Racing Home

We’ve talked about playing aggressive to change up your game when you think you’ve hit a wall, or run into a tough batch of cards that resulted in a gut punch to your wallet. But what about taking the opposite approach? What can be said for pulling in the reins and playing as tight as possible? What are the benefits and detriments to playing like this at any stage in your poker career, not just necessarily if you’re looking to change things up?

The detriments start and end with predictability. If any of the other players at the PokerStar table even get a hint that you’re only betting up major made hands, you’ll be easier to read than a highway billboard. This will only hurt you. You won’t get the big pots because players will know when to drop, and you won’t catch anything because you wouldn’t have stayed in long enough on a questionable hand to get it to that next level. And yes, sometimes you have to “limp” to see a potential powerhouse hand through to fruition or destruction. It’s just the nature of the game. If you can’t that, at least from time to time, you shouldn’t be playing for money.

To help define what we’re talking about, the rock only bets that “sure thing” early. We’re talking AA, KK, QQ or AK suited. The rock might play JJ or lower pairs, but only in a later betting position at the table, certainly not in the first couple spots. The rock does not set the betting tone. He responds to it, every time. Another major detriment. If you’re always a follower, you’re never going to have control, by definition. If you’re always waiting for someone else to make a move, you’re playing not to lose instead of going after the pot. Consistently sitting on the sidelines might be enough to get you a place, but not the top spot.

The benefit? Clearly you minimize your risk when you are playing on Golden Palace. But in tournament play, when the blinds increase every 10 hands or every 30 minutes, that risk increases a little bit each time whether you want it to or not.

It’s a weak strategy in my opinion, and really only has value if you’re third out of three at a table and are waiting to see if one big dog will knock out the other so you can slip into second place. Sorry, but no poker player should be happy with second place. And it’s not a reputation you want to have for yourself.