more poker thoughts..perfect table...looking to fold
there is a real good poker writer, mike caro, with whom i do not always agree but recently i have been thinking about a couple of his theories and how they have helped me. he has a column in one of the poker publications and his most recent one was about 'what is the right kind of table to look for' and it confirmed something i have always thought and it is something that a lot of players would disagree with:
to wit:
some players will tell you that they look for a table with lots of big pots and lots of action. i say, look for the table where there are lots of callers but hardly any raising. this, to me, (and to caro) is the ideal setup. these are what he calls, loose/timid tables which is as good a label as any. many times these players will come in with hands they are "hoping" to hit but will then fold when you raise putting a fair amount of "dead" money in the pot just to start. and, even better, they will come in at (in 1-2 game) for the two dollars with 7-8 off suit and then will call your pocket kings raise of 18 dollars and then have to fold on the flop when the law of numbers shows it's ugly head.
i have never understood how someone can call a 2 dollar bet and then call 18 more. if you have a 20 dollar hand why didn't you lead the raising? if you don't have a good hand why are you in the pot in early position anyway?
one of his other theories is that bad players look for reasons to call and good, money making players are looking for reasons to fold. i mean why get involved in a pot that you might win instead of getting involved in pots that you are going to win. unless you have a very, very good reason to believe that you have the best of it, why risk a large amount of your money? and the key word in that sentence is RISK. i am not looking to risk anything, i am looking to invest in a pot in which that i believe i have the best hand.
right now i am playing the best poker of the past two years that i have been playing no limit. i am tighter than ever and looking for reasons to lay 'em down. i am particular in what games i sit in and if the table is not "right", get a table change. my room change from mandalay bay to the mgm grand has been a major factor in my win ratio and i will go into that in another post.
anyway, all for now;
peace to us all.
to wit:
some players will tell you that they look for a table with lots of big pots and lots of action. i say, look for the table where there are lots of callers but hardly any raising. this, to me, (and to caro) is the ideal setup. these are what he calls, loose/timid tables which is as good a label as any. many times these players will come in with hands they are "hoping" to hit but will then fold when you raise putting a fair amount of "dead" money in the pot just to start. and, even better, they will come in at (in 1-2 game) for the two dollars with 7-8 off suit and then will call your pocket kings raise of 18 dollars and then have to fold on the flop when the law of numbers shows it's ugly head.
i have never understood how someone can call a 2 dollar bet and then call 18 more. if you have a 20 dollar hand why didn't you lead the raising? if you don't have a good hand why are you in the pot in early position anyway?
one of his other theories is that bad players look for reasons to call and good, money making players are looking for reasons to fold. i mean why get involved in a pot that you might win instead of getting involved in pots that you are going to win. unless you have a very, very good reason to believe that you have the best of it, why risk a large amount of your money? and the key word in that sentence is RISK. i am not looking to risk anything, i am looking to invest in a pot in which that i believe i have the best hand.
right now i am playing the best poker of the past two years that i have been playing no limit. i am tighter than ever and looking for reasons to lay 'em down. i am particular in what games i sit in and if the table is not "right", get a table change. my room change from mandalay bay to the mgm grand has been a major factor in my win ratio and i will go into that in another post.
anyway, all for now;
peace to us all.
posted by Ron Shock | 4:01 PM
2 Comments:
Hey Ron, I agree about "looking to fold" being of prime importance. I read somewhere that most loose, agressive players tend to believe that they are more "lucky" than everyone else - and that they also look for reasons to call, assuming that their luck will come through for them.
I consider the ability to make a good laydown akin to playing good defense in other sports - to carry the analogy further, good offense will win you some pots, but good defense will make you a winning player.
I ran into you a couple of years back at MB - I'm looking forward to reading about your thoughts on the switch to MGM (and any other info you want to dish on any other casino cardrooms would be greatly appreciated).
Take Care,
Jim
Hey Ron,
The other night I had KK in late position. I raised and had one caller UTG. The flop comes 7-8-K rainbow. The guy makes a small bet and I just call. The turn is a 2, and he makes another small bet and I call. The river is a seven, he bets big and I put him all-in. Turns out he had 7-8 offsuit! I trapped that fool all the way, and won a $600 pot!
On another hand, I limped in with AK in middle position. A player in late position raises, I call, and everyone else folds. The flop is K-J-8 rainbow. I make a large bet and he raises me all-in. So here I put the guy on a set and folded. I think I saved a lot of money by doing that. Like you said, you need to look for excuses for throwing away hands, instead of looking for reasons to continue playing them. And the money you save really adds up! I cashed out $1,400 that night!
California Slim
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