by Diane McHaffie

 Contrary to many players’ thinking, desirable games are not necessarily those with the largest pots and an abundance of raising. In fact, the most-profitable tables are usually those with many players participating, but not much raising.

 Mike teaches that if two games of the same structure have similar average pot sizes, the one with more participants paying less money to chase the showdowns is usually more promising. There are exceptions, such as no-limit games where you can coax just one opponent to call a huge bet with a nearly hopeless hand. But in general, large pots in a game with many callers are more profitable than large pots with one opponent calling a large raise.

by Diane McHaffie

 A few months ago, while playing at the Downstream Casino, I was able to save my bankroll from being endangered by properly reading an often misunderstood tell. I wonder how many other players have been saved from a devastating blow by evaluating this tell correctly? Or did they misinterpret the tell and watch their chips dwindle?

Misdiagnosed: Often, you will hear this poker statement, “A player who is bluffing is nervous, and you’ll often see his hand shaking.” Ah, the “shaking hand tell.” Apparently, this can be a bewildering tell, and one that is frequently misdiagnosed. Beginning players often think that the player demonstrating a trembling hand is anxious and unsure. Hey, there may even be a few skilled players who read this tell incorrectly. Let’s examine the true meaning of a shaking hand.

by Diane McHaffie
 
A few years ago, Mike and I were on our way to the blackjack salon at the Rio, when a well-dressed gentleman brushed past us, a scowl furrowing his brow, muttering in an agitated matter. Roller-coaster: The gentleman introduced himself as Brent, acknowledging that he was aware of Mike’s reputation, said he wasn’t much of a blackjack player, but had been running badly at poker. He was only going to invest $1,000. He then fell silent, except for occasional mutterings. Because of his apparent emotional state, I was concerned about his ability to make good money decisions.

by Diane McHaffie

Poker is deception, and a successful winning strategy requires using tells and psychology to outmaneuver other players. Advertising your hand through deception is a key component.

Talking: One way to advertise your hand is to talk about what you may or may not be holding. But sometimes there are rules forbidding you to truthfully mention the cards you may be holding during tournaments. Mike refers to this as the “idiot rule” and claims it’s poker’s worst rule.

Today we’re going to talk about how buying and selling relates to poker. Caro’s Law of Poker Economics states: “Poker is the art of trading chances. To win, buy chances at a low price and sell chances at a high price.” It’s just like similar advice you’ve hear for real estate or the stock market, but this is about poker hands.
 
Retail businesses purchase their merchandise with the intention of buying for a reasonable price and selling at a significant profit. You pursue poker in the same manner. You’re only interested in the pot if the price is right. If it’s going to be costly, just refuse to buy.
 

Do you find that you’d like to be a winner more frequently when playing in home games with your buddies or at a casino with the regulars? Are you unsure how to make that happen? Well, one way is with tells.
 
First, be serious about poker. If poker is merely an excuse to escape the wife and have fun with your buddies, you may go easy on your friends. That cripples you immediately. But, if you consider poker a business, you have the power to change that outcome.
 
In poker, tells are a commanding part of your arsenal of weaponry used to defeat opponents, and better players conquer those less skilled. Luck plays a part, but proficiency is the key in the long run.
 

Have you ever felt the need to take it easy on a friend, relative, a nice guy at the table or someone down on his luck, while playing poker? Did you know that when you do you are affecting every involved player? Yes indeed, you are!

What you are doing is called soft playing. As described in Michael Wiesenberg’s MCU Official Dictionary of Poker, “Soft play is a form of collusion where players have an agreement not to bet or raise each other with anything less than big hands?”

Sympathetic: By soft playing an opponent, you’ve denied other players, as well as yourself, a healthier pot. It’s even possible that your sympathetic act could irritate someone. Then what do you suppose could happen? Well, I surmise that the offended party may retaliate against you in a very aggressive manner at his first opportunity.

Once you master all of the intricacies of poker, only then have you reached the position of attempting Mike Caro’s method of strategic poker advertising.

The style of advertising that Mike applies isn’t necessarily for the faint of heart. Most players initially find it difficult to purposely throw money away, although if it’s going to help them acquire profit in the long run, it doesn’t take very much persuading.

 One of the most profitable weapons in your poker arsenal is check-calling with strong hands. Using this valuable piece of artillery allows your opponent the opportunity to hang himself. Mike calls it “the art of deceptive passivity.”

This allows you to feign weakness when you actually have a stronger hand than you wish to portray. You’ll want to use this technique with impressive, rather than medium-strength hands. Although you should sometimes check and call with medium-strength hands too, it’s for an entirely different reason.

Mike warns against using this strategy too frequently because it defeats the supremacy of the play. But if you practice the check-call tactic discriminately you can often be victorious in your battles and gain extra profit.

Decision-making can be grueling in the best of circumstances. But seated at a poker table with a pile of chips in the center beckoning to you, whether in a real casino or online, making decisions can become quite difficult. There sits a significant pot that could belong to you! You have a very limited amount of time to evaluate the situation and make a very important decision.