There was a time when almost everyone involved with the poker community had a respect for the game. Granted, it was many years ago. And, with the exponential online participatory growth that has occurred in the last decade, what was a game played by those who occasionally flirted with Lady Luck, and always sought knowledge of poker strategies for the sole purpose of improving their play, has now become a circus environment for many of the countless millions who have joined the Internet’s world of free poker gaming….the Internet’s world of online poker madness.

The majority of the added players have entered the ‘Hallowed Screens of Imaginary Felt’ with about as much command of poker skills as would a day laborer deploying his lack of medical skills in a trauma surgery at a prestigious hospital; he’d clearly bastardize the use of all the accepted surgical tools, much like the added Internet poker players bastardize the use of all the accepted poker tools.

Or, is it possible that the added players just don’t know anything about the accepted poker tools?
And, possibly of greater consequence, would it better serve our interests to leave these herds of misguided ‘Farm Animals’ out to pasture, while we proceed through the process of ‘Building a Bankroll’. I’ll choose the latter, and, in so doing, I’ll invite you to join me in the process of turning an initial ten cent gift, and a daily 26 cent gift, into tens or hundreds of dollars.

And, if you chose to join me, please understand that I am going to put forth eleven Articles; one per month (12 in total, since Article 5 will be in 2 parts). Each will offer a brief tutorial, or, render unsolicited advice, as to how you can build your bankroll here at NoPayPoker.

However, I should add, that the monthly council offered up by me, may not be the very best way of increasing your poker-related net worth at ‘real money’ poker playing enclaves. In short, the Articles are specifically intended for the sole purpose of winning Freed’s at NoPayPOKER (where 100 FreeD’s equal $1 (US)).

You may, or may not, have heard this said: “It’s more difficult to win while playing against ‘bad’ players, than it is to win while playing against ‘good’ players”.

• And, you may, or may not, have believed it when you heard it.
• Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with the issue of credibility, I had it proven to me.
• A friend…a professional poker player well known on the tournament circuit…once took me to a ring game filled with non-skilled participants, and, after a bit less than 2 hours he brought me aside to ask for my description of the players in the game.
• I couldn’t answer. I had few, if any, reads…I was never able to ascertain with any degree of confidence what pocket cards any of these players held; no patterns, no idiosyncrasies, no respect for money, and no regard for the accepted poker play standards.

Such is the case at NoPayPOKER. Oh, don’t misunderstand me, there are three or four dozen very talented players who are members of this site. But, the vast majority of players present at any one time are ‘less-than-average’ (at best).

Yet, the ‘Farm Animals’ sit at the tables, they regularly fling their chips around, they routinely decimate their individual stacks, and they subsequently proceed to the next available game. In so doing, one or more of the skilled NoPay members ends up adding to her/his bankroll at the final table.

Well…if there are so many ‘less than average’ players, and, it’s “more difficult” to win against ‘bad’ players, how is it that the very same ‘talented’ NoPayPOKER members can frequently be found at the final tables?

And, how is it that these ‘talented’ NoPay members sit atop the Leaderboard on a week-in and week-out basis? Is there a key to their play?….are they just plain lucky?….is there a strategic advantage at their disposal?….are river cards always benefiting them?….or, have they stumbled upon a magic potion that leads them to money payouts?

And, is it all of the above that sends the ‘Farm Animals’ to the fields filled with manure, stench, and a bevy of flying insects?

The answer, my friends, is not blowing in the wind….it’s a simple fact.

• Poker is a game of skill, not chance.
• The NoPay members who are regularly at final tables, who are regularly winning tournaments, and who are regularly adding to their respective bankrolls, have each brought a skill set to every game they enter….to every table they sit at.
• And, while the number of different skills a ‘winning’ player carries with him can vary (some possess well in excess of 100 different skills), there is one skill that stands heads and shoulders above all the others.
• In all candor, that one skill represents about 50% of all the assets you’ll ever bring to a NoPayPOKER free poker table.

This particular skill, inherently more common in women than it is in men, is cause for the only ‘words of advice’ that will be present in this article.

If you’re unable to bring this skill to a NoPayPOKER poker table, you don’t belong at any live or online poker table. That merits a repeat….if you’re unable to bring this skill to a NoPay poker table, you don’t belong at a poker table.

What one skill am I writing about? What one skill makes me spell PPPPPoker with five P’s? Sure….you’ve identified it; how couldn’t you. It’s PATIENCE.

In real estate it’s location, location, location. And, in poker it’s patience, patience, patience, patience, and then more patience. Without it, you can’t win. Not at NoPay, not at home games, not at ‘real money’ Internet sites, and not at Brick and Mortar (B & M) venues.

At this point, allow me to identify the initial use of patience in NoPay free online poker tournament play.

• It’s the singular skill we’ll need to defend ourselves against the ‘dimwits’ who take great pleasure in flinging chips around during the opening rounds of every game we enter.
• While they may choose to play ‘Bingo’ with their opening stacks, your intent is to wait for premium cards such that you can relieve them of the chips they’re so unconsciously eager to part with….so unconsciously eager to add to someone else’s small space on the green felt.

How hard can it be to sit in the comfort of your chair, and wait for the dealer to toss a couple of ‘premium’ cards in your direction?

How hard can it be to simply relax until those cards arrive?

Yes….I know, I’ve heard it all before:  “I’m here to have fun” & “I’m here to be entertained” & “I’m here to play poker” and, worst of all, “I’m here to gamble”.

Well, winning money is a whole lot more fun than losing money. And, if you haven’t come to the realization that playing poker is about winning money, nothing more, then you need to get on a different bus.

Patience and women, as mentioned earlier, seem to naturally co-exist. Patience and men….different horse, different color.

Men need to go out of their way to develop the required levels of patience in order to become frequent winners at the poker tables.

And, there is a practice exercise that can help. As a matter of fact, even after countless years of playing poker myself, I use it every month. It’s a simple exercise, and it produces the desired results. Although, I’ll openly admit, it’s both boring and time consuming.

Yet, remember, if you don’t bring patience to the table, you don’t belong at the table. Without patience, you’re in a downward spiral heading toward the inevitable status of ‘broke’, ‘busted’, and ‘begging’.

The Patience Developing Exercise (PDE) involves registering yourself in a freeroll….my choice is to enter a game that has a great many players.

• For the entirety of the game you’re only allowed to participate in a hand if you were dealt pocket aces or pocket kings.
• No other pockets can be played.
• And, you’re never allowed to initiate a bet, or put forth a raise.
• If you do have AA or KK in the pocket, you can call a bet and partake in the hand.
• Again, though, you can’t raise, nor can you initiate any betting.
• Also, if you’re the Big Blind, and you do not hold aces or kings, you must fold; even when there may not have been a raise made against your big blind.

This PDE has helped thousands of players bring patience to the forefront of their skill sets. And, since patience represents 50% of all the skill you’ll bring to a NoPay poker table, it can’t hurt you to advance your level of patience through the use of this tool.

Oddly, this may be one of the few times a handful of men may wish they were females….may wish they could eat quiche.

• Why? Well….as you play in a PDE game you’re only going to participate in about 1% of the hands; AA and KK are each dealt to you approximately once in every 212 pockets.
• I said it would be boring….I meant it.
• And, in your boredom, the damn quiche has a remote chance of being palatable.

Now, I could easily agree that there wasn’t a whole lot of material in this Article to inspire, excite, or entertain too many readers. Yet, I’ll take one last opportunity to emphasize the critical importance of PATIENCE at a poker table. It truly represents half of all the skills or assets you’ll bring to the free texas hold em tables of NoPayPOKER. And, bring it you must….you’ll not Build a Bankroll at NoPay without it.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2008; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

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