How could they play that?

[liladypokerpro]

Okay...I had a few minutes and decided to try my hand at writing an article. I hope it makes sense and is helpful to someone. Granted I don't consider myself the best by any means, but these are just things I've picked up and wanted to share. I should also note that this is NOT a stab for PTOTW for those who think otherwise. I likely won't even be home this coming weekend, so there would be no need for that.

~Erica~

Now, here's my article. I hope you enjoy and feel free to add to it if you like.

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Q: "How could they play that?"


Before you ask yourself "How could they play that?" you need to really think about a few things...

Most of us who have played a long time and have read at least one book (or more), are familiar with the premium starting hands, as well as the hands that are allowable to play in certain positions against certain opponents, and how they should be played. However, we must remember that due to the mass-advertising of online poker rooms on television, there are more and more people of all ages who watch poker on television and think "hey I could do that!" They run straight to their computer and create an account and boom...a new fish is born.

What we need to remember is that everyone is not as familiar with the game as we may be. They may not know outs, odds, or even what is considered a good hand. Their knowledge base may contain nothing more than knowing what hand beats what. Contrary to popular belief, this is a great situation for an experienced player in which to find themselves. These people are usually the easiest to read, thus the biggest ATMs if you will. Granted, they'll get lucky and hit a 1-outer on you occasionally simply because they know no better, but you will by far win more hands against them than lose.

Another thing we need to remember when we say "How could they play that?" is our own table image.

If we are playing the right hands, but getting the wrong results, perhaps you have not portrayed an image of being a strong player. Betting only when in position is a huge tell, and will be exploited by those who notice it. Not betting enough and essentially "begging for calls" is another fatal mistake. Betting too much is often viewed as a "please don't call me" bet, and often someone will gamble on nothing more than that basis. Betting constantly can sometimes show a small profit in the short-term, but will inevitably lose you a mound of money in the long run. Checking after an initial raise pre-flop is another mistake. If you're going to show strength, you cannot back down until you are given a reason to do so. If you get re-raised, then you know where you stand and can decide your next action from there. Calling too much is also a mistake, as there are plenty of people who min-bet and then slam you on the river when they hit whatever it was they were after. If you are faced with a min-bettor, re-pop them and then see how they react. Another mistake is thinking you had to hit something in order to win. If you've got a good read on your opponent and view them as weak, exploit that...take advantage of every opportunity to push them off their hand, regardless of what you hold. (Much of this regarding raising/bluffing, of course, would not apply in Limit games, as there are many players who will stay in til the last card is dealt ).

You can build an image and not have a definite hand, if you use all the tools, resources and knowledge you can gather...but if you get caught in a bluff, you've got to start over. Reason being, people don't tend to remember your big hands as much as they do when you show a bluff. For some reason people are geared toward the negative when playing poker...hence why so many people end up on tilt. So, if you get caught in a shown bluff, you need to back peddle and start playing solid again. So when you do get that monster, those who are still dwelling on your shown bluff will call you down every time, thus making them second guess their every move against you.

Predictability is another reason why someone might make you ask "How could they play that?"

If you are tight/aggressive, sure, you can and will make a profit over the long term...that's a given. But when you take a tough beat and are left wondering the above question, put yourself in the other person's shoes for second and re-evaluate your play. Do you consistently bet the same amounts anytime it is your turn to act? Do you do this only when holding a premium hand? If so, my friend, you are as predictable as the sunrise. A key to keeping yourself from being too predictable is to be able to change gears often in the midst of a game, in order to keep your opponents guessing. You've got to be able to recognize optimal times to re-raise, bluff, and even use your time bank before folding, just to give the impression that you are laying down something. People online use a great many tools for making reads on opponents. Whatever tools you use, be sure that you yourself are taking strides not to be as easily readable as your opponent.

These are just a few examples of some of the more common mistakes made at the table which will drastically affect your table image, and leave you asking in the end, "How could they play that?"

~LiLady~ aka ~Erica~

[PointerJake]

Good article, I enjoyed it. I only have one comment and only cause this just happened to me. In one paragraph you say the makeing small bets essentially begging for a call is a mistake. I play a lot of small ball poker and it seems to work very well for me. If I'm pretty sure I got a player beat I'll bet 1/2 to 3/4 the pot, and usually get paid by weaker hands. Sometimes they do suck-out on me, but I just move on to the next hand. Because I play the odds in poker I dont worry about betting ppl out as much as I used too. The odds will make u profitable in the long run. But I certainly do understand your points. Thanks

The other day I did this and a guy hit runner, runner on me to win the pot. I had KK he had ACE 7. I kept betting at every street around 60% of pot. He kept calling with no draws and no pair. He was all in on turn, and hit his ace on the river. I asked him how do you keep calling with nothing. He says you didnt bet enough. I think to myself well you just made my point for me. I had him milked down to his last dollar and he hit, but 90% of the time they dont.

[liladypokerpro]

Thanks Jake, I probably should have made it more clear what I was talking about but I meant like doing it constantly, not ever changing the size of the bet. Some folks just hit "Bet" anytime they want to do so, but not realizing that the pot grows with every round of betting, so that minbet is no longer effective. I appreciate you pointing out the open-ness of that statement. It's mostly suggesting towards cases where you have say a large two pair but there is a flush draw on the board...in which case a minbet would not be enough to run off a person on a draw.

[liladypokerpro]

Oh and by the way Jake, by "minbet" I meant like the absolute minimum...betting 1/2 to 1/3 the pot is not bad IMO.

[PointerJake]

I got ya, in that case I agree 100%. Good Stuff

[Wyte22]

I think this article is very well written and even the most seasoned, experienced players can take appreciation for the fact that, yes they ask themselves that question on a regular basis!!

I'm going to make the same +EV plays every time because I know, over the long run, if my BR is set right, I am gonna be a +winner.

I've been bad about this, but whenever I get those massive suckouts like lady was talking about, I get mad and supa tilt. Took me alot of time and patience to overcome this (and alot of tequlia to!) but I think as long as you play the best you can, and learn something new everyday, there will be fewer and fewer of those "How could they play that!?"

[liladypokerpro]

Thanks...very much appreciated.

[powrdragn]

The only thing that I think you missed was play style.

Some players like playing one gappers. Some like playing small cards. I've played with a guy that likes playing small cards in multiway pots, because he figures everyone to be sharing cards and he wins if the flop is small. It's faulty logic, but there are definitely those players.

Overall though, it was a good informative read.

[liladypokerpro]

Thanks dragn I appreciate it. I knew it looked like it was missing something when I finished it, but it was getting close to time for me to get ready for work, so I let it be as it was. Then again, there is so much that could be added to this that it quite possibly could never truly be "finished." This is why I posted here because I knew that people would open up and add to it. I think in a week this entire thread will have (hopefully) gained a lot of information which will (hopefully) help some people out.

Thanks again dragn for your addition, and for your compliment.

[liladypokerpro]

Any other additions?

[powrdragn]

I might toss in the fact that it's not a bad thing for them to play those cards. The "bad hands" have very little value. And in the long run you stand to gain against the players jumping into pots (especially multiway pots) with those hands. You want those players at your table.

The bad beats and suckouts sting, but all those other times are going to feel just right.

[liladypokerpro]

Very true, to which I agree I think that fact alone is why I wrote:

"Granted, they'll get lucky and hit a 1-outer on you occasionally simply because they know no better, but you will by far win more hands against them than lose."

Because it is true, once in a while they'll get lucky, and especially online it will seem like more than it really is, but in the long run, you'll be working on the br you built from things like that and they'll either have quit or gotten a little better by then. But for every player that learns and grows there are a hundred new fish to continue to profit from

[liladypokerpro]

Okay so I see that 1 of 8 total votes says "Not good, keep working on it" but yet I see no comments as to why? Any input? Constructive criticism is welcome

[Wyte22]

Amen, I was gonna say, if you got a problem with the article, post something!!

[liladypokerpro]

Well no, I mean I'm not saying it like that, I'd just like to see the feedback is all...there wouldn't be two vote options if I didn't welcome two different sets of feedback

[Wyte22]

Originally Posted by liladypokerpro Well no, I mean I'm not saying it like that, I'd just like to see the feedback is all...there wouldn't be two vote options if I didn't welcome two different sets of feedback

I understand, I'm just saying that I Think the article is well written and informative, and if people think different, they need to share why they think that instead of just saying "NO!"

[liladypokerpro]

Well perhaps it was just a passer by with nothing better to do, because I've seen no comments as yet. Oh well...

[powrdragn]

Don't forget, there are some people that believe they are right and all others are wrong. Especially in poker. So, a minor disagreement could have led to them saying your article sucked.

But, we all think it's quality, so ...bleh.