How Good Are Your Foes

When I first began playing poker more than 40 years ago in California and Nevada, the game was different. It was not nearly as sophisticated as it has grown over the past years, thanks to the Internet and all the strategy books that have been published.

Players aren't nearly as sophisticated as they are today. Software had not been invented to improve your chances of winning. In short, the game was much more simple and easier to beat.

Poker players were drinkers, and I am not talking mineral water.Alcohol was the liquid that fueled the game. It was nothing for a poker game to last two, three or even four games without a break. Players would fall asleep at a table in the middle of a hand. It was crazy. It was poker.

Today the game has changed. The quality of the players has been dramatically altered. Some games, I hate to say, are nearly unbeatable. You can beat one or two or even three players. But when all of the other players are equally skilled, it is very tough to prevail.

But most poker players ignore the facts. We are stubborn and we keep tilting against the windmills despite the results. It isn't smart but it's poker and we play the game, come hell or high water.

With the proliferation of casinos and an increased number of poker rooms, there is a choice for the average poker player. It may not be convenient, but here it is: find a better game to play.

I try to find the easiest game in town. That means avoiding the tough ones. When I discover an easy game of beginning players or players who simply don't understand the sophisticated players that are prevailing in the bigger games, that is the game I play.

Here is an example of what I mean. When you enter a casino, you must sign up for the games you want to play. Generally the casino management permits you to sign up for three games. I generally spread those games as to the amount of buy-ins. When my name is called, I sit down and play, even if that particular game is not my favorite.

If the game I was selected for is made up of passive players who do not aggressively raise and who let me be one of the few raisers at the table, I feel very comfortable about my chances of winning.

The strategy is really very simple. When you have a good hand, it requires a raise to maximize your chances of winning as well as the amount you can win. And when you know the chances of your being raised are very slim, you can play hands you would otherwise toss away.

Now there is another element that affects some poker rooms, and that is the must-move policy. Let's say there is a popular $8-16 game. The house spreads two or three such games, but each time a seat is vacated in the mail game, the poker room management moves a player from one of the supporting games to the main game.

This is good for the house, but bad for a player who has become comfortable playing against non-aggressive opponents. Because you are essentially being forced to leave a winning game to enter a game of great risk.

I have developed my own strategy to counter-act the must-move strategy. I simply pick up my chips and take a break from the game. The usual house rules are to keep such a player from re-entering the game for an hour. That's fine with me. I can take a coffee break or visit the swimming pool and pick up a tan. Then it's back into action at a game I can beat. Good luck. Let the true games begin.

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 ).