How to play Sit and Go poker like a winner
May 8, 2007
There are two ways of learning to play Sit and Go poker: there’s the loser way and the winner way. Below I will present a few incorrect beliefs about playing poker. If you want to play poker like a pro and win you are better of not taking heed to such advice. The first step though is realizing what the wrong steps are and correcting them.
- Practice makes better. Just keep playing and eventually you will improve.
Well, they do have something there. It is true that you can improve your skill by playing, but not if you do so randomly. Most people just start playing and hope that by doing so they are becoming better and better at poker. You can learn a lot of bad habits this way. You must learn to play proficiently from the start or those bad habits will become a permanent part of your poker play. The first step is to learn the correct techniques and principles. This way when you play you will improve and you will improve the good way. Think of it this way. If someone is bad driver, his students will inevitably become bad drivers. But if he is a good driver, then his students will be good drivers themselves.
- Reading your opponent’s body language
Having a keen sense of observation and knowing how to read your opponent will give you an extra edge, but only if you are playing in land based casino. This tip is absolutely worthless outside the land based casino or poker room. Most people nowadays play online. The only way to “read” them is not by looking at them, since that would be practically impossible, but by analyzing their betting pattern. Learning this vital skill will allow you to counter act pretty much any play they make with a better or stronger one. You will know exactly what they are planning and you will act accordingly.
- Set up a game plan before starting to play and stick to it
This is the lousiest advice ever. What happens if your game plan is completely incompatible with your opponents’ playing style? By sticking to it you will lose, and lose big. The key is to adapt, to modify your playing style accordion to your opponent’s style. At the same time you must not let him pick up on your style of playing. This way you will be unbeatable. And there are loads of such players online. They play poorly and you will be able to take them for all they’re worth.
You cannot go to a poker table with a predetermined game plan and expect to win every time. Poker is not about that, it is about psychology and mental awareness. The same strategy that worked against one opponent may prove to be worthless against another opponent. Analyze and adapt, that is the key. If you can do that, you will have profitable poker session every time.
- It is all about the luck of the draw, it is all about luck
Well, I do admit that sometimes the luck of the draw can be a nasty thing. You may think you have the round won and your opponent will hit it big on the river and completely turn things around. But the part about poker being all about luck is complete nonsense. Poker is a game of skill. Ok, you may win a hand or two if you get really lucky. But if you want to win consistently, and if you want to have a lucrative poker session, then it is all about skill. Luck may play a part in poker, but it is a small part. A skillful player will always win, and a skillful player with luck on his side is an unbeatable combination.
