Going for higher stakes

You might be playing in a certain level of cash game for some time and you do not know when to move up. The most important factor to consider is how you manage your bank roll. You should never be impatient and have to determine if you are consistently winning in your current level, if you have the discipline to move back in case things don’t turn out well, and if you can recognize when you are outplayed. Are you hearing “yes”? Then maybe you should give the next level a try.

Consistency

The real test of being an excellent poker player is consistently winning. You can say you are consistent if your bankroll says it all. You do not win for several nights, you do not win in a month, but you consistently go to move to the last few tables, go to the final table, or win tournaments. Losing is still part of the equation though. Let’s be realistic.

Take note of your losses and wins in cash games and tournaments. Document your success and shortcomings in poker so you can evaluate if you are ready to move up the ladder.

Be ready to play

As easy as it may sound, a lot of poker players come to a table not prepared to play the game. You need to have the right mindset. You cannot play if you are too tired or if you don’t have enough sleep. Just like any game, you must be ready to react and attack in poker.

The two things you need to be successful in poker are, first, find the muck, and second, don’t play your own money.
– David “Devilfish” Ulliott

Marriages may come and go, but the game must go on.
– Felix “The Odd Couple” Unger

It’s hard work. Gambling. Playing poker. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Think about what it’s like sitting at a poker table with people whose only goal is to cut your throat, take your money, and leave you out back talking to yourself about what went wrong inside.
– Stu Unger, Three-time WSOP Champion

The guy who invented gambling was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius.
– Julius “Big Julie” Weintraub, a New York gambler who ran junkets to Vegas (1974)

Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died.
– Steven Wright

A card player should learn that once the money is in the pot, it isn’t his any longer.
– Herbert Yardley (1957)

One day a chump, the next day a champion. What a difference a day makes in tournament poker.
– Mike Sexton

They say poker is a zero-sum game. It must be, because every time I play my sum ends up zero.
– Max Shapiro

The commonest mistake in history is underestimating your opponent; happens at the poker table all the time.
– General David Shoup

Hold’em is to to stud and draw what chess is to checkers.
– Johnny Moss, 3x World Champion

Losing is like smoking. It’s habit forming.
– Puggy Pearson, 1973 WSOP winner (2001)

Fear is the basis of all mankind. In cards, you psyche ‘em out, you shark ‘em, you put the fear of God in ‘em.
– Puggy Pearson, 1973 WSOP winner (1975)

Everything is mental in life. The butt was made to lug the mind around.
– Puggy Pearson, 1973 WSOP winner (1975)

The game exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great.
– Walter Matthau

Poker is the only game for a grown man. Then, your hand is against every man’s, and evern man’s hand is against yours. Teamwork? Who ever made a fortune by teamwork?
– Somerset Maugham

If you know poker, you know people; and if you know people, you got the whole dang world lined up in your sights.
– Brett Maverick

To be a poker champion, you must have a strong bladder.
– Jack McClelland

There is more to poker than life.
– Tom McEvoy

Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.
– Stu Ungar

I just go there, and, you know, take what they give me. You know? You know?
- – Phil Ivey

Here’s a somewhat strange documentary about Stuey “The Kid” Ungar.

Phil Laak doing the maths on High Stakes Poker

The mathematical facet should be used in various situations but it should be remembered that all games cannot be won by incessantly using this concept. Luck plays an important role as well. For example If your are playing online poker and had started with 1500 coins along with 10 opponents and now you are at 2000 chips then the simple calculation is that blinds have increased from $100-$200 and a $25 ante. This is a terrible hand but you would be calling because the small blind would have been battered and has only 500 chips remaining and he would bet it all. That is your mathematical advantage. A harmonious blend of calculations and luck would help you to win the game.

The mathematical characteristic would facilitate in taking righteous decisions. You will be surprised to know that the application of odds in a poker game gives the player an edge over his opponents. For example if you are playing a $2 game and are on the button. You should know that odds to a flush are in the ratio 4 to 1. You would augment to a flush with every five players. Hence, the mathematical calculation is simple and precise. If you play this hand for 5 times you would lose $2 four times and win $10 only once.

The method of probability used in the game of poker defines the number of times particular situations would arise. On the other hand odds define the opposite. They tell you how many times a situation will not take place. For example if I get pocket pairs every 17 hands then the odds would be 16 to 1 in terms against dealing with a pocket pair.

If you want to terminate the odds against improving you present hand you should calculate the total number of cards that would be required by you in the total number of outs you need to suck out. An odd applied on the poker table help in concluding the total number of discounted odds, the specific calculation of the pot odds and shapes the strategy of the players on the poker table. All in all Mathematics and its applications is a great way to win poker games.

DURRRR FOR PRESIDENT!

Previous Bets and Position

You have to know where you are in the battle field. If you are in an early position, it will be a difficult play but it is wise to raise three to four times of the big blind. With this move, you can lure the other players to call or to re-raise your bet.

In mid position, you will have an idea how your hand should be played. Let us say, a player raises 3 times above the big blind, it will be a good choice if you can re-raise his bet about 2 to 2.5 times more. Doing a re-pop will uncover your opponents camouflage and see what he is made of.

The series of actions after your call will help you gauge what your next move should be. If you have a KK or an AA then a re-raise or all-in maybe the best move. Folding after a few raises will logically lower your stack.

In the late position, you might have two or three players raising before you can move. Observing how the pot is going, re-raise and isolate yourself from the rest of the field. This can scare some players away.

You amount of chips will dictate if you will just call fold when someone challenges your big pair, or will you gamble all in.