The Mike Caro and Doyle Brunson Power Poversity Of Poker by Diane McHaffieker Seminars began with energetic audience participation as "the Mad Genius of Poker" pranced back and forth across the stage, his hair in its usual disarray.
Mike pointed out that good decisions equal bigger bankrolls and that this concept can be used in everyday life as well as at the poker table.
He discourages participating in roulette or craps. You won't find professional players in those games, but you will see skilled players making a successful living at poker.
Your opponents' anguish won't be as severe if they like you. That's why a fun, jovial player often invites weaker calls and makes more money. Unfortunately, there are players who are sarcastic and petty and will make losing an agonizing experience for their opponents. If you do that, you only penalize yourself.
More hands. Another tip Mike had for his audience was: If the game is loose, you should involve yourself in more hands. The same is true if the game is tight-you need to take part in more hands. The difference is that in loose games, you should liberalize your opening hand standards and in tight games you should bluff more often.
Should you be holding a meager hand, but you're pretty certain that your opponent's hand isn't any better than yours, go ahead and bet. As Mike says, "You don't want to risk a showdown." Be the aggressor here.
When you're playing online poker, being deceptive isn't going to be productive or profitable. Most won't notice, and many players make this error in judgment. Opponents simply don't pay as much attention to your behavior as they do when face-to-face in a casino.
When playing online, if you notice a quick response, it isn't necessarily a strong tell, but merely a small clue. Don't overvalue those so called "online tells." If there is an immediate call from an opponent, he has probably pre-checked the call button, which usually means he has a moderate hand-too strong to fold, too weak to raise with, no matter what. If there is a quick raise in a limit game, it often means that your opponent has pre-chosen that decision and has an impressive hand that he's going to raise with regardless of other players' actions.
When your online opponent instantly checks, you might be daring and challenge him, as he probably has a weak hand and is just going through the moves until someone bets and he can retreat with some measure of dignity.
Mike pointed out that you "won't double your profit by playing two games at once online." You'll lose focus and each game will be less profitable than if you had only been playing one. You still might win more by playing two games-or even six games-but there are diminishing returns, the more you play.
Don't act on it. When you notice a tell, do not announce that you observed it. And wait before responding so your opponent won't be alerted to it and may exhibit that tell again in the future.
Mike's most potent tip was Tip No. 2, "The greatest secret to winning at poker is to play your best game all the time!"
Once again Doyle Brunson was available for questions and answers. One of the first questions dealt with cheating online. Doyle addressed security measures at reputable sites designed to identify partnerships and prevent dishonest play. I know that Mike has always stressed honesty amongst players. And both Mike and Doyle have predicted even more advanced methods for protecting games online.
Another question to Doyle involved tournament games versus cash games, if you have a limited bankroll. He replied that tournaments will deplete your bankroll faster, so if your bankroll is puny, cash games might be a better choice.
Doyle stated that although poker is an important factor of your life, you have a life outside of poker that involves family and friends and you should never forget that.
Stay tuned for the next two seminars, June 27, and 28 at the Rio
Diane McHaffie is Director of Operations at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. Her diverse career spans banking, promoting financial seminars and raising white-tailed deer. Contact her at diane@caro.com.
