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2005-01-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

Adjusting Your Expectations Amidst Extremely Bad Hold'em Play
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It is very common for middle-limit hold'em games to take on a "here comes a big pot, I'm in no matter what" feel about them. In these phases, typically, a player or two will limp in, then a raise is made, and the remaining players start drooling over the huge pot that's in the making. By the time the dust settles, there can easily be seven players poised to see the flop. In many instances, as well, you'll find a reckless player in the blind who gets a kick out of three-betting it with a hand as bad as 9-2. At this point, the pot is already rather huge.

The ensuing action with which we are all familiar is that we are the ones holding the legitimate hand , the flop appears rather favorable for our hand, yet no one, or maybe only one player, folds after we bet.

If the turn is any diamond or any card from a 3 to a jack, or the dreaded ace, of course, our kings could be instantly dethroned. Any card in that range potentially completes a straight or a flush, or gives a player trips, not to mention the totally unpredictable two-pair hands. That leaves us two kings (assuming we hold the Kdiamonds), three deuces, and maybe three queens (the 2diamonds and Qdiamonds are no good), although Q-J sure is a popular starting hand where I play. Everything else that might fall represents a threat of beating us.

The worst situation is when, for example, an offsuit deuce falls, it's again checked to us, we bet, and now a few stragglers fall but the reckless guy in the blind (holding 9-2, as you recall, and had the audacity to call the flop bet with no pair and no draw) decides to raise, having now made a pair of deuces. His move is suspect to us, but at this point, we've seen it all, so to speak, so we just call. Since the pot contains close to 40 bets, the gutshot draws are justified in hanging in. Another deuce falls on the river but, remarkably, no flushes or straights are possible. No overcards are on the board, and the pairing of the deuce could have possibly saved us from some wretched two-pair hand.

As expected, the blind bets and we decide to just call, since a raise serves no purpose. We don't want to chase out anyone holding two counterfeited pair, and if someone does hold a deuce, he's not about to fold for an extra bet on the end. Of course, we all know the inner horror that follows when we see the 9-2 that took down our kings.

The point of presenting this hand is, more than anything, to prepare you for what is common and likely to occur repeatedly in games of this nature. I used to be the type to recoil in absolute disgust when something such as this happened to me. I reacted so strongly because I really needed the money, and because I used to consider players this bad as worthless human beings. In a nutshell, I was an underfunded, arrogant, self-righteous poker player with a very one-dimensional life.

I will not win very often, probably just under 20 percent of the time. My opponents become blinded by the potential thrill of a big win, and I usually need a set to win.

I believe the downfall of lots of good players occurs due to the overinvestment of emotion in situations similar to the one described in this column.
Here are some suggestions for overcoming this frustration:

• Accept reality and prepare for realistic outcomes.

Winning in these games requires a keen sense of when to dump a good hand, and noting if it is possible to affect the situation through betting behavior .

• Have enough money that any one pot is not essential to win. Keep good records and know your hourly expectation.

Money awareness is absolutely huge, in my opinion. The game is as it is because there is money involved. Without the money, all of the charge is gone. People continue in or fold hands to win or avoid losing money. Why? Because money matters. If it matters too much , one can feel personally slighted by the game.

When you have recorded at least 100 hours of play at a particular limit, you should see a fairly accurate representation of what you are earning per hour. This awareness puts a realistic perspective on each session. You stop groping for the big pots and begin making more consistent and detached decisions.

• Put consistent effort into developing other aspects of your life besides poker.

It really is critical to arrive at the poker table in a fresh and focused mindset, feeling rested and excited to play (not too excited, but certainly not in a state of dread, either).

Winning at this game now more than ever requires real focus, commitment, and patience.

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by Andrew Shykofsky