Ask Evan Jarvis Anything About Learning Poker!

Hey Cardschatters!

I have been teaching playing poker for over 15 years and teaching it for 10 on my youtube channel. I absolutely love teaching poker and helping players improve their game.

I know first hand how frustrating it can be to have a question which you can't get the answer to and how much it can drive a mind nuts. So I'm here to offer my experience and services to help put your busy mind at rest and help you build confidence in your self and your poker game.

Over the past 5 years I have made 100 Q+A videos in https://www.youtube.com/user/gripsed/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=18

If you've got a question that hasn't already been made into a video please post it here and I will give you a written response, and if you're lucky I might even make a video on it too!

Looking forward to being of service and helping you reach your goals in poker, be it to be the best player in the room, or simply to have more fun with your friends.

Let's Get Stackin!

Hi Evan,

It is really great for our forum to have you with us. Thank you so much for taking time to be here and participate.

Where do you mainly play poker these days (online/live; tournies/cash)? What do you consider your strongest game?

Hi Evan. I have great experience in live poker, but I'm a beginner in online game. What would you say is fundamental to what we should pay attention in online game as opposed to the live game?

Great idea for an AMA thread - we have never had 1 in Learning Poker.

Thanks!

Hi Evan,
fantastic idea, but I'll first check out youtube b4 asking the questions already answered there.

hi, Evan. I have a big problem with discipline. if I have AJ, AK, AQ, then in response to the raise I try to shove the whole stack instead of making a 3-bet. in most cases, it is a loss, but there is always hope of winning, because sometimes it works.
how to keep from this madness? thanks, Vlad.

Hello Evan, welcome to the forum I am glad you are here.

I browsed some of the videos the questions you covered are great and are a lot of what members ask on the forum regularly.

I definitely recommend that everyone check out them out.

These are great free resources and I am sure that everyone watching them will be able learn something that will help them improve their game and themselves.

Thank you for the videos and keep up the good work.

Hi Evan!

As you know, having mastery of ICM is crucial for your success in Sit N Go. However, how do you properly study ICM?

Now, if I ask this in forum; they will say "You put the hand into ICMIZER, you see from those fancy graphic and you derive insight from that and you move on to the next hand." However, I think deep down insight we both know that doesn't work. I mean sure, you get to see if you were calling too loose, but will we remember that calling a shove with 15 BB with AJ against 88+, ATo+, ATs, KTs+ at a 8 handed table is too loose during the game? Of course not. Insight from ICMIZER is too specific for us to remember and sometimes too specific to be useful.

So a more proper question is probably how do I get insight when I study ICM?

nabmom said:

Hi Evan,

It is really great for our forum to have you with us. Thank you so much for taking time to be here and participate.

Where do you mainly play poker these days (online/live; tournies/cash)? What do you consider your strongest game?

Click to expand...

Hi nabmom!

These days the majority of my play is live cash at Niagara Casino.
I also play some at Brantford casino and a little bit of underground.

When I'm away from home I tend to play tournaments, this year I played Run it Up Reno, The Fallsview Poker Classic, and I'm off to the wsop for the Main Event Next Week.

I do best in environments that reward patience and sustained focus. Live tournaments with good structure fit the bill, but given how taxing they are I prefer to only play 1 every 3 months of so.

Cash games allow me to play shorter sessions and due to the deepstacked (and usually full ring) nature of the game, they reward my patience.

My strongest game is definitely No Limit Hold'em, but I do have a strong passion for Pot Limit Omaha 8-or-better. And the more cards the better, so Big O is a +++++++

As for live vs online. I used to do well online, but in my 30s now and having really taxed my eyes and decision making over the years, I find multitabling to be extremely stressful on me, and even one tabling for 4-8 hours to be too hard on my body. So that's why online is kind of out for now.

I feel that online is more catered to the youth as high speed decision making is rewarded, and live is more catered to the wise as patience and focus are rewarded.

vuk011 said:

Hi Evan. I have great experience in live poker, but I'm a beginner in online game. What would you say is fundamental to what we should pay attention in online game as opposed to the live game?

Click to expand...

If this were a year ago I would have said focus primarily on learning how to use a HUD and what the key statistics to pay attention to are. There is so much data you can gather with these tools and figuring out optimal strategies becomes very easy when you have people's frequencies in front of you.

i.e. fold to c-bet, fold to c-bet in 3 bet pot, fold to 2-barrel
and vice verse, c-bet, c-bet in 3-bet pot, check raise, donk bet

But with Party taking away HUDs and games going more anonymous it's hard to say.

In an anonymous environment having a strong understanding of frequencies and how to build ranges is the most valuable thing. Because that's where strong play starts at.

Ed Miller has a great book on this called Poker's 1% that is a very easy read.

That's where I would start if I were in your shoes.

joeisi said:

Hello Evan, welcome to the forum I am glad you are here.

I browsed some of the videos the questions you covered are great and are a lot of what members ask on the forum regularly.

I definitely recommend that everyone check out them out.

These are great free resources and I am sure that everyone watching them will be able learn something that will help them improve their game and themselves.

Thank you for the videos and keep up the good work.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much for these kind words Joeisi!

I've got to invest in some new lighting, but there's a possibility that some of these questions could get video replies instead of just typed replies.

Would you guys/girls be into that idea?

bablovod said:

hi, Evan. I have a big problem with discipline. if I have AJ, AK, AQ, then in response to the raise I try to shove the whole stack instead of making a 3-bet. in most cases, it is a loss, but there is always hope of winning, because sometimes it works.
how to keep from this madness? thanks, Vlad.

Click to expand...

Hi bablovod,

I invite you to take a look at your motivations for playing poker.

If your motivation is related to playing for excitement or playing for a rush, then this behavior makes complete sense. You're giving yourself a chance to win a big pot.

Likewise if your motivation is fear based, making plays like this is also common because it prevents you from having to think/act on later streets and potentially make more mistakes.

Thinking thru a hand takes a lot of mental energy, the same way keeping your willpower takes a lot of mental energy. When your mental energy is depleted we go back to our default behaviors (be it maniacal or mouse like). It sounds like you're more on the aggro side of the spectrum.

It's likely that discipline is not just an issue on the poker table but in life in general. I invite you to look at areas where you like discipline and look for simpler ways to build it up. i.e making your bed in the morning, following any kind of exercise routine, staying away from stimulating/addictive things, and so on.

Doing this will build the habit of discipline which will naturally carry over into your poker game. And building discipline will also build your ability to learn, at which point you can get into the finer points of strategy.

For now I would really ask yourself, why you play poker, what your motivation is, and where the easiest places to start building more discipline in your life would be. And from there enjoy the rewards that come with it if you choose to embark on that journey.

Hope that helps!

I think that would be a great idea.

I don't have any questions but I would definitely be interested in watching your answers to the questions other members have.

When it comes to learning I prefer videos rather than books.

Best of luck in the main event

Evan Jarvis said:

Thank you very much for these kind words Joeisi!

I've got to invest in some new lighting, but there's a possibility that some of these questions could get video replies instead of just typed replies.

Would you guys/girls be into that idea?

Click to expand...

lonenlynobita said:

Hi Evan!

As you know, having mastery of ICM is crucial for your success in Sit N Go. However, how do you properly study ICM?

Now, if I ask this in forum; they will say "You put the hand into ICMIZER, you see from those fancy graphic and you derive insight from that and you move on to the next hand." However, I think deep down insight we both know that doesn't work. I mean sure, you get to see if you were calling too loose, but will we remember that calling a shove with 15 BB with AJ against 88+, ATo+, ATs, KTs+ at a 8 handed table is too loose during the game? Of course not. Insight from ICMIZER is too specific for us to remember and sometimes too specific to be useful.

So a more proper question is probably how do I get insight when I study ICM?

Click to expand...

Great question!

I've always thought that the ranges ICMIZER suggested were too tight when looking at Nash. But once I learned to tweak the calling ranges and jamming ranges of the other opponents they started to become more accurate and valuable. This means putting in a bit more time into studying each hand but it also yields a greater amount of insight each time.

Another thing to note is that ICMIZER does a poor job of valuing the future value of your stack, and what you could do with say a big stack on the bubble. This is something Nick Petrangelo talks about in his ICM unmasked course: It's important to not adhere rigidly to what solvers/equilibrium's suggest because:

A) Many people are not playing Nash
B) The future game implications aren't valued enough

He suggests that it's important to think about things from a strategic perspective, and just consider how the future plays out if you take a close spot, is it worth the risk. I discuss that a fair bit as well in my video on when to gamble in poker tournaments


BenCB also discusses the value of sometimes calling wider than Nash suggests because maybe you are 3 handed with 1 reg and 1 fish, and if you call-off against the reg and win you'll be headsup with the Fish and win 1st like 90% of the time. In this case it can be worth gambling more, whereas gambling with the fish to get headsup with the reg is not as valuable because your rate of hitting 1st place won't be anywhere near as high.

So this is where it really comes down to using your good strategic brain that you've got an adding your own feel/insight into the equation. The programs like ICMIZER are great for giving you a baseline, and adjusting the ranges beyond Nash gives even more insight, and it's so great that they tell you how +EV or -EV a play is in terms of BBs.

But it's your assessment of the situation that determines just how +EV in bb a spot needs to be to justify gambling, or if a -EV spot can be worth taking. Look at the table set-up, (who has position on who), the meta game between players, the payout structure, and if you can get the info, how meaningful the money is to each player. Then you're really considering all the factors (which a calculator like ICMIZER simply can't input)

lonenlynobita said:

Hi Evan!

As you know, having mastery of ICM is crucial for your success in Sit N Go. However, how do you properly study ICM?

Now, if I ask this in forum; they will say "You put the hand into ICMIZER, you see from those fancy graphic and you derive insight from that and you move on to the next hand." However, I think deep down insight we both know that doesn't work. I mean sure, you get to see if you were calling too loose, but will we remember that calling a shove with 15 BB with AJ against 88+, ATo+, ATs, KTs+ at a 8 handed table is too loose during the game? Of course not. Insight from ICMIZER is too specific for us to remember and sometimes too specific to be useful.

So a more proper question is probably how do I get insight when I study ICM?

Click to expand...

You may also find this video series to be helpful, it's from my friend who is an ICMIZER expert to show some of the finer ways you can use the program to gain insights: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBrNnyWekagN5Ch5cRcCWJL2rehmVd08r

If you like these kind of videos I can certainly ask him to make some more. Let me know!

Evan Jarvis said:

Hey Cardschatters!

I have been teaching playing poker for over 15 years and teaching it for 10 on my youtube channel. I absolutely love teaching poker and helping players improve their game.

I know first hand how frustrating it can be to have a question which you can't get the answer to and how much it can drive a mind nuts. So I'm here to offer my experience and services to help put your busy mind at rest and help you build confidence in your self and your poker game.

Over the past 5 years I have made 100 Q+A videos in https://www.youtube.com/user/gripsed/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=18

If you've got a question that hasn't already been made into a video please post it here and I will give you a written response, and if you're lucky I might even make a video on it too!

Looking forward to being of service and helping you reach your goals in poker, be it to be the best player in the room, or simply to have more fun with your friends.

Let's Get Stackin!

Click to expand...

Great to see you here Evan!

Evan Jarvis said:

If this were a year ago I would have said focus primarily on learning how to use a HUD and what the key statistics to pay attention to are. There is so much data you can gather with these tools and figuring out optimal strategies becomes very easy when you have people's frequencies in front of you.

i.e. fold to c-bet, fold to c-bet in 3 bet pot, fold to 2-barrel
and vice verse, c-bet, c-bet in 3-bet pot, check raise, donk bet

But with Party taking away HUDs and games going more anonymous it's hard to say.

In an anonymous environment having a strong understanding of frequencies and how to build ranges is the most valuable thing. Because that's where strong play starts at.

Ed Miller has a great book on this called Poker's 1% that is a very easy read.

That's where I would start if I were in your shoes.

Click to expand...

Evan, Thank you very much for the exhaustive answer! I currently play pokerstars and I do not use HUD, but I'll probably start to apply one. Given that I consider myself a "live player", this will be a new experience for me. I'll read the book for sure. Thanks again :five:

My pleasure Vuk.

Here's a video on the HUD stats I find the most important/useful


The key with HUDs tho is to start small and slowly add, otherwise it's overwhelming. Start with VPIP/PFR/3Bet/Fold to 3bet

Then add in the flop stats like cbet/fold to cbet/check raise/donkbet etc.

And work like, a month before adding stats kinda thing.

Also big thing is to trust your feel and intuition over the HUD in a lot of situations. when you first start using it you don't have a huge sample of hands and so it can lead to overadjustments. Especially with 'reg type' players.

The general rule is, it takes many hands to prove where a solid player has leaks in his game, but very few to spot where a fish has leaks. So when you see that VPIP was over 50% you know you've got a spot.

Slow and steady, looking forward to hearing about your continued growth and success.

Cheers!

Thanks for the info. I will go to your channel to see the videos since I have a lot to learn, I hope I can understand them. I am from argentina
Greetings.

Evan Jarvis said:

Thank you very much for these kind words Joeisi!

I've got to invest in some new lighting, but there's a possibility that some of these questions could get video replies instead of just typed replies.

Would you guys/girls be into that idea?

Click to expand...

Love the idea!
I wouln't be surprized it becomes a big hit. pls give it a try.

Beginner here

Hey CardChatters,

Newbie here.. Just started playing poker actively for about a month. Have read the basics, but cant apply them, as i assume opponents dont bet relatively to their odds, or there are too much fish, bluffers. How can i improve my readings in online poker other then the time they spend on betting?

BR

Wild cards

Hello Evan,
When playing games with wild cards (baseball, 3 &9 wild) can wild cards be used as different suits to make a straight flush? Can a 3 of diamonds be used as a club to make a straight flush? Thanks in advance.

Im never sure what to do when i hace AK or AQ preflop and in the flop comes low cards but i keep raising and the oponent keeps calling.

90k going into Day2. Congrats!
have you ever cashed in the Main Event before?

In WSOP events, are you currently a net profitting player? Are you playing much online these days? If so, in what & where? (just curious, tks).

PS - I met you at WSOP a few years back & I used to play in some of the games you held online. It was appreciated... thanks.