WSOP WINNER'S TIPS There's a lot to learn from eavesdropping on someone who's won the World Series of Poker. The following conversation reveals some of the thoughts of Chris Moneymaker, the aptly named 2003 WSOP winner.
"A couple of years ago, I'd get an A-K or A-Q and I'd go all in," says Moneymaker, "but if I had 5-6 suited, I'd lay it down. Now I'd be more likely to do the opposite!" Chris goes on to explain: "Yesterday I raised under the gun with 2-4 offsuit. I represented a big hand, and the flop came 2-6-8. I bet out and somebody called. Then a deuce came on the turn. I bet out and somebody put me all-in. "Normally I'd be very happy about that, but this was a good player who came over the top. He had only top pair but I was concerned."
The lesson here is that as play unfolds you get to read the quality of your opposition. If you're alert, it should send out danger signals if things begin to develop as above. Note the skill levels of your opposition as they betray them and adjust your game and betting strategy to take them into account.
DOUBLING YOUR MONEY Those of you who've been asking for more tips on blackjack or roulette might be interested in one of the oldest and simplest forms of betting strategies: Doubling Up. This is often misunderstood, so let's go through it carefully, as you can apply it to blackjack hands just as easily as you can ti high-low or red-black or odds-evens at roulette. Let's say you're betting in units of $2. Every time you lose, you double your bet. So let's assume you play red and it comes up black. You lose your $2. You double up to $4 and you win. You've got back $8 so you're ahead on the two games. They key to remember is that as soon as you win, you revert back to your original $2 stake. The betting strategy requires you to have a healthy chip balance at the outset because at times long runs on one colour or another can occur and you can do the math on how quickly $2 doubles to $128. Just six consecutive reds gets you to $128. The key to any kind of success with this system is having the discipline to use it properly. The temptation not to revert to the original low bet after the first big win is usually the undoing of most new players. Beware!
