Note: Not at the old Poker1 site. This 39-part series of quizzes, originally published (2004-2006) in Poker Player, is based on the Mike Caro University of Poker library of research and advice. In each entry, Mike Caro presents 10 questions covering a category of poker, targeted for beginner, intermediate, or advanced players. Answers with explanations appear below each quiz, with the questions repeated for easy reference.
The MCU Targeted Poker Quiz series
(See the index to this series)
Review of concepts (level: intermediate)
- In seven-card stud, with 10-10-10 dealt to you as a starting hand, you should
(a) tend to raise if most opposing cards shown are lower than a 10, otherwise just call;
(b) always raise or reraise;
(c) always just call, hoping to set a trap;
(d) fold.
- In hold ’em, what are the odds against holding either two kings or two aces before the flop?
(a) 225-to-1;
(b) 55-to-1;
(c) 470-to-1;
(d) 110-to-1.
- In hold ’em, if you hold 5c 5d and your opponent holds Ad Ks with the board being 6c 10c 6d Jh, how many of the 44 remaining cards can beat you on the river?
(a) 10;
(b) 16;
(c) 22;
(d) 6.
- In hold ’em, the more players are in the pot, the more willing you should be to play small “suited connectors,” such as 8-7 of hearts.
(a) true;
(b) false.
- It’s psychologically satisfying to maintain a long winning streak. Which statement about such a streak is most true?
(a) You might be losing money overall by extending a winning streak;
(b) It’s important to try to keep the streak alive as long as you can afford to do so;
(c) The more days in a row you win, the more days in a row you’ll probably lose in the future;
(d) Players who have the longest winning streaks are, on average, poker’s biggest lifetime winners.
- Caro’s Threshold of Misery states that…
(a) Players typically get irritated if they win too many hands in a row – thus, misery applies equally to winners and to losers;
(b) Everyone has a different tolerance for losing, and you should develop as great a tolerance as possible;
(c) There’s no way to keep an even disposition at poker, and trying to do so will always cause you to lose in the long run;
(d) You stop feeling any more pain once you’ve lost more than you expected was likely – and this can put you in a dangerous situation.
- “Amarillo Slim” Preston appeared as himself in the movie…
(a) The Gambler;
(b) Rounders;
(c) Citizen Cane;
(d) California Split.
- When you spot a tell, you should…
(a) Wait before acting;
(b) Act immediate in accordance with it;
(c) Tease the opponent about the tell in a friendly way, so he’ll know what it is, but won’t feel that you’re being too critical;
(d) Make the opponent aware that he is being scrutinized, hoping he’ll have more respect for your game in the future.
- In major tournaments, if you finish high in the money, it’s customary to leave a tip for the dealers and other staff that is about…
(a) 7 to 10 percent of what you got paid;
(b) 3 to 5 percent of what you got paid;
(c) exactly 10 percent of what you got paid;
(d) about 15 percent of what you got paid.
- If 2,000 hypothetical immortal entrants in a poker tournament are equally skilled and play the same strategy in an annual tournament, then it’s about an even bet that any single player will win before how many years?
(a) 4,000;
(b) 1,000;
(c) 2,000;
(d) 1,380.
Answers and explanations (with questions repeated for convenience)
Review of concepts (level: intermediate)
- In seven-card stud, with 10-10-10 dealt to you as a starting hand, you should
(a) tend to raise if most opposing cards shown are lower than a 10, otherwise just call;
(b) always raise or reraise;
(c) always just call, hoping to set a trap;
(d) fold.
Answer: (a). In seven-card stud, if you begin with 10-10-10, you should tend to raise if most opposing “door” cards are of lower ranks. This action will look natural to your opponents who will likely figure you for a pair of tens at most – and possibly much less. But if you’re against many higher-ranking cards, analysis shows that you’ll often make more profit by just calling and letting the big cards build the pot for you.
- In hold ’em, what are the odds against holding either two kings or two aces before the flop?
(a) 225-to-1;
(b) 55-to-1;
(c) 470-to-1;
(d) 110-to-1.
Answer: (d). In hold ’em, it’s about 110-to-1 against (precisely 109.5-to-1 against) being dealt either a pair of kings or a pair of aces.
- In hold ’em, if you hold 5c 5d and your opponent holds Ad Ks with the board being 6c 10c 6d Jh, how many of the 44 remaining cards can beat you on the river?
(a) 10;
(b) 16;
(c) 22;
(d) 6.
Answer: (b). If you hold 5c 5d versus your opponent’s Ad Ks and the hold ’em board is 6c 10c 6d Jh pending the final river card, then 16 cards can beat you. They are: Four queens (making an opposing straight), three Aces (making an opposing pair of aces), three kings (making an opposing pair of kings), three jacks (making two pair of jacks-up with an ace kicker and leaving you to play the board with a ten kicker), and three tens (making two pair of tens-up with an ace kicker and leaving you to play the board with a jack kicker). Many novice and intermediate players are surprised when the board pairs twice and they lose. Don’t be.
- In hold ’em, the more players are in the pot, the more willing you should be to play small “suited connectors,” such as 8-7 of hearts.
(a) true;
(b) false.
Answer: (a). It’s true that in hold ’em the more players are in the pot, the more willing you should be to play small “suited connectors,” such as 8-7 of hearts.
- It’s psychologically satisfying to maintain a long winning streak. Which statement about such a streak is most true?
(a) You might be losing money overall by extending a winning streak;
(b) It’s important to try to keep the streak alive as long as you can afford to do so;
(c) The more days in a row you win, the more days in a row you’ll probably lose in the future;
(d) Players who have the longest winning streaks are, on average, poker’s biggest lifetime winners.
Answer: (a). You might be losing money overall by extending a winning streak. Artificially extended streaks tend to mean you’re willing to stay longer in bad games trying to get ahead and leave sooner in good games in order to chalk up a certain win.
- Caro’s Threshold of Misery states that…
(a) Players typically get irritated if they win too many hands in a row – thus, misery applies equally to winners and to losers;
(b) Everyone has a different tolerance for losing, and you should develop as great a tolerance as possible;
(c) There’s no way to keep an even disposition at poker, and trying to do so will always cause you to lose in the long run;
(d) You stop feeling any more pain once you’ve lost more than you expected was likely – and this can put you in a dangerous situation.
Answer: (d). The concept behind Caro’s Threshold of Misery is that you stop feeling any more pain once you’ve lost more than you expected was likely – and this can put you in a dangerous situation.
- “Amarillo Slim” Preston appeared as himself in the movie…
(a) The Gambler;
(b) Rounders;
(c) Citizen Cane;
(d) California Split.
Answer: (d). “Amarillo Slim” Preston appeared as himself in the movie California Split.
- When you spot a tell, you should…
(a) Wait before acting;
(b) Act immediate in accordance with it;
(c) Tease the opponent about the tell in a friendly way, so he’ll know what it is, but won’t feel that you’re being too critical;
(d) Make the opponent aware that he is being scrutinized, hoping he’ll have more respect for your game in the future.
Answer: (a). When you spot a tell, you should wait before acting. This makes it less likely that your opponent will realize that you’re reading him and will be more likely to repeat the tell, adding to your future profit.
- In major tournaments, if you finish high in the money, it’s customary to leave a tip for the dealers and other staff that is about…
(a) 7 to 10 percent of what you got paid;
(b) 3 to 5 percent of what you got paid;
(c) exactly 10 percent of what you got paid;
(d) about 15 percent of what you got paid.
Answer: (b). In major poker tournaments, if you finish high in the money, it’s customary to leave a tip for the dealers and other staff in the range of 3% to 5% of your profit.
- If 2,000 hypothetical immortal entrants in a poker tournament are equally skilled and play the same strategy in an annual tournament, then it’s about an even bet that any single player will win before how many years?
(a) 4,000;
(b) 1,000;
(c) 2,000;
(d) 1,380.
Answer: (d). If the same hypothetical 2,000 immortal entrants in a poker tournament are equally skilled and play the same strategy against each other in just one event per year, then it’s about an even-money bet that any single player will win before 1,380 years. If the tournament goes on forever, they will average one win each 2,000 years, but mathematically there are apt to be long droughts between wins and occasionally multiple wins in a short period of time. (See the answer to question #5 in “Targeted poker quiz 24…” for a mathematical discussion of this.)
