How To Play Against New Poker Players
24 June 2008Winning Against New Poker Players
If you are hosting a poker tournament, there is a better than average chance that there will be some inexperienced poker players at your game. Many players get thrown off by new players, you hear them say things like “I can beat good players, but not donkeys.” That, of course, is nonsense. If you are playing against new poker players at your tournament there is one simple thing to remember that will help ensure you beat them.
Don’t Bluff !
Trying to bluff a new poker player is the single biggest mistake experienced players make against them. Here is why it’s a bad idea
1) They don’t know they have a bad hand - Good players will fold to a bluff because there is a dangerous board, and they know you might have them beat. New players won’t recognize that the board is dangerous. They will be too focused on figuring out what their own hand is than to try and guess what you have from how you are betting. As such, you won’t be scaring them off a hand just because a flush card came out.
2) They don’t want to look stupid - Likely as not, a new player is more concerned about looking stupid than they are about losing a particular hand. If they happen to have a decent hand, say a pair of Kings, and you beat them and knock them out with a better hand, a pair of Aces, it is part of the game. They came expecting to lose, so it is no problem. If they have a good hand, like a pair of Kings, and you bluff them out with nothing, it shows everyone at the table that they don’t know what they are doing. They fear looking stupid more than losing chips, so will likely stay in with any kind of hand
So if you can’t bluff a newbie, how do you win ?
Since bluffing is out of the question, they will be calling with anything, there is one sure fire way to take chips from a new player - Value Bet. If you wait to face an inexperienced player with a good hand, and it can be as weak as top pair, and then bet your hand on every street, you can take a lot of chips from them extremely quickly. Since they are likely to hold onto their hand you can assume that you’ll be going to a show down with them. Since you’re going to a show down, put as many chips in the pot as possible when you have a good hand. They don’t know they have a bad hand? Make them pay to learn it.
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