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you do? Again, calling is not a good play since you have to beat two players with a small pair. You want to isolate yourself against the all-in player. Move all-in.

Pre-flop Moves: The Min-Raise 7. The Min-Raise. When you reach the middle of the tournament, you want to win the blinds without a struggle. Picking up the blinds is key in accumulating chips. The min-raise, which is a raise of two times the big blind, is a move that can win the blinds uncontested. Example: You have Q♠-10♠. You have $22,000, and the blinds are $400-$800. Everyone folds to you. You are in a middle position. What should you do? If you call, you invite other players into the hand, and at the very least, you will see a flop. Also, if someone raises after you limp, you will have to seriously consider folding. A raise of three times the big blind will risk over 10% of your stack on a mediocre hand. With the min-raise, you are hoping that the $1,600 bet will get everyone to think twice about entering the pot. Opponents may put you on a small pair, an Ace-x hand, or a premium starting hand. The other advantage of the min-raise is that it is an excellent defensive bet. A player, who would raise if he was first in the pot, may play it safe and just call. Do not make this move after a player has already called the big blind. A min-raise is not going to get this player to fold. Also, do not make this move from the big blind after there are a few callers. The worst play in no-limit poker may be when the big blind opens up another round of betting with a min-raise. Even if the big blind has pocket Aces, a min-raise from this position will not get players to fold.

Pre-flop Moves: The Position Power-Raise 10. The Position Power-raise. Unlike a position steal-raise, where the objective is to steal the blinds, a position power-raise is designed to win both the blinds and the additional money in the pot from previous callers. It’s a very effective play as you represent a strong starting hand to all your opponents. Example: You have K♦-10♦. It is in the middle of the tournament. You have $20,000. The blinds are $400-$800. Two players limp into the hand for $800. The pot is $2,800. Everyone folds to you on the cut-off. What should you do? A call is an acceptable play in this position, since you want to see a flop cheap. But this hand is going to be difficult to play on the flop. The limpers probably have hands around the same strength as your hand, or even better. The callers could have K-J, Q-J, J-10, A-10 and have you out-kicked if you flop any pair. Instead of limping, try the position power-raise. Instead of playing your hand, play your opponents’ mediocre hands by raising. Your raise needs to be large enough to get everyone to fold. Therefore, with $2,800 in the pot, raise to $4,000. It will cost the limpers another $3,200 to call. Unless one of the players behind you finds a premium hand, an $800 calling hand is rarely worth another $3,200. What if a limper calls your raise? First, you need to put him on a range of possible hands that could call your raise. Second, you have the advantage of position. Third, you can use one of the flop moves in the next section to get him to fold.

Pre-flop Moves: The All-in Re-Raise Against the Poker Pro 13. The all-in re-raise against the poker pro. One of the challenges in major tournaments is playing against the poker pro. The pros are aggressive and raise pre-flop more than other players. They don't even need a hand to do this. In addition, they know how to outplay you on the flop, turn and river (something I hope to change with this book!). It is interesting, but some poker pros will fold to your re-raise, while other pros will call your re-raise. The pros that call re-raises are very tough to beat, because if they sense weakness, they will outplay you. The correct move against the top poker pros is not to try to continually outplay them. Instead, find your spots to move all-in and put on