Lesson #3

As I have written before, my game just might be in a little bit of trouble. Aggression is now a key strategy and players are using it more and more rigourously in the live game. I still think I haven't yet fully adapted to this shift and I know I need to address it if I am to survive any further in the survival of the fittest that is the live poker arena.

Lesson #3 - Keep Studying
Coaching and discussing hands with like minded people seems to be the study method of choice for a lot of people these days but I go for the old-fashioned methods and stick to good ol' books. Three books have stood out for me over the summer but one, which I started reading a few days ago, rings a very tuneful bell.

The gist of the opening of this book sends an interesting message: ABC poker is now old hat; a method which may have you chugging along at a snail's pace and keep you afloat for a while but which ultimately doesn't cut it in tough games. Nowadays, tough games are everywhere which means ABC poker is just not good enough.

I need to start thinking about how to play more optimally and to improve my winrate if I want to give my game the jolt it needs. I want to be a proper contender when I start The Experiment in 2013 not just dull old Mr ABC who might make a few quid here and drop a few quid there. One way to start getting there, I've realised, is to stop playing tight/ABC and to start mixing my play up a bit more and keep my opponents guessing.

For this reason, this book....

Along with its companion....

...will be my required reading during the build up to January 1st 2013. (I will tell you about the third book in my next post.) Playing The Player is, so far, a superb read and has pinpointed a lot of glaring mistakes in my own game. I'll not say what they are but the book has been a real eye-opener without bamboozling me with boring formulas and stats. Definitely recommended reading for those who feel they are getting a little left behind. What I need to do now, is to start incorporating the pointers into my own game and see how things pan out. I might even just stick to £1/£1 for a little bit to see how the strategies work in practice.

With these two tomes, along with the next book I'll write about in my next post, I think I can really start taking my live game to a higher level - and let's face it, I think I really gotta man, I just gotta.