Playing Cards .vs. Playing Stituations

True?

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'Situations', to me are the edge one needs over the long haul. Over that same long haul, every player should get about the same distribution of good hole cards as his opponents, but it will be those situationally advantageous hands that make the difference in the BR.

Amongst the more important 'situations' will be

Position,
Reads,
Table image of both you and your opponents,
Cards.

There are more, but it is early, and I can't think any harder at the moment.

The idea is to put yourself in advantageous situations more often than putting yourself in disadvantageous situations. Think of it like a football game. Is starting at your own 10 yard line a good situation? No, not really, but a team can still score if they are good enough. They probably won't do it on a regular basis though. However, that same team starting near midfield will have a much better chance of scoring on a regular basis.

That's the difference between playing premium hands and putting yourself in an advantageous situation, and playing garbage and starting off in a bad spot. Oh, I'd like to point out that playing "premium" hands is largely dependent on each person's style. Some may consider a hand worth raising with, while others will routinely fold the same hand in the same position.

As dj said, there is more to it than just what we mentioned, but it all boils down to setting yourself up for success, as opposed to throwing a hail mary hoping to get lucky.

"Situations" will be more common and varied in tournys. Position is usually important and your "read" on your opponents is critical.

goldog

thank you for the replies...


-I think A big part of "how you play" has to do with your life off of the table.....its hard to imagine people "do not care about money" but the reality is the money can mean more to different players ...

So is a player at a disadvantage before he even gets dealt any cards?...this is something ive been thinking about a lot...my poker has been affected by my outside life....its making me a losing player...


i guess my question is How do i stop thinking "they must have it" when they raise....it feels like when i bluff or stab at a pot , im going up against a legit hand. obviously it can't always be this way, but in the low limit i play is the risk worth the reward????



/9__10__Suited/

There's a ton of factors to take into consideration besides your hole cards. In tournament poker, you have to think about the stage of the tournament, how big your stack is compared to the blinds and antes, where you sit in relation to the aggressive and tight players, the pot odds, the size of the other stacks, pot odds, and finally your cards.

There is a lot of good advice in this thread. Let me add this. It seems to me that you are fairly new at this game. With that said I feel that you need to learn to fold and watch the play around you. The situations will then present themselves to you. I know some of those staring hands look good to you but you must learn how to get away from them and study your opponents if you ever expect to cash.
Good luck to you............

~Good advice Thank you ..i am new to the cash game but i think my game is more effective in tournaments but im unsure how to judge which ones are worth the time and effort....more lower buy in tourney's?....or taking the shot at a higher buy in?


/9__10__Suited/

~~Never thought about it like that...Good advice and Thank you