Learn Texas Holdem

Question: I have been playing poker for about a year and a half with a group of friends. We always play a game of Texas Hold em atleast once a week with .50/$1.00 blinds (we are all in highschool), it usually lasts around 4 hours or so. The same players show up everytime, so naturally you get to know how everyone plays certain types of hands. It has usually been the same people winning (including me) up until recently, when the people who usually win started to play differently (calling dumb hands, etc.). My question is, I have been on some what of a losing streak recently, and whether it is smart or not to try and change up my playing styles to better suit how other players play. I usually play loose but not dumb, I will raise with good hands but also take my chances lots of time with alright or poor hands, etc. I usually win a pretty good amount everytime we play, but I have recently become bored during these poker games and seem to lose interest of playing, making me call dumb hands and loose. Other players at the table (usually ones that are worse than me) are able to take advantage of my boredom by calling my raises with bad hands, and end up winning. Do you have any tips on how I should play (with my playing style) and if I should change it up considering I have been losing, since I play with the same people every week.

Thanks,

Mike

Answer: I have the same problem sometimes. If I am stuck playing in a smaller limit than I am used to because the larger stakes game isn't going that day yet, I often find myself bored and playing badly. For me, I need to either care about the money at stake or have some sort of mental stimulation (experienced opponents). So the solution is in the problem, either start playing better poker, or play in bigger games where you have the nerves working a bit.

Besides solid winning poker to win, you could always just entertain yourself by experimenting with different plays. I don't recommend doing this if you want to beat that game, but at least you won't be bored. There are also things you can do at the table to keep yourself from slipping into boredom, like watching the other hands that you aren't personally in, trying to guess what each player has (work on your reading skills). Entertainment aside, to be a serious poker player you have to have discipline and be able to sit in the same spot for 8 hours without being tempted to play bad hands.

No one is going to tell you that you can't gamble. People play poker for many different reasons other than money. There are plenty of rich players who just like playing cards and don't want to play optimally. If you are interested in winning, you do have to play well. Most likely what is happening now is that the other players are playing better poker against you than you are against them. I would tighten up some and play better and you'll win more.