We have reached the final part of the quiz. Hopefully, you have aced the questions to this point. If not, I hope the answers have given you a little more insight that can help improve your skills at the table.

In the final part of the All New Texas Holdem Quiz, we are going to look at tournament situations where antes are involved. Your goal is to determine what your best play will be in each situation. After completing the quiz, scroll to the bottom to find the answers.

QUESTIONS

1. You are playing at a 9-player table. You have 4-2 offsuit on the big blind. Everyone folds to the small blind who calls and you check. The flop and turn are A-Q-5-9 of different suits. You both checked the flop and the small blind checked the turn. Should you:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Check
   
   
   2. Make a pot-size bet
   
   
   3. Make a ½ the pot-size bet
   
   
   4. Move all in
   
   
   
   
   



2. You are playing a short-handed table with 6 players. You have AcKc in the cutoff position. The first 2 players limp to you. Should you:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Limp in
   
   
   2. Make a standard (3 times the big blind) raise
   
   
   3. Make a pot-size raise
   
   
   4. Fold
   
   
   
   
   



3. You are at an 8-player very aggressive table where someone raises preflop nearly every hand. You have AA in first position. Should you:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Limp in
   
   
   2. Make a standard (3 times the big blind) raise
   
   
   3. Make a pot-size raise
   
   
   4. Fold
   
   
   
   
   



4. You are at a 10-player aggressive table where there is often raises and re-raises preflop. You have 3-3 in second position and the first player to act folds. Should you:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Limp in
   
   
   2. Make a standard (3 times the big blind) raise
   
   
   3. Make a pot-size raise
   
   
   4. Fold
   
   
   
   
   



5. You are playing heads up. You have 7-8 offsuit in the big blind. The dealer/small blind makes a 3-times the big blind raise. Should you:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Call
   
   
   2. Make a pot-size reraise
   
   
   3. Move all in
   
   
   4. Fold
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWERS

1. Make a ½ the pot-size bet. Players may play this hand in different ways, but I think your best play is to make a bet around ½ the size of the pot. With the small blind limping in preflop and checking to you on both the flop and the turn, you can be pretty confident that he is holding a weak hand. With your 4-2 offsuit, your best chance of winning is to bluff at the pot. Since there are antes involved, a ½ the pot-size bet should be sufficient to tell your opponent that you have a real hand. Plus, it will save you some money if he comes over the top and you have to throw your hand away.



2. Make a pot-size raise. Many players seem to underbet when players limp in before them and/or when antes are involved. The standard 3 to 4 times the big blind raise is recommended only when you are the first into the pot. When other players limp in or antes are involved, the bet size needs to be adjusted accordingly. With AK suited, your best play is to make a pot-size bet to win the pot right there or to greatly reduce the number of players in the hand.



3. Limp in. If you said Fold, you should pretty much give up playing poker right now. In this situation, you are starting with the best possible hole cards in a highly aggressive game. With Aces, you would definitely prefer to play against a limited number of opponents. And, by limping in, you always run the risk of others just limping behind you. Raising with aces is never a wrong decision. But, in this example, you have a great shot at a much bigger pot if you wait patiently for your opportunity to re-raise.



4. Fold. Although no one likes to fold a pocket pair preflop, you have the second worst pair. Knowing that there is typically raising and reraising preflop, you may need to commit a large number of chips on a hand which will likely see three overcards on the flop. Unless you have a perfect read on your opponents, you may be better off waiting for stronger hole cards to get involved.



5. Call. In heads-up action, you must be willing to play a lot more hands than you would at a full table. As the number of players at the table is reduced, so will the quality of the starting hands you need to get involved. 7-8 offsuit may not be much of a hand, but one pair is often all you will need to win in heads-up action.