In the last article I began a list of leaks in a players’ game. I do not count the normal drains on a bankroll such as the sports book, craps, blackjack, horseracing and everything else upon which a wager may be placed. All those are leaks as far as I’m concerned. What I wish to present are the poker plays that statistically are unsound. The plays that, over the long run, have a negative expectation of return. The plays where the odds of return are perhaps three-to-one in your favor, yet the odds against hitting the perfect hand are seven-to-one against you. That means, for every seven tries you will lose six times. The one time out of seven you win will pay off only three-to-one on your money. It doesn’t (or rather, shouldn’t) take a rocket scientist to realize that with those odds, going broke is just a matter of time.
The first three leaks – mentioned in the previous article – are:
1. “I have to make sure he’s not bluffing me” otherwise known as the “unbluffables” or more derogatively, a ‘Calling Station’. So fearful are they of being bluffed out of a pot, they call away all their chips even when they are sure they’re beat.
2. Giving a cheap, or free, card. Many hands might be ahead at any point in time, yet will fall to second-best if the opponent hits. Don’t let the villain catch up; make his draws expensive and never, ever allow them a free card (unless, of course, you have an absolute lock on the nuts; this is an extremely rare occurrence).
3. Starting with a great hand then realizing, by the manner of betting and/or texture of the flop, you are beat; then continuing further into the hand wishing your hand would catch up. Not every great starting hand crosses the finish line first. Many times a great starter never sees the end of the hand; poker is like that sometimes.
Now let’s consider some other leaks in a players’ game that will cause that chip stack to dwindle down to nothing:
The game conditions changing
When you sat down it was a rammin’ jammin’ game, chips were flying around and every hand was capped before the flop. A couple of big losers got up from the game and things quieted down dramatically; jeez, now everyone is tighter than grandma with her last nickel. Did you notice the change? Are you still rammin’ and jammin’? Hey, that game died a half-hour ago, now we’re playing with nothing but Rocks. You’d better change your style, tactics or table lest they hammer those loose draws into plowshares and you’re the next one going home. Loose games tightening up, tight games loosening up, passive games becoming aggressive and vice-versa all signify a change in the game conditions. A savvy player must be able to quickly recognize the changes and therefore change strategy and tactics to suit the game. If you don’t (or can’t) it’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight; guess who’s going to end up dead?
Joining a game outside/beyond your strengths
Where I like to play there is a No-limit Omaha H/L game where all the strong players have hundreds in chip in front of them and those chips are in front of hundreds more in paper bills. If you like a quieter little 4-8 Omaha game, joining this one is more than diving into the deep end of the pool. You are now beyond the safety nets and swimming with the sharks. Another example: If you are good at a full-table, Limit Hold’em game and are offered a seat in a short-handed, No-Limit Hold’em table you are a fly circling the spiders’ web. A thinking player knows at which game(s) he’s best and sticks to his strengths. Opening up one’s abilities is a good thing, but enter these ‘brave new worlds’ carefully, gently and with the knowledge that you will be paying for lessons the moment you sit down. There are so many games requiring knowledge and experience in so many different styles of play that nobody, save a top pro, can be good at every one. And even the top pros know where their weaknesses lie. Find the game you’re best at and work it hard. Expand your experience conservatively; your bankroll will thank you for it.
Playing A-x
We’ve all been there; we look down at our first card and it’s that lovely letter with a pointy top (alright…for those with a public school education, neither the letters K, Q or J have a pointy top, OK?), then we anxiously squeeze a peek at the next card…and…it’s…a…four. Oh, wait. It’s suited, that’s OK then (DON’T get me started on that ‘sooooted’ nonsense). Many players overplay Ace-low, suited or not, especially when the Ace is paired on the flop. ANY higher kicker beats that lousy second card you have; even if you do pair your lousy little kicker, anyone with a bigger paired kicker still wins. Playing Ace-x is listening to the little “drip-drip” of a leak turn into Niagara Falls. That roaring sound you hear is your dollars rushing out of your wallet and over the falls into somewhere else; hopefully MY wallet. And I’ll be EVER so grateful, for I know I’m thinking about poker and you are not.
Drew Chitiea is a semi-pro poker player living in Colorado. His tournament wins amount to over $500,000 with fourth place at a World Poker Tour event and a second place at Binion’s World Poker Classic in Las Vegas.
