|
Play poker online at Doyles Poker Room
 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
SPECIALIZE OR LEARN TO PLAY POKER
by Steve Zolotow
THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG
Seven-hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Greek poet Archilochus
distinguished between the fox and the hedgehog, saying “The fox
devises many strategies; the hedgehog knows only one, but he uses it very
effectively.” As a gambler which should you strive to be? Should
you try to learn a lot of games or just one?
Many poker players adopt the hedgehog’s strategy. When presented
with an encyclopedic book such as this one, they immediately turn to the
chapter that covers their favorite game and study that chapter exclusively.
They either give a cursory glance to sections dealing with other games,
or they opt not to look at them at all. The advantage to being a hedgehog
is very simple. You can become very good, perhaps even great, at your
specialty. What could be wrong with that? If you become an expert at one
game, you won’t be afraid of any opponent, and you’ll win
consistently.
So why would you even consider the fox’s strategy? Why learn a variety
of games, especially if it is virtually impossible to play multiple games
as well as you can learn to play just one? Here are five reasons why:
1. Times Change
Your chosen game might not stay popular forever. Some games that were
once very popular have faded almost completely away. Imagine how much
the five-card-stud or draw-high experts make now. When I first played
in New York City, many home games played high-low declare. I never see
declare games being played these days.
2. Adaptability Means Higher Profits
You never want to pass up the opportunity to make money at another game.
Say you have a choice between a tough stud game and an unbelievably weak
Omaha eight-or-better game. A great seven-stud hedgehog might barely cover
the rake, while a fox who is barely competent in Omaha will opt for the
weak game and clean up.
3. Knowing More Never Hurts
While learning one game, you might pick up something that helps you master
another. Before I started playing pot-limit Omaha, I didn’t understand
the importance of making big laydowns on the river in that game. And you
need to be versatile in learning the difference between cash games and
tournaments, too. You never know where the profit will be. In cash games,
how you play with or against a short stack isn’t very important.
In tournament play it is a crucial skill you can develop.
4. Flexibility
If you are a fox, you will be able to play mixed games or dealer’s
choice games. Many home games and most of the biggest games are mixed
games, in which the game changes after a set number of hands is played
or a certain amount of time elapses. The most popular multi-game mix in
casinos is H.O.R.S.E., an acronym for the combination of hold’em,
Omaha eight-or-better, razz, stud-high, and eight-or-better stud. Some
common two-game mixes are stud and hold’em; no-limit hold’em
and pot-limit Omaha; and high-low stud and high-low Omaha. With so many
games to play, a hedgehog would have a lot of trouble competing at these
tables.
5. Versatility
A fox is much better prepared for any new games that develop than a hedgehog.
The more versatile you become, the easier it will be for you to pick up
a new variation when you are faced with it.
WHAT TO LEARN
What poker variations should you learn first? To some extent that depends
on where you are and what game you normally play. No-limit hold’em
is a good game to master first. Not only is it the most popular game,
but it’s also growing faster than any other. If you intend to play
a lot of tournaments, you should definitely learn no-limit hold’em,
but don’t forget to study the limit and pot-limit variations.
On the East Coast, stud is popular and should be your second choice. In
Europe and the South, pot-limit Omaha should be your second choice. In
Vegas and California, Omaha high-low split is a reasonable second game
to learn, but make sure you learn how to play both tournaments and live
games. Eventually you should practice enough to feel comfortable playing
limit, pot-limit, and no-limit games. You should also strive to learn
all the most popular games, including hold’em, seven-stud, Omaha
high, Omaha high-low, seven-stud high-low, deuce-to-seven triple-draw,
razz, and lowball draw—both ace-to-five, usually played limit, and
deuce-to-seven, usually played no-limit. The top players know and play
all of them. Why shouldn’t you?
I would even recommend the study of certain academic disciplines, especially
mathematics and psychology. Psychology will help you better understand
your opponents and what they are doing. It may also enable you to find,
understand, and eliminate some of your own mistakes. Probability and statistics
are extremely useful as well. Poker players have been known to use game
theory to determine the percentage of bets that should be bluffs. Assuming
you are extremely intelligent—and you must be if you are reading
this book—and hard working, you should be able to master all of
these games and academic disciplines in approximately five lifetimes.
That’s why, in order to make the most money, you should master one
or two games, while achieving high competence in the others.
|
