Hey guys. Not a lot of changes with the site last month, just added an article or two. So straight to the point, here is your monthly Texas Holdem article and tip. Enjoy...
Texas Holdem Strategy
Playing The Player and Playing The Cards
One of the most common pieces of advice you will hear as a poker player is "Play the player, not the cards". This is all well and good, and I guess we like to think we take this on board when we sit down at the table. But if you think about it, do you really think that much about your opponent? And if so, are you playing in the correct way against them?
There is no doubt that a lot of poker involves analysing your opponent's play and using it to your advantage. But if you are simply 'playing the player' rather than your cards, you will probably find yourself in awkward situations with the worst hand a lot of the time. Conversely, you also need to play your cards correctly so that you can maximize your wins and minimize your losses. But then if we only play our hands by the book, it will make it easier for our opponents to read us, as we will be playing like a machine.
One point I would like to bring up for one moment is that 'playing the player' does not mean making advanced plays at every opportunity. Playing the player simply means that you should take into account what you think their ability is and how they play poker, and use this to your advantage in future hands. So if you are playing a complete donk, there is no point in making a check-raise on the flop as a bluff, as your opponent will more than likely call you because they will have no idea about the fact that this play signals a lot of strength. So simply make plays that work to your advantage at this level. You can find out more about this idea in the article on levels of poker thought.
So the key is to get a good balance between playing our opponents and playing our cards. Whoever thinks that they are good enough to enter pots with hands like 94 offsuit because they believe they can consistently outplay their opponents and make money are sadly mistaken. At the end of the day, if you regularly enter pots with the worst hand, you will end up losing money in the long run. You can never be sure about what your opponent holds, how they will play or what will come out on the flop, so throwing money into the pot with a rag hand doesn't really sound too clever, and it is certainly -EV.
That may sound like a bit harsh, but you really have to leave your ego at the door when it comes to poker. If you think you are good enough to play without decent cards, then good luck to you. Just don't be surprised when your bankroll starts to diminish and you find yourself on a poker forum complaining to everyone that online poker is rigged. Poker is a game of odds as well as skill, but if you continue to put odds to the side and rely purely on your ability to read opponents, there is no doubt you have a major leak in your game. If you can't admit to yourself that you have holes in your game, you will never be able to improve and win money.
Imagine how much more you could be making if you actually played with good cards and tried your best to read opponents. It just makes sense to have the keep the odds on your side, rather than fight against them. It will only work to your advantage.
So certainly play the player, but don't forget you need good cards to compliment your ability to read your opponent. You may have exceptional reading skills, but this doesn't mean that you are going to make the best hand all of the time... that's where the cards come in.
Good luck.
Tip - Track Your Play
One of the best ways to improve your game is to use software that will record your hands as you play. If you frequently play online poker, it is a good idea to invest in some software that will allow you to track key statistics such as wins/losses as well as information on the way you play your cards. PokerOffice is a great piece of software that will allow you to do this.
Having access to a database of information on your own game is pretty much priceless, as it allows you to find the leaks in your game that you would have otherwise overlooked. If you are concerned about whether or not you are paying too much for draws, you can just check the software to see how much you are making on your drawing hands. If you find that you are losing money, you can make modifications to your game so that you can play your draws correctly in the future.
If you are advanced player, you can fine-tune your game in much smaller areas as well... If you ever wonder if you are playing AJ offsuit profitably from middle position, you can just open up the software and check your stats. It will tell you how much you win or lose with the hand, and you can analyse the information to find out how you could be playing better. It really is great to be able to find information like this, so that you can consistently improve and develop as a player.
When I first started to get serious about online poker, I was a little sceptical at first about purchasing poker software. I always wondered about whether it would be worth my money and was reluctant to part with my $79. Now looking back, this was probably the wisest investment I have ever made. Even though I paid $79, I probably recouped that amount with the money the software saved me within about a week, and its helped me to increase my win rate significantly over the months and years.
A program like PokerOffice is pretty much essential to any serious online player, and I am very confident that you will not regret purchasing it. However, if you want to find out more, you can always take advantage of the trial run that they have before you buy, so that you can see what it's like. But I'm sure that 99% of you that give the software a go will be very impressed, and for good reason too. So check it out and see what you think, it's quite easily my favourite piece of poker software, and I wouldn't play without it.
Visit PokerOffice>
Hope you enjoyed the newsletter, have fun at the tables.
Greg.
www.ThePokerBank.com
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