One of the most effective tools for winning at poker is something called positional raising. Remember those words. They could turn you from a loser into a winner.
I am giving away my strategy, but it's okay. You are my friends and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me.
Positional raising is a simple but effective way of giving yourself an advantage as well as position on your foes. It is a sly method of taking away the momentum from a raiser and if it is used well, it can make a huge difference in your bankroll.
You can use this weapon any time you are in position and have a small pair ranging from pocket twos to pocket kings. Let's say you are in seat six and someone in front of you raises. You find yourself holding a pair of fives. Positional raising means you put in another raise. There's nothing to it.
The effect of the second raise is what is important.
You have suddenly placed your opponents on notice that you have something better than they have! A high pair, ace king, maybe ace queen suited. But unless they catch a pair or improve, they will probably fold when you come out betting after the flop.
And of course, there is always the possibility that you will flop three of a kind. That would be delightful.
Of course, everything depends on the quality of the flop. Most flops do not improve a raiser's hand. That is one fact you have going for you. By raising positionally, you have also enhanced the implied strength of your hand and have given it the power to take the pot without a struggle.
It's a fact that in poker our fate is always in the hands of the poker gods. Fate is our mistress.
The positional raise means you have done an effective job of presenting your hand as it is not -- you have faked it. I would estimate that in four out of five cases, this should be enough to give you a winner. Of course, there will be times when the raiser has a solid pair and will call your bets down to the wire and you will lose. That is poker and there is really nothing you can do about it.
Small to medium pairs have been a thorn in the sides of poker players for a long time. Most players simply call with them when someone raises, and then fold when the initial raiser comes out betting. This is not the best way to play a small pair, in my opinion.
Your mind should be focused on strategy while you are waiting for those pocket aces or kings to emerge. You will see a lot of garbage hands -- 7-2, K-5, 3-9 or J-6 -- before a high pair comes. When you are dealt a small pair, that is the time for you to play like a genius.
I made a lot of friends when I was in the Army. I met them at Ft. Ord near Monterey, CA., Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro, NORAD missile site 04 between Pasadena and Palmdale, CA., Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, and Presidio near San Francisco.
One of my fellow recruits was Milt Morrison. He was a short stocky guy with glasses ad hailed from Wisconsin. His parents owned a dairy farm.
At first, I didn't really like Milt. He was a consistent winner in the blackjack and poker games we held in the Day Room after our training was finished. The Day Room was where we drank beer, ate snacks, played pool, watched movies and even met girls.
One night after a few beers he called me aside and told me what I was doing wrong.
“You know, you could be a really good poker player if you stopped internalizing and just started going for broke.” he said. “Use your imagination. Go with the flow.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
From that day forth, Milt and I were friends. I started thinking like a poker player and it paid off. He taught me moves and tricks that remain with me today. He kept beating most of the basic training recruits at Ft. Ord, but I was not one of his targets. When basic training was over, we packed our duffel bags, shook hands, and moved on to our next assignment for Uncle Sam.
