Howard Lederer: Stay in the moment

Howard Lederer - top poker pro Despite an aversion to tips, Howard Lederer, known as “The Professor” for his ability to teach even total munters how to play poker, does give three top tips in a recent interview:

a) Never limp – despite what Doyle Brunson says (no sign of competition between pros here 🙂 )
b) Come in raising and force your opponent to define his hand
c) Always make the same raise – ideally three times the blind

Beginner’s Passion
Just put the hours in – you are learning all the time. And don’t focus solely on no-limit hold’em, which concentrates on flop betting – in limit hold’em the betting spreads over all the streets.

Study the Game Seriously
Analyse specific situations away from the table. As I learned each lesson I could free myself to react spontaneously at the table.

Achieving Expert Level
After years of study a poker player can achieve expert status. But don’t become satisfied with your success –improving as a poker player is a never-ending process. The competition is always changing and adapting. If you don’t change and adapt as well, then the competition will pass you.

Managing Your Money Skilfully
Keep detailed accounts and don’t risk more than 50 times the big blind in no-limit or 30 times the big blind in limit.

Manage Your Lifestyle
For instance, if you are tired, don’t play. Also, have a reason to win – married players do better than the single guys!

Take it One Hand at a Time
Stay ‘in the moment’. Destroy the past and don’t speculate on the future. The more that I stay focused on the present hand and forget about bad beats and bad plays, the better I play. As for the future, suppress any thoughts of winning the tournament.

Read Books
I advise that you read one book at a time, and see what works for you. I learnt from the book Zen and the Art of Archery, to relax further. A master archer can hit the target without having aimed. Cease to focus on the moment, and find that focus from within you. For two years now, I’ve been practising on my own form of poker meditation. Instead of trying hard to focus I allow it to happen through relaxation. Let the world in, let the information in.

Final Word
Let the bad plays go. Beating yourself up over a bad play serves almost no purpose other than distracting you.

 

Bonus Tip: Pick the Right Website: We regularly play online poker at a range of web sites and as a team of 12 each have different styles of play and preferences for different features in the poker software.

tickyTwo sites we all rate and recommend however are UK’s bet365 Poker (top site on the iPoker network – Europe’s busiest and best) and Bookmaker Poker, a savvy Costa Rica based poker room on the WPN Network.

 

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