Why Fanciness Is Often Inefficient
In poker, as in the rest of life in general, fanciness is really only good at raising your hopes. Fancy playing - often in the form of unnecessary check-raising - is little more than giving the other person control over what happens and the opportunity to utterly destroy your carefully laid out master plan for the hand.
Being smug can get you into trouble... (Mark Wenzel Images)
Fancy Dates
Some days, I like to get fancy. I put on a smoking jacket, slick back my hair, and line up an assortment of scented and flavored oils—before I retire to the bathroom with a penthouse. I discovered a long time ago that with my girlfriend, all of that romantic effort is wasted and that my typical frantic and self-serving style of lovemaking is what ensures that I get the results I want in bed, regardless of what she thinks. But I didn’t always attack my girlfriend with the energy of a rabbit in springtime, at one point I was very attentive and considerate. I took her out to dinners and stuffed her full of expensive food and alcohol and brought her home for a massage by candlelight. Every time, she would fall into a deep sleep before we could even start making out and I, exasperated, would be forced to ‘take matters into my own hands.’
Foiled At The Tables
It was a lesson that I should have translated into my poker game, that things don’t always go as I plan them. I was at a No Limit Hold’em table, calling the blind and then calling again when the button raised when the action came back around to me, I was going heads-up holding a 7-7. The flop was one of those rare beauties, 6d-7s-Kc. I checked to try to get a bet out of him and he checked behind me. I thought at this point that he didn’t connect with the king, that he probably had a couple of high cards and was trying to take one off. The turn came Qd, and I bet about half of the pot, just to try to feel him out. He called.
Then came the river, Td. I considered for a while what he could have. A-J, J-9 both beat me, but I didn’t think he would call the turn with an inside straight draw. I was more concerned about the possibility that he called with a flush draw on the turn and made it on the river, or that he maybe had trip tens. Otherwise, he probably had a weak king, a strong queen, or maybe made two pair on the river, all of which I could beat. I assured myself that he would bet and that I would make a decision about what to raise him (if anything) based on that bet. I checked, and he checked behind me and showed A-Q.
Take The Opportunity!
This is a lesson betting when you have the chance and not relying on your plans that are probably too elaborate to work out how you would like.
Don't wait until 5th street to take advantage of an opportunity
If you carbo-load and liquor up your partner, you really can’t know if you’ll get laid before she falls asleep. If you act as if your opponent has the better hand, you can’t know if he gets the message or if he’s too wrapped up in his own head to trigger your trap. Don’t try anything too fancy because you’ll be disappointed; just take the opportunity when it comes. Speaking of which, she’s just getting out of the shower.
Talk to you soon.
