The last column presented a list of starting hands for No-Limit Hold’em as recommended by “The Professor,” Howard Lederer. Tied to these were the positions in which these hands held the greatest advantage. Of course Group A hands led the pack by being worthy of raises and/or reraises from any position; the hand rankings declined from there depending on position. Having an advantage and an edge gives positive results in any and every endeavor. In Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josie Wales, recall the words Chief Dan George’s character pointed out to the pilgrims in the climactic showdown: “The sun’s behind him, that’s his edge.”
As thinking poker players, we should, and must, be always on the lookout for the advantage, the edge that allows us to exit the evening with more folded green in our pockets than what we came with. Conversely, we should and must be aware of leaks in our game that diminish our profitability or worse, cause us to walk out of the poker room with our net worth jingling in our pockets. By “leaks” I mean the behavior patterns, tactics and plays in which we poker players find ourselves that statistically and, by all odds, result in mostly negative results. Meaning, do these often enough and over the long run you’ll diminish, rather than grow, your bankroll. Sure, we all know of some donkey that sucked out and won a huge pot with hands mentioned below, but keep in mind a blind dog can find a bone once in a while. Over the majority of play, in the long run, what is mentioned below – and in the next articles – will only cause a drain on your playing funds.
I guess I’m beat, but I call just to keep you honest
Oh, man – do I love to see these Table Sheriffs at my game. BUT…are you one yourself? Another poker phrase for players like this is Calling Stations. They are so fearful of being bluffed out of a pot they call away another bet or all their chips in the vain hope (recall wish poker mentioned some articles ago?) their hand is better than their opponents’. They have not considered their opponents’ betting patterns, the betting history for that hand, their position versus the opposition, the composition or coordination of the flop or any of the myriad factors, which must be considered to put a player on a hand. The mantra for these players is “Keep betting until you know you’re beat, then just call.”
Giving the opposition a cheap or worse, a free, card
It is very seldom any player has a monster hand in the best position possible that lends itself to laying a trap for other players. Most often we have a hand having a momentary advantage but also is vulnerable if the opponent’s drawing hand hits. Why oh why then do we wait for “…one more card…” before closing the door on the pot? If we know the villain has a drawing hand, why wait to see if he connects to it after the flop or turn? I’m a firm believer in the attitude: “Half a loaf is better than all of nothing.” If I can win enough half loaves I will depart a winner. This give a free card business hearkens back to the great Satchel Paige’s line, “Don’t look behind you, someone might be gaining.” In situations like these, a wise player will apply the accelerator and get across the finish line as fast as possible. Don’t wait for your opponent to catch up and pass you by.
I started with a great hand…maybe it’s still good
There’s that word maybe; tantamount to playing Wish Poker. Hey, guys (and gals, of course) I can’t tell you the times I began with wonderful hands – up to and including Pocket Rockets (AA) – and by my opponent(s) play and the texture of the flop I had absolutely no doubts I was beat right then and there. Oh, the effort it took, the pain I endured when I had to throw those hands away. It takes emotional strength and an iron will to let a hand like that go but frankly, when you are beat, you’re beat. We have all heard poker’s theme song: “Ya gotta know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em…” When you know you’re toast it does not matter how good they looked beforehand, they’re garbage now. You know what to do with garbage…throw it out.
In the next set of articles I will present other leaks in a poker players’ game; until then, keep thinking about poker.
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.
