Chris 'Fox' Wallace (Poker Pro, Coach and Author) - Ask Me Anything!

[ChrisFoxWallace]

which tournaments or cash games are more profitable?

Generally cash games, but it depends on what you like to paly and what you are a good at. Some people (me) get bored in cash games and can't play them all the time.

 

[sandlax]

Hi Chris: Nice to meet you. I think I need some coaching. I do tournaments on WSOP mostly. Are you still coaching and how do I sign up? Thanks so much. Tamra

new we are two

 

[VooDooGoo]

Hey Chris,

I've made a General Forum Post about this , but I was wanting your take on it too.

I am currently playing 2NL and sitting at a Winrate of about 68BB/100. I know thats really high , but I am kinda reluctant on moving up to 5NL because I am trying to build a bankroll as I learn the game with books etc...

When do you think I should think seriously about making the move, as in when does it become financially sound to do so. (Note I currently have $120 on my bankroll)

Thanks for any input on your part!

VooDooGoo

 

[hcuervo]

Chris, you have to know how to play all forms of poker to be a good player and tell me a pair of KK and in the community ones an A comes up, should we continue betting?

 

[Atararo14]

Hello, I would like to know if it's possible to generate an income in micro limits (1 to 5 dollars).

I feel comfortable running 20 MTT sessions, playing 6-8 tables at the same time.

I studied the basics of poker (open ranges, sizings, odds...), I have good results in cardschat freerolls platinum and I decided to switch to micro limits.

My goal is to generate an average of $500 per month.

Thank you for your support, if you have advice I am ready to welcome them.

 

[semsaltov77777]

Is it interesting to make a good bankroll from freerolls? Or am I very naive about this issue?

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Is it interesting to make a good bankroll from freerolls? Or am I very naive about this issue?

Interesting? Absolutely. I know many people who have built up real bankrolls starting with freerolls. It's a grind, but it is also a great learning process.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hello, I would like to know if it's possible to generate an income in micro limits (1 to 5 dollars).

I feel comfortable running 20 MTT sessions, playing 6-8 tables at the same time.

I studied the basics of poker (open ranges, sizings, odds...), I have good results in cardschat freerolls platinum and I decided to switch to micro limits.

My goal is to generate an average of $500 per month.

Thank you for your support, if you have advice I am ready to welcome them.

It is absolutely possible. But you'll need to find tournaments with a low rake and play fairly well. If you assume a 50% ROI (Return on Investment) and an average buy-in of $3, then you'll make $1.50 per tournament. This would require you to be a pretty strong player, but certainly not a serious expert. If you can achieve those stats, then you can generate $500 a month by playing just over 300 tournaments. That's a lot of tournaments in one month, but certainly possible.

If you get good enough to do that, you might consider moving up in buy-in level, to play rebuys up to $5 and buy-ins up to $20 and see how you do in those. You could make $500 a month with a lot less hours if you really study and get good enough to beat those slightly bigger games. For now I would stick with the micros and keep records of your play to see how much money you have made in profit after 500 tournaments and then get back to me.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hey Chris,

I've made a General Forum Post about this , but I was wanting your take on it too.

I am currently playing 2NL and sitting at a Winrate of about 68BB/100. I know thats really high , but I am kinda reluctant on moving up to 5NL because I am trying to build a bankroll as I learn the game with books etc...

When do you think I should think seriously about making the move, as in when does it become financially sound to do so. (Note I currently have $120 on my bankroll)

Thanks for any input on your part!

VooDooGoo

Get up there in those $5 NL games! Your win rate is really great, and the sooner you move up and play against tougher competition, the faster you will improve. Keep studying, and if you drop down to $40, drop back down to $2 NL for awhile. $120 is more than enough for the $5 NL games. I moved up too slowly and didn't take enough risks throughout much of my early career, and it cost me a lot of money. Just be willing to move back down if you need to, there is no shame in that.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Chris, you have to know how to play all forms of poker to be a good player and tell me a pair of KK and in the community ones an A comes up, should we continue betting?

I think there are many good players who only play one type of poker. Remember, we play poker for money, not for respect or for trophies or to argue about who is the greatest. If you can make tons of money in one game, that's great. I play so many games because it keeps me interested, and I wish more people played more mixed games because they are more fun, but they are not required to be a good player.

The KK question really requires more information. Keep learning and you'll have the answer more often. If you raise from late position and the big blind calls, they will often fold if you bet again. If someone else reraised, they are more likely to have an ace. It comes down to how often they have an ace, and possibly how often they will bluff raise to find out if you have an ace. Sometimes you can even check behind and raise the turn because it will scare them more than a flop bet. So, the answer, as with so many poker questions, it "it depends".

 

[Atararo14]

It is absolutely possible. But you'll need to find tournaments with a low rake and play fairly well. If you assume a 50% ROI (Return on Investment) and an average buy-in of $3, then you'll make $1.50 per tournament. This would require you to be a pretty strong player, but certainly not a serious expert. If you can achieve those stats, then you can generate $500 a month by playing just over 300 tournaments. That's a lot of tournaments in one month, but certainly possible.

If you get good enough to do that, you might consider moving up in buy-in level, to play rebuys up to $5 and buy-ins up to $20 and see how you do in those. You could make $500 a month with a lot less hours if you really study and get good enough to beat those slightly bigger games. For now I would stick with the micros and keep records of your play to see how much money you have made in profit after 500 tournaments and then get back to me.

Ok, thank you very much for this information, I will start with the small limits and I will see the result

 

[SL-247]

Hi CardsChat! I've just joined the team to write news and strategy articles, and photograph major events. I thought I would celebrate it by hosting an AMA here in the forums.

I've been playing poker professionally for almost twenty years, I've written two books on this topic, worked on numerous educational sites, and coached hundreds of students. I also won the WSOP $10k HORSE in 2014, earning over half a million dollars, and participated in the WSOP main event twice.

If you have questions about poker strategy, living as a pro, bankroll management, mixed games, tournaments, photography, writing, guitars, or Vegas's best restaurants, I'm here to help.

My new Short Stack Ninja book became a bestseller on Amazon in its first month and continues to receive great ones reviews.

Hallo. Can you please tell me: what is the more correct way to play AK pocket cards in cash games?

 

[spectralwave]

How do you play the final stages of the tournament?

 

[skaterick]

is Huck Seed still playing big stakes?

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Hallo. Can you please tell me: what is the more correct way to play AK pocket cards in cash games?

There is no one way to play AK. Learn all about poker and how the game works and make a decision based on all the information you have at the time. If there are three people all-in already, you should probably fold it. If no one has entered the pot yet, you should raise. In all other situations, you need to learn how to think about the hand and the ranges you are facing and how the pot will play out.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

How do you play the final stages of the tournament?

View attachment 314911

Very carefully. You need to understand ICM, the value of various stack sizes, what your opponents are thinking, the payout structure, and a lot of other things. Generally you want to avoid confrontations with other big stacks if you are a big stack. If you are a shorter stack, you want to play carefully if there are stacks shorter than you. If you are the shortest stack, you have very little to lose and you can be aggressive. The question is too vague to answer very well in a forum post (it probably needs a book).

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

is Huck Seed still playing big stakes?

As far as I know he is. Huck is a strong player and I know that he has played fairly big games in the last few years, but I didn't see him at the wsop at all this year so I'm not sure what he's up to.

 

[Murph1969]

Chris,
I truly just don’t get poker. I’ve taken the free 30-day course here multiple times and I just go further and further in the red. I know everybody says they’re unlucky, but I just don’t seem to hit enough hands or generate enough folds with my cbets to turn a profit. Any suggestions on what and where to study? TIA

 

[theStarfish]

Hi Chris, I wish you a happy new year!

Are you going to play in some of the PokerGo Mixed Game Tournaments next month? What are your tournament plans this year? Maybe some of the Mixed Game WSOP tournaments?

 

[martinoni]

Hello there!!

I play a lot of sat games at pokerstars and I feel like after some study I started to get better in this kind of game to enter the better mtts in a better price...

If you used to do this strategy too... do you think I should raise my range to exploit by shoving more often in position?

 

[PupsikCat]

Hello Chris! Many people say that the RNG at PokerStars is handed over to players from whom they have more rake and who makes more deposits, what can you say about this?

 

[skaterick]

online RNG question : is the whole hand randomly generated at he beginning of the deal (like it does in live poker ) , or does it keep 'cycling' for the flop, turn and river ? if the latter case is true , it makes for head spinning questions about fate , luck and determinism ...... a tenth of a second pause probably would have changed the outcome of a bankroll changing hand ! do different online sites have other patterns ?

 

[Poker384]

Hey CardsChat! I've just joined the team to write news and strategy articles and take photos at big events. I thought I would celebrate by doing an AMA here on the forums.

I have been playing poker professionally for almost twenty years, have written two books on the subject, worked for numerous training sites, and coached hundreds of students. I also won the WSOP $10k HORSE in 2014 for over half a million dollars and have made two deep runs in the WSOP main event.

If you have questions about poker strategy, life as a pro, bankroll management, mixed games, tournaments, photography, writing, guitars, or the best places to eat in Vegas, I'm here to help.

My new book, Short Stack Ninja, was an Amazon Best Seller in it's first month and continues to get great reviews.

Chris, do you still have laminated cards for Short Stack ninja left? poker294

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

new we are two

You can contact me about lessons at blindstraddle@gmail.com. I still do a lot of coaching and in fact I prefer it to playing most days.

 

[ChrisFoxWallace]

Chris,
I truly just don’t get poker. I’ve taken the free 30-day course here multiple times and I just go further and further in the red. I know everybody says they’re unlucky, but I just don’t seem to hit enough hands or generate enough folds with my cbets to turn a profit. Any suggestions on what and where to study? TIA

I'm sorry, that sucks. Get a coach who can help you get a feel for where your problems are and how to work toward fixing them. I think my tournament core course on Red Chip is a pretty good place to start as well, it takes you through all the stack sizes and opponent types and feedback on it has been really good. Read every book, watch training videos, and keep studying, every little bit helps, but getting a coach for at least a couple of lessons is probably a good way to go when you are this frustrated and need to get out of the red.