Variety Is the Spice of Life

By the time you read this column it will be 2012, a little late for New Year’s Resolutions. I will, however, advise you to resolve to put a little variety into your poker during the coming year. The quote “variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour,” actually comes from a work by William Cowper in 1785 (he also stated that, “god moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform”). So much for literary trivia, now let’s get back to poker.

It is very easy to get trapped in a poker rut. You play the same game at the same stake against the same people all the time. You probably even play the same way. The only difference in your game is that when you are winning, you tend to play more conservatively and play shorter sessions. But, when losing, you’re a little wilder (I hope it is only a little) and play a little longer. If you are a professional, or even a dedicated amateur, you generally enjoy playing, but at times you find yourself getting a little bored or disenchanted. Perhaps you wear headphones and allow the music to create a little variety for you.

What can you do to get out of the rut? One of the first things is to try playing a different game against different people. Matt Glantz has started writing a Card Player column about mixed games. He is a terrific player, and his advice is quite accurate. Try some of these games. Obviously, any experimental forays into forms of poker that are new to you should be for smaller stakes than those for which you normally play. Some players like the intellectual challenge of the stud games, in which it is necessary to observe all the up cards, and draw inferences based on what cards are live. Other players love the increased action that is normally found in games like Omaha-eight-or-better. And, if you enjoy the gambling side of poker, pot-limit Omaha frequently creates situations where it is right to get all-in preflop, or on the flop, with hands that become races. If I had to guess, I’d say preflop all-ins are at least eight times more common in PLO than in no-limit hold’em.

There are some upsides to this kind of experiment (I discussed them in a brief section in Super System II.) Here are a few of them:

• Your chosen game may not stay popular.
• There may be a great opportunity to make money in another game.
• While learning one game, you may pick up something that helps you master another one.
• You will be able to play mixed games or dealer’s choice games.
• You will be better prepared for any new games that develop.
• You will get out of your rut and enjoy yourself more.

There is another way to add variety. Change the way you play. Really shift gears. Let me emphasize again that you should do this in a smaller game than you usually play. An opportunity may present itself when you are waiting for a seat in a big game. Sit in a small game, and try out a new style. Try super loose and aggressive. Play any hand that seems remotely playable. If raise is an option, then raise. The object of this kind of wild play is learn how to get the most out of your winners and lose the least with your losers. When the opponents see how you are playing, they will certainly give you action.
They will try and bluff. You may learn a lot by having to maneuver in some tight spots.
Then, in another session, or suddenly in the same session, switch to super tight.

Super-tight play teaches you how little it costs in a deep-stacked game to fold a lot hands. Suppose you are in a nine-handed $1-$2 game, and effective stacks are around $300. Someone raises in early position to $10, another player calls. You are in the cutoff with J-T suited. The implied odds probably make this a playable hand. If you hit big, you could win a huge pot. But, now you are in the tight zone and fold. Note that a call here costs $10 and folding costs nothing more than the loss of some implied equity.
Considering it costs $3 a round, you can see around 30 hands for $10. Isn’t it likely you’ll find a better spot to invest $10 somewhere in those 30 hands? Playing super tight isn’t nearly as much fun, but you may grow to appreciate the fact that it is possible to be a very tight player without giving much away.

Here is one last way to add a little variety. Perhaps you treat poker like a job. You arrive at the game at noon every afternoon, and leave around 8 p.m. to have dinner with your family. Flip your schedule around. Take a Friday or Saturday night, and go to the game after dinner. Play from 10 p.m. until the early hours of the morning. You may find the late night games on weekends are so much better than the games you find in the afternoon, that you’ll make a point of scheduling late sessions every week. Try playing shorter sessions. This might allow you to play great poker for an entire session. Then try longer sessions. This will help build up your poker stamina. There will be times when a cash game becomes really great and the ability to play a long, effective session will be a big money maker. ♠

Steve “Zee” Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful games player. He currently devotes most of his time to poker. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bars on Avenue A — Nice Guy Eddie’s at Houston and Doc Holliday’s at 9th Street — in New York City.