"Grabs" are distilled pieces of poker wisdom that keep us on the straight and narrow or remind us about what's really important in this game. It's been a while since we've spent some time with grabs, so let's spend some time with some right now.
People see what they show
An inveterate blindstealer is more apt to put you on a steal than on a real hand, because that's where he'd be if he were you. Put yourself in your enemies' shoes, and then use their suppositions against them.
It's dumb to show smart laydowns
Some knuckleheads seem to have a compulsion to show their smart laydowns. I suppose they take some ego gratification from this, but to me someone who shows a smart laydown is really only showing what a doofus he is. Never give away information for free, especially if you're only doing it to make you feel good about you.
People are more likely to trap than to bluff
Bluffing and trapping are two sides of the same deceptive coin, but the trapper traps with confidence, knowing that he has the best hand, whereas the bluffer bluffs despite the fear of getting caught. With this in mind, simple human nature dictates that deceptive players are more likely to be trapping than bluffing because it's emotionally easier to take.
Be the one who knows, not the one who guesses
Poker is a game of imperfect information. Correct decisions are hard to come by, and incorrect decisions cost considerable amounts of money. Therefore, be the one who puts others to difficult choices. Drive more than you chase and raise more than you call. Put the other guy to the test. He can only make mistakes if you give him ample opportunity.
Don't bluff rivers
Avoid betting in situations where the only hand that can call you can beat you. When you bluff on the river, you're hoping that your foe or foes will fold with a better hand. They might. But also, they might: fold with a worse hand, in which case you earn nothing extra; call with a better hand, costing you more money; or raise you back and put you to a hard choice you'd just as soon not have to make. Of course, if you're certain that they'll fold, go ahead and bluff. But then it's not exactly a bluff, is it?
Loose call bad, loose raise good
If you're making a lot of promiscuous calls, you're probably not playing effectively, and you can really only hope to win against inveterate bluffers. But if you're making a lot of promiscuous raises, you're probably a force to be reckoned with at the table, someone who is either respected for the strength of his game or feared for his maniac image. From either of these platforms you can launch a successful poker campaign against a wide range of players. To put it another way, if you think you have the best hand, why not get more money in the pot, and if you don't think you have the best hand, why are you calling at all? I'll have more grabs next time, but in the meantime, don't you have some grabs of your own? Start a collection. Write them down. In the sense that it gets you thinking, really thinking about your game, the poker wisdom you share with yourself is worth much more than anything you might get from someone else.
John Vorhaus / Poker Player Newspaper
People see what they show
An inveterate blindstealer is more apt to put you on a steal than on a real hand, because that's where he'd be if he were you. Put yourself in your enemies' shoes, and then use their suppositions against them.
It's dumb to show smart laydowns
Some knuckleheads seem to have a compulsion to show their smart laydowns. I suppose they take some ego gratification from this, but to me someone who shows a smart laydown is really only showing what a doofus he is. Never give away information for free, especially if you're only doing it to make you feel good about you.
People are more likely to trap than to bluff
Bluffing and trapping are two sides of the same deceptive coin, but the trapper traps with confidence, knowing that he has the best hand, whereas the bluffer bluffs despite the fear of getting caught. With this in mind, simple human nature dictates that deceptive players are more likely to be trapping than bluffing because it's emotionally easier to take.
Be the one who knows, not the one who guesses
Poker is a game of imperfect information. Correct decisions are hard to come by, and incorrect decisions cost considerable amounts of money. Therefore, be the one who puts others to difficult choices. Drive more than you chase and raise more than you call. Put the other guy to the test. He can only make mistakes if you give him ample opportunity.
Don't bluff rivers
Avoid betting in situations where the only hand that can call you can beat you. When you bluff on the river, you're hoping that your foe or foes will fold with a better hand. They might. But also, they might: fold with a worse hand, in which case you earn nothing extra; call with a better hand, costing you more money; or raise you back and put you to a hard choice you'd just as soon not have to make. Of course, if you're certain that they'll fold, go ahead and bluff. But then it's not exactly a bluff, is it?
Loose call bad, loose raise good
If you're making a lot of promiscuous calls, you're probably not playing effectively, and you can really only hope to win against inveterate bluffers. But if you're making a lot of promiscuous raises, you're probably a force to be reckoned with at the table, someone who is either respected for the strength of his game or feared for his maniac image. From either of these platforms you can launch a successful poker campaign against a wide range of players. To put it another way, if you think you have the best hand, why not get more money in the pot, and if you don't think you have the best hand, why are you calling at all? I'll have more grabs next time, but in the meantime, don't you have some grabs of your own? Start a collection. Write them down. In the sense that it gets you thinking, really thinking about your game, the poker wisdom you share with yourself is worth much more than anything you might get from someone else.
John Vorhaus / Poker Player Newspaper
