Poker-Related Inquires

I recently was interviewed by Jane Goldberg, a Florida resident. I met Jane at a WPT Boot Camp in the Bahamas in December. She is a very interesting person, and an excellent writer herself. She submitted some questions to me that she thought would be of interest, so here's to you, Jane.

The first question was in regard to the highly publicized achievement of Chris Ferguson. He ran a zero bankroll up to $10,000 by starting in freeroll tournaments online, and then he kept moving up in limits, and when he lost, he dropped back down and started his climb back upward again. Chris is a world-class player, but this was no easy task. It required an enormous amount of talent and patience to do it, along with several months of his time. Would I recommend
doing this type of thing? Well, that depends on the player. If a player has the time and willingness to play from zero from the very start, go for it. Players who are more affluent may want to buy in directly to satellites, the size of which would depend on their bankrolls. With all of the big buy-in tournaments to choose from, players must often play satellites so that they can advance to bigger satellites, and ultimately win a seat in a major event.

The second question was, why are most average players losing players, and what can turn an average player into a winning player? Well, most average players can hold their own against other average players, and sometimes get lucky and win against better players. They also can be winning players against below-average players. However, in the long run, they will lose money to the rake. They also will end up losing if they are playing against players who are better than they are. To get better, you will need to read and reread the best poker books out there. It is like going to school and studying your textbooks, because that is what you are doing. Everybody has a different amount of talent. The players who are willing to apply themselves, work, study, and have the ability will turn into winning players. Others, because of inability or unwillingness to work, will not get any better. Some players claim that they have 20 years of experience, because that is how long they have been playing. What they really have is one year's experience repeated 20 times, because they have not learned much.

The third question was in regard to the Professional Poker Tour event that I won in 2005 at Bay 101. The field consisted of 169 players, most of whom were top professionals. Was it tougher to play in that event against the pros as opposed to the events in which lots of amateurs participate? Well, it should be obvious that playing against all pros is tougher. Amateurs will make a lot more mistakes, and poker is a game of mistakes. The players who make the fewest mistakes will win in the long run. I will say this about amateurs - they are harder to read than the pros, because they often do not know the strength of their own hand. They often do not play in a logical fashion, which can be confusing. The pros have a method to their madness, and other pros can figure out what they are doing a little easier. The pros are trickier, however, and make fewer mistakes.

The fourth question was in regard to different playing styles. What would I recommend, and why? Some players, like myself, have a solid and selectively aggressive style. We also know how to read players, and play correctly based on our reads. This comes with experience. Some tournament players have developed a winning style in tournaments with a very loose-aggressive approach. This style will work only if the player who uses it knows where he is after the flop, and which players he can outplay and which players are calling stations. This style works for only a few players, and I would not recommend it for less-experienced players. A tighter approach is usually the best way to go when starting out.

The final question related to unsportsmanlike conduct. What do I think of it and what would I recommend in the way of penalties? I have no use for people who holler and scream in your face when they have won a pot. It's OK to be happy that you won, but excessive celebration in front of the player you just beat is uncalled-for. Your opponent already feels bad enough that he lost without rubbing his nose in it. Step away from the table and keep your happiness under control. Players who violate this should be given one warning and then a penalty away from the table if they do it again.

Tom McEvoy is a representative of PokerStars.com. He can be found playing under his own name on PokerStars, and is happy to chat when he can.