DECISION POINT: In a Tournament where blinds are 800/1,600 it folds to a Middle Position player who limps. The Hijack folds and you raise to 5,200 from the Cutoff with Q♥J♥. The Button folds, the Small Blind goes all-in, and both the Big Blind and MP2 fold. Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: In a Multi-Table Tournament with 800/1,600 blinds and a 20 chip ante we are dealt QJs in the Cutoff. The MP2 open limps and it folds to us. We could potentially limp behind and play QJs speculatively as a suited connector. Specifically in tournaments, picking up chips is at a premium and a preflop raise here gives us an opportunity to take the pot down preflop or potentially on the flop with a continuation bet. While calling behind is profitable, raising is a better play. We decide to isolate with a raise to 5,200.

It folds to the Small Blind who moves all in for 19,000 chips. All of the other players fold and it is back on us with a decision to make. At this point there is 27,560 in the pot and it is 13,800 more to call. This means we are getting almost exactly 2:1 pot odds. Preflop hand values in No-Limit Hold’em run close enough together that it is extremely rare for a hand to have less than 33% equity versus all but the narrowest of ranges. We also have a reasonably strong hand for this situation, although probably not the best hand at the moment.

Even if our opponent has a fairly narrow range such as 88+, ATs+, KQs, AJo+, KQo we still have over 33% equity here. The final factors to evaluate are specific to this tournament. If calling in this spot would have a significant impact on our stack’s ability to accumulate chips in the rest of the tournament we could consider passing on this edge. For example, if we call and lose and our 25-30 BB stack is reduced to 10 BB stack, we would lose the ability to steal or reshove and must play push/fold poker.

In this situation, if we call and lose this hand our stack will be reduced from around 30 BBs to 20 BBs. While the impact of losing our stack is not insignificant, it is not enough to warrant passing up on a profitable call here.

Calling is the best play.

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DECISION POINT: In a Tournament a Middle Position player raises and it folds to you in the Big Blind. You 3-Bet with Q♥Q♦ and get a call. On the 8♠A♥J♣ flop you bet and MP2 calls. You check the 4♦ turn, MP2 bets, and you call. The river is 5♠ and you check. Your opponent goes all-in and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are dealt pocket queens in the Big Blind. It is folded to MP2 who raises to 2.5 BBs. It folds to us and we reraise to 10 BBs and our opponent flat calls. The flop is 8sAhJc. With a stack to pot ratio (SPR) of just under 2 here it’s very difficult to get away from our hand. So the question is: how we can extract the most value out of our Pocket Queens?

A pure GTO solution to this situation involves a mixed strategy of checking to induce bluffs as well as betting extremely small (around 5.5 BBs). Both of these strategies keep our opponent’s range extremely wide and allow them to either bluff with much of their range (when we check) or call with worse hands than ours (when we bet small). In this situation we elect to make a small bet of 5.5 BBs and our opponent calls.

The turn is the 4d, which changes very little. Given our small bet on the flop we have encouraged our opponent to float (a float is when someone calls the flop to take the pot away on a later street) with a wide range. This means checking to them makes a lot of sense here to potentially encourage bets from many of the back door flush draws, weaker hands, and pure air that is in our opponent’s range. We check and our opponent bets 8 BBs.

Against tougher opponents who are capable of fighting for pots in this spot it is very important that we call here or else we have set our opponent up to be able to float us VERY profitably in this spot with their entire range. Against very straightforward opponents who are not capable of floating or bluffing with the correct frequencies we could make an exploitative fold here, but against tougher opponents we must call and we do.

The river is the 5s which changes very little given neither of our ranges rarely connect with it. We check and our opponent moves all-in. This is an extremely difficult spot versus a tough opponent. We’re getting nearly 3:1 on our money so before considering any other tournament factors, we need our opponent to be bluffing here around 25% of the time as we should only beat a bluff. If you use a GTO solver on this problem, it actually recommends a mixed strategy of calling and folding.

This is one of the real benefits of GTO solvers. It shows us how to optimally play against the very toughest opponents who are fighting hard for every last chip. Against the absolute toughest opponents who are capable of bluffing in this spot we should absolutely be calling some percentage of the time.

So the question we have to ask ourselves is: Is our opponent capable of floating and bluffing in this spot? In most regular tournaments where the field isn’t as tough and doesn’t play as optimally as the computer does in these spots, most players simply aren’t bluffing in these spots for all their chips often enough to justify calling here against all but the absolute toughest opponents.

Knowing the optimal way to play a situation and then adjusting for opponent tendencies is essential to adapting to the field in a post solver world.

Folding is the best play.

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Fearless River Instructor Tony Dunst recently broke down a hero fold he made on the bubble of the WPT Montreal $5000 CAD No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Event that helped add $95K to his already impressive Tournament winnings.

Check out Tony's blog where he breaks down his thought process with big pressure and big money on the line...

Learn more about Tony and how he can help improve your game by clicking here: Meet Fearless River Instructor Tony Dunst

DECISION POINT: At a 6-handed Tournament final table where blinds are 6,000/12,000 the Middle Position player limps and the Cutoff raises. It folds to you in the Small Blind with T♠T♥. Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: At the final table of a daily local casino tournament the blinds are 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante we are dealt pocket tens in the Small Blind. The MP2 player limps and it folds to the Cutoff who raises to 35,000. The Button folds and action is on us.

Play has been a little tight and players have still been limping with some regularity. The first thing we need to do here is put our opponents on estimated hand ranges. Normally the open limper would be a bit concerning as they have only around 8 big blinds to begin the hand and most players are aware that with a short stack they should be either pushing all-in or folding a vast majority of the time. Given that limping is going on with some regularity, we can assign a range of some premium hands and some hands our opponents want to “see a flop” with such as mid pocket pairs and connectors or broadway hands such as QJo.

The Cutoff player, if they are aware of players limping fairly wide ranges, should be raising quite wide here. With the Hijack only having 65,000 chips and it being the final table, pay jumps should be fairly significant at this point. This means MP2 should be very wary of busting prior to the Hijack without a decent hand so they move up the pay scale.

Given both of those factors, our pocket tens are likely well ahead of both ranges. Another factor to consider is how important is it for US to not bust before the shorter stacks and move up the pay scale. Certainly if our hand were a bit more marginal like pocket sevens we would have to seriously consider folding here.

Pocket tens is a premium hand and even though we are unlikely to generate a huge amount of fold equity when we move all-in, our chip stack does potentially hurt Villain and take away many of their opportunities to abuse the shorter stacks in this way. This means we will generate some folds which will give us an additional 77,000 chips. In other instances we will be playing a pot with a significant equity edge over our opponent’s range of hands that if we win, will make us the chip leader and give us opportunities to abuse these same concepts against the rest of the table.

While this decision is closer than it may seem on the surface, our hand is still far too strong versus our opponent’s ranges in this situation to fold.

Moving all-in is the best play.

Whether you are a tournament or cash game player, looking to advance your move arsenal, or ready to master the game, attending a Fearless River Live Strategy Workshop is the quickest and most effective way to expand your No-Limit Hold’em game plan and get you on a path to success.

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Married for more than three decades and known around the tournament circuit as Team Roberts, Scott and Lisa Roberts are recreational players from Atlanta who took their game to another level through our live workshops and online training.

At the time, Scott, 62, was a real estate investor with more than $89,000 in live tournament winnings. Lisa, 63, a retired personal trainer, had $35,000 in tournament winnings.

By late 2019, the couple had racked up around $125,000 in combined live tournament cashes, and they credit much of that run to the live and online training they put in.

A Breakout Series

Their breakout run came in September 2019 at the WSOP Circuit stop at Seminole Coconut Creek.

• Scott won a $400 event for $6,994, took 2nd in a $600 turbo for $8,096, then finished 2nd again in a $250 DeepStack for $4,486. With four cashes for $20,182, he was named player of the series.
• Lisa finished 2nd in a $250 seniors event for $5,284 and 6th in the same $600 turbo for $2,100.

"It was very frustrating coming in second," Lisa said, laughing. Still, she was happy with the result.

From Blackjack to Final Tables

Scott started playing poker in 2005 with friends and online. Lisa took longer to warm up to the game. She preferred blackjack and picked up poker by watching it on TV and answering Scott’s hand questions, usually correctly. Her first real session at a limit hold’em table, with a hand-rankings card at her side, sent her home with a profit and a newly found confidence.

What Changed Their Game

The Roberts knew early that outside help would speed up their learning, so they signed up for live workshops with Fearless River instructors Nick Binger, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, and Eric "Rizen" Lynch.

"I took a couple classes and realized how much I didn’t know," Scott said. One homework assignment from Binger pushed them well outside their comfort zone with a much more aggressive approach. "I told him I was going to need a few drinks before I played the tournament," Scott joked. That same night, Lisa made a final table, and the couple cashed for $10,000 that week.

"I was very unaggressive," Lisa said. The training taught her when aggression is the right play. For Scott, the big shift was learning to think in ranges instead of single hands. The hands-on lab days, where students play and then break down hands with instructors, quickly became their favorite part.

Would they recommend training with Fearless River? Lisa didn’t hesitate: "I think it is the best poker money that we’ve ever spent." And her outlook on the game sums up why they keep improving: "There’s always more to learn."

Quotes originally gathered by Sean Chaffin for a 2019 WPT.com feature.

Have your own success story? We’d love to hear it. Email [email protected].

Ever wish you had a Poker Pro looking over your shoulder, helping you to decide whether to call a big raise or fire that third barrel?

What if you had the chance to get personal advice and feedback on YOUR play from Nick Binger, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, and Eric "Rizen" Lynch?

Would you seize the opportunity to be 1 of 30 students who are given intimate access to proven advanced techniques and decision-making processes that help top professionals thrive in today’s competitive games?

Attend the Live at Bellagio Advanced Tournament Strategy Workshop + Lab Day Session May 23rd - 25th, 2020 in Las Vegas and:

• Transform your preflop and postflop play through a deeper understanding of concepts and techniques used by top players
• Discover the process that the world’s best players use to maintain a cycle of constant improvement and keep their edge
• Get in-depth feedback regarding your play and learn the keys to real-time hand analysis directly at the table during Lab Day

ARE YOU READY?

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Ahhhhh the River…

It’s only one card however it can drastically change the outcome of a hand, not to mention there’s usually a pretty sizable pot at stake.

The world’s best players know how powerful the River can be. They are masters at analyzing key factors, including preflop hand ranges, stack sizes, and how an opponent’s actions through the hand can help figure out what kind of story they are trying to tell us.

They have an arsenal of moves designed to maximize value and cause doubt in an opponent when there are no more outs to come.

Do YOU have trouble making raises, calling big bets, or folding big hands on the River?

Put your decision-making skills to the test against our Pros using the scenarios below and be ready to make the best decision possible the next time you are on the River:

• Top Pair on the River vs an All-in
• 2-Pair vs a Straight Draw
• Trip Aces on the River
• A River Decision with K♠Q♥
• Q♣Q♠ vs a River All-in

Deliberate application of key concepts at the table and consistent practice of your decision-making skills is essential for success in No-Limit Hold’em.

Remember… Amateurs play, Pros practice!

That’s why we ask that you read these scenarios and keep practicing… even if you don’t always agree with our analysis.

See you online,
-Fearless River

PS: a Membership with Fearless River is the easiest and fastest way to add more levels of complexity and nuance to your game. Members have access to over 250+ scenarios like this to practice their decision-making skills!

When we created Fearless River.com our goal was to provide a place that empowers players to ask questions, help get them focused, and provide a solid game-plan to bring to the table every time they sit down.

Some of the ways we accomplish this is by:

• Teaching and presenting examples of proven, winning concepts through our Strategy Episodes (short 10-15 minute instructional videos)
• Providing a place where Members can send questions to receive answers and guidance with the Ask a Pro feature and Fearless River Community Forums
• Giving Members the ability to record, save, and send real hands they’ve played to receive expert analysis of their play using the Hand Input Tool

Not a Member? Click below to join (just $5 your first month) and start improving your game today.

Fearless River had not one but TWO Instructors battling it out under the bright PokerGO lights.

Take a look at how LuckyChewy and Tony fared.

Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger

LuckyChewy competed for his second WSOP bracelet and an impressive $1.4 million first prize at the World Series of Poker $50K buy-in High Roller.

Chewy started out third in chips against this tough final table lineup:

Final Table Lineup:
Seat 1: LuckyChewy – 5,615,000 (47 big blinds)
Seat 2: Nick Petrangelo – 4,100,000 (34 big blinds)
Seat 3: Ben Heath – 7,630,000 (64 big blinds)
Seat 4: Chance Kornuth – 5,000,000 (42 big blinds)
Seat 5: Sam Soverel – 7,540,000 (63 big blinds)
Seat 6: Dmitry Yurasov – 3,660,000 (31 big blinds)

After many creative and interesting plays, Chewy and Ben Heath got heads-up for the bracelet.

The final hand began with a Button raise from Chewy and Heath three-betting his A♣J♠. Chewy four-bet shoved for 56 big blinds with A♦K♥ and Heath called.

Heath flopped a pair on the J♥5♦3♣ flop to take the lead in the hand. The T♥ turn made things a bit iffy for him, but a blank T♦ on the river guaranteed Heath the bracelet, and Chewy walked away with a whopping $917,232 payday and a great start to the summer tournament season!

To learn more about how LuckyChewy can help elevate your game click here: Meet LuckyChewy

Tony Dunst

Tony Dunst competed to add WPT Tournament of Champions victor to his resume along with a $440K first prize during the Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions Final Table at the HyperX eSports Arena.

Tony started 3rd in chips against this group of WPT Champions:

Final Table Lineup:
Seat 1: Simon Lam – 359,000 (45 big blinds)
Seat 2: Nick Schulman – 239,000 (30 big blinds)
Seat 3: Ole Schemion – 1,871,000 (234 big blinds)
Seat 4: Griffin Paul – 308,000 (39 big blinds)
Seat 5: Ryan Tosoc – 549,000 (69 big blinds)
Seat 6: Tony Dunst – 475,000 (59 big blinds)

After a grueling final table, Tony and Ole Schemion were heads-up for the Champions Cup.

The final hand began with Schemion raising to 60,000 from the Button, Tony 3-betting to 250K, and Schemion calling. Tony checked the T♠J♥K♥ flop and Schemion bets 200,00, and Tony called. Tony check-raised all-in on the 4♣ turn and Schemion snap-called.

Tony put himself at risk with his K♣5♦ hand and was unfortunately drawing dead against Schemion’s flopped straight and flush draw with Q♠9♠. The meaningless T♦ lands on the river and Tony is eliminated in second place with a $250,265 payday.

To learn more about how Tony can help improve your game click here: Meet Tony Dunst

It was an exciting day of poker and we couldn’t be more proud to have these great players and ambassadors of the game as part of the Fearless River Team.

Thank you to everyone who helped to cheer on Chewy and Tony at the Rio and HyperX eSports Arena, on social media, and sending in emails. Your support was greatly appreciated!

Watch Tony and Chewy break down and analyze the action from these events in their Fearless River Strategy Episodes.

Fearless River Instructor Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger sat down with WPT’s Executive Tour Director Matt Savage to talk about his successes and experience teaching Fearless River Students.

LuckyChewy is one of the most respected and successful all-around poker players in the game today. Chewy’s experience and success make him a powerful resource and asset for Fearless River Members and Students.

We are excited to have Chewy as part of the Fearless River Team!

Thousands of poker players from every corner of the world are ready to descend on Las Vegas to test their skills and chase the fame (and cash) that comes with winning a high profile event.

Like many of these poker players, you’re happily counting down the days to the summer tournament season and preparing for glory. You’ve got your backpack, headphones, comfortable sweatshirt, and a few buy-ins to go along with all your dreams of success on the felt.

Your dream of being a champion begins…

You sit down in your 1st event and you are dealt A♥K♥ in late position(yes!).

You raise and get one caller. The flop is a dry T♦6♠2♣ and you fire out a continuation bet.

Your opponent wastes little time and puts in a continuation raise.

You fold.

A few hands later, it’s the same story…. raise first-in with a premium hand, c-bet, get floated. Turn card is no help, you have to check fold.

Sound more like a nightmare? It doesn’t have to be.

That’s why we’re giving you this exclusive access to a full Fearless River Strategy Episode where Fearless River Lead Instructor, Nick Binger outlines the adjustments you need to make when C-betting against Tough Opponents.

This is your opportunity to plug a leak in your game and to chase away those fears that may keep you up at night.

You’ll be back to sweet dreams of becoming a champion in no time!

Good luck and good playing!
-Fearless River

P.S. Ready for more? Join Fearless River for just $5 your first month of Membership and get full access to more content from Nick Binger and the Fearless River Team of Pros.