Crafting with Kids

I have been playing “proper” serious money and fun money free poker for most of my life but mainly free poker for the last four years. At first it was easy but as time went on I found it harder to win as I got caught up in the world known as the “Easy Play Trap”.

The poker “Easy Play Trap” is when you think you have to play every hand to win. You post and play every hand praying the flop with give you a hand. The problem with this play – You lose – and everyone playing with you learns how you play. The problem is most common I find on free texas holdem poker sites where, due to the very low or even no risk nature of the poker games it is easy not to be bothered. OK, if all you want is some fun free texas holdem poker play it’s no problem (though I would say that getting whipped frequently takes the fun away!) , but if you have any sort of ambition to improve and win proper money later, even go pro, then this is a fatal trap to get stuck in.

Then last year I started playing what I call “SMART”. “SMART” players think of the odds of playing each hand based on your starting hand. The two cards in your hand give you an idea of what your chances of winning before the flop.

“SMART” poker means as follows:

Singles – A – K – Q – J

Married – AK – AQ – AJ – A10

Average – 10 10 – 9 9 – 8 8 – 7 7 – 6 6

Rare – AA – KK – QQ – JJ

Terrible – 2 7 – 2 8 – 2 9 – 2 10 – 3 8 – 3 9 – 3 10 -4 9 – 4 10 -5 10

Singles should be used cards of the same suite.

Playing singles with low off suites is high risk because some times it is the kicker which means a win. Watch the flops to see how the cards are falling as if there are more small off suites hitting with a single you may want to try.

Married and Rare hands are your best possible starting hands before the flop and requires you to think first. Going all in with a Married or Rare hand prior to the flop is good but may also be a killer. Watch the other players for a while to get an idea of what they play before going up against them.

Average poker hands are good to start with but the flop truly provides a picture of how you will play your hand. On an average a third will fall with the flop when holding a small pair. If not, and there is a small bet, try the turn but never the river as odds are against you.

Terrible are poker hands I try not to play because they normal are losing hands. True you might get lucky but if you do not have any money in the pot why waste the time and money on a chance. High blind and there is no raise, yes play, however low blind, forget it and wait for a better hand.

During a recent live game I was down to 80 in chips with the blinds at 10 – 20. I was not getting a hand and we were down to three players. Being “SMART” I came back and won the money.

Now the important bit, how to learn to play “SMART”: If you are new to poker or are stuck in the trap, get yourself over to a free texas holdem poker site and practice loads. Be serious about your game and don’t get distracted by all the Easy Play Trap people you’ll come across. The, once you are confident and showing consistent bankroll growth you can move on and up.

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