Why you shouldn't treat poker TV as a poker school
FALSE IMPRESSIONS When I talk to people who are just beginning to get interested in online poker I’m frequently alarmed by the effect watching Texas Hold’em on TV has had on them. Usually TV’s main focus is on the final table and naturally people tune in to watch the drama of a big buck confrontation. This can leave new-comers with some dangerous assumptions. For example if a poker virgin sees World Number 1 Phil Ivey go all-in on a pair of Kings, as he did recently and most effectively, the conclusion drawn may well be that this is a clever play to make. Actually, it isn’t! In the majority of cases that isn’t the play you would make with a pair of Kings. The final table at a big tournament is a powder keg and if you’re a top line player like Ivey you have to “go with what you’ve got” by that stage in the competition. This doesn’t mean it’s a one-size-fits-all solution. Use the tutorials. Watch the progression of tournaments to see how great players vary their responses depending on what stage of the tournament they’re at. They may storm aggressively at the out-set to mop up any weak money but you’ll note they all change gears as the field thins out. Learn appropriate responses.
NEWCOMERS’ TEXAS HOLD'EM TIP Most people who take up poker for the first time enjoy the rush of playing for money and want to get into the action as much as possible. Understandable as that is it often leads to impatience over-riding good poker discipline. It’s quite boring folding one hand after another. New players who know perfectly well that their hole cards are not up to scratch often push chips into the pot just to be part of the action. This regularly leads to things not going well and the same impatience rolls onto the even deadlier ground of “chasing”. Chasing is when a loser panics and begins to chase what’s been lost by reacting in an even more irrational manner. This is reckless risk taking because it can become habitual and the one thing worse than boredom is losing! If the hand isn’t there in the hole cards and you’re a new player, fold them. When the right hole cards come along you’ll enjoy the action all the more if the odds are in your favour and you raid the pot. Discipline may sometimes be boring but it tends to lead to winning. Winning is NEVER boring. Finally, never play on recklessly to impress friends with your macho attitude to losing. If you have that tendency, don’t be a gambler because you’ll never be a good one.
