Playing the river
Whether in a tournament, or a cash game, in no-limit hold ‘em, the river is one of the most under stressed areas of play. Many people believe that if you lead on the flop, and turn, you auto-bet the river. As in everything in poker, the answer depends on the players, the situation, and the cards on board.
I would make the argument that it is not always correct to bet the river. Often times, people are calling with draws and will fold the river to any bet, other than advanced or hyper-aggressive players who will try to raise you off your hand. However, it is safe to say that 95% of players will fold their draws.
This makes it important to be able to read hands and draws on board. If an obvious flush or straight draw comes out, then I will often check the river and try to induce a bluff. Even if a player is a relatively solid, conservative player, they will understand they can’t win the pot by checking, so they will often fire off a bet that you would have missed out on by betting. Also, sometimes you save chips or money, because people who are slow-playing monsters or have made a lucky 2 pair or other hand will bet less, because they will think that you will not call a big bet. In a worst case scenario, you often lose less than you would have by betting and calling a raise.
This play often depends on the player you are playing against. You need to be able to read what a big bet from a player means. For some players, a big bet means a big hand, and for others, a big bet means a bluff, because they think that you will not call without a monster. This distinction is one that only can be made on the felt. In a tournament or a cash game, usually these kinds of plays have huge value outside the hand, because if you call a huge bluff bet, people at the table will be less apt to bluff you, and you can fold marginal hands. The player who bluffs and is caught often has a tendency to go on tilt as well which is invaluable in any game.
It is very important to remember this in reverse too when you are the player who has position on the river. Beware the player who will induce the bluff. Sometimes, a small “crying call” bet is the proper play in this position. Good players will often fold a pot for 1/2 pot bet in this situation that they would flash-call an all-in for, because of their thinking of what they would do in this situation. So in general, against good players, I limit river bluffs when checked to when no obvious draw comes in. However, this also makes very useful bluffs with position when flush, open-ended straight, and 4 to a straight draws come in, as well as the river pairing the 2nd highest card.
Most people stress how important position is in no-limit hold ‘em and I agree with this 100%, but this is one of the few instances that being out of position can actually be more profitable than having the button.
Full Tilt banned software
Before you begin playing on any poker site be sure to learn what software is allowed to be used while you are playing. Full Tilt Poker allows software that fit into five different categories. They also have a list of software that has been banned for use while playing, but may be acceptable when you are not playing. Finally there is a list of software that is 100% banned from use on any computer that has the Full Tilt software.
Full Tilt allows poker software that teaches you how to play poker. Probably the most well know piece of software that falls into this category is Poker Academy Pro. Other Full Tilt allowed software includes Turbo Texas Hold ‘em, The SitNGo Wizard, and other software that simulates poker games in order to practice rules, structure and strategy.
The next type of software allowed by Full Tilt Poker is software that analyzes your personal hand histories and hand databases. This type of software is to be used only on your hand histories you are not allowed to access shared databases, purchase hand histories, or perform any type of data mining. I personally use Poker Office, other great candidates in this category are Poker Tracker, Poker Academy Prospector, and Hold em Manager.
Full Tilt allowed software to display data from a players personal hand history databases directly on the screen while playing this is often presented in a heads up display (HUD). Poker Ace HUD is one example however this software is being integrated in the newest beta versions of Poker Tracker 3. Also in this category we have GameTime+. Once again my favorite Poker Office has had this feature integrated into it as well. These types of applications allow for statistical tracking of your bankroll and the ability to spot leaks in your game. By saving hand histories and reviewing them I often find that I can save myself money and build more knowledge of my opponents tendencies.
Anything that enhances the online poker experience without adding functionality is also allowed including scripts and game filtering software. Some of this software integrates keyboard shortcuts, open tables and seats you while others create buddy lists. There are many items here including but not limited to Full Tilt Poker Shortcuts, Full Tilt Poker Custom Lobby, Full Tilt Poker Table Opener, Full Tilt Poker Planner, Full Tilt Poker Buddies and last but not least Table Ninja FT (my personal favorite).
The last category of allowed software consists of poker calculators that require the user to input values. These show odds and percentages to you to help make decisions. These can be found all over the internet and are often free. Cardplayer.com has a free Texas Hold em poker calculator.
Full Tilt banned software including any type of automated poker playing software. This type of software is unconditionally banned under all circumstances. This includes all ‘bot’ software, hand selection software and even auto-folding scripts are banned. This list of software includes (links not included for integrity’s sake) WinHoldem, OpenHoldem, ICM-Bot, Frogbot, Pokerandroid or any custom program to make decisions in place of the player.
Data mining software is also mentioned in the Full Tilt banned software list the list of affected software includes: Poker Edge, Poker Crusher, SpadeEye, IdleMiner, Hand HQ. The list also mentions community sites which share hand histories and it also prohibits sharing hand histories with friends.
Also banned under all situations is software that uses database information to select ‘soft tables’ or identify weak players. This list specifically bans Lobby Edge, Poker Usher, Sixth Sense, Poker Sherlock and Poker Table Finder. Along the same lines several websites are not permitted while playing online at Full Tilt Poker, these sites include: SharkScope, Top Shark, Smart Buddy and Poker Table Ratings. There are no restrictions on viewing these sites when the software is not open.
The last category of restricted software is not allowed to be used during game play. These programs suggest which action should be taken by the player and assist in the decision making process. For example a poker calculator that automatically imports hand data to compute odds and statistics would be banned. This category includes: Online Holdem Inspector, Poker Calculator Pro, SNG Endgame Tools (SNGEGT), Short Stacking Strategy (SSS) Calculator, SAGE Calculator, Poker Hound, and any custom built calculators that do not require the user to submit the hands manually.
Full Tilt banned software to keep the game fair for everyone. Know whats out there and what you can and should be using as well as what software to stay away from to keep your account from being banned. You should also know that Full Tilt has also included a catch all phrase in the list of prohibited programs to protect users from future software by including a ban on:
Any other type of program/software that confers an unfair advantage for the user:
If, in the judgment of Full Tilt Poker, a program provides a significant advantage for the user that could not be attained through fair play, then that program is not permitted.
If you have any doubts about the software you may be using be sure to contact Full Tilt’s customer service with your software that is not on the above list. In the mean time good luck and see you on the virtual felt.
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