NL Advanced Learning Path II: Intermediate

The Advanced Learning Path II: Intermediate is aimed at players who have studied and taken in our Beginner content and successfully completed Advanced Learning Path I. With the knowledge you have acquired so far, you're now ready for the next step!

Lesson 1: Bet and Raise Sizes

Poker is all about betting. There are many different ways you can bet and raise. The following articles cover everything you need to know about this topic:

• Bet and Raise Sizes (1) - Preflop

• Bet and Raise Sizes (2) - Bet Sizes Postflop

• Bet and Raise Sizes (3) - Raise Sizes Postflop

Lesson 2: From Preflop to the River

You are already familiar with the most important basics for each street. In the following article you can learn how to come up with a plan for your hand, mastering the most difficult situations.

There are two difficult spots that you will generally find yourself in preflop:

• Before the Flop - When Do You Raise?

• Before the Flop - When There Was a Raise Before You

When you're on the flop you have to choose between an aggressive and a passive playing style, depending on your hand strength, the board and your opponents. Here are some examples in practice for playing the two remaining streets:

• On the Flop - Aggressive

• On the Flop - Passive

• On the Turn - in Practice

• On the River - in Practice

Lesson 3: Considerations before and on the Flop

You want to get paid off by weaker hands, but that's not the only important thing. You also need to try to make better hands fold. So you won't be able to get away from 'bluffs'.

• Bluffs - Preflop

• Bluffs - Flop

• Fold Equity (2) - Continuationbet

• Fold Equity (3) - Turn and River

Apart from the standard continuation bet, the preflop aggressor has another option at his disposal: a bet without the initiative, also known as a donk bet. Read the articles, then put your knowledge to the test in the quizzes below:

• Donk Bets - Theory I

• Donk Bets - Theory II

• Quiz: Donk bets (1) - Donk spots Heads-up

• Quiz: Donk bets (2) - Confrontations with donk bets heads-up

Betting is never obligatory - sometimes there are alternatives which may be more suitable:

• Check Behind for Value

Lesson 4: Turn Play

For many players, the turn is the most difficult street. The pot is getting bigger and bigger, you need a decent idea of his range, but the hand isn't over yet. You have to stay alert here! Bluffing is an important tool on this street; a special bluff type is the turn bluff, also referred to as a float. When you float, you call the flop with the intention of taking the pot on the turn if your opponent checks.

• Bluffs - Turn

• Floats - Theory I

• Floats - Theory II

• Quiz: Floats (1) - Float Spots

• Quiz: Floats (2) - turn bets vs the danger of floats

Lesson 5: Considerations on the River

Of course, our analysis of the different streets also includes the very last street. 'Good things come in small packages' is the motto here - we'll take look at river theory, bluff bets as well as value bets:

• Bluffs - River

• River Value Bets - Basics

• Quiz: River Spots (1) - IP vs TAG

• Quiz: River Spots (2) - IP vs Calling Station

Lesson 6: Draws

In the first Learning Path, we gave you a short introduction to draw play and the semi-bluffs associated with it. If you want to enter the hand with speculative hands preflop, it's definitely a good idea to know what might be waiting for you postflop:

• How do You Play Strong Draws?

• How do You Play Weak Draws?

• Quiz: Equity with Draws

Lesson 7: Opponents and Steals

You've already read a little bit about blind steals. Now it's time to study a more complex topic: the blind defense. In blind steal as well as blind defense situations, it's extremely important to know what type of opponent you are up against. Know your enemy:

• Blind Defense with Problem Hands - an Introduction

• Opponent Types - the Calling Station

• Opponent Types - the TAG Fish

Lesson 8: Maths

Before we move on to lesson 9, let's spend some time on the maths of poker. Don't worry: it's only one article and two quizzes:

• Mathematical Concepts 1

• Quiz: Equity and Raise Sizes: Maths is Not Idiotic

• Quiz: Mathematics at the Table (soon)

Lesson 9: Hand Strength

Made hands can be put into different categories. You haven't hit anything? You have a good made hand, a strong hand or even the nuts? Time to learn more about hand strengths, starting off with pocket pairs in general:

• How Do You Play Pocket Pairs and Sets

• Quiz: Pocket Pairs and Sets

• Quiz: Pocket Tens versus aggressive opponents

Another important question is how you should play with over-pairs, mid-pairs and marginal hands - with these it's very difficult to know exactly where you stand:

• How Do You Play Over-Pairs

• Quiz: Equity with Overpairs and Top Pairs

• How do You Play Mid and Under-Pairs

• Quiz: Middle Pairs in Raised Multi-way Pots

• Quiz: Middle Pairs in Unraised Pots

Lesson 10: Alternative Lines & Heads-Up Play

You're approaching the final chapters of this Learning Path. Here are another two articles about alternative lines. Last but not least: an introduction to heads-up play.

• Calling Down in NL Hold'em

• Stop the Inforaise!

• NL Heads-Up - Introduction

Lesson 11: Mental Strength

Theoretical knowledge alone is not enough; it's just as important to know how to put the theory into practice. There are many psychological traps you might fall into. First and foremost, you might have a downswing, deviate from your A-Game and start tilting. Find out how to control yourself so that you can play your best game all the times:

• Tilt - Introduction

• Self-Management as a Poker Player

• Upswings and Downswings

Lesson 12: The Graduation Quiz

You've made your way through the Learning Path, but have you really taken things on board? Test your knowledge now in the quiz and assess the different spots.

• Advanced Learning Path II Graduation Quiz (soon)

Next steps

In the next learning path, we will take a much closer look at specific topics. You'll need to stay motivated to make your way through the long path! You will be introduced to many new concepts and learn how to think poker. And don't forget to pay a visit to some of the most important forums: go to the hand evaluation and strategy forums.

There, you can actively work on your game - go ahead and discuss your hands and decisions at the table with other members and our professional PokerStrategy.com staff.

Go to the next path: Advanced Learning Path III: Senior

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