I was playing an No-Limit Hold’em Ring game at Full Tilt the other night and had one of those starts to the night where you just instantly are raging. I talk some of cue on table image from Phil Gordon and like to have a tight-aggressive image at the table and only play strong hands out of the gate. Once you get the image then you can work in you bluffs in such as you are sure to get respect from the other players, but on nights like this one there is no way to do that and you need to be able to adapt. With in the first 10 hands of sitting at the table my hole cards we Pocket Rockets twice, Cowboys, Ace-King and Ace-Queen. After raising most of the first 10 hands you are almost sure to have a loose aggressive table image. There are a couple things to remember going forward after a start like this if you want to continue growing your bankroll. The first is you need to continue playing discipline poker and slowdown when the cards cool off and remember table position. And the second is your table image may not be what you are used to and you bets and raises won’t get the respect you need to make some tough bluffs so watch your All-Ins.

Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.  This phrased is used a lot.  I hear it at the poker table and throughout my daily life.  Now I don’t believe in luck.  As a poker player I am constantly calculating odds and probabilities and sometimes they definitely work in my favor.  Recently I had the situation where the odds turned in my favor early which allowed me the opportunity be good later.  I was playing on-line in a No-Limit Holdem ring game and I am in the big blind.  It is still pretty early in the table for me and I get dealt K-8 offsuit, which I know is a hand you should never play.  It folds around to the cut off who raises to three times the big blind, everyone folds to me.  I mentioned before you should never play a hand like this because it is the type of hand that even if you hit on the flop you feel vulnerable.  On this particular occasion I decided to protect my blind and call the raise, which I often do, especially against someone in late position that could be trying to steal.  The Flop comes K-4-5.  As I was saying earlier I hit the flop and still feel weak as my kicker is garbage.  I check my top pair to the pre-flop raiser who does a standard half pot bet.  I am not a big fan of my hand but decide to go aggressive anyway and raise to about 4 times his bet.  At this point he raises all in which isn’t a whole lot more then we already have in the pot, looking at the situation I was pot committed and was attempting to dodge a bigger King as with the way he played the hand there was no way he had pocket bullets.  Being pot committed I call and he turns over Big Slick.  Now I am just hoping to suckout with an 8 for my 2 pair and take it down, what happens is even worse.  The turn comes a 6 and the river is a 7 for my straight!!!  Runner-Runner. 

When the cards were turned up I was thinking “early exit” but instead I was able to stay alive and fight some more.  I was able to change gears at this point and not be such a donkey.  The result was I finished my night with 4 times my buy-in.    Although I don’t believe in luck sometimes thing go against the odds and in your favor.  The trick is to not get caught up in it and learn to change gears to keep the other players on their toes.  I am sure this early hand gave me the table image of a loose fish looking to just call things down.  Not always the best approach but if you are able to change after and play rock solid, your strong hands won’t get much respect and players will empty their pockets thinking you are just staying to see what you can get.

This poker chip trick is Dutch Boyd’s signature trick.  He originally did it at the 2003 World Series of Poker.  This again is an easy one and is just a slight variation on the trick we previously.

Start by holding three poker chips between your thumb and index fingers. Put your fingers just above the middle point of the poker chips.

Put your ring finger just below your index finger, while simultaneously moving your middle finger out of the way.

With your ring finger, loosen the two poker chips closest to your palm.  Glide them down and away from the front poker chip.  Move the chips down until they are halfway below the front chip. As you let the chips drop, shift your middle finger forward and position it on the side where the poker chips meet. If your fingers are in the correct position you can hold all the chips using only your thumb and middle finger.

With your index finger, draw back on the front chip.  Glide it over the other two poker chips allowing it to fall right behind them.

Bring your pinky up to support the chips as the moving chip glides down behind the other two poker chips.