. In analyzing specific hands, Gordon also imparts important lessons in key poker skills such as calculating odds, shorthanded play, and discovering tells. And he discusses memorable plays -- the good and the oh-so-bad -- explaining why certain moves were made and, in many cases, how the hands should have been played differently.

Insightful, witty, and filled with real-life pro secrets, Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book is required reading for every player looking to make a profit and raise his game to the next level.

Tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) or the World Poker Tour (WPT) may get all the headlines, but there are a lot of purists who believe that cash games represent the only “true” way to play poker. In a cash game, you can’t get eliminated by a bad beat, at least as long as you have cash in your wallet. There aren’t any artificial constraints like short stacks or increasing blinds and antes—the best strategies are the ones that most effectively separate your opponents from their money. Most important, especially to the pros who make their living at the game, the good players will eventually win, while the bad players will ultimately get their comeuppance.

Cash games are all about long-term results. The goal, therefore, is to make decisions that carry positive equity. In tournaments it’s generally a bad idea to risk all of your chips in situations where you are only a slight favorite—get into two 55-45 “races,” and odds are, you’re going to lose one and find yourself stumbling for the exit. In a cash game, however, as long as you have a big enough bankroll, the statistically favorable play is always the best play. You’ll still face your share of bad luck, but a player who consistently makes quality decisions will survive these short-term fluctuations and, over time, come out ahead. Hopefully far ahead. Very far ahead.

ALOHA, FULL HOUSE!

THE SITUATION: A loose, drunken nine-handed No Limit cash game on a Friday night at the Palms Casino, Las Vegas.

—— No Limit Hold’em ——

POT: $37 TO CALL: $18 POT ODDS: 2.1—1

I love playing pocket pairs in multiway pots. I’m either going to flop a set (or better) and have a chance to win a very big pot, or I’ll miss and escape without doing too much damage to my stack.

The action gets to “Hawaii,” a middle-aged guy wearing a bright floral-print button-up, in Seat 7. That wardrobe should be illegal, and it’s more than moderately distracting. In keeping with the island theme, he’s ordering piña coladas by the bucketful. He raises to $20.

At the moment, the pot isn’t giving me favorable odds.… I’m only getting 2—1 to call, while the odds of my flopping a set or better are around 8—1 against. My implied odds, however, are excellent—if Hawaii turns out to have any kind of hand and I make my set, I’ll have a very good shot of doubling up. I love that he has a grand in front of him.

I call the raise. So do Seats 2 and 5. There is $85 in the pot.

—— The Flop ——

Mahalo! I suppress the urge to break out and hula dance, though Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” starts echoing in my subconscious. Now the key is to figure out how to maximize the amount of money I stand to win. Do I bet out, or slowplay?

What would you do?

I begin my decision-making process by creating a mental image of how this hand is likely to play out. Hawaii, the preflop aggressor, seems likely to bet; I’m confident that I’ll be able to separate him from some money. But I’m greedier than that: I want to trap the two players in the middle as well.

If Hawaii were on my immediate left, I’d probably check my hand, allow him to bet and hope that the two players in the middle call, then trap them all with a raise when the action returned to me. With Hawaii last to act, however, I’m going to have to trap the two players in the middle before the action gets to him. I’ll make a small bet here, one that I hope one or two players in the middle can call, and pray that Hawaii can raise.

I bet $20. Seats 2 and 5 both call. Perfect! Hawaii raises to $150. Sucker! The plan worked to perfection! There is $295 in the pot, and it will cost me $w30 to call. As “Hannibal” Smith used to say to the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together!” Now, do I just call the bet here, or bring down the hammer with a raise?

What would you do?

I’m inclined to re-raise here for three reasons:

1. Hawaii’s bet is probably large enough to scare off our other two opponents, so there’s not much point in trying to keep them around much longer.

2. If Hawaii has a flush draw, say A♣K♣, he’ll probably be willing to put all of his money into the pot right now. If he doesn’t have a flush draw and another club comes on the turn, he might shut down.

3. If Hawaii is overplaying an overpair, as tourists wearing Hawaiian shirts to a casino are apt to do, say T-T, J-J, or Q-Q, and an overcard or flush card comes on the turn, it will be very difficult to extract all of his chips. If he has an overpair, I think it’s very likely he’ll push all-in against me right away.

I decide to re-raise and give him a chance to jump into molten lava.

I re-raise to $300. Seats 2 and 5 quickly fold. Hawaii doesn’t hesitate: He pushes all-in. Luau time! I move my chips into the middle so fast that I burn skid marks into the felt. My somewhat dazed opponent turns over pocket queens, an overpair to the board. He’s drawing slim to two outs. The turn and river rain harmless clubs, the K♣ and J♣. I scoop the pot with both hands.

“I put you on a flush draw,” Hawaii comments as he slurps the last of his drink and fishes for the cherry.

In retrospect it was a good thing I made my move when I did—the turn probably would have slowed him down. In comparison to the grand I won from the big fish, the extra $40 I won by betting right out seems insignificant. But it’s $40 I wouldn’t have won had I just checked the flop, and it will come in handy when Antonio “Mr. Bottle Service” Esfandiari and I meet up for drinks at the Ghost Bar in a few hours. I’ve been out with that guy about thirty times, and I’ve never left a bar without parting with at least $500. Antonio is a one-man bankroll wrecking machine at and away from the tables.

KEY ANALYSIS

Pocket pairs possess a lot of implied value, especially in multiway pots, where they present you with a chance to win a lot or lose a little. When you are lucky enough to flop a monster hand, take a minute to figure out how the action is likely to play out… and how you can maximize your winnings. Poker isn’t about winning pots: It’s about winning as much money as you possibly can on the hands you decide to play.

A WEIRD DRAW

THE SITUATION: Midnight in a loose seven-handed No Limit Hold’em game at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

—— NO LIMIT HOLD’EM CASH GAME——

POT: $22 TO CALL: $5 POT ODDS: 4.4—1

Decisions, decisions. Seven-six offsuit isn’t a great hand, but I’m in position with excellent pot odds and no one has shown any kind of strength here. This feels like a “family pot” situation.

What would you do?

If this were the middle or late stages of a tournament, I’d give serious thought to raising here against a group of loose limpers. But in a loose “no fold’em hold’em” game like this, that play never works. The real value in this hand comes from the implied odds and my position—if I can flop a great hand, I will have a chance to win a big pot.

Before I limp in, however, I will consider the players left to act, behind me: Are any of them likely to make the “raise the limpers” play I was just considering? In this case neither player has demonstrated much aggression or skill, so the answer is probably no. If one of them does raise, though, I’m done with this hand.

I call $5 from the button. The small blind tosses in three bucks to complete the blind, and the big blind checks. There are six players and $30 in the pot.

—— THE FLOP——

This is a dangerous flop for me. I perform a bit of quick mental calculus:

“Dumb” end of a straight draw

+ A very weak flush draw

+ 5 loose opponents

= A perfect opportunity for me to lose a lot of money

All five players check to me. Should I bet or check? What would you do?

I know, I said this was a dangerous flop. But I can’t just leave that money lying there in the middle with all the weakness on display, can I?

When I flop a draw in position against many opponents and it gets checked around to me, I’ll often just check and take a free look at the turn card. In this situation, however, I really don’t have that much of a draw… or, better said, I have several draws that I might not want to make.

First let’s look at the kinds of hands that my opponents were likely to limp in with: weak aces, medium pocket pairs, suited cards and/or connectors.

A heart will make me a flush, but w...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Introduction
• Player Attributes
• Cash Games
• Early Tournament Play
• Middle Tournament Play
• Late Tournament Play
• The Final Table
• Sit & Gos
• Satellites and Supersatellites
• Afterword
• Further Study
• A Short Guide to Poker Jargon