Plus, poker beginner's dos and don'ts and raising your poker game
MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT Giving your opponents as many difficulties as possible is part of your duty as a new aggressive poker player. I’m always banging on about “pumping ‘em or dumping ‘em!” so let’s look at some of the advantages behind this attitude to your hole cards. First off, keep the basics of this strategy in mind. Never call if you’re the first player to enter a pot prior to the flop coming down. Pump the pot with a raise if you have the goods or dump them if you don’t. If you’re hand isn’t good enough for a raise it just isn’t good enough, period. Taking this approach makes it extremely difficult for opposing players to get any kind of a read on you. The only signal you’re sending out is that you’re aggressive. The bonus effect of taking this line when you are first to enter the pot is that the big blind never gets to see a flop for nothing. It’s always nice to make an enemy from the get-go. It sort of sets the tone.
LITERALLY RAISE YOUR GAME Raising gives your opponents immediate discomfort. They are forced into making a decision. Folding only betrays the fact you are a discerning player. Limping tells everyone you’re weak and, unless you’re smart enough to be setting a trap, you’ll be steamrollered. That’s the basics of pumping or dumping. Not complicated, but important.
BEGINNERS’ DO’S AND DON’TS Here’s a simple mind-set for you to maintain when you’re starting out as an online player. Do not make the error of mistaking luck for good play or bad play for bad luck. Be very focused on your own game. Keep track of it with simple notes and analyse why something is going wrong, if it is. Don’t emotionalise winning or losing. Just look at the hand histories and draw a logical conclusion. This is the real learning process that all developing players must put themselves through. A lot of the very best players are quite cold individuals. Apart from a few mad characters who are after TV coverage and subsequent sponsorship follow ups, the rest of the best remain calm under almost all circumstances.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: How do I know if I’m playing a person or a robot online? A: The simple answer is: You don’t! But the truth is: What does it matter? The robot, if it slip through the net, which is unlikely these days, is programmed by a human being. As you and I are programmed by all the poker influences that have come our way, I see no difference. Also, I’ve played a robot. No difference. You win some, you lose some.
Q: What should I do if I upset another player online? A: As long as you haven’t stepped outside the bounds of reasonable behaviour, you needn’t worry. After all, anyone who loses to you, is by any normal bench-mark, bound to be upset by you.
