BULLISH AT THE BUY-IN! It’s a long established tradition among experienced poker players that it’s always good to turn up at a game where nobody knows you and with the biggest stack you can afford. If people think you’re a high roller a majority of them will already give you respect and maybe tend to be overly cautious. This creates a beneficial atmosphere. The big stack is actually more useful in online games than at live games. Live games usually go on for hours and other players very quickly can assess if you really are a high roller or just someone who gained an early psychological advantage. In online games, where you can come and go at different tables, pretty much as you like, the tactic has longevity and can be employed many times during an evening. What defines a big stack? Well, if you’re in a £3-£6 game and the typical buy-in is £200, you should try to enter with a £400 stack. Usually that’ll send out the right signals. A side benefit of entering a game well financed is that it overcomes the restrictions placed by some sites on your ability to re-buy if you lose your initial stack. Small stacks can often be quite easily over-run by a short bad run which will often turn round in the course of a long, well funded session.
NO NEED TO PLAY BIG! Just because you enter a game with a big stack doesn’t put pressure on you to play big. A cautious player with a big stack may well be seen by most as someone who has built up a pile nicely at other tables. It keeps everyone guessing. If you get a good hand, go for it and then a little later follow it up with a bluff. A bluff works a lot better following a premium win and from someone with a big stack. It’s a bit like a good left-right-combination in a boxing match. Often effective.
POSTING EARLY When you first decide to join a table you have the choice to wait for the blinds to reach you, or you can right away post a blind. If you decide to wait it means you will not be able to play until the big blind gets round to you. If you post, you’ll be included in the next deal. On occasions where the blinds are just a few chairs away, generally it pays to wait. It also gives you time to “railbird” and check out the level of play and the characters involved. Posting blinds generally helps people who have a limited time available for a game prior to going out for the evening etc., or for impatient players who are desperate for some action. Make sure you’re the former, and keep an eye out for the latter. They’re likely to be loose.
ALL THE ACES poker column: Saturday, March 04, 2006: Aggressive Poker Action From The Buy-In
