50 tips part 1

Whether you’re a newcomer to the game or a veteran card shark, it’s easy to forget or overlook some of the most the most important and potentially lucrative aspects of poker. So here, in no particular order, we present the first 25 of 50 easily digestible tips/reminders/aids to ensure you get the best out of every poker session you play in…

1. Fish supper
Don’t chase gutshot draws. You’re unlikely to get pot odds, you’ll rarely hit one of your four outs, and you’ll always be a fish.

2. Beware the Big Slick
Don’t overplay A-K! Sure, it’s a big hand, but it’s still a drawing hand. Against a smaller pair you’re an underdog, against any two other lower cards. 2/1 at best. So don’t push all-in just because someone has bet in front of you. Put in a raise, but if an opponent then comes over the top, you better believe you might be behind.

3. Patience is a virtue
Be patient! Learn to lay down hands, even strong ones, and wait for a better spot. Top pair/top kicker is rarely going to be the winning hand if someone else has pushed all their chips in the middle. And if you want any more proof on the virtue of being patient look no further than Dan Harrington – author of poker bible Harrington on Hold’em – who cites this attribute as the most important of all. And with millions of dollars in tournament winnings, three Main Event final table appearances – including one win back in 1995 – you’d do well to heed his advice.

4. Master of none
Specialise in one game and one format before you try out others. Sit-and-gos are an inexpensive, but realistic, place to learn and you can’t blow your entire bankroll in a couple of hands like you can on a no-limit cash table.

5. Cashback!
Don’t forget to cash out. Building up your bankroll is all well and good but it means nowt if you don’t enjoy the fruits of your labour. There’s nothing like buying a Porsche, widescreen telly or even just a round of lagers with someone else’s money.

6. Lose gracefully
Learn to deal with bad beats. Poker will send you into a mad rage from time to time (well, every few minutes) but the best players accept the fickle finger of fate and move on.

7. Know when to quit
If you do go on tilt, get out quick. Turn off your PC, pop down the pub, go have sex – just do whatever it takes to leave the game before you blow your entire bankroll.

8. Don’t play too high
Only play with an amount of money you can afford to lose. If you play above your means you’ll be far too worried about busting out, which will interfere with your decisionmaking and screw up your natural game. Generally, if you sit down at a no-limit cash table your buy-in should represent no more than five percent of your bankroll. That way, if you lose it all, it shouldn’t affect you too much.

9. Let go!
Don’t get attached to favourite hands. Just because you once flopped a straight flush with 3 -5 does not make it a must-play hand. Similarly, ignore the hands the pros are famed for. Just because Brunson won two WSOP titles with 10-2 doesn’t mean you have to play this junk holding.

10. Small fry
Dump those small pairs. Okay, that’s not strictly true: if you’re heads-up or short-stacked, play them hard. But if you’re on a full table in early position the only way your Twos are going to win is if everyone folds or you flop a set, which at 7.5/1 requires a lot of limpers to give the correct pot odds.

11. No free cards
Avoid slow-playing big hands. Bet your pocket Kings and Aces pre-flop and be wary of dragging trips post-flop. Okay, every now and again it’ll pay off and you’ll decimate someone’s stack, but frequently giving other players free cards can turn into a nightmare when they hit a backdoor straight or flush.

12. Break-time
Long sessions are only good sessions if you’re winning. If it’s not going your way it may be because the cards aren’t flipping for you but it’s more likely that you’re steaming. Have a break. Have a Kit Kat, or another biscuit-based treat of your choice. Just stop smashing the all-in button the moment someone raises you.

13. Boozy session
Don’t power up your computer after a heavy drinking session. Having ‘a quick game’ can get expensive and will make your hangover worse than the time you had an Absinthe drinking competition with that odd chap from Prague.

14. Maintain focus
Concentrate as hard as you can on EVERY hand. Play each one to the best of your ability and watch the table at all times, even when you’re not in a hand, making mental notes on the other players and attempting to pick up any tells they have. And as tempting as it is to watch TV or browse porn sites when playing online, it’s important you turn off the TV, and keep your hands out of your pants. Or you’ll get in a right mess, in more ways than one…

15. Problem hands
A-10 under the gun on a 10-handed table is not a ‘must-play’ hand. Anyone firing back at you may have you dominated or be holding a pocket pair. But the problem is, you won’t know where you’re at. You’d do better opening a pot with rags on the button.

16. Fleece your mates
Teach your friends how to play poker. The first few games can be a slightly painful process but once they’re on their way you’ll have a whole new group of people to play with. The level to which you want to fleece them depends on how good a mate they are.

17. Keep records
Be honest to yourself. Keep a spreadsheet or ledger with your deposits and cashes so you know exactly how much you’re up or down. Go to www.pokerplayermagazine. co.uk/ledger to download one. Or you can pay for one if you sign up with someone like www.PokerTracker.com.

18. Crazy kids
At the start of any sit-and-go or multi-table tournament, there are always a few maniacs looking to double or treble through by pushing all their chips over the line with small pairs and Ace-rag. And the best piece of advice we can give is to let someone else deal with them. Unless, of course, you pick up a big pair youself – Queens, Kings, Aces – where, if they bet into you, you have the weapons at your disposal to take them to pieces.

19. Stand your ground
Of course, you don’t want to be too conservative. Poker is a game of aggression after all. Bully the bully. Isolate the hairy neanderthal who’s been swinging his chips around like a big club and slap them down with a meaty re-raise. It’ll force them to put the brakes on and, like showing fire to a caveman, make them look at you with a newfound sense of respect.

20. Know the facts
You may think of yourself as an instinct player but here are a few key facts and figures you’ll need on your way to WSOP glory. Which percentage matches which description? Answers at the end of this article.

1. 32.5%
2. 35%
3. 31.5%
4. 16.5%
5. 9%
6. 54%
7. 11.8%
8. 12%

A. You’ll fill your gutshot straight with two cards to come
B. You’ll make at least a straight after flopping an open-ended straight and flush draw
C. Your pocket pair will flop a set
D. You’ll complete your open-ended straight post-flop
E. You’ll pair one of your cards on the flop
F. Your suited cards will flop two or more of the same suit
G. That someone will be dealt pocket Aces or Kings on a 10-handed table
H. You’ll make your flush after the flop with one card needed

21. Telltales
Have a ‘tells amnesty’. If you play with the same group of people over and over, arrange a tells amnesty where you all get together and let each other know what you’ve picked up. Also, when you’ve finished your game, have a few pints and discuss the game. It’ll make you all better players. Or result in a punch-up. Either outcome is entertaining.

22. Splash out
Buy a decent deck of playing cards. To find out the best check out our roundup in the reviews section.

23. No sudden movements
When playing live, always do the same thing after you’ve looked at your cards. Cross your arms or hang your hands on the table – find a routine and stick to it. The eagle-eyed will find it that much harder to pick up tells.

24. Watch closely
When you’re not in a hand pick one player and watch them as the play unfolds rather than just following the action. You’ll get a better understanding of how and what they play and you may even pick up an invaluable tell.

25. Live play
Get your lazy ’arris off the sofa and go to a local casino, club or home game. If you qualify for a major tournament and you’ve never played in a bricks-and-mortar cardroom before you’re going to be in a world of pain.

Answers: 1=E 2=H 3=D 4=A 5=G 6=B 7=C 8=F