November 8, 2021
When trying to think your way into your opponent's hand, you probably won't ever be able to initially pinpoint the precise cards he's holding unless he is extremely predictable or you know his play very well. But you will be able to assign a likely range of holdings and boil them down to a precious few based on his betting patterns, the shape of the board, and the actions of other Partypoker players who might also be involved in the hand. But a sharp player will not only be cognizant of the inherent strength of his own hand, he'll think about your hand too.
Some people think its foolish, but he is a consistent winner and he's in the game every day. Many of his critics are on the rail. I've adapted this "time out" technique to suit my own style. Whenever something at the Partypoker table upsets me, I get up, stretch and flex, touch my toes a few times, splash some cold water on my face, bounce a few times on the balls of my feet, take a good, athletic stance and walk back to the table with confidence and enthusiasm. It works!
This appears to be one of those situations in which raising or folding is far superior to calling. A call doesn't help you much, and might even attract additional callers who would probably have throw their hands away if you raised. Moreover, calling does not help you define the hands held by the two players who have already acted. Since the small blind plays any two cards under most circumstances, he's more likely to hold nothing at all, than he is to hold one of the two remaining fours.
- But in Partypoker we usually don't see what's going on, and there's generally no historical record to draw on. But what if you could watch a terrific poker player at work; what would you hope to see? In one situation he might fold a hand like A-J under the gun. Two rounds later he might raise with the same hand in the same position. What's going on here; is just guessing? Maybe.
- In games like draw Partypoker or lowball, with only two rounds of betting, implied odds are not as significant as they are in hold'em, which has four betting rounds, or 7-card stud, which has five. Implied odds are affected by a number of factors. Implied odds are better whenever your hand is hidden because your opponents might not realize what you're holding and pay you off when they have inferior hands.
- When you play hold'em, there are many other situations you'll encounter when your decision about whether to continue on with your hand once you see the flop will be based on the size of the pot compared to the odds against making your hand - but these will do for starters. If you memorize these odds, and can make a reasonable estimate about how many opponents will pay you off if you make your hand, you shouldn't go too far afield. Count Your Opponents: The more opponents in the pot, the more straightforward you'll probably have to play.
She faked me out, to be sure, but deception is designed to earn the deceiver money, not cost them some. Had she raised the turn I'd have called, even though I'd have figured my pair of aces was then second best. And once I made the top two pair on the river, I probably would have raised if she came out betting, so her overarching caution cost her at least two - and probably three - additional bets.
Whenever something at the Partypoker table upsets me, I get up, stretch and flex, touch my toes a few times, splash some cold water on my face, bounce a few times on the balls of my feet, take a good, athletic stance and walk back to the table with confidence and enthusiasm. It works! Build relationships you can trust. This is not easy. You'll find plenty of people you can talk to in any cardroom, but damned few you can absolutely trust to speak openly, honestly, and truthfully with you.
