Real Poker Players Skool

He Charged 5k for a podcast. Who remembers AEJones?

The legend AEJones.

He used to charge 5k for his cohort based class, “The Memoirs of AEJones”

His 2+2 Well was legendary.

https://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=554043

I got a bootleg copy of Memoirs somewhere on the internet and listened to it on my ipod almost every trip to play with Skywalker as we’d drive to Lloyd’s house or Alton’s house to play a $40 buyin.

One of my favorite concepts from AEJones, that I’d like to share with you today, is:

Merging vs Balancing: The Key Difference

• MERGING = WHAT you bet

Which specific hands you include in your betting range

• BALANCING = HOW OFTEN you bet each type

The ratio of value bets to bluffs

Merging Explained

• Merging is about expanding your betting range to include medium-strength hands, not just the extremes (nuts or air).

Real Example from Aejones

Board: K Q 8 3 4

You have: QJ (second pair, second kicker)

• Without merging: Check behind, only bet with sets or air
• With merging: Bet for value because opponent will call with worse pairs thinking you’re bluffing

Balancing Explained

What It Means

• Balancing is about having the right ratio of value bets to bluffs so opponents can’t exploit you.

The Question Balancing Answers

“Am I bluffing too much or too little compared to my value bets?”

The Math

When you bet pot-sized:

• You should have roughly 2 value hands for every 1 bluff
• This gives your opponent correct odds to call (they need to be right 33% of the time)

When you bet half-pot:

• You should have roughly 3 value hands for every 1 bluff

Why It Matters

If you only bet value hands (no bluffs):

• Opponents fold every time
• You don’t get paid

If you bluff too much:

• Opponents call with almost every showdown value
• You lose money on bluffs

When balanced:

• Opponents can’t profitably fold OR call every time
• You’re unexploitable

The Key Insight

You can be:

• Merged but unbalanced (betting medium hands but bluffing too much or too little)
• Balanced but not merged (perfect ratio but only betting nuts/air, no medium hands)
• Both merged AND balanced (betting medium hands with the right value-to-bluff ratio)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Confusing the Two

“I’m balancing my range by betting medium hands”

No, you’re MERGING your range by betting medium hands

You’re BALANCING by getting your value-to-bluff ratio correct

Final Thought

Think of it like cooking:

• Merging = choosing which ingredients to use (do you include medium-strength hands or not?)
• Balancing = getting the proportions right (how much of each ingredient?)

You need both to create an unexploitable strategy that maximizes your win rate.

I think this is pertinent for every poker player to know, regardless of the games or stakes you play. Stay balanced my friends.

As you may know, I much prefer to write in the classroom, where formatting is more friendly to the eye.

Full article Here:

https://www.skool.com/realpokerplayers/classroom/eb36cbe2?md=61009b17a4674debbc9dfd9e2ee5e471