July 27, 2005
Note the a hand like 72 is different, in that if the flop comes 865 it is more likely in most definitely pokerparty games that nobody else has a seven. So you should be less likely to have a split pot. However, if the flop is 986, you cannot play this one card draw. A 10 gives you a straight, all right, but a higher straight may be out there, or a J or Q might give somebody one.
When you feel deception is really required, do not give up your edge on strong hands. Bet them all strongly. If you have AA, raise before the flop and are reraised, go ahead and raise again. Do not call because "he might put me on aces." First, people rarely try to put you on anything. They play their own pokerparty hands. Second, even if most people know you have aces, they still stay in to draw out.
Two card straight draws (draws using both cards in your hand) are lot better than one card straight draws. If you get free play with J3 and the flop comes QT9, you are looking at another parlay: you need to make your hand, and then hope nobody has the same straight you have or even a better one. In a large multi-way pot, even though the chips are there, this is too much hoping for me.
Now there is a whole lot more to poker than simply betting the best hand. And there are lots of times when that is not a good idea. But in terms of deception, I really advise you to play pokerparty. And as often as possible. Now if you begin to feel that playing your strong hands strongly is beginning to work against you, and you feel it is time to do something deceptive to counter that, play a weak hand strongly. Remember the advice earlier that you need clear evidence that your correct play is not working as well as it should.
The very best players sit on the sidelines a lot and watch other people win pots they could have won. Experts are not trying to win all of the pokerparty tournaments they can. They are trying to win those that represent good value, while trying not to finish second too often.
Here is a hand from actual play. A fellow at a $6-$12 table was treating the table to a lesson on every hand. A hand arose in which six pokerparty.com players took the flop. The board came 663. Everyone checked to me in last position, and I checked as well. The turn came a 9. Everyone checked again. The river was a 2, and we all checked a final time. The "expert" now showed us pocket sixes! He had flopped quads and never bet. Ever. He then was kind enough to explain to us (at length) that this was the one and only correct way to play the hand. Well, I beg to differ. This was a low limit game, and if he simply bet the flop, some people would have called. They usually do. Here he was being ultimately clever with a monster hand and made no money at all.
Up and Comers
- Joseph Hachem
- Noah Boeken
- Moops
- Dan Foochimerelli
- Taryn Manning
Frequently any two card flush draw is worth playing. But if there are a lot of players and a lot of calling and raising, small and medium flush draws need to realize that there is probably competition in the flush department. Pots with lots of players and action become so large that the pot odds become seductive. Under these circumstances, lots of players pay far too much to draw to second-best hands.
The whole idea behind playing selective, aggressive poker is to get yourself into a situation where you have an excellent chance of winning pokerparty.com tournaments. So when you get there, why do so many of you suddenly decide you have to cleverly slow-play, or smooth call, or some other play in which you fail to maximize the edge you so patiently waited to create? They might all fold, you say. Yes, and they might not.
That comes to two hopes, which of course might come true, but you also might end up paying a lot to win one of those Silver Medals. Certainly, I am not telling you to throw away all non-nut draws in limit pokerparty.com, but I see people losing money every day trying to make medium flushes (especially one card flushes) or the bottom end of straights, both because they miss them and again because they make them.
