The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

If you can't lay down a winner, you'll never be a good poker player.

A big difference between an experienced player and a beginner is that a beginner can very rarely lay down a hand. No doubt, if someone bets into you strongly and you feel you are beat, there's a chance if you fold that you laid down the best hand. But, if you play often, you are probably correct more times than not in doing so. On the other hand, if a beginner holds a pocket pair or flops one, they will likely keep on calling your bets all the way down to the river thinking they have you beat. On occasion, they might still beat you even if they are calling with garbage, but if you're playing smart, you can exploit it.

There's absolutely no sense in trying to bluff a beginner because they tend to keep you honest. That's one advantage they have: Beginners can be so unpredictable as they tend to call with any two cards and they also are too curious for you to try to steal a pot by making large bets.

I remember playing a six-handed game against this middle-aged woman who was relentless. She called me down several times with only ace high and would take pots down each time as I tried to bluff my way out. I was right in knowing that, since she played every pot, she can't have it every time, but it didn't matter: She was willing to call it down to the river whenever she got involved in a hand.

Although you have to be a little patient, the next game we played I decided I'd take her to the bank whenever I had a made hand. So when I flopped the nut flush while playing her heads up, there was an Ace on board. It didn't matter if she had a weak kicker or not, she would always call pre-flop whenever she held an ace. Instead of messing around, I went all-in. She thought about it for about five seconds before calling. I was right: She paired her Aces and couldn't get away from it. It didn't matter that there was straight possibilities or of course a flush possibility. She paired her Ace and couldn't fold. So I took all her chips as a result.

It might be frustrating when you don't seem to hit anything and the rookie is scooping pots, but your patience will pay off. Don't bother slow playing or setting up traps when you've made your hand, and for heaven's sake never, ever, bluff a beginner. When you hit your hand, let the betting begin.