Poker Talk

For amateurs in poker game, attempting small pocket pairs in an early position is not the right thing to do because they generally tend to lose their money in the attempt. Playing small pocket pairs in the medium position is slightly better because it offers you a little more opportunities of winning the pot as well as protecting your stack.

Playing in the Middle Position:

In the middle position, you have a fair chance of gaining from some of the pots and making limper money. You can make a lot of money from defenseless early position players.

The cards are dealt and you find that you have 99, which is neither a good nor a bad status. There is a great deal of action that awaits you and you have to be very cautious of likely tricks that your opponents are setting up against you. The most common action under the gun with an Ace-Ace or King-King is to limp in and hang around for the raise. When another player does the same, he comes to the top and tries to make you bet your stack. Be very careful of what you do here before you blindly decide to play aggressively and put in a good amount of your stack into the pot. You would only be doing what your opponent wants you to do.

The first round sees many of the contestants limping in and it is now time for you to place your bet. You are in a good position at the moment and can play aggressively and can try to get the pot down straightaway. You could try a six or seven times the blind raise and linger on for the result. If another player happens to come on top, you are beat and must let go of that hand. In case they are just multiplying your stake, you may call them and watch for the outcome at the flop. You could very well be seeing the last of the money here.

If you are called, be alert towards the board. You have to be loyal to a consecutive bet until you find 2 – 3 face cards out there. Supposing your opponents bet out, you might have to forego the hand, as there are chances that they may have hit the set. In case they decide to call you and you cannot see the chances of a draw, you are certainly beat and can only hope that they will check to you so that you can check down with an expectation of improvement when you get to the river. If a draw is at the table, you will need to play it aggressively and in turn dole out a good amount of your money. Players with flush draws will stake a lot of their money here but you must be careful that you are not sucked out in the procedure.

Another instance is when you have a small raise. This is just the appropriate time for you to camouflage your hand and observe the cards that hit the board. If it happens to be a low board, the following continuation bet can get you to the top again. In case they bet out on a high board, you can let go and cut your losses to the least.

The last instance is where the bet folds around you making you the first player in. This is the time to stand for and have a go at the blinds. You can dole out five or six times the blind bet and characterize a bigger hand than you really hold. You should not look out for callers at this stage since the board can be very risky. Here again you are committed to an extended bet but for a precarious board that happens to hit you.

An important fact that you must bear in mind is that the money that you intend to bet on small pocket pairs is an amount that you must be ready to say goodbye to at any time in the game. Trying to keep your stand even in a weak position will lead to a loss of money. Your aim is to dig big blinds and hit sets by playing with small pocket pairs and if you know how to play your middle position well, you can expect some good returns from it. Do not hang on to them; fold, as they are only poor calls.

It’s not always fun and profitable playing poker, especially when you are playing a level you are not very familiar with such as Omaha Poker or 7 card stud poker. There are nights when your stars don’t seem to be in cosmic alignment. And nights when you just don’t feel in a good mood. Those nights are real hard and a pain in the neck. Who wants to lose money, anyway? But you are a good player. You can handle yourself well whatever bad luck comes your way. So, no reason to go on a tilt. But that is not always the case. No matter how strong your intention of playing well is, there are still moments that you lose control of yourself and play hands you shouldn’t be playing.

I know what you will ask now, how do you avoid these slip offs and keep yourself in control. There are actually simple and easy steps to avoid them. First off, if you feel like going on a tilt, shake yourself off, stand up, and go for a walk. Simply put, refresh yourself. Have a chat with your friend or order some coffee to pump up your adrenaline. You can also go to the washroom and sprinkle water on your face. There’s nothing more refreshing and better at getting back your energy in playing Texas Holdem Poker than cold water on your face. You can also pinch your toes to bring back the energy you lost. This may sound silly to you, but believe me it does brings you back from the hypnosis you had at the table.

Second, try the letter therapy. Get a piece of paper and wrote there “I am here to make good decisions at the table. Not simply to win money.” Write that a few times and put it in your pocket. Every time you feel like tilting or making a bad decision, take it out and read it. That would remind you of your real goal in those
Poker Sites.

Third, keep a positive attitude. You have in your hands the power to make your games as good as it can get. It’s about how you face and act in every game. Don’t let your negative attitude overcome you. Stay focused and every time you lose tell yourself, “that money I lost was not mine. It was just visiting.”

Lastly, every time you play poker, be it in casinos or online poker rooms, think of it as a job. Tell yourself that you are hired to play there. The money you have is not yours, but it belongs to your boss. And unless you make good decisions, you are not to be paid. Think of your boss as mean and demanding. He doesn’t care if you win or lose as long as you play correctly and make sound decisions. Naturally, you would not want to be fired, right? So, make sure to always make the right choices, and your spot at the payroll is guaranteed.

There you are. Simple and easy-to-do steps to keep yourself in check. Keep them in mind and you are sure to have fun at the tables.

“Barry, can you play tight in a Texas Holdem Poker game?” that’s what a friend ask me sometime ago. Good question. For beginners and those who don’t know yet what a tight player is, he is the one who starts the hand with a high pair like an AK. He’s easy to spot in a table. He usually only raises when he feels he has a sure thing.

To most poker players, including me, playing too tight is not really a problem. This is also true to new poker and low limit players playing Holdem or 5 card stud poker. But when it comes to high limit games, players often play tight and aggressive. One attitude of a player that’s too tight is that he does not vary in his play. This makes him easy to spot and avoid at the table. Often, it is easy to get rid of less quality hands when raised by a tight player. That is if you don’t have a very big hand.

As I’ve said, tight players are easy to spot, so this make them win less money. How? Let’s say I make a call against most of the players at the table when I have a good, but not great, hands in me. When the too tight player bets, I would throw away all my hands. I may be giving the tight player a chance to win the pot by bluffing, but I know that I am not risking much as the tight player will seldom or never bluff.

So, can you play too tight in a No Limit Holdem game? Definitely. There’s nothing wrong with playing too tight. If you don’t, those who played nothing but a pocket of aces will win the most. Now, that’s what you don’t want to happen, right? So, don’t be afraid to play tight once in a while.

Take a heed though that when you are at the table, it is best to study your opponents. Learn their skills and techniques. If you can’t take playing too tight at all times or your opponents are better than you, don’t hesitate to transfer to another table. If you see that playing too tight works for you, then it is best to take advantage of the situation and win lots of pots.

But remember, if you have been playing too tight for a while know, take time to loosen up. Don’t stay in one technique in all your plays. Most successful poker players combine tactics in their game. So, you can random your playing style and combine it with a tight play. But don’t play aggressively and tightly when you are don’t have the best play. Just simply resort to tightness rather than playing too aggressive. Other players at your table may not like this, but don’t mind them. This can work to your advantage.

So, whatever Poker Games you play, just play hard and play with your mind. If ever you decide to play too tight, take a well-calculated risk. Remember that the best hands don’t always win the pot. It all depends on how you play the game.

Have you ever felt so unlucky in your life before? I have. Two years ago, I got tangled in such an unlucky scenario. I lost my job, I got into a car accident, and lost a huge amount money from playing Limit Holdem on poker sites all in one month. Call that bad luck or whatever you want to call, I do believe I’m one unlucky guy that year. Good thing it didn’t stay for good. A few months after that everything turned okay and profitable. I just Heaven has it’s own way of making me worthy of all the blessings I have today.

Anyway, I’m sure most of you have felt unlucky in their like and poker game one way or another. There are simply times that you cannot control your actions and if ever you do bad things still happen. So, the question now is how do you get rid of this bad luck? I don’t have a scientific or cosmic explanation for that. But I can give you pointers on how to get those misfortunes away.

There are actually signs that tells you when you about to go on a bad luck. The most obvious of them is tilting. When you feel furious at your opponents and want to punch them in the face, you can lose control of yourself and start making bad decisions. Now, that would surely lead to bad luck. The best thing you can to avoid this in any Omaha or Holdem game is to take a break and cool yourself. Only when you feel calm and cool must you return at the table on poker sites and play again. You don’t want to end the day with less money in your pocket than when you start it, right? So, keep your composure at all times to keep bad luck away.

You can also consider going back to the basics. Find the root of your problem. Ask yourself where you go wrong and which strategies make you play bad. If you have time, start to learn poker again. Look at it like a beginner and try to go back to the ABC of poker. Along the way, you will realize your mistakes and take action in correcting it. You can also join a Poker Blog to learn new tips and techniques to improve your skill. Or read poker books that will make your attitude at the table better and more positive.

Another thing you can do is to develop keenness in learning. Poker, just like any game, continuously evolves. To keep your skill always sharp, keep on learning and learning. Talk with your poker buddies and learn from them the latest in poker. Keep your mind fresh at all times and you’ll sure keep winning in your game.

The best pointer I can give you to keep bad luck away is to get the right mindset. In any game, no matter if you win or lose, always control yourself. Don’t let your opponents see that you are affected of your bad play. Congratulate them instead and tell them, what a great game. This will put your opponents right where they belong, in wonder of your real deal at the table.