MAD · S6E8

Short deck #poker is a hold'em variant in which the 2s through 5s are stripped from the deck. The variant has been popular in live high-stakes games for years, but is now appearing commonly at lower stakes, both online and live.

Straddles used to be restricted to a fun element of live play, but an increasing number of online #poker sites have now added them to their tables. This "third blind" has a profound effect on preflop strategy, both on the straddle itself and from the other positions at the table.

When you see big bets over multiple streets from an opponent, what do you conclude? Most studied #poker players would assume they are facing a polarized range, and respond accordingly. But against a strong player, that need not be the case.

Most #poker players acknowledge that the more you study the better your results become. However, other life commitments mean that, in practice, we have a limited amount of time to devote to studying poker. This suggests it is critical to focus on the topics that really matter. In this podcast episode, coach w34z3l summarizes an analytical study that determines the poker scenarios that have the biggest impact on your win-rate. This provides a priority list of poker formations to explore. One key takeaway: most players should devote time to their play out of the big blind.

Do you tend to use a limited number of bet sizes in your strategy? Such simplified approaches have value, but many #poker players are missing out on profitable spots by restricting their sizing. This applies both to large and small bets.