Advanced Poker Strategy
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
-- Thomas Alva Edison
Table Image :: Selecting Your Table :: Online Poker Tells
Tagging the Fish :: Strategy: "Getting Players to Fold"
Strategy: "Bluffing Your Position"
Strategy: "The Value Bet" :: Advanced Poker: Reading List
Table Image by JoblessJoe
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Selecting Your Table by JoblessJoe
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Online Poker Tells by JoblessJoe
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Tagging the Fish by JoblessJoe
They can be found at every online poker site, they come from all parts of the world, some play drunk, some are problem gamblers, others are rich and don’t mind dropping 1,000 dollars a night at the low limit tables if it means having a good time. Whatever their reasons they all have one thing in common, they just cant help wondering “What If?” What if I draw for that 23 to 1 in hopes of making a small set on the river? What if I play this guy heads up and hit that 15 to 1 inside straight draw? What if my king high is good three ways? Who are these people…? Fish, marks, dead money, calling stations, contributors. These people are the bread and butter for the seasoned poker player. Their reckless play is a direct result of there ignorance, don’t feel bad about taking their money, you earned it. You’ve read the books they didn’t, you’ve refined your game, they have know idea what that means, you’ve study this strategy section, they would not even take the time to begin to understand it.
I have friends who make a pretty good living doing nothing but what I am about to describe to you in this strategy. They find the weakest link in poker and exploit it. Some of my friends literally have a “mark list” of hundreds and hundreds of players, each player with detailed notes attached to them on how to play them. They simply follow around whatever “marks” are online at the time, and sit down at their tables. I will admit this is taking it a bit to the extreme, but it is still important for a solid poker player to know how to identify, and play a “fish”.
Fist step is identifying the “fish.” This is quite a bit easier than it sounds, almost every other time I sit down to play poker I run across I person like this. You know the type of person, raises any ace, calls any raise with weak hands, plays every hand out to the river, and calls players down on high cards with multiple players seeing the hand. These are all tell-tell signs of a “mark”. Keep in mind a player’s bad play must be proven consistent before you can call them a “mark”. Keep checking the hand history to see what hands the player was playing, and what move they made and when. Watch a player for a lengthy amount of time before classifying him/her as a mark. Many players will play this way for the introduction of there poker session, in order to give the illusion they are a crazy player, then tighten up later in the game in hopes of getting maximum value on his/her good hands. Check to see if that person is sitting at any other tables and see if their play matches the example at your table.
Second step is “tagging the fish.” Once your satisfied that this person is generally a very bad player, and you have a sufficient amount of evidence to backup your claim, begin taking notes. Watch what kind of cards this player plays, watch the position he/she plays them in, watch how much and what kind of action was on the hand. Run through various scenarios with made up hole cards, or hole cards taken from the other players in the hand, ask yourself what would be the perfect way to play those cards to get the most money out of that hand, or to keep your losses at a minimum. Document this person’s name, be sure to read it carefully, on some sites punctuation, and letter case matter. This is wear the player notes function comes in handy and can be found almost any of the top online sites. Check the reviews section, to be sure your room of choice’s software carries this function. At this point you can leave it alone, if you ever stumble on to this player you have sufficient notes that can tell you how to play him, or you can take it to the next level. Some online site like Party Poker have what they call a “buddy list”, originally this was designed to keep track of and locate your “friends” in online poker. To the poker fisherman this is their “mark list” they use it solely to identify what marks are online and where they are playing.
Playing a mark is different in every situation, some require finesse, while others can simply be “rammed and jammed” in almost every hand. The further you progress as a poker player, the better understanding of how to play these players you will acquire. But the goal remains the same: use this person to extract the most amount of money out of any given hand.
Rules of caution, when playing a mark:
1) Don’t change your play too much.
2) Don’t play many hands you would not normally play with.
3) There are still 8 other people at the table.
4) Any two cards will not do.
5) Be patient.
6) Don’t get upset if he beats you with a lucky draw.
7) Don’t get upset if he goes broke, and everyone at the table got a piece of him but you, which happens. There is always another mark down the road.
8) Don’t get greedy, his last dollar doesn’t matter, it’s the first couple of hundred that you should be happy to part him of.
In general you should use these “weak” players to control the tempo of the game, use them to build a pot on a strong draw, or raise behind them to get players out, or isolate him heads up.
“The only sin in poker, is not parting a fool from his money.”
-- Author to be later named.
“I don’t play the game straight up… I see a mark, I take him down.”
-- Edward Norton as Worm, Movie: Rounders by Miramax Films 1998
Strategy: Getting Players to Fold by JoblessJoe
Currently Being Revised. Check Back Soon.
Strategy: Bluffing Your Position by JoblessJoe
Currently Being Revised. Check Back Soon.
Strategy: The Value Bet by JoblessJoe
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Advanced Poker: Reading List by Bluffer9
As you may have found out by now, reading is one of the best ways to take your poker game to the next level. The best poker authors are usually the best players, with the exception of Sklansky and Malmuth who are both great players, and great writers. The below list of poker books is recommended for Advanced level poker players. Warning - reading poker books that are to advanced for you can be detrimental to your poker game.
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
I found this book to be an excellent addition to any serious poker player's library. I WOULD NOT recommend reading this as your first poker book b/c it is VERY analytical. Sklansky brings a mathematical element into decision-making which is vital to raise your game to the next level. However, there is so much more to cards than mathematics. I found the book incredibly valuable, but only when coupled with the knowledge that one can take away from Caro's Book of Tells, Brunson's Super System, and the other great books of our time. The lessons are universal and important. Worth the money and the headaches to get through it. Reviewed by Chris, A.
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky
This text is the first book ever written that explains tournament tactics which only a small number of players have mastered. It assumes you already know how to play poker well, but aren't knowledgeable of tournament concepts and when and where to use them. Some of the ideas discussed include the effect of going broke, The Gap Concept, how chips change value, adjusting tactics because the stakes rise, all-in strategy, the last table, making deals, The "system," and much more. Reviewed by the publisher.
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel
This book is not about poker exactly, but it does show how you can take a zen like approach to it. This book helped me immensely with my concentration and focus.
Since its original publication in 1953, Zen in the Art of Archery has become one of the classic works on Eastern philosophy, the first book to delve deeply into the role of Zen in philosophy, development, and practice of Eastern martial arts. Wise, deeply personal, and frequently charming, it is the story of one man's penetration of the theory and practice of Zen Buddhism.
Eugen Herrigel, a German professor who taught philosophy in Tokyo, took up the study of archery as a step toward the understanding of Zen. Zen in the Art of Archery is the account of the six years he spent as the student of one of Japan's great Zen masters, and the process by which he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. As one of the first Westerners to delve deeply into Zen Buddhism, Herrigel was a key figure in the popularization of Eastern thought in the West, as well as being a captivating and illuminating writer.
Reviewed by JoblessJoe
Beginner :: Intermediate :: Advanced
