The live poker spots that cost players the most
Each lesson is a real $1/$2 to $2/$5 hand, stopped at the decision, with how to think it through. Want the engine's answer? Play it in the free diagnostic.
Isolating limpers
Two players limp and you have ace-jack on the button. Limp, raise or fold?
Live $1/$3 · Limped pots are everywhere in live poker. How you play behind limpers decides whether you play big pots in position against weak players, or small multiway pots with no edge.
A calling station limps under the gun. Do you raise king-jack?
Live $1/$2 · Limping behind a weak player feels friendly and cheap. Raising is how you get heads-up with the better hand.
Facing a raise preflop
A tight player raises under the gun. Do you play king-jack on the button?
Live $1/$3 · King-jack looks like a hand you should play, especially on the button. Against the wrong range it's a hand that wins small pots and loses big ones.
An aggressive player opens the cutoff and you have ace-queen on the button. Call or 3-bet?
Live $1/$3 · Calling with strong hands keeps things simple. Against players who open wide, it can leave a lot of money behind.
A tight player raises from the hijack. Call, 3-bet or fold ace-jack suited?
Live $1/$3 · Ace-jack suited is too good to fold here. Whether to raise or call depends on which hands would call your raise.
Drawing odds and stack depth
You have a straight draw and they bet big on the turn. Is it worth chasing?
Live $1/$2 · Draws feel like they always deserve a call. Whether one does comes down to three numbers: the price, how often you hit, and how much more you can win when you do.
You have a flush draw and an aggressive player bets almost all-in. Call?
Live $1/$3 · When the money is almost all in, implied odds disappear. What's left is a straight comparison: how often you win against what this player bets.
A nit bets almost all-in on the turn and you have a flush draw. Call?
Live $1/$2 · Flush draws feel like an automatic call when the money goes in. Against a tight player with a strong range, the maths often says otherwise.
Respecting passive-player aggression
You bet top pair, and a nit check-raises the river. Now what?
Live $1/$2 · When a player who rarely raises suddenly does, that raise carries a lot of information. Most players hear it and call anyway, because top pair feels too strong to fold.
You value bet top pair and a calling station raises. Call or fold?
Live $1/$3 · You did the right thing value betting a calling station. Now the player who always calls has raised instead, and that changes everything.
An aggressive player check-raises your top pair on the turn. Fold or call?
Live $2/$5 · Folding to every big raise feels safe. Against players who raise with draws and weaker hands, it hands them the pot.
Bluff-catching against under-bluffers
Top pair on the river, and a tight player bets. Call or fold?
Live $1/$2 · One of the most expensive spots in live low-stakes poker: you have a pair that feels too good to fold, and an opponent who almost never bluffs puts money in.
A calling station suddenly bets big on the river. Call with second pair?
Live $2/$5 · Calling stations are the players you're told to value bet against. Fewer people ask what it means when one of them is the one betting.
Bluff-catching against over-bluffers
The draws missed and an aggressive player bets the river. Call or fold?
Live $1/$3 · Folding to every river bet is as costly as calling every one. Against players who like to bluff, the question is whether the bluffs are really there on this board.
A solid regular bets the river after the draws miss. Is middle pair enough?
Live $1/$2 · Against good players, folding everything but strong hands is exactly what they want. The bet size tells you how much of their range can be bluffs.
Thin value betting
Top pair, weak kicker, and they check the river. Bet or check?
Live $1/$3 · Checking back a decent hand on the river feels safe. Against the right opponent it quietly costs you money every time.
Top pair, weak kicker, and a nit checks the river. Bet or check?
Live $1/$3 · Thin value bets win against players who call with worse. Against players who only call with better, the same bet quietly loses.
You turn top pair on the river against a good player. Bet, and how much?
Live $1/$2 · Against good players, thin value is about choosing a size the worse hands can still call.
Choosing river bluffs
Your draw missed on the river. Bluff or give up?
Live $1/$3 · Missed draws can't win at showdown. Whether to bluff with one comes down to how often this opponent folds, not how much you want the pot.
Your draw missed and a calling station checks. Should you bluff?
Live $1/$3 · Bluffing feels like the only way to win with a missed draw. Against players who don't fold, it's the fastest way to lose more.
An aggressive player checks twice and the river is an ace. Bluff?
Live $1/$3 · Aggressive players love to bet. That makes their checks informative too.
Raising the river for value
You make a set on the river and they bet into you. Call or raise?
Live $1/$3 · Just calling with a very strong hand feels safe. Against players who call too much, it often leaves money on the table.
You have two pair and a nit leads the river. Raise for value?
Live $2/$5 · Raising a good hand feels like maximising value. It only works if worse hands call the raise.
You have a set and a good player bets big on the river. Call or raise?
Live $1/$2 · Sets feel like hands you should always raise. On some boards and against some players, a call wins more.
Sizing value bets
You have two pair on the river. How much should you bet?
Live $2/$5 · Most live players bet the same size whatever the opponent. Matching your size to how the player calls is one of the easiest ways to win more with your good hands.
You have top two pair and a nit checks the river. Big bet or small?
Live $1/$3 · A strong hand feels like it deserves a big bet. Against players who fold most of their range to big bets, size works differently.
You make a set on the river and an aggressive player checks. How much do you bet?
Live $1/$2 · When you make a very strong hand, the only question is how to get the most money in. That depends on how wide the opponent calls.
Leading the river for value
You have top two pair on the river in the big blind. Bet first, or check to the raiser?
Live $1/$3 · Out of position, many players check their strong hands and hope the raiser bets. Against players who rarely bet, that hope costs money.
You flop a set in the big blind and the turn checks through. Lead the river?
Live $1/$3 · A turn check from the raiser can tempt you to check again and "let them bet". Against passive players, that usually means nobody bets.
Bluff-raising the river
Your flush draw missed and an aggressive player bets the river. Fold or raise?
Live $1/$3 · With a missed draw, folding to a river bet feels automatic. Sometimes the line tells you the bettor can't stand a raise.
Your draws missed and a calling station bets the river. Is a raise a bluff that works?
Live $1/$3 · A raise represents a monster. That only matters to opponents who can let a hand go.
Facing river overbets
A tight player bets more than the pot on the river. Call with top pair?
Live $1/$2 · An overbet gives you a worse price than usual, so you need to be right more often. From most live players, it also tells you a lot about their hand.
An aggressive player bets twice the pot on the river. Call with top pair?
Live $1/$2 · Huge bets scare most players into folding, which is exactly why some opponents make them as bluffs.