Just scanning through some old items I saved and found this article that some of my fellow card players here might enjoy!
By Brian Steinberg
Make no mistake about it. Hold'em is a game of patience and discipline — to win you need an abundance of both. I have played thousands of hours of low limit hold'em and every time I play I see the same mistakes by the same players every day, every hour. It's one of the main reasons I'm able to beat a low limit game consistently. You'll surely recognize yourself as one of the culprits of these bad plays.
1. Protecting your blinds. The next time some genius tells you to always protect your blinds, be happy, for you are now playing with a sucker — a fish, if you will. Blinds are part of the game to get the hand started and if you protect your blinds with weak hands, you are a loser and will continue to be one. So what if everyone folds and the puck raises your blind? What is it that you are protecting: $3, $5? The next time someone raises your blinds, ask yourself how much you stand to lose if you fold. Protecting your blinds only gets you into trouble when you flop top pair with a weak kicker, or you flop a draw. It's suicide. If you always protect your blinds, then I want to play with you. I'm always looking for weak opponents.
2. Playing a good starting hand that goes sour after the flop. I know that good starting hands are few and far between. However, it's the nature of the beast and you need to drop hands that go sour fast. I've seen it a million times over. You start with AK and the flop is J 9 4. You have nothing. Let me repeat that. You have absolutely nothing. Zilch.
Yet, you refuse to lay it down in case an Ace of a King hits the board. In the unlikely case that it does, you want to be there. Problem is, some guy is playing A9 or A4 and you end up losing even more money. Some player may have even flopped a set, so what is it that keeps you in? At this point (after the flop) the hand only stands you 1 or 2 bets. Lay it down and forget about it. Or you have KK with six players in the pot and an ace hits.
It's bet and raised, yet you still refuse to lay it down. Why? You're bet my friend, staying in when you know you're beat is bad strategy. If you refuse to lay down good hands that have gone sour then I want to play with you.
3. Playing suited cards. This is perhaps the most common of all bad plays. In every low limit game, you will run into players that refuse to lay down suited cards. Playing them will diminish your bankroll fast. Fact is, the chances of flopping two of your suit on the flop is roughly 8-1. On top of that you have to complete your draw, which you will, 1 in 3.4 times. You are also fighting the chance of the board pairing and making someone else a full house, or another player drawing to a higher flush. In most cases, you'll end up putting in an average of four bets to make your flush. In a 5-10 game that is roughly 25 bucks. You will win, on the average, once in every 14 tries: 14 x 25 = 350. Unless your average 5-10 pot is more than $350 (which I guarantee it is not) then you are fighting a losing battle. If you always play suited cards then I want to play with you.
4. Playing weak hands in early position. I could write a whole book about position play in hold'em, as it is the most crucial part of any low limit game. Playing marginal hands in early position is a common mistake that will hurt your bankroll. Hands like 10-9, 7-6, A-10, K, 10, J-10, Q-9, Q-10, J-9, 8-7, 5-6, etc. are weak hands in early position and should not be played for several reasons. First, you just don't have enough information to put in money with those types of hands. For instance, you don't know how many players will be in the pot; you don't know if the pot will be raised or even worse, double raised, and it puts you in a very precarious position, which you could have avoided. Play very tight in early position and loose in late position. If you never consider position, then I want to play with you.
5. Takin' it out on the dealers. Forget about being angry with the dealer. On the inside she's laughing at you, and doesn't really care whether you win or lose. Your anger is an attempt to make her feel guilty. She doesn't; she has dealt 1,000 times as many hands as you've ever played and each hand had at least one loser. Dealers know they're not responsible for the cards you get, nor how you play them. In that respect, they could just as well be robots that distribute cards. The dealers have nothing to do with the outcome; to think otherwise is ludicrous. By dwelling on this, your concentration will suffer as will your bankroll. If you blame the dealer for your hardships, then I want to play with you.
6. Revenge. A player just put a bad beat on you and you won't sleep tonight until you pay him back. Fat chance! You start reaching, chasing hands. You're going to show him a thing or two about poker. Most likely, unless you get very lucky, he's going to show you another winning hand and take even more of your money. Remember, he's not angry. On the contrary, he's probably quite happy with his wins and is playing his usual, steady game. You're the one chasing with inferior hands against his normally good starting hands. And while his head is on straight, yours is not. It's just that he played his cards to the best of his ability... the same as you were doing. Forget revenge — nobody did anything to you. If you can't get over a bad beat, then I want to play with you.
7. Bluffing a weak player. Simply stated, if you try and bluff a weak player, it makes you a weak player. Weak players don't lay down hands; they call you with anything and everything. Some hands you just won't make anything and that's all there is to it. The only players that can be bluffed are solid players, since they respect the cards and the game. If a weak player gets bluffed once, he will never get bluffed again, ever, for fear he may be laying down the winning hand. This player has to be able to sleep tonight with nothing on his mind. If you try and bluff weak players, then I want you in my game.
8. Calling with second pair after the flop. You hold J-Q and the flop is K-J-2. It is never correct to check and call in this position. It is only correct to check and fold, bet, raise, or fold. End of story, If you are second on the flop, chances are you will be second when the hand is over. Remember, it is what you save, not what you win that ultimately makes the difference between winning and losing. The chances of improving your hand are exactly the same as the player with the K, and he has you beat to begin with. This is a common mistake by many low limit weak players. You can't turn cat food into caviar, so why bother? If you keep calling with second pair then I want to play with you.
9. Check raising. Although I will get many arguments on this one, my position remains the same. Unless you are 100 per cent sure that someone will bet, you should always bet when you flop the best hand. If you check one of two things will happen: you will get in 0 or 2 bets. If you bet, you will get in 1 or 3 bets. Which one is better? Think about it. Check raising is a bad play in most cases. There are exceptions to this rule; however, for the most part, it is almost always correct to bet when you think you have the best hand. Unless, of course, you have the cold stone nuts and don't want to lose anyone. If check raising is your most common poker ploy then I want to play with you, for I will get some free cards and beat you wen I should have been out of the hand.
10. Raising with flush draws. Another beauty and a common mistake by weak opponents. Why on Earth would you want to raise with a flush draw and chase out players on belly shots, open end straight draws, 1 pair, etc. It just doesn't make sense. You want everyone in this pot in case you hit your card. Raising gets people out and in a low limit game; bluffing only works once in a blue moon. If you bet and someone else raises, that also knocks out potential revenue. The only time it's okay to bet is when everyone else checks and you are on the puck. Otherwise, just check and call. Raising on a flush draw accomplishes absolutely nothing except losing you money. You want as much money and players in this pot as possible, just in case you complete your draw. If you don't complete it, you're going to lose anyway. If you raise with flush draws, I want you in my game, for I am always looking for weak players.
By Brian Steinberg
Make no mistake about it. Hold'em is a game of patience and discipline — to win you need an abundance of both. I have played thousands of hours of low limit hold'em and every time I play I see the same mistakes by the same players every day, every hour. It's one of the main reasons I'm able to beat a low limit game consistently. You'll surely recognize yourself as one of the culprits of these bad plays.
1. Protecting your blinds. The next time some genius tells you to always protect your blinds, be happy, for you are now playing with a sucker — a fish, if you will. Blinds are part of the game to get the hand started and if you protect your blinds with weak hands, you are a loser and will continue to be one. So what if everyone folds and the puck raises your blind? What is it that you are protecting: $3, $5? The next time someone raises your blinds, ask yourself how much you stand to lose if you fold. Protecting your blinds only gets you into trouble when you flop top pair with a weak kicker, or you flop a draw. It's suicide. If you always protect your blinds, then I want to play with you. I'm always looking for weak opponents.
2. Playing a good starting hand that goes sour after the flop. I know that good starting hands are few and far between. However, it's the nature of the beast and you need to drop hands that go sour fast. I've seen it a million times over. You start with AK and the flop is J 9 4. You have nothing. Let me repeat that. You have absolutely nothing. Zilch.
Yet, you refuse to lay it down in case an Ace of a King hits the board. In the unlikely case that it does, you want to be there. Problem is, some guy is playing A9 or A4 and you end up losing even more money. Some player may have even flopped a set, so what is it that keeps you in? At this point (after the flop) the hand only stands you 1 or 2 bets. Lay it down and forget about it. Or you have KK with six players in the pot and an ace hits.
It's bet and raised, yet you still refuse to lay it down. Why? You're bet my friend, staying in when you know you're beat is bad strategy. If you refuse to lay down good hands that have gone sour then I want to play with you.
3. Playing suited cards. This is perhaps the most common of all bad plays. In every low limit game, you will run into players that refuse to lay down suited cards. Playing them will diminish your bankroll fast. Fact is, the chances of flopping two of your suit on the flop is roughly 8-1. On top of that you have to complete your draw, which you will, 1 in 3.4 times. You are also fighting the chance of the board pairing and making someone else a full house, or another player drawing to a higher flush. In most cases, you'll end up putting in an average of four bets to make your flush. In a 5-10 game that is roughly 25 bucks. You will win, on the average, once in every 14 tries: 14 x 25 = 350. Unless your average 5-10 pot is more than $350 (which I guarantee it is not) then you are fighting a losing battle. If you always play suited cards then I want to play with you.
4. Playing weak hands in early position. I could write a whole book about position play in hold'em, as it is the most crucial part of any low limit game. Playing marginal hands in early position is a common mistake that will hurt your bankroll. Hands like 10-9, 7-6, A-10, K, 10, J-10, Q-9, Q-10, J-9, 8-7, 5-6, etc. are weak hands in early position and should not be played for several reasons. First, you just don't have enough information to put in money with those types of hands. For instance, you don't know how many players will be in the pot; you don't know if the pot will be raised or even worse, double raised, and it puts you in a very precarious position, which you could have avoided. Play very tight in early position and loose in late position. If you never consider position, then I want to play with you.
5. Takin' it out on the dealers. Forget about being angry with the dealer. On the inside she's laughing at you, and doesn't really care whether you win or lose. Your anger is an attempt to make her feel guilty. She doesn't; she has dealt 1,000 times as many hands as you've ever played and each hand had at least one loser. Dealers know they're not responsible for the cards you get, nor how you play them. In that respect, they could just as well be robots that distribute cards. The dealers have nothing to do with the outcome; to think otherwise is ludicrous. By dwelling on this, your concentration will suffer as will your bankroll. If you blame the dealer for your hardships, then I want to play with you.
6. Revenge. A player just put a bad beat on you and you won't sleep tonight until you pay him back. Fat chance! You start reaching, chasing hands. You're going to show him a thing or two about poker. Most likely, unless you get very lucky, he's going to show you another winning hand and take even more of your money. Remember, he's not angry. On the contrary, he's probably quite happy with his wins and is playing his usual, steady game. You're the one chasing with inferior hands against his normally good starting hands. And while his head is on straight, yours is not. It's just that he played his cards to the best of his ability... the same as you were doing. Forget revenge — nobody did anything to you. If you can't get over a bad beat, then I want to play with you.
7. Bluffing a weak player. Simply stated, if you try and bluff a weak player, it makes you a weak player. Weak players don't lay down hands; they call you with anything and everything. Some hands you just won't make anything and that's all there is to it. The only players that can be bluffed are solid players, since they respect the cards and the game. If a weak player gets bluffed once, he will never get bluffed again, ever, for fear he may be laying down the winning hand. This player has to be able to sleep tonight with nothing on his mind. If you try and bluff weak players, then I want you in my game.
8. Calling with second pair after the flop. You hold J-Q and the flop is K-J-2. It is never correct to check and call in this position. It is only correct to check and fold, bet, raise, or fold. End of story, If you are second on the flop, chances are you will be second when the hand is over. Remember, it is what you save, not what you win that ultimately makes the difference between winning and losing. The chances of improving your hand are exactly the same as the player with the K, and he has you beat to begin with. This is a common mistake by many low limit weak players. You can't turn cat food into caviar, so why bother? If you keep calling with second pair then I want to play with you.
9. Check raising. Although I will get many arguments on this one, my position remains the same. Unless you are 100 per cent sure that someone will bet, you should always bet when you flop the best hand. If you check one of two things will happen: you will get in 0 or 2 bets. If you bet, you will get in 1 or 3 bets. Which one is better? Think about it. Check raising is a bad play in most cases. There are exceptions to this rule; however, for the most part, it is almost always correct to bet when you think you have the best hand. Unless, of course, you have the cold stone nuts and don't want to lose anyone. If check raising is your most common poker ploy then I want to play with you, for I will get some free cards and beat you wen I should have been out of the hand.
10. Raising with flush draws. Another beauty and a common mistake by weak opponents. Why on Earth would you want to raise with a flush draw and chase out players on belly shots, open end straight draws, 1 pair, etc. It just doesn't make sense. You want everyone in this pot in case you hit your card. Raising gets people out and in a low limit game; bluffing only works once in a blue moon. If you bet and someone else raises, that also knocks out potential revenue. The only time it's okay to bet is when everyone else checks and you are on the puck. Otherwise, just check and call. Raising on a flush draw accomplishes absolutely nothing except losing you money. You want as much money and players in this pot as possible, just in case you complete your draw. If you don't complete it, you're going to lose anyway. If you raise with flush draws, I want you in my game, for I am always looking for weak players.
