Hold'em Quiz II

Here is the second part of the hold'em quiz I started in my last column. The two quizzes are scored separately, so you have the chance to redeem a bad performance if you had one last issue. Again, you will derive both more benefit and more enjoyment if you cover up the answers and take the quiz.

1. Which one of the following statements is most likely to be correct regarding the play of drawing hands on the turn when you have middle pair, bottom pair, or a gutshot?

(a) Usually fold, because the price has doubled and the pot odds are normally insufficient to call a double bet.

(b) Usually call, to give yourself a chance of winning the pot.

© Usually raise, because you might win the pot outright, or you might make the winning hand at the river and win a bigger pot.

Answer: (a) There are lots of longshot hands with which you can take a card off on the flop, but cannot continue without help. A call usually does not offer the right odds on the turn for this type of hand, especially inasmuch as many of these longshots may not win even if you help.

2. Which of the following statements is true regarding bluffing in limit hold'em?

(a) A bluff in limit hold'em will have a worse chance of success than in no-limit hold'em.

(b) A bluff will be getting worse odds than in no-limit hold'em.

© Don't bother bluffing in limit poker.

Answer: (a) The chance of a successful bluff is much less when you can bet only a small portion of the pot. However, there still is a lot of value in bluffing in limit poker, because you risk a small amount to win a big amount.

3. When is it most frequently correct to simply check and call?

(a) When facing one opponent who is a tricky player.

(b) When you have a drawing hand with lots of opponents.

© When facing a couple of tight players.

Answer: (b) There is not much sense pumping the pot on a typical draw if there are lots of players in, because you hardly ever can use your semibluff to win the pot. Someone will look you up, and maybe you will get raised.

4. When contemplating a check-raise, which one of the following statements is most likely to be correct?

(a) You have to want to eliminate opponents.

(b) You need to be deceptive.

© You should have a good reason for believing someone else will bet.

Answer: © The biggest risk of checking with the intention of check-raising is that the field will get a free card, costing you a lot of money and possibly even the pot. When you check, you are unlikely to eliminate players if they are already in for the bet; you need to confront the field with a double bet to get people out.

5. Which one of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding reraising on the flop?

(a) Be wary of reraising if there is a large number of turn cards that kill your hand.

(b) Don't ever reraise on a drawing hand.

© Be less inclined to reraise when facing one opponent.

Answer: (a) If there's anything I hate, it is three-betting the flop and having to fold on the turn. Whether or not you three-bet a drawing hand depends mainly on how big a draw you have. Naturally, you do not need as much hand to reraise when heads up.

6. Which one of the following considerations is true regarding slow-playing?

(a) Consider whether you can afford to give someone a free card.

(b) Only fools slow-play a big pair preflop.

© You normally should slow-play a powerful holding.

Answer: (a) When considering a slow play, ask yourself a simple question. If the opponent helps, will he be in trouble or will I? There is nothing wrong with slow-playing a big pair preflop on occasion. But, many people habitually check whenever they hit a big hand, which is a destructive habit.

7. Which of the following statements is true regarding a flop raise from late position on a drawing hand?

(a) If you check it back on the turn, your opponent knows you were drawing, so you must bet the turn.

(b) The purpose is normally to get a free card.

© Your raise may eliminate players by allowing the bettor to reraise.

Answer: © When you have a holding like the nut-flush draw, you want players in the pot to make two pair or a straight, and pay you off big-time. Many times, you would be glad to raise, if you could be assured the original bettor would not reraise. However, a player who is strong enough to bet into a big field will often be able to re-pop it.

8. Which one of the following statements is most likely to be true when you have posted a late-position blind?

(a) Nothing changes.

(b) If folded to you, often check.

© If folded to you, often raise.

Answer: © Since you are in already, all you invest when raising is one extra bet, which may win the pot for you either preflop or later on. You can raise with lots of shaky-looking hands.

9. Which of the following is true regarding shorthanded play?

(a) The best policy is to go for a walk when there are fewer than six players at the table.

(b) Being suited is not worth as much when the table is shorthanded.

© You should go into a shell and keep your powder dry for when the game fills back up.

Answer: (b) Making a flush is overkill against one or two opponents. The typical winning hand is a fairly high pair, so high-card strength is the most important factor in hand evaluation. Playing shorthanded against strong and aggressive players is unprofitable, but when a table gets short, see if there are some soft spots, and if so, continue playing.

10. Which of the following is true regarding high-stakes hold'em games?

(a) The players can probably afford the stakes for which they play just as easily as the players in a $3-$6 game.

(b) The bigger games are always tougher.

© The bigger games almost always have a more solid style of play.

Answer: (a) Water finds its own level. Those guys you see in a $200-$400 game often have more money for the stakes they are playing than players at the middle or low limits. And if there is someone who is playing for more than he can really afford, it is likely to be a pro taking a shot because the game is juicy, rather than a family man gambling with vital funds. The big games are usually a mix of top players and wealthy amateur players. Probably, the game would not even have been spread if it were all toughies. The high-stakes games almost always are played in a more aggressive manner than other games.

Scoring: 10 – Shark. 9 – Gar. 8 – You can hold your own. 7 – Sometimes fisherman, other times fish. 6 – Fillet of flounder. 5 – Minnow. 4 – Mullet. 3 – Improve or go broke. 2 – Gamblers Anonymous candidate. 1 – Longtime Gamblers Anonymous member. 0 – A good player who bet that he could miss every question.

Editor's note: Bob Ciaffone's latest book, Middle Limit Holdem Poker, co-authored with Jim Brier, is available now (332 pages, $25 plus $6 shipping and handling). This work and his other poker books, Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Holdem Poker, can be ordered through Card Player. Ciaffone is available for poker lessons. E-mail [email protected] or call (989) 792-0884. His website is www.diamondcs.net/~thecoach, where you can download Robert's Rules of Poker for free.