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December 01, 2005
If the numbers begin to bother you - if you are losing more money than you're comfortable with - then consider packing it in for the day. If you don't, you're likely to allow an already big loss to take you off your best game. This is the time to remember that getting out for the day is not important at all; what is important is playing your best game all the time, and getting up from the table when you aren't.
Although even casual Pokerparty players realize that unmitigated aggression is a blueprint for losing money - at least it will be in the long run - a maniac's presence at the table really does affect one's choice of starting hands as well as other strategic decisions during the play of a hand. Moreover, maniacs seem to intimidate many players, and even though these players realize they'll make more money in the long run because of a maniac's presence in the game, many of them long for quieter games with less visceral impact. Maniacs, or course, thrive on this sort of thing.
- When someone constantly raises, you know he can't have the goods all the time. That's not the issue. It's figuring out when he has a real hand that's the toughie. Let's describe the characteristics of a typical maniac. If you bet, he'll raise - even when he doesn't have a hand to support his action. If you check, he'll bet. He, on the other hand, seldom checks, unless he is in early position, really has the goods, and is trying to trap a number of Pokerparty opponents by checkraising.
- You might divide your money into three separate mini-bankrolls of $400 for Friday and Saturday, and $200 to use on Sunday, before your flight home. Or you can forget about playing Sunday and divide it into two $500 mini-bankrolls that you can use today and tomorrow. But regardless of how you decide go about it, you need some resolve to live within your means on each of those days.
- If your excess cash eventually disappears into the Pokerparty casino's coffers, it won't feel good, but at least you know you can cover next week's expenses with next week's paycheck. If you're contemplating a gaming vacation, it pays to do some fiscal reconnoitering. After all, no one can tell you what to do with your money or how to manage it. We can give you some advice; but that's all. The choices are yours alone to make, and the consequences are yours to bear.
It means not betting the triple on the last race to " . . . get out for the day" when there's no clear-cut case to be made for one or two horses with value. It means picking up your chips and going home after a disastrous run at blackjack where you busted on every 12 and 13, while the dealer caught nothing but fives and sixes every time he drew to a 14 or 15 -- not because you're losing, mind you, but because you are tired, depressed, and beginning to make bad decisions.
On the turn, you should bet if you believe you have the best hand, or if you believe there's a chance your bet will cause your opponents to fold. You can consider checking with the intention of raising if you have a very strong hand and feel assured that one of your opponents will bet after you check.
If he can winnow the field down to one or two Pokerparty opponents, he might wind up with the best hand in each direction. If our hero's opponent realizes this and folds, so much the better. Pairing his ace on fourth street also puts him in an enviable position. Even without completing his low, he can win by pairing any one of his other cards. After all, aces-up is a strong hand in this game, particularly against two lesser pair.
