To become a winning poker player, you are going to have to master the basic fundamentals of the game first. Does your poker game have the right foundations? Find out in our testing quiz…
1. Pick up and play
Players: 9 Blinds: $0.10/$0.20 Your stack: $20 Your hand: K♣-K♦
You get dealt pocket Kings UTG+1. It’s folded to you. What should you do?
- a) Limp in
- b) Min-raise to $0.40
- c) Raise to $0.60
- d) Raise to $5
2. Trip me up
Players 9 Blinds $0.10/$0.20 Your stack $20 Your hand K♣-K♦
In that same hand you raised preflop and got called by the blinds. The flop is A♠-K♠-8♥. Both players check to you and the pot size is $1.80. What should you do?
- a) Check behind for deception
- b) Bet full pot
- c) Bet $1.40
- d) Move all-in
3. Suits you?
Players 9 Blinds 500/1,000/a50 Your stack 13,000 Your hand 7♣-6♣
You’re short-stacked in a tournament and have 7-6 suited in the big blind. The cutoff raises to 2,500, the button calls and now the decision is on you. What should you do?
- a) Fold
- b) Call and see a flop
- c) Three-bet to 6,000
- d) Move all-in
4. Take the call
Players 6 Blinds 10,000/20,000 Your stack 400,000 Your hand A♣-8♥
It’s deep in a live six-max tournament and you’re nearing the final table. It’s folded to the small blind, an aggressive young player, who moves all-in for 250,000. You have A-8. What should you do?
- a) Fold
- b) Call
5. Bubbling up
Players 5 Blinds 300/600 Your stack 12,000 Your hand A♣-A♥
You’re on the bubble of a satellite to win a package into a UKIPT main event. Four players are paid and five remain. A short-stacked player shoves for 3,200.
The chip leader, with 30,000 chips, calls. You have pocket Aces in the big blind.
What should you do?
- a) Fold
- b) Call
- c) Raise to 6,000
- d) Move all-in
Quick-fire round
6) Why is it important to always play for the win in a multi-table tournament?
- a) So that you can collect trophies
- b) To gain more Twitter followers
- c) That’s where the majority of the prizepool is
- d) Playing aggressively is more fun
7) What should you never do when playing poker?
- a) Slowroll the nuts
- b) Trash talk
- c) Fold out of turn
- d) All of the above
8) If you are new to live poker what can you do to avoid giving off tells?
- a) Stay silent and act deliberately
- b) Drink seven pints
- c) Constantly tweet
- d) Always ask players what they have during a hand
9) What adjustments should you make when moving from full ring to six-max?
- a) Play tighter
- b) Play the same
- c) Play more loose-aggressively
- d) Use the chat box more
10) You’ve mastered the basics and you want to turn pro. What should you do first?
- a) Change your mind – being a pro is not easy!
- b) Prepare a plan B in case it all goes wrong
- c) Play on for a longer period to make sure you’re not just running good
- d) All of the above options are valid
Answers
- 1 c) Raise to $0.60.
Many players are tempted to slowplay big hands by limping in so they can then reraise if someone else opens the betting. Unless there are exceptional circumstances this is a mistake. It’s much better just to raise yourself in an attempt to build a pot and narrow the field. If you limp instead you could see the flop multi-way (putting your Kings at risk of being cracked). - 2 c) Bet $1.40.
It’s important not to slowplay in situations like this. Yes, your hand is very strong but it’s also important that you are aware of the ways in that your hand is also vulnerable. Your opponents may have flush or straight draws and you definitely want to charge those to see the turn and river. Also, given that two other players are in the pot there’s a fair chance of one of them having an Ace – if you bet you will be able to get value from your set of Kings. If you check, you just waste a potential street of value. - 3 a) Fold.
When playing tournaments it’s crucial to always be aware of your stack size and how this impacts on how you must play. 7-6 suited is a great hand when deep-stacked but trash when you only have 13BBs. You could squeeze all-in here but you’re likely to be called as the other two players will be getting a good price – it’s much better just to fold and wait for a spot where you are the one shoving. - 4 b) Call.
It may seem too loose to be calling off a large portion of your stack with A-8 but you have to take chances when late in a tournament and go for the win. A-8 is ahead of an aggressive opponent’s shoving range and while you may sometimes be behind, you’ll often be dominating or racing with him for a chance to get a big stack. - 5 a) Fold.
When playing satellites it’s key to remember that you are only trying to win the prize and not the whole tournament. You’re in a great spot here to secure a seat without any risk – you must fold even a hand as strong as Aces. - 6 c) That’s where the majority of the prizepool is.
In any MTT the top three spots will house most of the prizepool. It will be far more profitable to win two tourneys than to min-cash in 20. - 7 d) All of the above.
Players will give you the benefit of the doubt when you are new but it is important to pay attention to the unwritten rules of the game – otherwise you’ll quickly make enemies at the table! - 8 a) Stay silent and act deliberately.
Many new players make the mistake of being too chatty at the table. Perceptive opponents may be able to use this against you. While it’s important to have fun at the table it will be in your best interests to keep it shut if you want to avoid giving off tells. - 9 c) Play more loose-aggressively.
It’s important to open up your game when there are less players at the table. Relative hand strengths go down so a hand like A-Q suddenly becomes a monster. - 10 d) All of the above options are valid.
There are tons of factors that you must consider before making the big jump to becoming a professional poker player. It’s not an easy life and most aspiring pros fail within the first few years.
Good luck if you take your shot!
Your score
0-4 Back to basics
Stick to the micro- stakes – you still have a lot to learn.
5-7 Basic training
You’re clearly familiar with some of the fundamentals but take it slowly
8-10 Basic instinct
You’ve mastered the basics and it’s time to take your game to the next level
Subscribe to PokerPlayer magazine today for just £12.99 and get winning strategy each and every month.
