Is a Good Defense the Best Offense?

I received an E-mail from James that came just as I was watching Tiger Woods win a golf playoff on the seventh "sudden death" hole. (Actually, it was more like "slow death" for his opponent, I'm sure.) The timing seemed appropriate, because James posed a provocative sports-related question. He began, "In sports lingo, people often say, 'There's no better offense than a good defense.' Is there anything in poker, particularly Texas hold'em, that a player can do to protect himself against factors such as bullies, hours of being dealt bad hands, getting strong hands snapped off, and on and on? In basketball, you can stall and run the clock down. In baseball, you can walk a strong hitter. In football, you can on-side kick. And in tennis, you can hit a lob shot with lots of backspin. Also, many athletes try to psych out their opponents as a defensive measure. But does the notion of 'defense' apply to poker? If it does, how can I play defense in Texas hold'em?"

Well, James, just as "there is a season for every purpose under heaven," there are times in poker for sitting back and for charging forward, for defense and for offense. There is no way to manufacture good hands if you don't get them (I wish there were!), so sometimes you must patiently endure long dry spells with no playable hands. And there is no defense against a drawout: If your opponents want to put their money in with the worst hands, they will get there sometimes, and all you can do is make them pay to hit them.

Many times in poker, the best options are either to fold or raise, and the worst option is to call. When it's a question of which is the better choice – the raise or the fold – a raise is often the best option. This is a case of the best defense – protecting your hand and giving yourself the best chance to win – being a good offense by raising and putting your opponent(s) on the defensive, because you now have the initiative. By doing a lot more raising than calling, especially when you are the first player in the pot, you constantly are putting the opposition on the defense. If you are up against superaggressive players or maniacs, your best defense is trapping them with the best hand, because they will not allow you to bully them.

Brian E-mailed a question that dovetails with defense/offense in tournament situations. "This year at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, I finished 36th out of 512 players in the opening seven-card stud event," he began. "When we were down to 10 tables, I probably was about fourth or fifth in the chip standings. I played my hands the way that I normally would, but took some beats (starting with kings or aces and not making a second pair, thus losing to two small pair, for example). When we got down to five tables, I had only $3,000-$4,000 left from the $14,000 that I had when we were at 10 tables. My question is, should I have sat on my chips and waited until the last five tables before I played?"

First, Brian, let me repeat that there is no defense against drawouts. They are part of the game. Solid play with good starting-hand values is the key to success in the long run. Of course, in the short run, anything can happen – and success in tournaments is predicated on "the short run." You would have made a mistake if you had thrown away the hands that you described. You made the right decision to play your aces and kings; it's just bad luck that you lost with them.

In tournaments, you must keep the big picture in sight – namely, making the final table. Your main goal is to get into the top three spots, where most of the money is, and ultimately to win the tournament. You can't do that by playing too tight and throwing away premium starting hands in defense of your chips, thereby giving up the offense.

If James and Brian, and you and I can balance our offensive game with a strong defense, surely we will meet one day soon in the winner's circle.

Editor's note: Tom McEvoy is the author of Tournament Poker and the co-author with T.J. Cloutier of Championship Hold'em, both of which are available through Card Player. For more information on the Championship series, visit www.pokerbooks.com.