Which Type of Poker Are You Best At?
Which kind of poker are you best at? There is no quick way to
find out and only keeping poker statistics can help you. For
math wizards, you may do this manually and be sure that you
never forget a game. Or if you feel that you need a professional
to help you, you may use a program at websites such as
www.checkyourbets.com.
Once you know which poker you are good at, you should be able to
answer another important question: Why are you winning most of
the time at one variation of poker and losing often at the
other? Is it because you have mastered the technical aspects of
the game? Or is it because you are simply topnotch at the people
aspects of poker? The technical skills of poker involve being
adept at poker math, such as pot odds. The people skills involve
bluffing and being able to modify the style of play.
You will find that poker players have different opinions about
which of the two types of skills are more important. Many poker
blogs are dedicated to their theories. However, here are
personal theories about skills and games that you may want to
check out.
In Longhand Limit Hold'em, the most important advantage of a
poker player is his technical skills. The winning player must be
patient and understands hand value. Your people skills won't
contribute much to your winnings. It is hard to bluff and it is
useless to read your opponents since many hands reaches the
showdown. The pot odds make a river fold make a river fold
extremely chancy.
Your people skills will be more useful in Shorthand Limit
Hold'em since there is more bluffing done, compared to Longhand
Limit Hold'em. A winning player in Shorthand Limit Hold'em knows
precisely when to increase his aggression and when to cool his
heels. But you must not forget that it is still a limit hold'em
poker. Mastering pot odds is still vital in winning the pot.
To win in a No-Limit Hold'em, both sound technical abilities and
fairly accurate people skills are needed. Your technical
abilities should include knowing when to call, to raise, to
check, or to fold. Your people skills involve the reading of
styles of your opponents. If opponents are timid, you can win
and steal a lot of pots by bluffing. But you must also know when
to fold if your opponent shows obstinacy. If your opponents are
reckless and loose, you can win by patiently waiting for that
opportunity to trap them. Then, wipe them out in one hand.
If you have a "gambling spirit", you may be able to tolerate the
huge swings in the Pot-Limit Omaha. The winning player should
also be good at avoiding a tilt. A tilt is to play poorly or
wildly after losing big or winning over awesome players. In
Pot-Limit Omaha, you should be an expert at dealing with your
opponents and at controlling yourself. Have fun.