Poker Strategy

One Strategy to Rule Them All

Poker advice is everywhere. There are hundreds upon thousands of books that lay out strategies and tips for playing the game, there are magazines galore that each have their own poker advice column, and there are websites all over the net. Every form of media has an example of poker advice; videos, podcasts, blogs, websites, articles, books, magazines, it’s everywhere! Novices’ and beginners’ can also hire game coaches to learn faster, get quick and simple advice from a number of pros, and can even boast to be a pro thanks to online poker if they play often. It’s all great, but there is one thing to keep in mind; there is no one way to play the game of poker. The term “One Strategy to rule them all”, doesn’t exist anywhere in the world of poker.

Poker or card games in general, have been around since the 15th century. Wow…that’s quite a ways back in history isn’t it? Just think about how many players have reinvented new ways to play the game. Historically speaking Omaha can even be considered fairly new. But no matter what game is played, poker is poker; so how could there possibly be a chance that there is no one specific way to play?

Often, players who have come to know the game of poker well have learned to place opponents and other players in certain categories. There are many of these categories that opponents and players fall into in order to classify their particular skill at the game; for example here’s a few: There’s the scared fish that rarely bets or calls, and when he/she does they fold right away as soon as they sense danger, even when it may not be there. There is the terribly underrated novice that can often pull a good play from his/her sleeve and actually does understand the important aspects of the game but is not quite on par with veteran status yet. There is the slimy loud-mouth or bragger that usually thinks they are an extreme poker pro, but really doesn’t have any skill at the game whatsoever. This list can go on and on, but the fact remains that all of these categories and classifications so to speak are very broad. Some players may fall perfectly between categories, and others may play the game with a mixed bunch of aspects from a number of classifications. The main point being made here is that no one player is the same, no matter how similar they play or what category they can be placed into.

One saying that holds true in the world of poker, much like it does in the real world is; “what works for some, may not work for others”. Some players may be very aggressive, and may go all-in quite often and they remain successful where other players can’t. Some players may check bet more often and pull in tons of cash, while others rarely even use the strategy. Some players may hold back more chips no matter what cards they have, and still bank out with plenty of cash, while others just lose it all using the same technique. It basically means that every player will have different ways to play the game and be successful. This is attributed to the fact that everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. It is also important to note that over time players’ change, much like they do in life. Players in a late stage of their poker career will not play the same as they would in a novice or earlier stage. This is mainly due to experience, and knowledge built up over time.

Because players’ constantly change and adapt, they never truly fall into these “categories” that have been made up to classify a broad range of players. This does not mean that you can’t use the category strategy (classifying opponents) to play the game; on the contrary if it works then use it. This simply means that, as stated above, no one player is truly like another.

That’s fine and dandy but what does all of this have to do with poker advice? The answer is very simple.

The people who write the poker advice columns, make the strategy movies, post tips on blogs and so on and so forth, are biased. The reason I say they are biased is because they are simply reporting strategies that work well for them when they are playing the game. This same concept holds true for pros and veterans of the sport. If every player has a different successful strategy for playing the game that works for them, then how does it make sense for the advice they give to work for everyone? I’m sorry to let you down guys (this is for you vets out there), but as time goes on the game evolves just as much as the players participating do and strategies that didn’t work before all of a sudden will; just like some that do work now, no longer will work correctly at a later time. Take the differences between online poker and real table poker for example; there are many things you can’t do at a real table that you can while playing online and vice versa.

Just because Joe Blow the super pro says that playing aggressively will earn you a large stack doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. That is the way Joe Blow plays, and while he may be successful at it, you might not have the skills or knowledge to do the same. The same idea means that just because he is trying to teach you, doesn’t mean it will work after you know how to play his way.

Poker advice must be taken in moderation, especially if you already are plenty successful because of the current way you are playing. Sometimes changing up game strategies even a little can be deadly in the long run, just like sometimes it can help you cash in big. It all depends on how YOU play the game of poker, and YOUR strengths and weaknesses.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you should stop reading or searching for poker advice on a constant basis; it just means you need to be aware what type of player you are and where your individual strengths remain. This in turn means that if you read an advice column that talks about using one of your weaknesses to play the game then you can be sure you probably won’t win much money when using that particular person’s strategy; that is exactly why these problems of ours are called “weaknesses”. They are OUR weaknesses not someone else’s, and that person sitting opposite might have the exact same aspect that is a strength, instead of a weakness.

So, one thing to keep in mind when reading your daily poker advice columns is that just because the article tells you a particular strategy works great doesn’t mean it will for you, and it doesn’t mean that you should change your game to compensate for what was mentioned. Every player is different regardless of how similar two players may act in a game; and every player has their own set of strategies that are successful. If you have your strategies that work, then use them and don’t discard ‘em just because of Joe Blow the super pro and his biased advice. There is no individual, certain and all powerful way to play the game of poker; there are many.

The saying with poker might as well be, “NO Strategy to Rule Them All” because in essence every strategy could work if used correctly.

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Tags:
Omaha, Online Poker, Poker, Poker Advice