WHEN KNOWLEDGE IS YOUR DOWNFALL

BY: Nicolas Fradet

The recent success of the World Poker Tour is really great for the poker world. I don't think anyone can argue the contrary. It's getting more people in the pokerrooms, more players in tournaments and it's sharpening poker's image as a game of skill.

There's been a huge amount of poker scenes on television in the last year. Shows like CSI, Line of fire and Las Vegas all had a character say poker is a great game where skill plays an important part. Maybe some day we'll have the same recognition as the bridge and chess players.

The fact that we get to see the player's hole cards on the World Poker Tour not only makes for great entertainment, but it also let's us dig into the mind and thought processes of sensational players. Armed with this information, the studious and experimented player can really improve his game. My friends and I often say we are blessed to have started playing poker years before the WPT so we can truly understand what's going on.

For the new players, however, it can be disastrous. Raising with J6o without grasping the reasoning behind it, because your saw Gus Hansen do it, can be pretty damaging to your bankroll. Moves like this are often made because a player is attacking a weaker player or a smaller stack. And he usually will have position on him. You have to understand this.

When you see an expert player call a raise with a weaker hand like 54s, it's easy to start doing the same thing. What you need to get is that he's calling with a hand that's not likely to be dominated and that he probably has great implied odds on his opponent. He's calling with 54s and folding KJ. It's the opposite of what typical player do. The reason is that he can get himself in trouble with the kJ, if he's against AK, KQ, AJ, JJ, QQ, KK, or AA. With 54s, should he hit 2 pair or better, he can get a nice payoff with what should be the best hand most of the time. There are so many details involved in a typical poker decision that you can't get better at it by watching TV.

I've been noticing a big increase in the number of these weak plays by new players. Players are moving all-in for $1500 in a $60 pot. Players are bluffing calling stations. Players are trying to bully bigger stacks. Although being aggressive is absolutely essential to your poker success, you have to be selectively aggressive. This means picking your spots, picking the right opponent, picking the right stack the right moment.

If you are new to the poker world, watch the World Poker Tour mainly for the entertainment. Read the books, practice what the books teach. Then read them again. Once you become a winning poker player, you'll start to grasp the concepts behind these bold plays, and understand why they are made, and when you should make them.

Nicolas Fradet "The Prince" is the webmaster of www.wptinsider.com,
the best resource for World Poker Tour news, results and event coverage.

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