Poker Tropical

TV poker shows have become a lot more popular over the past ten years than they ever were before. In fact there weren’t even any televised poker games really to speak of before that time, and so you would have to say it is no coincidence that the games popularity has grown quickly during this time.

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The introduction of the camera under the table to show viewers the hole cards, has undoubtedly been instrumental in these shows being a success. This shows exactly what decisions a player is faced with. Also, it makes the game far more TV friendly than a show which would otherwise, be mostly a case of watching people sat in chairs thinking. Televised poker shows have helped to bring professional poker players something of a hero status in the eyes of poker enthusiasts.

Poker shows usually involve these big names within the game battling it out for thousands of dollars, and the way they play is inspirational to those who want to play the game seriously. It is true that poker shows do not receive the same air time as major sporting events, and given the games popularity, that is a shame I think. Part of the problem will always be that those who have no understanding of the game see it as a game of chance, with people sitting around a poker table gambling. This wouldn’t have the same appeal as people competing in events that are purely based on skill and/or physical prowess.

The fact is though, it is only this lack of understanding that prevents poker from being recognised for what it is. Poker is a game where players strive to calculate and outwit each other to maximise the profit from their fortune, and minimise the financial damage from their misfortune. Recognising the signs of uncertainty in an opponents betting, and stealing pots when behind, help to ensure poker amounts to a game as much based on talent, as it is luck.

Interestingly, position is generally a concept which is not learnt in the very early stages of a poker players development. Poker players are often taught hand rankings and reasons for betting, calling, or folding in many diverse situations first and foremost.

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That isn’t to say players do not understand the basics of position though. Of course players learn that the button and blinds move around the table and the action moves to the left. But, the strategic ramifications are often more difficult for the inexperienced poker player to see when they first start out. Poker by it’s very nature, involves decisions and situations that change due to what might seem to an inexperienced poker player, trivial issues. You may play one hand when in slightly later position but not in others, or you might contradict the general guidelines of this due to a hand you had previously seen your opponent play.

This can be confusing for new poker players, especially as you can consider all this intricate information carefully, make an excellent informed decision, and still lose the poker hand. That is the volatile way poker and fortune can work though, and poker players only ever play by the fact that a decision will result in winning more than it loses over a more lengthy timescale. Position can often dictate the way you play hands, because often in late position the action will be folded around to you, giving you the information that most of the table do not have strong hands. Even if there is a raise from a tight poker player before the action gets to you, well then your position just helped you by giving the answer of how to play your (A,9) or (5,5).

It is difficult in poker to say that one move is completely wrong or that another is completely right when you look at a given situation. There will always be lots of variables to take into account when judging which move might yield more success.

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One of these variables that should always be present in your mind, is your opponents tendancies to respond in different ways. Some players can be described as ‘calling stations’. This type of player never wants to be bluffed and is willing to pay, sometimes heavily, to see if their hand is good enough to win. In this scenario, you would not want to attempt to bluff your opponent out with what you correctly read to be a marginal hand. In many scenarios this would be the right move, but in this case, the opponents general poker playing style means it would not be.

You can also apply this logic to decision making when faced with a very aggressive poker player. Where in some cases it would be right to bet your hand when you have something strong, against an aggressive player this would not necessarily be the best move. It is still a reasonable enough move on the face of it, but you have to consider the fact that setting a trap could be a more profitable decision. When you decide which move to make in a particular scenario, it is always imporant to remember that your opponents playing style and view of you as a player will often have a significant effect on how the hand works out for you.