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 he Guardian Poker Column |
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| Victoria
Coren |
| Friday May 26, 2006
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How to play poker
(How to play has been running from issue 16) |
What is "half a hand"? I have referred to it a couple of
times, in terms of making a move when you get low on tournament chips. Maybe I
should be more specific.
If you have two weak, unconnected cards (such
as 84 or 73), that is "no hand". It's rubbish. There is no chance, before the
flop, that you are beating anybody who would give you action. If you have a
pair of eights, say, or a pair of nines, you've got a hand. With those cards,
there is a very decent chance that you are in front before the flop. If you've
got AK, AQ, a pair of queens or above, you've got a good hand. Now you can be
almost certain that you are winning - or at least, with the two big picture
cards, in very good shape to be winning after cards come down. |
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Logically enough, half a hand falls
somewhere between a hand and no hand. It's a hand that just might be beating a
caller in a heads-up situation. A weak ace (A5, A6) is half a hand: you are
beating a caller with KQ or small suited connectors. K9 or Q9 is half a hand; a
pair of twos is half a hand.
These cards are not worth playing in cash
games, unless the game is so good that you're confident of winning a huge sum
if you hit the flop hard. More likely, in a cash game, you will half-hit the
flop with your half-hand, end up with a quarter of a hand, and lose lots of
money to somebody who has actually got something.
Tournaments are
different. If your chips are getting low (less than 10 big blinds), you can't
afford to keep getting "blinded off" while you wait for a big pair. Neither can
you afford to make small bets and pass after the flop. If you can be the first
voluntary entrant to the pot, and your chips are low enough to make an all-in
move mathematically logical, you should probably move with any two cards - you
might steal the blinds, or outdraw a caller. But certainly, half a hand in this
situation is a godsend: this gives you the extra bonus that you might just be
in front.
Of course, your personal tournament style may be
"rollercoaster". You may like to move in constantly throughout the game with
half a hand or no hand. With good judgment, this aggression can be very
effective - but you want it to be a choice, not a necessity. With less than 10
big blinds, whatever your style, it starts to become a necessity. A small stack
is no use, so you might as well risk losing it in the attempt to double it.
Never forget that you aren't there to survive for hours with a few chips.
You're there to win the tournament.
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