Pacific Online Poker Tour Playing the Lame-brain Pete Poker Texas Holdem Poker Guide: How to Read the Board

Pacific Online Poker Tour

Intentional Non-Action in Poker

At the beginning of learning about poker, one gets the impression that this casino game is all about winning money. And to win money, a poker player must compete. These ideas remain true. But how to go about competing and winning in poker may be different from the usual day-by-day concepts.

In many areas of a person's life, "competing" meant constantly doing something. The businessman, in order to compete with his rivals must work late into the night. The rock band, to compete with other artists, must have many gigs. But in the game of poker, to compete does not mean playing all the hands. In fact, playing all or many hands is a fatal mistake in poker.

The major reason why playing all hands is disastrous lies in statistics. That is, out of the number of times the poker player is dealt with pocket cards, about 10% of the time will he get good cards that have the chance of winning. For the remaining 90%, he will get cards that will most likely lose. Thus, for the wise poker player who intends to win, he must think about saving his losses for those 90% time, and maximizing his winnings for the unpredictable 10%.

When one is attempting to save the losses, one must always consider the option of folding. By folding, one does not play his garbage cards. And by folding, he saves his chips and money. But folding does not mean that one stays out of the poker game. When one folds, one stays in the periphery, uninvolved in the active action, but engaged in an intentional non-action.

By being engaged in an intentional non-action, one stays away from battles that one is sure to lose. This does not mean, however, that one should patiently wait for the time when one gets the good cards. Patience has nothing to do with this, because patience meant complacency. In poker, there is no room for complacency. In poker, intentional non-action is choosing not to play one's garbage hands but staying mentally alert for everything else that is going on at the poker table.

This mental alertness will hold the poker player in good stead when he eventually gets the good cards. A poker player who is not mentally alert will not recognize the opportunities of winning a hand. That is, he may already be holding the best hand but he will fail to win the pot. On the other hand, a poker who is mentally alert will make the right decisions.

Pacific Online Poker Tour Playing the Lame-brain Pete Poker Texas Holdem Poker Guide: How to Read the Board
Pacific Online Poker Tour

	Intentional Non-Action in Poker At the beginning of learning about poker, one gets the impression that this casino game is all about winning money. And to win money, a poker player must compete. These ideas remain true. But how to go about competing and winning in poker may be different from the usual day-by-day concepts. In many areas of a person's life, "competing" meant constantly doing something. The businessman, in order to compete with his rivals must work late into the night. The rock band, to compete with other artists, must have many gigs. But in the game of poker, to compete does not mean playing all the hands. In fact, playing all or many hands is a fatal mistake in poker. The major reason why playing all hands is disastrous lies in statistics. That is, out of the number of times the poker player is dealt with pocket cards, about 10% of the time will he get good cards that have the chance of winning. For the remaining 90%, he will get cards that will most likely lose. Thus, for the wise poker player who intends to win, he must think about saving his losses for those 90% time, and maximizing his winnings for the unpredictable 10%. When one is attempting to save the losses, one must always consider the option of folding. By folding, one does not play his garbage cards. And by folding, he saves his chips and money. But folding does not mean that one stays out of the poker game. When one folds, one stays in the periphery, uninvolved in the active action, but engaged in an intentional non-action. By being engaged in an intentional non-action, one stays away from battles that one is sure to lose. This does not mean, however, that one should patiently wait for the time when one gets the good cards. Patience has nothing to do with this, because patience meant complacency. In poker, there is no room for complacency. In poker, intentional non-action is choosing not to play one's garbage hands but staying mentally alert for everything else that is going on at the poker table. This mental alertness will hold the poker player in good stead when he eventually gets the good cards. A poker player who is not mentally alert will not recognize the opportunities of winning a hand. That is, he may already be holding the best hand but he will fail to win the pot. On the other hand, a poker who is mentally alert will make the right decisions.