Governor Of Poker cont.
When you start a new city or new game, your first game you play will always be in a tournament. If you place high enough and build your reputation meter to at least about half way, you will be invited to play in the profitable cash games which I will share how to exploit. There is also a way to bypass all those tournaments and cash games, if you just want to pass the game and it also will not take that long if you apply this technique. More on that later, I'm going to focus on the game play of the tournament and cash game subsequently.
On the picture to your right, the D
button represents the dealer button. The next player to the left or going clock-wise represents the small blind and then big blind. The first person to act for the later stages of the pre-flop, flop, turn, and river will be the person whose closest to the one who played the big blind. Therefore the small blind, big blind, and a player after will most likely represent the early position; the next three players after represent the middle position, and the final two represent the late position. The player with the dealer button has the best position and provides the most strategic advantage.
Here's the game play for tournaments- whenever you have AA or KK be sure to raise the pot (amount of money in each hand) at any position you're in. If you have QQ or JJ, do an open raise (raising the pot when no other player has raised) at any position you're in. Using the list of strongest starting hands I provided, do an open raise when those cards pop up only when you're in the late position (the second to last player or last player to act). When you're in the small blind or big blind position, then just call or check to see the flop respectively. If you have any other cards besides AA, KK, QQ, or JJ in the middle position, fold them unless you are forced to call or move all-in (shoving all your chips into the pot) from not having enough chips to play competitively. Whenever you do an open raise, always make sure the chips you invest are about three times the big blind. If you make a mistake by forgetting or accidentally put in more or less chips or click on the wrong button then don't worry because you can always get them next time and still win the current hand you played in. To raise in this game, just move the bar and hit the raise button.
During the flop, whenever you have a pair always make the minimum bet and see if anyone calls or raises. When the player raises, if it's affordable and you have a better pair than the lowest card on the flop then make the call. If the computer makes a really huge bet and surprises you, then most likely it has a good hand and wants to draw you in, so call only if you have at least top pair (paring with the highest number on the board) with a decent kicker (highest card used for tie-breakers) and there is no threat like three or four cards of the same suit to represent a flush, possibility of the computer having a straight, or three-of-a-kind. If you have two pairs, a three-of-a-kind, or straight and any card in the flop (also called the third street) represents a second suit to make a flush possibility then also make a minimum bet. However, if there is no flush possibility on the flop, then check to draw the computers in and make them stay longer in the hand to see if you can exploit them later.
Check the turn (also called the fourth street) to see if the computer decides to raise again from having caught up. If you have two pairs, a three-of-a-kind, or straight and the card in the turn represents a second suit to make a flush possibility then make a decent raise no more than two-thirds of the pot. The game will show how many chips you have invested and the total amount of chips in the pot for each hand.
On the river (also called the fifth street), if you have at least two pairs and no worries about how the board paired itself (for example, you had a 4 3 and then on the river you see it makes the board 5 3 4 A 5- this would mean the computer could be holding an ace and now have the best two pairs) then bet the amount in the pot which would most likely mean you're going to move all-in. Otherwise check on the river if you have a pair that's lower than the highest possible pairing which is also called a middle pair. (The example I just laid out would mean you're holding a middle pair to complete two pairs which means you must check right here and make an affordable call.) This is to be on the safe side, in case the computer decides to move all-in and to avoid getting upset in the end. Here comes my favorite act on the river, if you have the lowest pair or anything lower and the computer hasn't made a bet then it's the best opportunity to bluff! Don't put all your chips in or make a ridiculously large bet to try to fool the computer because it will sometimes make these nonsense calls and still win! If you have the chips to afford, then make a bluff no more than the amount of chips you invested into the pot. At the bare minimum, bluff with the minimum bet. Once the computer folds, click on the "Reveal Hand" button and you might see steam come out of your opponent's ear which is rather amusing with interesting sound effects that can happen.
The basic strategy is to play in the late position by open raising or playing with the strongest hands I laid out. Other times, you must avoid playing no matter how much chips you could have won by playing in it. It's just to be on the safe side and you can always bluff the computers later and end up winning. Because of the increasing blinds in the game, there is much added pressure and a lot of players in the tournaments will get busted which will increase your standing and help you to be in a spot where you'll earn some prize money. This is what you want to happen. Once the game is narrowed down to the final three players, it's time to treat it like a cash game and see if you become 1st place. On the next post, I will share how to become the master mind over the cash games which I discovered recently.
