Once I am involved in a hand, many of the actions I take after the flop are automatic, or nearly automatic. Therefore, the most important decision I have to make in No Limit Hold 'em takes place before the flop:
Should I play the two cards I've been dealt?
When I first started learning how to play, I reviewed the standard charts that suggest which two cards to play from each position. But while they provided useful guidelines, the charts don't tell the whole story.
Poker is not a game that is best played by the numbers. Poker is a game of situations.
In blackjack, there is always a correct decision to be made - a 'perfect strategy.' Once you have compared the strength of your hand against the dealer's 'up' card, the odds will -- or at least should -- dictate whether you should hit, stand, split, etc.
Poker, however, is a game of incomplete information. There are many factors to consider that go above and beyond what 'the book' tells you to do. Some of them include:
- My opponents' tendencies
- My state of mind
- My opponent's state of mind
- Our respective stack sizes
- My image at the table
Computer programs can look up hands in a chart. Real poker players analyze situations and make their own decisions after processing all of the available information. I might raise with A-J from early position in one game, and fold the same hand from the same position in another.
A good chart can help give a very specific set of circumstances, namely:
- You are the first person to voluntarily put money into the pot and are going to come in for a raise of about three times the big blind
- You don't know much about your opponents
- All the players at the table have an average-size stack
- The blinds are relatively small in relation to the size of the stacks
- When the above things aren't true, you'll want to look beyond the charts.
If you're a new player, these tables are a great place to start. The more poker you play, however, the more comfortable you will feel letting your experience and your instincts serve as your guide.
Phil Gordon
by permission - Full Tilt Poker |
