Playing The Rush

All gamblers, especially poker players, dream of rushes.

A rush is what the average poker player is hoping for and waiting for every time he sits down at a poker table. Many players are superstitious about rushes and would never think of folding two bad cards after they just held a winning hand.

Doyle Brunson expressed it to me this way: 'Any time I win a hand, I play the next hand regardless of what cards I catch. How do you know when that rush is gonna run over you unless you give it a chance?

How indeed?

I once had a rush that lasted so long, it was embarrassing. I was in a tournament and I piled up so many chips, I couldn't see the player across from me. I finally deliberately misplayed a hand just so I could get off the rush and relax.

Rushes occur when the cards line up for you perfectly. If the player in seat 2 catches pocket jacks, you will be dealt pocket queens. If the player gets queens, your pocket pair will be kings.

During the rush, you will try impossible draws and hit them. You will find yourself playing nearly every hand and defying the odds on probability. You will discover the joy and fun of playing poker and will hope it goes on forever.

It won't, of course. No rush ever does last forever.

But while the rush is working for you, you will experience a power you never realized existed in gambling. You will become a believer in the impossible. You will make believers out of everybody at the table.

Here's something interesting. Many poker players will place a limit on their winnings but not on their losses. When they start winning, they often tighten up rather than play loose and take advantage of their rush.

You don't want to play that way. When luck is riding with you, push it to the limit. This style and attitude can sharply increase your bankroll and it could help you win a poker tournament.

One of the great tools that go along with a rush is your seat position. Always consider where you are sitting and act accordingly. If you are behind the button and only two or three players call, you don't even need to look at your cards. Just pretend to look and call. Then if the other players check, you come out with a pre-conceived amount as your bet

If one of the other players bets, that's the time to look at your cards. You could have the other player dominated. If so, have fun with a check-raise.

When I am on a rush, I talk to myself. I find myself thinking about the other players, 'You wouldn't raise me with a pat straight or three of a kind. If you do, you know you'll get beat.'

You work hard with your cards to make the results come out in your favor. You find yourself playing position with cards that are below your usual playing pattern. But when you are in position, hands seem to develop that turn out very profitable for you. This will prove devastating to your foes and they will be bewildered and withdraw as you win hand after hand.

How do you know when you are on a rush? You'll know. The cards will come and so will the cash. Don't set a limit on your winnings. Just ride the tiger and hang on. Karma and the rush will do the rest.

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 ).