Here in California most of the small to med size No Limit games limit you to the amount of your buyin. This makes it very easy to see how many winners are at each table.

For example, if you sit down at a $400 buyin game. Check how many players have more than $400 and how many have less. If the majority of players have more than $400, why would you want to sit there?

Sure there is a chance to make a lot of money but why would you want to fight against winners? I always look for a table full of losers and sit at that one to increase my chance of winning.

Another good reason to avoid tables full of winners is that they have the advantage in chip size over you. They can bully you around with their big stacks. I personally like to be the bully, not the bullied.

In a previous post I spoke of players chopping the blinds and of players chopping if only 1 other player entered. I also mentioned casinos will allow you to object and force players to play if someone enters the pot.

Most players encourage the two or three players to chop. They do this probably because they are bored and they want to get another hand faster. Maybe a hand they can get involved with.

I ask everyone to sit back and think, what is the purpose of playing poker to you? Some folks go just to have fun, meet friends, etc.. I am willing to wager, and I would love to hear your comments here, that most play for the money. You play poker to win money. That is my objective.

If your objective for playing is to win money, why would you ever let anyone chop a pot in a jackpot game?

In a jackpot game, the winner of a hand is the one who pays for the jackpot. If you have folded then you are not going to pay. The remaining players are going to pay and thus you have a free shot at a table share of the jackpot. Why not take a free shot to win a few hundred extra dollars? Strangely, most players would give up those hundreds of free dollars just to get two more cards to play sooner. Does that make sense? If it doesn’t make sense, then next time you see players asking to chop, step up and object. Take your free shot at the jackpot.

A favorite trick of employers when interviewing a prospective employee is to set their chair really high. The purpose is to intimidate or display power over the applicant.

While playing poker I do the same thing. Although I stand 6′ 4″ tall, I always put two to three cushions on my chair when I sit. I want to be th tallest at the table so that all players have to look up to me.

It’s hard to say if this gives me an edge. I do know it can’t hurt and if it works for employers during an interview process, why not apply it to my poker playing. 

Whether you have skill or not you MUST play like a winner. Always have a lot of chips in front of you and never complain when you are losing.

In Limit-Hold Em have you ever seen a player do a minimum buy-in, then do it again, then do it again, etc? If you are going to spend the money, buy it all at once. I always sit down with two racks of chips when I play. Most every time I get up other players compliment me on the good day I had. Most don’t realize I buy in two racks.

You see, when a new player comes to the table, he sees all your chips and thinks you are a winner. Therefore he may throw more hands away when playing against you (thinking you are lucky). He may not bluff you as much as if you were short stacked.

Also never complain about losing. I can’t tell you how many times I take shots, or play bad hands against players who are losing. I know no matter what they have they will lose so that gives me an edge to play anything. If others don’t know you are having bad luck thay may not take as many shots against you.