Poker blog

Strategy, news & the occasional bit of humour

Articles from the Mallard Club community — cash-game and tournament strategy, mindset, and the culture of live poker in Toronto.

The Art of Floating: When and How to Execute

To truly elevate your game, you need to incorporate more sophisticated plays

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Counter-Strategies for Hyper-Aggressive Opponents

Dealing with highly aggressive players can be one of the most challenging parts of poker

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How to Maintain Focus During Long Poker Sessions

One of the main difficulties in staying concentrated during lengthy poker sessions is managing distractions.

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Strategies for Playing in Large Field Tournaments

Large field events present distinctive difficulties and chances, creating an exhilarating and intricate arena for any poker fan.

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Transitioning from online poker to live poker

Transitioning from online poker to live poker can be a significant shift for many players.

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Leveraging Positional Advantage for Maximum Profit

Whether you're new to the game or looking to sharpen your skills, understanding how to leverage your position at the table can significantly boost your profitability.

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Strategic Differences Between Cash Games and Tournaments

Poker is not a one-size-fits-all game. It comes in various formats, each demanding its unique approach and strategy

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The Psychology of Poker: Playing the Player

To play poker successfully, it is crucial to be able to "play the player," which involves utilizing psychological tactics over simple card strength.

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Key Adjustments for Online Poker Play

The move from live tables to virtual felt is becoming increasingly popular as online poker continues to attract players from all over the world

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How to develop a winning poker mindset?

In poker, your success at the tables is more dependent on your mindset than the cards you are dealt

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Week 3 - Advanced 3-Bet Strategies for Modern Games

Being aggressive in poker is important. It can help to create opportunities for big payouts

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Adjusting Your Strategy for Heads-Up Poker Games

Heads up poker is often seen as poker's purest form. It strips down the complexities of multi-player dynamics and focuses on the intense duel between two opponents.

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Secrets to Successful Check-Raising: A Strategic Guide for Poker Players

Few things in poker can be as game-changing as a well-executed check-raise play.

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Past and Upcoming Poker Events in Canada for 2024

Canada has a lively poker scene, with many tournaments across the country. From recurring events in Calgary and Edmonton to primary international circuits in Kahnawake and Calgary, poker players have plenty of opportunities to participate in.

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Defensive Play: How to Guard Against Aggression

Aggressive play is a common strategy for upsetting opponents and dominating the table. However, encountering an overly aggressive player can be challenging, particularly if you have yet to gain poker experience.

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Toronto's Impact on the Canadian Poker Market

Toronto has increasingly become a key player in shaping the Canadian poker market

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A Look At Canada's Top Poker Players

Canada has produced some of the world's finest poker talents, each leaving a significant mark on the international poker scene.

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Making Better Decisions In Multi-Way Pots

Do you ever find yourself sweating in a multi-way pot, unsure how to proceed? You're not alone!

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Adjusting Your Strategy In Turbo Tournaments

Unlock the secrets to conquering the fast-paced world of turbo tournaments with strategic insights that could skyrocket your win rate.

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WSOP An All Around Success

The 2024 WSOP Circuit event in Toronto, held at the Great Canadian Casino Resort, marked a historic debut on the international poker scene, setting records as the season's largest International WSOP Circuit Main Event.

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WSOP Circuit Event in Toronto Concludes

Toronto's Great Canadian Casino Resort recently hosted its inaugural WSOP Circuit event, a significant addition to the global WSOP calendar.

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Crush The Limpers

Punishing people who play too loose/passive (limpers) is a very valuable addition to your game

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Understanding Pot Odds

There's an important difference between the odds of winning the hand, and the odds of what's in the pot relative to your hand

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Playing vs Aggressive Opponents

Most of the time, there's at least one very aggressive opponent at the table, and that spells opportunity

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Five mistakes to avoid when playing Aces

I've always said "Aces are great for winning small pots, and losing huge ones"...playing them better with help your game a ton

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Burnt out? This will help

Poker is no different than any other career, and avoiding burning out will keep your win rate up

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Four common preflop mistakes to avoid

Think of your preflop action as the foundation upon which your play in that hand is built

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Thinking In Ranges

"I put you on AK" - we've all heard that before...but thinking like that can be dangerous

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Playing vs Straddles

Everyone knows the straddle is good for the game, but how do you make it good for YOU?

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Avoiding Angle Shooting

For as long as poker has been played for money, people have been trying to find an angle

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When to wrap up a session

In the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, you got know when to hold em, know went fold em, know when you walk away, and know when to run

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Signs you are on Tilt

You lose a tough hand, and something snaps inside your brain. You, are on tilt. But, recognizing it can save you money

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The Power of Position

While real estate is all about "location, location, location" the same is true for position in poker

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Game Selection Basics

When to play, which table to play at, which stakes to play...how do you decide?

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Low Stakes Bankroll Management

Bankroll management isn't exactly flashy or sexy, but it's one of the single most important things to master if you want to be successful at poker

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Common Tells in Cash Games

One of the best parts about live poker vs online, is you get to see your opponents physical mannerisms during the game...and that can tell you a lot about their hand

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Controlling Tilt

Everyone, and I mean everyone, goes on Tilt at some point. But, learning to control it can save you a ton of money

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Bankroll Management 101

Some argue, that bankroll management is the single most important part of being a successful poker player

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Buying In For The Max

There are times where making sure you have as much on the table as you can is a huge asset

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Benefits Of Shorthanded Play

Most people don't realize just how different short handed play is vs a full table

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The Benefits Of Coaching

If you're taking the game seriously, have you considered getting a coach, and how can you benefit from having one?

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Living A Balanced Lifestyle

We look at finding a work/life balance for the poker grinder in you

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Tournaments are back!!!

After a long time off, tournaments are coming back to the Mallard Club, once again hosting the Toronto Poker Tournament Series

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Exploiting the Weak Lead

This advanced play has been used by top pros for years...

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How to exploit 5 common leaks in opponents

Taking advantage of your opponents' leaks is how to take your game to the next level

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Why people bluff like wimps

Even some of the most successful players bluff like a wimp...

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Taking a bad beat can actually be a good thing

Seriously, it really can be a good thing...

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Playing A Paired Board On The Flop

Pairs on the flop can be scary, but also profitable...

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Bluffing - A Deep Dive

Is there anything more satisfying than a successful bluff?

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The Independent Chip Model Explained

The ICM is a model to calculate how often a player will finish in a particular position

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Essential Cash Game Tips

You'll thank me when you start doing all of these...

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Five Tips For Staying Focused At The Table

Focusing for extended periods of time is one of the best skills a poker player can have

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Five Tournament Play Myths - BUSTED

You've heard "pros" talk strategy all the time. Here are some spots they're wrong...

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When should you slow play a huge hand?

Generally, fast playing will get your more value, but slow playing can work sometimes...

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Semi Bluffing With Straight Draws...Yes or No?

Let's dive into how to play your straight draws like a seasoned pro...

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Playing Small Ball Poker Like A Champ

People love to talk about over bets, but smaller bets work too...

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Making More Money From The Blinds

How you play from the blinds impacts your winnings more than you think...

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What's With All The Tanking?

Why faster play will make you more money, and happier

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What Makes A Good Poker Player

What's the difference between an ok poker player, and a great one?

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Poker Tells And How To Read Them

Poker is all about information, and I bet there's some you're missing...

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Playing Straddled Pots Effectively

Does adding a third blind to the pot make sense?

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5 Mistakes People Make With Suited Connectors

Suited connectors are great hands to play, if you play them properly...

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Rounders: DId they play it right?

Don't even pretend you haven't seen "Rounders"...but how did they play their hands?

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Playing Small Pocket Pairs In Tournaments

Flopping sets with small pairs is the best, but some people still play them wrong...

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Playing Blind v Blind

Less than perfect blind vs blind play is more common than you might think...

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3 Tips For Thin Value Betting

Since value betting is where we make most of our money, let's have a closer look

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Stop Wasting Money in 3-Bet Pots

A quick improvement you can make in your game is playing 3-bet pots better

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Strategies For Crushing Passive Tables

Playing passive opponents is easy, right? It can be!

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3 Calls that are supposed to win, but usually don't

Should you favor a theoretically sound strategy or play exploitative poker?

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