by Joseph Pescatello

Created on: August 15, 2008

Most of us will not wind up at the final table of a major poker tournament. We have to console ourselves with local pickup games and charity tournaments. Or, if we're fortunate, we may get to play at a casino in Connecticut or Nevada. But no matter where you play, these tips should help you get closer to the money.

In no particular order:

1) Where the Sunglasses and Hat It seems obvious, but sunglasses help hide your expression from the other players at the table. I'm always amazed that more players don't wear them. And a baseball cap worn with the bill out front is great, too. It hides your face almost completely from the other players when you look down at your cards.

2) Betting Speed If a player takes a long time to get into a pot, chances are they have a marginal hand. If you want to make others believe you have a weak hand, don't make a big show of acting uncertain, just take a little longer than usual to get into the pot.

3) You Can't Bluff a Dolt Some guys will just never fold and that can certainly work to your advantage. But don't try to bluff one of these fellows. He won't understand that you should have him beat and he'll keep on calling. Then you'll be sorry when his queen-high beats your jack.

4) There's No Shame in Folding When you know you're beat, get out of the hand. It's amazing how often people will stay in until the end when they know their pocket-pair is busted. Folding is not only honorable, it's smart.

5) Bet on the Button Position bets are predictable, they're obvious to everyone at the table. But that doesn't diminish the power of the position raise. You have more information than any other player at the table during the hand. Use it and it will pay you dividends.

6) Don't be Afraid to Take Down a Pot With a Bet A scenario that I see played over and over is a small pot with two or three players in it. The flop comes up empty and everyone checks. Same for the turn and again on the river. Then everyone turns up their cards and whoever happens to have the better cards takes the pot. It's maddening! All any of the players had to do was bet and the pot would have been theirs. If there's money on the table and no one has fired by the time the turn comes up, put out a bet and take it down!

7) Don't Take it Personally Every poker player has his or her ego invested in the game. It's what makes poker exciting. But even at the highest levels, it's still just a game and all of the skill, luck and timing that conspire to make or break your performance at the table don't really reflect on you as a human being! So go play your best game, get your chips in with the best hand, and enjoy the thrill of the game.

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