Even if you just play free online poker you’ll know that your pure game play skills are a major factor in your success, especially if you have any ambition to play for serious money. But have you ever considered just how important the types of games you play in relative to your skill levels are?
For example, there’s an old story about a poker pro who was the sixth best player in the world but never made any money. That was because he chose to only play against the top five best players in the world. The moral of the story is that you make money when you possess a clear edge over your opponents.
Don’t be overconfident
Everyone wants to be the best and play the best. It’s a matter of pride. However, unless your name is Phil Ivey, you probably won’t have an advantage over every opponent in every game. It’s also important to recognize that even the top poker pros will sometimes step down a level and play lesser competition because it’s more profitable.
If you can’t beat players at lower level cash games, you shouldn’t try to play at higher level cash games. You’re going to go broke trying. Start out on free texas holdem poker games if you need to and work up from there.
This is the way of it online and offline. I remember one time, for instance when I came across a $1/2 no limit Texas Holdem game at a minor casino in a small Florida town. In 2 hours I just about doubled my money while not taking a single pot. The players there were very passive and loose and I was able to pressure them with large bets and got paid off for relatively strong hands. This is a great example of picking the right table!
I also remember one time when I played for five hours in a $1/2 no-limit hold’em game at a five-star hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. I barely broke even. The players were tight and aggressive and played back at me when I tried to put a move on them. I knew afterward that I picked the wrong table.
What kind of game to look for
The first thing to keep in mind is your bankroll. If you can’t afford to play $5/10 live or $.50/1 online, then you shouldn’t do it. You should move down to a more affordable level even free texas hold em if necessary.
Next, your skill. Be honest now, can you compete at this level? If you can’t or are not sure (and not sure means you probably can’t) then drop down a level or even 2. If needs be play free texas holdem or micro stakes in order to hone your skills and build self confidence.
Once you’ve decided the level you can beat, you then need to be choosy about the particular table you want to sit at. Ideally, you want to play at a table where you see players making a lot of fundamental errors like playing too many hands or playing too passively. A loose and passive table is probably the most profitable table. A loose game will allow you to win big pots because players will call you down with weak hands, and a passive game affords you the opportunity to hit your draws cheaply and bully your opposition.
You won’t always be able to find a ridiculously loose and passive table. However, with a bit of observation, you can probably figure out how beatable a game is before you sit down. It’s good to be a good player, but being a money-making good player requires skill in the fine art of game selection. If you’ve not really looked at games this way before practice games selection on micro, low or free texas hold em sites first before working up.
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May 17, 2010
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