#486 - My Pro Chat from FTOPS Event #15 - Part IV of IV

Question From jesus477:  what would you do if you pick up ak in late position and are faced with a 3x raise smooth call or reraise?
Michael Craig: Depends on the stacks, stage of the tournament, and the opponent. With a lot of chips and tight opponents, especially later, I want to just call. Even if I don’t hit my hand, if my opponent misses, he may check and I can pick it up that way. Or is scared by the board. Imagine the guy has 7-7. He raises. If you reraise (and he doesn’t have a huge stack), he’ll be pushing. But if you call and the flop is Q-9-5, he may give up on the pot.

Question From dypunks:  i play tight and aggressive but ive been told i should be switching gears, i have a really tough time doing that, any advice?
Michael Craig: Depends. Why should you be switching gears? And if you’re tight and aggressive, what should you switch gears TO?

Question From russell198424:  i play in alot of local poker tourneys and im currently 1st in the region.  but ive never won a tourney i have alot of trouble playing HEADS-UP got any suggestions
Michael Craig: (1) practice. It’s a different skill set so if you play HU only after beating a 200 player field, you’re not getting enough practice. Not to pimp for the site, but play HU SnGs. (2) I start by playing aggressively but with small raises. Then I adapt.

Question From Stevo_9994:  any tips for a rookie
Michael Craig: Buy The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide - Tournament Edition. Really. And play a lot, either for play money or within your starting bankroll. And read, and talk about the game.

Question From Asians Bluff:  Do you agree with the many online pros like Tom Dwan and Galfond that many people don’t know how to play omaha hi that well?
Michael Craig: Because I don’t know how to play Omaha Hi that well, I better agree with two guys who are among the best in the world.

Question From berkwin:  whats your favorite card game besides poker?
Michael Craig: I don’t play that many card games other than poker. I’m more of a word-game person, or a reader.

Question From EatShootNLeave:  which line of yours would you say you abuse the most?
Michael Craig: “Call me butter because I’m on a roll.”

Question From jesus477:  how much do you value ak preflop?
Michael Craig: Pretty highly.

Question From grantleach:  What is your best advice for new poker players?
Michael Craig: Respect your bankroll. Have fun. Read The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide - Tournament Edition.

Question From AddisonP:  Whats your pre-tourney meal? Anything special?
Michael Craig: Believe it or not - and I’m not as fat as my avatar makes me look - I’m usually too keyed up to each much before a tournament.

Question From dodger0325:  i have won 3 freerolls (2700) ppl 2 plo 1 nlhe when is FT going to play  a freeroll for freeroll winners?
Michael Craig: Sounds like an interesting idea.

Question From xArtShellx:  do you get to use those sat. chips as cash?
Michael Craig: As cash for tournament entries. Or to get other players to buy them at 100 cents on the dollar.

Question From igotpoopstains:  how do u play razz
Michael Craig: By trying to channel Ted Forrest and/or Huckleberry Seed.

Question From newyork2:  what is your favorite starting hand NLH?
Michael Craig: 8-3. Because it’s called octo-crab (thx R. Williamson III) and you never hear someone suffering a bad beat with that hand.

Question From igotpoopstains:  how did u become so good?
Michael Craig: Playing a bunch, reading a bunch, thinking about the game a bunch, trying to be honest with myself (I once gave up poker for 10 years). But the biggest thing was having 12 of the best in the world teach me to play. That was from writing the Strat Guide

Question From jesus477:  when did you lose your virginity?
Michael Craig: Why? Sounds like you found it.

Question From ksawyer3336481:  whats the best thing to do when you keep getting prime hands and getting sucked out on, in a tourney
Michael Craig: Play lousy hands to show you can do the same thing to them.

Question From BigVicSlick:  what would you say about the quality of hands/flops/turns/rivers on internet sights vs live play?  Any big difference?
Michael Craig: My database has about 300,000 online tournament hands I’ve played. Near as I can tell, the percentages are pretty comparable to random.

Question From xArtShellx:  i seem to win a big tourney and then blow it all on high dollar STG, would do you recommend i do about it… i just dont alwaz have the time to play MTT
Michael Craig: Skip the SnG. Maybe read a book. I recommend The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King.

Question From RatherBLuckyyyy:  what would you advise playing, with a bankroll of $100
Michael Craig: Cash games and SnGs where you buy in for $5 or less, and tourneys where you buyin for $2 or less.

Question From Asians Bluff:  What do you think about coin flips? Do you view them differently in cash games?
Michael Craig: Depends on the pot odds, stacks, level of tourney, etc. If there’s 2k in the pot and you have to call 10K for a coinflip, you’re getting better than 50% payoff for your coinflip.

Question From jackninesuited:  Any new books coming out soon?
Michael Craig: Lots, but none by me. I’m way overdue to get started on another book project, though it probably won’t be about poker.

Question From Philly QB:  How do you adjust your poker game when going through a bad streak….Or do you keep the same general strategy going?
Michael Craig: Read your hand histories. Be honest with yourself and figure out whether it’s just a bad streak or if you’re either making mistakes or allowed your play to degrade.

Question From ponk:  i am a very good player i am good a getting the chiplead but have you any advice for finishing a long turnament first
Michael Craig: There is a lot I can say. Here are a few: be aggressive but “small” aggressive. Try to avoid the smallest stacks without a good hand. Adjust to your opponents’ styles and do the opposite. Learn to lay down a hand.

Question From LiquorInFront:  If you had to pick one player, other than yourself, to play with your life savings, who would it be?
Michael Craig: Fortunately, my life savings isn’t very much so it could be just about anyone. The difficult problem is that the best players are immune from pressure about results. I love that Ted Forrest is so fearless he can go broke and shrug like it’s nothing.
Michael Craig: But do I want him doing that with my life savings on the line?

Question From I Stay High:  lol at the 83 answer anyway could we poss get u to play in say a 30 to 50 dollar sit right now that would be awesome
Michael Craig: what game? I’ll try to sign up for one when I quit this blog, and after the break in the HORSE.

Question From DFresh942:  hello Michael, aside from yourself of course, who do you consider to be the top three overall best players out there now?
Michael Craig: Hate to give the politically correct answer, but there are so many great players and it all depends on whether - screw that. Ivey, Antonius, Singer.

Question From All-inMcLovin:  Hi do you play chess? If so, how good are you?
Michael Craig: I was good when I was 10-12 years old. Then I met some actually GOOD chess players and haven’t played much since.

Question From LParreira:  Do you use Poker Tracker?
Michael Craig: Yes. Great asset.

Question From BigVicSlick:  Casinos have “house players” that get paid to play.  Does FT have a similar program?  If so, how to sign up?
Michael Craig: If there’s such a thing, you have to know the right person to ask. And I mean that literally: YOU have to know it. Seriously, I don’t know of such a thing, though I may be misunderstanding you.

Question From dopey_215:  Hey Michael. How are you doing in the FTOPS so far?
Michael Craig: Cashed in the Stud and LHE, equalling my number of cashes from FTOPS I-VIII.

Question From jackninesuited:  Which game are you the best at in HORSE?
Michael Craig: I’m not sure. Probably LHE, but my edge, even at a lower level of abilty, may be greater in Razz, because so few players understand the game, or Stud EOB or OEOB because so many people stink at those games.

Question From ratsoriz:  can you enter the ferg.
Michael Craig: I’ll enter the ferguson tonight.

Question From Asians Bluff:  what is poker tracker?
Michael Craig: a piece of software available online that takes your hand histories and compiles the data.

Question From saspurs2009:  What is your biggest payout online?
Michael Craig: $38k in the Sunday Brawl in Feb. The same day, I won the Sunday HORSE for another $10k.

Question From ratsoriz:  its full the ferg could you entr the shoot out
Michael Craig: I’m in the Ferguson now. Lots of room left.

Question From doomgata:  do players get the bounty reward.. tshirt and all in 1 dollar tourny?
Michael Craig: I think so. Check tournament rule #13 on the site.

Question From Asians Bluff:  Is razz really a poker game? It seems to be all lucky
Michael Craig: It’s a poker game. What your describing is my experience in pot limit omaha.
Michael Craig: Last question.

Question From think_u_beat_me:  hey mike ive been gett’n bad beats alot and it mess’n up my game. should i change that way i play or continue play’n the same. i know about swich’n gear to trap player but everything hasn’t come full circle do you have any suggestion? thx
Michael Craig: Read your hand histories. Are you getting a disproportionate amount of bad beats or are you just remembering them disproportionately? And are you playing the same as when you were doing better? Or has your style changed? Be honest with yourself and
Michael Craig: evaluate. Thanks for tuning in guys. Please read The Full Tilt Poker Blog: www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-blog.