Playing Poker in your Underwear

I’ve been playing poker consistently for a number of years now, generally with the same core group of guys. Every summer, along with the warmer temperature, a disturbing trend continues. I play fewer live games.

Many of the guys are off at cottages and golf courses, playing Fastball, Softball, Lob ball, Slow-pitch, T-ball or any other bastardized beer league version of baseball you can name. Maybe they're
spending time with friends and family, taking vacations or just trying to soak up a bit of sun. It seems that their priorities are on anything but poker. To me, this is just wrong.

So what is a guy like me to do? The nearest casino with legalized poker is a 2 hour drive away, and I don’t think my wife would approve of me spending weekends playing poker. Shockingly my 2 kids don’t place poker very high on their list of priorities either, at least not yet anyways. Hence my annual pilgrimage to the magical world of on-line poker.

To enter the world of online poker is like walking down the strip in Las Vegas. It’s got all the glitz and glamour you’ve come to expect at any Vegas casino with the convenience of being able to play in your underwear. I’ve never been a big fan of playing on-line. I much prefer the personal interactions, subtle nuances and other intangibles offered at a live game. Being able to watch how an opponent counts out his chips or how they respond to being re-raised is lost with on-line play.

That being said, on-line poker is a lot more than just a guessing game. There’s a lot of information that can be used to your advantage, but you have to make certain assumptions combined with observation to evaluate the skill level of your opponents. Every major on-line poker site offers the ability to write notes about the other players at your table. If you’re like me and have a ‘Swiss Cheese’ memory, then you will find this service to be invaluable. Use it every chance you get to make small comments and reminders about players tendencies.

Did they get caught in a bluff? Did they try to over-bet the nuts? Did they call a sizeable bet pre-flop with a questionable hand? Poker is a game of information, the more you have, the better your chances are of success. Next time you’re at a table with a player you have notes on, be sure to review them, and keep them updated. Also, keep in mind the situation, as every hand is different. Maybe they called a big raise with a mediocre hand, but if they were the dominant chip leader at the table, and there were four players in the pot, it might be worth it to call with a weak hand.

Also be aware of players who always take a long time to make any decision. This could mean several thing, not the least of which being that they’re annoyingly slow, but it could also mean they are playing in at least one other game at the same time. One of the advantages of playing on-line is the ability to play multiple tables at the same time. I’ve watched top-rated players play 3 or 4 games at the same time on-line, each for up to $100,000. These players are more likely to play a very basic, conventional style game. As they are constantly switching from one table to another, often playing more than one style of poker such as Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud, Horse and more, it’s harder to bluff or read a bluff because they don’t have a feel for the table. Of course, there’s always exceptions.

Another key to successful on-line playing is choosing the level that’s right for you. Surprisingly, a lot of players play at levels beneath what they can afford. This often decreases the quality of play in cash games, as a masterful bluff might be called just because your opponent can afford to lose the money. As a tournament Hold’em player, I find that playing anything below the $10 entry fee is just asking for trouble.