In the last set of articles (Time to reassess), we talked about admitting to yourself that you have leaks. We discussed how to go about finding and fixing them, and we started to go over some very common leaks amongst players of all skill levels. In this article we’re going to continue where we left off and run through some more leaks that you might have.
Keep in mind that just because you don’t have these leaks doesn’t mean you are leak free. Also, if you have leaks and are too proud to admit it, you’ll never fix them. Be honest with yourself. It’s the best way to grow as a player.
I want to start with the most important point that I try to get across to all my poker students. I talked about it last time, but it’s just too important to stop discussing. It is the idea of having a reason for every move you make.
The best way to learn about the game, whether you are playing, watching someone play, or listening to the recount of a hand that a friend played, is to ask why you/he/she made that play. I’ve coached a few players, and what I like to do for the first hour or two is to watch them play and make them justify why they are doing what they do. So they might say, “I’m betting this flop because I think I have the best hand and he will call with worse.” Or “I’m checking behind this river because even though I think I have the best hand, I don’t think he will call a bet unless he somehow has me beat.” I sit there and listen, and I ask for clarification sometimes, but I don’t give advice until much later. In fact, players often realize some of their own mistakes while verbalizing their thought process. Try telling yourself, out loud, why you are making the plays that you are. Not during live games though; that would be a pretty serious tell.
Don't be forced to act
One student of mine played a seemingly boring hand. He was playing 1/2 NL 6-handed.
He opened to $7 from the cut-off with AsQs and only the button called. The flop came Ad9h4s. He bet $12 and the button called. Turn was the 5c. He bet $32 and the button folded. I think the hand was played well. Sometimes I would check the turn, but my usual play is to bet.
Then I ask him why he made the turn bet, and why he made it the size he did. His response was, “I’ve been in a lot of pots against the button where I bet the flop, he called, and then check-folded the turn. He’s been pushing me around a lot, so I wanted to let him know I really had something this time.”
Do you want him to know what you have? If you actually want to let him know you really have something, then you should flip your cards up and show him that you have the best hand. That way he can fold his weaker pair. Is that really what you want?
So many players bet to represent the hand that they have, which is exactly opposite the point of poker. You’re supposed to trick them. I explained to my student that in this particular hand, against this opponent, he should probably check. If the button has been pushing him around, let him try and bluff the turn when we have top pair. Against most people, another bet is best, but that isn’t the point. The point is that, had one hundred good players watched that hand play out, they would think that my student knew what he was doing in that spot. It’s not until you ask why he did what he did that you realize he has a major leak in his game and can start working towards fixing it.
Read Part 2...
© Phil Galfond. Originally published in Bluff Magazine (US edition)
Phil Galfond is one of the world's most successful poker players - you can use your PKR Points to subscribe to his hugely popular poker training site, Bluefire poker.