Avoiding Traps
Introduction
Looking at the games being played at some poker tables you could be forgiven for wondering whether or not some players actually want to win the pot or just try and outsmart the other players. Let’s face it there are times when you see players not following the fundamental theorem of poker and playing their cards differently to the way they should do if they knew an opponents poker cards, just to try and get back at them for a previous defeat. So, how can you avoid poker traps?
Odds rule – OK!
Surely the golden rule to never forget is that – pot odds, above all, reign supreme. The pot odds are, of course, the ratio of the pot size to the bet needed to stay in with a chance of winning the pot. So, betting $10 to win $40 gives you a one in five chance of taking the pot, where one if five is the maximum risk you should go up to. However, don’t forget, of course, that pot odds can be complicated early on in a hand according to the implied odds you might expect to win at the end of a hand. Just remember, don’t get carried away in a poker hand where the pot odds are bad for you.
Play to your strengths
Another sure-fire way to drop yourself in it playing poker is to play in a style that’s not really you, and we’re not talking about playing against your better judgments regarding the fundamental theorem of poker here either! As an experienced player you’ll know if you’re normally a tight or lose player, whichever you are you need to be on your guard against outwardly aggressive poker players. It really is all too easy to get dragged along playing aggressively and out of style; and before you know it your chip stack’s gone. That’s not to say never play a bluff or vary your play; just play your own game, if things are to fast or hot and you’re taking painful hits – find another poker table to play at. Don’t forget as well, you’ve more control over your own destiny when in a position well away from the blinds.