Spotting mistakes.
Marcus Bateman
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Marcus Bateman /
15 September 2008 /
1 Comments
There is an old poker saying (I think it is from Amarillo Slim, but don't quote me on it) that 'if you can't spot the idiot at the table than you're it'. This is a good piece of poker wisdom, and it has interesting consequences on how you should approach the games you play in.
It's not actually so much as spotting the idiot at the table, but spotting other peoples mistakes. There are some very good players out there that still have exploitable weaknesses, and as long as they can be identified they can still be profitable to play with. Instead of saying that you should try and spot the idiot, what I would recommend is trying to spot mistakes that you can take advantage of. If you are sitting at a table where you are struggling to identify any weaknesses in your opponents then it's probably time to leave.
This is, in essence, what the highest limits are really about. There are very few people who sit down and play $500/$1,000 no limit hold'em or Omaha who don't have a very good grasp of the game. This does not mean that any of the players at these stakes are invincible, just that they will be making very few identifiable mistakes. Due to the limits being so high, even the smallest mistake that can be identified will be immensely profitable to anyone that can identify and take advantage of it - hence the reason many players sit down at these limits looking for that monster score.
This also means that many players will be better off playing lower stakes if you think about making the most money. If you can win one big blind per hundred hands at $100/$200 but can easily win four big blinds per hundred at $50/$100 you are clearly better off staying at the lower limit - you will be making twice as much money.
Think carefully about the players around you and the relevant limits. Although it can be dashing to the ego, staying at lower stakes can often be a much more profitable move than constantly trying to push your way to the top. You have to identify mistakes in your opponents game when playing poker - that is how you make money. If you cannot see anyone making mistakes than the reality is that usually your opponents will be watching and taking advantage of yours, and it's probably best to pick a better spot somewhere else.
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SJ22 | 16 September 2008
'if you can't spot the idiot at the table than you're it' Maybe this is why I like playing online poker. I don't have a good poker face. My husband says he can read my like a book.
I read this advice in a book, about playing at lower stakes. I fell into the mindset of believing that the lower stakes were for practice, and the higher were for players. I never thought about looking for mistakes - I'll try that next time.