SEMI-CONNECTORS Semi-connectors are hole cards like ten-Queen of clubs or nine-Jack of hearts and I’m a big fan of them. Why do I like them? Well, they’re what professionals might refer to as a “concealed hand”. If they go on to produce that straight or flush, your opponents won’t see it developing on the flop. It takes them by surprise. Obviously if the flop doesn’t give you at least two of the cards you’re looking for then it’s time to fold but I would always play semi-connectors initially as long as there are no big pre-flop raises ahead of you.
STEALING THE BUTTON Clearly the best position in poker is to be the “button” (the dealer) as you get the opportunity to see what everyone else is doing before you have to act. So what does it mean to try and “steal the button”? Okay, you’re sitting two seats to the right of the button at a full table and you receive reasonable hole cards that you are happy to play. You make a strong pre-flop raise to try to get the player and the “button” to your left to fold. A big pre-flop raise will normally clear out well over half of a full table of ten players so there’s an excellent chance you’ll flush away the two players you’ve targeted. This effectively gives you all the late positional advantages of being on the “button”. You’ve “stolen” prime position!
MOUSE IN MID-AIR If you are a compulsive online poker player spending hours honing your skills at the PC screen you might want to treat yourself to a new mid-air mouse available now. Obviously it’s wireless like any number of mice you can buy for a fiver or so but with these babies you can wander around the room and stay in control of your playing as they operate from mid-air. No desk contact needed. Better think about buying one after a big win though. They start at around eighty pounds! However, they’re a nice customised piece of kit and fit neatly over your hand, providing you with considerable freedom of movement and those essential Jeremy Clarkson talking points: “Faster, slicker, better, sexier! I want one!”
ONLINE EVERY TIME A very good pal of mine has just returned from the new thirty table poker room at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “Did you win?” was my first question. “No! But it was a lesson well learned,” was the muted response. Apparently the MGM’s re-fit was so expensive they couldn’t afford enough material for their ever-hovering hot cocktail waitresses to wear more than a sweet wrapper. “It was IMPOSSIBLE to concentrate. It’s online Hold’em now until I’ve won everything back!” My pal’s experience points up one of the more obvious advantages of online play: The ability to focus! If you’re heading for the MGM sounds like sunglasses with blinkers might a good bet?
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ALL THE ACES poker column: Monday, May 29, 2006: "Poker Semi-Connectors, Button Stealing, the Mid-Air Mouse and MGM Grand Poker Hostesses"
