Bug's Poker Tip #37

Turn and River Raises Indicate STRENGTH

When you get raised on the turn by most micro- and low-stakes players, it is almost always a strong hand. And if you get raised on the river... well, just assume it's the nuts. Remember that the vast majority of players at the small stakes tables are passive. They want to call and see cheap showdowns-- mainly because their hand ranges are so wide that they aren't normally very strong. So when they do raise, especially on later streets, it's unusual. In other words, they really like their hand. Most of these players are incapable of bluffing on the river, so you can usually discount it from their range.

Of course there are exceptions, such as LAgtards and maniacs raising and re-raising, but for the majority of players you face at the teeny tables, just assume that a later street raise is near the nuts. Make disciplined folds when facing a late street raise from a passive player-- and you'll save a lot of money in the long run.

All-in for now...

-Bug

Bug's Poker Tip #33

Any Profit is Good Profit*

Is there anything more annoying than folding hand after hand after hand, then finally waking up to Aces in late position, open-raising your standard amount.... and having everyone fold? Well, get over it. While it's tempting to try to slow play a big hand like this if you know the table sees you as a nit, don't do it. Slow playing is almost always worse than just betting and taking down the blinds. I dabble in stock market "swing trading," and the gurus of that field have a saying that applies to us poker players: Any profit is good profit. Don't worry that you got out of the stock too soon, that it went higher yet after you sold... you made money. Be happy. Well, the same is true in poker. If the blinds fold to your raise in LP with you holding rockets or cowboys, so be it. You made money. Yes, it would have been great if the blinds had big hands too, but they didn't. Slow playing your AA just allows them to see--and hit--the flop harder than you, so don't do it. Bet and take your profit.... and be happy. Any poker profit is good profit.

All-in for now...

-Bug

*This Bug Tip is related to Tip #4 (click here)

Bug's Poker Tip #30

Ask yourself: Do I Want to Play Poker, or Win at Poker?

Do you genuinely want to succeed at poker, or only pretend to get better? There is no right answer, but it's a crucial question to ask yourself. Why do you sit down at the felt on a regular basis and fork over your hard-earned money? For some players, just the act of playing poker is enough. Camaraderie, a night out with the boys (or girls), gambling it up, the rush of adrenaline, the promise of getting lucky... these are valid reasons for sitting down on a Tuesday night to play cards. But you won't ever be a long-term winner at the game if just having fun is the sum total of your poker aspirations.To win means... gasp... hard work. To win at poker takes discipline, patience, a desire to learn, a desire to observe, guts... and self-awareness. If you're not willing to put in the work, don't even bother. You're wasting your time.

As Paul Mendelson wrote in The Mammoth Book of Poker (Mammoth Books), "If you can't be bothered with [working at your game], and what you really want is action, then decide right now that to play poker is your goal. You'll enjoy it, you may win a little for a short time, you may live your dream. However, if you aspire to be in contention for a WSOP or WPT bracelet; if you'd like to make consistent pocket money--or much more; if you enjoy learning and derive enjoyment from the process, then, if you put your mind to it, you will play better poker, you will win more, more often, and better still, you'll continue to improve every time you play. But, it does take effort. Are you up for it?"

A key ingredient in the pursuit of Life Happiness (or Zen, or just plain old Contentment) is the awareness of who you really are. Physician heal thyself. The same is true on the felt. Don't fight your nature; it's like swimming against a strong current-- you will get frustrated, tired, and end up right back where you started. Like I said earlier, there is no right answer. Do you want to play poker or win at poker? Recognize into which camp you fall, and then pursue that, and not the other.

All-in for now...

-Bug

Bug's Poker Tip #29

Sometimes waiting is better than shoving.

Got this one from the (surprisingly) informative Little Blue Book by Phil Gordon. When you're on a short stack and the blinds are about to increase in an MTT, it's sometimes more profitable to wait for a spot to steal than to take a shot now. Why? Because the blinds are going up and you can potentially win more money if your steal is successful, that's why. The example Gordon gives is when he once held 97s on the button with eight big blinds left in a big MTT. He thought about raise-stealing when it folded to him, but realized instead that the blinds were going up on the very next hand (and there wasn't going to be any antes). In other words, he could wait for a higher equity hand to steal with, and in doing so risk the same amount, but for a higher reward. Now, this isn't always going to be the right play, obviously, but in this case it made sense to wait, even though Gordon was already fairly desperate.

All-in for now…

-Bug