4 bad reasons for playing a poker session

November 3, 2020

News

by Jack Stanton

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3 Minute Read

Look, we all love playing poker. So much. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t.

But sometimes firing up a poker session just isn’t in your best interest. That even goes for professional players like PokerStars School’s Pete Clarke.

There are several reasons you might use to justify playing, though, and a few of them are bad. We’re looking at those today to make sure you can play with a clear head.

THIS WEEK:

• Bad reasons…for playing a session
• Hand Reading for Beginners – Episode 1 – Understanding combos
• PLO: Beyond The Basics – Part 10: 4-Betting

Bad reasons…for playing a session

“So much of how well you play is determined by external conditions,” writes Clarke. “The best way to protect yourself against tilt and mental game failings is to avoid putting yourself in a position where you are particularly vulnerable to these problems. The four best mental states to adopt just before logging some hands are: energised; inspired; focussed, and calm.

“Here are some of the bad reasons for which people play sessions. They are almost always conducive to the very opposite of those four mental states. The following reasons to play poker lead to lethargic; bored; unfocussed; and emotional play.”

Find out the four bad reasons for playing session.

Hand Reading for Beginners – Episode 1 – Understanding combos

If you wish you could understand your opponent’s range better, this is the series for you.

This week Clarke is taking us through hand combinations (or “combos”) and how understanding the odds of an opponent holding a certain hand can help us see the shape of their range.

For some great info on pre-flop combos (and those you block), post-flop and bluff-catching combos, make sure you click through.

Read ‘Hand Reading for Beginners – Episode 1 – Understanding combos’.

PLO: Beyond The Basics – Part 10: 4-Betting

Never one to sleep on what Joe Ingram calls “the great game”, Clarke has also been busy adding a new video to his PLO: Beyond the Basics video series.

This week, the tenth and final part of the series focuses on four-betting.

Watch the video here.