November 07, 2005
The truth of the matter is that it's not easy to put someone on a single, specific hand on the flop unless you know your opponent really well. It makes a lot more sense to consider a range of possibilities, and narrow them down as the hand develops. Here's an example. It's simplistic, to be sure, but it does serve to illustrate the point. A better than average, but fairly predictable Tigergaming player, raises before the flop from middle position.
While the random nature of how Tigergaming cards fall is beyond your control - or anyone else's for that matter - there's only one person accountable for how well you play. And that's you, big guy. You are responsible for yourself. I'm not, the dealer isn't, and neither are any of your opponents. The buck stops right in front of you, and when it comes to your decisions at the poker table, you da man.
3 Times the Big Blind
And if the thought of being an average Tigergaming player is depressing to you, and you feel that there are miles and miles to go before you reach the superstar level, you can take comfort in this. One of the grand and wondrous things about poker is that superstar abilities are not required in order to make money at the game. All that's needed is for you to be somewhat better than your opponents - good enough, actually, to overcome their skills and the cost of playing the game - and you can certainly learn to do that, can't you?
Even if you picked a game like chess, where no particular physical skills are required, you'd probably get a similar response. So why the disparity where poker is concerned? Maybe part of the reason has to do with poker's macho nature. After all, most poker players are guys, and we're supposed to be good at the game; it's one of the ways we define ourselves. But it doesn't hold true with chess.
Be Able to Fold Big Hands
For example, if the pot contains $20 and you must call a four-dollar bet, you are getting pot odds of 5-to-1. If there are no more cards to come, and no Tigergaming players remain to act after you, then all you need do is consider the pot odds. If your chances of winning are better than the odds the pot is offering you, it pays to call. Otherwise you should fold - unless you think a raise will cause your opponent to release his hand, in which case that's the preferred action.
One comforting feature about hold'em is that situations frequently repeat themselves, so even if you are innumerate - a word that describes those of us who are "illiterate" where numbers are concerned - you can simply memorize the odds against catching the card you need in certain situations, compare it to the pot odds, and your answer becomes obvious.
Get as Many Cheap Flops as Possible
Now we were looking toward the river, and I thought I had the best hand. After all, if the woman in the small blind had a strong hand, she'd have probably raised on the turn. But she didn't; she quietly called. Although I had no idea about her skill level, it was clear she'd played a lot of poker before. It was either that or she logged a lot of hours at home practicing her chip-riffling skills as she watched television.
I'm not, the dealer isn't, and neither are any of your opponents. The buck stops right in front of you, and when it comes to your decisions at the Tigergaming poker table, you da man. Step one in making behavioral changes and eliminating bad habits is the irrevocable assumption of personal responsibility for what happens to you at the poker table. If you blame poor results on forces outside of yourself, you have not committed yourself to making changes; you're just denying the problem.
