Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe!

Do you ever have those days when you can't decide on what poker games you want to play at your favorite casino?

I am not ashamed to admit it has happened to me. And I know it has happened to my poker-playing friends.

Most poker players don't confine themselves to one game. They pride themselves on being able to play all or most of the games that a poker room offers. While money limitations may keep them from the higher priced games, they are curious enough to want to know the basic rules and strategies for all the games the poker room offers.

That is where the problem lies...

There are various factors that go into my thinking when I am trying to determine what game I should play on any given day. The bad beat jackpot is one of them. If the Texas Hold'em jackpot is $38,000 and the Omaha High-Low jackpot is sitting at $12,000, naturally I will be inclined to choose the Hold'em game.

The Makeup at the Tables is Another Factor

If I see the toughest players are at a certain table, I will avoid that game and pick an easier one. I consider myself a good player, but I am not a nut. I want a game where I have at least half a chance of leaving at the end of the evening with more money in my pocket than I started with.

But just because...

...you pick a game doesn't mean the results will turn out in your favor. You can play Texas Hold'em for hours and run into a series of disgusting hands that will make you wish you were on the golf course or at the beach instead of playing poker.

Here is how I handle game selection

The maximum number of games you can sign up for at most poker rooms is three. I will sign up for three and then take the first game that has an open seat.

I will play anywhere from one to three hours. If at the end of that time I am winning and feeling good about the game, I will stay there.

But if I am losing...

I will check with the floor people to see where my name is on the list for the other games that interest me.

This system has worked very well for me over the years and I think it will benefit you as well.

It takes different mindsets to win at Texas Hold'em than it does to win at Omaha High-Low. In Hold'em you are dealt only two cards while in Omaha, you are given four. Big difference.

By being careful in the games I choose to play, I stay in charge of the game instead of letting it be in charge of me. I don't want to stay in a game where I am losing. It's no fun and it makes no sense, so I simply don't do it.

To win at poker

you need to get momentum going. And that means the cards need to come to you. If the cards fail to come, you won't get a rush and it takes rushes to help a player get in the winner's seat.

If the cards fail to come, I will leave the table and walk through the casino, leaving my chips on the table. I might play a little video poker just to clear my mind. Or I might have a drink at one of the bars.

Once my break is over...

...I return to the poker game, full of determination to get things rolling. And in time it does happen. The law of probability takes over and the cards begin to flow in your favor.

We have been trying to encourage the poker room management at Wild Horse Pass and Talking Stick to offer players more mixed games.

They are reluctant, but they are listening to us and I think it will eventually happen. This goes for cash games as well as tournaments.

My friend Ron plays poker six days a week. He works as a computer programmer during the day and plays at night. On Saturdays, he takes his wife and two kids to Sedona or the Grand Canyon for the day. They enjoy the Pink Jeep Tour or search for rocks and have some great family time together.

'I know poker is addictive and I don't want to become a slave to the game,' Ron said. 'It's hard to maintain control of my emotions when I play, but I do my best.'

So do I. And I hope you follow suit.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).