Watch as Fearless River Instructor and partypoker US Network Team Pro Katie Stone and World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt Savage sit down to talk about their upcoming Day 1 starts of the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open $1Million GTD Main Event, being back at the Borgata in New Jersey, online poker, record breaking satellites, and more!

The Main Event is an unlimited re-entry tournament through the first 14 levels with Day 1 ending after level 16. The action begins today, September 19th at 5 pm ET.

Players in New Jersey can register by clicking the links below:
➥ Visit BetMGM NJ
➥ Visit Borgata Poker NJ
➥ Visit partypoker NJ

Orson “Borgatcha” Young gets his name etched on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup and wins the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open powered by partypoker US Network Main Event for $195,748 🏆🎉

CONGRATULATIONS to the Final Table 👏

1. 🏆 Orson Young (Borgatcha) - $195,748
2. justliberto - $135,930
3. Dan Buzgon (leinad) - $102,933
4. FitzroidPoo - $76,830
5. betbetbet - $61,070
6. CNC_LY - $47,280
7. Ryan Hohner (TheSims) - $34,475
8. DoURespectWood - $24,625

Watch the full Final Table replay of the WPT Online Borgata Open Main Event powered by partypoker US Network here ▶️ https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1155517702

Scroll below for key tips to from the Fearless River Pros for succeeding in satellite tournaments and Final Table strategy...

The WPT Online Borgata Poker Open powered by partypoker US Network happens exclusively in New Jersey this September 19th. Don’t miss your chance to compete on the virtual felt in the second-ever WPT US Online Main Tour Event and etch your name on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup!

This $3500 event offers unlimited reentry, registration through level 14, and boasts a super deep structure so you’ll have plenty of chances to outwit and outplay your opponents. All players in the event are eligible for valuable WPT Player of The Year Points and will be battling for the lion’s share of the massive $1M Guaranteed prize pool.

In case the championship structure, $1M Guaranteed prize pool, and chance to have your name cemented in history as only the second-ever WPT US Online Main Tour event champion isn’t enough, you’ll also get a chance to showcase your poker skills live on stream!

Check out this action from the live stream of the first WPT US Online Main Tour Event....

The final table will be live streamed on Tuesday, September 21st starting at 8 p.m. Eastern with expert commentary from WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage and Team Fearless River on twitch.tv/worldpokertour and the BetMGM YouTube channel.

P.S. Click the Follow button to receive alerts when the action is online.

Watch the full Final Table replay of the WPT Online Borgata Open Main Event powered by partypoker US Network here ▶️ https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1155517702

Simply make sure you are physically located in the state of New Jersey on Sunday, September 19th and have your favorite internet connected device ready.

Choose any one of the three state of the art poker platforms on partypoker US Network (see below for links), download and set up your account to get started. In a few simple steps you’ll be ready to play the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open!

➥ Visit BetMGM NJ

➥ Visit Borgata Poker NJ

➥ Visit partypoker NJ

Will you join Soheb Porbandarwala as the only other US Online Main Tour Event winner in WPT History?

partypoker US Network is making it easier than ever to satellite your way into the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open.

Daily qualifiers begin Sunday August 29th, and with buy-ins starting at just $5 you can parlay a small investment into a history-making haul in the $3,500 Main Event.

Click to view the detailed Satellite* and Festival Schedule: WPT Online Borgata Poker Open - Schedule for August-September 2021

To get you started on the path to winning your seat to the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open, here are some key tips to from the Fearless River Pros for succeeding in satellite tournaments ...

Satellites are a great way to play a larger buy-in event at a lower price. So you don’t need to have big bucks to be in contention for a game-changing score. For The Player is here to help increase your edge with key adjustments for satellite play.

Use the strategies below to sharpen your focus and who knows, maybe you’ll turn a few bucks into a huge payday (and a coveted spot on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup).

Should I Play a 🛰️ Satellite Differently?

Yes you should! Approaching Satellite play with the same strategy used in regular tournament play will often result in you busting when you would otherwise have a seat to the target tournament locked up.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Lead Instructor Nick Binger as he discusses the key strategic adjustments you need to make when playing Satellite Tournaments.

What Are Keys 🗝️ to Satellite Play?

• Everyone gets paid the same prize
• No incentive to build a large stack once you are likely to win a seat
• As probability to win a seat goes up, your ranges in all spots tighten up
• There are times in satellites when players should never continue against an all-in
• Satellites are the only form of poker where it can be correct to fold AA preflop
• Pay very close attention to stack sizes and level changes
• Often in the satellite endgame 10BBs may be a big stack that is guaranteed to win a seat

Need Help Closing The Deal?

Watch and learn as Nick reviews several key hands from a Satellite to highlight the unique strategic adjustments during the endgame.

Get your mental game in shape with Fearless River Mental Game Coach Jared Tendler as he provides you with a game-plan for handling the pressure and prepares you for success in the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open .

In a Satellite with 11 Players Left, How Do You Play It?

In a satellite where blinds are 900/1,800 with a 1,800 big blind ante there are 11 players remaining with 6 players winning a $7,200 main event seat. Places 7-10 get $1050 in cash and 11th gets $100.

You are currently in 6th chip position with 11 players remaining. The Cutoff (who is the short stack at the table) moves all-in for 28,400. Action folds around to you in the Big Blind with A♥K♦ and 28,000 behind. What do you do here?

Now that you’ve got an upgrade on satellite play to help secure your seat to the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open, it’s time to start sharpening up your game for showtime!

The WPT Online Borgata Poker Open powered by partypoker US Network features a cards up live streamed final table with WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage and Team Fearless River live on twitch.tv/worldpokertour and the BetMGM youtube channel.

With big money on the line and the chance to go down in poker history as the second-ever WPT Online Main Tour Event winner, this event is a can’t miss for Players on partypoker US Network in New Jersey.

We’re here to set you up for success and ready to make your “one time” count with these final table strategies!

What Are Keys to Final Table Play?

• Be aware of stack sizes and pay jumps
• When short stacks exist, there is extra pressure on the bigger stacks to avoid busting out
• The chip leaders can use this extra pressure to win many pots while the short stack is in play
• Preflop ranges shift quite a bit at final tables due to this effect with big stacks playing much wider ranges and medium stacks much narrower ranges
• Do not be afraid to ramp up your aggression against players that are playing tightly in the hopes of laddering up

Should I Play a Final Table Differently?

Final Table Strategy can differ dramatically from the early stages of a tournament, especially with huge pay jumps on the line.

Often players are unprepared for the pressure that comes with playing in front of an audience or for big money and don’t always perform as they should.

Watch this Fearless River Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor and WPT Commentator Tony Dunst for key insights on how the Pros perform on the big stage.

How Does a Pro Handle The Spotlight?

Team Fearless River is no stranger to the bright lights and big money pressure of live stream online final tables.

Check out this Strategy Episode from partypoker US Network Team Pro and Fearless River Instructor Mike “Gags30” Gagliano as he breaks down key hands from his recent deep run in the Online Borgata Poker Open, including a gutsy river bluff attempt with absolute air.

One of the best ways to improve your game is to share strategies and lessons learned from experience with fellow players.

In this Strategy Episode from Fearless River we join partypoker US Network Team Pro and Fearless River Instructor Katie Stone as she breaks down hands from her recent live stream final table appearance in the partypoker US Network Online Series $1060 Main Event.

Tune in as Katie joins fellow Fearless River Instructor Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger as they team up to talk strategy and share valuable insight.

Think You Have What It Takes?

Think you have what it takes to take down the championship and outwit a world-class Pro? It’s time to challenge the world’s perfect opponent - The WPT GTO Trainer!

Play these 5 hands to test your skills and learn the exact move to make. Remember, the goal is to get as close to ZERO EV loss with each decision. Good luck...

As you train remember:

• Opponents will be opening with a narrower range, especially from out of position
• Medium stacks (around 30BB) can be pressured with a wider raising ranges preflop, especially with many short stacks at the table
• Your check-calling range should include mostly hands you would want to take to showdown such as strong 1-pair hands
• If an Opponent bets out again on the turn beware, often this turn barreling range will be very narrow due to pay jump implications
• Your check-raising range should be polarized and include hands like second pair, big draws, some very strong hands, and complete air
• If you check the flop and the Opponent checks back, don’t be afraid to attack the turn with larger sizing with made hands and some draws

Do your best to choose the ideal action at every point. Your goal is to keep "EV Loss" in the green and close to 0.

P.S. After playing the five hands click the button to learn the "why" behind the correct plays.

We hope you enjoyed these free strategies to prepare for the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open powered by partypoker US Network in New Jersey this September 19th.

Be sure to let us know if you turn $5 into a game changing payday and don’t be afraid to share your success on twitter @partypokerUS, @learnwpt, @wpt and use the hashtag #WPTONLINE.

We’ll see you on the stream, live from New Jersey on partypoker US Network!

The partypoker US Network and Fearless River have joined forces to bring you FOR THE PLAYER to provide FREE poker content and easy to implement strategies and shortcuts to help YOU have fun learning and start playing better poker.

Click here to learn more about For The Player.

We are here to help you get to the final table and take down the championship and these strategies will help get you there.

Good luck and good playing!
-Fearless River

Have Questions about Fearless River? Send an email to our Support Team at [email protected] or click the red Contact Us button and they will be happy to help!

*All unused entries will be forfeited. If you already have won a promotional or satellite seat, only participate in additional satellites if you plan on using all tickets. Unused tickets will have no value.

Additional Information:

Participation in WPT tournaments is subject to rules and rulings set forth by the applicable venue(s) and/or WPT (e.g., tournament rules, sponsorships).

All players at WPT events are solely responsible for retrieving their winnings from the host casino or poker room and the payment of any taxes or fees on such winnings requested by the host casino or poker room. Any question or dispute regarding winnings at a WPT event should be brought up directly with the host casino or poker room, which has sole responsibility therefore.

WPT is not a real-money online gaming operator. For rules and regulations in connection with WPT-branded online events, including player eligibility, please consult the website of the applicable real-money gaming operator.

WPT is not responsible for any tournament event details including, without limitation, structures, schedules, formats, general rules or prize pool distributions. Management reserves the right to change tournament dates or suspend or cancel tournaments, in whole or part, without notice for any reason at any time.WPT is not responsible for any tournament event details including, without limitation, structures, schedules, formats, general rules or prize pool distributions. Management reserves the right to change tournament dates or suspend or cancel tournaments, in whole or part, without notice for any reason at any time.

Fearless River Instructors Tony Dunst and Katie Stone took a break from the action at the tables to reveal some of their strategy and break down a couple of hands they played during Day 1 at the recent $3,700 buy-in WPT Choctaw Main Event in Durant, OK.

Playing a World Poker Tour Main Event is exciting, especially when you are striving to get your name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup (and let's not forget about that $560K 1st prize)!

Not only are these events extremely exciting but they are also full of great opportunities to learn, which is why Katie is bringing Fearless River Members behind the scenes of her time at Choctaw in two upcoming Fearless River Strategy Episodes.

Katie will give you a peek into the life of a tournament grinder, what it's like to play a big WPT event, and breakdown some hands played.

Also, Tony recently wrote a blog about his time at Choctaw and reflected on the event and some of his table action. Follow along as Tony tells you his thoughts in real-time and see how a professional player approaches a World Poker Tour Main Event.

Learn more about Fearless River Instructors Tony Dunst and Katie Stone and how they can help improve your poker game. And make sure and be sure to say hello to them (or any of the Fearless River Pros) at the next WPT Event!

Good luck and good playing,
-Fearless River

P.S. View some exciting final table action and find out who won the World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event tournament, also adding their name to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup, by clicking here.

• The WPT GTO Trainer to play real solved hands and get instant feedback on YOUR leaks
• On-demand access to our full library of in-depth Strategy Episodes (450+ and counting)
• All of your poker questions answered with the Ask a Pro Feature
• A Community Forum to discuss all things poker with fellow Fearless River Members
• Expert analysis from Fearless River Pros using The Hand Input Tool
• Downloadable Tools can use at and away from the tables
• And much more

To join (just $5 your 1st month) click the JOIN NOW button get started improving your game!

Have Questions about Fearless River? Email us at [email protected].

If you've had the pleasure of hearing his commentary during WPT Final Tables, watching his popular live streams on Twitch, or witnessed his skills firsthand at the tables, you know that Michael is one of the most respected poker minds in the game today.

Michael has been a consistent force in both cash games and tournaments during his 15 year career, with several high profile tournament titles. In 2016 Michael won his first WSOP Bracelet in a $2500 buy-in event, defeating a huge field of 1045 players for the $448K first place prize.

As a staple in the East Coast scene and an active ambassador for Borgata Poker and partypoker US Network, Gags30 (as he is known online) has helped to welcome a whole new generation of poker fans to the virtual felt.

Some of Michael's Accomplishments:

• World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner
• Multiple Top 3 Finishes in High Profile Tournaments Including WSOP Bracelet Events and Borgata Poker Opens
• Over $6 Million Combined Live and Online Tournament Earnings
• Nearly a Decade as a Professional Poker Coach

We are excited to bring Michael's winning style and championship mindset to Fearless River Members through upcoming Strategy Episodes. Check out this sneak peek at what Members of Fearless River can expect from Michael.

As a sought after coach for almost a decade who has helped more than 50 students from all over the world improve their game and win multiple championships including the WSOP Main Event, Michael is an enormous asset for Fearless River Members.

Help us welcome Gags30 to the team!
-Fearless River

• The WPT GTO Trainer to play real solved hands and get instant feedback on YOUR leaks
• On-demand access to over 450 in-depth Strategy Episodes
• All of your poker questions answered with the Ask a Pro Feature
• Expert analysis from Fearless River Pros using The Hand Input Tool
• Community Forums to discuss all things poker with fellow Fearless River Members
• Downloadable Tools you can use at and away from the tables

To join (just $5 your 1st month) click the JOIN NOW button at the top of your screen or the button below and start improving your game!

Have Questions about Fearless River? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!

DECISION POINT: In a $2-5 cash game with 100BB stacks the Button opens to $15 and you raise to $60 from the Big Blind with A♥A♠. The Button calls and the flop comes 8♠A♣Q♥. You bet $30 and Villain raises to $130. Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are dealt A♥A♠ in the Big Blind in a 100BB deep cash game. Action folds to the Button who makes a standard raise to $15 and we reraise to $60. The Button calls and we’re off to see the flop.

We hit the flop hard with top set on the 8♠A♣Q♥ board. With $122 in the pot and $440 effective stack, there is some potential consideration for slow playing. If we take a closer look at this flop and how it interacts with both ranges we'll see that it interacts with the Button’s range somewhat frequently. This spot is really close.

If we use a solver and choose 3 possible actions of checking, betting $30, and betting $90, betting $30 is preferred 54% of the time and checking is preferred 46% of the time. If the flop is slightly less coordinated, checking will become favored at a higher frequency.

Adding hands like top set and top two pair that block a significant portion of our opponent’s big hands into our checking range can help protect the times we want to check in a similar spot with hands such as pocket tens. We elect to bet $30 in this instance and our opponent raises to $130.

This is a spot where many players lose patience and are tempted to just go all-in, especially given they have the best possible hand at the moment and their opponent is raised. Defaulting to all-in in these spots leaves a lot of potential money on the table. Opponents who are aggressive will be raising with some bluffs, and when we just go all-in here we let all those hands off the hook.

Sometimes our opponent does have draws in their range and if we just call some of those draws may get there when they would have otherwise folded to our raise. However those instances make up a very small overall percentage of their range. Even if the opponent is raising with a hand like JTs has 8 outs that could hit on the turn, we still have 10 outs to a full house (or quads) on the river.

Good opponents will usually just call here with JTs because they often have to fold if they get shoved on. As the in position player the opponent has a ton of float equity when they miss, meaning it is more likely against solid opponents that they are raising here with around 4 outs at best when they have draws.

Unlike our flop decisions, the recommended actions by the solver are not even close and calling here is by far the best play. When our opponent has a huge hand like 88/A8s we usually get all the chips no matter what, so keeping bluffs in their range here allows us to maximize our overall profit versus their entire range.

Calling is the best play.

The WPT GTO Trainer allows you to Play and Train against True GTO Opponents and get real-time Feedback and Analysis on Your Actions.

Choose from Cash Game and Tournament scenarios (including Small Stakes cash games) and receive immediate feedback on YOUR play compared to GTO including EV (expected value) Loss, Percentage Played, and the Ideal Action.

Click the button below and play the WPT GTO Trainer for free....

Join Fearless River.com for just $5 your First Month of Membership and play through hundreds of solved hands per hour (anytime, anywhere, and as many hands as you want) on the WPT GTO Trainer!

DECISION POINT: In the middle stages of a Tournament with 150/300 blinds and a 30 ante, the MP2 player raises to 660 and you reraise to 1,950 with A♣K♣ from the Hijack. The Cutoff and Button both fold, the Small Blind calls, the Big Blind folds and the original raiser in MP2 calls. The flop comes 3♥5♠5♥ and the Small Blind and MP2 player check. Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing the middle stages of a multi-table tournament with 150/300 blinds with a 30 ante at a 6 handed table. We are dealt A♣K♣ in the Hijack seat. The first player to act raises to 660 and action is on us.

If the standard raise size at this table is this small MP2 should be opening a fairly wide range of hands given this risk vs reward on their raise. With this raise size you’re risking 660 to win 600 when you open. So even without one of the best five starting hands in poker we should be 3-betting here wider than we would if the blinds were 50/100 with an opening raise to 300.

AKs is extremely strong in this spot and it is far ahead of MP2’s opening range, so we elect to reraise to 1,950. Action folds to the Small Blind who flat calls. The Big Blind folds, the original raiser calls and we’re off to the flop.

The flop is 3♥5♠5♥ and both players check to us. This flop is better for our range than our opponents as no one is likely to have a 5 in their hand and we should have all the bigger over pairs that aren’t likely to be in our opponent’s range. That being said there are a couple of factors really working against us here.

First, the Small Blind is representing a very narrow, condensed range when they cold call the preflop 3-bet here. This means that while they are unlikely to have AA/KK here, the Small Blind's range is often narrowed to something like TT-QQ/AK/AQs as they called a raise and a reraise without closing the action. Since we block many of their AK/AQs hands the Small Blind is very likely to have a significant overpair in this spot.

Second, the stack to pot ratio (SPR) here is around 2. This means even if we make a relatively small continuation bet like 2,100 and get called by a single player the pot will be 10,500 on the turn with an effective stack of 10,150. We are unlikely to be able to leverage our stack into generating folds against hands like TT that are in Villain’s range.

If the stacks were much deeper and we could use our stack to apply leverage vs hands like TT/JJ in this spot then a continuation bet along with a multi-street bluff on certain runouts would make a lot of sense. However, with a relatively low SPR, against multiple opponents with narrow ranges that are unlikely to both fold this flop a continuation bet, a c-bet is unlikely to accomplish much other than moving more of our chips into one of our opponent’s stacks.

This is a very sharp contrast from the AK hand discussed a few weeks ago, where we had AK in the Small Blind vs a single opponent in a 3-bet pot with much deeper stacks and much wider ranges where we continuation bet on a similar flop.

Checking is the best play.

Members of Fearless River know the importance of drilling hands using the WPT GTO Trainer and setting up a feedback loop for their game.

With the new transformational Train & Explain Episodes we've combined these two key factors to make learning GTO Strategy fast and easy regardless of your skill level!

Train & Explain Strategy Episodes gives you an exclusive seat behind a Fearless River Pro for 5 select hands from the WPT GTO Trainer to learn the "why" behind each decision.

And we've added an innovative twist: you'll play the same hands as the Fearless River Pro for each Episode.

Here’s how it works....

Before the start of each Train & Explain Strategy Episode, you'll be provided a link to an exclusive 5 hand pack from the WPT GTO Trainer to play before watching the analysis.

Select the "Click to Play the Hands Before You Watch" button noted within the video to play the 5 hands.

Next, watch the Strategy Episode for a detailed breakdown of each decision point as Fearless River Lead Instructor Nick Binger (and coming soon from Vanessa Selbst, LuckyChewy, and Tony Dunst!) analyze the same hands you just played.

Hint: After playing the 5 selected hands click the red WATCH NOW button to view the Strategy Episode and go directly to the Pro analysis.

Fearless River Members can ask questions follow-up questions about a specific decision point or how a hand was played by using the Ask a Pro Feature or Community!

Now it's time for YOU to give it a try....

With our new Train & Explain style of Trainer Pack and Episode, we've created the best way to improve your game in under 20 minutes!

Keep on practicing,
-Fearless River

P.S. Play unlimited hands from the WPT GTO Trainer Scenario featured in this Episode with a $5 First Month Member. Click here to learn more about our Membership Tiers.

Most players don't get the chance to practice heads up play until they are already at the final table battling it out for the title.

Since the majority of the prize pool is at the top, you should be prepared when the big money is on the line.

​That is why we are very excited to announce our brand-new Heads Up tournament scenarios for the WPT GTO Trainer! ​

The new Heads Up scenarios give you the ability to train different stack depths and alternate positions after each hand.

Members can access these scenarios by clicking the filter below "What you would like to train today?", select Heads-Up, and choose from the list of available training scenarios.

Heads Up Training Scenarios are normally only available to Fearless River.com Platinum Members. For a limited time we're providing exclusive access to this sample pack for everyone to test their skills by clicking the link below.

The Heads Up scenarios from the WPT GTO Trainer allow you to train and drill millions of hands and learn optimal strategy for heads up play, gain valuable experience, be better prepared, and have the advantage when it matters the most...

Sitting across from your opponent with the title on the line.

Ready for more? Join Fearless River.com for just $5 your first month of Membership to play more GTO hands (and as often as you like) to find YOUR leaks and start seeing true stats for YOUR play!

Get real time feedback on trouble Spots and Ask the Fearless River Pros with one click.

P.S. Read more about our Platinum Membership Tier by clicking here.

Fearless River Instructor Tony Dunst has been a model of consistency on the live poker scene, including most recently his deep run in the 2019 WPT Tournament of Champions.

Tony's online poker resume is no exception and we're excited to share this in-depth look at a recent deep run in a 1,000+ person online tournament.

Tune in as Tony shares his thought process as he navigates unknown opponents at the Final Table and identifies key adjustments for managing pay jumps and applying pressure to less-skilled opponents.

This video is part of the Fearless River Exclusive On Tour with Tony Dunst Strategy Episode series. Join Tony for a behind the scenes look into the most thought provoking hands he plays from real WPT events and teaches strategies and concepts you can use in your game.

Click here to learn more about Tony's extensive poker accomplishments and more importantly, how he can help improve your game.

Ready for more? Join Fearless River for just $5 your first month of Membership and get full access to more content from Tony Dunst.

We'll see you online,
-Fearless River

DECISION POINT: You are in the money and the table chip leader in a multi-table Tournament where blinds are 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante. It folds to you on the Button with K♠T♦ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing a tournament where we just got in the money and we are the table chip leader with 1.6 million chips (160 big blinds) at 5,000/10,000 blinds with a 10,000 big blind ante. We are dealt KsTd on the Button and it folds around to us.

We are now in a very interesting tournament spot that can come up quite often, especially if we have a decent stack and there are a lot of players left in the tournament who have what is referred to as "reshove stacks". A Reshove stack is between 15-20 big blinds. The best move for players with this stack size is to look for spots where opponents have a wide opening hand range and then shove all-in over the top when the opponent raises first into the pot. This move is used to induce a fold and leverage their stack to pick up chips.

In this spot, we are on the Button with a hand that we would normally raise first-in with. The potential problem here is if we open, our opponents have great stacks to reshove with. If an opponent reshoves we will be in a very precarious spot because against aggressive players they will likely have hands like JTs and A4s here in their range of which we either dominate or have great equity against. However, we don’t really want to play a 30+ big blind pot with these hands.

Traditional poker logic often says that with and against reshove stacks we shouldn’t raise any hands we wouldn’t call a shove with, but that logic is flawed. If we only raise hands we will call with then we miss out on a lot of opportunities to utilize our big stack here to accumulate chips. We do have another option though.

Against players who resteal aggressively with these stacks (which is often appropriate) we can also move all-in. At first glance it may seems like a large overbet.

However, sometimes when we hold certain hands that we may have to call versus a shove we actually reduce our overall variance by just shoving first. This way we make them fold some hands with which they may have shoved against a small open-raise.

Our opponents will still call with the hands that dominate us, but they would have shoved with those hands anyway, and we may have had to call those shoves.

Against more passive players who don’t reshove appropriately, making a minimum raise and folding here is definitely the superior play. When facing players who are capable of reshoving a very wide range in this spot, open-shoving into these two stacks is slightly higher EV and lower variance than both raise/folding and raise/calling.

Moving all-in is the best play.

Transforming your game with immersive training from Fearless River is now easier with our brand-new 2-Day and 3-Day Digital Training Events all from the comfort of your home on your favorite device! Check out our newest events...

• Day 1: You'll start off with a private single table tournament on ClubWPT.com with great prizes for top performers
• Day 2: Tournament action will be recorded and Nick will analyze the action for students with all cards face up on a Zoom call

Due to the hands-on nature of this event tickets are limited to a Single Table Tournament.

• Day 1: Learn advanced tournament concepts as part of a brand-new curriculum with Nick Binger via Zoom
• Day 2: Play an online tournament on ClubWPT.com with great prizes for top performers
• Day 3: Join Nick Binger and Tony Dunst via Zoom for real-time analysis of your ClubWPT tournament play with cards face up
  

This is your chance to get professional feedback from 2x Bracelet Winners and a WPT Champions Club Member!

Start upgrading your game now ...

Have Questions about our Digital Events? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!

DECISION POINT: You are seven-handed on the Tournament bubble with blinds at 5,000/10,000 and no ante. It folds to the Cutoff who goes all-in for 115,000 and both the Button and Small Blind fold. Action is on you in the Big Blind with 9♠9♣, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are seven-handed on the exact bubble of a smaller multi-table tournament. The payout structure is $980 for first and $130 for sixth with a fairly standard escalating structure in between. The blinds are currently 5,000/10,000 with no ante and we are dealt pocket nines in the Big Blind. It folds around to the Cutoff who shoves all in for 115,000 chips. All other opponents fold and action is on us.

At first glance having pocket nines with 4 big blinds behind seems like a very standard call. However, looking around the table there are 4 other players with 4BBs or less which puts tremendous ICM pressure on us.

If we were to fold here it is highly likely we make the money but very unlikely we face a situation where we have this much of a chip equity edge again. Folding in this spot sacrifices what is likely one of our best chances to build a stack much more capable of a top finish.

When we run this spot in a computer simulation assuming optimal play from all players, we find that the Cutoff should be shoving 100% of hands in this spot with these stacks. The ICM pressure on the three remaining shorter stacks is very strong meaning a vast majority of the time the Cutoff just wins the money in the middle.

This same computer simulation suggests our calling range should consist of 66+ A8s+ ATo+ KTs+. In the real world you will run into many players who won’t shove 100% of hands in the Cutoff’s position and against this player type your calling range is likely to start shrinking very fast depending on how narrow their shoving range becomes.

If the Cutoff were only shoving 50-60% of hands then pocket nines could easily become a fold, that’s how powerful the ICM pressure is in this spot. Assuming our opponent is able to recognize the situation at hand, they should be shoving more than enough hands to make this too good of a spot to pass up even if some percentage of the time we bust out on the bubble.

Calling is the best play.

CONGRATULATIONS to not 1, but 2 Fearless River Instructors for each taking home their 2nd illustrious Gold Bracelet in the past week!

Fearless River Lead Instructor, Nick Binger won his 2nd gold bracelet by outlasting a massive 2,408 entry field and scored a $133,412 1st prize during the WSOP Event# 24 8-Hand No-Limit Hold'em Tournament.

Fearless River Instructor and WPT Commentator, Tony Dunst grabbed his 2nd gold bracelet outlasting another massive 1,361 entry field and scored a $168,342 1st prize during the WSOP Event# 21 $777 buy-in 6-Hand No-Limit Hold'em Tournament.

Let Nick and Tony help improve your game! Click the button below and join for just $5 your 1st month...

Have Questions about Fearless River? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!