[scrawnybob]

hi Harry & candylicker

good points Harry - it's that old classic piece of poker advice - it depends

I have to confess to playing badly more than I'd like and sometimes well - consistency is something I'm hoping to get better at

It's also easy to look back at hands with 20/20 hindsight - in the heat of the game this isn't possible but definately worth trying to do

as well as patience being a very important component of winning (or not losing so much) poker

I think you need to practise very solid hand selection

but also constantly trying to put players on hands as the game unfolds - be constantly thinking what if / is he / why did he do that / did that help him / or me / or scare him / or me

scare cards are a big part of the game - I love playing a weaker hand as if I have exactly what they fear (the semi bluff) and even the all out bluff

the crucial thing to make a bluff work is to convince them you have what they really fear
if you have outs even better.

You can take down big pots with sometimes ridiculously low bets - solely because it triggers in their head "thats what I'd do if I was trying to kill him dead"

pot odds go out the window if you can really mess with someones head

all that said - if your cards really dont match up / you dont have any outs / you havent laid the seed of insecurity with a preflop raise / or a flat call when they expect a bluffing raise they will play you all the way.

You must always know where you are in a hand - even if you send out completely different signals to the other players

as Harry said - it's putting all the factors together - and having an idea when the opportunity out weighs the dangers and when you feel you can control the table

I stole a massive pot earlier with suited connectors on the button purely because I knew from the preflop raising that everyone was on big pairs and pictures -

I didnt even come close to actually making the hand I was on - but pre-flop I called some raises with a classic Doyle Bruson hand 78clubs - why ? because I knew if I made my hand either a straight or a weak flush (played hard) they would pay me off hansomely - if they slow play AA KK and let you in suddenly that guy in late position re-raising must have something worth playing - either way they're scared they 're beat when alsorts of things come up

On the other hand you need to see when someone really wants that hand - maybe they're bluffing (like I might) but if you haven't got enough to fight then give it up.

But then it depends lol - waiting for the nut hand and folding everything else won't be profitable - then you become a machine - and the only player who looses more money than a loose aggressive maniac is - yep a tight passive rock.

I hate to use motivational business speak but -

Think outside the box - but always know what and where the box is - (zen man yeah)

Anyway great to have you posting CandyLicker I think we've all been dying to get our teeth into some good poker discussions - it helps everyone look at the game and get better

cheers scrawnybob