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Gaming Guru
Texas Hold'em A to Z: E Is for Evaluating Players28 January 2011
Many players will sit down in a Texas Hold'em game and play as if they are wearing blinders. They see only their own two cards and the cards on the board. They give little or no regard to the other players at the table. This is not the way to play winning poker. Poker expert Mike Caro believes that you will make more money from your opponent's mistakes than you will from your own fancy play. Therefore, in order to be successful, you will need to study and evaluate your opponents at the table. You can't capitalize on mistakes if you are not aware of which players are making them. When I first started playing I thought it would be difficult to read the other players because I would be sitting down in a game with strangers I had never played against. It's true that in a low-limit game you may not be able to determine the exact hand a player may have as they might be playing any two cards, but you can get a general idea about the types of hands they play. You do this by paying attention at the table even when you are not involved in a hand. You always want to watch anytime there is a showdown because this gives you valuable information about the types of starting hand your opponent is playing. In low-limit games many players will play any two suited cards or single ace from any position. Knowing this can be valuable information. If a player plays any two suited and three suited cards appear on the board, you know you are probably up against a flush. Likewise if a player is known for playing any ace and an ace comes on the board, you can bail out and save money if you can't beat a pair of aces. You will find that most players will fall into several common categories based on what hands they play and how they play the hands at the table. Players can be loose or tight along with being passive or aggressive. You can mix and match these categories and break the majority of players down into four basic groups. Loose-Passive Loose-Aggressive Tight-Passive Tight-Aggressive Pay Attention Like other poker skills, you must work on your evaluation skills to improve them, but it will be worth the effort and it is necessary if you want to be a winning poker player. Until next time, remember: This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Articles in this Series
Bill Burton |
Bill Burton |