Moving Up

Some of the best ideas for columns come from questions posed by readers like you, usually in the form of e-mail, and occasionally in person. This one comes from a reader in Los Angeles, and there's more to his concerns than first meets the eye. Here's what he – we'll call him Matt – asked me:

I have been playing $4-$8 hold'em about three times a month at Hustler Casino. I can usually hold my own; I don't lose much, but I don't win all that much, either. Recently I gave the $6-$12 game a shot. I played nearly five hours and took a $480 loss, which for me was a big one.

I thought the $6-$12 players were better than those in the $4-$8 game, but I could never really get it going. I was not impatient and I really didn't think I played that badly. Nevertheless, I did not pick up very many playable hands, and failed to win a pot during the last three hours I played.

I had one large hand snapped off on the river when I made a straight on the turn and somebody with 9-4 offsuit made a full house. Another time, I raised before the flop with a pair of jacks and was reraised by a player with a pair of nines who had initially limped into the pot. When an ace flopped and he bet, I mucked my hand, as did the other four players in the pot, and the guy with the pair of nines won it.

Do you think this was just a run of bad cards, or should I to stay in the $4-$8 game until my skills improve?

Unfortunately, Matt's e-mail provided only a glimpse into his dilemma, not the full picture, and because of that, I honestly don't know whether he played below the level of his competition or simply had a bad run of cards. But he should be able to figure this out for himself by asking a few pointed questions.

Matt, because you provided me with only a somewhat sketchy overview of what transpired, you're going to have to do much of this analysis on your own. Here are a few questions for you to ponder:

• How different was the quality of play between the two games?

• Were there significant differences in the number of players who typically saw the flop?

• Was one game much more aggressive than the other?

• Did the players in the bigger game seem more selective about the hands they played?

• Were they able to release otherwise promising hands when it appeared they were beaten?

• How did your confidence hold up in the bigger game, Matt?

• Did you feel comfortable in the $6-$12 game, or did you feel as though you were out of your league?

• How would you characterize any differences in your play between the games?

• Were many of your regular $4-$8 cronies in the $6-$12 game, or were the players all new to you?

As you move up in limits, you'll generally find fewer players contesting each pot, although there can be just as much money in the pot relative to the betting limits, because bigger games are generally more aggressive, and raising becomes more common than limping in to see a flop.

Oftentimes, the best time to promote yourself to a higher limit, even if you're just taking a shot at it, is when you see some familiar faces at the table. Many poker players float back and forth between limits, and you'll see some of the same guys who play $3-$6 also playing $4-$8, $6-$12, and $9-$18, too. It's not only less intimidating when you play against familiar opponents, you'll also know something about how they play, and even if you have only a partial read on the others at your table, it's a lot better than no read at all.

While you're at it, Matt, think about your experience in the bigger game and try to determine whether you might have played differently, and what you might have done to reduce your losses, even if you were experiencing a bad run of cards.

I'd suggest spending some time writing down the answers to these questions. Committing your thoughts to writing is usually the best way to examine your own play, particularly if you can pinpoint some of the issues you need to focus on.

Had I been there and watched you in that game, I might have been able to offer many more specific comments about your play. But, I wasn't, and unfortunately I'm not really able to tell you what you need to do differently with any degree of clarity and specificity. As a matter of fact, I don't really know whether you need to do anything differently at all. My only insights into your game came from what I read. But if I had been there, on the scene, watching you, I might have come away with an entirely different view of things – and maybe not; there's just no way to know for sure. From this vantage point, I'm able to see the game only through your eyes, and I wish I had a bit more information.

For example, take the hand in which you made a straight on the turn but your opponent made a full house on the river when he played 9-4 offsuit and got lucky. There's more to this story that needs to be told. Did your opponent get lucky all by himself, or did the entire table contribute to his spate of good fortune because neither you nor any of your opponents raised before the flop to preclude him from playing that cheesy little hand of his?

It's a question worth asking, and any analysis ought to include assessing how, and why, an opponent with a hand like this was afforded a free look at the flop. If your opponent was crazy enough to cold-call a raise with 9-4, you did all you were capable of doing, and ought to take the long-term view of things and be glad you're playing against an opponent who comes for two bets with hands that weak. On the other hand, if he was in the blind and was given a free look at the flop with those cards, anyone who could have raised but didn't should take a long, hard look at that decision.

You have a lot more information at your disposal than I do, and if you begin working through some of the questions I've outlined and take the time to write out your answers, you might gain some of the insights you're seeking on your own, and that's usually the best way.

Raise your game with Lou Krieger, author of Poker for Dummies, at http://www.royalvegaspoker.com. His newest book, Internet Poker: How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games, is available through Card Player and at www.ConJelCo.com, and all of his books can be found at major bookstores and online at www.Cardplayer.com and www.Amazon.com.