Free Advice

Free advice is usually worth what you pay for it. That is one thing you may get a lot of in a poker game. It used to be that nobody told anyone else how to play at the table. If you did you would hear from an old timer, "Don't smarten up the players kid". I'm sure you've heard of U.H.K., the school of hard knocks. That was my university. I didn't understand the odds and all the charts in the books, I had to experience it directly. After over 30 years of playing poker I have learned much. I have played with many of the pros and have learned from them and also beat them out of tournaments many times. The numbers and odds make sense to me now. Overcoming a $5 rake game plus tips is now more clear to me. In Vegas the rake is only $2 or the house takes time collection. But in California the drop is $5 in most houses. Players may say the the action of the game over rides the rake. That may be but you need to get out after a win even if it is a short time. If you win 10 pots and are a $1 tipper then you've paid out $60 to the house. It has more of an impact when you see it in black and white otherwise you just don't feel it.

A friend of mine asked me for advice on how to tighten up his play and I will answer him here. The best advice I have ever gotten is Position, Position, Position. It is not a bad beat when you open the pot with K Q off suit and stand all the raises behind you because you say you're trapped. Worse yet some people raise with this in front position. There are many exceptions for all the rules, BUT DON'T TRAP YOURSELF. Play your off suit big cards in back position. Don't get stuck paying off an Ace with no kicker. The game is really won by the hands that you don't play . Start off winner and then play too many hands and you will lose your money back. On the button you can make a move once in a while. Suited connectors are BIG in a tight game but only in back position. My personal style is tight in a wild game and loosen up in a snug game. Remember to throw the non premium hands away unless you are back position OR unless you are playing a rush (tricky advice).