It’s time to focus briefly on the Quality of Play aspects of the Bricks & Mortar (B&M) cash poker game.

To do so, I’d like to share some observations…all of which are credible estimates. However, no detail records have been kept by me; the card room management won’t allow me to keep a lap top at the felt table. And, that’s understandable. Could you imagine the clutter and vast amounts of time that would inundate the table and slow down the game?

Besides, while the game is only about money, no one is going to win money without bringing the requisite mental capacities to their seat at the table….if you can’t think poker, you can’t play poker.

On to the observations! At least 4 out of 5 players on the Internet, especially on free poker sites are donkies; yet, less than 2 out of 5 players at the B&M’s are donkies. At best, 1 out of 5 players on the Internet have some advanced degree of talent; whereas more than 2 out of 5 players at the B&M’s have some advanced degree of talent.

Somewhere around 1 out of 100 individuals are extremely good players in online poker; but, somewhere around 1 out of 10 individuals are extremely good players at the B &M’s.

Your chances of playing against a professional poker player on the Internet are almost zero, while your chances of playing against a professional poker player at the B & M’s are almost 100%…providing that your minimum play is with blinds of $5/$10.

So, if all of your No Limit cash game experience is tied to free online poker play, or, if all of your No Limit play is tied to poker tournament events on the Internet….NoPayPoker or otherwise….you’re going to walk into an environment at every B &M where the Quality of Play will present a very large challenge; a challenge that you’ll need to willingly accept, a challenge that you’ll need to openly welcome, and a challenge that you’ll need to be thoroughly prepared for.

Plus, here and now, accept the premise that this preparedness deals with risk tolerance, emotions management, patience, playable pockets, and practice-practice-practice…mostly with a mirror, teaching yourself to facially express the converse of the deceits you’re going to want to implement at the cash game table.

Therefore…do not approach a B &M cash game if you are not fully prepared to play well. I don’t want you giving away your money, I want you taking their money.

• On the free online poker tables you might often take the position that the names you’re playing against are donkies…don’t ever do that at a B & M.
• Ultimately, allow your well-spent time at the B &M’s cash table to assist you in making any such decision.
• On the Internet, you might often predispose yourself to an opinion regarding the absence of advanced talent on the part of your competitors…don’t ever do that at a B & M.
• Ultimately, let your personal observations at the B & M’s cash table provide the relevant information for you to form an educated opinion.

Additionally, don’t ever judge the proverbial book by it’s cover; whatever attire your competitors are wearing has little or no bearing on their level of skill.

Plus, there is no gender at a cash game table…no one is male, no one is female; they’re all just players.

Of note, however, unlike Internet poker, you will rarely see more than 1 out of 10 players who are female….and, I’m not sure why. I know quite a few truly remarkable and talented female poker players.

That aside, provocative, appealing, suggestive, inviting, alluring, handsome, attractive, sensual, disarming, sculpted, toned, thin, muscled, or any word denoting anatomical highlighting is non-existent.

• Let me repeat that…anatomical highlighting is non-existent.
• There is no gender at a cash game table.
• There is no Adonis, Brad Pitt or Marlboro Man.
• There is no Venus, Pamela Anderson, or Victoria’s Secret model.
• They’re all just players, they’re all genderless. They have to be, you can’t permit a distraction of any kind.

The texas Holdem No Limit cash game at a B & M is not an entertainment venue. Few, if any, players join a game to simply have ‘fun’.

• Their presence at the felt is centered around a singular goal; that goal is to take your money.
• They’re not interested in your friendship, your admiration, your respect, or your opinions; their interest rests exclusively in separating you from your cash.
• Come to accept this exactly as I have written it; your money is their goal.
• And, unlike the Internet, many of the B & M players possess the skill to do just that.
• No one is playing 64 off-suit; with the exception of the BB when only ‘limpers’ have entered the pot.

This is not the WSOP final table, where all of the participants know just about everything there is to know about everyone else…this is a cash game, where almost everyone knows next to nothing about almost everyone else (unless you’ve learned to use player notes).

Treat it as such. Let minutes and hours unfold where you maintain a Consistency of Focus (COF) that is unrelenting. This COF will fill your mind with countless bits of usable information. And, when the time arrives to put that information in play, do so with controlled aggression.

Deceptions aside, the B &M cash game is fundamentally an arena where aggression is rewarded.
Yet, I’m not talking about reckless abandon here, I’m talking about the situations where you’re in a clearly defined advantaged position.

And, you’ll need to choose aggression wisely. It should be a major factor in your game. In all honesty, it better be a major factor in your game. It can be used in many ways.

• You could initiate some mild aggression when you first sit down at the table.
• This use will be nothing more than a decoy…another deception.
• You’ll be donating a relatively small amount of money to your competitors; on purpose.

You’ll essentially be telling them that you’re an action player; thereby generating significant return action when you eventually get to hold a ‘nuts’ hand. Or, wait until you’ve built a decent size stack, then use it to ‘bully’ the table.

Either of the 2 choices can, should, and will move chips to your stack.

However, aggression can not be a constant in your game. It can not consume you, it must always be a singular tool that you can use to win…a tool that you occasionally take from a box that houses a multitude of tools.

The real constants will always be your playable pockets, patience, and the many deceptions you bring to the table.

Additionally, let’s be sure to select the right game, the right table.

• There is no need for you to start your No Limit B & M cash game play at the $1/$2 level.
• Take a look at all of the games first, and try to find a game where many of the players have a stack that equals your planned buy-in.
• The benefit of equivalent stacks rests in the possibility of you holding a ‘nuts’ hand when, or if, some competitor initiates an ill-timed all-in move.
• And, for reasons to be explained in a subsequent Article within this series of Articles, be sure that you select a $5/$10 game to begin your play.

However, to do so, to join a $5/$10 game, your buy-in needs to be in the area of $1,500.
And, hopefully, you’ll end up finding a game where 5 or 6 players have a stack that compares about equally to your stack.

Be advised, though, that before you buy-in, spend at least the better part of an hour observing the players in the game; memorize some mental notes as to the quality of their play, the style of their play, their money management techniques, their emotions management level, and their body language.

Once you have accomplished this, try to take the seat to the left of the best player at the table. And, allow the lessor players to be to your left.

You’ll want the good player to be making most of his decisions before you, and you’ll want all of the bad players to be making most of their decisions after you…for good reasons.

• The good player knows what he’s doing, he has demonstrated his expertise to you, you’ve watched him outplay the table, you’ve seen him take down pots with variations in his playing style, and you’ve observed his body language such that you may have registered a read on him.
• Great! keep him to your right, you’ll be sitting to his left; this way, almost all of his decisions are made prior to your decisions.

The bad players, again, should be to your left. You’ll want them to erroneously participate in the hands where you have a high probability of winning, and you’ll definitely want them to participate in the hands where you hold the ‘nuts’.

For the most part, we’ll have a standard operating procedure at the table…we’ll avoid the good player (or, players), and we’ll aggressively bet into the bad players when we’re in an advantaged situation.

Also, let’s be sure to select the right day for our trip to the felt table.
We certainly don’t want to be traveling to the B & M if we’re currently in a state of emotional disarray.

• We can’t be upset with family, friends, work, or financial matters.
• We can’t be tired as a result of a bad night’s sleep, excessive work around the house, or an unusual amount of hours spent on the job.
• And, we can’t be stressed from relationship issues, employment issues, or personal misgivings.

We need to be clear-headed, alert, responsive, and completely in balance with the ‘goings-on’ that surround us.
Plus, we need to address the issue of risk-tolerance with intelligent thought. We need to be certain that the cash we plan to use as a buy-in is viewed by us with something of an attitude that approaches indifference.

Not that we plan on losing…that would never be our intention. Yet, on any one day we could suffer from the negative effects of the ever whimsical Lady Luck…and, those effects, for this one day only, could be cause for our buy-in to regrettably disappear at the felt. It does happen; no matter how much skill we bring to the table.

Next, I want to offer up a few words about the five paint pockets…TT, JJ, QQ, KK, and AA. Which, I might add, I categorize into three distinct labels.

• The Tens and Jacks I like to call the ‘TROUBLE’ pockets.
• The Queens and Kings I like to call the ‘MONARCH’ pockets.
• The Aces, I like to call the ‘DOMINANT’ pocket.

Tens and Jacks are potential nightmares…almost disasters waiting to happen.

• Consider that there are 12 cards pre-flop that will bring about a disaster.
• And, let’s assume that at least one player who is in the hand holds a pocket Queen, or a pocket King, or a pocket Ace (a fairly safe assumption; else what the heck are they in the hand for in the first place).
• Therefore, the deck holds 11 cards that will cause us a massive headache if any one of them were to show on the flop.
• And, since there are 11 cards, the chances of any one of them appearing within the flop are approximately 66%.

So, taking the 66% into account, I think you’ll readily understand why I will rarely do anything other than ‘limp in’ with Tens or Jacks.

I have this propensity for wanting to avoid just about all circumstances where I’m forced to make a decision that needs to be made from a disadvantaged position.

Post-flop, if an Ace, King, or Queen have hit the board, and there is a bettor, I’m almost always folding. Again, I have a never ending disdain for continuing to play when I don’t hold the current ‘nuts’ hand. I’m only at the table to win, I’m not at the table to donate.

The Queens and Kings, the MONARCH pockets, are considerably more to my liking.

• Where the Queens get to go up against 7 cards (making the assumption that someone holds a pocket King, or a pocket Ace).
• And, the Kings get to go up against 3 cards (making the assumption that someone holds a pocket Ace).
• As such, the Queens have a 58% chance of surviving the flop, and the Kings have an 88% chance of surviving the flop.
• Thus, contingent on my player notes, contingent on my player observations, I’ll almost always call a moderate pre-flop raise with Queens, and I’ll almost always call an aggressive pre-flop raise with Kings.

However, since I’m not holding the ‘nut’ pre-flop hand, I’ll infrequently play either pair with purposeful aggression.

By that I mean I’ll hardly ever initiate the betting. Moreover, if I’m holding pocket Queens, and an Ace or King show on the flop, together with someone betting post-flop, I have little problem in laying down my pair…it’s not a current ‘nuts’ hand.

If I’m holding pocket Kings, and an Ace shows on the flop, together with someone betting post-flop, I’ll again have little problem in laying down my pair…it’s not a current ‘nuts’ hand.

The concept of laying down these big pairs, or any big hand that is not a current ‘nuts’ hand, is paramount to attaining a high monthly ROI.
If you’re not able to toss away what was once a very good hand, in the face of somewhat overwhelming evidence that it’s no longer a very good hand, you’re doomed to be no more than an average cash game player; winning on an occasional basis, losing on an occasional basis. And, by my standards, that’s just unacceptable. I play to win, not lose.

The Aces, the DOMINANT pocket, are a gift…a 1 in 220 gift. And, we need to treat them as such.

• I do not, however, always play pocket AA the same way; I would suggest that you do likewise.
• There is good and bad associated with every method of playing pocket Aces…y’all know them, I’ll not repeat them.
• But, believe it or not, there are times when I’ll actually ‘muck’ the 2 cards.
• And, again, I’m going to tell you that I only look stupid.

Let me give you an example…a time when I would certainly fold pocket Aces pre-flop.

• I’m the small blind…and I’ve been dealt pocket AA.
• The UG raises to 4X the big blind. M1 and M2 call.
• M3 raises to 12X the big blind. M4, L1, and L2, all call the 12X the big blind raise.
• Then, the DB goes all-in; essentially a bet that represents approximately 35X the big blind.
• Now, it’s my turn to call, raise, or fold. Wow, this is going to be one whale of a pot.

Two players called a 4X the BB raise, three players called a 12X the BB raise, and the next player went all-in.

• I’ve got to believe that each, or most, of the 12X the BB callers are going to call the all-in bet.
• That guarantees the hand will be played with at least 4 to 5 players.
• But, there could easily be more who will join in. The original raiser, and the two callers of the 4X the BB bet might enter the pot.
• Certainly, everyone is getting correct pot odds.
• Do the math, no PhD required. The hand could be played by 7 individuals.

But…am I getting the correct pot odds?

• Given all the participants in this particular hand, the probability of only a pair of Aces winning the pot are profoundly remote.
• So, I have a about a 1 in 5 chance of hitting a set (flop, turn, and river combined).
• Or, do I? No…I don’t think so. If that many players have entered the fray, the chances of one of them holding a pocket Ace are nearly 100%.
• This being true, I only have a 1 in 10 chance of hitting a set.

Frankly, with that many players in the pot, the likelihood is that two players hold a pocket Ace. And, with that being true, I have no possibility of hitting a set.

Moreover, who’s to say that a set will win this ‘lotto’ hand. Thus, I’d rather not play, I’d rather just toss the pocket Aces…I’ll wait, with patience, for my opportunity to take down a big pot when I’m holding a post-river ‘nuts’ hand. Patience, patience, patience…I doubt that I could ever talk enough about it.

Now, let me be the first to admit, the frequency in which the above described hand would actually happen has got to be close to zip; yet, it could happen. And, if you put some thought into it, you’ll likely come up with any number of situations that would provide a setting where 4 to 7 players were flinging vast sums of money around in a ‘lotto’ type hand.

Frankly, I’m fairly confident y’all have seen it happen; on more than one occasion. I’m even more confident that each of you are unable to count the number of times when you’ve seen pocket Aces get cracked.

So, when 4 or more players are tossing money around as though the world was about to end within the next few minutes, I’ll always toss the Aces away.

Simply stated, I don’t want to play in a hand where I’m not an ‘advantaged’ participant, or, better yet, where I’m not a guaranteed winner.

Why would I? This game is about winning, it’s about taking their money. It has nothing to do with gambling. In fact, I don’t gamble at all; never have, never will. Heck, I’ve never even bought a lottery ticket.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2009; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

NB – Over your head a bit for now? Don’t worry! Read the whole series by D.M. Vadnais on the NoPayPOKER.com blog then go practice your free texas holdem poker online on the main NoPayPOKER.com site. As our mastro says in previous articles, you can win real monet playing real free poker on NopayPOKER and with that fund your bankroll for the real deal when you go up to the B&M bigs.

Unquestionably we have a goal…a very tangible goal. In the simplest of terms it is to win money.

Yet, the goal can not be tied to a destination…ever. If we were to do so, we would be incorrectly forecasting, that at some future point in time, everything to be known about playing in Brick and Mortar (B & M) No Limit cash games would be known by us.

And, whether you currently realize it or not, there can be no such destination; there will never be a time when we know all there is to know about cash game play. There will always be something new to learn, there will always be someone new who we can learn from, and there will always be a new, or alternate, strategy worthy of our attention.

And, take note that the above paragraph specifically references B & M’s (casinos and card rooms)….it does not include free online poker play; never will….very little can be learned from a dishonest card game. I currently know of no ‘real money’ Internet poker site that has fared well in the current scheme of instantly available global news; cheating and software rip-offs have become a near-daily headline….and, none of you should be playing for ‘real money’ at an online poker site.

Pleasantly, your presence here at NoPayPOKER.com tells me that you may well subscribe to the beliefs I hold about ‘real money’ online poker gaming….and, you’ve chosen NoPay to be the place for your Internet trips to the free online texas hold em poker tables.

I could say “good choice”, but, I suspect you already know that I would use those two words. Clearly, I have been opposed to online poker play since the very first scandal hit the news media….that was about 4 years ago; and, my suspicions about the integrity of Internet poker gaming date back to somewhere around June of 2002.

Here, at NoPay, you get to play poker for free, you get to participate in an honest game, you get 25c a day by clicking ads, and you have the opportunity to parlay the daily ‘house’ gift into a stash of dollars.

Candidly, I know of some NoPay members who have taken their ‘real money’ balances up to well over $1,500 (US$). And, that amount is more than enough to begin a Brick & Mortar journey.

In other Articles….dated 2002 through 2008….I have made mention of the ‘extreme profits’ available to you with the low pocket pairs.
And, I’ve suggested to you that these pairs will increase your available cash by far more than any other two cards you’ve been dealt.

What pairs have I been referencing? Which are the low pocket pairs that are going to move big money to your wallet or purse?

Well…the pairs are 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88 and 99; especially when a number of players have entered the pot….the more, the merrier.

If three, four, five, or six players have contributed to the pot, there’s an awful good chance that most of them have come in with pocket paint; or, at the very least, with one high paint card.

This would bode well for our chances of hitting a set on the flop. It suggests that the two cards of help to us are still in the deck. And, even though it would be great to witness multiple players participating in the hand, we’ll still want to play our low pocket pairs without regard to how many players joined the fray…with but one ‘hard cast’ caveat.

The cost to play can never be more than 3 times the BB. Plus, our willingness to play has no bearing on the table position we are seated at…early, middle, or late.

As long as we can play the pair for a cost that does not exceed 3 times the BB, we want our money in the pot. Although, Lord knows, we’re never allowed to initiate a bet….ever.

We’re no more than ‘callers’ to a 3 times the BB raise. And, it’s not uncommon at all to enter the pot simply as a ‘limper’. That will happen at a B & M table much more often than you might think.

Now, allow me to present the rationale for what you may currently perceive of as my ‘low pocket pair’ madness. We’ll do a little math first.

• You have approximately a 1 in 8 probability that you’ll hit a set on the flop.
• That alone, if the set hits, should win you the pot.
• Then, if you do hit the set, you have almost a 1 in 5 chance of catching a full house through the turn and river cards…as a result of the board pairing.

The preceding numbers are all fact, there’s no speculation included in the math.

However, let’s get past just the numbers; let’s get to the ‘mind-set’ of your competitors.

• Who at the table believes that you hold pocket 55, when the flop comes 5/9/A?
• Who at the table believes that you hold pocket 33, when the flop comes 8/3/K?
• Who at the table believes that you hold pocket 66, when the flop comes T/Q/6?
• No one, not a soul. And, because of that, because everyone at the table is clueless as to what you’re holding, you’ll now find yourself in the most enviable position of all…you’re holding the dominant hand, and they’re all guessing.

Usually, 12 cards can beat us on the turn; the remaining 35 cards post-flop retain our position of holding the dominant hand; the current ‘nuts’ hand.

And, 12 cards can beat us on the river (possibly a few more, conditioned on what the turn card shows); the remaining 34 cards post-turn make us a winner; we hold a ‘nuts’ hand.

In truth, after everything is taken into consideration (aside from a 4 flush board), no matter what number of additional outs have been created by the turn card, we can’t be less than a 5 to 2 favorite to win the pot. And, we’ll possibly get as much as 7 to 2, or more, on our money.

To put that in better perspective, if we were always a 5 to 2 favorite to win, and if we were always getting 7 to 2 on our money, we’d have a Return on Investment (ROI) of about 150%.

Translated into real dollars, a 150% ROI means that for every $100 we put into the pot, we’re going to get back $250. In candor, if we were all able to play the game with a constant ROI of 150%, none of us would be working a ‘day job’ any longer, we’d all be playing poker on a full-time basis.

And, while I’m not suggesting that 150% is always attainable, I am saying that the lower pocket pairs are the biggest ‘key’ to it being attainable. (Also, please note that I retired from my ‘day job’ in 2002.)

The last argument that anyone could put forth regarding my suggested way of playing 22 through 99, would be the cost of the entry fee to the pot; recall that we’ll play these pocket pairs from any table position as long as the cost does not exceed 3 times the BB.

Also, recall that we hold a 1 in 8 chance of hitting a set on the flop every time we enter the pot with these low pocket pairs. Beyond a doubt none of us needs a PhD in Mathematics to realize that for every 8 times we put money into the pot, 7 times we’re waving ‘goodbye’ to the cash we put forth….7 times we won’t hit the set on the flop.

However, we’re not truly waving ‘goodbye’ to 7 occasions of placing 3 times the BB into the pot. My experience at the tables is such that I average a ‘bye-bye’ to about 1.5 times the BB on those 7 hands. So, for every 12 times the BB in total cost of playing all 8 hands (1.5 x 8 = 12), I’ve ended up flopping a set one time; you will also.

And, in the worst of all possible scenarios, the 1 in 8 flopped set has made me at least a 5 to 2 favorite to win the hand…a hand that undeniably has the potential to carry with it a monster pot. And, on many more than one occasion, so many more than I can count, I have taken down pots that were worth greater than $2,000.

At this point, a few other numbers need to enter our thoughts.

• First, the average pot I win with a flop that turned a low pocket pair into a set hovers around $800.
• Second, the average cost for me to win that pot is about $350…which includes the 12 times the BB total to have played all 8 of the lower pocket pairs I was dealt; 7 of which never amounted to anything.
• Again, we don’t need that PhD in Mathematics to asses the rewards. The Return on Investment (ROI) is approximately 128%.

Which, I should add, compares most favorably to my monthly ROI average of about 65%. And, again, let me say “I only look stupid”.

The reality is that there’s nothing stupid about making the appropriate investment (up to 3 times the BB) with the non-paint pockets. Unquestionably, for me, the exact opposite is true: it’s the smartest play I make at the table.

It’s the play that consistently provides the highest ROI, it’s the play that consistently produces the most profit, it’s the play that consistently involves the biggest positive Expected Value (+EV), and it’s the play that generates the most Emotions Management (EM) problems for my competition.

When they have placed some, most, or all of their chips into the pot, and then taken a beating from a hidden set, don’t think for a moment that they haven’t been devastated; they have….they’ve been hurt. And, for some, it’ll take a bit of time for their wounds to heal.

For others, the emotional ‘crippling’ they’ve experienced will fundamentally take their mental capacities out of the game for the balance of the day. Consider this, the dollar amount that was lost could have been the equivalent of a mortgage payment….maybe 2 payments; and that amount of money will cripple a lot of players.

Enough about the lower pocket pairs. If I haven’t impressed upon you the overwhelming significance of playing them as described above, then it’s only fair that I leave you to your own method of play.

And, hopefully, you’ve developed a ‘playing methodology’ that exceeds the ROI associated with the 7 year history of my Brick and Mortar play. (Plus, since I’m forever interested in improving my own game, if you truly believe that your method is superior to my method, I’d welcome the opportunity to learn about it….please send me a ‘pm’.)

Last, as time passes, as each new article appears, it makes sense to further develop our understanding of the vast differences between tournament play and cash game play.

So, I want to talk about a cash game hand that I was witness to recently. It was at a $5/$10 No Limit table in Harrah’s (New Orleans)….and, this particular B & M is fairly well frequented by a handful of professional players, quite a number of very good players, and, most fortunately, a great many tourists.

Yet, in the hand that I witnessed, the ‘Under The Gun” (UG) player made a 5 times the BB raise. Two Players called. The flop showed X/X/X…I don’t care what the cards were, they’re meaningless, they have no bearing on the subject matter I’m about to discuss.

One of the ‘callers’ then bet the pot, the second ‘caller’ threw his chips into the pot, and, without hesitation, the original bettor went all-in; as did the other 2 players.

Now, did the 5 times the BB bettor, the all-in bettor, have pocket AA? No!
Did he have pocket KK? No! Did he have pocket AK? No! Did he have pocket QQ? No! Then, what reason did he have for his initial 5 times the BB pre-flop raise? Well, he had a pocket AJ; a pocket that would NOT have been played by any winning and experienced cash game player; it is not a playable pocket with a Positive Expected Value (+EV) from the UG table position.

His play was nothing more than a ‘farm animal’ tournament play. And, more importantly, it’s a tourney play that actually carries with it a negative Expected Value (-EV).

Ace/Jack, whether the cards are suited or unsuited, will lose money from early position over the long term…both in tournaments and in cash games. Now, I imagine many of you don’t know that; or, didn’t know that.

But, you’re going to learn these things; at least it’s my intent for you to learn these things. Frankly, I’ll be ‘BoboTheClowns’ best friend before I let any of my readers, or any of my students, run off to a B & M without properly preparing for their conquests in cash games.

If you’re going to win money….serious money….you’re not going to sit at a B & M table with the limited mental capacities of an Internet free poker tournament/cash player, and fling chips around on any 2 paint cards. If you are, stop reading what I write…you don’t belong in this circle. You’ll never end up with most, or all, of your opponents cash. Truthfully, the exact opposite will happen…they’ll end up with most, or all, of your cash.

And, yes, I would agree that the last few paragraphs might have been hard to accept.
How many free Texas Hold Em players would ever even consider folding AJ from early position? The answer, albeit pure speculation on my part, is probably somewhere around 1% of the total population of players…maybe less.

However, just because the vast majority of people align themselves with a premise, a promise, a politician, or a play…doesn’t make it correct. No! All it does is suggest that the vast majority are much like lemmings; others do it, so they quickly follow.

Therefore, let’s dissect the pocket Ace/Jack; possibly you’ll become the convert I need you to be.

• There is only an 18% chance of an Ace appearing on the flop; a bit less than a 1 in 5 chance.
• Conversely, there is a 42% chance (7 divided by 50 multiplied by 3) that a King or Queen shows on the flop (this assumes that 1 player holds a pocket King or Queen).
• What do you do now…from early position…when the player who made the high pair bets out?
• Or, what do you do when there’s no paint at all on the flop?
• The board shows 9/8/3, and a player bets out.
• Where’s the value in your early position AJ pocket now?

In all honesty, over the long term, you’re almost always at least a pre-flop 2 to 1 underdog when you’re holding AJ in early position; potentially much worse…as bad as a 9 to 1 dog.

Moreover, even when an Ace does come on the flop, where are you in relation to the player who holds pocket AK, or pocket AQ?

• Where are you in relation to the player who hit a set on the flop?
• Where are you in relation to the player who holds nine outs to a flush draw?
• Where are you in relation to the player who holds eight outs to a straight draw?
• Or, where are you in relation to the very fortunate player who holds sixteen outs?

My answer is a very simple one. Almost without exception, your ‘Under the Gun’ held Ace/Jack is in the most precarious of positions; nearly the worst of all places to be.

And, you’re going to find yourself defending a fairly weak hand, from a doghouse position at the table, with countless numbers of your chips vested in the pot that there was no need to put at risk. You’ll rarely end up with a ‘nuts’ hand from pocket AJ when seated at table position UG….the Bottom Line: fold the damn cards.

Our game is not about putting money at risk, our game is clearly about having others put money at risk.

Please, if you’re joining me on this adventure through the brick and mortar world, I want you to learn to win, I want you to regularly remove cash from your opponents, and I want that cash to fill your wallets. I can’t imagine you’d want anything else….the game is, and only is, about money; nothing else.

Our involvement in No Limit cash games can be summed up in a few sentences.

• If we don’t hold the ‘nuts’ hand, we really don’t want to be in the mix.
• There are way too many ‘beanbrains’ emulating Mr. Television Professional who are sitting at a B & M table to be putting our money at risk when we don’t hold a distinct advantage.
• There are way too many ‘morons’ pretending to be famous skilled players who are sitting at a B & M table to be ignoring our commitment to patience when we don’t hold a distinct advantage.
• And, there are way too many complete and utter ‘numbskulls’ masquerading as intellectuals who are sitting at a B & M table to be indifferent towards a Playable Pockets Matrix (PPM).

Do you have one? Yes? No? Do you have one that was constructed as a result of running 2.6 trillion hands of simulated poker on a Main Frame? A simulation that included all 2,652 possible pocket card combinations, a simulation that took place in a 9 handed game, a simulation that utilized a true random deal, a simulation that almost identically matched the results of a similar computer exercise performed by the University of Chicago….well, you will. It’s included in last year’s series of Articles….you’ll find it right here at NoPayPOKER free Poker.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2009; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

We’ve put patience into our ‘real money’ game play arsenal, and we’ve developed a fairly comprehensive understanding of the vast differences between free online poker play and Felt Table play.

Plus, as mentioned in both Articles 1 and 2, we’ve learned that our ‘real money’ play must be limited to Brick and Mortar casinos, card rooms, or home games. We’ll never play for cash on the online poker sites….we’ve learned that their games have become corrupt, we’ve learned that their games host various forms of cheating.

Conversely, we’ve learned that our time spent on free poker NoPayPOKER.com can produce a number of ‘game improving’ elements; including….self-tutorials, practice, strategy testing, confidence building, skills development, and pennies pocketed (with the knowledge that pennies become dollars).

Yet, the word ‘deceit’ has not entered our preamble descriptor regarding the game of poker.
And, it should….it needs to; once we learn to use ‘deceit’ purposefully, we’ll be adding rather large amounts of money to our respective wallets, purses, and belly-bags (fanny-packs).

Moreover, as we embark on our excursion into the ‘deceit’ aspects of the game, please recognize that there are 3 separate components associated with poker ‘deceit’.

Possibly, one of the best examples of deceitful play (that’s 1), deceitful chat (that’s 2), and deceitful tells (that’s 3) I could present to you, would be the way in which Jamie Gold…great cards aside…toyed with the minds of all the players he sat with at the 2006 World Series of Poker.

If you haven’t already done so, take the time to watch the TV replays of the final table; and, while you’re watching, keep in mind that Mr. Gold is predominately a cash game player; he’s not a tournament player….neither by reputation, nor by participation. Cash tables are where he is usually found.

He frequently lied…He often told the truth.

• He taunted – He coached.
• He showed – He mucked.
• He was aggressive – He was passive.
• He was tight – He was loose.
• He was stoic – He was emotional.
• He was talkative – He was silent.
• He was sympathetic – He was indifferent.
• He was polite -He was rude.

Frankly, the only thing that remained a constant, was the fact that he was always ‘non-constant’.
Everything varied, everything flip-flopped. And, all of it was done purposely…he was the consummate bearer of deceit.

Do you think he solidified any friendships while he played…excluding Johnny Chan? I don’t.

Do you think he gave a rat’s butt about the absence of new friends? I don’t.

Do you think it bothered him that Norman Chad consistently cast aspersions on his play? I don’t.

Do you think his deceitfulness is NOT a regular and formidable component of his cash game play? I don’t.

Do you think he’s routinely donating money to other players in cash games? I don’t.

In all honesty, he’s a very profitable player; someone who completely dominates ring games with a frequency that is well known to the professional players community. And, he is amongst the group of players who sit atop the ‘most disliked’ list.

Good for him…he’s mastered a part of the game that we all need to learn; especially me. I can’t count the number of times I wished that I possessed his ability to offer up deceitful vocalizations.

Maybe…just maybe…we don’t need to be as arrogant, obnoxious, and disdainful as he is; or, as he appears to be. Maybe we simply need to incorporate the right balance between social interaction and deceptive strategies.

Maybe we can be liked by some, tolerated by others, respected by a bunch, and despised by a few. Is that something we can accomplish? Can we do it? Sure, and I can think of no reason to allow me to believe otherwise.

Thus, we’re going to move forward in an attempt to create the necessary balance between ‘being social’ and ‘being deceptive’.
Do we need to alter our personalities in order to attain such an idyllic ritual? Do we need to become altogether different people versus what we’re like in daily life?

Well…the answer isn’t simple; It’s not black and white…it’s not yes or no. It’s gray. It rests somewhere in our personal depository of capabilities. And, we’ll need to be able to call upon one of them at will; making it present itself whenever we so choose.

Let’s call it our ‘Zone’. A state of mind that we enter and exit as ever we wish. When we’re in this ‘Zone’, we’re not ourselves…we possess no fiscal compassion; we have no regard for others and their money (except we won’t cheat…not once, not ever).

When we’re not in the ‘Zone’…we’re our usual pleasant, courteous, caring, and compassionate selves. Well, at least y’all are. I’m not sure how many people would describe me that way.

Learning to include ‘deceit’ in your cash games, much like Jamie Gold has done in his cash games, will involve a bit more than just deceitful chat, false banter, and contrived utterances.

You’ll also need to bring both deceitful play and deceitful tells to your space at the felt table…and, you’ll need to do it with regularity.

Each and every step you take toward perfecting the art of putting forth ‘deception’, brings you closer to filling your pockets with your competitors’ cash.

The latter of the two, deceitful tells, would be the easier to master. It’s simply a matter of developing the where-with-all to let our body language deliver a false message. Sometimes we’ll want our movements or expressions to tell people that we’ve got rags; when, in fact, we’re actually holding the ‘nuts’.

Conversely, sometimes we’ll want our movements or expressions to tell people that we’ve got the ‘nuts’; when, in fact, we’re actually holding rags.

Now, this can’t be all that difficult to implement. And, as an example, let’s assume you’re holding a ‘nuts’ hand.

• Before you raise, let your left hand brush both of your eyebrows (or, anything similar)…let it happen subtlety, don’t make it overtly obvious.
• Do this the first 2 or 3 times you’re in possession of the best hand post-river.
• It’s not a false signal that you’re sending; you actually hold the winning hand.
  
• What you are accomplishing here is the ‘deceit set-up’.
• Then, the very next time you’re holding the ‘nuts’, don’t allow your left hand to move at all…don’t let anything move.
• This lack of movement is now sending the deceitful tell. Your opponents…at least the observant competitors…are going to read this tell.
• They will believe that you are not holding a winning hand, they’ll believe that you’re stabbing at the pot…attempting to steal it.
• And, since you are holding a ‘nuts’ hand, when this happens, you’ll almost assuredly move a mountain of chips to your stack.

Undoubtedly, you’ve now recognized that the opposite can be done.

• By that I mean, post-river, you’re holding rags…but, you want to steal the pot.
• So, get that left hand in motion, rub your eyebrows, and proceed to bet.
• The tell will be read by the other players at the table.
• They’ll believe that you’re again holding the ‘nuts’.
• Each will fold. And, the chips will be moved to your spot on the green felt.
• Or, do you think that the ‘opposite play’ just described might not be that easy?

If you do, you’re correct. Principally because this can only be done when a very definitive board is laid out before you.

The five exposed cards must be patterned such that a ‘nuts’ hand would be very hard to come by for any of your competitors; no straight possibilities, no flush possibilities, and no exposed pair. Again, keep caution in mind.

This type of deceitful tell is considerably more risk-oriented than it’s converse (the times when you’re actually holding the ‘nuts’ hand)…use it infrequently. Also, you can never use it when the deceitful tell, in a hand where you held the ‘nuts’, had been previously used to take down a large pot.

By that I mean, if you’ve NOT ‘rubbed your eyebrows’, and won with a ‘nuts’ hand that ended up being seen by everyone, you can’t ‘NOT rub your eyebrows’, and expect to win with rags.

Additionally, you’re going to have to alter your body language on a ‘play session’ basis…with regularity.

Each time you sit down at a new table, you’ll need to contrive a different tell. It can’t always be something like ‘brushing your eyebrows’ as described above. You’ll need to be changing it with rigorous consistency…day to day…every day.

Try scratching your right ear, rubbing your chin, tapping your fingers, toying with chips, or any other detectable movement.

And, while it’s perfectly okay that a few players who are often with you at a table come to fully comprehend your deceptions, please note that they are not the targets of your deceit. Certainly not after you’ve played with the same 2 or 3 people on a regular basis.

Your targets are the players who are new to you; the players who sit down at a B & M table as tourists…or, as local visitors…or, as occasional gamblers…or, as recreational day-trippers…or, as poker professionals. Who cares? It doesn’t matter who they are! What matters is that their currency is green, and that we develop the skills to move their cash to our wallets.

Deceitful plays, the third and last form of deception, can have many dimensions…many practical applications.
Yet, one stands far above all of the others combined. Therefore, it is the only practical application that I’d like to present in this article.

It has to do with betting…specifically, initiating bets and raising bets. And, prior to my making any reference to the betting strategy that will create the desired deception we seek, allow me to paraphrase a lesson I learned from my mentor…a well known poker professional who taught me the fundamentals of the game, and so much more.

The following is what he had to say…again, I’m paraphrasing, but I’ll put it in quotes anyway.

“Many experienced cash game players prefer to make all of their bets and raises equal to the size of the pot. This consistency helps to conceal the actual strength of their cards. Plus, any pot size bet generally creates a disadvantaged draw situation for most opponents; they’re just not able to get suitable pot odds. And, the absence of sufficient pot odds almost always puts the better players in a position where they’re inclined to fold. Or, if they do put money into the pot, whether they are good or bad players, they’re doing so with you holding the edge”.

Clearly, there’s a great deal of wisdom in those words. And, we’re going to use that wisdom while we attempt to define our third deception…deceitful plays. Which, as indicated above, for our current purposes, is solely related to betting…more accurately, solely related to pot size betting.

It should become our standard bet. If we hold cards that merit a bet, we pretty much hold cards that are worthy of a pot size bet. So, if we regularly make pot size bets, the other players at the table are going to mentally record our betting habit.

They will routinely see us making these bets, and they will frequently see us taking down pots as an adjunct to these bets. Where’s the deception? None…as yet. But, our tell has been handed to all those who are present: a pot size bet by us equals premium cards…they have all seen it, they have all watched us scoop up winnings that resulted from the pot size bets, from the premium cards. What could be better? Wonderful! Each of them has been set-up for the deception to come.

And, with the set-up in place, we now need to wait on our next ‘nuts’ hand. Patience, patience, patience…the rewards are endless.

The hand will come. It might take some time for it to arrive, but it will come. And when it does, we’ll put forth our deceitful play. How?

I think you likely already know the answer. We’ll simply alter the way in which we bet; it won’t be a pot size bet; that’s for certain. It’ll be an overbet, an underbet, or no bet. All three have a reasonable chance of working.

If the pot is $300, we could bet $500…the overbet. We could bet $100…the underbet. Or, we could check….the no bet. No matter which way we play it, our bet, or lack thereof, has let everyone seated at the table know that we’re not holding the ‘nuts’. Yet, we are.

And, no one at the table knows it; everyone has become acclimated to our pot size bets. Goal accomplished. We’ve managed to implement a ‘deceitful play’…and, hopefully, it was timed to coincide with a large pot.

Now, having been introduced to all three deceptions…deceitful chat, deceitful tells, and deceitful plays, and having developed some idea as to how we use them, and having come to realize the monetary benefits that will accrue to our favor when it’s all done correctly, it’s now time to introduce a reality that you may not have given any thought to…a reality that presents itself on a continual track.

And, the train that rides this track, day-in and day-out, carries new players to the B & M of your choice…new players who bring pockets full of cash to your table; everyday. Be exceedingly grateful for that track, welcome the train, smile at the new players, initiate some pleasant conversation, and make room in your wallet. What’s the reality? Read on.

Never lose sight of the fact that the newcomer who possesses any level of poker knowledge arrives at the table with both eyes wide open…he’s usually well versed on the importance of picking up tells. And, we’re intent on making him pay for the ‘deceit’ show in which we, individually, are the leading actor.

The show was staged by us, we did a great job in putting on the show, we established three completely different false tells, and the new guy has a stiff admission price to pay.

Now, back up, and think this through; it’s that important. New player, eyes wide open, intent on picking up tells, listening to your chat, noting your body language, memorizing your bets, then waiting to use the information he gathered against you.

And, remember, the information he’s holding, with dreams of a payday, was deceitfully given to him by you. So, while there is little doubt that a payday will occur sometime during the next few hours, the fact is that it won’t be the new guy’s payday, it’s going to be your payday.

Last, I want to render some words of advice. I offered them to you at the beginning of this Article, and I’m going to end the Article by repeating them.

Get a DVD copy of the 2006 WSOP Main Event Final Table play. Then, take the time to study Jamie Gold in action….the ‘deceits’ are an absolute constant in his play.

And, there aren’t too many people in the world who get to earn twelve million dollars because they demonstrate an expertise at deception.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2009; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

This series of Articles is intended to prepare you for ring game play at Brick and Mortar (B & M) casinos and card rooms. And, in the last post, Article 1, the overwhelming significance of Patience was introduced through a discussion of a very specific three hour period of time.

It was, in fact, a bit of ‘poker by example’. However, since there are so many subject matters that need to be included in the 2009 Articles, I’ll need to digress from the ‘example’ theme for the length of Article 2, and, in its’ place, utilize a ‘tutorial’ theme.

Importantly, all seven of the introductions, explanations, and advisories that follow are intended to prepare you for your entry to ‘real money’ play….at a real poker table.

So, before you run off to a poker room….before you hand ‘real money’ to a floorman….before you take a seat at a ‘real money’ game, I want to convey to y’all an understanding of the vast differences between free online poker play and ‘real money’ table play.

And, If, by chance, you’re one of the players who are contemplating this jog to a poker establishment, you’ll need to fully understand all of the differences…it makes no sense for you to be putting your money at risk if you’re not in the position to be rewarded for your time and effort.

Also, keep in mind that I’m talking about a Brick and Mortar (B & M) establishment. I am definitely NOT talking about an online poker site. Candidly, the only place you should be playing poker online is at rake free poker play NoPayPOKER….where there can never be a deposit, where you can only win money.

Remember, NoPay is fun, friendly, and free. It’s a place to learn the game, to practice the game, to fine tune your skills, and to master the advanced strategies of the game. Candidly, once you can win at NoPay with regularity, you have likely elevated your game play to a level that merits your participation in ‘real money’ B & M games.

Here, then, are the biggest differences between online poker play and ‘real money’ B & M play.

• First, and foremost, it’s patience.
• We have all come to recognize the significance of patience in online poker play…we’ve even learned a freeroll exercise to help ourselves further develop our individual patience skills.
• We can, for the purposes of this discussion, equate free online poker patience to X (simply think of X in the abstract).
• And, when X is compared to play in a ‘real money’ game, the X becomes 3X.

Why? Take a moment to reflect on the average number of online poker hands played per hour on your PC…

• It’s likely in the range of 70 to 120; depending on the game.
• Not so at the real world’s felt tables…it’s most often in the range of 20 to 30 hands per hour.
• And, when you’re only seeing approximately 25 pockets per hour, you’re going to endure much longer periods of time where you’ve not been dealt the premium cards that generally place you in the mix.

Second, there is a very large difference in the areas concerned with cash management (CM)…not bankroll management, but cash management.

Bankroll management is no different in online poker PC play versus ‘real money’ play. Cash Management, however, necessitates a whole new perspective on your part. Included within this CM arena is the ‘Rake’ at ‘real money’ tables, the need for an ‘Escort’ at the conclusion of your playing session, and the vigilance to eye-patrol for ‘Cheating’ during your play.

The Rake at a ‘real money’ table is not minimal as it is in online poker play.

• In low stakes No Limit games it can be as high as 8% (sometimes 12% when you factor in a ‘seat charge’ each time the dealer is changed).
• And, in high stakes No Limit games it’s generally in the area of 2%.
• But, 2% of a $2,500 pot is fifty bucks…
• Whereas the highest rake you’ll experience on your online poker game on your PC is usually about $3; often, that $3, is way less than 1% of the pot.

The need for an ‘Escort’ at the end of a ‘real money’ session is a prophylactic precaution against the possibility of theft...en route to your car, or in the parking lot. There are times when an individual is leaving a cash game with multiple hundreds, or thousands of dollars; and, if you think for one minute that you’re not being watched, think again.

Where there’s cash, there are low-lifes seeking to remove it from your pockets. The ‘Escort’ is free…your only cost would be an appropriate gratuity to the casino employee who safely guided you to your vehicle.

The eyeball vigilance necessitated by the possibility of Cheating during game play is also of consequence…where there’s money, there are always Cheaters; two players possibly switching a pocket card, any player taking chips from another players stack, finger or chip signals from player to player identifying their individual pocket cards, and…worst of all…the potential for collusion between a dishonest dealer and any one or more players.

Third, there is a monumental difference in the area concerned with ‘tells’….your ‘tells’ and the ‘tells’ of your opponents.

• Essentially, few, if any, truly discernible ‘tells’ exist during online poker play.
• While the magnitude of ‘tells’ that exist at ‘real money’ tables are almost countless.
• And, you’re going to need to cultivate the process of learning how to identify the two-way potential tells; yours and theirs.
• Get some books…I’m not able to give you an all inclusive list; you’ll find upwards of one dozen great books on ‘tells’
• …start with Mike Caro; his book may be best of all.

I will, however, offer up some comments on the need for conversation at the table.
Upon entering a game do everything possible to promote introductions…get people to talking; be outgoing, pleasant, and truthful (or, as truthful as is necessary; don’t give away your personality characteristics).

Let people know where you live, and what type of work you do. All of your discourse will induce discourse from others…and, the things they say should be remembered.

Frankly, at some point, any number of things they may have said should be recorded in a small notebook***.
The notes will help you identify this person at some future point in time…quite possibly after you’ve recorded ‘player notes’ on that person; and those notes, the player notes, are going to make money for you; maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but they certainly will over an extended period of time.

Moreover, initial conversations could likely yield some very useful information; you could easily pick up on an individuals playing style from the manner in which they handle themselves during conversation. By that I mean, certain people will…without realizing it…give away the fact that they play very conservatively; or, conversely, that they play very aggressively.

***[The 'How?' of notetaking will be presented, outlined, and fully discussed in Article's 8, 9, and 10]

Fourth, numbers and simple arithmetic have so much to do with winning at a ‘real money’ game; much like the way it is on your PC.
Yet, at a ‘real money’ table, the way in which we deal with our base 10 numbering system has so much more impact on how often we win, and how much we win.

Thus, there is a big difference between free online poker play and felt table play. Where ? How ? Let’s answer those 2 one word questions by addressing the matters concerned with pot odds, implied odds, and the use of a time clock (or, time limitation).

• You’ve got about 20 to 30 seconds to make your decisions on a poker site.
• Not so in a ‘real money’ game…you’ve got at least twice as much time; if not 10 times as much time.
• Sure, the dealer would generally urge you to speed it up…or an opposing player could, and often will, ask to have a time clock put on you, thereby creating an end parameter to your available time.
• But, the very existence of that extra time allows you to do a variety of things that can’t be done while sitting in front of a computer screen.

One such thing would be to give your opponents false tells; this is accomplished by using your expanded time allotment in a random fashion…constantly switching from 5 seconds to 55 seconds to 25 seconds to 15 seconds to 85 seconds, and/or any number of seconds between 2 and 122. Simply stated, this is step 1 in the process of confusing the heck out of any players who are looking to identify your tells. (Much more to come on ‘Deceptions’; in a subsequent Article.)

A second advantage lies in the ability you now have to accurately assess pot odds in a non-hurried manner…and, you’re also able to do a proof of the arithmetic you just performed; also in a non-hurried manner.

Plus, of even greater significance, you’re able to do the same with Implied Odds calculations. Given all the time you have, you should never make a mistake….and, no mistakes go hand-in-hand with an improved Return on Investment (ROI).

Fifth, you’ll need to be attentive to what I’ve come to call the Five Comfort Factors.

• They are the chair you’ll be sitting in
• The clothes you’ll be wearing
• The need for subsistence
• The awareness of fatigue
• The quenching of thirst.

In my case, I require a chair that can recline…although I’ll not often sit in a reclined position. I want to maintain a one hundred percent Consistency of Focus (COF), and if I were always leaning back I’d lose quite a bit of that focus.

Then, be sure to dress comfortably…loose fitting clothes will serve you well. Mind you, I said loose fitting; I didn’t say old raggedy garments that make you look like a pauper. The old business adage about dressing for success applies to almost all the places you visit; work, church, parties, court…whatever….and, a poker room is no exception.

Next, maintaining your blood sugar levels during a 5 to 15 hour playing session is mandatory…eat the right foods, and eat them in moderation; drink the right fluids, and drink them in moderation…you don’t want to be running off to the boys or girls room every 30 minutes.

And, come hell or high water, don’t ever drink any alcohol; you’ll need all of your brain cells to exercise your superior command of the game.

Plus, you must pay very close attention to your level of fatigue…if you’re tired, your level of play is going to be dramatically altered.

Or, better yet, if you’ve slept poorly the night before, don’t bother going to the game; or, if you’ve consumed too much alcohol the night before, don’t bother going to the game.

Moreover, if any kind of emotional stress exists at the time of your planned visit to the real world’s felt tables, don’t bother going to the game…in the end, a dollar not wagered could very well be a dollar earned.

Sixth, the quality of play at a ‘real money’ game is far and away superior to the quality of play you’ve come to recognize in free texas hold em online play on your PC; there just aren’t as many donkeys at the felt tables.

I’ll estimate that the number of ‘donks’ is reduced by at least 50%…if not a bit more. The good players…and, there are many to be found at the cash tables…are quick to lay down once formidable pockets; which, by the way, is a hallmark of the really super talented participants who play the game.

And, if you can’t lay down premium pockets in the face of poor flops, turns, or rivers, you’re simply never going to be a long-term winner at ‘real money’ tables.

Plus, the good players, almost without exception, will only call an all-in bet when they are holding the current ‘nuts’ hand. These two ‘play essentials’ better be a part of your game. If they’re not, get busy with some practice sessions…you don’t need to be the ‘Farm Animal’ who’s donating money.

Additionally, keep in mind that cash games and tournament games are not remotely comparable.
The TV game play you witness where a professional raises the BB with a 6/4 off suit, then aggressively bets into a flop of A/9/3 rainbow, gets called, then even more aggressively bets into an 8 post-turn, and subsequently watches his opponent fold…thus moving the pot to his stack; just doesn’t happen in a cash game.

It’s extremely rare to play in a ‘real money’ game where any form of ‘reckless abandon’ is the rule of thumb…cash game players usually have a decent hand. Or, at the very least, a draw where the Pot Odds suggest that they have a reasonable chance of winning the chips spread out in front of the dealer. Not always…but much more frequently than you might imagine.

Sure…at times there can be some aggression, some bluffing, and some TV induced bad betting. Yet, when you ultimately get to experience it for yourself, you’ll come to recognize that it most often occurs when only limpers have entered the pot. And, you’ll quickly notice that it’s the Dealer Button, Small Blind or Big Blind who are doing the raising.

Seventh, and last, I want to make mention of two other differences between online poker play and ‘real money’ play:
Risk Tolerance and Emotions Management. I’ve taken the liberty of grouping the two together because both of these differences have everything to do with your mind, and almost nothing to do with your opponents mind.

They can’t manage your emotions, they can’t measure your risk tolerance…only you can. And, managing your emotions is a far more difficult task at a cash table than it is at a poker site. At your PC you can get as annoyed, as angry, and as vocal as you please. Plus, if you want to hear the surrounding walls echo your profanities, it’s pretty much your business.

Well…you’re not doing any of that at a felt table; the players would likely object, and the dealer will almost certainly object. Do it once too often, and your presence at the table will be a thing of the past; courtesy of the floorman.

Also, any display of your annoyance, your anger, or your colorful language will permit an advantage to go to your competition. Should they pick up on the potential ’tilt’ zone you’re entering, they’ll proceed to siphon away your stack…in both small and large chunks.

Plus, you’ll need to have a complete understanding of your individual risk tolerance. Not risk as is relates to any one bet, but risk as it relates to your comfort zone with currency. What you’re trying to determine is exactly how much cash (currency) you’re able to ‘wave goodbye to’, without it having anything more than a fleeting concern on your part. Is it $100, $400, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, or more? Whatever answer you come up with fundamentally identifies your cash game risk tolerance.

You can not play in a ‘real money’ game with scared money, with the mortgage payment, or with the household finances…you can only play with ‘comfortable money’. You better know your risk tolerance before you start looking for a cash game.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2009; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais

You’ve built your bankroll….are you ready for poker venues involving real money? Clearly, I’m not able to answer that question; only you can. Yet, I can offer a variety of advisories.

If you’ve not mastered the aspect of patience…don’t do it.

If you’ve not aligned yourself with a sensible playable pockets matrix, don’t do it. If you’ve not measured your risk tolerance against a tangible guideline, don’t do it. If you’ve not developed the where-with-all to take good player notes, don’t do it. If you’ve not corrected your visible tells, don’t do it.

If you’ve not experienced a long-term ‘Flops Seen Percentage’ of less than 18%, don’t do it. And, if you’ve not tailored your game to a mixed playing style, don’t do it.

• Plus, if you’ve not implemented emotions management techniques, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not maintained a 100% consistency of focus, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not grasped the importance of table position, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not learned the simple computational method that relates to Pot Odds, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not mastered the complex computational method that relates to Implied Odds, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not rejoiced in a long-term ‘Flops Seen Win Percentage’ of greater than 60%, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not developed the ability to put forth ‘white’ deceits, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not evidenced your capacity to pick up on competitor’s tells, don’t do it.
• If you’ve not decimated your opponents here at NoPay, don’t do it.
• And, if you’ve not recognized your advantaged skill level, your talent, your command of the game, and your propensity for winning, don’t do it.

Possibly, in the absence of your readiness for a move to ‘real money’ play, you’ll want to continue with the free poker ‘easy pennies’ available to you at NoPayPOKER.com. And, it’s important to note, that countless ‘Farm Animals’ await in unsuspecting fashion for the quality of play that you’ll bring to the NoPay tables. Their very presence should be ample cause for a minor celebration on your part….a Fat Tuesday on any day of the week, during any month of the year.

Principally because their involvement at the NoPay felt will continue to expand your bankrolls; in freerolls, small buy-in’s, ring games, and sit-n-go’s. The pasture dwellers are everywhere….you’ll need to target their pennies, you’ll need to take their pennies, and you’ll need to facilitate their return to the muck, mud, and mire of their odorous confines.

The truth is that a great many of the players you’ll be competing with at the NoPay site just love to ‘fling chips around’; they rejoice in the thought that Lady Luck, destiny, or divine intervention is going to propel them into the winner’s circle.

To their ultimate dismay, they’ve yet to realize that fate…the random order in which cards are dealt…will only bring them fleeting moments of glory; they’ve yet to realize that the absence of skill on their part has permanently pointed them to the ‘Farm Animal’ pastures. And, while you may occasionally feel a compulsion to assist, tutor, or educate them, please come to understand that any such action on your part would be a complete exercise in futility. They’ve already had every possible chance to learn, and, during each possible learning opportunity they’ve allowed the lessons to fall on deaf ears.

Now, to begin the 2009 Articles, as has been the case with every opening Article I’ve written during the past five years, the subject matter of ‘Patience’ rests atop the pinnacle of discussion topics. It is the foundation on which your game play is constructed.

It represents 50% of all the ‘skills and assets’ you’ll bring to a poker table. It is the primary reason for the movement of pre-game money belonging to others to happily traverse the path to your pockets, purses, and wallets. And, for all intents, it is an essential pre-requisite to your involvement in ‘real money’ poker games.

Moreover, should you be planning on participating in free texas holde em ring game play here at NoPay, you ought to know that you’ll be entering an environment that is controlled by a few good players (a little rail-birding and you’ll know who they are). Plus, there are a handful of average players (I’ll not name them; again, rail-bird and you’ll quickly identify their screen names).

With limited game play observation, you’ll quickly come to understand that the balance of NoPay ring game players are no more than the ‘Farm Animals’ you’ve already acclimated to in your freeroll gaming. Of even greater importance, keep in mind that all of these players are taking part in what is a 10cent/20cent No Limit game….they ain’t playin’ for serious money; it’s likely that none of them could compete in a ‘real’ high stakes game.

Yet, you’re gonna’ want to target all of their pennies; that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. In the end, those pennies will amount to a fistful of dollars.

Yet, In the absence of patience, you will unquestionably empty your wallet or purse in rapid fashion…you’ll be broke. Now, the proof of this isn’t but a few minutes away. All you need to do is watch an on-line game, a B & M game, a freeroll, or a NoPay ring game.

You’ll find an impatient player at just about every table. In very short order, he or she will have donated their stack…all of it…to the other participants in the game. Go look; it’ll serve as an object lesson. Or, better still, play in a ‘real money’ game without patience…that will serve as an even more pronounced and profound object lesson. Why? Not a tough question to answer. You’ll be the one who has donated his or her stack…all of it…to the other players at the table.

Clearly, I don’t want you to be donating anything…with the exclusion of gifts to your favorite charity, place of worship, child welfare group, environmental cause, family, or a politician with a brain (if you can find one). But, I do hold certain expectations for you; where those expectations affect your bankroll…and, it’s the size of your bankroll that permits your gifts of choice.

Yet, while I may have no right to be waving my expectations before you, please understand that I do so only because I desperately want each of you to develop into long-term winners at ‘real money’ games. I don’t believe in losing…I only believe in winning.

Well…what is it that I expect? Patience, more patience, and then even more patience. What level of patience do I want you to bring to every table you sit at? It’s a simple answer; there’s nothing complex about it, there’s nothing confusing about it.

I want you to bring as much patience as I bring to every B&M table where I sit. If possible, I want you to bring an even greater amount of patience. Can you do it? Sure you can! However, in order to replicate my level of patience, in order to exceed my level of patience, you’re going to have to fully comprehend exactly where my level of patience resides. So, read the next few paragraphs, and you’ll have that comprehension; you’ll understand all that is expected of you….more importantly, you’ll understand all that you should expect from yourself.

I recently played in a 6 hour $5/$10 No Limit session at my favorite B & M. I usually take a 5 minute cigarette break every 45 minutes; although I won’t go out on a ‘smoke’ break unless I’ve participated in a hand sometime during each ‘three quarter of an hour’ segment of play.

However, on this particular day, I reached the point where I hadn’t had a ‘nicotine stick’ in just over 3 hours. That meant I didn’t have a playable pocket for approximately 100 hands; a zero % flops seen percentage for more than 180 minutes.

And, while that is far from normal, it did happen. Would you describe that as extreme patience? Of course you would. Would you describe that as extreme tight play? Surely, you’re currently thinking it was. Yet, it wasn’t tight play at all…it was no more than a rare run of indisputable pocket rags. And, the $200 I lost in small blinds/big blinds, where raises would not allow me to play the pockets I was dealt, went into my competitor’s stacks.

Ultimately, I was dealt pocket 8′s while seated with the Dealer Button. A three times the BB raise was made, and I called. The flop included an 8, giving me a set…the other 2 cards were a Four and a Three. The 8 and the 3 were spades. A $150 bet was made by the original raiser, one other player called, and I called.

The turn was another Four; it was also a spade. I now held a full house, 88844. And, I was playing against an overpair, held by the original raiser, and a flush, held by the other caller. I was about a 19 to 1 favorite to win this pot; only the overpair could potentially suck out on me.

Certainly, you could dispute the 19 to 1 if you want…but, my player notes made it very clear to me that the original raiser was not playing with a pair of pocket 4′s. He’s a reasonably good player, and he would not have raised the BB from early position with pocket 4′s. Thus, when he bet out post-flop, I clearly knew that he was holding an overpair....likely Tens, Jacks, or Queens. If he had pocket Aces, my notes told me that he would have been a pre-flop ‘limper’. And, if he had pocket Kings, my notes told me that he would have bet 4 to 6 times the Big Blind; looking to isolate his hand against a single pocket….just one player.

The river was a red seven. The original raiser checked, the caller…who held the flush…bet $400 into a $540 pot. After the second “call, fold, or raise” prodding from the dealer, I raised the bet by $400. The original raiser folded (he’s the one who held the overpair), the player with the flush went all-in; an additional $625 went into the pot.

I then called the added $225, and took down a pot that had become approximately $2,500 (minus the rake).

A big win? No doubt. A reward for being patient? Maybe not; the random order of cards simply shined a light on me. Yet…you must come to understand that the level of patience I displayed during this 3 hour time span is exactly what you need to duplicate…what you need to surpass.

You can do it…I’m fairly confident that you can. Mostly because patience is a skill that can be easily learned….easily developed. However, since women intrinsically possess more patience than men, it might take a bit more work on the part of the males who end up reading this Article.

Therefore, If patience is not something that you can list as one of your individual/personal characteristics, I’m willing to bet my last dollar that many of you can make it one; just get busy with ‘patience developing’ exercises.

As an example, last year I described an exercise in the ‘Tournament Play – Building a Bankroll’ series of articles…take a few minutes to read it. Then, get busy with the exercise. Truth be told, I do the exercise at least once a month; sometimes more.

Much like the significance of real estate’s ‘location, location, location’, in poker it’s ‘patience, patience, patience’. And, I refuse to let you indifferently walk away from the overwhelming importance tied to the use of patience. You simply can’t win money on a long-term, consistent, and unfailing basis without it…no exceptions; none at all.

If you can’t reach the level of patience described above, if you can’t make patience the biggest asset you bring to the table, if you can’t elevate patience to its proper place in your game…get out, you don’t belong at a ‘real money’ table.

Hopefully, I’ve delivered the message; either bring a significant level of patience to the ‘real money’ games, or, don’t go anywhere near the ‘real money’ games.

Last, and possibly of paramount importance, I need you to recognize that none of you belong in ‘real money’ games in online poker. You each need to stay away from places like Ultimate Bet, Poker Stars, Full Tilt, Absolute Poker, and countless other poker venues available on your PC’s.

Why? Here’s a simple answer. The games played on the Internet are NOT honest. There have been way too many instances of ‘documented’ cheating scandals, and there is an undeniable propensity for collusion between players on all of the Internet gaming sites.

However, you can, and should, be playing free poker at NoPay Poker. It’s free, you can’t make a deposit, you can’t lose your own money, and it’s the very best poker environment for each of you to be expanding your poker playing abilities.

Plus, you can win pennies with regularity. And, those pennies will, in time, add up to hundreds of dollars….just ask any of the free poker NoPay members whose names reside atop the NoPay ‘Lifetime Earnings List’.

Best of Luck at the Tables

Michael

(c) copyright 2009; no reproduction, all rights reserved by D. M. Vadnais