Poker is a complex game – easy to learn but hard to master. Over time, many have sought to simplify poker strategy by creating broad generalizations about the game. These adages, passed from teacher to student and through generations, form the basis of what I call “conventional poker wisdom.”
While many of these guidelines are sound practices, a closer look reveals that some deserve exceptions—and others should be discarded entirely.
Here are some examples of conventional poker wisdom. As you read them, consider whether you agree:
- Never play poker with scared money.
- Don’t draw to an inside straight.
- Never play poker with strangers.
- Don’t drink alcohol when you play poker.
- Don’t play poker when tired.
- Play loose in a tight game and tight in a loose game.
In this article, I’ll explore the first three pieces of advice and discuss why they might not always hold true.
Never Play Poker With Scared Money
At first glance, this rule makes sense. Playing with money you can’t afford to lose can make you anxious or overly cautious, which hurts your performance. Skilled opponents will detect this timidity and exploit it, forcing you to fold profitable hands due to fear of higher stakes.
However, there are situations where playing slightly above your bankroll can be beneficial:
Taking a Calculated Risk
You don’t need to commit to higher stakes permanently. Occasionally taking a stab at a bigger game can be the right move, especially if:
- Your regular game is tough, filled with skilled players.
- A higher-stakes game appears soft, with loose and passive opponents.
An Example
Imagine your usual game is $10/20 limit hold’em, but it’s filled with rocks and pros. Meanwhile, the $20/40 game nearby has wealthy, inexperienced players. Even if your bankroll isn’t built for $20/40 variance, sitting down https://esubstation.com/ https://fitnessfoodonline.com/ https://furnitureskart.com/ https://indosiang.com/ https://listingtrips.com/ with a tighter strategy might yield significant profit. If luck doesn’t favor you early, you can limit losses and return to your usual stakes.
Occasionally stepping up can also bolster your confidence and improve your image at lower stakes. Other players may respect you more, thinking, “That’s the player who sat in the big game.”
Don’t Draw to an Inside Straight
This rule comes from the era of five-card draw poker, where chasing an inside straight (e.g., 6-7-9-T) was statistically unwise. The odds of completing the draw—12:1 against—rarely justified the pot odds available in those games.
Modern Context
In today’s games, particularly hold’em, pot odds can justify chasing inside straights. For example, in a loose hold’em game, the pot by the turn may already contain 15 or more large bets. If you’re confident hitting your draw will give you the best hand, the potential reward may outweigh the risk. Additionally, implied odds—future bets you’ll win if your draw hits—further enhance the profitability of these plays.
In some scenarios, raising with an inside straight draw can even be strategically sound, adding fold equity to your arsenal.
Revised Wisdom
Replace the old rule with this:
Always consider pot odds and implied odds before calling a bet on a draw.
Never Play Poker With Strangers
This advice likely stems from fears of cheats and hustlers. In the past, unknown players were often viewed with suspicion, as they might collude or use sleight-of-hand tricks.
Modern Realities
Today, games in licensed casinos and regulated online platforms are far less prone to cheating. You’re no more likely to be deceived by a stranger than by someone you know. Instead of avoiding strangers, focus on protecting yourself by:
- Watching for suspicious behavior.
- Leaving a game if you suspect foul play.
Better Advice
Be cautious of cheats, regardless of familiarity, and learn how to identify and respond to suspicious activity.
The Poker Canary – A Lesson in Set Mining
Tweet, tweet… what does a canary have to do with poker? I’m certain you are all familiar with the use of pigeons, donkeys, and fish as poker terms, but canaries might be something new. Back in the day, canaries were used in mining to determine how safe the air was down in deep shafts. In today’s world of no-limit poker, set mining is a popular strategy due to the strong implied odds the game and the strategy offer. In mining, if the air isn’t good the canary will die, and if you don’t hit your set in poker, your chips can disappear.
Set mining, to the uninitiated, is a strategy of playing small pairs in the hope of spiking a third card of that rank and making a set on the flop. Many times other players will not see this monster coming. With the implied odds inherent in no-limit, if one does hit their set, they can win a large pot. This same strategy in limit hold’em is quite flawed as one normally does not get the correct odds of 7.5-to-1 to attempt to hit a set with small pairs, and the implied odds in limit do not normally make up for the difference as they do in no-limit. When set mining, one must have the discipline to release their small pair hand when they do not connect on the flop and there is betting action with a board of overcards to their small pair. Let’s examine some of the criteria to consider when deciding whether set mining with a small pair in early to mid-position will yield a positive expectation.
The Game Environment
The ideal setting in which to set mine is a fairly passive game with multiple limpers. This type of opponent behavior allows you to “mine” for your hopeful set cheaply while even giving you decent pot odds. This is one of the reasons many more experienced poker players live by the credo of raising or folding and rarely limp in themselves. They do not like to encourage mediocre hands to see cheap flops which could result in winning poker hands. Set mining in fast, aggressive games can be a very expensive strategy. Save this tactic for the limp fests where you can obtain real value.
Stack Sizes
Both your stack size and your intended targets’ stack sizes are important. Since set mining is a high-risk/high-reward tactic, you shouldn’t employ it with a short stack. Your intent when set mining is to at least double through, which means you will need to target opponents who have you covered. One of the difficulties in attempting this tactic is that the large stacks are rarely the limpers, so you may have to pay more dearly for the privilege of attempting to hit your set. Knowing your opponents, as in all aspects of poker, is vital. You do not want to be limping early with your small pair only to have an aggressive player raising four to six times the big blind. You want to get in cheap, which will mean there may be certain games where set mining is not a positive expectation play. Pay attention and pick your spots.
Know Your Competition
As mentioned in the last element, opponent knowledge is paramount to all aspects of winning poker play but takes on a different dynamic when set mining. Experienced and observant foes are well aware of this tactic and will realize that you did not raise pre-flop. If you get too frisky after the flop, they can easily fold many hands. There is nothing more frustrating than hitting a set on the flop, betting too big, and having all opponents muck their hands. If you hit the “Mother Lode” then come out of the mine with some gold! Conversely, it’s important to identify opponents who simply cannot lay a decent hand down regardless of the action. Weak, calling stations are a set miner’s delight. They are passive pre-flop (good, you can get in cheap) and when they hit a little piece of the flop, such as middle pair, they won’t release that hand if you make the bets reasonable.
Discipline and Strategy
Set mining can be fun and rewarding if approached with caution and discipline. You must possess the discipline to release your unimproved small pairs when it appears that you are running uphill. When faced with this dilemma, simply ask yourself why you played them to begin with. The answer should be: to hit a set, not to check-call all the way to the river against a superior hand. That is the exact behavior you want in your foes. Do not allow yourself to become one of them!
Knowing that statistically you will only be successful in making your set once out of every eight attempts tells you that it should only be attempted when the situation is right, not as your “every time you hold a small pair” default play.