Tips from the pros - Poker Professional Andy Greekfish

HOW TO BUILD A BANKROLL AND WIN ON CASH POKER

I am known around the country as one of the top cash players - I have played the best and also the worst poker players live and online. The tips and advice that I'm about to give you have cost me a lot of money and sleepless nights to learn.

Poker is a game of skill, luck and nerve - probably in about equal percentages. I have been playing poker for as long as I can remember - starting out with the traditional family Christmas games before launching myself into internet poker before it became the phenomenon it now is. Now, I thought I was an excellent player but my education was only just about to begin. It took me many years to become a successful player - it really has been a rollercoaster ride with lots of highs equally matched with many lows. With many years of experience behind me I believe that the key to a steady upwards climb in the poker world can be achieved by following a few simple rules. Some are just common sense but it is suprising how many players lack the self control to follow them. Personally, I do my very best to follow them religiously and apart from a few 'red mist' hiccups they are proving the key to a solid poker playing career.

Firstly, it is good to build up a bank roll - there are not many of us out there with unlimited funds to play with so you don't want to be dipping into your bank account every five minutes. Only start with what you can afford to lose - it is better to be pessimistic rather than expecting to win enough for a new Porsche after your first game. Sounds stupid but even if you are the best player in the world bad beats and outdraws are a cruel fact of life. If you get out of your depth then you begin chasing which leads to bad and desperate play and the inevitable 'tilt'. At the end of the day, poker is a game and is supposed to have an element of fun to it so if you can't handle the prospect of losing then it's probably best to save it until you can. Whether you start with $50 or $5000 I cannot stress the importance of 'building' up your bankroll from what you begin with. For example, if you have $500 as your starting bankroll you should be looking at 25C/50C games and you should be buying in for half stack ($25). If you double or treble up then leave the game immediately and start again on a different table with the same $25 buy in. If you don't everything can change on the turn of a bad card and you can risk losing what you have just earnt by being greedy. Another rule I like to follow is no more than three reloads on one table. I believe that there are lucky and unlucky seats/positions so if you're having bad beats or keep getting outdrawn .. MOVE NOW! The worst damage you can do with three buy in's in $75 which is retrievable on your following game or next session. If you see the 'red mist' and start to tilt you will be buying in higher, possibly moving up limits, chasing bad draws, making bad bluffs and you won't be able to fold a hand - you can end up losing your entire bank roll in one night. Don't be scared to 'hit and run' - I've been called names and been given abuse for doing just this. My motto is 'do the job and leave'. It doesn't matter what other people think about you - the end result is what counts.

Of course, there are many different styles of playing poker - some players are loose and reckless, some solid as a rock and people rate hands differently. Personally I adapt my game to the people I am playing. When I was first starting out I was looking for 10 seater games because I could see so many more hands without spending a fortune on blinds, therefore, I could play just the premium hands - AK, AQ, AJ and pocket pairs depending on position (ABC poker). It is important to know the game well. I thought I knew everything about the game when I started out but even now I am still learning. If you are reading this and are new to the game and are thinking about giving it a go then it's a good idea to start on the 'play money' tables so that you can get a feel for the game and when you do feel confident to play for cash then start on the lower limits. It's also important to find a site that you like - I personally prefer Bet 365 - I get on with the software and can navigate easily around the site. Also it sounds obvious, but make sure that before you start playing are comfortable, fed and watered and you have all your creature comforts around you - broken concentration leads to bad play. If you want to play skillful poker then you need your wits about you - a hungry, tired or distracted player is not at his best. It's impossible to play with the wife nagging and the kids jumping on your head!!!!

Another little thing I like to do is 'limp' with medium pocket pairs. There is no point raising to win the blinds because you are risking too much to win a little amount so where there is a pot, especially with limpers you limp too with your pocket pairs because you are 7.5/1 to catch your trips on the flop and get seriously paid off.

Most sites now have a section where you can keep your private notes about the people your are playing against. It is absolutely vital that you use this to work for you. For example, if you've got a player on your table that always raises then make a note of what he is raising with when you get to see his cards. There will soon be a pattern of what kinds of cards he values (eg. suited connectors, A/Rag, pocket pairs etc) so next time you can get a rough indication of what he is likely to have. There are literally thousands of online players and it's impossible to remember them all so using this facility you will be able to have a record of loose/tight players and separate the good from the bad players. USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Personally, I will type hands in that people are willing to get 'married' to so I know what they are willing to pay me off with and I also make a note of tight players who love limping in to try and trap you with a monster hand.

Here are the basic rules to building a bankroll:

1. The most important rule - HAVE NO EGO. If you are up and have reached your target then leave immediately. Don't let pride or greed cost what you have just worked for.
2. Never exceed your limit - the higher you play, the better the players are and the more you could potentially lose.
3. Only a maximum of three reloads on one table. I can usually tell after seeing about 20 hands if it's the right seat or not.
4. Check your opponents before playing. For example, if there is a six seater game and you have 3 or 4 good players why bother risking your chips - there are plenty of other tables where you would have a better chance of winning. I've trained myself to be a black belt player but why play another black belt when there are easier pickings on a different tables? Don't forget to keep notes.
5. The best players in the world will have bad beats and have losing nights/weeks/months. It is how you get over this that identifies you as a professional. All you can do is the right thing - then it is up to the Gods of Poker to decide the outcome.
6. For a new player trying to build a bank roll, you should be playing ABC poker, forget bluffing until you are at a level where you understand the game enough and don't be afraid to pass.

ABOVE ALL ... HAVE FUN AND BE LUCKY

Andy Greekfish