The Making of A Poker Player

Sometimes playing poker is a hard way to make an easy living.

That statement is a bit confusing, isn't it?

Good. I purposely made it that way.

Poker should be the easiest game in the world for people to enjoy and make money paying. But most people, unfortunately, never get to that level and I find that fact kind of sad.

Let's go back to the beginning. Everyone knows what beginner's luck is. We have all experienced it and never knew where it came from.

Have you ever met anyone who has had beginner's luck? Of course you have, whether it's at dice, blackjack, poker or greyhound dog ring.

The problem with beginner's luck is that it leaves memories. You remember how you won a certain hand with, say, queen four of spades. Miraculously, the ace, king, nine of spades came on the flop and you ended up winning a nice pot. Bravo.

Another time you won a big pot with a queen ten. They weren't even suited, but who cares? The flop came q-q-10 like it had eyes. From that moment on, trust me, you played q--10 even if you had to call a raise or double raise to get there.

Following those memories of hands that turned bad is like inoculating yourself with with a serum that ends up giving you a disease. It's bad news and yo should get rid of the habit.

Here's a tip:

If you do intend to play a second-rate hand like q-10 or k-j, go into the pot expecting to lose. Naturally, if you hit a hand, ignore all this advice.

Poker is a game where the tighter you play (except for certain circumstances) the better off you will be.

Experience makes a poker player. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather go into a new poker game with $500 or would you prefer to enter it with $120?

If you answered $500, you are not my kind of poker player. If you said $120, we are on the same wave length.

To win at poker, you will have to throw away hand after hand after hand. Even the ones that are tempting. Especially the ones that are tempting and especially if you are facing anything like a raise.

There are few things more satisfying than playing the right cards, hitting your hands, and watching your stack of chips grow.

Winning on a 10-2 suited or a k-jack unsuited may have worked in the past. But the past is where both of those hands belong.

Yes, I know the story about Doyle Brunson and how he won a couple of major tournaments with a 10-2. But that is the kind of hand that might work for Doyle. It certainly will not work for the rest of us.

Remember this.

The next time you are tempted to raise with A-J, don't.

End of lesson.