House players are another group of players not to play with. House players are players hired by casino/card room to keep games going and starting a new game. When a game becomes short handed and looks like it might break, then the casino sends in house players to keep it going. Problem with house players is they play thousands of hands each year [about 50,000] and many are with other house players, so a pattern of how they play is known to each other, this makes betting when they are in a hand is difficult. These players are not cheats, but understand each others ways. My thoughts of playing with a house player is go for it as long as it is just one, But if two or more then I just don’t play at ALL, I’M finished at this table. You will hardly ever see 2 house players going to the river against each other, unless they both have a jackpot hand working.
Today’s’ players are aggressive and like to play fast and steady. A strong pre-flop bet and a larger flop bet or raise usually identifies this aggressive player/players. I think these type of players are good for the table, as most are young and have a large amount of money to give up. Now it’s up to you to figure out how to aquire some of it. The best advise is to adjust your play even more into a QUALITY hand status. When you catch a quality hand, call or make a pre-flop bet, when the flop comes, your hand is now playable or it goes to the muck. If you had pocket 99s and flop is KQ9 you are in pretty good shape, but don’t get stupid and go crazy. First think about the pre-flop start, what hand do you put the aggressive player and 2 other players on. Someone could just as easily as you, also have flopped a set Ks or Qs. the odds are against it, but you must proceed with caution. If first to bet, I would bet the last bet again. If last and no one has made a large bet/raise, then I would bet/raise at least 1/2 the pot, just to see where I was. But the main thing to do is to figure out what each player is playing with, your hand is no good if you cannot put each player on some type of hand. This is where experience come in and and pots are won or lost.
You might think I am rambling on with info like the above, No, I believe that making a strong point out of the blue opens the mind and will be remembered longer. To continue, learning how to read your opponent’s hand is where money is made, this can only be accomplished by paying attention to ever hand. As the bet moves around the table, mentality put players on hands, regardless of whether you stay in the hand or not. When the hand is finished how close was you with your predictions. If you put seat 4 on pockets JJs and he/she had pocket TTs, QQs, 99s then you did good, seat 7 you thought had AJ because of odd raise, small and skeptical, and he/she actually had KJ, AT, QT or suited 78. Don’t get discouraged because 78 suited is about equal to KJ, QT it all depends on the FLOP. Continue this action ever hand and you will become a better player and be able to discard pocket QQs when you know they are beat because of the flop. SOLID POKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In todays’ poker rooms/casinos, most games are nine handed. As this seems to suit both the casino and the players. Most tournaments start ten handed.
BEFORE THE POKER ROOM
BEFORE THE POKER ROOM
Prior, to playing poker, you need to plan a strategy as to your game approach. This should be just like a pre game for the athletics or a budget meeting for business people. You are about to start something that you will need to WIN, UPGRADE and/or BECOME BETTER AT. The only way to accomplish this is thru planning and study. Trial and Error, CAN and WILL only cost you big $$$$$s, businesses large and small do very little work in the trial and error shop, they leave that type of jobs to the research and development companies. In poker, there is only one research and development company and ITS YOU. You will know real soon if your research was correct, because during your development phase if you win, you was a success and if you loose then your research was poor judgment. I hear YOU, WHAT do I study?? there is no study material!!! Wrong again, there are numerous books that deal with Strategy, Hand selection, betting and games to play. Many books not in poker, teaches strategy, statics, and work ethics and all the same info applies to most working jobs and believe me POKER is WORK and you SHOULD consider it a JOB, if you want to be a winner and continually win. Take this job as if it was your day time employment!!!! You must do satisfactory work so your employer can make a profit and then he can afford to continue to pay you. In poker if you don’t do a good job and continue to bring in income then you should FIRE YOURSELF as YOU are NOT a poker player.
Oh; I agree, anyone can play poker, just like anyone can play sports or be a successful business man, But what % of them are successful, generally less than one %. But to be good and win it takes Work and a lot of it. You didn’t get your regular day job, by just walking in off the street and saying, I am a truck driver, a mechanic, a computer tech, or a structural engineer. You worked your butt of going to school and/or training to learn that trade. The same needs to apply to poker, Read books and watch other players and MAKE sure you learn something new each and every time you play poker. Study players, [betting patterns, conservations, hand jesters, eyes and etc] this is poker !!!ONE on ONE!!! Your main objective is to KNOW WHAT’s in YOUR Opponent’s HAND. The day you can start figuring that out, YOU can then say I AM learning to be a POKER PLAYER. Only then will the game change to your play and the chips start to build up. Oh I agree you will not always be correct, but you have to be close, 75% of the time. I am not saying you have to get the exact pair or j-10 suited, but you have to be close to your predictions. You predict pocket JJs because of the way he/she bet (in a protection mode), but it turned out he/she had pocket QQs, A VERY good call. Also you must know when a players’ card, hits on the flop, turn or river. An this only comes from studying players actions, “looking at chips quickly, looking only at the cards or other tells you are able to pick up on”. Players tells only shows for a very short time, you have to pay attention, keep looking around the table, study the better/raiser the most. Remember tells last a life time [but only shows very quickly] and it follows a player game to game. YOU to have tells, be aware and make corrections, don’t fall into patterns. My self, I try to put my chips in differently each hand I play, (right hand, then left hand, slide them in, pick up chips to move in, splash and some times I just count chips for a while) and then FOLD. Change things up not only in chips but in your talk, appearance (what you look at) body language. One Example: I play with one player, an when he looks at a large pocket pair, he immediately slides a stack of chips forward about 2 inches. I know he has Pocket AAs, KKs, QQs, AK or AQ. This makes my calling a lot more simple.
If you have a regular day job and like to play poker on weekends or nights, then this should become a REAL “”Part Time””JOB for you, (You wouldn’t work part time at Home Depot or Searsand pay them money to work there). Well then why do you play poker and pay me with your money. This PokerGAME has to STOP!!!!! “”being a GAME””. ITS NOT basketball, golf or tennis where winning or loosing really doesn’t mean much just as long as you have FUN and A BEER after-words. Well I hope“””I have your attention””“. Poker can not and must not be a hobby, if you play poker as a hobby, I guarantee you will loose your A—. An YOU will continually complain that, the other idiot just lucked out when beating you, with your poor choose of cards. Probably if you had payed more attention to the board and the play, you would not have lost as it was all in front of you. Welcome to the world of POKER.
You cannot and should not play poker if your are tired and not feeling up to it. If you work a 8 hour a day week job, this means it takes up approx 10/12 hours of your day. If you are going to play a few hours after work, this is probably a bad ideal. You are already tired and maybe mad to make the situation worst. Most workers ”take work” home with them, whether they admit it or not. This will be carried to the poker room and interfere with your judgement when needed. For this reason it would probably be best to play on friday’s and weekend’s. Be relaxed and ready for your part time JOB of POKER.