Be A Better Fish – The Hatchery

Written by Joseph Wills  – https://rec.poker/hockeypoker/ – josephwills@rec.poker

Let’s face it, if you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a Fish at the Poker table. Sharks “know too much” about Poker to swim in the kiddie pool of learning. And Whales, well…

Being a Fish isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The trick is knowing how to use that persona to your advantage. Remember, Piranhas and Barracudas are also fish.  No one wants to mess with them.

The moment you start learning and playing Poker, you’ve entered the Hatchery.  It doesn’t matter if you’re at home playing with your buddies, delving into “free online Poker” or simply at a casino getting an expensive hands-on lesson, you are now a Fish in someone’s game.

Not everything called a Shark is an actual Shark.  Recently, my wife purchased “Roseline Sharks” for the fish tank.  Turns out, they aren’t even in the Shark family.  Who knew?!

The same is true in Poker.  Some players will act like Sharks, projecting a persona intended to intimidate other players.  If played correctly, these “Sharks” can be felted just as easily as the Fish they are looking to hunt.

Moreover, a “Shark” at one table can easily be a “Fish” at another.  No label is static for every situation or player in Poker.  We adapt to the ebbs and flows, learning who and what to avoid along the way.  If not, you will get eaten over and over, leaving most to never play again.

I want to share with you a story of my very first time in a casino playing a $1/2 cash game, which in my mind was no different than the home games I played every week with friends (along with copious amounts of alcohol).

The first thing I noticed was a deafening silence.  No one was talking, other than the dealer, and the tension was a bit intimidating to say the least.  I was absolutely a proverbial fish out of water.

Almost every detail is fuzzy, other than tripling-up after making a full house on the river with a Tx…no idea the other card.  Think I beat a straight and someone else had Aces…?

Next thing I know, it was time to hit the cage, cash out and register for the evening tournament.  Which was now paid for by my insanely lucky score.

Takeaways from that cash session:

• I used a credit card as a cash advance for my buy-in.
• Bought in for $200, though no strategy as to why. 
• I only paid attention to my cards.  No concept of position play or reading tells.
• Bet sizing?  What is that?!
• Pretty sure I tipped the Dealer, but not 100% sure.

The subsequent tournament wasn’t much better.  One hand that will always stick with me was A3 (don’t ask what position) and the flop was 933.  Score!  I may have bet, then someone goes all-in!  Trips with top kicker.  Give me my chips.  V99 for a flopped Full House?  Ouch!  I did not hit quads and lost a significant amount of chips.

Through sheer dumb luck I lasted another three hours or so.  No idea how long the levels were, nothing.  Just that it was a bounty tournament.  Even at that, I thought people passed all their bounties to the person who knocked them out and the tournament winner would collect all of them.  I can’t make this up folks.  Seriously.

This was Sept 2016…a mere seven years ago.  As John Aston would say in Night Court: “…but we’re much better now…”

Present day and seven years removed from that fall evening, I am still a Fish, but a more educated Fish.  I now know that players at least keep the bounties they earn in a tournament.

I’m telling you this story to illustrate how the most novice of players will wind up at your table.  You already have an advantage as you’re reading this article and becoming more educated in the process.

By this point you’ve probably learned that position play is key, along with bet-sizing, stack sizes, and aggression wins more often than not.  All excellent lessons.  All relevant.

Before you begin tackling any theory, one must accept their lot in Poker life.  Try playing above your means and you will flounder, I repeat, flounder. Don’t be afraid to put your ego in check and accept that you’re the lowest on the totem pole.  That said, there is only one way to go. Up.  

Be patient, you’ll get there.  And we’re here to help with that.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our Be a Better Fish series: Rivers, Streams and Poachers.