Poker Flashcards

If you have two hearts in your hand and the flop has two hearts, how many outs do you have?

Answer: 9

In Texas Hold'em poker, there are 13 cards of each suit in a standard 52-card deck. If you have two hearts in your hand and the flop (the first three community cards) also contains two hearts, that means a total of four hearts are currently visible. To make a flush, you need one more heart. Since there are 13 hearts in total and 4 are already accounted for, there are 13 - 4 = 9 remaining hearts in the deck that could appear on the turn or river, giving you 9 'outs'.

What is a Sit-and-Go tournament, and how does it work?

Answer: A special single-table tournament usually with 2,6,9, or 10 entrants. The top two finishers get paid in a 6 sit and go and the top three get paid in a 9 or 10 player tournament.

A Sit-and-Go (SNG) tournament is a single-table poker tournament that begins as soon as the required number of players (typically 2, 6, 9, or 10) have registered. Unlike multi-table tournaments, there's no scheduled start time; it simply 'sits' until full and then 'goes'. Payouts are usually structured to reward the top two or three finishers, depending on the number of entrants.

You're in the World Series of Poker Main Event, and an early position player moves all-in. When you inspect your hand, you find pocket Queens. What will you do?

Answer: Fold

In a prestigious tournament like the WSOP Main Event, an early position player moving all-in signals immense strength, almost certainly pocket Aces or Kings. Folding pocket Queens, while difficult, is a disciplined play to preserve your tournament life against a likely superior hand. The risk of busting out early against such a strong move is too high to justify calling.

What is a satellite tournament, and how does it work?

Answer: A tournament that awards an entry to another tournament instead of cash prize.

A satellite tournament is a unique type of poker tournament where the prize isn't cash, but rather an entry or 'seat' into a larger, more expensive tournament. This allows players to qualify for high-stakes events, like the World Series of Poker Main Event, at a fraction of the direct buy-in cost. It's a common way for players to gain access to prestigious tournaments.

How many outs do you have if you have an open-ended straight draw? A hand like 8-9-10-J is an open-end straight draw.

Answer: 8

An open-ended straight draw means you have four cards in a row and can complete a straight with a card on either end of that sequence. For example, with 8-9-10-J, any 7 or any Queen will complete your straight. Since there are four suits, there are four 7s and four Queens in the deck, giving you a total of 8 outs.

You have pocket Eights from under the gun and three other players remain in an online Sit and Go event that pays the final three players. The blinds are 100 / 200, and you have 2,500 chips in your hand, which is the average stack size. So far, you've been playing a tight game. What should you do?

Answer: Raise $750

When you have both a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw, you combine the outs from both draws. A flush draw typically gives you 9 outs, and an open-ended straight draw gives you 8 outs. However, you must subtract any cards that would complete both draws (e.g., a 6 of hearts if you have 7h8h9hTh and the board is 6hJh). Assuming two such overlapping cards, you have 9 + 8 - 2 = 15 unique outs.

What is a freeroll poker tournament, and how does it work?

Answer: A special tournament with no entry fee, but real prizes.

A freeroll poker tournament is a special type of tournament that has no entry fee, meaning players can participate for free. Despite the free entry, these tournaments offer real prizes, which can include cash, merchandise, or entries into other paid tournaments. They are popular for new players to build a bankroll or for sites to attract players without financial risk.

If you have a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw, how many outs do you have?

Answer: 15

With a small stack at a final table, you need to make a move to accumulate chips before the blinds become too large. Raising the size of the pot with pocket Nines against a loose chip leader from the button is an aggressive play that puts pressure on them. This move maximizes your fold equity and gives you a good chance to double up if called, as Nines are a strong hand against a wide range.

With a small stack compared to the other eight players, you've made it to the final table of a large online multi-table tournament. Before the blinds become a problem, you have enough chips to play for at least an hour. The first place pays $200,000, while the ninth place pays $10,000. From the button, the chip leader, who has been playing exceptionally loose recently, is the first to raise to three times the big blind. In the big blind, you have pocket Nines and must call 10% of your stack if you decide to call. What should you do?

Answer: Raise the size of the pot

The blind structure defines how the blinds and antes increase throughout a poker tournament, as well as the duration of each level. This structure is crucial for tournament strategy, as it dictates the pace of play and how quickly players' stacks diminish relative to the blinds. A faster blind structure demands more aggressive play.

What is a blind structure?

Answer: The blind structure is the amount of the blinds at each level of the tournament and how long between level is how fast the blinds go up.

If you have four cards to a flush on the flop, there are 9 remaining cards of that suit in the deck (13 total cards of a suit - 4 in your hand/on board). With 47 unknown cards remaining (52 total - 2 hole cards - 3 flop cards), the probability of hitting your flush on the turn is 9/47. This translates to odds of 38 to 9 against, which is approximately 4.22 to 1.

What are the chances of drawing one of your outs on the turn if you have four to a flush on the flop?

Answer: 4.22 to 1

If calling only costs 5% of your stack, the pot odds become significantly more favorable, making it a worthwhile call with pocket Nines. This allows you to see a flop cheaply against a potentially loose opponent, giving you a chance to hit a set or re-evaluate the hand. It's a low-risk way to stay in the hand and potentially win a large pot.

What if you just had to call 5% of your stack, and the rest of it was the same as the previous question?

Answer: Call

When you have both a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw, you typically have 15 outs (as explained in Q7). With 47 unknown cards remaining after the flop, the probability of hitting one of these 15 outs on the turn is 15/47. The odds against hitting are (47-15) to 15, which is 32 to 15, or approximately 2.13 to 1.

If you hold a flush draw and an open-end straight draw on the flop, what are your chances of completing one of your draws on the turn?

Answer: 2.13 to 1

With Ace-King (AK) and a short stack (6 big blinds), you have excellent equity against a wide range of hands your opponent might raise with. Given the opponent's raise, moving all-in is the correct play to maximize your fold equity and realize your strong hand's potential. AK is a premium hand that plays very well as an all-in shove in this situation.

What should you do if you're in the same situation as the last hand but have Ace-King instead of pocket Twos?

Answer: Raise all-in

While tournament play has unique strategic elements, the fundamental principles of bluffing remain similar to cash games. Bluffing frequency should be determined by factors like opponent tendencies, table image, and perceived hand strength, not simply by the format. Over-bluffing or under-bluffing based solely on it being a tournament is generally not optimal.

In TV tournaments, the pros are always bluffing. They appear to be bluffing a lot more than I'm used to in my cash game play. In a tournament, how often should I bluff?

Answer: About the same amount as in cash games

With an open-ended straight draw, you have 8 outs. The pot is $250, and you need to call $100, giving you pot odds of $350 total pot / $100 call = 3.5:1. However, your odds of hitting the straight on the turn are approximately 4.88:1 (from Q24). Since your pot odds are worse than your actual odds of hitting, calling is not mathematically profitable in the long run, making a fold the correct decision.

On the flop, you have an open-ended straight draw in the same no limit Texas Hold'em game. You know you need to strike a straight to win, but you're up against a $100 stake and a pot of $250, including the bet. What should you do?

Answer: Fold

With a very short stack (6 big blinds) and pocket Twos, being the first to act is a difficult spot. Pocket Twos are a weak hand that plays poorly multi-way and often doesn't improve enough to win. Folding preserves your remaining chips, as raising or limping would likely commit you to a bad situation against stronger hands, and you need to wait for a better spot.

What if you're in the same situation as the last two questions in terms of stack size and blinds, but you're the first to act with a pair of Twos?

Answer: Fold

This is a classic ICM (Independent Chip Model) spot where preserving your tournament life is paramount. With 110 players and 100 getting paid, you are on the bubble. Two players already all-in indicates extreme strength, likely Aces or Kings. Folding pocket Kings, despite their strength, is correct to guarantee a payout, as the risk of busting out just before the money outweighs the potential gain of winning a large pot.

You're in a multi-table tournament with a top 100 finisher. You have an average chip stack with 110 players remaining in the event. You can reach the money without difficulty if you simply fold every hand. An early position player moves all-in and another player calls. Both of them have larger chip stacks than you have. You search for pocket Kings. So, what's your plan?

Answer: Fold

The '4 and 2 rule' is a common poker shortcut used to quickly estimate the probability of hitting a draw. You multiply your number of outs by 4 to estimate your chance of hitting on the turn or river, and by 2 to estimate your chance of hitting on just the turn or just the river. This provides a quick, rough estimate of your equity in a hand.

Experienced poker players often use a shortcut rule to assess the likelihood of hitting their draws on the turn, river, or both the turn and river. Which of the following is the meaning of this rule?

Answer: The 4 and 2 rule

If your primary goal is to win the tournament, you must take calculated risks to build a large stack. In this scenario, calling with pocket Kings against two all-ins, despite the risk, offers a massive opportunity to become a chip leader if you win. The potential reward of a huge stack for a tournament win outweighs the risk of busting out before the money, given your changed objective.

What would you answer to the last question if you were more concerned with winning the tournament as a whole instead of just getting into the money?

Answer: Call

While Ace-King against a lower pocket pair can be a 'coin flip' in terms of raw equity, pros often make these moves in specific contexts, such as when short-stacked, in late stages of a tournament, or against particular opponents. Blindly shoving AK every time without understanding stack sizes, opponent ranges, and ICM implications is a mistake and will likely lead to poor results.