Jonathan Little’s Tournament Poker Cheat Sheet • Think about the action on every street of every • Value bet when you think you have the best • Against players who play too many hands too hand before you act. hand most of the time AND you think your aggressively: • Do NOT play robotically. opponent will call with most of his range. o Realize they often have marginal hands even when they apply pressure. • Don’t play the same style all the time. • Value bet relatively weak made hands on the turn against loose players who never fold any o They will usually fold if you apply • Adjust your playing style to your specific made hand or draw. aggression. opponents. • Do NOT value bet when you think you have the o If you induce them to bluff, do not fold • Exploit your opponents’ tendencies. best hand most of the time and you think your decently strong holdings. • Raise with a different range based on your stack opponent will fold most of his range that you o Bluff them on scary boards. size. beat. • Against players who play too few hands too • When calling a raise, you need to ensure you are • Do NOT value bet the turn and river against passively: getting at least 10:1 implied odds with your tight players who will fold all their worse hands small pocket pairs. and call with all their better hands. o Relentlessly steal their blinds. • When the effective stack is greater than 40 BBs, • Be less inclined to value bet when losing will o Fold to their aggression. try to play lots of pots in position, especially leave you with a significantly less profitable • Against players who play too few hands too when you think you can get heads-up against stack. aggressively: opponents who play poorly post-flop. • Pot control to avoid getting blown off your hand o They are usually not capable of folding • You MUST get well out of your comfort zone and to induce your opponent to bluff. hands they perceive as strong. o Play hands with huge implied odds. and blatantly exploit your opponents’ • Do NOT pot control when your opponents will weaknesses if you want to become a big winner. o Do not stack off with hands worse than pay you off poorly. top pair, top kicker. • If you only pay attention to your own two cards, • Do NOT pot control when your opponents will o Relentlessly steal their blinds. your position, and your chip stack, you are not bluff the river. • Against players who play well: certain to fail in the long run. • Against players who play too many hands too o If your opponent thinks you’re tight, • You MUST focus on your opponents. passively: bluff a lot. o If your opponent thinks you’re wild, • Pay attention to EVERY SINGLE HAND that takes o Value bet them relentlessly. place at the poker table. play tightly. o Fold to them when they apply o Apply aggression in intelligent spots. • Take mental notes about your opponents. significant pressure. o Fold when it is clear they want to put • If you have a bad memory, write notes in a o Bluff them on later streets when they money in the pot. notepad. have a marginal hand AND you think o It is usually smart to avoid them and • Take notes on what each specific player does they will fold. focus on the weak players. incorrectly. • Always put your opponent on a RANGE OF HANDS rather than a specific hand. Jonathan Little’s Tournament Poker Cheat Sheet Things to Focus on BEFORE Things to Focus on DURING Things to Focus on AFTER a Tournament: Each Hand of a Tournament: a Tournament: Bankroll and Mindset Effective Stack Size The Good Do I have the proper bankroll of at least 50 to How should I alter my play based on the What did I do well? 100 buy-in’s? effective stack size? The Bad If I don’t, am I in the mindset to play properly as Payout Structure What did I do poorly? if I was properly bankrolled? Should the payout structure alter my decisions? Get Specific Sleep Expectation Are there any specific hands I have problems Did I get a full night’s sleep? How do I maximize my expectation for THIS with? hand? Breakfast Discuss with Friends Did I eat a healthy breakfast? Notes Did I discuss my difficult hands with my friends Am I writing down my difficult hands so I can and post them on the FloatTheTurn.com Study review them later? forums? Did I study my previous games to find my errors? My Opponent Improve My Weaknesses What do I know about my opponent? What aspect of my game do I need to work on Mental Focus the most BEFORE my next tournament? Is my mind clear such that playing poker is the What are my opponent’s tendencies? ONLY thing that matters now? Take Action What can I do to take advantage of my What steps can I take IMMEDIATELY to ensure I opponent’s tendencies? play better next time? What does my opponent know or think he knows think about me? Take your poker game to the next level with PokerCoaching.com. Is my opponent doing anything to take advantage of me? PokerCoaching.com offers more than 400 To start your free 7-day trial, visit: What should I do to be sure my opponent is not interactive quizzes and more than 30 taking advantage of me? Coaching Webinars. PokerCoaching.com Should I play in an exploitable or balanced To start your free 7-day trial, visit: No Credit Card Required! manner against my opponent? PokerCoaching.com .