WHAT MAKES A GOOD PLAYER? What makes a good poker player? That’s the essential question anyone who becomes interested in the game should be asking. To be a good player a general knowledge of percentages is a great help. For example, professional players will know they have approximately one chance in eight of landing a set (three of a kind) at the flop, if they’re holding a pocket pair. Similarly, they’ll be aware they have one chance in three of completing a flush draw at the flop. Good players are also alert to the importance of “outs”. Outs are simply the number of cards you need to improve your hand. Just count your outs, multiply them by two, then add one, and that will give you the rough percentage shot you have for landing your hand. Knowledge of outs carries little value unless you can turn it into sensible, calculated betting. The purpose of understanding outs is so that you can figure out your all important pot odds.
HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT Let’s say your outs calculations offer you a twenty percent chance of landing your hand. What do you do with this info? Easy. Once you’ve worked out your chance of hitting your hand, you divide the size of the pot at the river (the current state of the pot plus the amount you think will likely be added through future bets) by the amount you have wagered. If your chances are 20% of hitting and the bet to you is $50 and you reckon the pot at the river will be more than $250, you call! If not, you fold. These basic math skills are the bullets in your gun if you want to become a serious poker assassin.
BLACKJACK BREAKS! A lot of you take “blackjack breaks” when you get stressed out after a lengthy Hold’em session. For those of you who haven’t tried the therapy here are a few tips. Always remember the more decks the house uses the greater the house advantage. Seek out low-deck games. If the dealer hits a seventeen don’t forget you automatically have the edge so use it. Any limits imposed on what combinations you are allowed to “double-down” on increases the house advantage against you. A lot of sites will only allow you to double down on a ten or eleven and not after splitting. These are all good points to keep in mind and make sure you check out the rules before playing as these vary from site to site. In general blackjack doesn’t require the brain-strain needed to stay afloat in poker and makes a good wind-down diversion, especially if you’ve gone on tilt for a while.
