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Poker
Guide
1.
Online
Poker
2.
Texas
Holdem
3.
Play
Poker
4.
Poker
Chips
6.
Poker
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Poker
Room Reviews
1.
UltimateBet
2.
PartyPoker
3.
PacificPoker
4.
PokerStars
5.
EmpirePoker
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The Poker Professionals Association
STRATEGY # 3
Basic
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When buying Checks (Chips) always purchase more than you anticipate needing. A good estimate is 100 large bets. For a 10/20 game that would be $2,000 in checks.
Whenever possible, buy your chips before being seated.
This is substantially more than most players start with;however, there are several benefits to this strategy:
1. You enter the game in a dominant position, as most players assume you have already won most of your chips at another table, or at the very least, are a winning player who can afford to play well financed.
2. You can bet correctly without considering how many checks you have.
3. It allows you to roll over many weaker or less capitalized players. This is particularly important in a bluff, semi-bluff, or pot stealing situation.
4. It allows you to avoid the weak/losing player tag of having to rebuy checks while playing.
5. If you ever hold a Royal Flush heads up against a Straight Flush, it will undoubtedly happen when you are low on checks and unable to bet it out. (And it will be a lesson you will never forget)
6. Most importantly, it doesn't cost you anything to buy more checks, as you can cash them in after you finish playing.
Question: Sure, you say, but what if I buy more checks than I can afford to lose?
Answer: 1. If you can't afford to lose, you can't afford to play. 2. Since you will probably buy more checks anyway, if you do lose, this is no protection against losing. It only prevents you from playing properly. Play well financed, or find a lower limit game you can play correctly with your bankroll.
Question: How about just having a few $100 bills stacked by the checks, just in case they are needed. Wouldn't this serve the same purpose as a larger amount of checks?
Answer: No. Although you might have the same amount of money to play with, you lose most of the advantages you would have with checks, plus you are not really saving anything. In addition, you would now face two negatives: 1. you are already psychologically setting yourself up to lose. After all, why else would you need to dip into your cash reserve? 2. Betting Cash, particularly reserve cash, is more difficult than checks; therefore, you are more likely to underbet in order to save your cash. Which puts you in the unenviable position of trying not to lose rather than trying to win
"Play to Win"
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