Minor Adjustments

I'm not playing much poker anymore, but that doesn't mean you need to scale back!

And if that first line didn't sound like an infomercial then I don't know what does.

A blog entry I recently read alluded to its author tweaking her cash game mechanics ever-so-slightly leading to staggering results. I like to call this coincidence. Often times unless you're making severe blunders on a regular basis, no single adjustment or two will lead to a cash windfall on a short-term basis.

However, there are a few things you can do which will in fact lead to nice savings in the long run.

Quick aside: I hate the phrase "in the long run" because of poker. I also can't hear the word "sick" used in any context without cringing a little.

I digress. Here are a couple adjustments you can make as ways to save money in cash games.

• Fold in the blinds more frequently. I know it's tempting to play 22, 33, and hands like 56o or 45s from the blinds but the odds are stacked against you. Not only do you need to flop a made hand or flop a big draw, but you need your opponent to come along for the ride when you're playing the hand entirely out of position.
• Overcall less frequently. I see this happen way more than it should. Let's say there's a raise and a call up front and you flat on the button with 78s. If the flop makes you bottom or middle pair and the action in front is bet/call, I think you should fold. I look at it this way - one of them has you beat, and if you take the lead on the turn you're not guaranteed to be paid off by a good player so you're chasing with low expectation.
• Raise the flop more frequently. Having played a lot of 1/2 NL and 2/4 NL a lot of times I'll see the original raiser call the flop, turn, and river with top pair or slightly worse only to be beaten by a monster. Sound familiar? A lot of times you can get away more cheaply by raising the flop. If your villain re-raises or flats, you should have developed enough of a read on him/her to know what this could mean so it won't take two more streets of action to know you're beaten.

It sounds like I'm advocating a fairly tight/conservative game, and I suppose I am. But if poker wisdom tells you to profit by doing the opposite of everyone else, and all these poker training sites and books are preaching endless aggression isn't it worth a shot?

I've noticed that these players are so busy focusing on being aggressive that they failed to notice I only showed up with the goods at showdown. And if they do take notice? Well then, that's when you finally work some bluffs into your game.