The deadline for early registrations for my upcoming seminar in the Denver area is September 30. There are only 60 seats available (fewer now) and the early price is %55 ($70 at the door). Mike “Oz” Osborne and I will speak about poker strategy during this in3-hour learning opportunity to be held Wednesday, October 19, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. Mike will discuss No Limit Tournament Strategy and I will cover the strategy adjustments players need to make between limit and no limit cash games (and some guidelines about which to play). Click here for more information or to register.

So many topics I want to discuss here. But this week I decided to quickly talk about a classic bluff, because it makes a key point.

I held pocket threes in late position. Everyone folded to me. Whether to play this hand or muck it depends on the nature of the players behind you, and in the blind. You do not want loose calls or aggressive three-bets. You want well-behaved, preferably tight players if you are going to play. And if you are, you should raise. I had the right combination, so I raised.

The big blind called, and the flop came 974, which might be OK if he had a hand like KQ. He checked, I bet and he check-raised. This was bad, of course, and I probably should have folded right there, as I was not getting the price to try to hit a three and I felt it likely he had a pair.

But I had an alternate plan, which I got to employ when a an offsuit king fell on the turn. He bet and I raised. He agonized for a while, but finally mucked. As always, I consoled him by telling him I got lucky that the king came. And that was lucky, as my plan was to raise if an A, K, Q, or 3 came, and fold otherwise.

The basis of the plan though is I always keep in mind not only what I actually have, but what the other guy thinks I have. I tell students “You are guilty of looking at your hand,” which means they focus on what they have rather on what the other guy believes they have.

So this week’s thought is to always keep track of the hands you might have and might represent as well as what you in fact hold. Please note that this does not mean you should always bluff, or that your bluffs will always win (mine sure don’t). But if you do not understand what picture you are painting, you will never be able to sell one.

I hope to open a forum on this site by the beginning of 2006. Response to my
web site has been very promising, and I hope to have enough regular visitors
by then that the forum will have some activity. Nothing is worse than a
forum that gets one or two entries per month. (OK, plenty of things are
worse, but you know what I mean).

Meantime, I still get a few e-mails each week with questions, which I always
answer (at least the first time). Here is one I got a recently, that I may
make the basis of a column someday:

I consider you the absolute authority on limit hold ‘em. [ Barry’s note:
This is always a wonderful way to start a question ] Your strategy and
advice seems to apply to any limit. I have been playing consistently for
about 6 or 7 years, and I play between 10-20 to 20-40 most of the time, and
your advice fits me perfectly…when I’m playing. This is my question for
you though. How do you stay focused on those dry spells when you don’t catch
any hands for several hours and you’re basically a folding station? I have
tried several things, such as lining up chips and re-aligning them, getting
up for a walk, watching TV. The thing is that I don’t want to miss anything
that my opponents are doing while I’m not in a hand, but at the same time I
don’t want to get to impatient and just barrel into a pot I have no business
in because I’m getting bored. It is a constant struggle for me to stay
focused, and I was wondering if you had any advice on that. I have not seen
articles on this topic, so I thought I would ask the one person I am certain
can provide me a meaningful answer. Thanks for your time.

Here was my answer:

OK, let me try to tell you how to stay focused. It is difficult, but people
tell me I am very good at it. here are some tricks I employ. They work for
me, though they may no help everyone.

1 - I make a game out of folding. When I get no hands, I tell myself that
this is a chance to set my new record for folding hands (2.25 hours). Every
hand I throw away I get closer to the goal. Thus, I am not looking for a
hand to play, but rather to not get involved.

2 - I think back to the excellent folding chapter in Zen and the Art of
Poker by Larry Philips. The book is a little repetitive, but the folding
chapter is a classic IMO.

3 - I try to get to the point where I cam replace any player in the game and
play the hands the same way they would. I look at each player and try to
guess how they are playing and what they are trying to do. Every showdown or
reaction provides clues. It is a big and ever changing puzzle, but I work on
solving it. (For example, if a player raises pre-flop and then bets the flop
and check-folds the turn, I still to put him on a hand).

4 - I watch every showdown and reconstruct the play to determine how the
hand was played. From that I try to generalize (theorize) on how the player
will play similar hands in different circumstances.

5 - I try to watch the mood of the players and the table. Did someone get a
bad phone call? Argue with a waitress? Jump in his seat when the flop came?

I miss things, sure, but I try to stay in the game and work on these things.
It is fun to do as well. [End of response]

Staying attentive is one of the skills that anyone can do. And it helps make
quality decisions happen more often, which is the key to making money.

I am pleased to announce I will be be a guest on “You Can Bet On It,” Larry Grossman’s terrific radio program on KENO, Radio 1460 in Las Vegas. The show features top handicappers and gaming personalities,. My interview show will air live Wednesday September 28 from 2-3 PM. Replays of all the shows are archived on CardPlayer.com, and can be accessed here