Action Vs. Passive Players

One of the most important lessons I have learned as a poker player is the importance of being an action player.

Action translates to aggressive. I don't think there has ever been a really winning poker player who was passive.

Now action doesn't only mean the number of pots you play. It also deals with how aggressive you are in those pots.

You can be a 50 percent, 75 percvent or 100 percent player and your winnings will be determined by which of these players your become.

A 50 percent player waits until he receives the right starting cards and then plays them aggressively, putting in the proper raises.

After the flop on fourth street, a player becomes a 75 percent player depending on how well he plays fourth street.

Many players do well on the flop and fourth street. But when it comes o the river, that is what separates the men from the boys.

I know solid fearless players who play the river as solidly as they did the flop and fourth street regardless of their hand. These players are generally the ones who win -- but not always.

When I spot a player who will bet to the river regardless of his hand, I make note of this fact -- and act accordingly. It may cost me money, but I have called bets on the river with just an ace-king and no pair when I thought a player was on a bluff.

Passive players rarely take advantage of their good hands by raising and double-raising. They are content to simply play their cards and hope for tyhe best. This is not the bbest way to play poker.

A poker player needs to develop a winning frame of mind. This includes a bit of a killer instinct and if you don't have it, you are playing at less than your best.

The best poker players realize that it isn't enough just to know what plays to make -- you have to make those plays all the time, every time, in order to stay ahead of the odds.

Sometimes a player will be one beat behind in a game and that will throw him out of step. It's like a couple dancing. If you step on the other person's foot, the dance is ruined.

A poker player can and should saddle himself with 100 different rules. He should play position. He should play the button aggressively. He should pick up the blinds when he can. He should think of himself as invincible.

Play your seat like it's the luckiest seat at the table. If you do that and keep that thought in your mind, it will prove lucky for you. Maybe not at the start, but eventually.

And if things don't go well for you, learn to limit your losses. Some nights will simply not be winners for you. Sometimes you need to smile, lick your wounds and leave. In poker, there is always tomorrow.

When I played poker in Brownsville, PA. at the Elks Club, a coal miner named Dave complimented me on my game, saying, 'You taught me more about raising than anything I have learned in this game. It's amazing what a raise will do.''

Raising is part of being an action player. If you don't know the power of a raise, you should sit on the sidelines and study the game. Eventually you will learn and your bankroll will be the healthier for the learning.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).