Author: horse-racing-free-tips

My opinion of what makes a player a good player has changed over the past few years as my game has matured. It is very important for a new poker player to realize what makes a good poker player and more importantly, how to spot him. If you can spot the good player, you will have an advantage over him.

Signs of a good poker player:

1) He Plays Tight: Its the first sign that someone is educated about the starting hands of poker. Because I play so much shorthanded, I think that playing too tight is a problem for some players, especially the ones that don’t use the image they have created with their tight play. I play some shorthanded players who have little chance of winning at all due to this single problem. So what used to be a key to winning 10 handed hold em is now the reason they have no chance of winning shorthanded. …Interesting point to ponder…

2) He plays aggressive: You just can’t be successful in poker without being selectively aggressive. This is even more true shorthanded. When he’s in a pot, he bets it aggressively. Tight to get into the pot, aggressive once he is in the pot.

3) Varies his speed of play: Some decisions take longer than others. I’m not talking about the 10 table poker players who might have just happened upon that table being up when its his turn to act. I’m talking about the people that are playing the table…and are THINKING. He must adjust his play and think of every move. Poker is a lot like chess in this way.

4) He plays the same hands differently: This goes hand in hand with point number three, he not only varies the speed of his play but the manner in which he plays it. By this I mean the player is not the guy 6 handed who will open raise any ace from any position. If the blinds are tight, fine; do it. If the whole table is tight, fine, do it. But many players short-handed raise any ace from any position and this is a mistake. So sometimes it is correct to raise A7o utg, and most of the time it is not.

5) He folds his blinds: Sounds odd; but 30% of the players I play defend their blind 100% of the time. It’s a basic aspect of Poker that one must realize. The chips are just tools to get you to your goal, which is more chips. You must use the tools to your maximum advantage and never waste chips.

If you can realize these five signs of a good poker player, you will be a stronger player because of it and you will be able to make appropriate moves against him. Remember, poker is a game of skill and some people are better than others. Spot those good players and adjust your play accordingly.

Nowadays, a new kind of poker player is developing. They are the backwards players, tilted backwards and they have one significant attribute that can be appreciated because they have no idea what a nut means. These players are not inexperienced players. They will usually understand draw odds, they know the fact that on a high percentage all other players won’t start with cards that are considered to be the nuts and that players don’t keep a hand that is probably locked. Backwards players aren’t just plain unintelligent. They can develop into good players but they still have to learn. And they hold their money dearly, so they will believe every time that all the players they encounter will do the same with their stacks, that no one will ever risk to lose money for playing them or follow an important purpose.

A backward player will do mostly the opposite of what an experienced player does usually. They will be aggressive most of the times, excepting the situations they have a winning hand. They are players easy to tell, they do what in real poker a scared player does. Once they see an opportunity of winning, they get scared of losing and hold that hand dearly through safe and passive play. So, according to this pattern a backward player that has something will mostly check or bid less when he has a real hand that can aim for the pot. Of course, this seems to any one a bad even crazy idea, to bet less when you actually can win. They are minimizing their winnings through their behavior at the poker table. If they can get to the right table they can actually make a profit out of their gaming style. The right table for a backward player is a table where all players are tight and take no chances, a table where people will fold every time the backward player raises in his usual style.

So, take advantage of the existence of the backward player and go on a hunt for them. They are quite easy to spot. All you have to do is look for that particular table where you can see a player that has a stack much bigger than all the others and that player just keeps on betting his huge bets.

To play a backward player you must know his two great fears: when he is being checked-raised and when he has the winning hand and no one calls. He is not a player that bluffs, he just wants everyone out of the table and will bet as much as he can afford to get them out.
If you check raise a backward player you will let him know that you know his style and you are willing to risk everything just like him because you know you can make a huge profit. He can go all-in here if the is hoping for a draw, fold if he truly has nothing or check when he thinks (and he will probably do this) you will let him be on the turn and the river.

A backwards player, once losing his stack through many consecutive re-raises from you will not give up. He will keep on coming back and if you manage to get his money every time you will get his entire bankroll. So you will get rich in just one poker room in a couple of hours if you can find your backwards player and check-raise him often until he is completely messed up.