Most of my trouble comes from the fact that I play too many hands.
It seems that there is a direct ratio between the frequency of your cards being played and your likely success in the hand. This doesn’t just apply to your cards. It applies to anyone, too, and involves a lot of weak starting hands, weird angle draws, and general misplays.
If you have a decent hand (JJ, QQ, KK, AA-ISA), and you are frequently calling to see the flop, you should be spending more time evaluating the action and less time trying to determine what cards your opponent holds. You have a pretty simple decision to make: either take down the pot right now, or save the money for better hands. Right now, although you have a good hand, there are a lot of fish out there. Besides, if you could possibly get your opponents to fold, that would be the best play.
However, in the event that someone does call, you have a few options.
- The first is to really cool the call with a continuation bet. You make a small bet, and most times, your opponent will fold. The other option is to do what I do most times: limp in. You are not looking to make a big raise, because you have already invested the small amount to stay in the hand. You are hoping that you do get a free card later on, preferably a high card.
- When you hit your free card, it is usually best to check down, or call a bet by your opponent if you feel that you have the best hand. Against most players, you can bet your free card after the flop, or on the turn. Against some, you will probably want to check it down. This is OK as long as you still have enough chips to play your game. However, against most players, you will want to either bet right away. This is OK as well. Most of the time, your opponents will call right away. The other players are just waiting to fold, as well.
If you do decide to bluff, your opponent probably will not expect you to have a really strong hand.
- As a result, your opponent will likely believe you when you make a raise. To make your raise read, your opponents are more likely to believe that you have a middle pair, rather than a high pair. If you have the image of a tight player surrounding your chipstack, your opponents will not expect you to anymore than to make a weak bet.
- For example, if a player in middle position wants to steal the blinds, and you peek at your cards, you can estimate whether your hand is suspect or not. If you have 7-6 suited, and you are called by a player in late position, the weak hand probably will not suit up. The late position player probably will call you with any cards and not even need a strong hand. Your own hand, in this case, is probably middle pair. You will not want to raise against that player. If you think you have a better hand than that, you can and should, but this would be during normal play.During desperation plays, however, you can evaluate lower pairs, middle pairs, and unlikely hands.
- During desperate situations, you may try to steal the blinds with a partial hand, hoping that a maniac at the table will complete the blind and knock out the low stacks.
- There is an old saying that Vegas is the journey, not the destination. As it turns out, it is not so easy to safely complete the trip, but it is quite a different way to look at things. During a trip, we always hope to accomplish something and get somewhere. We do not like feeling like we are wasting effort or energy by getting out of Palm Springs, California. Instead of jet planes or flashy SUVs, we prefer to rent a car and drive our families and friends in our checkederto hotels. During a weekend getaway, we like to relax in the buff by the pool. Who says life is about having to get somewhere?
There is a saying that you can’t beat a naiomething for making a cheap trip to Vegas, but you can certainly take a luxurious trip Vacating Entertainment value. Maybe it’s time for you to Record the shows and save your hotel credits by renting a car and a hotel for your ultimate trip to the gambling Mecca that is Las Vegas.