How many hands to play

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 19 September 2008 / Leave a Comment

This is probably the most contentious issue in poker today - which is better, the loose style favored by many successful players, or the super tight style employed by players like Phil Hellmuth? The answer to this is probably neither, and also both. Confused? Read on.

This point is perhaps best explained by Mike Caro. He makes the point that one pro could easily play twice as many hands as another, and yet still average the same profit. Despite both these pros utilising completely different styles, the end amount of money made will still be the same, simply because the vast majority of profit comes from a slim percentage of hands, with many marginal holdings simply break even propositions over the long run.

The very best players are masters of both styles, able to change gears depending on how the table is. If the table seems to be tightening up, they will start raising many marginal hands to steal as many blinds as possible; conversely, if the table is loosening up, they will tighten up and try pick good spots to play a big pot with a big hand.

Of the two styles, playing looser is much harder, simply because you will be faced with many more marginal choices than you would be playing tight. This is why when you first start out playing, a very tight strategy is nearly always the best route to take - it just makes your life easier. Over time though, you should try and expand your game into playing many more marginal hands - to be able to succeed at higher stakes you have to be able to competently play a wide range of hands.

The best times to start learning about playing a looser game is at the times when games become very tight for an observable reason - such as the bubble of a tournament or the minutes before a dinner break. Once you start to become comfortable with playing more hands, you can start to try applying it in other situations. Finding a specific style that suits you is as much to do with trial and error as it is your personality. As with all these situations, it is best to take things slow and work out what works over time. As Doyle Brunson so eloquently wrote in one of his blog entries: 'You never test the depth of the water with both feet'.