What you will learn from this book

Poker in General
Poker Strategy
Tournament Poker
No Limit Holdem (The Cadillac of Poker games)
Table Image
Big Pairs (AA/KK)
How to Play a Pair of Queens
How to Play Any Pair other than Aces,Kings or Queens
How to Play Small Connecting Cards Before the Flop
Borderline or Trouble Hands
Trash Hands
Short-Handed Play

Poker in General

• Poker is a game of people. That’s the most important lesson you should learn from Brunson’s book.
• This is one of the best poker books written. It is probably the best texas holdem poker book written.
  
• When you’re able to put your opponent on exactly the hand he’s playing(because you know him almost as well as he knows himself) you can select the best strategy possible for that particular Poker situation. When you reach that level of skill, you’ll be a complete player.
• PAY ATTENTION…and it will pay you.
• A man’s true feelings come out in a Poker game.
• Play aggresively it’s the winning way.
• A "solid" player is a player who’s tight about entering a pot in the firstplace … but after he enters the pot he becomes aggressive.
• Timid players don’t win in high stakes Poker.
• TELLS - look for them…and you’ll find them.
• When I’m playing in a big pot, I won’t let anyone involve me in conversation.
• Don’t borrow from anyone you don’t want to loan money to.
• Be As Competitive As You Can Be.
• I go into a Poker game with the idea of completely destroying it.
• Play mostly tight in a loose game, and mostly loose in a tight game.
• Poker is more art than science, and that’s what makes it so difficult to master. Knowing what to do the science is about 10% of the game. Knowing how to do it the art is the other 90%. You not only have to know when to bet, when to raise, and when to fold…you also have to be able to do those things with a certain finesse.
• Over a long period of time, the worst player in the world is going to catch just as many good cards as the best player in the world.

  
  

Poker Strategy

• In Limit Poker, you must show down the best hand most of the time to win. In No Limit, on the other hand, you more often than not take a pot without ever showing your hand.
• Always play for Chips, rather than cash. Chips are easier to win. A $5 chip is the same size as a $500 chip it’s just not the same color. If you bet a man $20,000 in $500 chips, that’s only forty chips, two stacks. But if you bet him $20,000 in $100 bills, it would be a big pile of money, and would tend to freeze him up.
• Courage is one of the outstanding characteristics of a really top player. It’s important because some people completely break down when they lose a big pot, and they play very badly after that. Whereas other men play just that much harder.
• Come to the table with enough time to stay and play a while.
• No top player drinks while playing. Nor do we let our minds dwell on personal problems when we’re playing. You should make a conscious and constant effort to discover any leaks in your play and…then eliminate them. If you discover you’re playing too many pots…tighten up. Other times you may need to play more pots.
• Allowing your confidence to be shaken can turn a simple losing streak into a terrible case of going bad.
• Never play when you’re upset.

Tournament Poker

• Tournament poker strategy differs from the strategy of ordinary play.
• Try to avoid playing big pots until the field narrows substantially. Then later, after the field had been cut to a few players, playe more aggressively, and try to get players to jeopardize all their checks at every opportunity.
• It should go without saying that you should mentally train for a Poker tournament. You wouldn’t go into a Basketball or Golf tournament without working on your game first and you should give the same consideration to a Pokerr tournament. You sit down alone, you concentrate, and when the first tournament hand is dealt … you’re playing for keeps.
• When you’re in a tournament, and it becomes obvious to you that you’re probably going to lose, I think it’s best to die with a bang, rather than a whimper. Go out playing with courage, instead of playing tight and meekly.
• BE COMPETITIVE with Class. When you do get into those side games, I hope you’ll remember not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. A lot of people who come to tournaments don’t really have much chance of going home winner. They’re people who like to play high, largely for the enjoyment, and are willing to pay for the pleasure.

No Limit Holdem (The Cadillac of Poker games)

• It comes to a point where you have to take a chance. If you want to be a winner a big winner at No Limit Hold ‘em … you can’t play a solid, safe game. You must get in there and gamble.
• You should never start out bluffing at a pot and keep bluffing at it without an Out.
• It’s possible to turn a double belly buster with any two cards that are part of a Straight such as a 7 6, 8 6, 9 6 and a 10 6. Also, two cards with five gaps between them such as a Q 6 can also turn a double belly buster draw.
• An easy way to determine whether your Straight is the nuts is by using one of the following observations.
  You’ll have the nut Straight if:

  1. the high end of the Straight is made up with the highest card in your hand; or
  2. the high end of the highest possible Straight is already on the Board.

• Before you decide to draw to a belly buster, you also want to feel reasonably certain that your opponent is going to gamble with you if you do make it. I mean, they’re good plays … but only if you can win a big pot if you make your longshot. So you want your opponent to have the best hand possible on the Board.
• All good Poker players have tremendous recall. They reach back into the depths of their mind and remember what a certain guy did in a similar situation. A good player might not realize what he’s doing … and he might not know exactly what it is … but he feels he can make a real big play or make a super call when he feels a guy’s bluffing. The vibrations are definitely there. He just knows it.
• You’ll have to be able to categorize your opponents as to the quality of their play … and you’ll have to play very differently against strong players than you do against weaker ones. This is of crucial importance in No- Limit play.
• Against a low grade player … you simply make the obvious play. That is, you don’t try to get fancy when you’re in a pot with a weak player. You don’t try to make subtle moves that’ll be far beyond his capacity to understand or appreciate. You play fundamentally better (rather than strategically better) than a weak player. In a word, you outplay him.
• Against a higher grade player … (someone who could be thinking along the same lines as you)…you must mix up your play. Sometimes you make an obvious play against a strong player (as you always would against a weak player) … and sometimes you go at it another way and make a play that’s not so obvious. Most of the time … you have to put a play on (outmanoeuvre) a strong player.
• In No Limit play, you must be very careful you don’t lose all your chips in an unraised pot.
• An important point for you to remember is that in a judgement situation you’re always better off sticking to your first impression. Once you decide what a man’s most likely to have especially in No Limit play you should never change your mind. You’ll probably be right the first time … so don’t try to second guess yourself.
• That has always been the key to No Limit play as far as I’m concerned. I want to put my opponent to a decision for all his chips.
• Always remember … No Limit Hold ‘em is a game of position and people.

Table Image

• You never want to get yourself stuck in an identifiable pattern. You must mix up your play. If you do … you’ll always keep your opponents guessing.
• You also want to create an image… the image of a loose, gambling type of player who gives a lot of action. But, it has to be the image of a good loose player not the image of a fool who’s throwing a party (giving his money away).
• Since you’ll most likely get off loser if you play as I recommend and start plunging around (playing very loose) almost as soon as you begin to play … you’ll have to gear down (start playing tight) after you’ve laid your (image creating) groundwork. Then you’ll start playing loose again.. and you’ll continue to vary your speed throughout the session.
• You’ll also want to adjust your speed to the varying speeds of particular players. If there’s a guy in the game who’s speeding around …then you do exactly the opposite by gearing down - and remember to play only solid hands against him. On the other hand, if you notice that a certain player is playing real tight… then you can start bluffing at him.
• The game itself might dictate the speed at which you’ll have to play. If everyone is playing real loose and all the pots are being jammed … then you start playing real tight. Conversely, when the game’s so tight you can hear it squeaking … you should play loose and pick up all the pots you can.
• When players start dropping out of the game (and their seats remain vacant) … you have to move into "high gear". As I said, you can’t sit back and wait in a short handed game. If you do, the ante will get you because the good hands don’t come often enough. So you must play …or you might as well quit the game.
• And, of course, there’s the ante. That’s the main thing that determines how fast you play. Actually, the absolute size of the ante is not what’s important. It’s the relationship of the ante to the amount of money you have. A $10 ante in a No Limit game would be quite high if all you had was $500. But, if you had $5000 … that $10 ante would be very low. In the first (high ante) game … you’d have to play pretty fast. You could slow down considerably in the latter (low ante) game.

Specific Hands

Big Pairs (AA/KK)

• With a Pair of Aces or Kings in an early position before the Flop. . .I would probably limp in with them (just call the Blind) hoping that somebody would raise it behind me so I could re raise.
• In a late position, I’d obviously raise with them and hope that somebody trailed their hand around to me that is, slow-played their hand so they could re raise me.
• AA and KK how to play on the Flop In a nine handed game, when you have two Kings, the probability that no other player has an Ace is about 20% … or, a player will havean Ace about 80% of the time. (See "Hold ‘em Absence of Aces before the Flop … by numbers of players.’) 2. Also, an Ace (with two unpaired cards less then Kings) will flop about 18% of the time.
• In brief … you don’t give free cards where that free card could break you. If there’s a possible Straight or Flush draw on Board … you don’t give a free card.
• What it all boils down to is that with a Pair of Aces or Kings … you’re waiting until you get kind of a cinch hand before you really play a big pot.You’re not looking to play a big pot where you might have only a small percentage the best of it or one where you’re a big underdog.
• In general, with those big Pairs on the Flop … you play them a little more aggressively from a late position than from an early position. Also, you shouldn’t be concerned that someone might be checking the nuts to you.
• The fact is, with a Pair of Aces or Kings … one of two things will usually happen. Either:

  1. You’ll win a small pot or
  
  2. You’ll lose a big pot

• You should always remember that the Flop is practically the whole game in Hold ‘em. That’s where your major decisions will be made. The play on Fourth St. and Fifth St. is pretty basic.

Big Pairs (AK)

• I’d rather have Ace King than either a Pair of Aces or a Pair of Kings. A lot of players will probably find that surprising. But it’s not.
• An A K is a "better" hand than two Aces or two Kings for two very important reasons:

  1. You’ll win more money when you make a hand with it; and

  2. You’ll lose less money when you miss a hand with it.

• The reason why you can make more money with an A K than with two Aces (or Kings) is because it’s a drawing type of hand as opposed to a made hand. I mean, you don’t have anything with an A K unless you flop something. So you can get away from it real easy. You’re not tied on to it like you might be with a Pair of Aces (or Kings). And that’s why you’ll lose less money with it.
• There’s also a big difference between A K suited and A K offsuit. (Any time the cards are suited it’s a somewhat stronger hand than when they’re offsuit. This is especially true with A K because you can make the nut Flush.)
• The important thing to remember is that anytime there’s a possible draw on the Flop … you should almost never check you should almost always bet.

How to Play a Pair of Queens

• When I get two Queens in the pocket … I play them very carefully. I try not to play them too strongly from any position. Unless a good situation arises … I don’t want to move in before the Turn with two Queens.
• If you’re up against two Aces or two Kings with a Pair of Queens … you’re about a 41/2 to 1 underdog. And, if you’re up against A K … you’re only a little better than a 6 to 5 favorite.
• So, your money’s in a lot of jeopardy when you get it all in before the Turn with two Queens. If you get called, you’ll usually be up against A A, K K or A K … in which case you’ll be a big dog or just a small favorite.
• If either an Ace or a King came on the Flop … I’d play the hand as slowly as possible. If anybody bet with any degree of authority … I’d probably give them the pot.
• Keeping these differences in mind, you can play two Queens on the Flop, Fourth and Fifth as if they were Aces or Kings.

How to Play Any Pair other than Aces,Kings or Queens

• Progressively, then, each Pair is a little bit better than the others … but I play them all as if they were a small Pair.
• I’d almost always take a Turn with any small Pair. I’d be trying to turn a Set so I could break somebody.
• I’d never stand a re-raise when I have a small Pair before the flop. I won’t take any pressure with them. If someone puts a play on me … I throw them away.
• When you don’t help your small Pair on the Flop … the important points to remember are these:

  1. You’re through with them, if you just called before the Flop … and you don’t put any more money in the pot from there on; and

  2. If you raised with them, you should generally bet on the Flop trying to win a small pot, but, if you get called … you don’t want to bet again (on Fourth and Fifth) and you try to play showdown from thatpoint on - unless you think your opponent is on a draw, in which case you continue betting; and

  3. If you get re-raised … you throw away your hand.

• If you turn a Set in a raised pot … it’s practically impossible to get away from it. I defy anybody, anybody, to turn a Set and get away from it if the pot was raised originally.
• If I raised it before the Flop and I turn a Set … and a guy beats them … well,he’s going to win a real big pot from me. If we don’t get it all-in on the Flop… we’ll surely be down to the Green (no chips or money left) when all thecards are out.

How to Play Small Connecting Cards Before the Flop

• This is the hand I’m looking for when I play No-Limit Hold ‘em. Small connecting cards (suited) - the 7c-6c, 8h-7h, 5d-4d. That’s the kind of hand I want. It’s my favorite. And when I get it … I want my opponent to have two Aces or two Kings and to believe (as I don’t) that he should play them slow. If he holds that opinion he’ll give me the opportunity to get a Turn. And if I do … I can break him.
• Small connecting cards are a hand that’s not designed to put a whole lot of money in with before the Flop. It is a hand that’s designed to take a lot of Flops with. You want to get a Turn with them to try to make a little Straight, a little Set of Threes, a little Two-Pair … or something.
• The beautiful part about having the small connecting cards is that if you don’t get any help.. you throw them away. If the Turn comes 9-9-2, for example, you don’t get involved with a 7-6. You’re through.
• I’m not going to take two small connecting cards and try to beat two Kings, A-K and so forth when I can’t win anything if I get a Turn. So, in a case like that, I throw my hand away.
• I’m never going to call a bet when I miss my hand completely. But, I might play back at a guy who I think’s putting a play on me.
• With any good Flop to small connecting cards … I’d play the hand as if it was complete - whether it was or not. I’d lead with the hand in an early position … and I’d raise in a late position.
• I’d play the hand to get all my money in the center to start with - even if I turned a Pair with a draw. In the latter case, I’d play it that way because I’d have two chances to win it … when I bet or raise (and my opponent throws his hand away) - or when I improve (if my bet or raise is called). Naturally, you’ll be in some jeopardy - even when you get a very good Flop. But, you’re almost always in some jeopardy. So you can’t worry about somebody having the nuts all the time. If you did … you never would get to play a pot.
• You should constantly be trying to get as much value for your hand as you can. And the way you do that is to bet.
• If I made my hand early. ..I’m not going to try to sell him anything - I’m going to try to break him.
• If I made my hand late and I haven’t been charged a lot of money to make it (like it was checked on the Flop and there was a small bet on Fourth and I make the nuts (in the end) … well, then I’m not going to try to break him - because he probably won’t call a big bet. Then, I’d try to sell my hand for whatever I thought I could get for it.

Borderline or Trouble Hands

• TROUBLE HANDS (only when offsuit) Ace-Queen King-Queen Queen Jack Jack-Ten Ace-Jack King-Jack Queen-Ten Nine-Eight Ace-Ten King-Ten
• Two Important qualifications are that I don’t consider the trouble hands borderline when:

  (1) they’re suited; and

  (2) I get them In a short-handed game. As you’ll learn, Brunson defines a shorthanded game as one with four players or lost and in such a game the trouble hands are actually big hands.

• The reason why you have to be so careful with those hands is because with every one of them you might be up against a hand where you’d be almost dead. Most players consider A-A, K-K or A-K to be the best raising hands … so there’s a good possibility the raiser has one of those three hands. True, you can’t always assume that … but it’s always in the back of your mind. So, if you’ve got A-Q, A-J or A-10 … and you’re up against A-A, K-K or A-K … you’ve got a terrible hand.
• It’s extremely hard to win a big pot with those hands (offsuited) when you’ve called a raise. They’re definitely trouble hands. You’re much more likely to lose a big pot with them than you are to win a big pot with them. Even when I make a Pair with them on the Flop … I play them extremely cautiously - or about the same way I’d play when I had a Pair of Aces or Kings in the pocket.
• The important point to remember about the trouble hands is when you do get a Flop to them you don’t want to get heavily involved. You should just try to play the pot as cheaply as possible.

Trash Hands

• With the exception of an Ace or a King with any suited card … I consider any hand I haven’t already discussed to be a trash hand. An Ac-8c or a Kh-4h are hands that I put in the same category as the small connecting cards and I play them approximately the same way.
• However, the trouble hands suited or offsuit should be played the came way - slowly - unless you Flop a Flush or a Flush draw. Then, you can show some speed.
• I always make exceptions when I’m in position - even with the trash hands.
• I’d even raise with a trash hand if I was in position. More than that … I’d play it fast after the Flop, too.
• Other than the exceptional situations I discussed, trash hands are just not playable.

Short-Handed Play

• in a short-handed game, the trouble hands all become playable from almost any position. Also, position is probably the most important thing in a short-handed game.
• The reason that’s so is because you get to look at more cards and have to play more hands than you would in a Ring game. You also play your position more than your cards in a short-handed game.
• You simply play more in line with a big-card theory in a short-handed game. I mean, the bigger your cards are … the better hand you’ll have. For instance, two Aces or two Kings is just a mountain in a short-handed game … and you could play them real fast. But, in a Ring game, you might play either hand a lot slower because there could be a lot of people taking a Turn to beat those big Pairs. That wouldn’t be the case in a short-handed game. Consequently, they’re much more valuable hands than they are in a Ring game. What you’re trying to catch in a short-handed game is big cards in position.

Conclusion

• One of the best poker books ever written.

  After reading Doyle Brunson’s book, “Super System”, my outlook on the game of No-Limit Hold’em changed.  I took away three main points that were illustrated above.

  1) Play Small Suited-Connectors
  Playing small suited-connectors is Doyle Brunson’s bread and butter for No-Limit Hold’em. Most of these hands don’t show up on the Hand Groupings charts, but are definitely worth playing.  Doyle made a career out of them.

  2) Bet Aggressively
  Nothing will make you more money in the game of No-Limit Hold’em than constantly being the aggressor.  Once the other players fear your aggressiveness, they willl just give you pots.

  3) Bluff in Betting Situations
  If you raise pre-flop and totally miss your hand, you don’t necessarily have to give up the pot.  Raise again and see what happens.  If someone DOES have the hand you are representing, they will usually, and foolishly, show you they have it, and allow you out of the pot anyway.

  These bits of wisdom helped change a lot of my strategy in No-Limit Hold’em, and that’s why I passed them on to you.  Although I disagree with the DEGREE of Brunson’s betting aggressiveness, at least in early tournament and SNG games, his beliefs are easily adapted to any no-limit game.

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