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The Mindset of a Winner

Lesson: 83
The Mindset of a Winner
Kristy Gazes
Oct 23, 2006


Here's one of the most interesting things about poker: A player can be incredibly knowledgeable and talented, and still be a long-term loser. I've been playing professionally for more than a decade and, in that time, I've seen any number of sharp, gifted players go broke again and again. How is it that I've been able to survive while others have busted out? I think there are a few factors that contribute to my success.

As I discussed in a previous tip, my money management skills are good. So when I hit the inevitable losing streak, I don't risk going broke. As far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to overstate the importance of money management to your poker career.

I've also benefited from being a mixed-game player. At the Commerce Casino, I play in a rotation game that can include Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud Hi/Lo, Triple Draw, and Badugi. I like the mixed games for a couple of reasons. First off, playing a mix of games helps keep me sharp and interested. Sometimes, when I play one game continually for hours on end, I can get a little antsy.

In addition, there are usually a couple of players who play some games well, but aren't quite as skilled in others. This gives me a nice edge. And the truth is, even at higher limits, there are players who don't understand some of the games all that well. They see too many flops in Omaha Hi/Lo and draw too frequently in Triple Draw and Badugi.

There's another great advantage to this sort of mixed game. Games like Omaha Hi/Lo and Badgui appeal to gamblers - players who like to get involved in pots and mix it up. Some of these guys are quite talented, but after missing a draw in Badgui or failing to connect on the river in Omaha, they can go on tilt. Then, for a period of time - maybe 15 minutes, maybe an hour - they play every game badly.

Perhaps the greatest advantage I have over my opponents is that I'm able to control my emotions. I don't tilt easily. And when I do feel myself getting upset, I have the discipline to get up from the table and go home. I know that the game will be there tomorrow and I'll be far more prepared for the action after some rest. Over the years, I've encountered many players who play about as well as I do, but I've fared much better then they have because I can control my response to adversity.

If you're looking to improve your results, try learning some new games. There's a lot of fun and profit outside of Hold 'em. And work on your emotional control. Staying off tilt may be the most important thing you can do for your bankroll.




Kristy Gazes

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Playing Big Slick in Deep Stack Tournaments

Lesson: 79
Playing Big Slick in Deep Stack Tournaments
Paul Wolfe
Sept 25, 2006


During this year's World Series of Poker, I talked with a number of pros about the problems that so many online qualifiers had playing Big Slick during the early blind levels. It seemed to us that a huge percentage of the field - we estimated as much as 70 percent - was more than willing to go broke with this hand if they hit a pair on the flop.

But many pros, myself included, feel that Ace-King is a very difficult hand to play in the early levels of big buy-in tournaments, when the stacks are deep compared to the blinds. The fact of the matter is, top-pair/top-kicker is probably no good if another player is willing to risk all of his chips. This isn't always the case - you may find an extremely weak player willing to go broke on K-Q, but that's the rare exception.

The real problem with A-K early on is that it's very difficult to get an idea of where you're at in a hand. Even on an innocuous looking flop of something like K-9-2, you may think your hand is good. But you can't be sure.

Say that you raise pre-flop with A-K and a late-position player calls. The two of you see a K-9-2 flop. You bet strong on the flop and then again on the turn. He calls on both streets. What now? Do you bet the river and pray that you're not raised? Or do you check and hope that your opponent does the same? It's a difficult spot and there are no great options.

Playing the same hand in position is a little easier, but it's still tough.

While the blinds are low in a big buy-in tournament, I'm actually looking to see flops against the players who overplay top-pair/top-kicker. When I'm in position, I'm happy to call a raise with something like a small pocket pair, 5-6 suited, or even 8-T suited. I'm looking to flop a big hand or a big draw.

If I flop a set, I have a good chance of wiping out the guy with top pair. If I flop a draw, I have a chance to see if my opponent will give me a good price to hit my hand. The beauty of a suited hand like 5-6 or 8-T is that there's no way I'm going to get in serious trouble playing them. If I flop anything less than two-pair or a quality draw, I'll fold, having lost very little.

I think there are two major reasons many players over value Ace-King. First is that in online tournaments, where the stacks start relatively low, Ace-King is usually worth playing aggressively. Players who win online satellites do so by playing Ace-King fast, so they come to big tournaments feeling good about this starting hand. The second reason is that many people have seen TV commentators crow about Big Slick, calling it a "huge hand." At a six-handed final table, Ace-King is a very big hand, but as Howard Lederer pointed out in his tip Viewer Beware, you need to realize that short-handed final-table strategy differs greatly from early tournament play.

When you're playing in deep-stack games, learn to play A-K cautiously. The pros don't like to go broke with this hand and you'd do well to follow their example.

For more on playing Ace-King, read Rafe Furst's tip Big Slick: A Slippery Hand.




Paul Wolfe

Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone

Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone
Ben Roberts
Sept 18, 2006


Many beginner poker players naturally gravitate toward a level of game where they feel most comfortable. The reasons for their choice may vary, but often include the size of their starting bankroll, and the amount of money they feel comfortable wagering in a particular hand or throughout a session.

This is perfectly normal and reasonable. One of the things that separate truly profitable players from winning players, however, is their willingness to step out of their comfort zone and explore higher limit games.

After a few hundred hours of play, many people can determine whether or not they are beating their regular games. For those players who are showing a profit, there are some for whom taking home an extra $100 or $200 per week is perfectly acceptable. They're mainly playing for fun and the winnings are a nice benefit. For others, however, poker may be a steady source of income, and boosting their bottom line could significantly affect their lives away from the table.

One of the smartest things these players can do is to stretch their games and play at higher limits. With proper planning, and the right approach, the rewards can be immeasurable. To that end, I have some suggestions for players who are thinking about taking their game to the next level.

First and most important, make sure you have the bankroll to sustain yourself at a higher level. If you take a shot and lose, you shouldn't have to worry about rebuilding your bankroll from scratch. A good recommendation is to stockpile enough money so that you can comfortably afford between eight and 10 buy-ins before you have to retreat to a smaller game.

This leads to my second piece of advice, which is not to let a few losing sessions affect your attitude or impair your judgment. I'm not saying that losing doesn't sting and that tilt doesn't happen. They do. But, players who successfully move up the ladder understand that not every session will be a winning one, and that by constantly analyzing their games - and those of their opponents' - they'll be able to make adjustments that will help them succeed.

When moving up the poker ladder, you'll inevitably encounter players with more experience and skill than you possess. Recognizing these players and learning from them is one of the smartest moves you can make. Conversely, letting your ego and pride get in the way of observing these players can lead you to keep investing money in a losing situation and, eventually, affect your overall performance and excitement toward the game.

Remember, successful people fail more often than unsuccessful people. Successful people try new things, fall down, pick themselves up, and try again. So, if your first attempt to move up to a higher stakes game falls short of your expectations, don't despair. Look at your play and the play of your opponents, regroup, and try again. The experience will be worth it.




Ben Roberts

Finding Your Inner Maniac

A couple of years ago, I was wandering a Vegas poker room after busting out of a tournament. I was looking to play a No-Limit ring game, but the higher stakes games had long waiting lists. I decided to take an open seat in a $2-$5 game.

When I sat down, I did a quick assessment of the table. There were a bunch of young guys -- I guessed they were in town for some college road trip. The others were retirement age. All seemed very concerned about the money they had on the table. They were playing very timidly and I was certain that I was by far the best player at the table.

How was I going to attack this group?

I open-raised the next 67 hands. Actually, that's something of an exaggeration. But from the moment I sat down, I was willing to raise to $20 or $25 in any position with almost any cards, and I was talking it up as I did. "Raise it up again!" I'd say after popping it for the 15th consecutive hand. I was trying to give the impression that I was a certifiable lunatic.

To my opponents, I seemed reckless but, at this table, there were strategic advantages to this style. First off, I was benefiting from a tremendous amount of information. If I raised with something like 4-9, I knew this group of opponents would get rid of any marginal hands that could cause me a lot of trouble. So, if I happened to hit trip 9s on the flop, I wouldn't need to worry that I was out-kicked by a hand like 9-T or J-9.

These guys would only call with hands like pockets 7s or A-Q. In fact, there were so few hands that they'd call with that I always had a very good idea of where I stood. But they hand no idea what I held. Given this disparity of information, I knew when I could pick up a pot with a bet on the flop -- which was most of the time.

I was making a fair amount of money by raising with trash and betting the flop when I actually found a big hand, pocket Kings. I raised the standard amount, to $25. Then the small blind came alive and re-raised me. I then came over the top in a ridiculous way: I moved all-in for $4,000. My opponent was in agony. He let everyone know that he had pocket Jacks and that against any other player he'd fold. But me -- given the nut case that I was, he felt he had to call, and that's what he did.

This guy was so convinced that I was crazy that he made a huge mistake. He bought into the act and failed to realize that in all that seemingly maniacal play, I never risked much. I had convinced him that there was no difference between a $25 raise and a $4,000 raise.

You might want to experiment with this approach in your No-Limit play, but before you go out and start splashing in every pot, I have a few suggestions:

* Make sure you're at a table of weak, timid players. Against a group of calling stations or tough opponents, this style will not work.
* Play at a limit that's well within your bankroll. Part of your advantage should be that the money on the table really does mean a little less to you than it does to everyone else.
* Use this style more in a casino than online because it can be easier to pick up tells when you're face-to-face with weak opponents.
* Be sure you're the best player at the table.

If all of this works out, give it a shot. You may find that being a "maniac" can be profitable and a lot of fun.


Greg (FBT) Mueller

Beware the Min Raise

Say you're playing in a low-stakes ring game. The blinds are $.50 and $1, and it's folded to you in middle position. You find a nice hand - pocket Tens - and bring it in for a standard raise of three times the big blind. It's folded around to a player in late position, who re-raises the minimum amount, making it $5 to go.

I've seen this sort of play repeatedly in the past few months while researching my next No-Limit Hold 'em book by playing in low-stakes games. Every time I've been faced with a minimum re-raise, I've been up against a monster - pocket Kings or Aces.

A player who opts for the small raise may think he's being crafty by getting me to put a little extra money in the pot while he holds a big hand. But this is not a profitable play. There are two major problems with the minimum raise.

I've already mentioned the first problem: My opponent has telegraphed his hand. And making good decisions is pretty easy when you know exactly what your opponent holds. The second problem is mathematical. My opponent is giving me 5 to 1 to call the additional raise. (In this example, my extra $2 will give me a chance win $10.) When I make the call, I know that I stand to win a very big pot. My implied odds - the money I stand to make if I hit my hand - more than justify the call. If my opponent started the hand with a $100 stack, I could get paid at a rate of 50 to 1.

So I call and see a flop. If there's no Ten on the board, I'm done with the hand. And if there is a Ten, I'm going to wipe my opponent out. As I said, poker is a pretty easy when you know what your opponent holds.

What's the proper play when you hold Aces and a player has raised in front of you? Find the "Bet Pot" button and click it. Put pressure on a player who you know is starting with a second-best hand. Who knows, if he's got pocket Queens or A-K, he may be willing to put his entire stack in pre-flop. If he holds something like Jacks or Tens, your big raise will minimize your opponent's implied odds.

You should be wary of minimum raises at other stages of a hand, as well. Say you raised pre-flop with A-K and one player called. You hit top pair top kicker on a K-8-4 board. You bet out the size of the pot and your opponent min-raises you. At this point, you need to be very concerned that your opponent has hit a set. You have to wonder why he'd be raising an amount that almost begs for your call.
My advice here is twofold: first is that you should all but eliminate the minimum raise from your game. In some rare circumstances when you hit a full house or quads, it might be appropriate, but that's about it. Second is that alarm bells should go off whenever you see a min raise. Your opponent probably has a big hand and you need to proceed accordingly.


Phil Gordon