All In (31 page)

5. Not knowing when to step away from a game.
I see this all the time. A player loses in a bad beat. He becomes angry and determined to get even no matter what. Suddenly he starts taking unnecessary risks, all because his emotions have taken over. If you
reach this point, you need to get up from the table, gather your-self, and come back when you can be patient and disciplined.

6. Consuming alcohol while playing.
Hollywood portrays a successful gambler sitting at a table, a glass of whiskey in one hand, cards in the other. That may make a good movie scene, but it doesn't work in the real world. Alcohol and drugs affect your emotional state and your decision-making ability. Success demands that you stay as sharp as possible, which is why I tell all the players I coach to avoid alcohol completely while playing.

7. Playing too long.
Most amateurs play too many hours at a time, going from cash game to cash game until fatigue takes over and they lose their ability to concentrate. I also see this when players lose in a tournament and immediately go to the cash games to try to recoup their losses. This is a bad idea because they start in a bad place emotionally. The end result is an even greater loss to their bankroll.

8. Risking more money than you can afford to lose.
When I play poker, I always leave my ATM card, credit cards, and extra cash at home, where they're safe and sound. Never use money for poker that you need to pay bills or buy food. When I started out, I set aside extra money each week, the same amount I would have spent in greens fees if I'd taken up golf instead. On the weeks we needed that money, for example, for an unforeseen medical bill, I didn't play. When money is tight, content yourself with playing poker with your friends and family at home, betting matchsticks or pennies. This is a game you should play for fun and relaxation. Good money management is the key to long-term success.

Success in poker comes from playing your opponents as much as, if not more than, you play the cards. Part of playing your opponents is the ability to pick up on a tell, or a physical reaction, behavior, or habit that tells you something about a person's hand. Tells can let you know when a player is bluffing or when he has a very strong hand. Understanding the most common tells also helps you cut off the flow of information you may give to other players about your own hand: information they plan to use against you!

Here are the eight tells I watch for the most. Keep in mind that other players often fake these as a way of laying a trap for an unsuspecting player.

1. The speed with which a player makes a bet.
If a player tosses his chips very fast onto the table, that usually represents weakness. Conversely, if he calmly moves his chips in, that usually
signifies strength.

2. The distance between the player and the chips he bets.
When a player throws his chips far from his body, this is usually a sign of intimidation and a weak hand. Usually, he does this in an attempt to intimidate the other players, as if he's so confident in his hand that he cannot control his excitement. I have found that most players who toss their chips a long way from themselves usually have a weak hand. Those who slowly move their chips right in front of them usually have a strong hand.

3. Pursing or tightening the lips.
Pay close attention to a player's mouth when he makes a bet. If he licks his lips, tightens them, or purses them, he is probably bluffing. This nervous twitch is hard to control, even for the best players. I even saw it in my opponents at the final table of the World Series of Poker.

4. Crossing the feet.
When you're at the poker table, pay close attention to the posture of those sitting on either side of you when they're first seated. If they're relaxed but then cross their feet and sit up more when they make a big bet or go all in, it's often a sign of bluffing.

5. Fanning the cards far apart.
This is usually a sign that your opponent does not have a pair and that the cards in his hand are not suited.

6. Flipping cards quickly.
If, when your opponent picks up his cards, he takes a quick look and then flips them back down, he probably has a very good hand. You don't need to study a pair of kings or aces for a long time to figure out whether you'll call, raise, or fold. However, you do when you have jack-ten off suit.

7. A change in the way a player taps the table when checking.
If your opponent normally taps the table softly two or three times, then in one hand taps it harder or taps five or six times, it's a sign he doesn't have a hand. Instead of checking, you should fire back at him with a quick raise.

8. Twitching.
A player who sits calmly when placing a bet probably has a good hand. However, if his neck or hands twitch, it's a sign of nervousness, probably over a weak hand.

You can find books and Internet sites that give the odds of success for every possible two-card combination you will encounter in Texas Hold 'Em. I find it easier to play by this simple rule of thumb, especially in the early rounds of a tournament. I play pocket pairs from eight and up, along with ace-king suited.

Again, that is:

Pocket 8s

9s

10s

Jacks

Queens

Kings

Aces

Ace-king suited

In the early rounds of a tournament or the early stages of a
cash game when I have very little information about my opponents, I play tight. That means, I usually fold unless I have one of the above hands.

Whether you're one of the more than 7,000 players competing in the main events of the World Series of Poker or you've entered a charity tournament at your local casino, you need to prepare yourself to succeed. The following basics helped me on my way to my World Series of Poker victory.

The night before the tournament begins
Get plenty of rest. Relax as much as possible. Meditate. Pray. Go to bed early.

The worst thing you can possibly do is play in a late-night cash game before the tourney begins or spend a couple of hours at the blackjack table while you wait for the tournament to begin. You wouldn't go out and challenge your neighbor to a footrace the night before running in the New York City Marathon. In the same way, you shouldn't expend the energy you'll need for a big tournament in a small cash game the night before. Do whatever you must to be as fresh as possible
when you sit down for the first hand of the tournament.

In the tournament early stages
Learn everything you can about the other players at the table. Ask them where they're from, what they do for a living, how long they've been playing poker. Then, once the cards are dealt, make mental notes about the players, their betting patterns, whether they play tight or overly aggressively. Information is power, and you want to gain all the information you can about your opponents while trying to give away as little as possible about yourself.

Play tighter than normal. Don't be reckless. Only play premium cards. Play your position and pick your opponents carefully. In the first round you can't win the entire tournament, but you can certainly lose it.

Work to position yourself for later rounds. Your goal at this stage is to accumulate chips. You don't have to be the chip leader, but you want to put yourself in a position of strength for the later rounds, not barely hold on with a short stack.

Middle rounds
In the middle rounds, you move from playing your cards to playing your opponents. Use your position at the table and choose your opponents carefully based on the information you've gathered thus far.

Loosen up and become more aggressive. As the blinds increase, to survive you have to start taking more chances. You must be patient, but if you fold every hand, you will soon run out of chips.

Final stage
Prey upon the short and medium stacks. In the latter stages of a tournament, most players are content to simply cash out. Therefore, you can apply more pressure to those who are thrilled to have simply survived this long.

Use the information you've accumulated thus far. Review your notes on the players you'll now face, especially when you make it to the final table.

Watch out for desperate players. You don't want to double up those who have nothing to lose. Use your position on them and answer their aggression with even more when you have a strong hand.

Play looser, but don't go all in with stupid hands. If you have a large chip stack, don't become cocky and try to throw your weight around. You must remain patient and disciplined.

If you have the short stack, play your position to take as many blinds and antes as you can. Don't go all in against those who have so many chips they can afford to call you at any cost. Time your moves carefully, but be aggressive. If not, the blinds alone will soon take away your stack.

Don't play to merely cash out. Play to win.

I would like to thank the following people:

First and foremost, my wife, Sue, for your continual support throughout my early years as an amateur poker player and for believing in me. During the last sixteen years of marriage, you have been there for me every step of the way. You are the foundation of our family. To my six children, Beverly, Justice, Brittney, Brooke, Brielle, and Jordan, for your love and patience. Your prayers have given me the strength to be the best father I knew how and to play poker to the very best of my ability, giving me the strength to be patient, persevering, determined, and courageous when I've needed to be.

To my father and mother for your understanding and unconditional love and support. Dad, you are my teacher, provider, counselor, and hero. Without you, I would have been dead somewhere in the jungles of Laos or one of the refugee camps in Thailand. To my older brother, Cher Xay Yang, and sister-in-law Mee Her for loving and supporting me like a son.
To my parents-in-law, Fai Teng Khang and Vue Yang, for your undying support, guidance, and teachings. I couldn't have asked for a better father and mother-in-law. To my Grandmother Pla Her and Aunt Mee Yang for your love and support when I was young.

To Mark Tabb, for the tremendous number of hours you spent crafting the book so beautifully. Thank you and your wife for being so hospitable and generous while we spent time in your home working on the book. Thank you for your kindness and your skill in putting the story together.

To Noah Vang for providing invaluable photos for the website. And to those who donated photos to Noah, thank you.

To Lee Hough and his team at Alive Communications for your professionalism, your representation on my behalf, and your continual support.

To the whole team at Medallion Press for the opportunity to publish my book and for your generosity and support.

—
Jerry Yang

Thank you, Jerry Yang, for entrusting me with telling your story. I value our friendship that developed while working on this book.

Thank you, Helen Rosburg, for your enthusiastic embrace of Jerry's story. You told me you wanted this book for Medallion Press the moment you first heard about it. Helen, you are a woman who knows how to make things happen. Just thinking about you puts a smile on my face. I appreciate you more than you can know.

Thank you, Emily Steele, and the rest of the editorial team at Medallion for your patience and your persistence.

Finally, a special word of thanks to my wife, Valerie. Thank you for putting up with my psychotic deadline self.

—
Mark Tabb

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