PokerTripps

     An advanced concept for playing poker is Money Management.  What is the size of the pot relative to your stack (your cash on hand)?  By saying that its 10 dollars to call or 1,000 dollars to call is all based on the percentage of what your total stack is.  For example, saying that its 500 dollars to call when you have 75,000 dollars does not seem like a lot.  But when all you have is 1,000 dollars, that’s 50% of your stack.

     Deciding on whether or not to make a call requires you to make fast calculations of what the pot odds are relative to your odds of winning.  Early on in a Texas Holdem tournament, the blinds are extremely low and you will be playing more hands.   The percentage of the blinds to your stack makes most minimum bets an easy call.  But as the game progresses and the blinds start to increase, you must be constantly looking at your chips in relationship with others.

     How do I stack up?  Am I so far behind that only a miracle will save me?  Or am I in the top of the players list and I can afford to take my time.  Knowing what you have on hand and how that relates to the pot and other players is essential for success.

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     Another advanced tip we should discuss is “Table Presence”.  This is how others perceive you at the poker table.  Let me explain….You sit down at a table and start off betting every single hand.  In fact, you raise most if not all of the time.  You are being perceived by the other players as being a loose (one who bets with almost any hand) player.  In contrast, another player who folds all the time unless he has a huge hand, is perceived as a tight player.  The other players will pick up on this rather quickly and look to knock you out.

    Understanding how you are being perceived at the table is very valuable information.  Did the other players see what you had at the end of the hand or did they fold and you left them guessing?  If you are being perceived as being tight, you can play almost any hand and command respect.  Raising when you are considered loose will probably generate a call if not a reraise.

Controlling your table presence, especially early on could pay off huge returns.  You can start off loose in the beginning as the blinds will not hurt you as much.  When the blinds/minimum bids increase it becomes harder to play the “loose” game.

Here are a few tips about table image :

      -     Play loose in the beginning and bet big when you have a hand.  You are more likely to be called.

-         Do not slow play when you have a loose table image.

-         Playing loose is rewarding yet dangerous.  You will pay a lot of money just to build up that “loose” reputation.

-         You can start off loose in the beginning as the blinds will not hurt you as much.     

-         When the blinds/minimum bids increase it becomes harder to play the “loose” game, requiring more skill.

-         Playing tight allows you to get away with more bluffs

-         Playing tight can cause your opponent to second guess his good hand

  Just be aware that your table presence is known early on in the game.  You can control it, or it can control you.  Either way, pay attention to how others are seeing you and act accordingly.