Every time I’ve been abroad to play poker on holiday in Vegas or in the Ireland UKIPTs I always feel like I’m losing loads of money exchanging cash every time I go and come back. As you travel the poker circuit a lot do you have a better way of dealing in all this foreign currency without being screwed over by the banks?
Ed Cardew
When I first started playing I didn’t know a lot of players around me so was in the same situation. You can really get screwed over if you’re constantly changing money at the casino desk or via banks. As time has gone on I’ve been lucky enough to know all the players around me. If you can get to know players on the circuit then it’s better to exchange currency directly with people that you trust. Be careful who you are dealing with though and try not to send money in advance of receiving any from them. It’s much better to change both at the same time. Many players advertise directly on Facebook if they want to exchange. Me and my friends always just go off the XE.com rate so that it’s fair for both sides.
I was playing a casino tournament and was completely card dead for two hours before eventually losing patience and going all-in with a suited Ace. How do you learn to cope in this sort of situation. Is there a way to play with no cards at all and still make a profit against your average casino player?
Lucas Durney
This happens a lot, in virtually every tournament you play. In these spots you can’t just lose your head and throw your chips in. you have to take it professionally and make sure you make the most of it. If I’m just hovering around the average I’ll try and pick up a few pots with the odd three-bet here and there. It’s important to do this against the right players and try to pick good spots. Don’t do it against the wrong player. It becomes tactical. If the game goes on and I can’t win any pots and drop down to 15-20 big blinds experience will really help you know when to steal the blinds or shove on somebody. If you double up just once you’re flying and really back in the tournament. You mustn’t lose your head because there are certain spots in a tournament when it will become easy for you to double up. Good timing is everything in tournament poker and you should never just throw your chips in. Never panic. When you’re short and get a few uncalled shoves through you can basically double up without showdown.
I like to play lots of live cash games but I’m unsure how to physically manage a bankroll for them. If I’m playing £1/£1 with a max buy-in of £200 then how much do you think I should take to the casino each time to cover rebuys etc?
Luke Crowther
Sometimes you need to know when to set a stop loss if you’re running bad. It can be hard to walk away if there’s a fish on the table with all the money, but once you start to reload and reload you can eventually start playing out of your depth, meaning you really start feeling the pressure. My advice is to take around £500 to the casino and buy-in with three lots of £150 or so on. If you do the lot then it’s time to get up and walk away. At the same time I’ve been in a situation where I’m playing in a really good PLO game with position on a bad player. It’s only a matter of time before he loses his money, but it might not be you who gets it. You have to play within your comfort zone.
I know you like to play lots of PLO cash games. I’m relatively new to the game – can you give me some advice on what I should do when I’m four-bet (they’ll probably have Aces) and hold semidecent hands like A-K-9-T or 5-5-6-6?
Lucy Oxley
A-K-9-T is not an amazing hand. If it’s unsuited I’d just fold, but this is somewhat dependent on who my opponent is and how deep we are. If the hand was double-suited then I’m likely to play. I’d much prefer to take away the Ace and have a hand like 9-T-J-Q to avoid domination issues. If you do hit a pair with an Ace in your hand it can be tough to know whether to go with the hand or not. 5-5-6-6 is good to peel if you’re certain your opponent has Aces. If you hit a set you know where you are and how to play the hand.
I was playing a very fast-paced online MTT the other day and had 30BBs when I min-raised the button with K-7. The small blind shoved on me – he had 18BBs – and he’d done it four times in the last few levels. Should I call here or can I fold and wait for a better spot?
Rich Newall
This is definitely not a call. If the guy is making lots of moves then you need to slow down yourself and only open hands that you are going to be comfortable calling a shove with. The other player is not going to be stupid and he’s even more likely to have it if it’s the fourth or fifth time he has shoved. If you held A-7 the decision would be closer. Clever opponents will make this same move with really strong hands too as they know it’s hard for you to call. It’s not bad to just fold the button sometimes if you are afraid you’ll be shoved on when you raise preflop.
Romanello’s tip of the month
When players are doing well in poker they always want to step up and play a bigger tournament like a UKIPT or EPT. It’s very important to think before you make any decisions to put in a large chunk of your bankroll to play these tournaments. I’ve seen a lot of players come and go on the circuit because they have put a lot of money into these big live tournaments and no matter how good you are the chances are you might now even cash. My advice is to always look to satellite your way into these tournaments so the pressure is off and you can play your A-game. This way you can be aggressive in certain spots, just go for it and not worry about how much it will hit your pocket if you get it wrong. Always be careful and try to get your flights, accommodation and seat in the bag before you go.
