This and That About Poker

Hi. Come on in. The guy just delivered some Southern fried chicken and a bucket of hush puppies. Dig in.

Every so often I like to remind myself of a few of Roy's Rules, in order to help keep my game together. As long as you're here, you can be reminded along with me.

Those players who have been around for a while will remember Roy's Rule No 1. New arrivals are about to become aware of it. Few things are more important to consistent winning poker.

"Play happy or don't play." That is always my No. 1 consideration when deciding whether to begin play or continue playing. When I have violated this rule, I have paid the price. You don't have to be giggling and slapping people on the back. For "happy," you could substitute the word "contented," or "peaceful," or any of a half-dozen others in the area.

Before playing poker, I want to be in the right frame of mind. If my mental preparation does not bring me there, I don't play! If my peace of mind leaves me during play, I leave the game and take a walk. If I'm unable to release any unpleasant feelings, I'm gone. Clarity of thought is essential to playing my best game, and it's essential to playing your best game.

When my poker students first learn of Roy's Rule No. 1, they are usually quick to ask about Roy's Rule No. 2, No. 3, and so on. Actually, there is no No. 3, and so on. The only Roy's Rule with its own number is No. 1. The rest are all No. 2.

Here are just a few more, in no particular order: "Your first decision is the most critical one in any game of poker." This could be considered a rehash of another of Roy's Rules: "The first mistake is the costly one." When you play a marginal hand in a nonmarginal situation, get some small improvement, and stay to the end and kiss off half of your stack by the showdown, you can trace the entire loss right back to the first mistake. If you hadn't made the first one, you couldn't have made those that followed.

"Basics, basics, basics – have them down cold." Too many players want to learn advanced strategy when they haven't yet mastered the fundamentals. It's an almost universal problem with poker students. When you build a house, you begin with the foundation, not the third floor. Learn to walk, then try running. If you want to play with finesse, you must first be solid on the basics.

John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach for 25 years, was a winner of 88 games in a row. That record will probably never be topped. Wooden constantly taught his players the basics. When his teams were riding on top unbeaten, what did he have them work on at each practice? Right, the basics; fundamentals. They also worked on the moves, the finesse, but you can't play with finesse if you don't have the basics down pat.

"There is no substitute for knowledge of your opponents." When I'm teaching poker, that is the first note I have a student write out. I believe it's the basis for all other poker learning. It's what the game is built on. Poker is the only game in the casino where your decisions pitted against your opponent's decisions have a direct influence on your winning or losing.

When you know how an opponent tends to play, it's easier to put him on a hand, because there are fewer possibilities to consider. You should study a new player about whom you have no knowledge from the first moment you see him – and never stop studying. You can never learn too much about him.

Do you have time for another Roy's Rule? OK. Why would you ever play poker if you weren't confident about being able to play your best game – and confident about winning? Therefore: "Play confident or don't play". Without confidence, aggressiveness will be missing from your game. You'll check and call rather than bet and raise. This passive style of play is not conducive to winning poker. If a bad beat takes the starch out of your game, take yourself out of the game. Fear might help you stay alive during combat in a war zone, but it will be your undoing in a poker game.

Now I tire and require repose. Take a couple of pieces of chicken and a pocketful of hush puppies – and kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning, available from Card Player, has a toll-free number and continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. See his ad on Page 86.