Tue, 02/01/2011 – 00:55 – PokerPages Staff

As the beginner poker player pushes past the basic poker rules and the basics of poker betting, generally they will find trouble.  It is through continued experience and education that the beginner will find solutions for what troubles their game.  As such, here is some some advice with a unique spin for playing in Multi-Table Tournaments.

The advice is sound.  To push your game to the next level, you must have patience.  Being patient, waiting for the right time to make a move and making the right move, is the hallmark of the best professional poker players.  This involves the strategies we’ve previously learned:  poker mathematics and consistent play.

The spin.  Practice and apply patience based on chip stack, blinds and antes:  Pacing.  According to the advice, pacing can be accomplished through a calculation of the proportion of the blinds and antes to your chip stack.  Specifically, the percentage of the total of the blinds and antes on your total chip stack can guide your play.

In short, if the percentage is less than 10%, you should only be playing the best hands, such as a high pocket pair or AK.  When the percentage reaches 15%, you should be looking for additional opportunities to play.  At 20%, you should be playing even more hands to build up your chips.

This is all good stuff, but remember, nothing is a sure thing nor is it a replacement for solid, consistent play.

To learn more, check out PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the internet for poker related learning.  One excellent way to put what you have learned to the test is by playing for free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages sections Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker tips and strategies.

Tue, 01/18/2011 – 05:09 – PokerPages Staff

As a beginner poker player it is inherent that you learn to objectively evaluate your game play.  This requires that you apply your knowledge of the poker rules and betting strategy in a consistent manner.

Sklanksy’s Fundamental Theorem of Poker illustrates this concept:

Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose.  Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.

In short, Sklansky is stating that consistent game play is the key to success at poker.  By altering our game play from situation to situation, we lose.  If we play consistently, we win. 

Through self-evaluation, the beginner can begin to identify their mistakes.  The goal is not whether the play resulted in a win, but what would have been the best play.  By continually evaluating your play, you develop consistency in the game.  In the end, the consistent play will lend to long-term success.

To learn more, check out PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the internet for poker related learning.  Then put those skills to work by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages sections Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker tips and strategies.