What Would Bill Do?

In the WPC Championship, Cory Carroll made the biggest decision of the tournament with his middle pair (A-J) all-in call against Gus Hanson’s overbet.

He made what was the right (and very brave) call against Hanson’s 7-high fl ush draw, and eventually he got rivered for all of his chips.

Given that he was six million behind, which was still comfortably second place, and with the huge difference in prize money for fourth, third, and second, what would Bill have done?

That was quite a hand, especially coming late in one of the most important tournaments of the year!

Cory and Gus are two of the tougher players in the world. Although you correctly point out that there is a huge difference between second- and fourth-place pay, I’m sure that these two had their sights only on fi rst place. Those players for whom either the money is not signifi cant (such as Cory and Gus) or who are wired to only play for fi rst place (I fall into this category) have a big advantage in poker tournaments.

Generally, if you feel that you are as talented as your opponents, you want to take great pains to avoid playing large pots.

Also, with a marginal and vulnerable hand, I hate to be the caller in a large pot. That said, when you are playing against an aggressive, talented player such as Gus, who will put the pressure on with large semibluffs, sometimes you are forced to trust your read and settle for playing a big pot with (if your read is correct) the best of it.

I believe that is what happened to Cory. He is a fantastic player and made a toughas- nails call. Playing that huge pot was likely unavoidable. He got outdrawn. The tough to swallow truth is: “that’s poker.”

Note, too, that the semi-bluff by Gus was a classic. Gus had two ways to win the pot: Cory could fold or Gus could draw out if called. That hand shows poker at its highest level. Thanks,

How do you go about improving, especially if you’re a beginner/intermediate player? Stepping up from weak/ tight seems to be a problem for me.

Thanks, DINOS

The best way to improve is to play. Period.

Reading, talking, and thinking about poker can help, but there is no substitute for experience. Over the years, I have played a lot both in brick-and-mortar cardrooms and online. While I enjoy playing “live” (i.e., with other people in casinos), I suggest that you play online if your goal is to improve.

The primary reason that playing on the net is the best way to improve is effi ciency. Online, you will be able to play many, many more hands than you could in live action. There are a few reasons for this: (1) the computer “shuffl es” and deals much more quickly than in the real world; (2) players play faster; (3) there is no commute or time spent waiting for a game; and, most importantly, (4) you can play multiple games at once.

I play exclusively at Full Tilt Poker and, of course, recommend that site to you. Without doubt, however, you have other fi ne choices of online poker sites.

Wherever you play, try to play in as many games as you can handle without losing the ability to concentrate on each decision in each game. Start with one or two tables, and then add more as you become fully comfortable.

The bottom line is to gain experience from playing as many hands as you can. I wish you the best of luck! Thanks, BILL