Posts by Dara O'Kearney
Strategy: Continuation Betting Continued
In my last article, I explained what a continuation bet is, and asked you to start thinking about when they should and shouldn’t be used in this specific example: You have 40 big blinds and raise under the gun to 2.3 big blinds. Only the big blind with the same stack calls. The flop comes…
Read MoreStrategy: Continuation Betting
In my previous articles, I have focused on preflop for good reason. We face at least one preflop decision every single hand we play. Most of the decisions may seem trivial, particularly since mostly the answer is “fold”, but mistakes add up and compound down the streets. Frequent small mistakes preflop can be more costly…
Read MoreStrategy: Defending the big blind
One of the most important positions at the poker table is the big blind. It’s vital that you master defending your blind, with the right ranges. Defend too wide and you’ll find yourself in too many tricky spots post-flop with a weak hand, like bottom pair. Defend too tight and you’ll just blind down too…
Read MoreStrategy: Opening the Pot in Mid and Late Position
In my last article, I gave a theoretically correct range of hands to open in early position when you and the players behind have 100 big blinds. I also explained why the range is constructed in this way, and what problems can arise if you diverge too much from these recommendations. I also said that…
Read MoreStrategy: Opening the pot
In my first article, I talked about the most important concept in poker: position. Position is an important factor at every point in a hand, starting with pre-flop. Preflop we describe the 2 or 3 seats just before the button (button, cutoff, hijack) at “late position”. We describe the first 2 or 3 seats as…
Read MoreStrategy: Introduction & The Importance of Position
Introduction My name is Dara O’Kearney. I’ve been a professional poker player for the past 14 years, primarily online where I’ve notched up over 2 million in profit, but I also play quite a bit live. Live, I have over a million in cashes and have cashed more often than any other Irish poker player.…
Read More