No advice for anyone today. Just a short vent. I played in the Absolute Swag freeroll on AbsolutePoker last night. Top 5 got prizes. A nice collection of gear for 1st, T's, hats, and the like for 2nd-5th. After over 4 hours of play I went out in 6th/2647. Ordinarily, I'd be pleased with the finish. In this case, playing so long and hard for zero result kinda bites.
NEW RESOURCE
I've joined a new blog community made up exclusively of poker bloggers. Some of whom are poker professionals. Check it out. Pokerweblogs.com
Don't forget to check out the articles in this blog and to leave your comments so I can research and post articles on topics that are of interest to you.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Poker Strategies: Playing Position I & II
Every professional endeavor has it own mantra. In business there's K.I.S.S. In real estate, it's location, location, location. In poker, it's position, position, position.
Position impacts each and every decision you make as a poker player.
Winning poker is about much more than what your cards are. Even what your opponents cards might be. Winning poker is all about situations and position.
We've all been told that the value of starting hands goes way up as you get short handed. This is a function of odds and percentages. The fewer hands contesting the pot, the better the odds that your hand will/may be good. For example: pocket 7's are much stronger 4-handed than they would be with a full table. What many beginning poker players don't fully appreciate is the fact that position plays much the same role.
Starting hand values will vary quite a bit well before you get the chance to be short handed at the final table. This is where position comes in. Hands become more valuable (playable) later in position. We'll take the earlier example of pocket 7's. In very early position (UTG), pocket 7's may be a hand you would want to stay away from. If you open the pot for a raise, as is standard, what do you do if you get re-raised by a later acting player? He's putting you in a tough spot because he has the advantage of having position over you.
He's able to use the information he gets by seeing your action to help him make his decision. It is a huge advantage. In this situation, you'd probably have to fold. There are 2 main reasons: 1) Unless he's a total maniac, he's not going to raise your bet unless he holds premium cards, either a strong Ace (AK,AQ) or a good pocket pair, and 2) even if you are a slight favorite pre-flop it's extremely likely that one or more overcards are going to come out on the flop, making it very tough for you to bet, and he'll still have position over you.
Now, let's take our measley pair of 7's and move over to the button. If we get a few limpers in the pot before us, we can usually assume that no one has a good Ace. A pot-sized raise could very well win us the pot right here. If we get called, we can be fairly certain we are slight favorites in a coin flip situation.
The later we have to act, and the fewer players in the hand, the more power our hand assumes (remember the example of playing short-handed). Being in position gives our hand more potential and gives us more options, being out of position seriously limits both.
Part II
Playing position applies to every form of poker, whether it's No-Limit/Limit, Holdem, Omaha, Stud, or Razz. Once you understand the strengths of the various starting hands you need to factor in the strength/weakness of your positon at the table. Hands that are almost an automatic raise/re-raise in late position, may be only worth a call in mid position, if they are playable at all, and mandatory folds early.
In general, if you are opening the pot (first to act) you will need to have a stronger hand the earlier your position in relation to the button. If you are later in position, but still first to act, you can lower your starting hand requirements and increase your aggression. Take our example of pocket 7's from Part I. You may want to consider folding if first to act in early position due to the unknown potential of the hands still to act. If action is folded around to you and you are in late position or on the button, a raise is definitely in order. There are fewer people who could compete with you for the pot, making it more likely that you will have the best hand going in if you are called. Same hand, different position.
Conversely, you can also use your opponent's position at the table to your advantage. His actions in different positions can help you determine what hands he could be holding. This will, in turn, aid you in making your decision later.
If he is raising in early position, you need to give him credit for a decent hand and judge your hand's strength accordingly. Similarly, if he is calling or re-raising your bet/raise, you need to give him credit for having a hand. Players usually require a stronger hand to call or re-raise somebody else's action. You don't want to start calling with trash hands or re-raising with ATC (any two cards) just because you have position. Having someone already in the pot changes the dynamics of the game and adds another variable for you to consider.
Practice and experience will make taking position into account easier as you go along. After all, position is only one of the many variables you will need to take into consideration while you are at the table.
Position impacts each and every decision you make as a poker player.
Winning poker is about much more than what your cards are. Even what your opponents cards might be. Winning poker is all about situations and position.
We've all been told that the value of starting hands goes way up as you get short handed. This is a function of odds and percentages. The fewer hands contesting the pot, the better the odds that your hand will/may be good. For example: pocket 7's are much stronger 4-handed than they would be with a full table. What many beginning poker players don't fully appreciate is the fact that position plays much the same role.
Starting hand values will vary quite a bit well before you get the chance to be short handed at the final table. This is where position comes in. Hands become more valuable (playable) later in position. We'll take the earlier example of pocket 7's. In very early position (UTG), pocket 7's may be a hand you would want to stay away from. If you open the pot for a raise, as is standard, what do you do if you get re-raised by a later acting player? He's putting you in a tough spot because he has the advantage of having position over you.
He's able to use the information he gets by seeing your action to help him make his decision. It is a huge advantage. In this situation, you'd probably have to fold. There are 2 main reasons: 1) Unless he's a total maniac, he's not going to raise your bet unless he holds premium cards, either a strong Ace (AK,AQ) or a good pocket pair, and 2) even if you are a slight favorite pre-flop it's extremely likely that one or more overcards are going to come out on the flop, making it very tough for you to bet, and he'll still have position over you.
Now, let's take our measley pair of 7's and move over to the button. If we get a few limpers in the pot before us, we can usually assume that no one has a good Ace. A pot-sized raise could very well win us the pot right here. If we get called, we can be fairly certain we are slight favorites in a coin flip situation.
The later we have to act, and the fewer players in the hand, the more power our hand assumes (remember the example of playing short-handed). Being in position gives our hand more potential and gives us more options, being out of position seriously limits both.
Part II
Playing position applies to every form of poker, whether it's No-Limit/Limit, Holdem, Omaha, Stud, or Razz. Once you understand the strengths of the various starting hands you need to factor in the strength/weakness of your positon at the table. Hands that are almost an automatic raise/re-raise in late position, may be only worth a call in mid position, if they are playable at all, and mandatory folds early.
In general, if you are opening the pot (first to act) you will need to have a stronger hand the earlier your position in relation to the button. If you are later in position, but still first to act, you can lower your starting hand requirements and increase your aggression. Take our example of pocket 7's from Part I. You may want to consider folding if first to act in early position due to the unknown potential of the hands still to act. If action is folded around to you and you are in late position or on the button, a raise is definitely in order. There are fewer people who could compete with you for the pot, making it more likely that you will have the best hand going in if you are called. Same hand, different position.
Conversely, you can also use your opponent's position at the table to your advantage. His actions in different positions can help you determine what hands he could be holding. This will, in turn, aid you in making your decision later.
If he is raising in early position, you need to give him credit for a decent hand and judge your hand's strength accordingly. Similarly, if he is calling or re-raising your bet/raise, you need to give him credit for having a hand. Players usually require a stronger hand to call or re-raise somebody else's action. You don't want to start calling with trash hands or re-raising with ATC (any two cards) just because you have position. Having someone already in the pot changes the dynamics of the game and adds another variable for you to consider.
Practice and experience will make taking position into account easier as you go along. After all, position is only one of the many variables you will need to take into consideration while you are at the table.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Texas Holdem Strategy: Know When to Say "When"
This is an article I wrote a few days ago for submission to a few online magazines. I thought I'd include it here to get your feedback (please, be kind).
The difference between walking away a winner and going broke chasing your losses is knowing when to walk away. Many poker players, even skilled, experienced players have dealt with this problem. It takes discipline to get up and leave the table. Some signs that it may be time to "take the money and run" (I just love the classics) include:
1. The players at the table have changed and you are not winning as consistently as you were.
There is a saying that there is at least one sucker at every poker table. If you look around and can't identify who they are, it's you. If you've driven all of the fish away from your table and you aren't winning as often or as much, don't be afraid to get up and try your luck at another table. If you're being out-played, you're being out-played. You want to be the shark (or barracuda, at least), not the fish.
2. You've lost your focus.
Believe it or not, playing poker can be an exhausting endeavor. While physically sedentary, it's very emotionally and mentally draining to constantly try to remain aware of shifting player dynamics during hours of play. It wears at you. There are literally dozens of studies that show concentration, focus, and decision making ability all suffer with prolonged periods of stress and exhaustion. We need to acknowledge it when, for whatever reason, we just aren't at our best.
4. There's little or no money to be made.
Winning poker is only possible when there is a good mix of aggressive and conservative players at the table. Sometimes you will find yourself in a situation when it seems everyone at the table, including you, is a "rock". When that happens, the pots are likely to be smaller, with less action. Rocks as a rule are tight-aggressive. They're not going to play too many speculative hands, and they're certainly not going to give you action without a strong hand. A table full of maniacs is just as bad, in a different way. If everyone is being super-aggressive, poker soon takes on the semblance of a lottery. There's much more opportunity to lose than to win.
5. You have made a reasonable profit on the session.
You need to keep track of your stack in relation to the other players' and also in relation to the total chips at the table. At a certain point the ratio of risk:reward gets turned against you. It may seem counter-intuitive, but being a massive chip leader is a difficult circumstance to master. The reason is that your perception of risk can get skewed and distorted by the size of your stack. If you've been playing well and have built up your stack to 3,4 or even 5 times your starting stack, you will be a huge force at the table. Even if other players have re-bought, you are likely to have at least a 2:1 chip advantage over the average stack at your table. If you become "drunk with power" you could start pushing with hands you should fold. For the same reason, watch your stack's ratio to the total chips at the table. If you have over half the chips in play you really can't advance your cause too much. At that point you are potentially risking your large stack to win a portion of a much smaller one.
6. You are card dead.
In the movie "The Color of Money", Paul Newman's character tells Tom Cruise, "Listen kid, the balls roll funny for everyone". Poker is very similar, with the exception that billiard players have much more control over their situations. Poker pros can win without the best hand, some of the time, but no one can win without catching at least a few hands. No matter how long you've been playing poker, no matter how skilled your play may be, you are going to find that there will be times when it's just "not your night". If the cards just aren't breaking your way, you need to get your ego out of the way and cut your losses and run. This is a situation where discipline really becomes important. You can be the most skilled player at the table, but if you don't get the cards, it's time to go.
The difference between walking away a winner and going broke chasing your losses is knowing when to walk away. Many poker players, even skilled, experienced players have dealt with this problem. It takes discipline to get up and leave the table. Some signs that it may be time to "take the money and run" (I just love the classics) include:
1. The players at the table have changed and you are not winning as consistently as you were.
There is a saying that there is at least one sucker at every poker table. If you look around and can't identify who they are, it's you. If you've driven all of the fish away from your table and you aren't winning as often or as much, don't be afraid to get up and try your luck at another table. If you're being out-played, you're being out-played. You want to be the shark (or barracuda, at least), not the fish.
2. You've lost your focus.
Believe it or not, playing poker can be an exhausting endeavor. While physically sedentary, it's very emotionally and mentally draining to constantly try to remain aware of shifting player dynamics during hours of play. It wears at you. There are literally dozens of studies that show concentration, focus, and decision making ability all suffer with prolonged periods of stress and exhaustion. We need to acknowledge it when, for whatever reason, we just aren't at our best.
4. There's little or no money to be made.
Winning poker is only possible when there is a good mix of aggressive and conservative players at the table. Sometimes you will find yourself in a situation when it seems everyone at the table, including you, is a "rock". When that happens, the pots are likely to be smaller, with less action. Rocks as a rule are tight-aggressive. They're not going to play too many speculative hands, and they're certainly not going to give you action without a strong hand. A table full of maniacs is just as bad, in a different way. If everyone is being super-aggressive, poker soon takes on the semblance of a lottery. There's much more opportunity to lose than to win.
5. You have made a reasonable profit on the session.
You need to keep track of your stack in relation to the other players' and also in relation to the total chips at the table. At a certain point the ratio of risk:reward gets turned against you. It may seem counter-intuitive, but being a massive chip leader is a difficult circumstance to master. The reason is that your perception of risk can get skewed and distorted by the size of your stack. If you've been playing well and have built up your stack to 3,4 or even 5 times your starting stack, you will be a huge force at the table. Even if other players have re-bought, you are likely to have at least a 2:1 chip advantage over the average stack at your table. If you become "drunk with power" you could start pushing with hands you should fold. For the same reason, watch your stack's ratio to the total chips at the table. If you have over half the chips in play you really can't advance your cause too much. At that point you are potentially risking your large stack to win a portion of a much smaller one.
6. You are card dead.
In the movie "The Color of Money", Paul Newman's character tells Tom Cruise, "Listen kid, the balls roll funny for everyone". Poker is very similar, with the exception that billiard players have much more control over their situations. Poker pros can win without the best hand, some of the time, but no one can win without catching at least a few hands. No matter how long you've been playing poker, no matter how skilled your play may be, you are going to find that there will be times when it's just "not your night". If the cards just aren't breaking your way, you need to get your ego out of the way and cut your losses and run. This is a situation where discipline really becomes important. You can be the most skilled player at the table, but if you don't get the cards, it's time to go.
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