Develop laser like concentration, and play poker like a shark!
FOCUS THERAPY! With Christmas just around the corner poker fans desperately seeking that perfect present might want to consider buying a mate one of the upgraded “Remain focused to the final table” hypnotherapy CDs. They claim to be able to re-train some of your behavioural habits by speaking to your subconscious mind directly (Whoooo! Spooky). A female poker pal of mine from Manchester has road-tested one of these CDs for me and claims she is focused in laser-like fashion as never before. Good news I thought until I began to quietly note the side effects which rather alarmingly include an inability to blink, think or drink anything but Texas Hold’em. Useful at the PC or the felt but a tad boring after a day or two socially. She’s been nicknamed “The Mancunian Candidate” and de-listed from my date-a-mate roster. I’d buy six-packs or the Daily Star “All the Aces” book if I were you. Safer prezzies all round than brain-bending CDs.
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RELATIVES AT XMAS-HO HUM! Everything is relative and not just at this time of year. Whether or not you are a good poker player usually depends on who you are playing against. If you’re playing two drunks and an ASBO who thinks he’s Matt Damon in “Rounders”, probably you’re going to shine. More seriously, selecting the right game to play in can be crucial as to how you get on during an evening’s play. If you sit down in a no limit cash game and a big stack player is lording it over the table you need to have the discipline to up and leave. There’s not a lot of point sitting it out while Mr Fatwad keeps coming in over the top of you every time you try something. You need to be able to assess the players you’ve joined swiftly. How many players are seeing the flop? How many pre-flop raises are being launched and by whom? Just simply monitoring stack sizes will tell you an awful lot about the crew opposing you. What kind of a tale do the cards reveal after showdowns? Do they betray players who are over-betting weak hands or under-valuing top hands? It’s all there to be assessed at speed. If a table doesn’t feel or look right relative to your skill set, move on. The beauty with online play is it doesn’t matter “how it looks” to your fellow players. Just switch tables and find the environment that flatters your game. Setting aside the huge cash windfall to their bank balance you wouldn’t expect Accrington Stanley to be that confident about playing at Stamford Bridge? They might risk Charlton on current form, but you can see where I’m coming from. Great generals always attempt to choose the turf they are going to fight on. Do the same.
