If you play poker on a regular basis, you will run into all types of players, from the passive to the super-aggressive.
I prefer to sit at a table where I am the only raiser. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, it can be very profitable for me.
More often, you will find yourself seated at a table where there are two or three regular raisers who try to control the game. It is very important that you use your brain power to qualify these raisers.
If you find one, for example, who raises every three or four hands, you can qualify this person as a hustler who will raise on practically any two cards. He has clearly identified himself inn this category because cards do not lie.
Take a deck, give it a random shuffle, and the players will be dealt a wide variety of hands that, in the long haul, will equalize themselves.
While it is a fact that a person could receive an inordinate number of good hands consecutively, from pocket aces to pocket 10s, that will not happen very often.
I watch for the constant raisers because they are easy to beat.
I look for hands that contain any two high cards or connected cards and will generally call with them. Position, of course, is very important. If you are last or next to last to call, you have a solid advantage over the other players.
At BestBet Casino in Jacksonville, FL. recently, I found myself sitting at a table where there was a player who seemed to be raising every other hand. Perfect, I thought. I decided to lay back and wait for a situation to trap him.
Sure enough, it happened when I was dealt pocket aces. I was one seat to the right of the button and when this player raised, there was one caller between him and me. I just called.
The flop came 2-3-9. He came out betting. The second player called and I just called.
An 8 fell on fourth street. That was one of the cards I wanted. The raiser made a substantial bet, the second player called, and I hesitated before calling.
The final card on fifth street was a jack. The raiser went all in. The second player folded and I called, turning over my aces. The raiser looked at my hand with disgust before throwing his cards into the much. A short time later he got up and left the table.
Poker is a game of cards and people. While it is important to catch good cards, it is more vital to know who you are playing against. Once you master this, you are well on your way to becoming a Class A player.
I cannot over-emphasize position. George Hardy was a world-class poker player who worked as an executive for Binion's Horseshoe. He contended that a player who understood the concept of position could beat the average poker player without even looking at his cards if he occupied the position behind the button.
"I look at the sizing of the other player's bets," George told me. "Figure that in conjunction to the size of his raise and the flop, and you will have a pretty good picture of what he might be holding. If I have a small pair and the flop is poor, I probably am holding the best hand. When he makes a big bet, it is relatively easy for me to make a call."
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to [email protected] ).
