TomCollins
12-04-2004, 06:04 PM
Chapter 3
Poker's Ten (Eleven) Commandments
1) Don't play with money you can't afford to lose. Playing scared in NL is suicide. In general, a 10-20 buy-in minimum is the best bet for a NL bankroll. The tighter you play, the lower on the scale youc an go. Also, if you are willing to step down in limits or can easily replace any losses, you can go smaller on the scale. If you are playing for a living, you should play it safer and have 20 or possibly more buy-ins in your bankroll. Either way, make sure you are comfortable with the stakes. Losing should sting, but not cripple you.
2) Always know the rules. There are a few things to be aware of that can be common mistakes. This usually applies to playing live, rather than online.
i) Single chip means call without saying raise. Always state your intentions.
ii) Cash playing. Some places it does, some places it doesn't. When in doubt, ask. You'd hate to have the nuts when you reailze that your cash doesn't play.
iii) Max-buy ins. Some places allow you to rebuy if you get below a certain point. The Foxwoods 1-2 game allows you to add on $100 if you get below $40, but has a maximum buy in of $100. If you want to maximize your stack, it makes sense to buy in for $40 and then immediately rebuy for $100 after the first hand.
iv) Jackpots. Although Ciaffone mentions this in his example, jackpots in big bet are rare. But even so, be aware of any special promotions.
3) Don't steam. Steaming is extremely costly in big bet poker. This is fairly obvious. However, it does bring up an interesting point. After a bad beat, it is often adventageous to fake steaming. For example, if you get an extremely strong hand, you can often times bet much stronger than normal. Players will assume you are steaming and will often make poor calls. After a bad beat or a poorly timed bluff, I tend to push my stronger hands much harder and usually get paid off. The important lesson is, make sure you steaming is just an act. If you must steam, walk away from the table and cool off. There will always be another game to win back your losses.
4) Never play when off-balance. Make sure you are up to playing. If you think you are going to lose, you usually will. Take a break from the game.
5) Run your profits and cut your losses. Momentum occurs and we are not robots. When you are winning, your opponents fear you, and you become confident. It is easy to enter "The Zone". However, losing often makes you try to win back your losses by making poorly timed bluffs or calling with weak holdings. Do not make this mistake. If you are losing too much, it is often better to wait for a better day.
6) Don't be a calling station. Calling is usually a huge mistake in big bet. Your opponents will catch on, and only bet into you when they have strong hands. Also, you cannot win a pot with the worst hand if you never bet. Against an overaggressive opponent, sometimes check-calling can work out. This shouldn't be interpreted as rarely calling. But you need to make sure when you simply call a bet, you have a good reason for doing it.
7) Don't give or recieve aggrivation. It is very easy to berate a poor player for getting lucky against you. You will feel like a pot was "stolen" for you. But think of things in the bigger picture. If these players never got lucky making longshot plays, there wouldn't be much incentive to play poker. Look at how casinos treat roulette players. When they make a big win against the odds, they are congratulated by the casino that takes a big loss against them. But they know they have a repeat customer. Make your players feel good about their play. In fact, they may not even know they were playing poorly. There is no need to educate bad players. Nothing is gained. Also, be sure you never become annoyed by a player and procede on a personal vendetta against him. You must not be affected.
8) Don't get too tricky against a weak player. Save your moves for a player they will work on. If you play straightforward against this player, you should have no trouble beating him. Identifying weak players is the key to this commandment. If you don't know who the weak player is, you won't know how to play him.
9) Don't get involved as a small favorite or big dog. Many players have what I call "World Poker Tour Syndrome". They see the big names push all in with a low pocket pair and try to do the same. After all, 22 is a favorite over AK. What they faily to forget is 22 is only a sizeable favorite over 12 hands. It is even a dog to some non-paired hands. If you have a hand that is either a big dog or small favorite, try to improve cheaply or get out of the way.
10) Don't play in a game unless you are a favorite. Game selection is key. There is no points for degree of difficulty. Take notes on poor players and avoid extremely tricky players. If a game is too tough, there is no shame in leaving or asking for a table change.
11) Vary your play. Smart players will figure you out. First, you are playing against different players. You must vary your play to account for differences in players. Even if you play with the same people, you must factor in seating. Having certain players on certain sides of you make a big difference. Also, even if position never changed, you must vary your play so that you are not figured out. Ironically, Ciaffone ends by stating that you can ignore some of these commandments in certain circumstances. But if you ever vary from this, be sure you have a good reason.
Best of luck at the tables!
-TC
Poker's Ten (Eleven) Commandments
1) Don't play with money you can't afford to lose. Playing scared in NL is suicide. In general, a 10-20 buy-in minimum is the best bet for a NL bankroll. The tighter you play, the lower on the scale youc an go. Also, if you are willing to step down in limits or can easily replace any losses, you can go smaller on the scale. If you are playing for a living, you should play it safer and have 20 or possibly more buy-ins in your bankroll. Either way, make sure you are comfortable with the stakes. Losing should sting, but not cripple you.
2) Always know the rules. There are a few things to be aware of that can be common mistakes. This usually applies to playing live, rather than online.
i) Single chip means call without saying raise. Always state your intentions.
ii) Cash playing. Some places it does, some places it doesn't. When in doubt, ask. You'd hate to have the nuts when you reailze that your cash doesn't play.
iii) Max-buy ins. Some places allow you to rebuy if you get below a certain point. The Foxwoods 1-2 game allows you to add on $100 if you get below $40, but has a maximum buy in of $100. If you want to maximize your stack, it makes sense to buy in for $40 and then immediately rebuy for $100 after the first hand.
iv) Jackpots. Although Ciaffone mentions this in his example, jackpots in big bet are rare. But even so, be aware of any special promotions.
3) Don't steam. Steaming is extremely costly in big bet poker. This is fairly obvious. However, it does bring up an interesting point. After a bad beat, it is often adventageous to fake steaming. For example, if you get an extremely strong hand, you can often times bet much stronger than normal. Players will assume you are steaming and will often make poor calls. After a bad beat or a poorly timed bluff, I tend to push my stronger hands much harder and usually get paid off. The important lesson is, make sure you steaming is just an act. If you must steam, walk away from the table and cool off. There will always be another game to win back your losses.
4) Never play when off-balance. Make sure you are up to playing. If you think you are going to lose, you usually will. Take a break from the game.
5) Run your profits and cut your losses. Momentum occurs and we are not robots. When you are winning, your opponents fear you, and you become confident. It is easy to enter "The Zone". However, losing often makes you try to win back your losses by making poorly timed bluffs or calling with weak holdings. Do not make this mistake. If you are losing too much, it is often better to wait for a better day.
6) Don't be a calling station. Calling is usually a huge mistake in big bet. Your opponents will catch on, and only bet into you when they have strong hands. Also, you cannot win a pot with the worst hand if you never bet. Against an overaggressive opponent, sometimes check-calling can work out. This shouldn't be interpreted as rarely calling. But you need to make sure when you simply call a bet, you have a good reason for doing it.
7) Don't give or recieve aggrivation. It is very easy to berate a poor player for getting lucky against you. You will feel like a pot was "stolen" for you. But think of things in the bigger picture. If these players never got lucky making longshot plays, there wouldn't be much incentive to play poker. Look at how casinos treat roulette players. When they make a big win against the odds, they are congratulated by the casino that takes a big loss against them. But they know they have a repeat customer. Make your players feel good about their play. In fact, they may not even know they were playing poorly. There is no need to educate bad players. Nothing is gained. Also, be sure you never become annoyed by a player and procede on a personal vendetta against him. You must not be affected.
8) Don't get too tricky against a weak player. Save your moves for a player they will work on. If you play straightforward against this player, you should have no trouble beating him. Identifying weak players is the key to this commandment. If you don't know who the weak player is, you won't know how to play him.
9) Don't get involved as a small favorite or big dog. Many players have what I call "World Poker Tour Syndrome". They see the big names push all in with a low pocket pair and try to do the same. After all, 22 is a favorite over AK. What they faily to forget is 22 is only a sizeable favorite over 12 hands. It is even a dog to some non-paired hands. If you have a hand that is either a big dog or small favorite, try to improve cheaply or get out of the way.
10) Don't play in a game unless you are a favorite. Game selection is key. There is no points for degree of difficulty. Take notes on poor players and avoid extremely tricky players. If a game is too tough, there is no shame in leaving or asking for a table change.
11) Vary your play. Smart players will figure you out. First, you are playing against different players. You must vary your play to account for differences in players. Even if you play with the same people, you must factor in seating. Having certain players on certain sides of you make a big difference. Also, even if position never changed, you must vary your play so that you are not figured out. Ironically, Ciaffone ends by stating that you can ignore some of these commandments in certain circumstances. But if you ever vary from this, be sure you have a good reason.
Best of luck at the tables!
-TC