Lesson #1

I've finished reading quite a few books now. I just finished reading Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein and have started reading the Poker Mindset by Matthew Hilger. I've been taking notes and orgainizing a great basic strategy. I've been playing a few sit 'n go's from time to time, to try out new ideas and to get comfortable playing my particular style. Right now, I'm playing in the lower stakes, so that any losses won't be detrimental to either my bankroll or to my confidence. So far I've cashed in almost all of them. The results so far are quite encouraging.

One big lesson I have learned so far, is that small ball is the way to go. A lot of players try to hit the home run on almost every hand. They constantly bet the size of the pot, or want to push all their chips in the pot before the flop. Remember that poker is a game in which the best five card hand wins. I keep seeing players overplay their small pairs and a big ace, then get frustrated because players keep sucking out on them. Small ball is the style of play you will see most of the pros use. It consists of making small raises before the flop and getting maximum value from your hand. If you are not comfortable playing your hand after the flop, then I would recommend that you play the home run style. The small ball style relies heavily on being able to play well after the flop. I'll discuss the small ball versus long ball theory later on. That brings me to my first lesson for you.

There are two things you need to do before you begin playing serious poker. The first thing you need to do is devise a starting standard for yourself. Devising a starting standard is more than just play tight in early position, and loose in late position. You have to understand your playing style. If you are a conservative player, you will more than likely play the "standard" hands from each position. If you are a loose player, you will tend to be more creative and deceptive. Whichever style you play, you have to understand yourself and which style you are most comfortable playing. Think about what kinds of hands you play well and which ones you don't play very well. If you play suited connectors well, move them up in your starting standards. If you don't play small pairs very well or don't feel comfortable playing them, move them down in your starting standards. Your starting standards are just that, YOUR starting standards. Nobody can tell you that you should or should not play a hand from any position. If you find that you are losing a lot with certain hands, you will learn that you should probably not play that hand the way you have been playing it. Stay observant on yourself and keep track of what you do well, and what you need to work on. The biggest key to starting standards is position. You want to be playing your hands IN POSITION. Position is the key to No-Limit Hold'em.

The second thing you want to focus on is understanding your opponents. You want to find out if they are tight/loose and aggressive/passive. You will often find that certain opponents can not be bluffed out of a pot, no matter how much you bet. They are willing to call any bet when they have a weak or drawing hand. When you find these players, you will make a lot of money; and they will frustrate you because they are the ones that are more likely to draw out on you. However, as long as you are making the best possible decision, you will win in the long run. Once you know how your opponents are playing, you need to adjust your standards accordingly. If you are against a loose, aggressive player you want to tighten up a little bit and wait to trap them. A lot of people believe that you should play more pots against them. However, I believe that you should look to trap these players more often with stronger hands because they are likely to push against you with marginal hands. You don't want to take a knife to a gun fight. Against passive players, either loose or tight, you want to make smaller value bets to find out where you are at in the hand. Passive players will tend to check and fold to bets, unless they hit the flop. Against calling stations, don't even think about bluffing them. They will call any bet with any kind of a hand. You want to wait for a quality hand and make value bets throughout the hand against them.

Well, that should give you a little something to think about. Good luck at the tables. As always, if you want to discuss anything I might have a little knowledge on, drop me a line. You can e-mail me through my profile.