Michael Paler
Legend
Silver Level
Things I have learned the hard way, 101.
I tell you, these guys kill me. I see them all the time; guys who only play a few hands, but over bet the crap out of them preflop and on every street, for gross amounts of money. If this is you, do me a favor and paint a target on your back, because I’m coming for you.
Not that I need it. Usually, I'll just fold. Now how much are you going to make off me?
This is a type of betting tell. Always entering the pot for 2.5 or 3x the blind is great, and they will never know what you have. When you have to fold, you only lose that much. But over betting every hand you are in sooner or later gets you fried, for far more than it should. Here’s why;
You might have a big stack now, but if your big bet gets overcalled by a short stack who has been waiting for AA, you might not only lose your big bet, but the extra it cost to call a few $$ more the shove costs. If it only happens a few times, great, but more often than not it adds up and just kills their big stack.
Let’s say you do it with AK and all fold. Next hand you get AA and do it again. Now people at the table think you’re full of it and just might call with anything. Sounds great, but remember that just because you have AA, you have not won yet. So, then you get KQ suited, and decide to limp in. This allows far weaker hands to join, and increase the odds of hitting a better flop. So, maybe you decide to only raise it 3x now. Well, after all those big bets, now you look totally weak. Can you keep track of all that flawlessly and come out on top? Yes? Then, why are you in this cheap game and not on the WPT?
If you always come into a pot for obscene amounts, logic dictates it’s not always AK or AA, KK, etc that you are doing it with. Soon you will get more and more callers, and since you are betting more, you will lose more. Yet if you only occasionally come in with a big hand for big bucks, people might just always fold to you. Sounds good, huh? Sure, until you ask yourself how long you can survive off the occasional blind. Because, that’s all you'll make from your hands, if they simply fold! No double ups for you, no winning value bets, no bet on every street and win a big pot. Nope, not you, Mr. Big Bet. Pretty soon, your “big stack” is quite puny compared to others who know...you have to risk a flop to make any checks. While some think this is key to "survival poker", It can have drawbacks. Much better to mix your game up. If you never fold (C-bet on and on) you become a target for the trappers. They just limp AA and wait for you to over shoot your AK, etc.
Poker players can not live off blinds alone!
I tell you, these guys kill me. I see them all the time; guys who only play a few hands, but over bet the crap out of them preflop and on every street, for gross amounts of money. If this is you, do me a favor and paint a target on your back, because I’m coming for you.
Not that I need it. Usually, I'll just fold. Now how much are you going to make off me?
This is a type of betting tell. Always entering the pot for 2.5 or 3x the blind is great, and they will never know what you have. When you have to fold, you only lose that much. But over betting every hand you are in sooner or later gets you fried, for far more than it should. Here’s why;
You might have a big stack now, but if your big bet gets overcalled by a short stack who has been waiting for AA, you might not only lose your big bet, but the extra it cost to call a few $$ more the shove costs. If it only happens a few times, great, but more often than not it adds up and just kills their big stack.
Let’s say you do it with AK and all fold. Next hand you get AA and do it again. Now people at the table think you’re full of it and just might call with anything. Sounds great, but remember that just because you have AA, you have not won yet. So, then you get KQ suited, and decide to limp in. This allows far weaker hands to join, and increase the odds of hitting a better flop. So, maybe you decide to only raise it 3x now. Well, after all those big bets, now you look totally weak. Can you keep track of all that flawlessly and come out on top? Yes? Then, why are you in this cheap game and not on the WPT?
If you always come into a pot for obscene amounts, logic dictates it’s not always AK or AA, KK, etc that you are doing it with. Soon you will get more and more callers, and since you are betting more, you will lose more. Yet if you only occasionally come in with a big hand for big bucks, people might just always fold to you. Sounds good, huh? Sure, until you ask yourself how long you can survive off the occasional blind. Because, that’s all you'll make from your hands, if they simply fold! No double ups for you, no winning value bets, no bet on every street and win a big pot. Nope, not you, Mr. Big Bet. Pretty soon, your “big stack” is quite puny compared to others who know...you have to risk a flop to make any checks. While some think this is key to "survival poker", It can have drawbacks. Much better to mix your game up. If you never fold (C-bet on and on) you become a target for the trappers. They just limp AA and wait for you to over shoot your AK, etc.
Poker players can not live off blinds alone!