Don’t Put Your Persona In A Straightjacket When Playing Poker

On 07.22.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

Why is that many serious players of the game of poker want to project a stoic persona? Could they be trying to hide their tells by emitting a somber, almost zombie-like presence? They come off as moody and sinister behind those dark glasses and hooded sweatshirts, like maybe they have holsters and a lightning draw ala Wyatt Earp. Do they know how they appear to others, do they care?

There has to be some reason for their intimidating, arrogant persona. They may be attempting to confuse and frighten their opponents, to keep them from challenging their play (and wallets). Or it may be they have taken on this image because they lack the wit to come up with any other. If you truly are a sinister intimidating bully, then this persona may work for you. Most who try to pull this off look like they themselves are scared and have gone into hiding.

The player should consider the image they are actually projecting around a poker table. If they were to seriously look at the schoolyard bully persona they choose to project, they would see that while it may work on some of their victims, most of the really ripe ones will be totally deterred from playing with such a dour, frightening type. In other words instead of attracting valid prey that could actually add to their coffers, they are encouraging them to run the other way.

It the first place, it may attract the rare professional player who is actually naturally moody and dark to an extent which may intimidate you. After a few such uncomfortable encounters you may find it difficult to get rid of these grim reapers who – with cynical glee – sense in you the weaker prey and grimly reap the rewards. Subsequent games might then grow unnecessarily complicated by your suspicions of how serious some of the sulky opponents at the table actually are.

It may also prove untrue that behind that impassive faade you are concentrating on the game more intensely then the rest, since, as it were, you don’t have to do much except keep the shades on. The truth, however, is that for the mind – which is precisely what poker is about – there is no such thing as an impassive faade. If the sulky persona does not come naturally to you, but is the result of your inability or fear to try more conversational and cheery images, your mind is actually hard at work suppressing those reactions more essential to you.

Though one is not advised to be fully natural in poker, one had better create an image which is the most natural to impersonate. A more “openly” social image may take some practice to maintain, but it will result in your greater enjoyment of the game and greater focus, since your mind will be busy doing what it more or less enjoys.

Don’t even try to keep up an image that is totally at odds with who you really are. You will not reach your full potential this way, since you are locked into an uncomfortable position. Save your energy for the cards and observation of those personae around you and how they play the game.

While a costume of big shades, big hats, and big coats in a darkened poker den may appear to require less effort, for the professional player, it is better to show more of yourself. It takes less time and energy, but you just may become the poker player you always envisioned you could be.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Full Tilt Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Victory Poker.

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Online Gambling Is Not For Me

On 07.19.10, In Gambling, By Johnny Cardgames

Don’t get me wrong; I love playing cards. I compete in everything from Blackjack to Poker to Bridge. You name it and I play it. My issue however is that I am not a good online gambler. I can go to Atlantic City and clean house in a few hours but for some reason online gambling and I don’t work out so well. It’s not the best relationship.

When I’m playing online, I tend to lose control. I feel that because I’m behind a computer screen, I can bet as much as I want whenever I feel. This is probably because I don’t have the normal gambling, Vegas-like environment that keeps me in check.

One time, I was playing a small number of rounds of Texas on some random gambling site. Four hours into the game I was down 2,000 dollars but I kept going. I was in that poker room for another three hours and I had lost another grand. Usually, if I was in Vegas, I would know when to cap it, but I couldn’t control myself online. My frustration when losing was all contributing heavily to my losses. It was a vicious cycle.

Another problem with online gambling is that it really doesn’t work if you have a slow Internet connection. I hate having to deal with the constant reconnecting, booting, lagging, etc. Imagine playing a game like “Starcraft” or “World of Warcraft” while having a bad connection, it can’t be done. I usually try to go to an Internet Caf or somewhere where the connection is fast.

On top of all this, it sucks not to have all the personal interaction that real life card playing brings. There’s nothing like sippin’ on some brews with your best guys, smoking fatty cigars and blunts and getting super trashed before going home to the Mrs. You just can’t get that with online stuff. Maybe in the future, when virtual reality gets crackin.

Check out some of these other online gambling sites or even create your own online gambling site here.

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The Importance Of Discipline At The Poker Table

On 07.13.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

Discipline in every sport is an important factor to success on a regular basis. This holds true of poker as well. Even though most considerate it to be a game of chance, to be a money making pro at it, you must build on a foundation of the sportsmanlike attributes of learning, understanding and endless practice. This takes discipline. Natural ability is certainly a good part of it, but even the most blessed require a method, and a method is gotten by a serious and careful study of the game and how it is played by experts.

There is actually no real spontaneous talent. Think of Mozart, truly a talented child protage. One who practiced without end even as a small child, without which he would be just another composer/pianist of some merit. Mozart proves the old adage that talent is oft-practiced potential. No one learns discipline by someone else beating it into them. It must be self-imposed.

The fun of the game to most amateurs lies in the excitement of pitting themselves against blind chance. Poker is popular because of the adrenaline rush that comes with taking a risk. The professional knows his basic chances at poker, but rather than having a pleasurable time, he studies and takes advantage of opponents’ mistakes, remembers them and uses them against them while calculating immediate odds. Chance is only one element to challenge his skill and wits. The pro is not playing a half-blind game of chance, he is playing a strategic game of matching himself against another’s method and besting him.

It is vital to be familiar with the varieties of poker games and to know which of them best suit your abilities and predispositions; not only to realize what your weaknesses are, but to know also which game incites you to your best effort and best engages your intuitions. Players who haven’t the habit of self-introspection keep sullenly playing a game which doesn’t engage their best faculties. Sometimes a benevolent professional looking from the side may advise the person to try another game type and the player is surprised to discover that they are much more talented than they thought.

There is a big difference between limit and no-limit poker. A disciplined player will not yield to temptation and will prefer the game in which he feels in full, cucumber-cool control. In limit poker, disciplined players tend to play with caution, act cool, taking the time to covertly collect information about opponents, intending to milk them by small moves. They will play only the hands worth playing: the best ones play only about 20% of the hands dealt them.

A no-limit professional player also has discipline. He will, however, not appear cool and collected but will play aggressively before the flop, and will play hands that the limit player would consider as one of those 80% he wouldn’t touch. The no-limit pro while seeming to be reckless, is acutely aware of exactly what he is attempting to accomplish by every aggressive move he makes.

No matter which type of poker the pro is playing, he knows when to fold up his tent, quit the frustration, and move on to other things.

You must never believe that your good fortune, on better days, will go on for eternity. Learn to leave while you are still hot, not when you cool off. During each session, you must not only have a cap on your losses, but also on your gains.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Cake Rakeback as well as Interpoker Rakeback.

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Which Of Your Poker Images Should You Hang On To?

On 07.13.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

It may be entirely beyond the average poker player that at any moment of the game he or she projects a specific image. Players are either unaware of the fact that an image had better be consciously maintained or trying to avoid projecting any image by assuming a sort of somberly inexpressive expression. Shielded behind shades and baseball cap, unsmiling, moodily silent, they believe that they thus “minimize” communication with the rest of the table.

But unless they completely disappear – did Welles’s invisible man play poker? – they will always project just enough information for good players to exploit. They are not only likely to attract other and better skilled silent scarecrows similar to themselves, but they are also likely to scare away those players who would otherwise constitute the bulk of their regular income.

To become utterly neutral is not the same as to become beyond observation. Active controlled communication with opponents, when managed correctly, is likely to yield much better result than a blank attitude. A blank attitude is most probably, in most cases, a sign of weakness rather than of sense or strength.

Any retreat from active involvement is always a weakness. These blank-faced players do not know that to the expert opponent they still have tells of some kind to divulge at some point or other during a game. They are human after all.

A non-serious player will look for a table where folks seem to be having fun. They will cruise around the room until they stumble upon the table with laughing friendly players gathered around. They are not looking for a serious game but for some fun and so a potential opponent’s skills are not a priority.

For a player intending to earn a regular income it is important to be able to cater to these basic desires of the fun-loving amateur. A constant stream of amateurs is the wise professional’s regular income. A happy amateur is likely to stay longer at your table, dare more, bet higher, and loose more, more willingly. But the amateur is likely to leave a table full of Egyptian mummies.

Sparkling conversation and a sense of fun in combination with compliments on others play will keep an amateur in a trusting frame of mind and keep him returning to that table again and again. They don’t play for an income or for the thrill of risk so they will not be upset by losing to an amusing opponent.

Players in a good mood, even though unskilled at the game, will remain hopeful that Lady Luck will smile upon them and will remain at the entertainers table. Luck will actually find its way to them on occasion and turn them into frequent players and attract more amateurs to the table.. The stony faced player of no emotion who is anything but fun to be around will not attract the amateur let alone keep him at the table.

World class poker players are aware that they are always projecting an image and so are ever-mindful of just what that image is. Their images are calculated to protect their interests, not to scare people away. This calculated manipulation of the game, beyond superior technique and skill, allows them to create a positive environment for their heedless victims.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Doyles Room Rakeback and Carbon Poker Rakeback.

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The Growing Popularity Of No-Limit Tournaments And Cash Games

On 07.07.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

No limit tournament poker is far more popular than cash-games in general and limit-games in particular. As many as 75% of the players online, at any given time, may be engaged in tournament holdem of some variety. Having played enough tournaments, it is easier to make the shift into the no-limit world. No-limit is the most popular of all cash games.

Thanks to media exposure, it is tournaments that inexperienced and nave players often choose to join and where they are easy to sportively exploit. You can find free-roll tournaments at almost any time, which makes them convenient for cautious novices to try a few games without deposit and perhaps make a few lucky wins to support the beginning of their poker careers.

In a sit-and-go tournament game, the player enters with a fixed deposit and then only plays for chips, not money. This makes for a much less stressful game than the cash game. This relaxing nature accounts for its popularity as well as media coverage, and one may even gain his 15 minutes of fame as a celebrity poker player..

However, it is important to distinguish frequent and quick SnG tournaments and the rarer MTT where each game may take a stressfully long time. During an MTT, a player cannot leave without loosing everything he has invested; which means the necessity to endure long hours of difficult play. Such games take determination and endurance; otherwise, it is easy to lapse into despair, unwilling to leave, yet unable to concentrate and play well. Matters are complicated by high dispersion, though the final three players at the table have a lot going for them.

Also, you can’t expect to walk into a poker club and find an MTT going on. Even in online poker rooms, you may find yourself only able to play very late at night, depending on your country of play. The literature available on tournaments and no-limit games tends to be scarce and dwells on the psychological and subjective aspects of the game rather than any precise techniques and strategies.

It is not that difficult to transition from cash to MTT. There is a close resemblance between them Actually, there are less drawbacks to cash games than to MTT. Lots of players are of the opinion that no-limit cash games offer more capability to foresee results than in any of the other online games. It is in any case the easiest form of the cash game to find on the net with an abundance of players on fire to join a game and come out as huge winners. Because there is so little written about it, there is ample opportunity for the talented player to use their skills of perception to successfully manipulate their less talented opponents.

The literature on cash games appears to grow in quantity, but even when it is of good quality, it is imprecise, lacks concrete universal guidelines, heavily dependent on the specific assortment of individual human potential at any given table. There is no way to “master” no-limit cash games without playing a lot and taking care to study your opponents meticulously every time, accumulating a wealth of memory (if not of cash) from which to draw creatively (i.e. without much certainty of success) in unpredictable future games.

No limit games offer the fiercest dispersion for even good players. Experts have been known to lose five or six buy-ins in one round of play. This is not a cheap game or one for the faint of heart..

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Rakeback at Gutshot Poker and Rakeback at Betfair Poker.

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How Did The Face Cards In A Deck Of Cards Evolve?

On 07.07.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

Etienne de Vignolles, called La Hire, a French military commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc, happened to be a card craftsman. He was so impressed with the legendary maid’s heroism that he replaced the knight in a deck of cards with a dame. Catholics had no objection to depicting human form on cards, decorating cards with Judeo-Christian motifs. The King of spades was King David, with the trophy sword in hand and his sling on the bottom of the card. King of clubs was Charles the Great, King of diamonds was Julius Caesar, and King of hearts was Alexander the Great. The four kings represented the four sources of western civilization.

The depiction of what we would call today Queens and Jacks was not as consistent. The queen of spades was drawn in the form of Athena, meant likewise to remind of the warlike Joan of Arc. The queen of diamonds was the beautiful Rachel that Jacob waited for 14 years before be able to take her as wife. The queen of hearts stood for Judith, the heroine who had beheaded Holofernes. While the queen of clubs was a collective image and represented a certain abstract favorite of kings, named Argine, which was apparently an anagram of “regina” (queen), or which possibly meant to suggest Joan of Arc again, since the king of clubs was Charles the Great, the distinguished French Catholic leader.

The jack of spades was the symbol for one of Charlemagne’s knights of the court. Hector stood in for diamonds; La Hire himself for hearts, while clubs were represented by Judas Maccabeus. For the sake of variety, the four jacks depicted four famous knights: Lancelot, Ogier, Roland and Valery. Each knight’s name appeared below their picture on the cards. They were long-haired, clean-shaven youths, warriors wielding battle axes. All of them buy Valery had at their feet a dog similar to a bloodhound. This may have occurred because Valery was also the lead craftsman of the deck.

Still lower on the scale came the cards from 10 to 2, marked by the appropriate number of suit symbols, greatest value accorded to the greater number. The English word “Ace” first meant “unit,” and had French, Spanish, German and other equivalents: as, aas, ass, etc. The Ace stood lower on the scale than 2. However, the medieval Catholic Church viciously opposed such a classification. God was “one,” and hence any game or numeric system which defined His number as the lowest was blaspheme and Satan’s work. Anyone who would not agree had to be convinced by an array of means which were difficult to argue with down at the basement.

The Ace stands today for something almost metaphysical – the quintessence of oneness, if you will, which becomes more valuable than any one personification. In reality, should a lone, simple card be given such mystical attributes?

This amorphous debate has been argued for centuries. There are many countries in this world of ours that consider spirit and matter as one and as an important facet of our self-awareness. In these modern times more than ever before, the rational, mystical, quasi-physical and sometimes, sexual elements of a deck of cards are greatly admired. The Ace remains the essential entity of all or nothing, or something of an indeterminate element in the game of cards and life.

Back to earth – cards serve the same purpose today as they did back in the middle ages. The rank of cards in the deck possibly reflecting back on the rank of humanity in society, from monarch to serf, with value depending upon rarity and the specific results of thousands of combinations.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Aced Rakeback as well as Gutshot Rakeback.

categories: playing cards,poker,gambling,card games,art,history,recreation,entertainment,art history

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Limit Holdem

On 07.03.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

Following is an analysis of the pros and cons of one of the variations of poker that may be helpful to you. Once upon a time, Limit Hold’em was the most played online poker game. There remain on the net many low and medium limit games in the poker rooms, and a few with a $100/$200 limit. It continues to be the easiest game to find and is a sure bet to continue on that path as only a few players are able to rise to the $20/$40 level.

What may be considered a significant plus of the game is the amount of literature devoted to it: many of the contemporary books on poker are devoted to limit games. It is a well studied game and it is possible that a thorough student may learn much from the experience of others. As a result decisions are simpler to make in limit hold’em and most of them are easily supportable by basic mathematic tools for quick mental in-game calculations.

Moreover, dispersion is less of a threat in limit games. That coldly calculating deity determines the chances of every player involved at a given moment and even the worst and unluckiest rookie may luck out (if you don’t want to go into actual statistics, just read any of Terry Pratchett’s hapless-Rincewind novels for a dramatization of this point of games and life).

Generally speaking, all poker is necessarily subject to statistical dispersion: big losses inevitably happen even to the best of players (even when they play ideally with what they have in their hands) and are what turns many off the game in the first place. No-limit and tournaments have higher dispersion than limit games, which means that limit poker is not as psychologically intense. Relatively low bank rolls suffice for limit holdem and there are many specially designed computer programs for limit poker: Poker Tracker and Poker Office offer help which is not to be sneezed at, particularly so for low limit players. These programs are useful both during the game and after, when you want to make an analysis of any part of it or calculate general statistics.

The above advantages lead to one of the few disadvantages of limit poker. There is an ever enlarging pool of experienced, knowledgeable opponents. So while the game is highly accessible, it is becoming less profitable. Non-virtual poker venues make their money chiefly from the rather small rake reducing the pot during every round. These rooms depend on their profits not from the number of players they attract. What keeps them running is at the end of a series of games, the percentage from the total hands played may make their income rise to amazing sums. The limit games that include expert players may be not only less profitable but may actually result in a loss.

You will not find many games of limit Hold’ em off line. Limit Hold’em doesn’t seem to contain the features to make it a casino and club game staple. The aficionados of limit Hold’em love it for what it has – the essence of poker which is the card combinations. It apparently is just not as memorable and socially rewarding as being able to converse with fellow card-playing chums around a table made of real wood.

The author takes advantage of the highest Minted Poker Rakeback. Please visit Rakeback Solution to also sign up for Minted Rakeback.

categories: limit holdem,holdem,hold em,poker,gambling,games,card games,recreation,entertainment,sports

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Intuition As A Science Regarding The Poker Mind

On 06.23.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

In order to determine the thought processes of your opponent, it would help to read their minds. But not being a mind reader, are there any seminars or classes offered on the subject? Not really and even if there were you are not going to learn the psychology of your opponents neurosis from a class. If you were able to, this is still no guarantee of winning.

When thinking of poker, one would think of it as a game of strategy rather than one of psychoanalysis. Strategy is only one of the components of winning play, however. Getting into your opponent’s head is the essence of smart play. This does not mean that you must suffer while he goes over the details of his life story ad nauseum.

Outstanding players, like outstanding artists, don’t get that way from reading a manual. They progress intuitively, summoning their powers of observation, diligently practiced and enhanced over a period of many years.

Good technical manuals on poker psychology are rare. This is at the very crux of the matter. Whatever tips and advice you may find off the net or in the bookstore, you can not practically or successfully put them into real play. You must have that inexplicable talent of intuition that puts your own creative mind processes over the limit of your opponents.

If the game could be played based on principles, it would be boiled down to predictions, simple or complex depending upon the variables by use of a computer program. Actually, this is the approach of amateurs and the not-so-gifted players – the ones that mostly lose.

A talented player will spurn any computer-spun model and make their own decisions on how to play their game and their opponents’ game. They are led by intuition into observations that they then combine into rules of play according to their creative imagination and wit. The strategy that comes out of this is distinctively their own. No matter how complex or how elegantly simple their secret strategy is, it makes them less vulnerable.

This may be another reason why artists and players (two creatures in the same family) do not easily and never fully reveal their trade secrets to the general public: at best they allow some general theoretical discussion of their work or a few relatively trivial technical tips. Which may be very nice of them, but the problem is that they did not achieve their status by reading somebody else’s tips.

It is then most vital to commit yourself to the intense study of personal observation from your own practice to develop your observational skills as well as your imagination. Do this and you will independently create ways of acquiring a manner of play that is unique to you in its every detail.

By far the best bluffers of the game are those who do it with regularity in a manner that prohibits anyone at the table from deciphering the bluff. This requires a strong intuition developed by lots of practice and known only to them.

While hard work and persistence are involved here, they are of little benefit unless you have the courage and independence to use your imagination in some cases that make you seem less than sane but are innovative and demand a curious nature and the soul of an explorer which puts you way out in front.

At this point, a look into the processes that make up intuition might be in order. In fact we all have intuition. Few have the initiative and guts to tune it up and make use of it. To get results, you must develop and work on your own unique intuition. It doesn’t fall from the sky and it cannot be taught.

What I have written about here calls for a lifetime commitment. Nobody who was ever considered a master at his craft, whatever that may be, was given that title. They worked long and hard and on their own and they earned it.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Players Only Rakeback and Paradise Poker Rakeback.

categories: poker psychology,poker,gambling,psychology,games,recreation,intuition,card games,casino

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How To Master Omaha Poker – Advanced Pot Limit Strategy

On 05.20.10, In Gambling, By Thomas Kearns

As Pot Limit Omaha becomes an increasingly popular game, many Texas Holdem players are seeking to compete in Omaha games. Whether you’re playing in a tournament or cash game, it’s important to know how to vary your strategy in Omaha. Importantly, each element of Omaha strategy is unique from Texas Holdem, although certain skills such as reading, positioning and hand values translate into the game.

Successful pot limit players combine semi-bluffs with conservative best hand strategy to maximize the value of their hands. In Omaha, proper hand selection requires patience, discipline, proper reads and an organized structure to your play. The game allows you to see an increasing number of flops given your ability to use any two (or four) cards as part of your hand. With more players, the pots will tend to be larger, and having the best possible hand (“the nuts”) is often key for competing in multi-way pots.

Semi-bluffing, when playing against a few players can either win you the pot outright, or give you insight that another player is in a strong position. Mastering Pot Limit Omaha requires game play techniques that you won’t learn at the Texas Holdem table.

Advanced Omaha Strategies

Getting pot values in Omaha by playing even more quality hands is a good idea. Players frequently will be overconfident in their hands opening up the possibility of drawing to other hands. Because other players are holding four hole cards keep in mind that a low flush is unlikely to hold. In Omaha, the best hand is Ace-Ace-King-King with two suited A-K’s then doubled suited J-T-A-A. Hence, looking at a straight or flush gives draw hands an even greater possible value in Omaha.

While entering more pots is a good idea when you hold high draws, keep in mind you don’t want to be overconfident in low pairs or low draws. In these cases, low draw hands may hold less value than suited connectors might in traditional Holdem. You’ll need to pay careful attention to your position since generating information from other players requires you to be in a good position to analyze factors involved in hand play. In early position temper your betting unless you have the best possible hand, since you’re competing against a larger number of players. If you have a marginally good hand, don’t over bet or remain in the pot on a hope – there will be more hands where you can wait out the flop.

When you have the best possible draw, a good semi-bluff strategy is the play strong. For example you may want to build to the pot in multiple ways if you’re drawing to the Ace flush or a high straight. This aggressive position also opens the possibility of winning the pot when you miss your draw by having all the other players fold. Drawing to the best hand can put you in the position to frequently outplay your opponents. When you have a decent but marginal hand the best approach is to wait for another opporotunity to give you an even better hand. The payoff in advanced Omaha comes from patience coupled with selective aggression.

The author takes advantage of the highest NoiQ Poker Rakeback. Please visit Rakeback Solution to also sign up for NoiQ Rakeback.

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Poker Position – The Under-Rated Edge

On 05.17.10, In Gambling, By Billy Kernow

When you finally come to appreciate the fundamental mechanics involved in the game of Texas Hold’em you will quickly appreciate that the position of a player will have a major effect on their success. However, before you decry the unfairness of a player being stuck with a bum position all the time, please be aware that the positions will change every turn. This is achieved by the dealer’s button moving around the table in a clockwise manner. The end result? Every player will be adversely affected by the “blinds.”

The position you have at the table will have a direct impact on the information that you possess at the table and put it simply: the more details you have, the more effectively you can make your final decision. One thing is for certain: the earlier you are forced to play, the higher the odds are stacked against you.

The vast majority of poker hands will involve the table position as a factor in the equation, so let us consider in more detail how we should weigh it in our calculations. The early position which includes the blind spots is located immediately after the dealer. Without a doubt, these spots pose the greatest challenge for the player because you will have no idea as to the hands of your opponents. The name “blinds” is an apt one.
The next three spots are widely perceived and recognised as the “middle ground” and whilst they are not quite as severe as the blind position (though you will not have too easy an time here.) The next three steps in the cycle are known as the “late position” and this is regarded as the most favourable position as it allows for the player in this spot to know all of the players hands. As the clich goes, knowledge truly is power.
Sharp eyed readers will have noticed that the blinds are acting last, however I must clarify this: this is only applicable in the very first round of gameplay. All subsequent rounds have this role reversed meaning that the blinds will be required to play their hand first and the dealer button is the last on the list. This has an impact on gameplay because many players will attempt to “steal the blinds” before the flop in a makeshift attempt to secure some sort of advantage for themselves.

Now that you are in a stronger position to appreciate the vital role that the table can play in your fortunes let us now consider a hand scenario which will also vary according to position. For argument’s sake you possess a ten and a seven (doesn’t matter which suit it is) and you are currently seated in the early position of the table. You decide to raise the blind to a grand total of $3. Unfortunately for you, another two players decide to step in and make a bid meaning that it is now $10. What should your next move be? You have a mediocre hand and it is not the most auspicious beginning. To make matters worse, the player who is situated directly to you will also be preying on your mind. Whilst he will have a major impact on the end result of your game, there is no real way to gauge or guess what he will be doing next. The worst thing about this kind of hand is that there really is no effective means of gauging just how much you will be expected to pay for the privilege of knowing what the price of the flop will be.

Let us consider the other end of the spectrum then: you have the same hand (7 and 10)during the cutoff stage and there happens to be four limpers who preceded you. Based on their limping, you assume that they have mediocre hands as well and therefore they will require a boost in order to get them to the flop. Whilst it is possible to reraise the pot, another option to limp through the play and hope that you stumble across a monster hand. With this sort of hand you will be well on the way to securing absolute victory because you will be able to earn yourself a major boon to your bankroll. With such a swollen bankroll you can then safely keep playing in order to recoup your losses.

Please note though that a lot of flops are going to go right past you and so if you go in too cheap, you will be cutting the odds of you recouping your losses. Position is king in poker and so it is a variable that should be exploited for full use. As your experience grows, so will your confidence as to how to use the position effectively.

Position is so important in Hold’em that hands can be won based on that advantage alone, having nothing to do with the cards. If you want to learn more I have a completely free 14 episode video series explaining such strategic concepts in poker.

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