This
is such an interesting question to me that I felt
it was necessary to write a column about it. Like
the great majority of players, especially newer
players to the game of poker, I used to say "Both".
However, over the past few years I have come to
the understanding that I am far from both. I still
play tournaments, and even do well occasionally
in them, but I am a ring game player. This is not
to say that many players aren't both. Many professional
players are certainly equally good at both tournament
and ring game poker. Here is the big difference.
I am not a professional poker player. I may be one
some day, but until that time, I have stopped answering
the question in the title with "Both".
I
can hear it now from many of you. "What's the difference?
A good poker player is a good poker player no matter
what they are playing." While this is true, the
point I am making is this: Beyond the basics, the skills
necessary to be a consistent winner in tournaments and
ring games are different. As you are learning to play
poker and improving with experience, you should concentrate
on one form or the other. Poker is easy to play, but
so hard to master, that all of your work should be concentrated
early in your career on improving a certain area of
your game. Once you master one area, then you should
expand your selection and try to become a solid overall
player.
I firmly believe that my growth as a poker player
was stunted to some degree by jumping from format
to format. When I started playing online, I would
play ring games, sit-n-gos and multi table tournaments,
often at the same time. I would even go so far as
to play both Texas holdem and Omaha/8 at the same
time. Talk about setting yourself up to struggle.
Of course my long-term goal of being a solid well-rounded
player eventually was accomplished, it took a long
time and was not as profitable as it could have
been. By concentrating on one area, you will become
more profitable and you will enter the next area
with much more confidence in your abilities.
Give yourself an honest evaluation when you think
about the above question and decide what type of
player you are. Once you can give an honest answer,
you will be able to work towards mastering your
best area of play and then expanding your game.
Until next week, good luck at the tables.
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