1. Visit a lot of poker rooms. You’re not going to find the juicy games if you don’t travel. Invest. Don’t worry about spending €250 on a flight to Barcelona if you play 10/20 No Limit Hold’em. It’s 12 Big Blings. It’s worth it if the game is good.

2. Talk to all the cardroom managers. Be a good sport, and explain them you are not a local. Try to get some info as to where the action is coming from. In the long run, when you frequent poker rooms you tend to win at – ask to be called when the game is juicy. Poker room managers will do this if they know you well. Gain their confidence, once you’re on the call-list, you’ve got a great advantage bankroll-wise.

3. Don’t slow down the game by complaining about the bad calls they make when they suck out. DON’T DO IT! You want them making these calls – and they’ll do it again. I’ve seen my KK, QQ & JJ’s get cracked by A4 and A5 in a two players-to-the-flop situation hundreds of times – but most of the time, these ‘winners’ end up going broke. Having them win temporarily is a good thing.

4. Don’t limp with big hands in juicy games. I realize authors such as Dan Harrington have said the absolute contrary, but thing is – juicy games see a lot of high-volume, cheap flops—and you don’t want that – not even with AQ. Raise, and raise big. In the end, EVERY big raise you make will get at least one or two calls, and every big raise will be pure profit in the long run. You’ll get called by any two cards (suited, haha) – and most of the time you’ll be able to take the pot down with any pair, seeing as it’s probably best. On a plus: a big bet after the flop will likely be called by middle pair or any draw – so don’t worry about slowplayin a pair or two, betting is best value in these games.

More to come soon!

Suited connectors and small pairs are great hidden hands. If you hit the flop with a straight or a flush or trips, these hands can be very profitable. You need to understand that about 85% of the time this will not happen. But when it does you can use it to your advantage and rally clean up.

The ‘Rule of 5 and 10’ is a good rough guide for whether to call with these marginal hands.

1. If it costs you less than 5% of your stack pre flop then you should usually play.
2. If it costs you more than 10% of your stack pre flop you should usually fold.
3. If it costs you in-between these amounts then use your table knowledge to make the call.

When you are in the awkward in between stage of whether to call or fold you need to use all those notes you should have been making since the beginning of play. A good position on the table late or on the button is a good place to call. If the player making the raise is very tight and they suddenly raise 5 time the BB preflop this would be a red flag to fold.