Action Dan Poker » Poker

Playing the Final Table for the First Spot

Jimmie — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:11:52 +0000

Some poker players just try to climb up two spots up their money ladder once they’re on the final table. This doesn’t usually happen when you’re playing with a professional. The pro will always want the top spot. If you want to play like a professional, you should follow these tips.

Get inside your opponents’ heads

You have to assess the situation and know what prize they’re aiming for. There’s no use trying to beat them all when they’re not really going for the top prize, anyway. Some poker players are pretty satisfied with the 9^th or the 8^th place, and most of them even make a big deal out of the difference. Try to weed out these mediocre players from the lot. You want to focus on the ones that would fold out the smaller games to get to the final payout.

Spotting them through stacks

Even without body language, you can actually determine which ones are playing just to climb up a notch or two, and which ones are going to shove to dodge the blinds. Players with shorter stacks are likely to go for the 9^th place. Those with longer stacks are going to fold to last longer in the game.

Players with big stacks

What you should watch are the two poker players with the biggest stacks in the table. They have the most interesting posts of all. If you’re one of them, you should attack the one with the bigger stack. If you have the biggest stack, expect what’s coming to you. Folding four or five times just to climb up a notch or two in the ladder is foolish. You’ll be wasting the opportunity.

Just raise and re-raise the chip leader and let him know you can’t get bullied. If all goes well, you’ll get the message across and win the big prize. If he’s as tough as you are, the two of you will probably tie at second place.

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If only Dewey had played Action Dan…

admin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:00:20 +0000

… he would have won the 2001 World Series of Poker against Carlos Mortensen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What have we learned today? ONLY PLAY THE NUTS, KIDS!

Poker Psychology: Understanding the Role of the Psyche in the Game

admin — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:41:34 +0000

Poker is a card game that is immensely popular the world over. With the number of casinos, Internet poker game rooms and televised events constantly on the rise, it is no surprise that the game is perhaps the single most in demand across the globe. As newcomers look to pick up the tricks of the game and old-hands seek to better their techniques, literature in the form of instructions, tips, inside secrets and so on can be found to abound in the markets. While most of these writings are concerned with instructions regarding strategies and techniques of actually playing the game, few people realize the importance of understanding the psychological aspect of the game. While playing tactics and stratagem are undeniably important, the working of one’s psychological self during the game can make or break one’s game. The inner workings of one’s personality can determine one’s strength as a player, because while the card hand being dealt to you is your most crucial tool in the game, how you use those cards and whether you make the best of them or not is dependent on your personal characteristics. Behavior and personality traits such as those of mental planning and preparation, confidence, insecurities and fears, discipline and dedication, risk-taking and caution and so on and so forth not only determine the quality of your game but also your earnings in the long run.

Even though short term gains are possible in the form of winning pots in individual rounds, if you want to make a considerable gain out of playing the game, you will have to learn the importance of exerting control over your psyche and harnessing all energy such that you never lose sight of the goal as a result of minor obstacles. Discipline, self-control and restraint are the three most important characteristics any poker player must learnt to inculcate in order to overcome the wide variety of problems that can come in the way during the course of the game.

Most players tend to get carried away by the thrill and the excitement of the game, and to be able to excel at the game in the long run it is imperative to achieve complete control over oneself in order to be able to face all sorts of adversaries and problems in a calm manner. Since you will be playing against a variety of people and in a number of challenging and sometimes taxing situations, control over your temper and behavior is mandatory.

Experts advise laying a solid groundwork for your game. Not everyone can excel at all varieties of poker so it is important to recognize where your talents lie and to concentrate only in that direction. Once you know the kind of game you can excel at, work on building a positive yet practical attitude. It is important not to let a minor loss or setback take you down completely, but one must also know when it is time to close the game. Getting carried away will only lead to losses and it is in governing these impulses that self-control comes handy.

More poker psychology at Derwael Poker, a great resource!

Tom “durrrr” Dwan has to fold the nuts :(

admin — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:49:10 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

He slowplayed the nuts pre-flop, but does make the painful laydown on the flop. World class durrrr!

To Bluff or Not to Bluff?

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:24:53 +0000

You may go for a bluff when you have read all the signs and see that all other players have weaker hands. It can also be done if you are in the late position and you think your cards are far superior than what others are holding. Sometimes playing bluff on one on one games has good winning potentials.

The worst time to bluff is when your playing with strong players who are unlikely to fold. A bluff will also be useless if the other player bullies the table with his tons of chips. It will also be bit hard to read and execute a bluff I there are still too many players in the hand.