5 TIPS that will make you a better player.

by EL Donko Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:41 am

1. AGGRESSION ISN’T EVERYTHING
Aggression is important, but you don’t need to be aggro to win. I
really think that nothing can replace pure intelligence and the ability
to think on the fly. If you are a beginner you should focus on
hand-reading. Always try to figure out why your opponent is playing his
hand the way he is. It mostly comes down to deductive logic with a hint
of math knowledge.

2. KEEP IT SIMPLE IN TOURNAMENTS
In tournaments, on average, you will come up against weaker players.
You don’t have to be as tricky and you don’t have to think on as high a
level. The pot size on the flop is usually so big in tournaments that
the best line involves taking it down as soon as possible.

3. MIX IT UP IN CASH GAMES
In cash games, it’s more important to balance your range, making your
hands harder to read. Also, stacks are generally much deeper in cash
games. That leaves more room for creativity and the ability to play
more hands pre-flop.

4. BE CAREFUL ON THE TURN
The turn is probably the street that is the toughest to play. Pre-flop
and the river are easy, although the river is very important and
misplayed by many. Most people don’t checkraise bluff enough on the
turn. A lot of people bluff too often on the turn with no outs, or with
a lot of outs, but not enough to call a raise.

5. LEARN TO CATCH A RIVER BLUFF
It comes down to putting players on a range and knowing your opponent.
Pay attention to what hands had a lot of outs and missed.
They’re likely to fire three barrels. Also, if scare cards hit, like an Ace or
King on the river when the flop is 10-high, some players are very
likely to try to represent them. However, there will often be times
when they hit those cards. You just have to decide how likely they are
to bluff at the scare card and weigh that against how likely it was to
hit their hand.

by chronuke Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:41 pm

thanks for the tips el donko...ill have to try them out in my next game

by **jimbeam77** Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:51 pm

Im going to need more tips than that to make me a better player Very Happy

by **datsme53** Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:20 pm

Great post El Donko! I like the analogy of the tournament strategy vs the ring game alternative way of thinking. I think it's on the money. Sometimes in tournament play we do try to over read an opponent. I know that mixing it up is more important in ring games, but I do try to mix it up in tourneys too, especially when many of my opponents have been on the same table with me for a lot of hands. Thanks for the post... keep 'em coming! Smile

I didn't get a chance to see this in here earlier... just missed it I guess.

by **slyone66** Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:34 pm

good post , i agree with the aggression part, sometimes i'm to aggressive though, thats my downfall alot of the times. especially at the final tables or close to the money....