We usually played with a very generous structure. We would start with over $5,000 in chips and the blinds would only be $2–$4. So there was plenty of time to be patient. Robert would usually start bluffing right away. There would be times he would get out to a decent chip lead. But as the other players learned to become more patient, Robert would usually be one of the first people eliminated. Now what do I make of this? I think there are a couple of lessons that can be learned here:
First, Robert became interested in the game from watching it on television. His initial understanding of the game gave him an initial advantage over the others. However, he picked up many bad habits that would not serve him well in the end. The highly edited shows are entertaining but also show only the sexy hands that typically include a lot of bluffing. Playing position and stealing blinds does not make great television.
The other guys who regularly played were learning from scratch. They were taking their real-life playing experiences and learning to improve for the next time. In the case of Gib, he was reading outside sources to supplement his learning curve, and it was making a big difference.
The next lesson to be learned is that as poker tournaments have become more popular, you are going to find players at every level who come out of the gate shooting from the hip. Many players, including some top professionals, are very successful employing this strategy, but it is an extremely difficult strategy to pull off. Most players who attempt it fail miserably. They may get off to a fast start, but they inevitably crash and burn. When you encounter one of these players, avoid the temptation to join the party. Rather, stay focused and patient and play your game. Your opportunity will come.
Now to Robert’s credit, he improved tremendously over time. He became more patient and looked for opportunities to exploit. If you combine this with Robert’s inherent understanding of the need to accumulate chips, Robert has all the tools necessary to become a successful poker player. He’ll attack pots when nobody else has a hand. He also knows when to back off when he’s beat. The inherent aggressiveness he shows at the poker table is critical to success. Now that he is learning to harness that energy and use it when necessary, his play has become more unpredictable and he’s able to not only bluff his way to some pots but win big pots with aggressive plays when he has a strong hand.
Throughout this past year, the players who exercised patience and waited for opportunities would regularly last the longest in the tournament. Even though we started out not playing for anything, everyone played to win. That’s the beauty of tournament poker. You can play for pride since you have a clear-cut winner. As time progressed, a small entry fee was initiated with the winner taking all. I don’t think it made any difference in the earnestness of the play because I thought everyone was playing seriously before that.
During the course of the home game I played with some hard-core regulars, some others who came and went, and still others who joined later and became regulars. Let’s take a closer look at some of the players and see what we can learn from them. I don’t believe Vimal had ever missed a poker night in the home game. The first time he joined us was the first time he had ever played poker. He was there to be social and have a good time. The poker was clearly secondary. He took to the game very quickly, however. While he clearly had no idea what he was doing that first night (which would be expected of anyone playing for the first time), he made great strides. You could tell that he really learned from his experiences. The first night, he played every hand. The next time I saw him, he played any hand in which he had a piece of the flop. After a few more sessions, he was laying down hands when he knew he was beat. Vimal became very patient and let the game come to him. He never forced the action. A few more sessions and Vimal was always one of the last men standing. In fact, on two occasions the game came down to Vimal and me heads-up. The first time, Vimal had a substantial chip lead over me. I just played super aggressively and quickly took the lead before winning out. The next time we played, I had an enormous chip lead over him, and he was eliminated within a few hands.
I think that you can learn a few things from Vimal’s play: The first being that steady, solid, patient play will take you very far in a tournament. The next being that such play will only take you so far. If you want to win, you have to be selectively aggressive at times and you have to make adjustments for short-handed play. When we were down to three players and even heads-up, Vimal was still waiting for solid cards. You cannot afford to do that. When you are heads-up, you have to be aggressive. With the blinds high and only one opponent, every pot is worth going after. This doesn’t mean being reckless. But you can’t let your opponent run over you either. It’s an entirely different strategy from playing with eight or nine people at the table. Vimal is a quick learner, though. I have no doubt that he will learn from his heads-up experience and be a much tougher opponent in the future. In fact, the last game (which I did not attend), I heard that Vimal won.
We have had a few recent additions to the game, including a friend of a friend who is commonly known as the guy who never folds. More accurately, he should be known as the guy who always calls. He calls any and all bets every hand. He never folds and never bets or raises. Of course, he is guaranteed to lose every time. While he is playing, though, he can wreak havoc. It is impossible to steal or semi-bluff as long as he is still in the game since he will stay in the hand. The guy who never folds actually poses some real problems. For instance, say I raise in late position with A-Q suited and get two callers including the guy who never folds. The flop comes 2-4-8 rainbow. Everyone checks to me. This is usually a great time to bet out and win the pot. That is not going to happen here, though. So what do I do? I bet enough to force the other player out and get “the guy who never folds” heads-up. Then I check it down the rest of the way unless my hand improves. There is no sense betting into danger. Better to wait until I have a hand and then bet away at the guy who never folds.
Now there’s another interesting twist to playing with this guy. He’s usually out quickly, so you only have a short time to win his chips. What I try to do then is to isolate him pre-flop as much as I can. Again, if I miss the flop, I check it down. If I get a piece, then I value bet depending on the strength of my hand. While you are likely never to find a player as bizarre as the guy who never folds, a valuable lesson can be learned here. In today’s environment, there are weak players at every level. That presents some interesting challenges. These weak players are anxious to give away their chips, and the astute player who picks those chips up will be at a real advantage.
So try to identify those players early on, and then choose spots in which to isolate them. The type of player you’ll usually find is the calling station who’ll check call a lot of hands. The difference between the calling station and the guy who never folds is that the calling station will fold on the river when he does not make his hand. Isolate these players, build the pot, and then chase them out. Many players like to start out the tournament rather conservatively. That’s a solid strategy as you get the feel for the game. Don’t wait too long, though, to attack the weak links. They won’t last long, so you might as well be the one to take their chips. This is both an offensive and defensive strategy. You’re trying to accumulate chips, but you’re also trying to keep one of your better opponents from picking up those same chips.
The last lesson to learn from the guy who never folds is that when a player does the same thing every hand, it is impossible to put him on a hand. I am not suggesting that you call every hand, but some uniformity will actually make it more difficult for your opponents to put you on a hand. Let me offer a few examples to illustrate what I am talking about: Say you never limp in from late position if everyone has folded to you. If you are going to enter, you will raise three times the amount of the big blind. If you then try to slow play and limp in with pocket aces in that same situation hoping to get action, you are actually