Opponents Playing Quite Tight? Give Them a Half-Hour

Hi. Come on in. I picked up two racks of ribs, some baked beans, and cole slaw. Put on your bib and start gnawing.

I've been taking sort of an informal survey to learn what poker players think of tight, no action games. I already know that you prefer "action" games, so place your body down somewhere comfortable and we'll kick around some ideas.

As he begins play for the day, your average poker opponent (if he thinks about it at all) has it in his head that he's going to play well; he's going to screw it down and play his best game. This is the time that he reminds himself of his "game plan," if he has one. (Most players don't; they just make their playing decisions on a whim as the situations arise.) Today, he is going to play his best – and he is sincere.

If you are observant (as I harp on my students to be), you will notice that the longer this average opponent has been playing in a given session, the worse he's going to play. I'm not referring to the bleary-eyed player who has been at the tables all night. On the contrary, this deviation of playing values usually takes place in as little time as 30 to 45 minutes.

If you wait patiently, as time passes you will notice that our hero relaxes. He might even play his best poker for an hour. But soon he realizes, consciously or subconsciously, that he isn't playing much. And he came to play poker, not to watch others play.

You yourself might have noticed, along with our hero, that sitting at the poker table but not playing is no fun. Being involved in only four hands in 45 minutes is no fun whatsoever. So, now he starts to loosen up a bit; he lowers his starting-hand values so that he can play more. That's more like it, now he's having fun. The more he plays, the more fun he has. All right! This poker is an OK game.

It won't be long before he starts chasing – making mistakes – and getting out of line when he shouldn't. Now, he takes a beat. (He calls it a bad beat, but reality says he shouldn't have been in the pot to begin with.) He gets irritated. Very quickly, he's back to playing his regular, everyday, undisciplined game of poker, in which he is not making informed decisions about his play. He is purely guessing and purely gambling. He's ripe for the picking – and picked he will be. Keep this information in mind whenever you sit down in a game that is just starting. Watch for signs of deterioration in the play of your opponents.

Most players don't like to start new games and don't even know why. Mostly, it's because the game is quite conservative for about the first hour. There's no action, and no fun. The well-disciplined player has lost an edge, because his opponents are also playing with discipline, even if temporarily. There's not much money to be made in this first hour, so he'd rather stay in an established game.

All of this also applies to a new player entering an established game. Observe each new opponent to determine how well he is playing. Notice when he backs off "playing well" and shifts into his regular daily game.

Now, here's a note of caution and exception: This information applies to players who play every day, or most days. The opposite is true for most players who don't have the opportunity to play in a public cardroom daily. Tourists and visitors, because of the lack of daily opportunity, are overeager. They can't wait to get into action. Indeed, they didn't make a trip hundreds or even thousands of miles to sit and wait for good cards. They came to play. So, at the beginning, they play too much, as though they are still playing at the kitchen table back home.

It takes only an hour or so for them to discover that play is different in a public cardroom. If they have any poker savvy at all, they tighten up their game a couple of notches, still allowing themselves enough room to play lots of hands for a fair shot at winning a few bucks. If you recognize yourself in any of this, I suggest you work on your discipline.

You sure did pick those bones clean. Now, I tire and need rest. Wash your face and kill the light on your way out.

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.