Blog: Cardplayer Lifestyle Poker Blog

So, you want to be a poker pro? I don’t blame you. It can seem like an enticing career path. No boss, no set schedule, no physical labor or pointless meetings, opportunities to travel, the list goes on and on. I spent the better part of a year in Los Angeles trying to live solely off poker income. As I soon learned,...

A cautious person is careful to avoid potential problems or dangers – to mitigate risk and unexpected situations. To do so, they must always be alert and vigilant, and avoid being reckless....

Poker has a language of its own. While our poker world makes good use of terms common to our language, it also coins words and terms that are unique. Generally speaking, the more familiar you are with the "language of poker" the more that enables you to better learn the poker rules. “Drawing dead” is a good example. The term means that...

Straddling in poker is something that most people have different opinions on. Some players may say it is good for the game and that it creates action. Others will tell you straddling is unnecessary and only eats at your win rate. Regardless of your stance on straddling, here are some pros and cons....

Not long ago, my friend Clem gave me a gift – a copy of The Education of a Poker Player by Herbert O. Yardley. I had heard of it previously, but had never seen it. It was published in 1957 – over 60 years ago. It’s a classic. It offers lots of good advice for playing the poker games that were available...

I’ve been raving about game tape for years as the best combination strategy for playing and studying better poker. First, you might be asking, “What is game tape?” Game tape is recording your online play as you speak the logic behind all of your decisions. I like to imagine my coach is there with me, looking over my shoulder, and I have to...

The most entertaining character in the greatest poker movie of all time once said, “in the poker game of life, women are the rake.” Despite loving Rounders, especially Worm, I couldn’t disagree more with this memorable line. If anything, taxes are the rake in the poker game of life. Taxes are unavoidable, annoying as hell, and they burn a serious hole in...

Poker players are of two types: recreational and pros. Poker guru Jonathan Little (“Your Poker Coach”) developed a chart comparing recreational players with “sharks.” (I assume he refers to the pros – players who depend on poker as a source of income.) By far the vast majority of us are recreational poker players; we enjoy playing poker, the challenge and social interaction, and...

The term "pot committed" is one that's thrown around a lot in poker. The notion is that once you put enough of your stack into the pot, you cannot justifiably fold to any additional bets. For example, if the pot is $600 and you only have $100 left, you can’t fold when your opponent jams for your remaining stack. Some say this is...

In my last poker strategy article called 8 Common Poker Leaks and Quick Fixes, I made mention of an in-game tactic called FOCUS sessions. Let’s dive into that now. FOCUS stands for "follow one course until success". This is an important tactic in training to use new poker strategies. A FOCUS session is where you play with the specific goal of putting...

Over the last couple of years, the poker space has been inundated with various GTO (game theory optimal) and solver apps meant to help players improve and stay sharp with their ranges and play. Red Chip Poker’s GTO Ranges app attempts to cut through the noise and keep things simple and easy to understand while still giving those who want a little more...

Angle shooting in poker is a topic that has sparked plenty of debates over the years. Angle shooting is a controversial topic, as there aren’t always clear definitions as to what is and isn’t an angle shoot. So what is an angle shoot in poker, and why it is a BIG no-no?...

As a poker coach, one of my most important roles for my students is being a leak finder and plugger. It’s my job to determine what mistakes are costing my students money, and I give them strategies to cut the losses. In poker, as in life, a big blind saved is a big blind earned. So, every leak a student plugs is a...

What is a String Bet in Poker? String betting occurs when a player makes a bet in multiple motions or in multiple phrases when verbally announcing a bet. There are a few different forms of string betting in poker, all of which are illegal. String bets can be categorized into two types: verbal and non-verbal. There is only one way to verbally string...

Slow rolling in poker is a controversial subject, some players find it funny, and others think it is the worst thing you can do to an opponent. In this article we list five reasons why you shouldn't slow roll, and three reasons why you should. But first, you might be wondering, what is a slow roll in poker?...

If you’re new to poker, you might be tired of hearing just how important bankroll management is if you want to make it in the long run. If that’s the case, I’m sorry to disappoint, as you’re about to read yet another post on that “boring” subject. On a more serious note, though, there are plenty of perfectly good reasons why more experienced...

I love surprises in life. That’s why I don’t watch movie trailers. Truly, I DON’T WATCH MOVIE TRAILERS. That might seem weird to most of you. I simply decide to see a movie based on the actors/director/story/word of mouth, then go see it (or not). I also don’t read Yelp reviews on a new restaurant. I want to experience all things fresh, basically...

Poker can be the most difficult game in the world to achieve success. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on the strategy, luck can kick you in the two-outers and you’ve lost your tournament life. Just as we all know how it feels to have a rough session on casino sites for playing video poker, the overwhelming majority of poker...

Undoubtedly, you are familiar with Alzheimer’s disease, a horrible disease that deteriorates peoples’ minds – and ultimately can lead to death. Alzheimer’s is by far the most common form of dementia. In the U.S., about 7 million people are now living with Alzheimer’s, by 2050 that number is expected to double to 14 million, and the costs for care and treatment are expected...

Let’s face it; no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em gets boring. Getting stacked kings versus aces and constantly folding 80% of hands leads to plenty of staring into space, asking yourself, “there must be something more in this poker life, right?” Well, dear friends, there is. A few years back, Cardplayer Lifestyle founder Robbie Strazynski penned an article detailing...