08-13-2001, 08:50 PM
I want to clarify some things from the post I made titled "No Limit Myths" (see below).
The main point of that post can be summed up as: Many players misunderstand how and when to be aggressive in a no limit game, and those players who think they can beat a no limit game through sheer aggression without even looking at their cards are horribly, tragically misled. (tournaments not included) There's so much more to the game it's like saying you can win the Indy 500 by driving really fast.
Obiously, you MUST be able to play aggressively to win. But you have to be aggressive in the right spots. In fact, I believe we shouldn't even think of aggression as a tool or skill. It's a by-product of all the other weapons we bring to the table. Knowing your players, for instance. Take any no limit situation and ask what to do. The answer is almost always "It depends on the player". Even something as simple as "should I call an all-in bet with KK?". Depends on who moved in (and some other things but mostly that).
That's the biggest key to the game. Knowing your opponents is so important that I would say you should not tangle over a pot with an unknown player without a hand that is very close to the nuts. Play nothing but straightforward poker against an unknown player until you get a line on his play. If you're good, this should not take longer than ten to twenty minutes at the most. Until then, bet good hands for value against him but otherwise steer clear. Once you know how the guy plays, your decisions will be so much more profitable that it's not worth investing your chips before you have that info.
Just a few minutes of patience can save you your whole stack.
If knowing the players is the most important thing, then combatting that by changing gears is next in importance. If the other players are allowed to get a good line on your play, then you've let them master the most important part of the game! You MUST change gears to prevent them from doing this to you. Of course, this turns into a war of escalation when experts are involved. Try to avoid those games. :)
I also think that the most under-rated skill in no limit is playing stack sizes well. You could be in two situations where the cards, position, and players are the same but the right move is different each time because of the stack sizes. Everyone knows position is of paramount importance in no limit, but I'm starting to believe that stack sizes are more important than position. But I guess that is a topic for another post.
But the bottom line is that reckless blanket aggression is terrible. For a good player, aggressive plays are made after he has analyzed the situation by knowing his players, changing gears at the right time, playing stack sizes, and playing position. Aggression is not even really something that he focuses on as a part of his game. It's a by-product of the other skills that are far more important.
Put another way, if a player is not playing aggressively enough, it's probably because he doesn't know the players well, doesn't change gears well, doesn't understand playing stack sizes, and doesn't play position well. If you get those four skills in shape you'll play with the right amount of aggression just as a matter of course.
natedogg
The main point of that post can be summed up as: Many players misunderstand how and when to be aggressive in a no limit game, and those players who think they can beat a no limit game through sheer aggression without even looking at their cards are horribly, tragically misled. (tournaments not included) There's so much more to the game it's like saying you can win the Indy 500 by driving really fast.
Obiously, you MUST be able to play aggressively to win. But you have to be aggressive in the right spots. In fact, I believe we shouldn't even think of aggression as a tool or skill. It's a by-product of all the other weapons we bring to the table. Knowing your players, for instance. Take any no limit situation and ask what to do. The answer is almost always "It depends on the player". Even something as simple as "should I call an all-in bet with KK?". Depends on who moved in (and some other things but mostly that).
That's the biggest key to the game. Knowing your opponents is so important that I would say you should not tangle over a pot with an unknown player without a hand that is very close to the nuts. Play nothing but straightforward poker against an unknown player until you get a line on his play. If you're good, this should not take longer than ten to twenty minutes at the most. Until then, bet good hands for value against him but otherwise steer clear. Once you know how the guy plays, your decisions will be so much more profitable that it's not worth investing your chips before you have that info.
Just a few minutes of patience can save you your whole stack.
If knowing the players is the most important thing, then combatting that by changing gears is next in importance. If the other players are allowed to get a good line on your play, then you've let them master the most important part of the game! You MUST change gears to prevent them from doing this to you. Of course, this turns into a war of escalation when experts are involved. Try to avoid those games. :)
I also think that the most under-rated skill in no limit is playing stack sizes well. You could be in two situations where the cards, position, and players are the same but the right move is different each time because of the stack sizes. Everyone knows position is of paramount importance in no limit, but I'm starting to believe that stack sizes are more important than position. But I guess that is a topic for another post.
But the bottom line is that reckless blanket aggression is terrible. For a good player, aggressive plays are made after he has analyzed the situation by knowing his players, changing gears at the right time, playing stack sizes, and playing position. Aggression is not even really something that he focuses on as a part of his game. It's a by-product of the other skills that are far more important.
Put another way, if a player is not playing aggressively enough, it's probably because he doesn't know the players well, doesn't change gears well, doesn't understand playing stack sizes, and doesn't play position well. If you get those four skills in shape you'll play with the right amount of aggression just as a matter of course.
natedogg