Poker playing advice from my daddy

I’m a poker player.  I love the game.  I’ve been playing since I was three years old (and that’s the truth.)

My daddy gave me a few words of advice before I started out on my road to ruin.   One word of advice – that has been repeated many times – is – when you play with strangers, look around for the sucker – if you don’t see one – then it’s probably you.

Play erratic poker for the first half hour or so my daddy said.  By that –  he means raise when you don’t have anything – fold when you do – bet when you have nothing – and let all the players at the table see you do it.   That way – they can never get a bead on how you play.

Alter your play according to the table.  It it’s tight, then play loose.   If it’s loose, then play tight.   Remember, my daddy said, the play of the game will change many times during the night.   You have to change with it.

Lady Luck also gives winning streaks.  Sometime during the night – – you’ll hit a winning streak.  Ride it as long as you can.  Eventually it will leave you.  The key to coming out ahead  is knowing when the lady has left.

My daddy always said – – you can’t play the money.  You need to raise, bet or call regardless of how much money you have in front of you.   You have to play like you have all the money in the world.   Don’t be bought out of a pot that you should be in.

If you can’t afford to lose – – don’t play.

The idea that everyone has a tell – has some merit – but if you depend on the other guy’s tell to make your wager – you’re not going to play your best game.   If you discover a tell – keep it quiet and use it only when necessary.

Know the odds.   Pay attention to what cards have been played, what cards have been folded, and what cards are still in the deck.   Know that drawing to an inside straight is 11 to 1.   Know that if you have three of a kind – the odds are very good that someone also has three of a kind.  That is just good poker knowledge.

Those are some of the words of wisdom imparted to me by my daddy.

And – by the way.  It’s not always the quiet guy that comes out ahead in a poker game.   Sometime’s it’s the guy making all the noise – – and if you play with me – I’ll be the one making all the noise.