The most important things in poker

Came across the article today and it kind of puts together some of the most important things in poker. I think it is a good read especially for those who are just entering the game and it wouldn't be a bad idea for even regular players to take a look at this...

There has been quite a bit of discussion and subsequent disagreement about what the most important thing in Poker is.

Some suggestions include:

*    Making good decisions

*    Bluffing well

*    Eliminating tells

*    Reading other players well

*    Picking the right tables

*    Picking the right games

*    Playing agressively

*    Trapping players

*    Money management

*    Having a good bankroll

*    Having a positive attitude

*    Playing at the right time

*    Playing the right levels

While these suggestions are all good, is any one of them really the single most important thing in poker?

We think not!  As important as all these suggestions are to winning, we propose another suggestion which we think is probably the most obvious thing in poker; Yet is the most often violated rule for playing poker successfully.

It is the "one rule" you will probably violate more often in each poker game you play.  It is also the one rule that, when violated, will cost you more frequent and larger losses than any other rule.

Our suggestion for the most important rule for success in poker is:   PATIENCE

*    Patience to wait for quality hands to play.

*    Patience to win one pot at a time.

*    Patience to wait for the right game.

*    Patience to wait for the right table.

*    Patience to wait for the right time to play.

*    Patience to wait for the right time to move up in levels.

*    Patience to build up your bankroll before moving up to higher levels.

*    Patience to learn new poker games well before playing.

*    Patience to learn and read all you can about playing winning poker.

*    Patience enough not to play junk when you just don't get the cards.

*    Patience to play well even when you are losing.

*    Patience to wait for the other players to make mistakes, go on tilt, or just get tired.

As you can see, patience covers a lot of things.  Most likely, there are many more important winning qualities related to poker that you could add to this list.

Just as patience should be your most important objective when playing; It should also be your objective to find players who do not have patience, then  play against them. So, by all means, look for players who lack patience due to:

*    Being tired

*    Being drunk

*    Being on tilt

*    Being low on chips

*    Being nervous

*    Being anxious to play

*    Being short on time

*    Being lucky or unlucky

*    Being there just for fun

*    Being there just to gamble

*    Being there to socialize

*    Being there to lose

Naturally, we expect that if you find yourself Being any of the above, You, by all means, should have the Patience to wait for a better time to play.

Senior Poker Columnist
Janice Carroll
www.headsuppokerchampion.com

This article has been sourced from www.theedgepoker.com 

Meet the 2010 November Nine

Well the November Nine is finally here.

While for the regular non-poker playing Joe, November Nine's significance perhaps lies only in the fact that it is the 313th day of the year (314th in a leap year), for the avid poker player and follower this term takes on different connotations. For the reader who has accidentally stumbled on this IPC blog and has no idea what the term means, the November Nine are the final nine players remaining in the Main Event of the WSOP. The Main Event takes place in July with several thousand player taking part. Play continues till all but nine remain. There is a break of a few months and then these nine will come back in November to determine the winner.  

(L to R) Jason Senti, Joesph Cheong, John Dolan, Johnathon Duhamel, 

Michael Mizrachi, Mathew Jarvis, John Dolan, Filippo Candio & Soi Nguyen

For the November Nine, the next four months of will change their lives. And this is despite the fact that only one from them will be the owner of a Main Event bracelet by the end of it. While many players (and fans) were not in favour of the November Nine concept when it was first introduced in 2008, the concept is now here to stay. From ESPN's perspective, this concept allows them to build on the excitement of the WSOP and in particular the final table. As the years have gone by the WSOP has steadily expanded the number of events offered to players at the WSOP and as a result for the TV audiences as well. From having 7 events in 1973, the WSOP in 2010 had 57 events including the Main Event. Having a break of 3-4 months allows ESPN to broadcast the various events which have taken place in the WSOP with the focus squarely being on the No Limit Hold'em events. It's all about the ratings game anyway in the television business and the WSOP is a big draw for the various brands that choose to associate themselves with the event. These brands are predominantly 'male' and range from beer to automobiles and even beef jerky.

While many pros still feel that the 3 month break messes with the 'purity' of an endurance event like the World Series, most current and past November Niners will beg to differ. Along with life-changing money that they stand to make, this interim period allows them an opportunity to establish themselves on the circuit, score sponsorship deals and become overnight celebrities of the poker world. This is a boon for them all regardless of the eventual winner for whom life will just become some kind of wild poker fantasy for the next 12 months. Eventually of course players must decide what's more important for them. In case of Joe Hachem who is one our favorite pros, the win at the 2005 ensured that he did not have to go back to his day job as a chiropractor and subsequently mortgage/brokerage executive. He is the face of Australian poker and is a great ambassador for the game. Then there is someone like Peter Eastgate who the youngest ever winner (subsequently broken by Joe Cada in '09) of the WSOP Main Event beating Phil Helmuth's almost 20 year old record. This kind of an accomplishment made Eastgate a huge and respected name in poker that year because he had the game to back it up as well. Eastgate just prior to this year's Main Event stated that he would be retiring from poker to pursue other things since his motive was to become financially independent with his poker playing which he managed in a spectacular manner.

The WSOP really is the dream as far as professionals and amateurs are concerned. A chance to win fame and millions of dollars on the one hand and the opportunity to be recognized forever in the annals of the game we all love.

The India Poker Championship's 3rd edition will take place from 2nd - 4th September in Goa. 

For information and to register, log onto www.indiapokerchampionship.com

World Series, India Poker Championship update

Well its that time of the year again folks. The cards are in the air and everyone who is a poker fanatic is glued to the television to get a taste of the action. I am of course talking about the this year's Main Event at the World Series of Poker which is taking place right now... literally. 

 The ballroom at the Rio where the WSOP takes place

Now us poor deprived poker fans in India have no way of catching all the action on television seeing as ESPN here is more than content to keep showing classic cricket matches from decades ago which, let's be honest, gets tiresome after a while. Don't get me wrong... I like my cricket (but am definitely not one of those hardcore painted-face types who scream their guts out) and wouldn't mind watching the classics occasionally but it seems quite silly to me that ESPN in India would rather show the Home Run Derby over some poker coverage which Indian audiences would lap up as compared to baseball. I caught the Derby a couple of nights back at a really late hour and if you wanted to fill up some slots why not put in some poker. Hey if not the current year's, even old episodes from past WSOP events would do... throw us a bone here guys.
Fortunately Internet zindabad! And due thanks to our equally nutty fellow poker enthusiasts across the world who are able to see the WSOP on tv and then are kind enough to upload it to torrent sites. Not to mention a site like PokerTube which is just awesome for the kind of varied content they put up. There are some videos of tournaments which you've never even heard before. Oh by the way to any of our readers who might be in the US or visiting there soon, here is the TV schedule.

2009 was the year for the pros finishing really deep. Many fans were delighted with this as was I because it seemed off late that just any dude with 10k and a monster hot streak could swing by and take home the biggest prize in poker (cases in point Jamie Gold & Jerry Yang). Of course a lot of that delight was a result of Phil Ivey's incredible run to the final table. Our good friend Girish Shahane who is a huge Phil Ivey fan wrote about him on his blog last year and it was a heart-breaker for him and us to see Ivey bust out in 7th place. 2010 thus far looks like an even mix of pros and amateurs although that could change really quickly. I had started writing this post about yesterday and what a difference 24 hours makes. A decent sized paragraph was to be dedicated to the two former champions still left in the fray but unfortunately my inbox was screaming with news reports of both Scotty Nguyen and Johnny Chan having been eliminated from the Main Event. So the dream is over for a repeat or 3-peat as the case may be...
On a side note, here's an interesting read about the best performers in the game after the poker boom back in '03. 

Closer to home the India Poker Championship has opened up its registrations for its 3rd edition in September and if you still haven't registered, here is the LINK. Players are excited about the event and so they should be as things have only gotten bigger and better. The IPC might be only 2 events old but with every event we strive to provide Indian poker players with the best experience they can get. The best thing about this is that we can actually see the poker scene in India picking up momentum. It's high time that the game here in India gets its due and is legalised. It must enjoy the status that a game like bridge does because I personally believe this is a sport which involves a huge amount of skill and it's something which can be seen as plain-as-day by anyone who has played poker for even a short while. Fortunately there are people like Girish and Amit Varma who are big fans of the game and whose opinions and columns are read by many thousands and perhaps even lakhs of people. Hopefully information about the game from people like them and other forms of media will filter through to the general public and the resulting greater awareness will lead to some changes being made to the laws regarding poker in this country.
After all, haven't we always been a nation of gamblers?! From Sunday mornings long past I quote Duryodhan, "Mamashree... 6!"

And since it is dealer's (or blogger's) choice here on the IPC Blog, I choose poker over faaaaarrrkin teen patti.
Peace Out


Update: Shortly after this post was put up, the final nine participants or the November Nine as they are more popularly known, have come through. The most well-known pro amongst the lot is Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi who stands a good chance of doing a massive double, having earlier taken home the Winner's bracelet and over $1.5 million in the Tournament of Champions event.