Play Poker

“Answering Poker’s Most Common Questions”

1. Should you play seven-card stud or hold’em?

Now that’s an interesting question, and one that I hear over and over. I guess the reason is that the questioner is either thinking about specializing in a single game or believes that one of the two forms of poker is the clearer path to riches. Actually, the answer is that you will earn more money overall if you learn to profitably play sevencard stud, hold’em, and other popular forms of poker. Then, you can choose the best game that’s available at any given time. You don’t want to be sitting in a hold’em same, unable to play, on that rare occasion when some Bill Gates clone unloads $10 million at the stud table five feet away. Just listening to the BGC giggling and not caring might permanently scar you psychologically. However, in general, you’ll have fewer fluctuations and will win more consistently playing hold’em. Also, texas holdem tends to be more profitable against inexperienced opponents. Assuming that you know what you’re doing, when hold’em first is introduced in a locale, the games tend to be incredibly good for a while. As new players learn that a pair of fours wasn’t as good as they thought, they tend to play better and the games get tougher. And as new players who don’t learn that a pair of fours wasn’t as good as they thought, they go broke and the games among surviving players become tougher. That’s a good time to find a lively stud game.

2. In which game does position matter most?

Position matters most in games in which you consistently can act last during all round of betting and that are neither too loose nor too tight. “Crapshoot” games with many players paying reraise prices to hope for miracle cards are not as greatly positional. You don’t need to know what opponents are likely to do before they act. You already pretty much know one thing they’re not going to do – fold. When you’re against sensible opponents, some of the best positional games are texas holdem, draw, and lowball.

3. What’s the most profitable advice for most players?

Quit. Since most poker
players lose, and cannot easily be urged to learn enough to win, the most profitable advice is that which keeps them from playing. I don’t want you to quit, because I think you’d be missing one of the greatest experiences in the history of humanity. Even if you don’t win overall, you’ll probably find poker to be a worthwhile adventure. But why not win?

4. When is it bad to choose a tricky alternative strategy?

When it’s not needed. The most obvious and straightforward strategy makes the most money. Deviate from it only if there’s a reason to do so, such as being deceptive for future profit or making extra money right now. That’s a tough thing to teach, because skillful players often enjoy making unusual plays. The trick is to mentally condition yourself to make these plays only for profit, not for show. If there isn’t a clear and compelling reason to play a poker hand in an unusual way, don’t.

5. Should you play tighter on a limited bankroll?

Yes – unless the bankroll is so small that it isn’t worth protecting. You need to sacrifice some of the aggressive but risky profit you’d make with daring bets, raises, and calls. Survival becomes the more important factor with a limited bankroll. So, you should play tighter.

6. In hold’em, should you play 9-8 suited if first to act?

Only in a loose game without many aggressive opponents, and just sometimes. This hand, and 8-7 and 7-6 suited even to a greater degree are tremendously overvalued by average players, and often are played unprofitably play poker by pros. Be selective with these hands.

7. Is a player probably bluffing who says that he’s bluffing?

No. But he’s more likely to be bluffing than usual, and you often should call with borderline hands. We’re talking about limit poker here. Because the size of the pot usually is much greater than the size of the call, you don’t need to win very many similar calls to show a profit. A player who tells you he’s bluffing is somewhat more likely to be bluffing. In fact, players verbally tell the truth about their hands asurprising amount of the time. Of course, in most games, a player who claims to be bluffing probably is lying more than half the time. So, you’ll probably lose if you call. But he is telling the truth enough of the time that if your decision was otherwise borderline, you should strongly consider calling.

8. What percent of players have more winning hours than losing hours?

Zero. In most full-handed poker games, an hour is too short a time for you to have a sufficient chance of winning the big pots that often are needed to score an overall profit. Often, you will win no pots whatsoever in an hour’s time. This is easy to grasp if you asked, “What percent of players win more than they lose in a one-minute period?” Clearly, most players will just lose an ante – if there is one – on a given hand, which is all you can expect to play (at most) in a minute. The same concept applies to an hour, but to a smaller degree. So, yes, I’ll entertain arguments that some players in some games can have more winning hours through eternity than losing hours – but it’s not likely.

9. Who keeps accurate records of how much money they make bluffing?

Nobody. They can’t. If your bluff seems successful, you’re seldom sure whether the hand that was folded was actually better than yours. This illusion – that a bluff succeeded when you might have won anyway – is one reason why so many players think a bluffing strategy works better than it does. Against most opponents, you need to pick your bluffing spots very carefully. They tend to call too often – and this means that you are apt to lose money to them in the long run if you bluff.- Mike Caro

Using “Talking Tells” to Destroy Opponents

1. You need to grasp solid strategic concepts to win and play poker. But, after that, it’s tells and psychology – not statistics and complex tactics – that account for most of your profit. If you don’t truly understand the basics of poker, you aren’t ready to use tells or to apply psychological concepts. Most of the things I teach about poker are advanced. They can account for the majority of your profit. But, if you don’t first understand the fundamental concepts of winning poker, you won’t win. You’ve got to master the basics first. So, with that in mind – let’s move on.

2. Not all profitable poker tells are visual. Some of the most important ones you can’t see at all. They’re audible. You simply have to listen for them. And if you listen well enough, you can almost beat texas holdem poker with your eyes closed!

3. Four keys to spoken poker tells: (1) What the player says; (2) when the player says it; (3) how the player says it; (4) what the player doesn’t say. It’s important to pay attention to what your opponents say. Hostile or goading speech generally means a strong hand. Most players fear that their combative words will irritate you into calling, so this verbal behavior is seldom a bluff (though sometimes it is – so know you opponents!). Natural, non-poker conversation is an indication of a player at ease. That player is seldom worried about his hand and isn’t likely to be bluffing. He is also – at that moment – a poor target for a value bet. If a player suddenly starts talking as you’re betting or calling, that’s almost always a last-second desperation effort to make you reconsider. If a player speaks in negative tones about his hand, he is usually strong. If he’s excessively cheerful or friendly in his voice, he’s usually weak. If a player tries to avoid engaging in conversation after betting, that’s a clue that he is more likely than usual to be bluffing.

4. Listen for talk that sounds natural. The more naturally an opponent engages in conversation, the less likely he is to be bluffing. And the more casual an opponent’s conversation seems when it’s your turn to act, the less willing you should be to bet. (This is just another way of acting uninterested, similar to looking away. When a player is looking away, he is trying to make your bet seem safe by giving you nothing to worry about. When a player keeps talking casually, he is also trying to avoid giving you clues that he may be interested in the hand.) I have used this audible tell to great profit. If someone is talking about how to fix his washing machine as you start to bet, and if he continues to talk about his washing machine, you should be careful. Don’t make any weak wagers or value bets. True, sometimes this player is so weak that he just doesn’t care. He’s simply waiting to throw his hand away. But, more often he’s not worried. He has a significant hand. It’s when a player stops talking or has trouble sounding rational while talking that you should suspect weakness. When that happens, the opponent is worried – and probably weak.

5. Humming and soft whistling. This often ceases either (1) immediately when an opponent bluffs, or (2) later when you look as if you’re beginning to call. Those rare opponents who whistle under their breath are goldmines. They will almost always stop whistling when they bluff. Same for humming. 6. Believe them! Players who tell you they have a big hand are usually telling you the truth! Not always, of course, but usually. They are waiting to take pride in showing down their hands and saying, “I told you so,” in words or gestures of their chosing. 7. Listening to the word. Listen carefully for an opponent to say the word “bet.” If there is anything sad or reluctant about it, this usually means a strong hand, so seldom call. 8. Breathing. Players who pause to catch their breath quietly, as if they don’t want you to know they’re struggling to breathe normally, are usually bluffing. Remember, bluffers have trouble breathing naturally and sometimes choose not to breathe at all. Players who hold big hands also often have trouble breathing naturally, but their breathing tends to be quite audible, and you should seldom call their bets with medium-strong poker hands. 9. Forced conversation. Whenever an opponent has bet and his conversation seems unnatural, unfocused, or forced, there’s a very great chance that he is bluffing. That’s because it’s hard to concentrate on casual conversation when you’re in immediate danger. 10. Major tip. When considering a borderline bet for value, first look away. Just listen. Even close your eyes if you choose. You can often “hear” the silence and sense the stillness. After an opponent has bluffed, he will usually be silent, too. But the action I’m talking about is before your opponent has acted. It’s your turn to act. Ominously silent texas holdem players are often trying not to do anything to discourage your bet. That usually means your opponent is ready to pounce. So, don’t bet! – Mike Caro