Poker Talk

“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.