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[SHERMSTICK]

Hello All:

This info is sent to me weekly for all to use as they see fit, I hope it's useful.


* The Art of the Mind Game
* Tilt: The costly effect of a lack of focus
* Short stack psychology
============================================


MIND TRICKS!

* The Art of the Mind Game
--------------------------
The ability to be an intimidating force at a table can help you bluff
big pots by having the respect of your opponents.

A good way to get inside the head of your opponent is to show a big
bluff. If you manage to bluff a big pot and take it down after your
opponent has struggled with his decision, showing your bluff could have a
lasting effect on your opponents' ability to play. Getting your opponents
second guessing themselves is an invaluable aid when playing poker.

Some players like being able to talk to their opponents in an effort to
rattle them. This is almost impossible online where it is quite easy to
ignore your opponents' comments.

* Tilt: The costly effect of a lack of focus
--------------------------------------------
Everyone has bad beats. What separates a strong player from the rest of
the pack, however, is an ability to remain focused on the moment and
not thinking about a bad beat or a mistake. Losing focus can be very
hazardous to your bankroll.

Steaming, on tilt, unglued, opened up, etc. all refer to a player whose
poker play has been negatively affected by a lack of control of one's
emotions. Poker players have a keen sense about when someone is on tilt,
and look to take full advantage of it.

Even the best players are susceptible to becoming unglued. What do you
do when it inevitably happens to you? TAKE A BREAK! If you lose your
focus over a bad beat, get up, walk around, and take a few deep breaths.
Let the action roll around a couple of times. The worst thing that will
happen is that you lose a blind or two. If you continue to play whilst
on tilt, you could find yourself going bust very quickly.

* Short stack psychology
------------------------
Just because you're the short stack, it doesn't mean that you have to
be intimidated by other players. The key to playing on the short stack
is having the patience to wait and pick your spot, and having the timing
to choose your spot.

It is important that you don't rush to get your money in just because
you're the short stack. Calculate how many times you can post the big
blind before going bust. If you have less than 4 times the big blind, you
should consider getting your money in the next time you are the big
blind. There's nothing worse than blinding yourself broke. Pick a
calculated spot and gamble.


SHERMSTICK

 

[shinedown.45]

Thanks again for sharing your weekly newsletters Sherm, I really enjoy them and find them very informative and useful.
Looking forward to the next one

 

[Irexes]

A good way to get inside the head of your opponent is to show a big
bluff. If you manage to bluff a big pot and take it down after your
opponent has struggled with his decision, showing your bluff could have a
lasting effect on your opponents' ability to play. Getting your opponents
second guessing themselves is an invaluable aid when playing poker.

Very, very, very occassionally this is a good idea but 99 times out of 100 it's completely counter-productive.

Showing a bluff gives your opponent a ton of information about how you play as they can reflect how you played your cards preflop to the river. It also tells a huge amount about your general approach to the game. Poker is a game of information don't give it away for free.

Quite possibly the guy you bluff is rattled, but what about the others at the table? They are also benefitting from the display and are in no way rattled. Probably they are quite amused.

Essentially it reduces the chance of making another big move and makes you a target for everyone at the table who now knows what you are capable of.

The intangible of putting someone on tilt is likely in the long run to win you far less than it costs in terms of what you've told everyone about your game. Chances are someone else at the table will benefit anyway.

The real reason people show bluffs is to wave their e-penis. We all play poker in part at least because it is a battle of will and there is no bigger display of will than shoving chips in when you know you are behind. It's not just enough for the ego that the opponent fold, they must be humiliated in front of the rest of the table as well "look at me" says the bluffer "for I am man and all must realise the size of my grapefruits!"

Far better to take the pot, let the other guy think it was a good fold and do it again to him if the opportunity arises.

Sorry, bit of a rant there and once again Zen and the Art of Poker talks far more eloquently about this kind of thing than I could

 

[SHERMSTICK]

In-Sight

Hey Irexes:

That was an excellent post you made on displaying ( To much Info ), an I stand in agreement with you. I also think that showing an strong bluff has it's advantage's as well, just as long as it's done in moderation. To take down an monster pot with an bluff not only add's to your chips stack, it also give's your opponent's an fear of your capability of actually having the Nut's. I try to gather as much from the player's as possible, an depending on my position- an my chip's is when I tend to try a Bluff.

P.S. Hey ShineDown it's my pleasure to share these tid-bit's with all, so i'll try my best to keep them coming.

SHERMSTICK