Poker Tip
Phil Gordon
July 11, 2005
Once I am involved in a hand, many of the actions I take after the flop
are automatic, or nearly automatic. Therefore, the most
important decision I have to make in No Limit Hold 'em
takes place before the flop:
Should I play the two cards I've been dealt?
When I first started learning how to play, I reviewed
the standard charts that suggest which two cards to play
from each position. But while they provided useful
guidelines, the charts don't tell the whole story. To
anyone just starting out I strongly recommend honing
your skill in the free online poker games before
venturing into the real money games.
Poker is not a game that is best played by the
numbers. Poker is a game of situations.
In blackjack, there is always a correct decision to
be made - a "perfect strategy." Once you have compared
the strength of your hand against the dealer's "up"
card, the odds will -- or at least should -- dictate
whether you should hit, stand, split, etc.
Poker, however, is a game of incomplete information.
There are many factors to consider that go above and
beyond what "the book" tells you to do. Some of them
include:
- My opponents' tendencies
- My state of mind
- My opponent's state of mind
- Our respective stack sizes
- My image at the table
Computer programs can look up hands in a chart. Real
poker players analyze situations and make their own
decisions after processing all of the available
information. I might raise with A-J from early position
in one game, and fold the same hand from the same
position in another.
A good chart can help give a very specific set of
circumstances, namely:
- You are the first person to voluntarily put
money into the pot and are going to come in for a
raise of about three times the big blind
- You don't know much about your opponents
- All the players at the table have an
average-size stack
- The blinds are relatively small in relation to
the size of the stacks
When the above things aren't true, you'll want to
look beyond the charts.
If you're a new player, these free online game tables are a great
place to start. The more poker you play, however, the
more comfortable you will feel letting your experience
and your instincts serve as your guide.
Phil Gordon
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