Let’s face it. Poker is hot! And unlike a lot of hot things that come along, poker isn’t going away any time soon. That’s because poker, unlike hula hoops, pet rocks, edible undies, mood rings and other fads has roots that run deep into the American soil. It’s been around since the early 1800s, was played by millions BEFORE the latest poker craze, and will be played by millions more long after the current mania has quieted down.
So how does the average Joe, fascinated by this great game, take advantage of this poker heat without getting singed? Here are five surefire ways of putting all of this excitement to work for you.
FLASH #1: Go where the action is.
I can hear you groaning “of course”. But stay with me. It’s not as obvious as it sounds. You want to find games that are populated by players who are newly juiced up by this poker craze. They tend to be younger (in their 20s) but not exclusively so. You can find them in casinos, poker rooms, bars, restaurants, kitchens, churches, Boys Clubs – all over. There are charity games, private club games, house games, and of course the established games in casinos and poker rooms everywhere. The newer the game the better.
You see, you don’t want to sit down with a bunch of rocks (tight players) who have been playing long enough and are experienced enough to have the patience and strength of character to play the game well. You want the impulsive action guys who want to do what the cool guys on TV do. These guys (and gals too) think that poker is all about bluffing, sunglasses, and action. They have little clue about the finer strategy points of the game. They’re your favorite line up. Seek them out. Find out where they play. And pull up a seat.
FLASH #2: Don’t worry about not being noticed
A lot of the guys you’ll be playing with will be really into feeding their ego, by putting down the play of others, showing off how much they know, dropping names of TV professionals, and generally trying to be the table general. We all have an ego. So it’s sometimes tough not to compete with these jerks by showing them how much you really do know about the game. You’ll feel the urge to correct their mistakes, put them down, and in general teach them a thing or two about how to play poker properly.
A word to the wise. Don’t bother. Let them think you are the 98 pound poker weakling. Let them try to bully you around. Fold as often as you have bad cards, letting them grab whatever glory they want. They want to expose their cards after they bluffed you out of a pot? Terrific. Look and learn. But don’t show them that you didn’t have any cards either by exposing your cards. Bide your time. Keep your cool. Wait until you have the goods before you show aggression. And don’t give them lessons. They want to shout that you’re a lucky SOB? That’s fine with you. They can get the glory. You get the chips.
FLASH #3 Sit to left of the splashiest and loudest jerk
You want to do this for a couple of reasons. You want to see what he’s going to do before you make a commitment to the pot. He’s the action guy, always bringing in the bet or raising the bet. Best to know if he’s in before you decide how to act. This is especially true with your marginal hands. If he’s in you know it’s going to be an expensive pot – because he loves to throw his chips around when he’s playing. So if you’re not strong you’re often better off waiting for another hand to play.
But there’s another reason. You want to isolate this guy – to make it heads up with just you and him. You don’t want other people getting into the mix cheaply – people who may be stronger or who may become stronger than you by the next betting round. You accomplish this act of isolation by re-raising the wildman. In a $10/20 limit game, for example, if he makes it $10, you raise him to $20 – making it doubly expensive for anyone else to come in after you. If it’s a no limit or pot limit game and he makes a $30 raise after the $5 and $10 blind, and you have at least a fairly strong hand, go ahead and make it $90, shutting out the guys who might have been tempted to play for only $30.
Of course this strategy doesn’t always work – and you’ll have to get away from your hands from time to time if someone else does repop you. But in general, in games with these inexperienced, TV watching, wildmen, you’re best off sitting as close to their left hand as possible and getting first crack at their chips.
FLASH #4: Don’t worry about having a short stack at the table.
A lot of serious players and poker authors write about how you want to have the biggest stack at the table – to intimidate and take advantage of other players. To some extent that’s true – especially in limit poker. But in no limit, with action-oriented players who tend to shove a whole stack of chips into the pot at the drop of a hat, it may serve you better to have a relatively short stack on the table.
If you’re in a big No Limit game, for example, with a $5/10/25 blind structure for example and a minimum $500 buy-in, you might be tempted to put your whole playing bankroll of $5,000 on the table – especially if you see a few other guys with mountains of chips like that (just take away a 0 if you’re usually in a smaller game). But in my experience, if one or more of those fellas are real action freaks, you’re often much better off with the minimum of $500.
Here’s my thinking on this. You do not want to risk your whole bankroll – all of your gambling money – on close calls. If your stack represents all or a significant portion of your poker money, you’re going to be less willing to make those tough calls when you think you’re ahead buy when you don’t have the nuts. You want to be able to commit your stack when you have a strong hand if one of these wildmen throws his chips into the pot. He’s often betting when he has the worst of it. He’s getting off on just trying to run over people – like he sees those TV guys do. You want to be psychologically and financially able to call him down with strong, but not necessarily monster hands. But if your whole bankroll is at risk, then when he makes his giant bet you will have to decide between folding or calling with all of the money you came to play with. That makes it difficult to call unless you have the stone cold nuts. And you can’t play winning poker like that.
So don’t do that to yourself. A shorter stack will mean that you can call when you think, but aren’t certain, he’s overplaying his hand, without running into a risk of ruin. So you can only double up your relatively short stack of $500. Boo hoo. You only made $500 on their bad bet and your good call! To me, that’s not such a bad thing.
One last note on this important FLASH. Having a short stack may actually encourage these action players to bet into you when they have weaker hands. They’ll misinterpret your short stack as a sign that you are weak and scared. So they’ll try to bully you when they are weak. Good for you. You’ll have more opportunities when you can snap them off with your solid hands.
FLASH #5: Don’t stay too long
It’s tough to concentrate and play your best game. Many players fool themselves into thinking that they’re doing fine when they’re not. They start to miss clues that would help them read their opponent’s hands and they generally start to play more loosely and more passively – calling when they should raise, checking when they should bet, and calling when they should fold.
If you are an experienced poker player, you can often take advantage of the tired play of others. You can outlast everyone else at the table with your hard earned and well trained poker stamina. But while you are still learning, it’s best to avoid putting yourself into this dangerous situation. I’ve found that it’s best to take breaks each hour or so, so you can really assess how alert you are – and to help reinvigorate yourself.
Literally leave the table each hour. Walk around, maybe get a bite to eat, and think about how you’re playing – not just how you’re doing. If you really think you’re fine, then return for another hour. But if you’re not sure or are feeling at all tired then leave. There’s always another game. When you’re playing for money you want to be at your best. If you’re not at your best, you’re more likely to get burned.
Ashley Adams has been playing poker since 1961 when he learned it literally at his grandfather's knee. He started playing seriously in 1993 when Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut opened their poker room. He can usually be found there at the $20/40 stud or the $2/5 no limit hold 'em table.
Ashley has played poker all over the world, winning money in ring games and winning tournaments in Hungary, Austria, England, the Bahamas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada, California, Washington, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. He was the most prolific writer of poker articles in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and has written two poker books. His first, Winning 7-card Stud (Kensington, 2003) is available on Amazon.com. His no limit hold 'em book, Winning Low Limit No Limit Hold 'em, is an ebook and most readily available directly from the author for $10.00 at asha34@aol.com.
Ashley also runs charity poker tournaments, teaches poker privately and at the Boston Center for Adult Education, is a frequent guest on radio and television programs (having appeared on WBZ-AM, WHDH Channel 7 TV, WGBH-TV, NECN-TV), and has a regular radio show that can be heard 24/7 on www.houseofcardsradio.com.
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