Learn Texas Holdem

Article Sent in by reader:

I have been playing poker online for about six months, mainly no-limit hold em, 9 or 10 seat STTs for small stakes from 10c to $2 per tourney, where the top three places payout. I don't have a huge bankroll and I'm not a gambler at heart. I only want to play poker to win money, however small an amount.

After a while playing at this level a few things became obvious and I started to make steady, if unspectacular profits. If it's OK with you I'd like to share some of my observations with your readers.

First up, most players I play against are far too loose and love to bully. They'll sometimes build big stacks and then burn it as quick as they earn it. Just playing ultra-solidly against this type of player will give you a 3 out of 5 chance of hitting the money, which is enough to be a long-term winner.

 

In the early part of the tourney when the blinds are low it is more important to avoid losing your stack rather than building a big stack. At this stage you can only lose the tourney, you can't win it.

The early part of the game usually lasts for the first three or four rounds when two or three players will crash out. They are usually either fish, or half-way decent players who like to take chips off fish, except sometimes the fish gets lucky with two small pair on the river or a draw that comes up against the odds.

The middle game is about being patient and waiting for a chance to rake in some chips. Big wins are not necessary. Avoiding unnecessary risk is most important. Every time you put a fair proportion of your stack in against someone who is short stacked and goes all-in is a risk. They could have Kx against your AJ, but even then they've got a percentage chance of outdrawing you and causing you serious damage. I usually avoid this sort of situation, and there is almost always someone else queuing up to have a pop at the short stack. It doesn't really matter who knocks them out, what matters is they are eliminated before you.

Eventually a few more players will fall out and I'm just trying to avoid finishing fourth. I fold almost everything at this stage unless my blinds are being stolen or I've got a premium hand. Basically I'm just waiting for a hand that'll pay off. The opponents I play are not usually good enough to duck my good hands, but even if they do I still win a few chips to keep me going. I sometimes slow play and I sometimes raise with nothing just to keep them guessing.

The only other play I routinely make is I occasionally raise before the flop in almost any position without a hand just to try to take the blinds and avoid getting low on chips, but it's no good doing this if you are too short because opponents will sense desperation. It's also wise to avoid doing this too often on the button because even at this level people know about blind-stealing, and it's better disguised if you're earlier to speak. It's much easier to get away with if the table is passive by now, which it often is with the fish and the loose players mostly knocked out, and everyone trying hard to make the money.

If I have a better chip stack than the person to my left I know that I can eat their blind in a couple of other ways. Either raise in the small blind when it's folded to me, or call the big blind when I'm in the small blind and bet quickly as soon as the flop appears. I prefer the second method because it's better disguised, and I can bale out more cheaply if the big blind has a hand and raises before the flop.

Sure, late position is powerful but taking the initiative when first to speak can work wonders too, if you don't do it too often with nothing to back you up.

You only need to win one memorable showdown somewhere along in the tournament for the others to believe you have always got the goods. Once people believe you are solid to the point of tightness they will try and hustle you which is fine if you've got the cards because they'll hang themselves. Other times you can easily convince them to fold when you raise even if you've got nothing.

It's easy to overawe players and panic them at this level. Because they know they are beginners, and they are easily convinced that you might be a better player than they are. You show a good hand that costs them a few hundred chips and they think you must be some sort of shark. Every time you bet into them in the future they fold. As long as you don't abuse that situation you can win the whole tourney with only two or three good hands.

All along I'd rather be too tight than too loose. The fewer pots you play the fewer mistakes you can make. At this level it's sometimes enough just to wait for the other players to make mistakes one by one. I've even got to the third money position by folding 63 and 92 hand after hand, and never even seeing a flop except from the big blind in the first 40 hands. By then you're short stacked, of course, but you've made money out of ditchwater cards, and you've still got a shot at second or first if you finally get a run of decent hands.

When the tourney comes down to the money positions, if you play it the way I do the other players will usually have bigger stacks, unless you have been lucky with your starting hands. So the end-game is all about trying to play them off their stacks by tempting them to bully you one time too many. And you have always got the chance that two bullies will try to take one another on and leave you in second rather than third. I loosen up significantly at this stage and get in their faces whenever I can. The image that I'm trying to give out is that I'm still playing solid, it's just that I'm getting such great cards now. From my point of view I've achieved my minimum requirement, which is to get to the money positions, and now I'm ahead of the game so I can allow myself some fun without any risk.

Apart from all of that, I also make notes on most people I play against. Only a small note. Basically are they too tight (rare), solid, too loose (common), bullies (common) or outright fish (quite common). It means that when a tourney starts, I've already got a read on one or two of the opponents. By half-way through I know a bit more about them all. For instance, some players have got the basic idea of folding garbage starting-hands in order to avoid losing quickly, but they have got no idea about how to play a tricky flop. Some are seemingly blind to straight and flush draws and will call a big bet with their two pair against your finished hand, whereas others are over susceptible to being persuaded that you have made the straight or flush when the board looks like trouble. I never push too hard though. If I raise with nothing and get re-raised back I'm prepared to fold. At this level that's an advanced tactic - not getting married to your hand.

- Steve "Lymozine" Slatter

Thanks for sending this in Steve!