The Power Is Fear

When I look back at all my poker confrontations, I realize one quality alone stands between a winner and a loser.

That quality is fear.

Like one of the kings of old boasted that, 'I have no enemies because I killed all of them,' the poker player who is feared usually wins.

The other players, especially the good ones, respect him. They measure his stack to their own and don't like to confront him in a push or shove situation.

One of the first things i try to do when I sit down at a new table is to shove back when somebody pushes. I don't want them to think they can intimidate me.

And so I play a little poker for blood. You know how it is when spring has finally warmed up the river, and you're thinking, 'Should i ore shouldn't I?' jump into those inviting but frigid waters. No, my idea of poker for blood is to carry the war into enemy territory.

Now if I have pocket queens and he has pocket aces, I am obviously dominated. I could catch a third queen, of course, as I have in the past. In one remarkable hand, I flopped four queens -- and beat my opponent's four jacks to share a $49,000 bad beat jackpot. Ah, the good old days!

The object of poker is not to fear the man at the table who has the most chips. it's to make the man at the table with the most chips fear you. There are certain psychological tricks you can use to fool him, and I will be happy to share my plays with you.

First, i know that just because he raises, he doesn't necessarily have a pair. He may have a wide range of raising hands and I need to perk up my ears to see what he is raising with.

Continuation bets are important but they work better on some people than on others. You need to form your own analysis of the other players to see if a continuation bet or two works.

Never play 'soft' against the other players. When you raise, have a hand or a very powerful draw.

You place the fear factor on another player when you make him risk all of his chips on a draw. If you handle this part of your betting well, yu can make many other mistakes without hurting yourself.

If someone raises who is a proverbial regular raiser and you have even a little pair, call him to the river.

'Do not be moved b by what you see' was a rule given me by a Filipino woman. It suggests spiritual powers and powers of persuasion that go beyond the expected.

We Italians play it from the heart. If I think you are trying to snorkel me, I might call you till the river.

No passive player that I know of has ever won the World Series of Poker or anything close to it. The only way a passive player might make out is if he is at a table made up of maniacs who max out the raises on every hand. Then it becomes easy for the passive player to just bide his time and wait to call with the right cards. Those hands are rare, but when they hit, the bankroll prospers.

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 ).