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Before you go wandering off to one of the poker rooms to do battle, do a quick review of your game.
Are you playing "poker by numbers", or are you planning on taking chips from the players seated at your table?
Player Tendencies
Remember that poker is a game played between players, with cards.
That's what makes it interesting night after night.
It also should make a big difference in how you play your game. Different opponents call for different strategies.
When you sit down at a table (face-to-face or virtual) pay attention to what your opponents do, and when they do it.
If you're playing good holdem, chances are you'll be folding a lot of hands, and there will be plenty of time to people-watch. After a short while, you should be able to tell which players like to see flops with junk, which players will always call, which players only play premium hands and the like. Knowing your opponents is a key ingredient in beating them.
Of course in taking time to learn your opponents, if you find one who is a particularly poor player, make a note of it.
Add that player to your buddy list, and use the online poker room's "player notes" feature to make notes on him.
Then when you visit the poker room next time, look for the poor players first. If you can find a seat at their tables, sit down with them.
It's always nice to have a familiar fish or two at the table.
Table Conditions
The play at the table may be "loose" or "tight" (seeing many or few flops), and "aggressive" or "passive" (betting and raising often, or just calling). How the table acts in general should have an affect on which cards you choose to play, and how to play them.
For instance, if the table is "loose" and lots of players will be seeing a flop, you can afford to play marginal hands that might turn into big hands if the flop is friendly. And, you can afford to play them in earlier position (since you're pretty sure others will be joining you in the hand).
If the table is tight, you probably shouldn't play those marginal hands since there won't be enough players in the pot to make it worth taking a chance on a friendly flop. The key is recognizing the type of play at your table, and adjusting your game to it. If you play every hand the way it is written "in the book", you're missing out on a lot.
Poker Odds
Some things don't change whether you're playing against a raving maniac, or the rock of Gibraltar.
The odds of catching a gutshot straight on the river are 8.7%. While that may not be interesting news, here are some other more commonly needed odds to help you improve your game.
Starting with two suited cards - you will flop a flush less than 1% of the time. You will achieve a flush less than 7% of the time, and that means playing every hand to the river.
A Pair - you will land a three-of-a-kind on the flop roughly 12% of the time.
Big Slick (AK) - you will land an Ace, or a King on the flop roughly one third of the time.
On a Draw with:
Four Flush - you will complete the flush roughly 1 out of 5 times on either the turn or the river. If you're going all-in, and you get both the turn and the river cards, you will land that flush slightly more than one out of 3 times.
Four Straight - you will complete the straight on the turn or the river slightly more than 1 in 6 times. If you're going all-in, and you get both the turn and the river cards, you will land that straight slightly less than one out of 3 times.
Gutshot Straights - are bad hands to draw to if that's all you have going for you. The odds of landing them on either the turn or the river are roughly 9%.
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