Poker Tip #3: Faith in the Rush
This is a quick tip, but it is a helpful one to keep in mind. Doyle Brunson in Super System wrote a great piece of advice on rushes. I read the book two years ago and this is the one piece of advice that has stuck with me.
Brunson said that a player needs to play hands in order to get on a rush. This makes sense. If a player is seeing less than 20% percent of the hands, this curtails their chances to win hands, just on account that they’re not giving themselves a chance to win. Although every hand that a player doesn’t play they are not losing money, it is also true that every hand that a player doesn’t play they are not winning money.
This is not a suggestion that a player should change their style of play from tight aggressive to loose aggressive. This is a suggestion that if the cards are going well on any given night that lowering one’s starting hand requirements is warranted to capitalize on possible rush opportunities.
This mindset also has the added benefit of giving the player a positive mindset and confidence, even if it is false. This in turn leads to a stronger table image, more action, and more luck.
The beginning and end of a rush is difficult to discern, or maybe once a player recognizes it, the rush will be over. These are not things to worry about, even though they are real concerns. The reason why a player should not worry is because of two things.
1) This is negative and pessimistic thinking and goes against the whole theory of being on a rush, which relies on positive thinking, faith, and confidence.
2) Worrying can make a player second guess themselves, make them uncertain about whether they are on a rush or not. The truth is that there is no such thing as a rush when scrutinized through rational and logical thinking. A rush can be demystified through mathematics, probability, and statistics.
In terms of how to tell when a player might be on a rush, Brunson said that every time he won a hand he would play the following hand no matter what it was, even if it was a 6-4 or 7-2. And if he won that hand, he would play the hand after that until he lost.
The downside of playing a rush, is that the player plays more hands and is forced into more difficult decisions. A lot times a player will hit two pair and lose to a higher two pair or a set. These borderline hands are when the skill of reading other players becomes vital.
A rush is faith, the belief in the existence of a higher being or the belief that no higher being exists. The question is unanswerable, difficult to prove true or false, but there are believers in both camps, those that hold steadfast that a higher being exists, and those that believe otherwise. But these beliefs are not based upon irrefutable evidence, but faith. For them it is true. A rush is the same way, it only exists if you believe in it.
Previous Poker Tips:
Poker Tip#2: Check Raise
Poker Tip#1: Starting Hands for NL Texas Hold ‘Em
rush, poker, faith, higher being, Doyle Brunson, Super System
February 21st, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Oh Richard, I can’t believe you posted that. You of all people. You’re the most pessimistic player I’ve come across… ok, maybe not that bad, or maybe you were trying to fool the table with all that talk.
It was fun playing on the same table last night(it was night for me), you had a great run of cards eh? Funny thing is your premium hands seem to get more action than when I got them. I should bluff more…
February 21st, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Oh… and 64 off-sooted? WTF??!
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:47 am
No, I really am a pessimistic player. That’s my big weakness, my mental instability when things go wrong. Like I was playing today and this guy cracked my kings, and then I proceeded to tilt and played against this guy almost every single pot and lost them all. No matter what I did he would hit something on the river or turn and beat me. He was a call station all the way.
To have faith in a rush, you have to really believe it. You can’t tell yourself that you believe. For me, I don’t have much faith.
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Yeah, it fun was playing against you. I should learn to enjoy poker more. You’re playing a solid game. You should win or at least break even. I was just really lucky last night. Bluffing and loose play is really tough, and I get slaughtered on most nights playing like that.
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:20 am
Well, I will tilt if someone cracks my nut flush when they river a full house. I’m a winning player of sorts, only when I play my solid hands. Playing with you yesterday taught me something, most of the players are pessimistic just like you, me included, just that I didn’t show it. One thing I learnt yesterday is my nitty table image, I should put in a few strategic bluffs and buy the pot when I sense weakness.
When you feel that you’re tilting, it’s best to sit out for a few hands and get back after you cool down. folding the next few hands helps. No one is immune to tilt.
I saw Daniel Negreanu tilt on high stakes poker. He flopped the nuts a few times and each time someone puts him all-in on the turn/river with bigger nuts. He went ballistic in one episode. That shows that even the great players tilt. It’s how fast they get out of it that makes them pro.
I like your style of playing, if you can let go of your marginal hands when you don’t hit the flop hard, I think you’ll be a far greater player. I realised how important it is to mix up your play, I was shocked when you showed 64o. It rocked me a little, I didn’t respect your bets and raises after that, which I realised that most of the players on the same table felt the same way. After that you proceeded to punish us with your AA,AK,KK… I think this style can really work for you.
FOLD YOUR MARGINAL PAIR ON THE FLOP!! lol. Let me know which poker room you’re hitting next, I’m going to get my 2 dollars back!
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 am
Oh another thing, buying the pot by going all-in is bad idea unless you have a good read on your opponent. If the pot is $3, you should put in a bet half or slightly less. Fold if reraised by opponent, not resteal by going all-in.
by placing a bet about half the pot, you only have to succeed in stealing the pot 1 in 3 times to break even or be mildly profitable. If you put in a pot size bet, you’ll have to succeed 1 out of 2 tries. a bet more than pot size, you’re risking too much.
People are less likely to fold when the pot is big, if they’re short stack, it’s even worse. When people starts to call down your bluffs, it’s time to change gear and tighten up.
Fold fold fold brother!
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Good advice donny. You definitely put tilt into perspective with the Negreanu example. I always thought that guy was unfathomable. Next time I’ll take break if I sense that I’m tilting, and hopefully I’ll listen to myself, instead of trying to get revenge on the guy that sucked out on me.
I’ll be sure to let you know which poker room I’m heading. As of now I’m still undecided.
In terms of “advertising”, I think that only works if the other players notice. Normally it’s tough to do that when there is no table talk and I end up talking to myself. The table talk helps a lot, to establish an image.
March 7th, 2007 at 4:06 am
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