Page 28 - December 2006 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Wired Aces Casino Bus Schedules (Continued)
Page 28
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
December 2006
Thinking Outside of the Box: Denying Odds is Better Than Being in Denial
...Continued from Page 10
a continuation bet of $80 or $100 then you have essentially taken the blu away from him. He knows that he has little to no chance to make you fold. And to even try would require all of his chips. And if he is on a draw, there is little more money to be made.
QQ vs 66 is about a 4:1 favorite, but the chance of the 66 hitting set by the op is more like 7.5:1. Even if we assume that you will go all the way with your QQ every time and that your opponent only loses his $50 when he misses his set, your raise of one-fourth of his stack will ensure he never gets the correct
implied odds against you heads-up. (A raise of $30 will do the same thing, but with a smaller pot and more implied odds, your decisions become harder.)
If there are players at your table who make this mistake of calling large raises pre- op, overcharge them. Even if you get felted once in a while when your opponent gets lucky, you will be getting the best of it.
Whether you immediately incorporate this into your game, watch the players around you and talk to your friends who play. If you see someone do
something that you don’t understand—even if it seems stupid—challenge yourself to think about it and see if you can see any upside. e thought- process itself will help your game.
Jim Mercurio is a writer, lmmaker and poker player. He cashed at this year’s opening WSOP event. His lm Hard Scrambled will be out on DVD in January at Hardscrambled.com..