Week 8 - Poker In The Pit

The last Brit left in the tournament was John Shipley from Solihull who got a purse of $369,575 before the tournament was eventually won by Ben Lamb of Tulsa, USA. His earnings were $814,436 and of course, a coveted WSOP bracelet. The main event is just one week away now and is also celebrated by the GUKPT summer series which hits Sheffield next week. This will give players a chance to play with the pro’s and take down some serious prizepools, with the main event being a £500+50 2 day re-entry tournament. For a full schedule you can find the by searching CARD ROOM on Facebook.

Now for this week’s questions.

What does the term ‘raising the dealer’ mean? Sarah Burton, Retford

Raising the dealer is basically a tell that you can look for whilst playing live tournaments. Sometimes you will play with someone who will stare right at the dealer and announce their raise and other times they will just put chips out. When they are ‘raising the dealer’ it is usually a sure sign of a very weak hand and is a classic case of strong is weak at a poker table.

What is the most common hand to bust out on? David Wheeler, Dinnington

AK may be the most common bust out hand because it’s too strong to lay down in most situations, yet it doesn’t have a big edge against a random hand. I’ve gone out of tournaments more times with AK than any other hand. AK suited wins about 65 per cent of the time against the top 20% of hands, but just slightly more often -- 67% of the time -- against a random hand. Against a wild, loose player who raises every hand, you’d actually prefer to have 88 or a higher pair.

What is the button or the Dolly? Paul Walls, Langold

The dolly or button is whoever is the dealer button in the hand. They are directly seated to the right of the small blind and have position at the table. The button moves every hand as do the blinds.

MY TIP OF THE WEEK

When hole cards are dealt make sure you scan the table. People who glance and then place their hands on the cards are usually ready to throw the cards away. Players who take a little longer to view their cards probably like what they see.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO USE TWITTER YOU CAN NOW FOLLOW ME TO HEAR LIVE UPDATES OF ALL TOURNAMENTS I PLAY - @nickpokertyler

Thanks again to everyone who emailed questions and makes this blog possible. I will answer all questions even if I am unable to post on the blog.

Until next week, good luck at the tables!

If you have any questions you would like answering or anything to say about this blog, you can email me directly at [email protected]