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Strategy & study guides
Free, opinionated guides for micro and low-stakes players. No filler, no upsells — just the things that actually move your win rate.
Poker Downswing Odds: We Simulated 70 Billion Hands
Original data: 81% of 3bb/100 winners hit a 20+ buy-in downswing per 100k hands, median 40,000-hand breakeven stretches, and how often true winners are still losing after 100k hands. Free CSV.
Read articleWhat is a Straddle in Poker?
A straddle is a voluntary blind that doubles the stakes. Rules, Mississippi/double variants, and the computed bankroll cost of a straddled game.
Odds of a Royal Flush
1 in 649,740 dealt five cards, 1 in 30,940 by the river in Hold'em — both exact, plus how often anyone at the table actually sees one.
What is a Bomb Pot?
Everyone antes and the hand starts on the flop. Rules, double-board variants, and computed 8-way equities — even AA is only 38.7%.
What is ICM in Poker?
The Independent Chip Model with a worked 3-handed final table: the chip leader's 50% of chips is worth $383.93 of a $1,000 pool, not $500.
Run It Twice: Same EV, Half the Variance
Computed proof running it twice leaves EV identical — and cuts variance by 51% in a standard flush-draw all-in.
Odds of Flopping a Set
11.76% with a pocket pair — all 19,600 flops enumerated: plain sets, boats, quads, and the set-mining break-even.
Odds of Pocket Aces
Dealt exactly 1 in 221 — plus a computed table of AA's win rate vs 1-8 opponents, from 85.1% heads-up to 34.7% at a full table.
What is a Bounty in Poker?
PKO and mystery bounty formats with the chip-value formula: a $5 bounty in a $10 PKO is worth half a starting stack.
Odds of Flopping a Flush
0.84% with suited cards — exactly 165 of 19,600 flops — plus draw odds, by-river odds, and what suitedness is really worth.
What is a Freeroll?
Free tournaments with real prizes — and the honest arithmetic: a $200 freeroll with 2,000 entrants is worth $0.10 a seat.
Poker Downswings: How Big, How Long?
From 70 billion simulated hands: a 5bb/100 winner has a 67.7% chance of a 20-buy-in downswing per 100k hands.
What is Rakeback?
The rake refund explained with computed dollars: about $355/year back for a 15k-hands/month NL10 grinder at a typical 25% rate.
What is a Good VPIP?
20-26% at 6-max, 15-20% full ring — benchmarks derived from real positional ranges, plus the VPIP/PFR gaps that separate winners from stations.
Odds of Flopping a Straight
1.31% for connectors, falling to 0.33% for three-gappers — the exact enumerated table, plus draw frequencies.
Can You Make a Living Playing Poker?
The honest math: at 5bb/100, $3,000/month takes 60,000 hands at NL100 — plus the downswing data nobody budgets for.
How Many Hands Per Hour in Live Poker?
About 25-30 live vs ~320 four-tabling online — and what the 10x speed gap does to hourly rates and sample sizes.
What is a Satellite in Poker?
Tournaments that pay seats, not cash — including the computed bubble spot where folding pocket aces earns $125 more than calling.
Crazy Pineapple Poker: Rules & Discard Strategy
Three hole cards, discard one after the flop betting round. Full rules, the keep-two decision, and why Hold'em one-pair hands get downgraded.
2-7 Triple Draw: Lowball Explained
Five cards, three draws, lowest hand wins — aces high, straights and flushes count against you. Rules, the 7-5-4-3-2 nuts, and snowing.
Irish Poker: The Hold'em–Omaha Hybrid
Four hole cards like Omaha, discard two after the flop, finish as Hold'em. Rules, the two-card discard decision, and PLO-style preflop adjustments.
Courchevel: 5-Card Omaha With an Exposed Flop Card
The first flop card is face up before preflop betting. Rules, door-card strategy, and how it differs from PLO.
5-Card PLO Strategy: Adjusting From 4-Card Omaha
Ten two-card combos per player instead of six: compressed equities, nut-or-fold drawing, and five concrete adjustments.
The 7-2 Game: Poker's Bluffing Side Bet
Win a pot with seven-deuce and the whole table pays a bounty. Rules, typical stakes, and real equity numbers from our own simulations.
Bankroll Management: The #1 Rule Most Players Ignore
The 30 buy-in rule backed by simulated downswing data, stop-loss discipline, shot-taking math, and when to move up or down stakes.
What Is Tilt and How to Control It
Tilt costs you more money than bad cards. Learn to recognize the signs of tilt, how to stop it, and when to quit your session.
How to Beat Micro-Stakes: NL2 to NL10 Guide
Micro-stakes strategy is different from high-stakes GTO play. Learn the exploitative adjustments that crush fish at the lowest levels.
C-Betting Strategy: When to Bet and When to Check the Flop
Continuation betting is the bread and butter of post-flop play. Learn which boards to c-bet, your sizing, and when to check back.
How to Use Poker Cheatsheets at the Table
Step-by-step guide to using our interactive cheatsheets. Memorization routines, position-first approach, and RTA compliance.
Choosing Your Play Style: TAG vs LAG vs NIT vs GTO
Which play style fits your game? Honest comparison of all four approaches with a recommended progression path for micro-stakes grinders.
What Beats a Flush in Poker?
Four hands beat a flush: full house, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush. Plus the hands a flush beats and tie-breaker rules.
How Often Do You Flop a Set?
11.8% — about 1 in 8.5 hands. The set-mining math, when it's profitable, and the implied odds you actually need.
What is UTG in Poker? Position Explained
Under the Gun is the first to act preflop, three seats left of the dealer. The worst position at the table — here's how to play it.
What Does Limp Mean in Poker?
Limping is calling the big blind without raising. Why it's a leak in modern poker, and what to do instead.
The Rule of 2 and 4
The fastest way to estimate poker equity: outs × 4 on the flop, × 2 on the turn. With common-draw cheat sheet.
Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold'em
Top 20 starting hands ranked by equity. AA is the strongest, followed by KK, QQ, AKs, JJ. Plus position notes and which hands to fold.
What is a 3-Bet in Poker?
A 3-bet is a re-raise of an opponent's preflop open. How to construct your 3-bet range, when to value vs bluff, and the most common mistakes.
How to Calculate Pot Odds
(Bet to call) ÷ (final pot) = required equity. Step-by-step examples, the rule of 2 and 4, and an outs chart for every common draw.
What is a Flush Draw?
9 outs, ~35% to hit by the river. The math, the equity, and how to play it on every street.
What is a Check-Raise?
Check first, opponent bets, you raise. Disguised aggression — when to use it for value, when to bluff.
How to Play Ace-King
AK wins ~65% vs random but misses the flop 67% of the time. Complete game plan for AKs and AKo.
What is a Fish in Poker?
How to spot weak players in 30 seconds and the table-selection mindset that 10x's win rate.
What is a Kicker in Poker?
The unpaired card that decides ties between same-rank hands. AK beats AQ when both pair the ace.
What is the Button in Poker?
Last to act on every postflop street. The most profitable seat at the table — and how to use it.
How Many Poker Hands Are There?
2,598,960 unique 5-card hands. 1,326 starting hand combos. 169 hand classes. The exact math.
What is VPIP in Poker?
Voluntarily Put $ In Pot — the stat that reveals player tightness. Read it and exploit.
What is 3-Card Hold'em (Pineapple)?
Pineapple poker rules and equity differences. Use our free 3-card calculator to run odds for any 3-card variant.
What is Omaha Poker (PLO)?
Pot-Limit Omaha rules: 4 hole cards, must use exactly 2 + 3 board. Equity differences from Hold'em + strategy.
Hold'em vs Omaha vs Pineapple
Side-by-side comparison of the three main hole-card variants. Rules, equity, action profile, learning curve.
Is Poker Gambling or Skill?
Short-term variance, long-term skill. The honest answer with the studies that prove it.
How to Play Pocket Aces
85% vs random — but most players misplay them. Get max value, when to slow-play, when to fold.
What is a Continuation Bet (C-Bet)?
A flop bet from the preflop raiser. The most common postflop play — when, why, and how big.
What is a Straight in Poker?
Five cards in sequence. Beats trips, loses to a flush. Tie-breakers and how to play it.
What is a Freezeout Tournament?
One buy-in, no rebuys. The structure of every major tournament — and how it changes strategy.
How to Multi-Table in Online Poker
Done right: 4-6x hourly rate. Done wrong: bleeds your win rate. Step-by-step progression.
What is a Squeeze Play?
3-bet against an opener AND a caller. Squeeze the dead money — math, sizing, the right hands.