If you play Texas Hold 'Em long enough, you will end up losing
some hands to someone who is just plain LUCKY. Trust me, this is one of most frustrating things in poker. I can't tell you how many times I went into a hand with the nuts only to be beat by a lucky draw on the river.
This "bad luck" plagued me for years, until I learned the seven secrets to AVOID IT and make the laws of luck work for me. So get ready to learn some of the most powerful and closely-guarded secrets in the game of Texas Hold 'Em poker.
Law of Luck #1: Utilize power positioning to force out draws.
Let's say that you are dealt pocket rockets, and the flop is A, 4, 8... all hearts. In this position, you shouldn't try to "trap" your opponents. Even with your three Aces, you are on shaky ground with the flush draw. Bet big and try to win the hand without another card being turned.
Law of Luck #2: Learn your opponents.
A tight player will rarely beat you with a lucky card. Conservative
players usually don't mess with draws and will only play when they already
have a hand. Manics (very aggressive players) can be dangerous. Even if they only have a marginal hand, they are more likely to play the entire hand and catch a lucky card. When playing these players, watch out for straight and flush draws. These players are especially dangerous when they have a lot of chips. Avoid challenging these players with marginal hands.
Law of Luck #3: Luck Vs. Math
Once, after a flop I had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. My
opponent had three Kings. As chip leader, I called his all-in bet. The hand was about even, but once I caught my flush on the river, he exploded in anger. Remember that there is a difference between luck and knowledge of the game.
Even if you have a strong hand, if there are a lot of draws that can beat you, you are in jeopardy of catching "bad luck." In order to make luck work for you,
learn the odds and the number of outs for a given hand. For example, if you
flop an open-ended strait draw and flush draw. There are 15 cards in the
deck that can complete you hand. Learn the math and use it during
your games so you can be the one who catches the "lucky breaks."
Law of Luck #4: Intimidate Your Opponents
Any time that you sit down at a poker table, you should try to intimidate
the other players. Shades and poker lingo can rattle other players, but bold, aggressive, and varied play is much more intimidating. The key to intimidating players is to keep them guessing about your play.
Never fall into a set pattern of checks, calls, bets, and raises. When you intimidate your opponents, you can force them to act in a way that will help you. For example, let's say you have pocket Kings. You make a medium bet to fatten
the pot and scare a few players out. Now, the flop comes, 4, 5, 10 with two
clubs. Your kings are still probably the best hand, but there are a lot of draws out there. If you have gained mental power over the players, you can bet big and take the pot. If no players are intimidated by you, they will call you. The next two cards are 6 of clubs and J of clubs and a flush draw takes the pot.
Law of Luck #5: Avoid "Bad Beat-itis"
Inevitably, you will catch a bad beat and lose some chips. This is only part of the game. If you let the bad beat get to you and shake you out of your game, you should kiss the rest of your chips goodbye. As a professional poker player, I have sat down at a lot of poker tables. The easiest way for me to make a killing at a game is to find the novice with a lot of chips. They might be a great player,
but unless they are immune from "Bad Beat-itis" their chip lead is short lived. Anyway, once I find my target, I sit back and wait for them to lose to a bad beat. Then I attack. When a player loses a hand, they often get scared and second-guess their game plan. Using this to my advantage, I wear down the player and slowly move their chips over to my side.
Law of Luck #6: Luck WILL Run Out
If a player at your table catches truly lucky cards several times, they are PRIME targets to attack. These players will start getting careless and playing way too loose. Take advantage of this cockiness and play your good hands very aggressively against them. When these players have a lot of chips, they will chase a lot of draws. You should love players like this because their luck WILL run out and you will be there to profit from it. Note: When you are challenging these players, be very cautious of "Draw completers." These are cards that can
complete a strait of flush draw. Aces are also dangerous because the player
could be playing in hopes of catching an ace.
Law of Luck #7: Luck Can Be Bought
That's right, luck CAN be bought. In poker the rich get richer because chip leaders can afford to play more hands, see more flops, and get more lucky cards. This is a very important concept... especially in tournaments... because
jumping out to an early lead can carry you deep into a game. At the beginning of a game I tend to play very conservatively until I catch good cards. With good cards, I play them aggressively and hope that inexperienced players that are still in the game will fall into the trap. With my big stack I get better luck, and draw more c
