Some Winning Thoughts

Hi. Come on in. I've cooked up two of your childhood favorites - macaroni and cheese, and macaroni and beef in tomato sauce; double yummy. Sometimes I mix the two - but then I have vivid dreams. Dig in while we speak of our beloved game of poker.

I spoke recently about game selection, and got several e-mails asking for more on the subject. Well, I could go on for an hour, but I know that you have to go pick up our dry cleaning, so I'll make it brief.

Suppose that your friend Jacob is the 10th-best player in your town. Also suppose that another friend, Rick, is the 100th-best player in the same town. Which of your friends is going to win the most money over any given period of time?

Answer: Rick! For sure! No moaning; let me explain.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that Jacob insists on playing against only the other nine players on the best-10 list, while Rick will play against only the players who are 125th and lower on the best-players list. Jacob is obviously a better player than Rick, but Rick plays only in games he can beat, while Jacob plays only in games he would like to beat.

The lesson here is, take the time to find those games that you can regularly beat, which means that you have to get your ego out of the way -unlike Jacob, whose ego demands that he try to show what a really good player he is.

Yes, it is a good idea to play in tougher games from time to time to improve your own game, but until you do improve enough to move up and play with the bigger kids, stay in your own backyard. That way, when you do move up, you not only will be prepared, but will have an adequate bankroll for the higher-limit games.

Stay away from tables where there are not at least two or three players with little skill who are eager to give away their money.

Find the games you can beat. If that takes time, it will be time spent well, and will put more cash in your jeans.

Put even more simply, game selection is making sure that you sit your bottom down at a table with lots of bad players.

Thought: While playing $1-$2 no-limit hold'em, I have observed that my fellow players don't seem to be having any fun, as opposed to limit players I've seen. These no-limit players sit at the table looking worried. There's little conversation, no laughter, no fun. Is it because they are worried about being hit for their entire stack at any moment, and they don't really know what they are doing? If you do know what you're doing, the $1-$2 no-limit game might be the place for you. (But please don't sit at my table.)

Thought: Here's another of the e-mail questions I got this week: "In the cardroom where I go, most players stay in and draw to a miracle, and often hit on the river. How do I keep them from drawing to all of those long shots?"

My answer is: You don't want them to stop drawing to those long-shot hands. Those are the kinds of players you can't get out with a machine gun, anyway, so there is little percentage in trying. But keep in mind that their playing mistakes are how you make your money at poker. How do you keep them from hitting those miracle draws? Sorry, but if I knew the answer to that one, I'd be over at Bellagio playing $1,000-$2,000.

Thought: Here is another important way of looking at playing to win. As I tell my students, limit poker is a marathon, not a sprint. Play the game "in the long run," entering the fray only with those starting hands that have a long-term positive expectation of winning.

Winning is not an event, it's a process. Approach the game of poker as if you were reading a good book. The enjoyment from the book is in the reading of the book, while you are on the way to the happy ending. Understand the book, enjoy the book, happily finish the book.

Thought: Look into this mirror and repeat after me. "I will find myself in a world of hurt if I consistently play medium-limit hold'em like I see the big kids play no-limit on my television screen."

I've told you more than once that while seven-card stud is a game of "live" cards, medium-limit hold'em is a game of big cards. If you consistently start with small cards, you can expect to go broke. Someday, after you've gone broke a few times, you'll believe me.

Thought: Don't be fooling yourself about trying to get what some players call "in the zone." My question is, are they winning because they are in the zone, or are they in the zone because they are winning? Play your A-game at all times, and let the zone take care of itself.

Well, my friend, you did your usual demolition job on the goodies I so lovingly prepared. Now, as usual, I tire and require repose. Kill the light on your way out.

Roy West, poker author and teacher, has been giving his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas for more than 20 years to tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Contact Roy at [email protected].