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Selective Aggression
The recent success of the WPT
(World Poker Tour) is really great for the poker world. I don't think
anyone can argue the contrary. It's getting more people in the
pokerrooms, more players in tournaments and it's sharpening poker's
image as a game of skill.
There's been a huge amount of poker scenes on television in the last
year. Shows like CSI and Las Vegas both had episodes where someone says
poker is a great game where skill plays an important part. The fact that
we get to see the player's hole cards on the WPT not only makes for
great entertainment, but it also let's us dig into the mind and thought
processes of sensational players. Armed with this information, the
studious and experimented player can really improve his game. My friends
and I often say we are blessed to have started playing poker years
before the WPT so we can truly understand what's going on.
For the new players, however, it can be disastrous. Raising with J6o
without grasping the reasoning behind it, because your saw Gus Hansen do
it, can be pretty damaging to your bankroll. Moves like this are often
made because a player is attacking a weaker player or a smaller stack.
And he usually will have position on him. You have to understand this.
When you see an expert player call a raise with a weaker hand like 54s,
it's easy to start doing the same thing. What you need to get is that
he's calling with a hand that's not likely to be dominated and that he
probably has great implied odds on his opponent. He's calling with 54s
and folding KJ. It's the opposite of what typical player do. The reason
is that he can get himself in trouble with the KJ, if he's against AK,
KQ, AJ, JJ, QQ, KK, or AA. With 54s, should he hit 2 pair or better, he
can get a nice payoff with what should be the best hand most of the
time. There are so many details involved in a typical poker decision
that you can't get better at it by watching TV.
For those close to the game, there has been a
noticable increase in the number of these weak plays by new players.
Players are moving all-in for $1500 in a $60 pot. Players are bluffing
calling stations. Players are trying to bully bigger stacks. Although
being aggressive is absolutely essential to your poker success, you have
to be selectively aggressive. This means picking your spots, picking the
right opponent, picking the right stack the right moment.
If you are new to the poker world, watch the World Poker Tour mainly for
the entertainment. Read the books, practice what the books teach. Then
read them again. Once you become a winning poker player, you'll start to
grasp the concepts behind these bold plays, and understand why they are
made, and when you should make them.
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