Poker Tips by Philthy

[CoachMKV]

These were excellent tips. Hope to hear more in the near future. Thank you!!!!!

 

[ph_il]

I don't so much believe in protecting hands as much as knowing when my hand is beat. I focus on how much I'm willing to lose as opposed to how much I'm going to make.

hey sorry i havent been posting, im in the philippines on vacation, but ill check up as often as i can.

anyway...the idea behind protecting you hand is too, well, protect your hand. from what? from other players catching the card they need to beat you. by keeping more people in a hand you run the bigger chance of having you hand beat...its like a safety precation. of course protection doesnt always work..say you have JJ and a board of AKQ came out, you're pretty much screwed unless you get cheap looks at the next 2 cards and you catch a straight...which brings me to another point that you pointed out and thats knowing when you are beat. sometimes its blatantly obvious you're beat and other times its not, so knowing when to throw a hand away shows a lot of displine. but...why would you want to let someone get lucky? i say its better to protect your hand, but know how to let it go in the end if you need to...

 

[WesCharge]

I agree with philthy's tips...make sure you know how your opponent plays , and keep accurate notes about them....

 

[Dawfinfan]

GREAT

Awesome tips, keep em coming...I love reading and learning these must-have tips!

Dawfinfan

 

[allin1090]

thank you for the tips they are great

 

[jmj69]

What a great post. Learned tons in only about ten minutes of reading. When are you publishing your book? Keep up the good work. Have a fabulous day!!!

 

[Pndwtr]

Great tips!

 

[shine111]

It seems to me like a lot of people are asking "how should i play?" or "how would you play x/x hand?" or "what should i do in a situation like this?"...and there isnt a wrong answer, but at the same time there isnt a right answer. Everyone could give their different theory about how someone should play in a given situation and most likely will all be right. There are just to many things to take into consideration the just 2 cards in front of you. Things like: what position are you, how many acted before you, how many are after you, is the pot size worth a call, are you will to call a (re)raise if there is one, who was the original raiser, etc, and no answer is 100% accurate because almost no given situation is entirely the same.

Ive been playing for about 5 years now, so im still learning. i dont consider myself a good player or even a decent player...i think of myself as an advanced beginner. In this thread i'll post some tips/strats, that i have found to be effective in both house games friends and with strangers at casinos. These are tips they look beyond the cards in your hand and on the table. Im not writing them down in a specific order.

1. You dont have to justify your style of play/the hand you played.
If you turn over a below average hand that won a nice pot/lost a pot and someone asks "how did you call [a raise] with that garbage?" you dont have to answer. More likely then not, the person in question could care less about the hand you played. He may be a bit heated, but he is just waiting for you to answer so he can use that information against you. if you say "i was looking for a flush" then he knows you like to chase. at best i wouldnt say anything at all, but if i do respond its something simple like "i guess i got lucky."

2. Know your opponents style.
If you are seated amongst strangers learn how each person plays with in the half hour. find out who likes to go over the top vs a raise and who will likely fold to a reraise, this way you can pick your targets and know who you dont want to be involved in a hand with. i dont believe you have to go up against every single person at the table to make your money. if you can take it from the tight players then do so, if you're not getting anything worthy to go up against an aggressors, then dont.

3. Get to know your opponents.
At casinos, i make it a habit to introduce myself to people i dont know. You dont have to get personal and ask their life story. Just their name, where they're from, and how often do they come to the casino. If they ask you a personal question, then you can ask them that as well. (i usually get asked how old i am or when i started playing, etc) For the most part people who play at casinos are great people. they are there just to have fun and hang out, lose/win some money, so you should show them you are looking to have fun as well. There have been a number times where ive been heads up with someone i met and have talked with a few times and even though i lost a couple hands, i didnt lose as much i would've if i had become friends with that person. its not gonna be the same with everyone you meet, but if some one considers you a friend, their not gonna try and take all your money. and im the same way.

4.Learn how to take a win/lose with dignity.
Everyone loves to win, thats a fact...especially when it comes to money. If you win a huge pot and your hand held up go ahead and celebrate. go ahead and express yourself, but dont over do it. I dont think theres anything worse then someone who wins, then calls his friends over, talks about the hand and how much money he took from other people. if you're gonna do that, wait till after you leave before you start swapping stories. the last thing the person(s) want to hear is about how they got beat. At the same time, take your loses with dignity as well. Losing sucks, but you're not going to win every single time...so you have to be ready for it. ive lost a number of hands against better hands and against lucky garbage, hands...but ive always made it visible to the table that i could take it. Even though im heated and want to scream "How the FFFF do you call a $60 raise with that garbage and call me down to the river? FFFFin' chasers." but i dont. i simply take a deep breath and say "I guess you got me." im even sport enough to shake that persons hand if he killed all my chips or knocked me out of a tournament. the thing with loses are: no one remembers what hand you lost with and they dont care, but they will remember how you acted. if they know you go on tilt easily, then you're a good target for them.

5. None of us are pros.
I meet a lot of great players at casinos who have been playing for years and years, but arent pros in anyway...so why is it that i see a lot of people (mostly young people) coming into casinos, like they're wearing a WSOP bracelet? More often then not ill get a player at my table who plays like he is a pro...theres a diffrence between a serious player and someone who is living a poker fantasy. a serious player is just that: serious. he plays tight/aggressive when he needs too, he knows when to call and when to fold, hes not just playing just to play, but to improve his game. the poker fantasy player looks like he plays seriously (and he just might be), but its over serious. he likes to stare down, he likes to chip dance, he over analyzes hands, basically he acts like someone you would see while watching the WSOP or the WPT.
ive even called someone out on it. i raised with Q/Q and "the pro" called. the board came out 7-3-10 rainbowed and i bet into it. "the pro" called time and then proceeded to stare me down like i just made a huge bet for the pot and started asking "what do you have?" then picked up chips like he was gonna reraise and started chip dancing and counting how much he had. he then started analzying how i played which was 1. PFR and 2. bet on the flop. so finally after a while of this BS i said. "Come on, Freddie Deeb..i know you dont have anything so quit playing like you do." i was an ass for saying that, but he was dragging the game along.

6. Make sure your mind is straight.
If you walk into a casino/home game with the words "NEED" and/or "HAVE" in your head, then i suggest you walk out the door. if you walk in thinking "I NEED to make X-amount of money tonight" or "i HAVE to make x-amount of money tonight", then your are setting yourself up for a possible lose. If you cant affort to play, then dont. Playing poker because you NEED money is one of the worse things you can do, because 1. you might not come up. 2. if you lose money, you now have to work to get that back + the money you NEED. if you go to play you should be thinking "i HOPE i come up" or "im going to play my best and hopefully ill make some money." this way of thinking keeps your attitude positive and you're less likely to make mistakes.

7. Go with your gut instinct.
If you played a hand as best you could but is now against an all in and you're not sure about your hand..go with your gut instinct. However, that should be last thing you think about. Analyze the hand in your head and how everything was played out. If you still cant get a read or arent 100% your hand is the best, then go with your gut instinct. i say analyze the hand first, because your instinct isnt going to go anywhere, so you dont have worry about that first. Dont think about how much money you might win if you're right or how much you could lose if you're wrong. If im considering a fold i tell myself "Ok, if im beat then i saved myself a lot of money. if he bluffed, then he made a great play."

i have 3 great lay downs so far by trusting my gut instinct:

-laid down top pair and middle pair vs. someone who made trips on the trun
-laid down pocket kings vs someone who river set of jacks
-laid down flopped boat vs quad 7s. i had 8/8. cards came out 778-7-K opponent had A/7.


i guess thats all for now, i have a lot more ill be posting up in days to come. repsonse and your own tips are welcome.

This is the kind of stuff I've been looking for. Great post, this is going to help me beat the hubby.....I can't wait : )

 

[sozo]

I have found if I have a high pocke pair that I need to protect it by bumping up the bet. It's not a hundred percent, but is needed if I'm going to have a chance. I have also found that if I don't have any preconceived notions of grandure, I am more likely to play a better game. So Philthy, I can relate and appreciate your tips. Thank you.

 

[Hawkeye]

Philthy, thank you and I look forward to playing

Philthy,

My wise old Sage
Ask at the table, "What's your Age?"
The reply is noble yet quick---
35, and you-- my friend-- your name and are you holding Big Slick?
NOOOO, No A-K indeed, but a pocket pair which is strong aside your A-3.
Suited we may be, but information is always the key.
Cause Philthy has a vision you see-- he can read YOU......and me.
So play like a Champion Today!!!! Cause when u play Philthy, you better JUST

LAY.

:icon_joke

 

[kardmania]

Hi

I am new. Hoping to learn and advance my game.

It is amusing that players wish to concentrate on the hands that they play properly yet still lose. It is human nature to dwell on the bad beats. Human nature causes us to lose more hands and dollars.

State of mind needs to be held constant win or lose.

 

[tenbob]

Thanks

Execllent post, ill try to keep this in mind next time i have the nut flush draw on the turn !!! lol

 

[G M O N E Y]

Awesome post, thanks for the advice

 

[allinguy]

thanks for the info great thread.

 

[Smarts]

great post lotts of top notch info.

 

[skyeyes]

The only way to truly learn how to play a hand, is to get experience with that hand and learn by the results. For all the books and postings I've read, the only time I started winning, was after I had been playing for quite some time and learned first hand what could happen in every situation.

 

[urdrawindead]

I like tip 4. Very well said. I'm learning to take the beats with grace and say nice hand, rather than get upset. I don't mind getting outplayed, but suckouts are way worse.

 

[Atticus01]

Nice

Hey thanks for all the tips.....these are gonna help me in the tournament im playing today.....Thanks again

 

[ph_il]

-Back from the Philippines and playing poker.

sup everyone? i just got back a few days ago after 3 weeks in the PI. it was great; very hot, very cheap, lots of girls, but no poker. i guess i took a break from poker and played my first game in almost a month last night. heres what went down.

Honestly, i think taking a break from poker really helped me out. Maybe not playing and not being overly concerned about setting up games or figuring out where i have to go to play, etc really relaxed my poker abused mind, so when i did play it was refreshed and ready to roll. I didnt win anything last night, i bought in for $20.00 and had it at about $50.00 (highest chip count) before i lost it, but i wasnt to concerned about that. I lost, but i was more interesting in hanging out with friends and telling stories and all that good stuff. A girl named Karen really took the pot down, maybe 3/4s of it which is cool..everyone gets a good night now and then. So, some of you must be asking "what was so great about your poker game when you lost?" What was great was my read on everyone. Boom! Boom! Boom! i knew what people had, what pair they were holding, what draws, what card they need it. I saw it all and i included that with my more aggressive style of play and i thats how i was able to make some of my money. Before, i was overly concered about a couple of players, how they played, how they bet, the cards they held, etc..and used to get pushed around a lot until i got a decent hand, but last night i saw through all of them and was able to come over the top, call them with mid pair, make them fold big hands because i was able to out play that person/the table. So, how did i lose? Well knowing what people held didnt mean they didnt catch. i lost a good chunk against karen because she hit a set and i lost another big chunk against someone who i knew was on a midhigh flush draw, (i was open ended) and i pushed for all his chips and really tested him. he of course decided to call and caught it on the turn, but it was cool. it was a very tough decision for him, and i hit my straight on the river.

anyway...im not sure if this is a tip or not. i guess taking a break from your normal poker routine, allow your mind to refresh, then go back and see how well you do. not sure if it works for everyone or what...

um..yeah.

 

[PakoToons]

Just read through all of this info - and this is AWESOME advice. I do agree that one should not play if you cant afford it - but then, thats what the freerolls are for isnt it?????

~pako

 

[ph_il]

Just read through all of this info - and this is AWESOME advice. I do agree that one should not play if you cant afford it - but then, thats what the freerolls are for isnt it?????

~pako

True. online i only play with play money. For the most part these Tips ive written are for live games (casinos/house games) since thats where i use real money.

 

[diabloblanco]

Philthy, I read through your whole thread, and while I admire your willingness to help others (which after all is why were here) I do think that some of your advice was less than stellar. I have nothing negative to say regarding your personal limits or style of play, that is all subjective and relative to your situation. What I would challenge are the statements you made that may discourage new players from buying and reading poker literature from different authors. While you, yourself, admit to reading several books and planning on buying more, saying that they all basically say the same things. This ascertation simply isn't true. It is a huge advantage to anyone that wants to really learn the game of poker to read as much material as they possibly can in order to pick through these professional players' years of experience and take mountains of information with them back to the felt.

Like I said, I commend you for taking the time to help new players, but I think it is dangerous to imply that the poker guides and books that are out there are all filled with the same information. These books are dramatically different from author to author and are slammed full of information on everything from calculating pot-odds, to value bets, to different ways of playing specific hands in different games. They are a virtual treasure-trove of information on the game and are well worth the time and price. My .02 cents.

 

[ph_il]

Philthy, I read through your whole thread, and while I admire your willingness to help others (which after all is why were here) I do think that some of your advice was less than stellar. I have nothing negative to say regarding your personal limits or style of play, that is all subjective and relative to your situation. What I would challenge are the statements you made that may discourage new players from buying and reading poker literature from different authors. While you, yourself, admit to reading several books and planning on buying more, saying that they all basically say the same things. This ascertation simply isn't true. It is a huge advantage to anyone that wants to really learn the game of poker to read as much material as they possibly can in order to pick through these professional players' years of experience and take mountains of information with them back to the felt.

Like I said, I commend you for taking the time to help new players, but I think it is dangerous to imply that the poker guides and books that are out there are all filled with the same information. These books are dramatically different from author to author and are slammed full of information on everything from calculating pot-odds, to value bets, to different ways of playing specific hands in different games. They are a virtual treasure-trove of information on the game and are well worth the time and price. My .02 cents.

Hey, thanks for the repsonse. I dont think i ever said "Dont Read poker books." I might have someting along the lines of that and if i did its my mistake. When it comes to poker books, i feel (IMO) that they teach the basics basically the same, but the thing that differs is how each poker player would play in a certain situation. Though, after re-reading my poker books im starting to take back that comment. u_u' And its true i have read many poker books, i think it was just bad wording on my part, but what i basically was trying to say is: Read/use poker books basically as a guildeline to how you should play, but dont rely on them to heavily to improve your game. That will come from personal experience. Meaning: Dont think that just because you read super/system 1 and 2 and studied every single holdem example, section, paragraph, etc...you will be able to go to a casino and be the best player there. ...hope i cleared that up...

ok, not really a tip...something pretty basic: if you're gonna hold a game at your house (especially a tournament) make sure everyone is aware and agrees on the rules before you start, that way if something ever comes up it wont drag the game along. Basic stuff, but ive been to a number of tournies where the game dragged on and blinds went up cuz of a misunderstanding...so yeah.

 

[diabloblanco]

I just wanted to clarify that the books are a good source of info, however I agree with you that simply reading some books will make you a wsop champion. Only table time can do that. Good thread, keep it going.

 

[marcocroc]

thanks Philthy. I am a searcher off poker and i never seen a guide poker so good.
Keep the good work