Part I of this series quoted Nolan Dalla,
World Series of Poker media director: "The battle is often won or lost
before it is fought." Poker is a battle, and poker players and good generals apply essentially the same principles. Most importantly, you do
not want a fair fight. You want every possible edge.
Some misguided people romanticize poker and war. They see them as macho contests or believe that the rules of chivalry should apply. But both are predatory "games." The strong eat the weak, which is the exact opposite of chivalry. In fact, knights rarely fought each other because it was safer and more profitable to terrorize peasants and shopkeepers. As Col. Hackworth, one of America's most decorated soldiers, put it, "If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly."
Your goal should be to maximize your edge. Part I discussed ways to increase it long before playing. This column will help you to increase it further by selecting:
• The best game
• The best seat
Selecting the Best Game
Several movies give the impression that winners want to prove something by challenging the toughest opponents, but that is Hollywood nonsense. Winners play to make money, not to prove anything. As one authority put it: "Our strategy should be not to play against advanced players. … We don't want to prove we are the best player in town, we just want all the money." (Othmer,
Elements of Seven Card Stud, Page 173)
Mason Malmuth went further: "Once you reach a certain level of competence at poker, your most important decision by far is game selection." ("The Best Game," in
Poker Essays, Page 122)
If they can't find a beatable game, winners don't play.
They live by an old adage: "It is no good to be the 10th-best player in the world if the top nine are in your game."
A friend argued that television has enabled a few players to get huge incomes from books, endorsements, and so on. To gain visibility, they deliberately play challenge matches against the toughest players. But 99 percent of all players will never get on television. More importantly, some famous players are
broke.
Nolan Dalla wrote: "One of the most troubling aspects of the tournament circuit is seeing how many players are constantly broke. I'm not talking about bad poker players or novices. I'm talking about names and faces everyone would recognize." ("So You Wanna Be a Tournament Pro? Fuhgetaboutit!" www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/dalla27.htm)
So, we are back to the issue I raised in my previous columns, "Winners are brutally realistic." Unless you have the immense talent and commitment needed to become a top pro, and also are willing to risk going broke, you should recognize your limitations and set realistic goals.
If you want to win consistently, play primarily in soft games. Perhaps you should occasionally play in tougher ones to develop your skills, but your profits will come primarily from finding and exploiting weaker players. In fact, some moderately competent players become winners by being extremely selective. I call them "walkers," because they walk around, looking for soft games. If they do not find one, they keep walking.
They may play only when the games are weakest, such as weekends, holidays, and vacation seasons, particularly late at night. Tourists and weekend players are generally softer than regulars, and the softest games often occur early Saturday and Sunday mornings. The worst players stick around long after most people have gone to bed. They may be losing heavily and trying to get even, which makes them even weaker than usual.
They are also tired, and they may have had too much to drink. Even average players can easily beat these games. They sleep until midnight, then play when they are rested and their opponents are tired, drunk, and/or desperate.
Winners also look for games that favor their style of play. They keep records that show, for example, that they win more money in short-handed rather than full games, or that they do poorly against very aggressive opponents. Then, they play only in the right kind of games.
Because they haven't done their homework, most players do not know what kinds of games favor them. They just sit down wherever they can find an open seat. A few losers actually look for tough games. They regard poker as a macho contest, like the battle between Edward G. Robinson and Steve McQueen in
The Cincinnati Kid. They played not for money but for bragging rights, trying to prove who was better.
It is fun to watch such confrontations, but they rarely happen, at least not between winners. If there are enough weak players in the game, they divide their money while avoiding each other. It is not "professional courtesy." They just value money more than being macho.
Nolan Dalla has thought a lot about game selection, and he told the Wednesday Poker Discussion Group how he "works" a cardroom. As soon as he arrives, he walks around, making mental notes, looking for the weakest players and best action. He wants to know: "Where is the greatest opportunity to profit
at this second?" Then, he puts his name on the lists for
all of the juicy games.
Even after being seated in a good game, he keeps his name on other lists, and he may change games again and again. His game can become tougher if weak players leave and are replaced by tough ones. Or, another game may suddenly improve when someone goes on tilt. Or, he may have a poor table image because of mistakes or bad beats. His primary recommendation is:
Look constantly for the most profitable game.
Selecting the Right Seat
Good generals always consider the battlefield. They want the position that favors them, such as the high ground or with the sun at their backs. Poker winners apply the same principle by choosing their seats carefully.
Because it helps to be to the left or right of various players, they choose or plan to switch to the best seat. Ray Zee, a great player, included "bad seat position" in a twoplustwo.com Internet magazine article, "Top Ten Reasons You Lose." He wrote: "Find yourself in a seat with the wrong player on your right or left and you can assure a trip to the withdrawal window of your bank. … Many times great games are not worth staying in because you cannot move position at the table."
My book,
The Psychology of Poker, included a question for every type of player: "Where should you sit?" In general, you want passive or predictable players to your left, and aggressive or unpredictable players to your right. Then, you don't get many surprises, and you can exploit your opponents' weaknesses.
Final Remarks
Parts I and II have focused on types of preparation that are often ignored or minimized. Part III will discuss preparation while playing your hands.
To learn more about yourself and other players, you can buy Dr. Schoonmaker's book, Your Worst Poker Enemy, at CardPlayer.com. He welcomes comments at [email protected].
