Poker
Tip of the Week
Those who make perfect
lay downs just give up to much. Most observant
opponents who notice this will eat your
lunch. They will bluff with four card
straights and flushes. You are getting
odds for not folding in most cases.
Those
opponents who are making most of the money
are not doing what you are doing.
Early
in my career I did not have the experience
that I now possess. When learning and
playing the small limits I figured out
the tighter you played the better I would
be. I read the Sklanskys, Malmuths and
the Brunsons and all the other books out
there. When I could not get a book that
was out of print I had a used book store
buy them at a premium after they scoured
the world. I used these books as guidelines
for starting hands and decided tight and
aggressive was the way to go. More like
tight and tight. Players who knew me back
then said I was so tight at that time
they wondered how I could make money.
But the players I was playing against
played so bad the tight is all I needed.
I remember playing hold-em
at the Peppermill Casino in Reno Nevada
with a meager two thousand dollar bankroll.
I had 3 policies in my game back then
play tight, do not pay off any bets with
bad kickers such as A7s when and ace falls
when there is any type of heat and do
not pay off check raises on the turn unless
you have a big kicker. Very simple but
it worked for me and I believe it still
will work for you. Playing at this level
not to many players have to many moves
and the volume in the pots will allow
you to play tight. People usually play
straight ahead not trying to figure out
what you had and how it hurts there hand.
This is poker fun poker as you move up
it gets more serious a lot more serious.
Players at this level are often heard
to say. If I only had the bankroll I would
play 500 and 1000 and beat the best players
in the world. I am sorry I laugh at this
every time I hear this. First of all you
will get slaughtered and in short order
you would lose you entire bankroll. You
have to understand that the reason why
you are playing 3-6 is because you do
not have the ability at this moment to
rise to a higher level. Each level is
different and at each level different
attributes are needed to beat the game.
You have no chance playing against the
best and as you move up levels you will
slowly acquire the skills that are needed.
A 3-6 player just does not know the psychological
warfare that is required to play at the
highest level of poker. Many players break
down under the strain and fall back to
a level where they feel comfortable. Many
players just break period and never are
able to play poker again. Some top players
become drug addicts and alcoholics because
the pressure is just to great. This is
poker at the highest level.
Playing
10-20 requires more skill as the players
are better. They have knowledge of ranking
of starting hands, odds and a understanding
of what and opponent might be playing.
The game still proceeds straight forward
with and occasional check raise thrown
in for good measure. Players start to
bluff every so often. Yes you still have
the loose ones but they are somewhat better
players. The game is more serious. Very
few plays are made. You will be spending
some time here so take head an try to
figure out what is going on. Copy long
time players who are winners and are respected
by other good players. You will start
to see many winning styles of play. Tight
and aggressive will be used by most players.
As
you move up to 20-40 and 30-60 players
begin to play at a different level. Players
who just use the 3-6 and the 10-20 style
will not survive. The game has changed.
Players at this level know all the odds,
strategies and understand what the opponent
might be playing. They play the player,
they are more aggressive, they are able
to put players on hands and make plays
on what the opponent. Psychological warfare
has just started at this level. Pressure
is the name of the game. No free cards
will be given unless a play is going to
be made or the player has nothing. Play
at this level will require you to have
a calling strategy for raises. The opponents
you play against when you are raised will
become of prime importance. Having no
strategies for calling raises will make
you call raises to liberally or fold to
often costing you a fortune.
Moving
up to higher levels of play players will
be able to read your hand read any tells
that you have. Players at this level will
be very tricky and be willing to check
raise you with nothing. They begin to
see the whole hand as a package and as
each card is turned over all the tendrils
that lead off and will make sequenced
mathematically correct plays. They will
put you on a hand more quickly and will
not pay you off on the river just to see
your hand. Understand that calling a large
bet on the river allows you to play two
small bet hands before the flop they will
fold correctly. These players will keep
the pressure up when they feel they have
any type of edge. Rivers will be bet only
if they feel the other opponent will call
with a weaker hand or there is a possibility
of losing the pot to a check raise. Game
selection becomes of prime importance
with shorthanded play becoming a close
second.
Past
the intermediate you get to the players
of the 500-1000 level or higher. At this
level you find the elite of the poker
world. Players at this level make between
one and three million dollars a year.
These players play the game as if it were
chess. Knowing all the strategies, odds,
short handed plays, tells, game selection
and psychological ploys. Decisions made
at this level are accurate and no room
for error will be tolerated. They design
plays against particular opponents hoping
that one or two players will break mentally
for a given time in order to be able to
reap some reward. In their games only
one average player is all that they require
to make a a living. Players at this level
usually have very high IQ’s and very
good memories. All strategies are protected
in order for them to maintain there edge.
Psychological warfare is at its highest
level. At the highest level you must play
all games well as games at this level
are combination games. Combination games
contain seven stud, omaha, hold-em along
with a myriad of other types of games.
People at this level are truly all around
games players.
Play
Well and Have Fun!! Hosh
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