Anyone Can Be a Student

In a recent column, I mentioned that I have poker students who call me for lessons every so often. Since then, I've received a fair amount of interest from players who want to hire me as their coach. I'm flattered, but between grinding out the games online, traveling to eight-10 poker tournaments a year, doing poker writing (both in this magazine and at www.mattmatros.com/journal.htm), writing other material, watching the Mets, and going places with my girlfriend Ivy, I don't squeeze in a lot of time for poker lessons. I still do them once in a while, but I haven't taken on a new student in months.

To compensate, I'd like to offer some free counsel to anyone who might be considering taking a lesson from me, or indeed anyone reading this magazine who might want to analyze his or her own game. I give every prospective student a poker quiz that I created a while ago. The point of the quiz is not necessarily to find out how skilled the player is (although that's part of it), but more to get a sense of how the player approaches the game of poker: what his goals are, what has been successful for him in the past, and, most importantly, how he thinks about the game. In this column, I'm going to share parts of my poker quiz. Try to answer the questions on your own before you read my responses.

1. Describe your overall philosophy for playing ring games; then, describe your overall philosophy for playing tournaments.
I love to see, in the answers to both halves of the question, some understanding of expected value, even if the player has never heard the term "expected value." A player's overall goal, in any gambling endeavor, should be to make decisions that give him the most profit in the long run (assuming he has the bankroll to withstand short-term fluctuations). That goal sounds obvious, but I get many answers to this question like, "I push a lot of edges in ring games, but I play conservatively in tournaments until I get into the money." When I press students who give an answer like this one, they often have trouble convincing themselves that they're maximizing their profits in tournaments, and they usually end up realizing that they're simply maximizing their chances of cashing. From there, it becomes easier to get players to change their thinking.

I like to see my students give an answer that transcends tactics, because tactics are different in every situation. It's knowing how to think about which tactics to employ that will make you a better player.

2. What is the first factor you consider when analyzing a poker situation?
Believe it or not, this is a math question in disguise. My purpose in asking it is to see how mathematically inclined the player is. If you answered, "My read of my opponent," you're probably more of a feel player. If you answered, "The size of the pot compared to the size of the bet," you're probably more of a mathematical player. Of course, I've spent a lot of time trying to convince people that "feel" and "mathematics" are intimately related, but the fact is, most players rely on one more than the other. As a coach, I'm much better at improving a player's understanding of the fundamental mathematics of the game than I am at improving a player's ability to assess his opponent's body language. So, if someone's answer includes a sentence like, "I don't calculate pot odds or implied odds at all when I play" (that quote, by the way, is taken verbatim from one of my students), I know I'll be starting my lessons by teaching this player how to keep the pot size in his head, and teaching him shortcuts in calculating pot odds. For instance, when a player bets the pot, you're getting 2-1, and when a player bets half the pot, you're getting 3-1.

It's important to at least have some understanding of poker math. If pot odds are not a primary factor in your analysis of a poker situation, you would do well to remind yourself that when you're getting 9-1, you need to win only 10 percent of the time, but when you're getting 1-1, you need to win 50 percent of the time.

3. Do you think you make more money by bluffing or value-betting?
There's no right or wrong answer here; this is simply a question about image and style. There are certain players - younger players, or players who just give the impression that they're maniacs - who are more likely to get called than other players. There are other players whom no one likes to call, because they don't bluff enough. I like to know what kind of player I'm working with, and I believe I can bring out the bluffer and the value-bettor in all of us.

If you answered "bluffing," then great, keep bluffing! In fact, bluff until someone calls you, so that eventually you will get your nut hands paid off, as well. If you answered "value-betting," then great, keep getting the maximum out of those medium-strength hands! But ask yourself why no one folds when you bet, and ask yourself, "If I value-bet slightly less often, might my bluffs start working more?"

4. Give three reasons why you might check.
I have a real sneaky reason for asking this one. I want to see who will say, "Because I'm not crazy about my hand." I love winning pots as much as the next guy, but knowing when to give up on a pot is just as important as knowing when to fire at one. Everyone understands that sometimes you should check-raise, and most people know that sometimes you should check-call. But a lot of people seem to forget that check-folding is not just something you do when you're "outplayed" or "giving up." It can be a strategic decision that sets up profits in later hands, while minimizing the losses in this one. A lot of players would rather bet to "find out where they're at" and then fold if they get raised, rather than simply check and evaluate "where they're at" after their opponent has bet. While you might get better information by betting out and then folding to a raise, it's not clear that you'll make more money by playing this way (in fact, to me it's not even clear that you'll get better information). Furthermore, if your opponent knows you'll check and fold your weak hands, you might be able to induce a few bluffs from him when you really need them.

One very important reason to check is that checking often minimizes losses, and I want my students to remember that.

There are 25 other questions in my quiz, and if you liked this column, maybe I'll do a column with some of the other ones someday. For now, I hope these questions inspired you to do a little mental breakdown of your own game, and possibly opened your mind to changes in your playing style.

Matt Matros is the author of The Making of a Poker Player, which is available online at www.CardPlayer.com.