Evaluating Your Preparation

This series of columns has been devoted to evaluating your play. I have discussed some general principles of evaluation and looked at how the play of some specific hands could be evaluated. In some future columns I will try to show you some more evaluations of the play of different hands at different stakes and against different opponents. Before I return to evaluating specific hands, there is an area of evaluation which is seldom mentioned – preparation.

Nearly all improving poker players spend some time after a session reviewing specific hands, highlighting things they might have done differently and generally learning from their mistakes. They also spend some of their time studying the game. This might be looked on as macro-preparation. They omit micro-preparation, however, and they very often fail to prepare for each session. They almost never evaluate how good their preparation was. What should you do to prepare for a specific session?

On a purely physical level, you should make sure you are rested and focused. Don’t head off to play poker after you’ve just had a big fight with your girlfriend. If you are playing at a venue with a choice of games, you should have a general plan as to what poker variation and stake you intend to play. Even though your intention might be to play $10-$20 no-limit hold’em, you might arrive to find that a smaller game is really good and decide that you will earn more there. Should also make sure you know the specific rules for that venue. You should also make sure you have a plan for what to do if things go wrong. What if your game of choice isn’t available or doesn’t have an open seat? Will you just wait or play something else? What is the longest session you’ll play? What is the maximum amount you’ll allow yourself to lose before quitting? You can specify a loss limit as a specific dollar amount, as a number of buy-ins, or as a number of big bets. As with anything else, you can be a little flexible about your loss limit. If a game is really good, perhaps you can allow yourself a little extra, but don’t make a habit of exceeding your predetermined limits. If you are going to play in a tournament, do you have a plan for what you will do if you are knocked out early? Do you intend to go home, try to find a satellite or play a side game?

Many players play in regular home or private games. These games generally play the same variations at the same stakes every week. There are a lot of regular players. You will very seldom face an opponent you’ve never seen before. This is no excuse not to prepare. In fact, it probably requires more preparation to play against the same players every week. You can start a file on each player, and note down everything that might be relevant to them. What did they say, and what hand did they reveal? For example, I used to play with a man who said, “I’ll just have to raise,” when he was very strong. When he was weak or semibluffing, he would say “raise it up!” Is there a particular play your foe likes to make? One opponent may love to float while another might like to try squeeze plays. Some players fall apart when losing or after someone draws out on them in a big pot. You’d be amazed how much information you can accumulate about your regular opponents by taking the time to jot down a few notes after the game. Then review their file as part of your preparation for the next session. There is an old book called Poker: A Guaranteed Income for Life by Frank R. Wallace that gives some great examples of taking notes about your opponents. (While it is generally out of date and not a very good book, it does have a number of illustrations of the benefits that can accrue from observing your opponents and correlating their behaviors to their hands.) His protagonist takes detailed notes on each opponent, reviews them, and periodically consolidates them into a player profile. There are some funny anecdotes, and if you can find a copy, you might enjoy reading them. It will also show you how much poker literature has improved over the last forty years.

Make sure you prepare for each session. After each session, make sure you evaluate your play, including your preparation. I’ll look at evaluating some specific hands in future columns.

Steve ‘Zee’ Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful gamesplayer. He has been a full-time gambler for over 35 years. With 2 WSOP bracelets and few million in tournament cashes, he is easing into retirement. He currently devotes most of his time to poker. He can be found at some major tournaments and playing in cash games in Vegas. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bars on Avenue A in New York City -The Library near Houston and Doc Holliday’s on 9th St. are his favorites.