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LLesson: 53
Back to Basics
David Grey
March 20, 2006
I play in some of the biggest cash games in the world. Usually,
these games are loaded with pros - folks who know the intricacies
and advanced strategies of pretty much every poker game. We normally
play a mix of games that can include Hold ‘em, 7-Stud, Omaha,
and one or more of the Hi/Lo variations. Most of the time, we play
with a fixed-limit betting structure.
In a recent session, I had a stretch where I was pretty card dead,
so I spent most of my time folding. To my knowledgeable opponents,
it must have appeared that I was playing especially tight. Then
in a game of 7-Stud, I was dealt an Ace as my up-card. The bring-in
bet had been raised and I re-raised.
Then, two top-rate pros with no more than their antes in the pot
called my re-raise. There are only a couple of hands that might
justify their calls. However, as the hand proceeded with me as the
aggressor, it became clear that the callers of my third-street re-raise
didn't have much at all. One held three unconnected hearts, the
other had a middle pair with no kicker.
What were these guys thinking? It's hard to know, but my guess
is that one of them let his desire to gamble get the better of him.
Though that can pay dividends in well-chosen spots, this wasn't
one of them. The other might have thought he could outplay me later
in the hand.
In the end, neither of their strategies makes much sense. I made
it expensive enough that it was a lousy spot to gamble, and given
that I've declared that I have a pair of aces, there's little chance
that I'm going to get bluffed out of the pot.
I think this hand highlights a couple of the mental traps that
sometimes snag advanced players. As players improve, they inevitably
see more opportunities for profit, and thus, see potential in a
greater number of hands. But it's a slippery slope, and a player
can easily lose the long view and convince himself that he can make
any starting hand work out.
This just isn't the case - especially when playing fixed-limit
games. Even at the highest levels, profitability in limit poker
is largely determined by a player's ability to choose the right
starting hands. If you fail in this regard or somehow lose your
discipline, it's nearly impossible to recover. Fancy plays and good
decisions on later streets cannot overcome early-hand mistakes.
If you're throwing money into a pot when you shouldn't, you're going
to lose money. There's no way around it.
If you find yourself in a stretch where things aren't going especially
well, take a step back and make sure your hand selection is all
it ought to be. Review the previous tips from the other Full Tilt
Poker pros. Jennifer Harman has written on hand selection in Stud-8,
Omaha-8, Razz, and Perry Friedman has written about third street
decisions in 7-Stud.
Always remember that in limit poker, hand selection is the foundation
for your entire game. You can't build a solid game on a weak foundation.
David Grey
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