Let Them Hear the Sound of Your Drummer

Hi. Come on in. I've scrambled a dozen eggs and grilled some Potatoes O'Brian. A great dinner. Dig in.

Have we talked about playing slow in a fast game? I don't mean "slow-playing." Confused? I'll explain as we sit in the dark corner of your poker mind and discuss our beloved game.

The game of poker is being played today at a more rapid pace than even a couple of years ago, especially hold'em. In low-limit games ($5-$10 or lower), you've seen huge pots being won by mediocre hands. The level of play is moderate to poor, and everyone is playing fast and loose. They are purely gambling (again, especially in hold'em). Skill be damned, lady luck will be the queen of this game.

If you are a fast and loose player, take a chair and take a shot at the mounds of chips beckoning there in the center of the table. If you are a conservative player, you should immediately choose one of three options:

1. Get up and leave as quickly as possible.

2. Start praying to the poker gods for some good cards, so you can rake in a goodly portion of those beckoning chips.

3. Begin your "slow-play-for-a-fast-game" strategy. (If you don't have such a strategy, you got here just in time.)

You still look confused, so I'll launch into the explanation part of our discourse. When I say slow play, I don't mean slow-playing as in disguising a big hand. I mean slowing down the pace of the game. You won't be able to slow down the game a great deal, but you will be able to knock it a couple of degrees off kilter. This will be to your advantage.

A stud player moving over to a hold'em game finds that the pace is much faster. Gambling fever often runs high. The players are acting very quickly. They can hardly wait to get their money into the pot. The chips will be flung from their hands in a betting motion that often begins somewhere near their armpit. It's as though they were playing to the pace of a different drummer – a fast drummer. You've got to let them hear a couple of riffs from your drummer. You do this by playing a bit more slowly than they play.

When the action gets to you, break the pace by hesitating, just a bit, before putting your money into the pot a little more slowly than they do. Each time you act, increase the hesitation. It will become like a fly buzzing around their ears. It's no big thing, but it will break their rhythm. If you break that rhythm, even slightly, it will be the same as breaking someone's concentration. Your objective isn't to get them upset with you, but to get them out of sync. You probably won't win a popularity contest at this table, but do you care? (Actually, if they are upset with you, that will put them further off their game, but we'll talk about that another day.)

I said earlier that this game is fast and loose. You've already taken care of the fast part, and now you've got to deal with the looseness. Here are some guidelines:

In any game with a low ante or blinds and a small opening bet, you can afford to lower your playing requirements a bit, because your opponents' will still be lower than yours. Loosen up only for this small bet. After that, revert to a solid, basic strategy – nothing fancy. If the hand doesn't improve to your regular playing requirements, throw it away. There will be another hand dealt in less than two minutes, and hopefully it will be a better one.

Keep your head on straight. Don't start to chase them and reduce your play to their level. That's their weakness. Use it to your advantage. Once they are in a hand, most of them usually go all the way to the river. Keep your playing requirements solid and let them pay you off handsomely on your good hands. Start loose, but finish tight.

Playing slowly will bother them. But slow-playing your big hands will cost you money in this game. These people are going to call all bets. For the same reason, rarely bluff, as you will be called.

Now, I'm slowly fading. Put the rest of those scrambled eggs 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 in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Call 1-800-548-6177, Ext. 03.