While I still mainly play HU SnG’s, I have started to dabble in a little 1/2 HU cash on Full Tilt. These games are tougher for me to play because of how much $$$ you can win/lose in a short period of time. I’m not yet totally comfortable playing pots this big. With SnG’s you are playing for a fixed amount, so it’s a little easier for me to handle mentally. Here is a hand I played earlier today where my opponent overplayed his hand and was lucky enough for him to shove on the river. Here is how the hand went:

- I raise to $4 on the button
- He reraises to $14, I call
- He makes a pot size bet on the flop, I call
- He makes a pot size bet on the turn, I call
- He shoves it all in ($250 or so) on the riv, I call.

I’m not quite sure what he was trying to do with the river bet. I’m guessing he was just tilting and not thinking through the hand. Even if he put me on a Jack, the only way his river bet gets called is if he’s beat. Why not bet $75 on the riv to either represent the King or maybe get paid off by the Jack?? If I then shove on him (obv telling him I have the King), he can still fold. Lucky for me, QQ was probably the best hand he had seen in a long time and he was ready to go broke with it. I actually thought about folding on the turn, and was relieved when the board paired on the riv, figuring we would be splitting the pot. I will take it- because you know next time my opponent will turn over pocket 3’s!!! LOL

Hey guys, a bunch of people have been emailing wanting to play some cards and I am ready- let’s do it. I will be playing most of the day on Full Tilt under the name breto42. Come track me down and let’s play!!! Although, if you’re really good, please don’t play against me haha jk. I am probably just going to start off EB-style grinding the cash games. Hope to see you guys at the tables!

Oh, thanks to all the Mediocre Poker Radio fans who were hanging out at our Junkies Spring Break Party last night. Over 1,000 people were at The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA. The majority were Junkies fans, but there was also a ton of people letting EB and I know how much they enjoy Mediocre Poker Radio as well. Thanks guys….really cool!!!

I cannot wait for our next two interviews.  Both of these guys have played the biggest cash games in the entire world.  Let us know if there are any specific questions you would like asked and hopefully we can work them in.  Thank you for listening to the show!!!!

This Week: Haseeb “INTERNET POKERS” Qureshi

Next Week: Brian Townsend

Hey guys- here is a video I made last night of me playing a $55 turbo heads-up sit and go.  You will hear my thought process and how I approach these matches.  Since I mainly play HU S&G’s I do think I have an advantage although I am obviously not a poker pro and I’m sure there are many leaks in my game and thinking.  I made the video in the same style as Bluefirepoker.com or Cardrunners.com or .  Let me know what you think.  Oh, I also made other videos which are longer…just gotta figure out how to get them on the web without using nubbins youtube.  If anyone reading this is interested in making a vid, it’s actually really easy.  Shoot me an email and I can walk you through how to do it.  We’ll post it on the site and we can critique each others play and maybe learn a thing or two.  Thx for watching….

Just wanted to share a cool experience I had over the weekend.  The Washington Caps asked me to come on-ice during the 2nd intermission of their game against the Panthers and host an on-ice contest and promote the radio shows (Mediocre Poker Radio and The Junks).  I agreed to do it, but going in I was definitely a little nervous to be on mic in front of a near sell out crowd of 18,277.  As the second period ended (along with my vodka-tonic) I made my way onto the ice and realized that I was perfectly comfortable and wasn’t intimidated at all.  In fact, I had a great time and the Caps marketing dept said they were really happy with how it went.  Being in front of all those people was sorta strange, almost like there were so many people that the insecurity of being goofed on by a single person went right out the window.  In college, I was a substitute teacher during my breaks in school and I found it much tougher to speak to a class of 25-30 students.  Not sure why that is or what that means.  Regardless, it was a blast and I look forward to doing it again. 

After the game, I thought I was running good in life until me and my 2 boys tried to get into the Shadow Room in DC.  It’s the place to be and where all the celebs/athletes go when in town.  Guess I thought I was Bret Jenner for a moment.  Then….PWNED at the door. HAHA.  I told the story Monday morning on The Junks.  Click here to listen.  UPDATE: Shadow Room owners emailed me out of nowhere (they happen to be fans of the show) and thought the story was hilarious.  I guess they liked the pub.  I have his cell now so hopefully I won’t have to do the walk of shame away from the club anymore.  Stephen and Swaptak (owners) seem like good dudes.

Don’t forget to check out the show TONIGHT after the Maryland- Ga Tech game at 10pm on 106.7FM WJFK in Washington, DC and STREAMING LIVE on WJFK.COM.  The podcast will be available to download tomorrow morning.  Cole was a great guest and we touched on a ton of topics including his lifestyle away from the poker table, being content to crush the 25/50NL games, the players he would least want to see at the table, his $1800 book, playing big live vs online, the upcoming Poker After Dark he’s featured in and a ton more.  The interview was an hour and a half long….so sick.  Thanks again to Cole for coming and and Ezra at Cardrunners for making it happen.  Hope you guys enjoy it. 

BTW we also video taped a bunch of the interview if you’d rather watch/listen that way.

From time to time we get cool celebs/athletes coming through the radio station.  We’ve met and interviewed Magic Johnson, Cal Ripken, Ludacris, Jay-Z, Evander Holyfield, Porn Stars and more.  Last Thursday Vida Guerra was at the station with her ripe ass.  However, I must admitt that I had more butterflies meeting and taking a pic with Cole South.  No homo….

AA- CTS

QQ- Vida Guerra

AK off- Porn star Jesse Jane

Hey guys, I made this video of me playing a $33 Heads-Up match on FTP about a year ago.  I just found it on my computer and I figured out a way to post it.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  I’m happy with the quality but I think my analysis could have been a little more in depth.  If people are into it, I will post some more.  Thanks for checking it out.

VIDEO OF $33 HU MATCH

The more I play heads up sit and go’s I realize what a true advantage that being the aggressor really is. Don’t get me wrong, blind aggression with no understanding of when to reign it in will ultimately felt you, but learning and forcing yourself to be aggressive when playing shorthanded will only improve your game. There’s a reason why the top money winners and best players in the world are hyper aggressive shorthanded players. Just think about it, who would you rather play against at the poker table- a player constantly putting you to the test and forcing you to make difficult decisions for all the chips, or a passive player who only plays the nuts, folds to almost any raise, and strictly bets with a made hand? It’s a no brainer.

Yesterday, I was giving Lurch advice while he was playing an $88 sit and go trying to get him to open his game up and make a few aggressive plays that are against his nature. Small, calculated moves that I thought would make him be a tougher player to play against. He was consistently raising pre-flop, continuation betting more frequently, re-raising when he sensed weakness, and shoving with the best of it. This style is much different that how he is used to playing. Lurch has a tendency to just play his cards, wait for premium hands, and fold his marginal hands to aggressive players. This style works well for him well in the 9-man sit and gos, where just cashing is the goal, but a 1 on 1 winner-take-all tournament requires a different style of play.

We started off the match picking up chips and and controlling the tempo, raising 90% of our hands pre-flop, while our opponent was folding to these raises and often times folding his button which is definitely not the way to play. We then made one mistake on a K, 2, 4, 9 rainbow board. We flat called on the flop out of position with 6-4 off with the intentions of check raising on the turn. The 9 fell, our opponent made a small-ish turn bet and we put in a check raise, feeling like we could pick up a decent pot (representing a K) and have our opponent crippled. Well, it didn’t work and he instashoved on us and we found ourselves with half the chips of our opponent.

We didn’t let his chip lead take away from our goal of staying aggressive and picking up chips whenever possible. We continued applying pressure and 15 hands later we found ourselves with a slight chip lead. All this while not risking too much, just grinding away with controlled aggression. We could sense that our opponent was getting frustrated and we were waiting for him to take a stand to our aggression and make a big mistake. Sure enough, with the blinds 30-60 and a 1750-1250 chip lead we were dealt QQ on the button. We min-raised preflop and our opponent moved all in over the top with 55. The board was kind to us and we walked away a winner.

His shove wasn’t the worst ever, but I really think he only made that play because of our constant aggression throughout the match. If we played a more passive style throughout the match, maybe he just 3-bets us with the fives, we move all-in, and he lays down the hand to fight another day?? I believe our play forced him into a tough spot and ultimately making a bad decision.

The tips I was giving Lurch:

1. Be the aggressor from the first hand

2. Take control of the match

3. Pick up free chips whenever possible

4. Force your opponent into making bad decisions

5. Turn up the aggression when the blinds get high (you will be surprised how many players will let themselves get shortstacked by not playing back at you)

6. Get it in with the best of it and hope it holds up!

**** By no means am I an expert- these are just my general thoughts on heads up play.  Feel free to comment or criticize my thought process.  Thanks for reading.****