Play tight while you
learn and perfect your game
19 April 2007
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark: You description of smart "tight" play
while playing poker doesn't jibe with what we
see on television. What I see is player after
player making "all in" moves with lousy opening
hands. Wouldn't your advice be more appropriate
for us small time players to follow the pros,
instead of your recommended conservative play?
David F.
On television poker, some players at the final
table play opening hands that, most, if not all,
books on poker would recommend they fold. That
coverage, showing the guts-and-glory hands, is
to keep you watching the plethora of poker on
the telly, but in fact, the pros are playing
plenty more hands than you are viewing, and a
whole lot more conservatively than the "all in"
Jack/four off-suit cowboys you cite.
Additionally, for the typical casino or home
game player, bets tend to be a whole lot
smaller, so my recommended strategy remains the
same; play very "tight," and fold most of the
two-card starter hands you are dealt.
My advice is to play only when dealt one of the
10 best two-card starting hands, those being a
pair of 7s or higher, or an ace-king or
ace-queen. Once you get these starting hands,
always raise or re-raise, and don't just call a
bet.
The exception to this rule would be if a
conservative player like yourself has made a
decent sized bet in front of you, and you happen
to have a pair of 7s through 9s; then you should
fold.
I really don't know how well you have honed your
skills in poker, David, but I do know that when
you play only quality starting hands, you'll be
at the table far longer than the pugnacious
players you think you're seeing on TV. And --
mark well -- once you earn a reputation for
playing only great cards, that occasional bluff
we all love to make will be much easier to pull
off!
Dear Mark: When is it appropriate to slow play a
pair of Aces? I'm usually a very tight player,
but I do at times get a little too excited when
I have the rarity of two aces in the pocket.
Sandy A.
Most players when getting a two-card starting
hand of Kings or Aces, tend to raise, then
re-raise with either of these hands. But, Sandy,
slow playing the occasional big hand is a very
smart move, especially when you've been
identified as a tight player. If you have a pair
of Kings or Aces, just call before the flop.
Your fellow players used to your betting big
only on big starting hands, will equate your
slow playing to another weak hand, and you'll
end up winning a bigger pot because of it.
Faking out your opponents when you have ace-ace
or king-king doesn't always guarantee a bigger
pot, but it will make it harder for them to
figure out what you're good for later.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "The ATM is like
the coach's pep talk. "Here's another hundred!
Now get out there and fight! It ain't over till
it's over!" – Frank Legato
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