9 New Year’s Resolutions for a Poker Player
The ball has dropped, and 2019 is there to offer each one of you an opportunity to set New Year’s resolutions. What about making a resolution in terms of poker if you are an avid fan of poker games? Here are 9 New Year’s Resolutions for a Poker Player.
Mostly poker rewards those who can fuse dedication with innovation, the bold souls who don’t mind thinking outside of the box. When the New Year has sneaked in, now is the right time to establish resolutions crafted to improve your game and add to your experience at the tables.
Being a poker lover you can make the below-mentioned 10 New Year’s resolutions designed particularly for the poker player.
9 New Year’s Resolutions for a Poker Player
1 – Learn a New Poker Variant
It’s not only Hold’em and Omaha that makes the family of poker, there are many others too as poker’s pedigree includes several branches worth exploring.
Nowadays the most popular alternative to No-Limit Texas Hold’em is Pot Limit Omaha, a variant of the original giving you four hole cards, instead of two, to facilitate throughout the hand. You may also see “PLO” cash games available in most card rooms across the country, and the game also has a tournament format within the major series. This is one of the 9 New Year’s Resolutions for a Poker Player.
Other than the Pot Limit betting restriction, Omaha is played quite similar to the Hold’em. In case you are looking for an entirely new experience, better try out a poker offshoot like Seven Card Stud or its inverse Razz!
In the Seven Card Stud game, all the players can see one card face up from their opponent’s three-card initial hand to start, while later cards will be face up until “seventh street.”
In its traditional form, the goal of Stud is to create the highest-ranking poker hand, but Razz flips the script entirely. In a Razz game, players need to use the same seven-card system as in Stud, but the aim is to create the lowest possible hand.
You may also explore many other poker variants like 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw, Omaha Hi-Lo, Badugi etc. so get out there and try to learn these new games.
2 – Visit Poker’s Grand Cathedrals
You can pay a visit to most of the poker cathedrals that are offered by Las Vegas. On entering the Bellagio poker room, you’ll have a glimpse of Bobby’s Room, the original high-stakes poker lounge where Daniel Negreanu, Brunson, and Phil Ivey can be found playing for six-figure pots.
In addition, Ivey has his own eponymous high-stakes room at the Aria, which is the home to one of the most vibrant poker scenes in Sin City.
You can also take a trip to Atlantic City located outside of Las Vegas that will bring you to the Borgata, a glittering shrine to all things poker. In addition, the Eastern Seaboard is also home to Foxwoods, the sprawling casino complex in America having a massive poker room where the WPT makes regular visits.
3 – Practice Right Bankroll Management
This is the best resolution of all – practising sound bankroll management. Most recreational poker experts don’t lean on it to earn a living and often do not give bankroll management a second thought. They play when the urge hits, calculate their wins and losses, and then go home without worrying too much about their bottom line.
Being an avid poker player, this casual approach might work just fine, but by keeping a watch on your bankroll’s fluctuations, you can enhance your profits without incurring additional risk.
For this, stop impulsive rebuys immediately after going bust. This will leave you severely short-stacked. Better to take a lap around the casino to cool your heels instead of rebuying after a bad beat.
4 – Resolute to Treat Fellow Players and Dealers Nicely
Although there are many who don’t have any need for this resolution, let’s face it – often poker players are rough around the edges, especially when they are losing. The saying “new year, new me” is widely overused and overrated, but in this context, it does makes sense. Start this year on the right foot by vowing to treat your fellow players, casino staff and dealers with the respect they deserve.
5 – Go Play Outside of Your Comfort Zone
It’s time to push your limits by playing outside of your comfort zones. It could be the casino located closest to your home, or the underground card club run by your neighbour. It is too easy to limit yourself to a single poker room but, the grass can be greener on the other side.
Every poker room is unique with its own unique qualities and feature to help draw customers. So, try out other poker rooms as you would come to know about these potential benefits without escaping your comfort zone. Better to visit a few different poker rooms throughout the year and see what suits you best and what you are good at.
6 – Leave the Headphones and Hoodie
Remove the mask of headphones and hoodies and play face to face to make the game fun and lively for you. This will also help you exchange table talk, “soul read” tanking opponents, and who knows you may make a few new friends along the way.
7 – Take a Strategy Course to Enhance Your Skills
It is time to get enrolled in a poker training course if you haven’t explored the world of poker training courses yet. Several of the brightest talents – like Jason Somerville, world-class pros Doug Polk and Jonathan Little – have become teachers. These courses will surely vary depending on the source, but you’ll soon discover a poker class that appears to be crafted just for you.
8 – Avoid Eating Finger Foods at the Table
Eating finger foods at the poker table is one of the biggest faux pas better to avoid doing so when you are playing poker. I am sure you would not like to touch cards and chips laced with another human’s saliva. So make it a point to avoid any and all finger foods when you play. Make it a social norm unless it is presented with a fork and knife.
9 – Tip the Dealers Often
It is an open truth that dealers are service workers who live on tips. While they are paid for their services, dealers are usually on the bottom of a casino staff’s payroll totem pole. It never hurts to tip the dealer, even if you find them lacklustre in their approach. Treating them right out of humanity will help them run their family better.
Synopsis
You can make New Year’s resolutions for many different reasons, the only objective is to improve yourself going forward. You might not follow them all for 365 days, but simply giving them a good try can work wonders if you need a little extra motivation.