ALAMO POKER TOUR

Back in the days when I used to frequent poker forums then I would often see numerous posts from players who were looking for questions on how to play a certain hand in a certain situation. This usually shows a lack of understanding in that these players believe that there is a set way to play each hand in each situation. This is simply not the case at all as your own individual attitude to risk has a huge impact on how you play poker. A far more aggressive player who was hugely bankrolled and was prepared to push very marginal edges to optimise their earn rate would be playing certain hands differently than a more cautious player who was more risk adverse and didnt want to incur huge swings.

There are many reasons as to why you play certain hands in a certain way and often it can be correct to sacrifice EV in a certain hand in Texas Holdem if that means that you keep on playing your best game for longer periods. A really tough pro can take these swings and when I mean tough I am not just talking about the technical quality of their game but their strength of mind when bad things happen.

Let us look at two players who both play Texas Hold’em NL200 and we will call them Bill and Bob. Bill makes $100,000 a year and plays in a very ultra aggressive way and incurs some large swings. Bob on the other hand makes $60,000 per year but plays a more cautious and safe style and his swings are nowhere near as bad as Bills. The fact of the matter is that Bob may be making $40k less than Bill but he is getting something back for this money. He is not only getting peace of mind and with that comes a more contented life but he is also not risking his entire career.

Believe me when I say that variance and swings to your bankroll are perhaps the single biggest obstacle that poker players face in their attempts to play the game for a living or as a serious second income stream. Millions of people come into poker who do not like losing money or throwing money away. But it is difficult not to think that this isnt the case during prolonged bad runs and this is when variance really messes with your head. If you do not have the mental fortitude to take these swings then you need to play in such a way as to minimise their effect.

It is precisely for this reason why it is often correct to play hands differently as despite whatever you hear to the contrary this is in fact the case. Texas holdem is a highly complex, highly situational and highly individualistic game and just because you read about some professional who is doing something a certain way then this certainly does not mean that their methods would be correct for you.