Dreams can be very powerful. But I don’t mean having them when you’re asleep. I mean that those dreams can come true for you. In this article, I’m going to talk about a certain dream that many people have had, but don’t know how it happened.
Many people have had dreams about being famous. Winning the lottery, receiving fame. But others only have those dreams in which they play the lotto or have other types of dreams. One guy had a dream about hitting the jackpot. Another had a dream about meeting a woman that he fell in love with. Another guy had a dream about being on a date with a beautiful woman.
But this guy had a different dream. He had a dream about a beautiful woman, but she was dressed in boxers and nothing else. And she was on top of him. And he was in a box. And she was having her man-hands all over his body. And he was in a corner. It started to urgent, and he tried to cover her with ropes. But she was strong and he could do nothing but let her take him down.
Ropes, chains, ropes….He tried to wriggle free and escape, but she had him by the chains. He struggled, but could only limp free on one leg. Out of frustration, he decided to try to free himself by climbing over the top of the box. But she was waiting for him, and she lowered her unbeaten hand, revealing a king.
He lay still for half an hour, just holding that single king. After looking at the card, she picked up her deck of cards and did the maths. Should she discard three kings and the six I guess? She discarded the three kings and kept the six. Then she looked at the six.
Showing the odds of the six vs. the king, she drew a bad flush. Sure, the king beats the flush, but she knows she’s got the better hand. I doubt that even in her wildest dreams she wouldn’t have realised that the odds were against her, but that’s beside the point. This was a dream, a fantasy, pure and simple.
This is what poker is about. Dreams and Day-dreams. day-dreams are encouraged, as they hone our decision making and sharpening ourarity. Poker isn’t about whether you have good cards or bad cards. Poker is about whether you can make the correct decision. It’s about the information you have, and all the information you can get.
When you reach the stage of realising you have such excellent cards, then you only ever bet when you have the best cards. Don’t bet when you have cards you think you should, or even though you have good cards. Only do this when you’re sure you have the best hand.
This is probably the most important point. Only ever bet when you feel secure that you have the best hand. If you aren’t really sure, then don’t bet. Period.
This is particularly important early on in the tournament, when the competition is relatively weak, and when the other players are more likely to be inexperienced. As the game progresses, and the skills of the other players improve, as they seem to be able to adjust and play different hands, then you can expand your hand selection, and become more successful.
At every stage in the game, don’t be afraid to lose. No, not really, but act as if you are. Betting is the same as taking risk; you have to risk something to gain something. Think of it as luck or gamble as opposed to a skill. You have to have the courage to risk something to gain a much larger reward.
Don’t be afraid to lose all your chips that you’ve earned during the game. No, you have to bet with your head, not your heart. Let your instincts guide you, and bet based on them.
This is the most important one. Okay, so you’ve heard a million times how to play a hand out, and you’re a firm believer. But they’re not really so certain, are they? Do you really think that the guy in early position has the killer hand? He probably does. And if you’re not sure, you can always get it out of the way when the opportunity arises.
Zone your play at the table. Don’t make an instant decision. Playing against blind aggression really forces you to make a decision pre-flop, or even pre-turn. Play your hand after considering your opponents’ hands, and playing your opponents’ hands after considering your own. If you can’t figure out what to do pre-flop, consider folding – even if you would normally call.
Primo the Ace.