Poker Strategy

The Big Time: A Long Haul of Losses

Not every player out there in the world of poker deserves a shot at the big time; which involves sitting at tables near the pros and being up against a very large stake of money. But any player who thinks they are a somebody in the game of poker needs to step up at some point during their career and take a shot in the professional game world. There is no way of knowing whether you are good enough to be big time or not unless you are there already.

Many very skilled veterans of the sport never even see the light of day when it comes to professional poker; meaning there are hundreds upon thousands of players who have been more skilled than you that never made it big time. This doesn’t mean however that you won’t have a chance; but the first step to improving your game is overcoming your plan to bath in a gold plated bath-tub and swim in a sea of money.

Most players that start out in the world of professional poker live on the very bottom; sometimes scraping their last bit of life savings just to get another round of cards in. Professional poker buy-ins are very big deals these days with some starting off over $200,000. Who exactly out there just has $200,000 dollars sitting around available to use in order to jump into a game they are uncertain of winning?

Especially considering the times; practically no one does.

Needless to say; you will never know how skilled you actually are at the game until you jump into a professional career even if only for a short period of time. It should be noted that poker is up to chance; meaning even if you are a profitable player, or skilled enough to bring in a profit, chances are a majority of the time you will end up empty handed. This means all players need to make sure they have a bankroll that can compensate for losing over a long period. As with most anything out there you need to anticipate the future; if you anticipate losing and have enough cash to back yourself up then you will be golden.

It is a rare feat to enter the professional world of poker and win in your first few games; if it does happen most of the attributing factor likely would be beginner’s luck which in turn is rare. That does not mean that if you are skilled enough you can’t pull in a win the first time you hit a professional grade poker table, but it just means that more than likely you won’t. In other words, don’t go there expecting to win.

It is important not to get discouraged by a loss either. Even in the peon games you played outside the professional world you lost sometimes as well; that is life. Take a hit and keep going, especially in the professional world where you will take many big hits that could certainly knock even some of the greatest potential players out.

With that said in some instances you won’t be required to put even a cent down to make it big-time. That more specifically involves satellite poker tourneys. These tournaments are hosted by professional poker vets and offer the chance to play in the pro world to those who win the tourney. Sometimes satellite tourneys are free and at other times they include a small buy in; either way they equal a great chance to try your hand at making it to the big time world. Most satellite tourneys are difficult because they have a maximum amount of individuals who are allowed in which exists in great numbers. This in turn means you will have to play a very lengthy tournament in order to even come close to the final table; which in any event won’t ensure you win the entire tournament. This provides a great way to test yourself under pressure however because these exact odds are the type you will face in the professional world.

Only the first place winner takes home the gold.

Yes of course figuratively speaking this is wrong; second third and even many places down take home money as well in different tourneys but the biggest bankroll given always lies with the first place winner. Second place winnings and down often isn’t enough to make back what time, effort and money you put in the game; in some cases you may not even make back your buy in.

The place to shoot for then is first; which means the odds are completely stacked against you especially in a tournament listing over five-hundred accepted applicants and players. The bigger tourneys include higher stakes and more people; and the scary thought is that all of those people are considered pros and not just the usual lackeys you’re used to being up against at a regular casino table.

Life in the fast lane is tough; but for those who are there they claim it is very worth it. So I declare to those who like to shout how much skill they have at the game of poker; give the professional world a try.

Just keep a mindset that a good majority of the time you will lose and be prepared; that way eventually when you gain enough experience to hit your big-time streak you are in the positive because you prepared yourself for a long haul of losses.

Tags:
Poker, Satellite Poker Tourneys

Put On Your Aggressive Suit

It’s pre-river and the flop is before you, all the cards look good and so does your hand. Everyone else has folded except one opponent, and there is no way that he/she can have a better hand. So, you hastily throw down a little cash out of what you’ve got in your stack and smile; you’re thinking bet little so the opponent stays in. Your opponent calls and then the dealer throws’ down the last card in the round. Your smile grows a little wider as you glance quickly at the table; your opponent certainly has nothing in their hand so you toss down a substantial bet. The opponent smiles back, raises the bet and then throws down his/her cards. Your smile fades as you realize they’ve got you beat, and what’s worse…you realize they never even had a playable hand until the river. Ouch; the same situation has happened to everyone at least once and it sure does hurt.

The big problem in this situation is that the player mentioned above was not aggressive enough. Had they made a larger bet pre-river or even sooner than chances are the opponent would not have made a choice to stay in. While it is certainly true that you always want to play a good hand as far as you can to get the most money out of it; winning some money is always better than none. In this instance above the player was not aggressive enough, therefore the opponent pulled ahead. When you are playing veterans, and professionals there is no way to win unless you play aggressively; they will always pull ahead of you when given the chance.

Every poker pro out there plays very aggressively; even the stingy players who love to moderate their betting. They pick the right times to throw out their chips, and when they do they usually put most of it on the line. The main point to keep in mind however is that being aggressive is not the same as being reckless; and this point is what separates the poker duds from the poker studs. Poker pros are always aggressive, and they always use aggressive play styles and strategies, but they are anything but reckless. They never throw down too many chips on a hand they know is weak; even at time when it may seem strong and they never go all-in unless they are completely sure of a win. Course, unfortunately in the game of poker sometimes there is almost no way to tell if you’re holding an absolute hand or not but that is exactly what drives the game and makes it exciting. Even the pros sometimes miscalculate and go all-in on a play where their opponents certainly have them beat. The main difference between those pros and the novices is that they rarely do make those mistakes.

Don’t be reckless and throw out all your chips with every good hand you have. Chances are that if you’re opponents are keeping up, or are even betting than they have you beat. On the same note you can’t be considered aggressive if you attack with a bet every turn of the flop and then fold pre-river because you get a whiff of danger. The key is giving your opponents the appearance of recklessness while you remain reserved and careful.

Poker is all about deception; it’s been said before and will be mentioned many times more. Learn it, and use it to your advantage. When you sit down at a poker table put on a costume; what I mean by this is that you should become something you’re not. If you act like you’re one type of player, than no opponents will be able to guess how your hands are actually being played. Trick all those opponents into thinking you’re the player that throws down chips recklessly with every hand you’ve got. They’ll never expect a winning hand when you throw one down, and even when you do they’ll attribute it to luck because they really won’t be able to tell that you’re a skilled player. Consider it the same as hustling while playing a game of pool. You never want the opponent to know you’re excellent; until it’s too late that is.

While your costume is on however it is important to remain aggressive. When you have a good hand, go for it; don’t hold back. Chances are you probably will pull in more cash going at it with all you’ve got than if you were to limp it along after every turn of the cards. Don’t be afraid to throw down enough in order to push your opponents out of the round; thus using their fear as an advantage. In many cases you’ll still get a good amount of their money and chances are, the longer they stay in the more of a chance they have of throwing down a hand that beats yours.

Remember that a 25%, 50% or even 75% stack bet however is still aggressive and an all-in call is not always needed to scare off opponents. That small amount of chips left in your stack keeps you distanced from being too reckless. Always leave an exit route while being aggressive; just in case. If you’re too aggressive and you lose a hand at least you’ll still have cash to go on instead of being knocked out completely; unless of course, you throw it all out.; and it’s safe to say, never do so unless you are absolutely sure of a win; never.

Playing aggressively like the pros and vets of the sport is certainly the way to go; just remember to check your reckless alter ego at the door. While you’re at it, toss on that silly pimp costume you’ve been meaning to try on and trick all your opponents into thinking you’re something that you’re not.

Tags:
Aggressive Poker Skills, All-in help, Poker Tips