Poker News

Tom ‘Time’ Leonard

As we continue our search for various aspects of our game that might be improved upon, today let’s go sailing. Well, not really but let’s start there Those of you who are at all familiar with boating and returning to marinas know the phrase “Red– Right–Return”. That simply means that when returning to the marina you should note the red buoys and stay to their right. What does this have to do with poker? Nothing except it made me think of a neat phrase that would have much to do with poker. Incorporate this phrase in your poker game and it could lead to smooth sailing, “Look–Left & Learn”.

I’ve stressed in many past columns the need to pay attention, stay focused, and learn your opponents’ tendencies. A great way to get reads on your opponents is to always be watching them. Don’t be watching the board as the flop is dealt or the turn or river, for that matter. We’ve talked about this before and all know how important it can be. Specifically, where or at whom, should we be looking? Left is better than right! This is obvious because the players to our right will make their actions known to us soon enough. The players to our left act after us and getting a read on what they might be planning is of paramount importance.

We know that many players just about announce their plans by their actions. This is why we should be looking left and learning what they plan to do. If you “know” that several opponents to your left are planning to fold, then you may well wish to fire a bet in with a somewhat marginal hand. The flip side of this equation is learning that several players seem very interested in their hands With this knowledge you had better be coming in with a real hand since you know that one of these other players seems to have one. It’s amazing how many players, who don’t have their heads in the game, will actually hold up cue cards indicating their intentions. Then there are those players who will require that you interpret more subtle clues such as capping their cards prematurely with a chip or getting chips ready to bet. Another good reason to be looking at your opponents and not your freshly dealt hand until you need to act is the fact that if you don’t know what you have, there is no way you can unwittingly telegraph your own intentions to your more observant opponents. I know we all think that we possess the quintessential poker face and would never give off a read but guess the news… it just ain’t so. Try as we will, there is always the possibility of giving off some kind of read to opponents as we subconsciously react to the value of the hand we are looking at. It’s obvious that if you don’t know what you have there is no way you can transmit your level of interest.

So, looking left to learn is a good thing. Don’t forget to also check out your opponents on the right, if for no other reason than to see which of them is looking at other players and which ones are watching TV or are engrossed in their crossword puzzles You can add to your book which of these foes appear to be more dangerous. Our goal for today’s session then is to “Look–Left & Learn”. It should contribute to smoother sailing and an enhanced bottom line. See you next “TIME”.

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