Johns Hopkins Poker Course - Lecture 3

Storyline / Lesson Focus

This video is Lecture 3 from a Johns Hopkins Poker Course, focused on preflop strategy and how to choose starting hand ranges in different situations:

• Unopened pots
• Raised pots
• 3-bet and 4-bet pots

It also covers course logistics for playing on PokerStars, tracking required playtime, and entering a qualifying/live tournament via a riddle competition.

---

Gameplay / Course Logistics Highlights

Marketing / qualification rules

• The instructor dismisses a marketing attempt (Instagram) as a “bust.”
• There will be no free tournament entry without qualification (unless using specific course methods mentioned).

PokerStars Wi‑Fi issue (Hopkins)

• If PokerStars doesn’t work on Hopkins Wi‑Fi, the cause is usually an incorrect password that can’t be reset.
• Workarounds:
  • Avoid Hopkins Wi‑Fi
  • Use Ethernet
  • Use phone tethering

PokerStars “cache game trophy” / free chips

• After 4 hours in the app, you can get 15,000 free chips.
• To win the trophy: you can get the trophy by taking free reloads at most five times (honor system).
• If you’re doing badly in cash and not running for the trophy, you can reload as often as every 4 hours.

Tables and tracking 6 hours of class cash play

• You must play 6 hours in the class cash tables.
• There are many tables available (not only your class tables).
• Cash won/lost on other PokerStars play affects your on-screen bankroll.
• The instructor jokes that the software is “tracking” the 6-hour requirement.

Required “All In” movie

• Screening at 7:30 tonight (required movie).

Practice tournament (Saturday)

• Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
• Registration steps:
  1. Register in the PokerStars lobby
  2. Go to My Cash Tables
  3. Go to My Tournaments
• Entry cost: 20,000 chips
  • These chips don’t count against the cash-trophy tracking.
• Top 10 names will be shown on a slide at the next lecture.
• A snow forecast is mentioned to encourage staying in and playing.

Tournament structure (satellite-style elimination)

• Players get knocked out when they go all-in and lose.
• Tables rebalance by moving players between tables as eliminations happen.
• Play continues down to a final table, with final-table performance emphasized as exciting/“TV-like.”

Chat etiquette

• “Fish” is clarified as a neutral player-type term.
• Students are asked to keep chat friendly.

Table availability

• If class tables are full:
  • Use waitlists, or
  • Sit at empty tables (others will join later)
• Guidance:
  • Best seat is the button
  • If you’re in the small blind, you may need to wait a hand

---

Key Strategies and Tips (Core of Lecture)

1) Betting sizing rules of thumb

• Opening an unopened pot (“open pot”)

  • Recommendation: open to 3 big blinds (3bb)
  • Do not limp (limping = matching the big blind)
  • Use a 3bb button in PokerStars UI to avoid manual math

• C-bet / flop sizing (when you bet)

  • Bet around half the pot
  • Why: half-pot sizing avoids giving bad pot odds to common draws (flush/straight draws)

• Raising / “3-betting” sizing rule

  • When you 3-bet, use about 3x the previous bet
  • Example:
    • If someone goes 10 → 30, then raising again should go to about 90

2) Stack management

• Buying in for less is discouraged; preferred buy-in: 10,000 chips (≈ 100bb).
• If your stack drops (example: to 4,000), use “ADD chips” to restore to 10,000.
• There’s mention of autofill/add chips settings if you fall below 10,000.
• Strategic principle: deeper stacks change hand value due to implied odds.

3) Starting hand range principles

Ranges are framed by:

• Position (most important)
• Action in front of you (unopened vs raised vs 3-bet vs 4-bet pots)
• Stack size / effective stacks
• Card strength (last, but still important)
• Additional factors:
  • Table aggressiveness (frequency of raises/3-bets)
  • Table image (how others perceive your looseness/aggression)

How ranges tighten as pots get bigger

• Unopened pot: wider range
• Raised pot: remove the worst portion (example: cut out worst ~25%)
• 3-bet pot: extremely tight (example mentioned: “very few hands,” ~15)
• 4-bet pot: even tighter; calls generally discouraged (details later in example spots)

4) Position is the main reason decisions differ

• Under the gun (early position): many players behind may have strong hands and can re-raise.
• Button (late position): you face fewer random holdings (only blinds), and you get more information postflop.

---

Hand Category Guidance (Preflop “What to do” rules)

Big pairs (AA, KK, QQ)

• Generally raise to win pots and aim for heads-up as much as possible.
• Big pairs win many small pots, but can lose big pots when opponents refuse to fold.
• Example strategic spot:
  • Queens facing a raise → re-raise → re-raise is recommended as FOLD (with a caveat about “maniac” tables)

Kings / suited vs deep dynamics

• Deeper stacks make preflop and implied-odds considerations more nuanced.

Medium pairs (6s through Jacks)

• Early position: playable with caution (rough guideline given for opens)
• If someone opens in front of you:
  • You may call some percentage based on opponents
• If facing a 4-bet:
  • Guidance is generally fold (especially for medium pairs)
• In late position with limited action:
  • Guidance leans toward calling rather than folding in many common scenarios
• If multiple callers follow an early raise:
  • Calling improves due to implied odds (set mining)
• If action escalates too fast (raise → re-raise → you with a medium pair):
  • Medium pairs tend to fold because you’re often dominated and want to avoid being squeezed

Pocket jacks (JJ)

• Described as a hard hand to play optimally.
• A saying is mentioned: pocket jacks have multiple ways to play, but not many are correct.
• The instructor references Daniel Negreanu’s upcoming/related segment for approach.

Small pairs (22 through 55)

• Deep stack: “set value” increases, but there can be negative implied odds in super deep spots.
• Practical guidance:
  • Often fold more, especially as tournaments progress
  • If you hit a set, you want opponents to pay—otherwise small pairs underperform
• Anecdote:
  • Folding a small pair due to short stack was the “right decision” even though a set would have come on the flop.

Ace-King (“Big Slick”)

• Treated as misplayed in cash games.
• Core concept:
  • Often an overcard/dominating draw, not a made hand
  • Performs best when it dominates opponents’ single-pair holdings
  • Loses value when facing stronger ranges
• Cash game guidance (deep stack):
  • Avoid autopilot big raises/3-bets
  • Strong emphasis: if you face raise → re-raise → re-raised, you should fold
• Tournament short-stack guidance:
  • Ace-king becomes better as an all-in shove due to range structure and flop variance

Ace-Queen (“Little Slick”)

• Similar to ace-king but worse:
  • More combinations make it an underdog in common matchups
• Guidance:
  • Play broadly, but fold more easily when facing heavy action (e.g., 4-bet scenarios)

---

Psychological / Decision-Making Tip

Avoid the “woulda-coulda trap”

• Don’t judge folds based on what the flop “would have” been.
• Evaluate decisions using information available at the decision point, not outcome-based regret.
• Live etiquette note:
  • In live games, don’t tell others “I would’ve made…” after folding—nobody cares.

---

Tournament Qualifier Riddle (Non-story mechanic)

• A two-riddle contest is described:
  • Easy riddle solved on the spot: pocket twos
    • (Reasoning referenced that it guarantees at least one overcard hits the flop)
  • Serious homework riddle:
    • Must describe a Hold’em hand where:
      • You have the absolute nuts on flop
      • You still have the absolute nuts on turn
      • On river, you must lose or be forced to lose/chop (based on the exact riddle mechanics described)
• Submission rules:
  • No Google, no discussion—solo reasoning only
  • One attempt
  • Correct answer grants automatic entry into a tournament at the instructor’s house
• Email address is provided.

---

Gamers / Sources Featured at End

Poker figures mentioned

• Annie Duke
• Howard Lederer
• Eric Seidel
• Dan Harrington
• Phil Hellmuth
• Daniel Negreanu

Other references

• PokerStars (course platform)
• All In (required poker movie)
• Amazon Prime (where to watch the required movie)
• Celebrity Apprentice (Annie Duke reference)
• WSOP / WPT (contextual)
• Jeju DTU (appears in the instructor’s email domain)