A Little Poker Advice

I live by several great sayings when it comes to poker. My favorite tip is to never play with scared money. The simple fact is, when you gamble with the rent money it is really tough to concentrate and make the best decisions. Playing on short money is never easy, but paying poker on a mini-bankroll can keep you from being the aggressive monster you need to be, and it can keep you from making borderline calls that you would when you had plenty of chips. That's not good.

I also need to add something to my list of the best ways to avoid going broke in a casino: Don't play Razz poker against Phil Hellmuth. Prior to this week, Hellmuth had won 11 WSOP championships, all for Texas Hold'em. But this time he came through in the $2,500 Razz tournament, so, Hellmuth holds an even dozen WSOP bracelets, two more than any other player. Wow.

I also have an aversion to loaning money to other players. Sure, I've done it, but there's no upside when you loan money (unless you are taking vig, which isn't cool). You either get back what you loaned, or you lose money. That makes for a bad bet and a bad beat, so there are only a few players that warrant a loan from me.

My other bit of advice is to realize that you don't have to go gamble today, even if you are a very capable player. Playing to try and make money for bills and living expenses should be left to the professionals, and even players who make a living at poker should know that some days it's better to take a pass. When you can't concentrate and bring your best game because of family problems like a fight with your spouse or something worse, take the day off. Yes, you will have to make even more money tomorrow, but that's alright, if you are good, you will make it. If you aren't, well let's face it, you were going to get clobbered going into a game when you had other things on your mind!