Three of Roy's Logical Rules - and New Players Seek Millions

Hi. Come on in. I have a special treat – French toast with fresh fruit, and genuine Vermont maple syrup sent to me by a former lover who moved to the East. Dig in while we ramble around in a dark corner of your poker mind.

Here's another of those Roy's Rules with which, even though you will eventually see the logic of it, you will initially disagree.

"Feel good about losing to a bad player" (OK, not good, but at least neutral). The logic? Aside from a bruised ego, I don't mind losing to a bad player as much as I do to a good player. Why? If I'm going to lose, I'd rather lose to a poor player because I stand a much better chance of winning that money back from him during the game than I am from a skillful player.

Want more logic? OK. Try on this Roy's Rule:

"Even if you are losing, continue playing if the game is good." Actually, I can agree with that and I can argue with that. I say a good game is a game in which you are winning. If you blow off a lot of money in a good game, that money is still gone, good game or not. It might be a good game, but it obviously is not a good game for you. However, if the loss makes no difference in your attitude, and is not affecting your play, play on, as long as you can honestly still consider yourself a favorite. But most of us do not play our best when losing. (Oftentimes, we're losing because we're not playing our best.)

I was recently in a $5-$10 game with a fellow I had played with previously and knew to be a good poker player. But during this session, he was taking his lumps. It seemed like the poker gods had decided the phrase for his day was, "Start strong, get outdrawn."

The fellow was down a substantial amount, but you wouldn't know it from his demeanor. He remained calm and peaceful, and chatted socially with the other players. There was no tossing cards or grumbling about the dealer for this gentleman.

Then, came a win – a small win, but a win – and then another. He hung in there, peacefully playing his usual solid game.

He recognized that the game was good and he was playing well, but was just getting dumped on. But now the tide had changed. After some small wins and a couple of big pots, he was back even. If he had left in disgust while being down, he would have booked a losing day. I don't know the final outcome of his session, because I had to leave shortly thereafter. My wager is that he left the cardroom with more cash in his jeans than when he entered. Lesson learned? Good.

Here's one of Roy's Rules that many of us slip up on occasionally: "Don't con yourself into believing you are playing loose because your strategy now calls for changing gears to mix up your play and deceive your opponents."

Liar! The truth be known, your good hands are getting cracked and those fools who have invaded your game are winning with garbage cards. Don't be tempted to play down to their level. The most likely outcome would be the same as it is for them when they end the session because they finally run out of money. Patience, patience, patience. Stick with your solid game and go home with the money – the money that previously belonged to "those fools."

Change of subject: With so many new players coming into our beloved game, my phone rings quite a bit with calls from people who have been watching poker on TV, asking, "So, what can I make playing poker?"

Actually, the answer can vary a great deal. Many players have indeed made more than $1 million playing poker, while others have gone broke in the attempt. Most of us are somewhere in between.

One of the general rules of thumb bandied about in the poker business is that a solid player (you) will win an amount equal to about one big bet per hour. At $5-$10, you would be winning $10 per hour as an average over time. At $10-$20, it would be more like $20 per hour. Another such rule of thumb adds 50 percent to those numbers. Take your choice.

Rarely will you make exactly that amount in a day's play. Some days you'll win, some days you'll lose. But when you average it out over a period of several months or a year, it should come close.

Great French toast. It's worth having these sticky fingers. Put a few slices in your pocket 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), continues to give his successful poker lessons (seven-card stud and hold'em) in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Call 1-800-548-6177 Ext. 03.