Winners Prepare Thoroughly - Part III

Parts I and II discussed how to prepare before going to the cardroom and before sitting down to play. This column will focus on preparing at the table before playing.



Should You Post Immediately?

Many players do because they came to play, not watch. It's a very human reaction, but a mistaken one. Barry Tanenbaum has written that you should observe, instead. By watching a few hands, you get a clearer picture of the game and various players. Then you can plan an overall strategy and adjustments to individual players.



Categorizing the Players and Game

You should categorize them on two dimensions:



• Tight/loose (how many people see the flop, turn, and river)

• Passive/aggressive (how often pots get raised and reraised)



There are, therefore, four types, and each requires a different strategy:

• Loose-passive

• Tight-passive

• Loose-aggressive

• Tight-aggressive



My book, The Psychology of Poker, states how to recognize and adjust to each type. When I wrote it, hardly anyone played no-limit, so the principles I will summarize here apply primarily to limit games.



Loose-Passive Players and Games

Loose-passive players call with mediocre or worse hands, but rarely raise. If several players see the flop, turn, and river, and there are very few raises, the game is loose-passive. These players and games are easy to beat, but you may be frustrated by frequent bad beats.



It's almost impossible to read their cards when they just call, but easy to understand their bets and raises. They rarely bluff, and they won't bet without a good hand, or raise without a better one.



You need to show down the best hand to win. And, because so many players stay in the pot, that hand has to be stronger than in other types of games. Drawing hands such as suited connectors and small pairs go up in value, but big cards go way down.



For example, J-10 suited is probably a better hand than A-K offsuit. It won't cost much to draw to your straight or flush, and if you make it, you will probably get paid off. A-K offsuit will rarely flop more than top pair, top kicker, and someone will often draw out on you.



Minimize bluffs, because you will usually get called.



Don't try to check-raise; you will often give a free card that beats you.



Loose-Aggressive Players and Games

These games have the largest pots, which may be won with relatively weak hands. Countless people have nearly drooled over those huge pots, but ended up wondering, "How could I lose so much in such a soft game?"



The answer, of course, is that they acted without preparing properly. The action was so exciting that they just had to jump in to grab some of that "easy money." Then they got caught up in the excitement and never clearly thought about how to adjust their strategy.



The hardest adjustment is tightening up, especially on the early streets. You may be tempted to play questionable hands, but it will cost you far too much to draw to them.



When you have a good hand, you can check-raise and slow-play more often because somebody will probably bet for you.



With a good draw against several players, raise, even if most of them are behind you. They are likely to cold-call or even reraise you.



Value-bet the river, because the pots are so large that someone will call you.



Don't fold on the river. The pots are so large and so many players bluff that you just have to pay off. If you lose a bet or two, so what? Folding the best hand will cost you a lot of money.



Tight-Passive Players and Games

These players and games are boring. Most pots are small because hardly anyone plays, and raises and reraises rarely occur. Your boredom may cause you to become too loose and aggressive. Don't do it. Instead, you should either leave or make these adjustments:



Tighten up on all streets because your opponents are playing premium cards.



Don't bet marginal hands for value, not even after tight-passive players check. If they can't beat you, they probably won't call. Don't assume that checking means weakness, because they will check hands that others would bet.



Don't raise without an excellent hand. They would not bet without a strong hand, and they will not call a raise without a very good one.



Don't check-raise or slow-play. If you do, you will usually just give a free card.



Bluff and semibluff frequently, but selectively. They are the easiest people to bluff, but they would not be playing without good cards. Don't bluff just because they have checked, because they will check good hands. That is, you need another reason for bluffing (such as signs that a player has lost interest in the pot).



Steal blinds often, because they don't protect them.



Tight-Aggressive Players and Games

They are the hardest ones to beat. Since very few people are naturally tight-aggressive, this style means that the player has thought about the game and selected an unnatural but optimal style. In fact, nearly all experts are tight-aggressive. Since you're playing against tough competition, your mistakes will cost you more, and you usually won't get a big payout with the best hand. Because these players and games are so tough, you probably should just avoid them.



Recognizing these players is fairly easy. They don't play many hands, and they raise much more often than they call. If most players in the game use that style, beware!



If you decide to play, make these adjustments:



Tighten up even more than against tight-passive opponents. These opponents are waiting for premium cards, then playing them aggressively.



Mix up your game. Being predictable is always a weakness, but it can be deadly here. They read cards well and will push whenever they can.



Don't bet marginal hands for value. Since they are tight, you may be beaten. If you have the best hand, you probably won't get called. If someone has a better hand, he will probably raise. These opponents also may make moves that cause you to make mistakes.



Don't raise without a good reason or a very good hand.



Check-raise less often, especially on the last round. They may check behind you. If they bet, you may be beaten. Worse yet, if you raise, they may reraise if they have you beaten, but fold otherwise.



Final Remarks

Before playing a single hand, size up the game and players, select an overall strategy, and decide how you will adjust to various players. Of course, you should continue to gather information and adjust to it, but you will see things more clearly when you're not playing. So, resist that urge to jump in and start playing. Sit out for a few hands, and concentrate on gathering, understanding, and using the information that you get.



Dr. Schoonmaker ([email protected]) coaches only on psychology issues, such as controlling impulses, coping with losing streaks, going on tilt, and planning your self-development.