41. When you're in a losing streak, don't let yourself get panicky.
The more reckless you feel, the wiser it is to get away from the table at once.
A player plunging to recoup losses or an excited player is a poker player at his
worst.
42. You must expect to lose the pot unless you believe you have the
best hand going in.
43. Most draw poker players would win instead of lose if they never
tried to outdraw the opener.
44. Bet your big hands to the hilt and make every active player pay to
see your hand.
45. Vary your playing strategy. The player whose game is always the
same becomes an easy mark for smart poker players.
46. Try to keep a poker face. Don't complain when losing or show
elation when winning. The emotional aftermath will prohibit clear thinking and
proper evaluation of succeeding hands.
47. Try to sit with your back to the wall and try to avoid kibitzers
who watch your hand. Onlookers who don’t keep poker faces tip off many good
hands.
48. Trust no one at poker; it is a game for blood. If you want to play
a good game you must forget friendship and bet your hand for what it's worth.
Top-money winners do.
49. When you play poker, give the game all you've got or get out. That
is not only the best way to win at poker; it's the only way you and the rest of
the players can get any fun out of what ought to be fun.
50. In the poker room you never sit down to play on your own. Rather,
you make your way to the desk behind which the room manager, some supervisors,
and some chip runners are milling.
51. You benefit from reading the board of house rules present in most
cardrooms. This can usually be found hanging on the wall. It tells you
everything you'll need to know to sit down and play, as well as any
particularities that you might not find in other cardrooms.
52. Where you sit in relation to your turn to bet has an impact on
your results. Being forced to be an early bettor in a hand is much less
advantageous than being able to bet later in the round.
53. Poker is a game of skill, but a lot of the skill involves being
able to conceal your true feelings and, at the same time, to assess the true
feelings of others who are trying to do the same.
54. The flop is the nexus of the hand; limiting raises preflop goes
far towards disguising your hand.
55. In early position you have to play fairly tightly, even in loose
games, since you don't know how many raises there will be, and you will be out
of position for the whole hand.
56. When opening in tight games in any position or loose games in late
position, your attention should be on getting heads up with a blind or outright
stealing the blinds.
57. It is better to sacrifice your small early bets then to rope
yourself into a betting war with a seasoned pro.
58. We can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping a poker face
while betting, and not giving any clues about how good or bad your hand is. The
whole point of the game is to make sure that they have NO clues, other than the
bets you make.
59. When it comes to betting, alcohol can be your enemy. While beer
and cigars tend to go hand in hand with poker night, alcohol is not recommended
if you're going to play in a casino, especially if the stakes are a little
higher.
60. One of the best pieces of advice we can give you about betting is
to bet with your head, not over it. This is the slogan for Gamblers Anonymous,
and it couldn't be truer.
61. Very few people make their fortunes playing poker. A lot more lose
theirs. We don't mean to get preachy here, but we don't want you to pawn your
high school ring to pay the phone bill. We've seen it happen, and it isn’t
pretty.
62. Never bring your entire bankroll with you to one gambling session.
You need to have a daily gambling budget. Start by dividing your bankroll by the
number of days you'll be gambling. Then divide your daily bankroll into the
number of sessions you will be playing each day. This is now your single-session
bankroll. Don't bet tomorrow's money until tomorrow comes.
63. Set a goal of winning between 50 to 100% of a single-session
bankroll. Then set aside your original bankroll plus half your winnings. Now
play with the remainder and continue to set aside additional winnings.
64. Discipline is not only a significant part of being a successful
gambler but probably the most important element of money management. You must
set loss limits and win goals. Example: When losing half your session bankroll
you walk, and when doubling your money, consider doing the same.
|
