Miss Holdem

Poker in Words

"How long does it take to learn poker, Dad?" "All your life, son."

That one is from David Spanier from "Total Poker" in 1977. Most people think that they can learn everything about poker overnight. Heck, you cannot even do that in weeks. Poker is something that is constantly changing. You can not use the same strategy all the time, you will have to learn new ones, especially if you are playing with many different types of players.

Others would try to beat you in poker by changing their game play, so you must not sit there and relax as you believe that you already know the ins and outs of poker. You do not want you r poker opponents to catch you by surprise, right? You have to be ready and prepared for their attacks, and you can never do this if you do not learn new things in poker.

As you play poker over the years, surely, and inevitably, you will come upon different poker tactics from your opponents, some are new to you. If you close your mind and refuse to learn them, then, you should bid farewell to your poker career.

The next one came from Jonathan Swift, from "Thoughts on Various Subjects" in 1728.

"I must complain the cards are ill shuffled till I have a good hand."

You will most likely hear this from people who are not really good in poker, and do not know the real essence of the game. The objective of the game is not to really get good cards. Poker is about eliminating the better hands so that yours will be the best hand at the poker table, and you are left with the players who have weaker hands.

Yes, it will matter if you got good cards, but it only matters a little. Contrary to popular belief, it does not contribute a lot to your winning in poker. It is your strategy that will make you win. That is why there is such a thing in poker that as bluffing. You scare others away by making them believe you have the best hand. So the next time you play poker, do not wait for good hands to bet. Make others fold their good hands so that your weak hands will win.