Hi there. I’ve been playing Hold‘em poker on and off for about 5 years now, and it’s only recently that I finally seem to be getting something of a handle on this infinitely confounding game. It’s a pastime that at turns frustrates, baffles and depresses but despite all this I find it as a game to be absolutely fascinating. I think poker has a lot of good life lessons for us in relation to power, discipline, strategy and opportunity and it’s no fluke that millions worldwide now play poker regularly on the innumerable websites that have sprung up over the last 15 years or so.
So, what makes poker special for so many? Well, games of chance can be addictive and exhilarating in any case, but in poker particularly the effective player must exercise an array of differing skills to succeed. A truly skilled player is field marshal, psychologist, businessman, intelligence officer and frontline warrior all rolled into one. What a rush!
Here’s a few tips for those starters to the game looking to get a foothold in Hold‘em, the traps to avoid and the times to cash in.
Are you winning?
Although poker is popularly famous for its bluffing, when players represent a huge hand when actually they have little or nothing, the truth is that in most instances people play their hands according to what they perceive their true value to be. Players that bluff a lot will quickly find themselves in deep trouble because of the simple fact that somewhere in a poker table of four or more people it’s probable there will be a good hand out there pitted against you. So, as a starter, learn what hands are the best and when it comes down to your hand and betting, cut your cloth according to sensible assumptions. Say you hit pocket 8s and are feeling pretty pleased with yourself preflop, only to see the flop itself come down something like Js, 4c, 9h. From feeling pretty good, you now have to realise that anybody with a 9 or jack has instantly made a higher pair than your previously coveted 8s. Watch the betting carefully either by placing a modest bet or checking. If you see signs of confidence from somewhere on the table it’s generally wise to assume you are not winning at this time. Review whether it will likely serve you to remain in the hand.
Play sparingly
Beginners find poker intoxicating - the idea of making quick money is a powerful drug and it’s funny just how many people have an overpowering belief that their somewhat mediocre hand will win the day against all comers. Just like the serial bluffers, these kinds of players quickly bite the dust. Believe it or not, more than winning, I believe learning when to lay down your hand is the biggest part of success in poker. Of course you need to win to succeed and get the chips in, but you only need to win a hand once every while to make good progress. Having to lay down your cards by contrast comes in the vast majority of hands and is something you need to get used to doing. It’s very easy to get carried away on false hopes, putting more and more into the pot when really you haven’t got a prayer.
Leave pride at the door
Another potential obstacle to success in poker is something we all have to varying extents, pride! Pride has been many the downfall of an otherwise good player. When I first started playing I always went out early, itching for action which always got me into deep waters. It took me a while to develop the presence of mind to realise a skilled player only goes for the jugular when he, literally, holds all the cards. Now, imagine the scenario: you are on a table with one of those poker bullies who consistently raises preflop and then looks to scare everyone off the hand by raising disproportionately. It gets boring. You start to resent him. He can’t have great cards every time, you think to yourself. You’ve had enough and decide to give him a taste of his own medicine with your pocket 7s or king-jack. Stop! As soon as you let emotion get the better of you in poker it only leads to bad things. Pride will cause you to make unreasonable calls, insane re-raises and take you to the point of bankruptcy just to prove a point. It will kill your God-given instincts and natural feel for your opponents and blind you to the possible hands which are likely ranged against you. Develop the ability to fold, let him have his small victory and wait and watch. Be cold-blooded. Sooner or later you’ll get a massive hand with which you can confidently take him down, or watch with satisfaction as someone does the work for you. Remember, to win you have to be the last man standing. Learn patience, hold fire and wait for your moment.
Recognise opportunity
There are times when your customary reserve and patience simply must be cast aside as with great ruthlessness you go single-mindedly for victory! This point relates closely to my first - learning to make sensible assumptions based on what you have in your hand, what the board says and how your opponents are behaving. There are times when you are delivered a powerful hand, perhaps a pocket pair where the three of a kind is made on the flop, a flush, straight or even a high pocket overpair on a relatively low flop. In situations such as these you can assume you are in a strong if not commanding position and are in a position to dictate play accordingly. Bet strongly either to make your hand pay off or to prevent drawing hands from taking you from behind.
Collect intelligence
How do you make a call when you have a reasonably strong hand, but face an intransigent opponent spoiling for a showdown? Sure, when you’ve got a monster hand fewer calculations need to be made as you push confidently for victory. But much more often you are literally in the dark as to what your opponents may have in terms of hands. The solution to this problem is imperfect and yet improves in reliability as you mature as a player: intelligence collecting. The old saying in poker instructs, “Don’t play the cards, play the man” and this gives you some idea of the principle involved. The way you get to know the man is observance and as a consequence it really is in your interest to make mental notes of how loose or tight a player may be, the kinds of hands he calls with and the kind of raises he makes in certain situations. All of this information is available for free…you just need to sit back and watch. That way when you are facing him and he makes a large re-raise you can hark back to how he has behaved in the past and better get a grip on the situation. This is not an easy skill to learn and must always be weighed up with a consideration of the hands that could beat you and a record of the player’s betting during this particular hand.
Good luck!
