The Poker Corner

What I don’t understand about many of the world’s top poker professionals is how they can be so good at so many different poker games. Do you ever wonder how Daniel Negreanu can be good at every single game he plays? And it’s not like he was the only person at the top of the Toyota Player of the Year standings who cashed numerous times while playing a variety of card games.

I have enough trouble playing limit and no-limit texas hold ’em, I don’t need the distraction and the time commitment necessary to learn four or five new games. Good poker players always say that it’s more than knowing the numbers and reading your opponents, it’s about experience and being comfortable in every possible scenario. But how do these guys have time to play the massive number of hands necessary to gain experience playing so many different types of card games? Most poker players are extremely talented and competitive people who do not like to lose. More importantly, they don’t like to take hits to their ego. Maybe you can, but I just can’t picture Phil Hellmuth sitting at the $1-$5 Stud table at a casino a day after playing $500/$1000 hold ’em.

I guess the basic idea is the same, the numbers are similar, and the card hierarchy is identical, but come on, how do these guys do it?

At the end of 2004, I was getting a little bored playing my normal 1-2NL game online, so I ventured out to Omaha Hi/Lo and 7-Card Stud during a few sessions. I wasn’t a complete stranger to either game, as my friends and I would often mix in a round of Omaha or Stud between our normal hold ’em game when we wanted a change or wanted a new player to lose his money quickly. I also played lots of Omaha with play chips before venturing into a real money account online, but play money and real money are very different games, especially in Omaha.

But just because I had played hundreds of hands of Omaha didn’t make me an expert, or even good. I knew from the small number of people sitting at Omaha tables that the people playing were either real experts or real novices. Well, after a few sessions I came to a few conclusions about online Omaha.

The first conclusion was that I needed a lot more practice. I just wasn’t comfortable with any hands I got, regardless of their strength. I was never really confident unless I had the absolute nuts, and was very reluctant to raise for fear of any and every possible hand that my opponents could be holding. I was afraid of losing not just to a better hand, but to a better drawing hand as well. Although my brush with Omaha was not met with total failure (I used some luck to hover around even), it made me realize that I was not ready to risk my bank account. I needed more experience.

But how do I get experience if I don’t have the time and don’t have the money to lose learning? And even if I did have those things, wouldn’t playing these games take away from my hold ’em time? I don’t understand how someone can master more than one game.

The second conclusion was that despite the similarities between hold ’em and these other games, they take a very different mindset. Stud players are stereotypically older, more conservative players, while the new breed of hold ’em players are young and aggressive. Omaha players seem to be risk takers, willing to see another card even when the numbers are not in their favor. Maybe I’m just not quick enough and that’s the problem, but I had a tough time adjusting my play to take into account the different styles of play in the different types of games.

Like myself, other people I’ve talked to have said that they too get a little bored of normal hold ’em and often have the desire to branch out and play other games. Chances are, if you too try this, you will not be successful. So here are a few tips on keeping your eye on the prize and staying with the game that you know best and are most successful at.

1. If you want to try a new game, play the lowest stakes possible starting out, and don’t begin with play money. The play money games will not be realistic enough and you will get bad habits quickly.

2. Bored with your “normal” game? Try a lower limit, a higher limit, or a different type of game (sit and go, multi-table, limit, no-limit, etc). Try a different style of play, maybe a little more aggressive, maybe a little more conservative. If you’re not successful at these different strategies, you’ll quickly realize that it’s best to stick with what you know.

3. If you usually play online, try playing a home game. Invite a few stoolies over, order some pizza, maybe some drinks, put a college basketball game on, and I guarantee you’ll have a good time, even if you lose. If you usually play home games and you’re sick of either taking your friends money or giving your friends your own money, try playing online. Start small and try to build a bankroll. If you lose, make sure it’s not enough that you care and if you win, you’ll have something to brag about at your next home game.

4. Don’t play unless you have a purpose. If your purpose is to make money, keep focused. If your purpose is to have fun, don’t worry about the money. You need to decide first and foremost whether you’re playing poker to win money or whether you’re playing for fun.