My Killer Poker Tip: Learn More Games

Hey there. It's very hard to come up with a new subject every other week, but here's something I'm always asked: What's the "secret" to winning tournament poker?

To be honest: There is no secret. (Or at least not that I am aware of :P)

I just play poker. To be honest: I've never even read a poker book. So I'm afraid I can't be of much help if you ask me for the "killer tip."

Of course I will not leave you empty-handed. My advice is as simple as it is effective: try to focus on other games apart from your main game.

90% of all players play mainly No-Limit Texas Hold'em. (Especially on the Internet, where the bulk of the games are NLHE short-handed ring games nowadays.)

You may wonder why you should even bother trying a game in which you are not as skilled as your regular game. It probably seems like a waste of time.

There are a few reasons that justify the effort, though:

• Playing a different game improves your overall "card sense."
• Since a lot of people focus solely on NLHE, you might find games that are much easier to beat.
• NLHE is the most popular game at the moment, but times will change. NLHE wasn't always the most popular game. It's hard to imagine, but there was a time when Five-Card Draw was the most popular game. After that, Seven-Card Stud became the flavor of the month for most players. So when times change, you'll be prepared.
• You don't have to let go of "juicy" games anymore in games you don't really master.

Where to start? A good start would be mixed games.

Like Erik Seidel, the best poker players are truly the most well-rounded, with skills in all game variations.

In live games the players often decide what games are played together. On the Internet you often don't have that choice, so you just have to play whatever is on offer. That means H.O.R.S.E. is the ideal game for you if you are looking for some diversification.

For those who don't know what H.O.R.S.E. is, I will go through its components quickly. I'll assume everybody knows the basic rules. (In case you need to refresh your memory, please click here to browse through the beginner section for the game of your choice.)

H.O.R.S.E. stands for Hold'em, Omaha Eight-or-Better, Razz, Stud and Stud Eight-or-Better.

All games are played Limit structure, so that basically means for all games more or less the same rules apply: Tightness and aggression are key in H.O.R.S.E.

Hold'em

In Hold'em you just play ABC poker. The better your position is, the more hands you can play. When you decide to play, you come in for a raise or not at all.

Omaha Eight-or-Better

This is the game in which players make the most errors. You have to make sure you always draw to the nuts. (Especially on low draws, errors are easily made.) A good starting hand should contain at least A-2xx (a suited hand is always better than a nonsuited hand.)

As a rule of thumb: a hand containing three wheel cards (A, 2, 3, 4 & 5) is worth raising. Of course the lower the hand, the better it is. Especially a suited ace (for example: A 2) is valuable, because you have a good shot at both the high and the low.

Kassem "Freddy" Deeb: Reigning WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. Champion.

Razz

Razz is one of the easiest games as far as rules are concerned. Just make the lowest poker hand out of seven cards. (Straights and flushes do not count against you.) The only piece of advice I can give is: do not pay too much attention to your down cards.

If your down cards are KK and your up cards are, for example, A-4-5, and your opponents' board doesn't look too promising, just raise.

Stud

The best piece of advice I can give is: remember all dead cards and consider raising when you have the highest door card showing.

Stud Eight-or-Better

This game is, strategy-wise, more or less equal to Omaha Eight-or-Better. The biggest pots are won by "scooping" pots (when you win the high and low in a pot). So you should concentrate on starting hands that have potential in both high and low. Any hand containing three wheel cards (preferably with a suited ace) is an excellent starting hand.

With these basic tips you should be able to hold your own in low-limit H.O.R.S.E. cash games. If you feel that one or more of your games needs improvement, you should start playing cash games in that exact variant until you feel comfortable in it. (My sponsor's room, Pacific Poker, is an excellent choice, if I do say so myself!)

Of course you can start at the lowest possible stakes so no serious harm is done during the learning process. Don't expect miracles to happen; you will have to take some time to become accustomed to the nuances of each game. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Regards,

-- Steve Wong (Steve@888.com)

More blogs from Steve Wong:

• The Players I Respect Most
• How I Started in Poker
• Traveling Around the Globe Part 3
• Traveling Around the Globe Part 2
  
• Traveling Around the Globe Part 1