Mistakes Made When Using An Odds Calculator
People always say that "Practice makes
perfect."
I disagree.
The truth is that "PERFECT practice
makes perfect."
Using an odds calculator at online
poker is a crucial way to develop your skills and become
a better player...
But I've noticed that even though the
popularity of programs like Texas Calculatem is booming,
many players AREN'T USING THESE TOOLS CORRECTLY.
This "bad practice" can easily cause
lost profits, a frustrating learning curve, and unnecessary
confusion...
So let's discuss the seven most costly
mistakes players make when using an odds calculator--
and how YOU can avoid them.
(If you don't own an odds calculator
yet, now is the time. Click this link to download the
best:)
OK, let's get started.
MISTAKE #1: Not Bluffing Enough
Poker is a game of ODDS and SKILL...
but it's also a game of PSYCHOLOGY and LUCK.
If you listen to the advice of an odds
calculator 100% of the time, yes, you'll come out ahead.
But you don't want to become a predictable "robot" who
only plays favorable odds and never bluffs.
Get my drift?
There are times in every poker game
when you'll want to buy the blinds because you sense
weakness, over bet the pot to give off a certain table
image, or "bully" the table with your huge chip stack.
Odds calculators don't bluff.
And they don't tell you when to bluff.
That's why you've got to stay alert
and make these types of decisions based on your own
intuition...
MISTAKE #2: Not Paying Enough Attention
To Your Opponents
The right odds calculator can quickly
become addictive. It's easy to get in a bad habit of
just listening to its "advice" without paying attention
to the game.
This allows you to save time, save
energy, and play multiple games at once.
BUT...
Just like bluffing, blindly listening
to an odds calculator can be detrimental. It can prevent
you from catching important TELLS at the table.
Pay close attention to your opponents
so that you spot someone on "tilt", identify an amateur,
and pick up betting patterns.
MISTAKE #3: Not Considering "Likely
Odds"
Let's say you've got pocket Queens.
You make a pre-flop raise of 3x the big blind and get
four callers (at an 8-man table).
The flop hits: A-A-K
What a TERRIBLE flop, right? You figure
one of your four opponents MUST have an Ace... or at
least a King. And that means all you can hope for on
the turn or river is a Queen.
If someone throws out a sizeable bet
in this situation, you would fold... because you know
you're beat.
What's interesting is that a "primitive"
odds calculator would tell you that you have a STRONG
hand: two pair with a great kicker. And it would probably
tell you to call any bets... or even raise.
Crazy, huh?
You see, here's the thing: Most odds
calculators only lookat YOUR hand... and don't try to
"deduce" what your opponents might have. They don't
look at what's "likely".
You and I both know that the only way
someone would call a pre-flop raise of 3x the big blind
is if they have something good... like an Ace. But an
odds calculator that just pays attention to your cards
has no idea.
Texas Calculatem is different. Texas
Calculatem DOES look at what's "likely" and what's not.
It takes a look at those four players who stayed in
the pot and calculates the likelihood that one of them
is holding an Ace or a King... given all the possible
conditions.
Don't download an odds calculator that
doesn't do "likely odds", otherwise you're just asking
for trouble.
MISTAKE #4: Relying Too Much On Odds
During "All-In" Plays
In no limit Texas Holdem there is no
restriction to how much you can bet. This makes the
use of an odds calculator more tricky in this game type.
For instance, let's say there's $20
in the pot and your opponent decides to go all-in for
his entire stack of $480.
You have to make a decision to call
or fold.
The "pot odds" in a situation like
this aren't very good. The reason is because there's
such a small amount in the pot.
In this situation, however, pot odds
don't mean much. Your decision shouldn't be based on
"math"... it should be based on WHETHER YOU THINK YOUR
OPPONENT HAS A BETTER HAND.
An all-in situation is so "disproportionate"
that odds aren't really relevant... so don't get too
caught up in them.
MISTAKE #5: Mis-Interpreting Odds Information
When Playing
Heads-Up (Or Short-Handed)
With just 2-3 players at the table,
chances are NO ONE will get good cards. At this stage
in the game, winning is more about bluffs and reading
opponents.
Proof of this is the fact that most
heads-up hands never get to "show down". Someone almost
always folds BEFORE the river.
Therefore, the odds of "winning by
river" aren't as relevant in this type of situation.
Who cares if you have 7-2 offsuit? All that REALLY matters
is what your opponent THINKS you have.
When I get heads-up, I don't pay attention
to the "hand strength" percentage or "odds by river"
on my odds calculator.
Instead, I pay attention to the "odds
on next card" feature, because that's what is IMMEDIATELY
relevant.
MISTAKE #6: Not Adjusting The Odds
To Your Personal Style
When you download an odds calculator,
make sure it fits your personal "style" of play. If
you're a loose pre-flop player, you don't want your
odds calculator constantly telling you to "play tight
and fold"...
Instead, you want your odds calculator
to be "loose" and simply show you when you're deviating
in the wrong manner.
Texas Calculatem features "play settings"
that you can customize for your own needs and preference.
(These settings apply both to pre-flop
and post-flop play.)
This is also very useful depending
on your game type. For instance, I set my pre-flop settings
to be extremely tight in large multi-table tournaments...
because my strategy is to sit back and be very patient.
But in a shorthanded Sit and Go, I
do exactly the opposite, because "loose" hand selection
is required to avoid getting blinded out.
MISTAKE #7: Using The Wrong Odds Calculator
An odds calculator is only useful if
it has the FEATURES YOU NEED and if you USE IT RIGHT.
Avoid the common mistakes we've just
discussed and you'll be well on your way to maximizing
your online poker profits.
The next step is to simply get the
BEST odds calculator possible.
My highest recommendation goes to "Texas
Calculatem". It has all the features we've just discussed...
and dozens more.
It's by far the easiest-to-use and
most useful odds calculator on the market... and it's
proven to help players like you make more money at online
poker.
You can download Texas Calculatem now
for FREE (by joining a partner casino).
Just click here to get started:
