Telling Your Opponent Your Poker Hand as a Poker Strategy

Telling Your Opponent Your Poker Hand as a Poker Strategy

Poker players have always been known to be less then truthful at the table. We all at one stage or another have lied about the cards we are holding after a brilliant bluff. My last trip to Crown Casino taught me that being a player quite the opposite by telling the truth can help in NL Texas Holdem!

Who would believe you when you tell them EXACTLY what you are holding? I would not have, until my recent discovery – some players use telling the truth as a magnificent poker strategy.

I was sitting playing a cash game with a few pros, nothing serious to most of us but for some more then serious. I was sitting in the big blind with a J and 2 of Spades. There were 2 limpers and i checked. Down came the flop 5, 7, and 9 of spades. I felt immediate joy when seeing this, but then immediately was distracted. Mr Texas Hold’em Poker Pro (will leave name anonymous) burst into laughter and hysterically started telling the table how he had flopped a straight flush.

Wow, what to do? Time to be a truth sleuth! Was he lying as we all normally do? Would he call with 6 and 8 of spades from first position? Was this just trash talk?

The hysterical laughter continued as did talk amongst the table. Mr Poker Pro had been calling EVERYTHING with a stack massive compared to most. Indeed it was possible he would have called with 6, 8 of spades! No risk taking – he looked too delighted – I was FOLDING!

The young man next to me had different ideas though. He was very serious. There was a big raise from Mr Poker pro and immediately he says “I call”. Mr Poker Pro was almost crying with laughter now. He said to the young man “What the hell are you doing man? I just told you; I have flopped a straight flush!” The young man replies “I am not listening to your table talk trash!” Poker Pro says “Well; I will raise you all in then if you are stupid enough to call”.

The turn saw Mr Poker Pro raise The Young Man ALL-IN! Instantly the young man says “I call, I have the nuts, Ace high flush!”

Mr Poker Pro fell off his seat laughing, crying and acting like he had just seen the funniest thing EVER. He couldn’t even sit up to show his cards as he rolled around floor of the poker room. Was he telling the truth? Did my sleuthing, my analysis and determination that someone would tell the truth pay off for me (although would have been beaten by the young man’s Ace high flush anyway).

When Mr Poker Pro got to his feet with tears rolling out of his eyes and flipped those cards, the Young Man went CRAZY! Indeed Mr Poker Pro had told the truth. Abuse now came from the young man’s mouth. Mr Pros reply was “quieten down, I was trying to save you money, there is no law against telling you my hand!”

Indeed – telling the truth can be a good poker strategy, also; being a truth sleuth can save you a lot of money if you detect correctly! It can also save you a lot of heartache. Just look at the movie "Mett the Parents" as an example of winning with the truth!

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Dress for Poker Success!

Dress for Poker Success!

Every time we go somewhere we wear certain clothing to suit the location and function, and also the purpose of our outing. If going to the beach, we would wear our swimwear, to a cocktail party; a cocktail dress or suit. To be dressed suitable for each outing serves a purpose. To swim successfully of course we need swimmers. To discuss business at a cocktail function we cannot wear our sportswear. Our attire serves a purpose. The attire worn during a poker tournament has the same reasoning as swimmers and a cocktail gown. The attire serves a purpose.

Many people think that attire makes little difference, but it makes a huge difference for most of us, especially novice and amateur poker players!

To wear glasses hides our eyes; some say our eyes are the windows to our souls – the last thing we want to show at a poker table is what our “soul” is feeling and thinking. Wearing sun glasses is necessary attire for almost every poker player – unless they play with their eyes closed!

To wear a cap at a poker table can hide some obvious “signs” (tells) also – firstly they aid in shading the eyes from view a little more; they also cover points such as our temples which in some people can be seen pulsating a million miles per hour during times of stress.

Wearing a hoody or collared shirt is another must! Indeed the pulsating neck can be a dead giveaway.

Wear all attire that has a purpose during a poker tournament or cash game. We may look like idiots when wearing such items as caps and hoodies, but to not wear them and lose all your chips you are going to look stupider!

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Omaha hahaha

Omaha hahaha

Although the game of Omaha has been around for a very long time, takes a lot of skill, and is far from an easy game, many people laugh it off! “You are playing Omaha; hahaha”. I am often asked what I am doing, and when I say playing Omaha that is usually the response.

No Limit Texas Hold’em is seen as the KING of poker. Let me tell you though that Omaha is no laughing matter. For anyone who hasn’t played Omaha, it is a very difficult game to master. Omaha is also a game which can be very profitable over time, especially with new comers fooling around and making a joke of this serious game. In realistic terms Omaha is the same as Texas Hold’em, but as many would know you are dealt four hole cards instead of two. Most players who are in-experienced in this game see this as making it easier to play when in fact having 4 cards makes it harder. Let’s say we have trip 7’s in our hand as our hole cards. We can only use 2 of them. An inexperienced player can see this hand as a great hand! They immediately think they have trips!

Think again, in every aspect! Omaha is far from easy and having a good hard look at the rules, Omaha strategy and skill needed for it is a must before hitting an online poker table. Don’t laugh off Omaha, give it a go!

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Auto Select Feature Can Be the Devil!

Auto Select Feature Can Be the Devil!

The auto select feature on an online poker tables can be a handy little tool, especially when multi-tabling (playing on multiple tables). This tool can also be the devil though. I learnt a hard lesson the other day, one I will not forget while using this feature. Don’t get me wrong! Again, I say that this internet poker tool can be a highly handy one indeed. Forever will I use it for FOLDING, auto call/check though I am now not so certain! ;)

Here’s why: I was deep into a tournament only 2 days ago and leading by a mile. Blinds were 800/400; antes had kicked in. I was sitting in the 1st place with 29k+ in chips; the 2nd player was on 25k chips. Third place was on 7k chips and from third down, the chip stack obviously was lower. A massive 22k lay in front of everyone in the pot. I thought I had another tourney wrapped up! BUT! I used the auto call button!

In online gaming; bad beats are quite common; though not usually inflicted upon you by yourself! I had 4, 5 of clubs for the 3rd time in a row, this time in the big blind and in an emotional burst I decided that I would play it this time! There was a raise of only $800 (minimum raise) till then. As I clicked “CALL”, 2nd in chips went all in with their 25k – since I was multi-tabling I could not change the option to fold quick enough, the other online poker players following this person had “auto fold” already clicked. And there I was! Up against pocket aces, my little 4 and 5 of clubs stood no chance. My stack was all but gone.

From now on I will use the auto feature to FOLD ONLY! This is a choice we can make and always a personal choice for each of us. So here is a wise lesson learnt through the loss of big money. A nice weekly wage down the drain and me final table bubble girl!

Though this won’t classify as a classical example of a bad beat, it is said that “bad beats happen and that’s poker!”

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The Negative Poker Killer

The Negative Poker Killer

Each day, most of us play a game of poker; either online poker or at a casino. Sometimes, for no known reason we have a losing streak. No matter what we do we can’t seem to win. With the losing streak and inability to win comes a huge amount of personal negativity. Let me tell you, without canning this negativity, this streak will not end.

As we sit at a poker table we vision what lies ahead in our poker tournament. Those who sit down saying to themselves “here we go again, time to lose” – lose! The negative energy they have embedded into themselves convinces them they can’t win. It kills their game, kills their chance of winning whatsoever. A person in a state of negativity will be holding pocket aces and wonder: who is going to be the player cracking my aces? Their aces seem to be cracked every time! Their focus is more on the cracking than playing them right.

Killing your game with negativity is a hard thing to avoid at times. Many people say “I am on a losing streak, when will this end?” This comment alone shows negativity; while you are negative, the losing streak won’t end! With a negative outlook you are setting yourself up for a loss in any poker variant, texas hold’em, Omaha, stud; basically, any internet poker game!

It has always been a suggestion from various people on poker forums to have a break when you are losing. I say simply kick the negativity and focus on the poker tournament AT HAND. Forget the losses and leave them behind. Clear your mind, clear your thoughts and start THIS game as one separated from the previous games you played and lost in. You do it when you win: “Wuuhuu! I won; next game”. The same applies to losses; “Next Game!”

Leave the past behind on the poker table, and of course, in life itself.

Danielle AKA – Hot Aussie Chick

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