Poker gems, #400

Barry Tanenbaum, in Card Player magazine column, December 1, 2010 (vol. 23, #24), p. 74.


Many of my friends who play no-limit are macho types. They always believe that they figure to be the best player at the table, and they always buy in for the table maximum so that they can win the most money.

When playing with strangers, this can be an error. You have no idea who the excellent players are and who are less-skilled. So, always buy in for the minimum while you assess the table....

Yes, if it turns out that you are the best player, you may have lost a bit of an opportunity. But if the opposite is true, you may have saved yourself a lot of chips when misreading one of the better players.

Poker gems, #204

Barry Tanenbaum, in Card Player magazine column, December 31, 2008 (vol. 21, #26), p. 78.


Some players, probably due to proper upbringing, find it hard to escape the feeling that bluffing is somehow unethical. They rarely try, and if they do get caught bluffing, they feel just like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar....

Bluffing is part of the game. It is not theft, any more than a baseball pitcher who mixes up a fastball with a curve is stealing from the hitter. If you are ashamed to bluff, you will have a very hard time beating anyone except the most oblivious players.

Poker gems, #198

Barry Tanenbaum, in Card Player magazine column, December 17, 2008 (vol. 21, #25), p. 60.


You will get called on enough of your real bluff attempts, thus demonstrating that you do bluff, that you never need to create useless bluffs just to show that you are trying. Every bluff you make should represent in your mind a realistic attempt to win the pot. Never bluff for advertising.

Poker gems, #145

Barry Tanenbaum, in Card Player magazine column, July 2, 2008 (Vol. 21, #13), p. 109.


When you play for a living, you inevitably will encounter losing streaks. They can become a problem if you cannot respond properly. It takes an unusually tough player to lose several days in a row, show up for work the next day, have his pocket kings rivered in the first hour, and still be able to play his best game. If you cannot do this, your hourly rate will be devastated several times per year.

Poker gems, #136

Barry Tanenbaum, in Card Player magazine column, available here.


What is the biggest strategic change in the past few years? By far the biggest change in the games that I play is increased aggression. Many more players now play aggressively, and many play too aggressively. Coaches have been promoting selective, aggressive play for a long time, and increasingly, players are catching on to the aggressive part. Most still need a lot of work on the selective part.

Interestingly, there is a lot to be said for passive play now, which was not true in the past. This strategy works only when your opponents will do your betting for you, often on substandard hands or even hopeless bluffs, if you let them. Far more players now bet virtually every time you check to them, eliminating the fear of giving them free cards.

Since betting now represents some sort of badge of courage to many players, you need to give them more opportunities to make this sort of error.

Poker gems, #90

Barry Tanenbaum, in Advanced Limit Hold'em Strategy, as quoted in Card Player magazine review by Tim Peters, February 27, 2008 (vol. 21, #4), p. 48. (This is a two-fer, so that I don't have to re-type this same information again for a second post.)


The primary strategic objective of top poker players is to make their opponents predictable while remaining unpredictable themselves.

The most important thing to remember is the need to forgive yourself. The next hand you play is the only one that matters.