You Should Be Sleeping at 3 a.m.

Hi. Come on in. You've probably never had a pepperoni sandwich. I've sliced the pepperoni thick and the bread thin. Pile it on while we rummage around in a dark corner of your poker mind.

You were asking why it is that many players never check from late or last position. Even with a nothing hand, they bet anyway. One reason is obvious. Sometimes they think they can buy the pot, having seen their opponents show weakness by checking. Another reason is not so obvious, and you'll want to put this under the "knowledge of your opponents" category. Many players always bet in that situation because they need to be in action. Checking the hand down is "no action," and no anticipation. And anticipation is the reason for gambling.

Between the time the bet is placed and the outcome of the bet is known, there is always a period of time. During that time, there is anticipation. "Am I going to win or am I going to lose?" However, if there is no bet, there is no anticipation, no thrill, no jolt of adrenalin. Therefore, this type of player must bet if there is "danger" of no one else betting, to make sure he experiences that anticipation. Know who he is!

Change of subject: I know that you've worked for many hours on your poker strategy. But, are you prepared, mentally, to play the game? You've studied and read all of the books. That's all to the good, but it's long range. I'm asking here about the time immediately before you play.

If you sit down in a game without being mentally ready, you're giving up an edge to someone who is ready. Getting yourself mentally prepared, in the right frame of mind, does take time. But my feeling is, if I don't have time to prepare mentally, I don't have time to go play. It's one of Roy's Rules: "If you're not prepared mentally, you're not prepared."

Preparation is first – everything else follows.

Change of subject: So, you've come up with an idea that you think will make you a lot of money without even having to do any more studying and improving your game. It's a reasonable concept, but it has been around for a while. Let me update you.

Two or three times a year, a relatively new player will come to me all excited about an idea that will make him a ton of money from poker. This player usually thinks the idea is original. In reality, it's been thought of by many public poker room players over the years. The idea is to lie down in the late evening, get up at about 2 a.m., and go play poker, catching those players who are tired and bleary-eyed.

Does it work? Are those overnight players really easy marks? One fellow I know who tried this sought me out a couple of weeks after starting. His brilliant idea was not making him rich. His opponents were tired and stuck, and not playing their best. He was fresh and alert, but didn't do much better at 3 a.m. than he did at 3 p.m.

If he had asked me before starting this plan, I would have told him there is no guarantee that you will do much better at 3 a.m. It gives you an edge, but it doesn't make you invincible. You still need the best hand to win.

Most players who try this plan and don't do well make the mistake of not respecting their opponents, underestimating them because of the situation. That's incorrect. Even a tired, stuck player can make a hidden full house against your big flush and take off a stack of your chips whether the sun is shining or not.

Generally, the plan does work, but not well enough for me to turn my life upside down for those extra dollars it brings. On one of the nights I tried it, I entered one of our local card emporiums at about 3 a.m. There, I discovered one medium-limit hold'em game attended by six players. You guessed it – all six were players I knew to be using this plan. These six fresh players were all assuming that the others were tired and stuck. I wonder how it turned out.

Change of subject: The only time you play stupidly is when you have a hand. (I hope I have a plausible explanation for such a stupid remark.) My point is, when you are in a hand, you are emotionally involved and subject to making mistakes (playing stupidly). However, when you're just watching, it's easy to see the mistakes (stupid play) of the other players who are in the hand and are emotionally involved. The idea is to get your emotions out of the way so that you can play your best game (and that should be part of your mental preparation).

Now, I tire and require repose. Take a stick of the pepperoni to gnaw on 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.