A No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Quiz - Test your no-limit hold'em tournament skills

1. You are in the first round of a no-limit hold'em tournament and the blinds are $25-$50. You are in the big blind with K-Q offsuit. There are four limpers and the small blind also limps in, so there are six players in the pot. The flop comes K Q 4. The small blind checks and it's your turn to act. You know that the limpers like to see lots of cheap flops, but they are not too aggressive after the flop with drawing hands. What is your best play? (A) Check your top two pair, hoping to raise if someone bets. (B) Bet about the size of the pot, which is $300. © Bet around half the size of the pot to see if you can get some action.


The answer is (B). With passive players and several straight or flush draws on the board, it is better to bet around the size of the pot. This way, any drawing hands are going to pay too high a price to draw against you, and if they call anyway they are making a mistake.


2. It's the same situation as above, but this time there are several aggressive players yet to act behind you who will bet a variety of hands. What is your best play? (A) Check with the idea of putting in a raise if someone bets. (B) Bet about the size of the pot, hoping you will get raised so that you can reraise. © Check and call if somebody bets and wait until fourth street to make a bet if a blank falls.

The answer is (A). If you are reasonably sure someone will bet if it is checked, you don't want to reveal the strength of your hand by betting. Also, if you check-raise, you will thin the field and either win it right there or get it heads up with the original bettor.

3. You are in the first round of the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker championship event. The blinds are $25-$50 and a player you don't know makes it $200 to go from early position. You have pocket kings on the button and everyone has folded to you. You decide to make it $600 and everyone folds to the original raiser, who calls. The flop comes Q-7-2 of different suits. The other player checks to you, you bet $800, and your opponent calls the $800 and raises another $4,000. What is your best play? (A) Call, because you have an overpair to the flop. (B) Reraise your opponent all in. © Fold.

The answer is ©. With a flop containing no logical draw and with your opponent committing almost half of his chips to the pot, he is not bluffing. He most likely has a set, probably Q-Q, or he slow-played pocket aces. Very few players are willing to commit all or most of their chips after the flop without a very big hand in the first round of the World Series.



4. You are in late position with pocket jacks in the first round of a World Poker Tour event. Everyone has started with $4,000 in chips and the blinds are $25-$50. A solid player opens for $175 from under the gun and is called in two spots. You are in the cutoff seat and also decide to see the flop. The small blind folds and the big blind also calls, so there are five players in the pot. The flop comes Q 10 9. You have flopped an open-end straight draw. Everybody checks to you. What is your best play? (A) Bet about the size of the pot and hope everyone folds. (B) Check and take a free card. © Make an oversized bet to protect what you think might be the best hand. The answer is (B). This is a flop that is very coordinated, which means there are lots of drawing hands as well as made hands that could be out against you. With that many players in the pot, it is very likely that this flop has hit somebody. You could already be beat, or be drawing very slim for a straight that would give you only a split pot.



5. You are in the first round of a World Poker Tour event. Everyone started with $5,000 in chips. There are two limpers and you are in middle position with the K Q. You also decide to limp in. Two other players limp in behind you, and so does the small blind. The big blind checks and seven of you see the flop for $50 each. The flop comes

9 7 4. You have two overcards and the king-high flush draw. It is checked to you, you also check, and so does everyone else. The turn card is the 8, making your flush. The blinds check and the first limper checks. You decide to make it $300, the last player to act behind you makes it $900, and the original limper then makes it $2,000. You do not know anything about either player. What is your best play? (A) Call. (B) Fold. © Move in.

The answer is (B). This early in the tournament with that kind of betting, you are probably up against the nut flush or even possibly a straight flush. You most likely have one of them beat, but not both of them. You have only a small amount invested in this pot, so why risk going broke when you could easily be drawing dead.

6. You are on the button in the first round of a tournament with pocket deuces. There have been three limpers in front of you, plus the blinds are yet to act. You call the $50 bring-in bet, the small blind also calls, and the big blind checks, so six of you see the flop. The flop is 10-5-2 of different suits. You have flopped bottom set. An aggressive player in middle position leads off for $200 and is called by one player. The action is up to you, and everyone has about $3,000 in chips. What is your best play? (A) Raise to about $800 with what you believe is the best hand. (B) Flat-call so that you can trap one or both players on a later betting round. © Raise to about $400 to get a little more money in the pot.

The answer is (B). This is a flop that does not appear to be dangerous to your hand. You have position and an aggressive player doing the betting for you. Let him continue to take the lead and wait until fourth or fifth street to make a bet or a raise so that you can get full value from your hand.