Playing too fast?

Listening to a Full Tilt podcast the other day got me thinking about my game again.

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Now I like to think of myself as a tight player who plays aggressive in most of the pots I enter.

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However I believe I may be playing too fast and aggressive when I hit a hand ... most of the time.

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Now everyone can slow play when they make a monster but can they slow play when hitting a hand ... say top pair top kicker for instance?

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Well the obvious answer is it depends on the opponent, past hand history, whether we are heads up and our own image ... etc, etc.

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However my personal answer is I don't believe I am playing slow enough at the right times.

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If you watch Phil Helmuth he looks like he makes alot of trap plays. However in reality I think he has a true angle on where his opponent is in the hand and he takes a few extra cards to get some more chips in the pot.

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Obviously he gets caught sometimes ... and I think this is why we see him get frustrated "Once in a While". But the truth is those extra chips ... especially in a tournament ... can mean the difference between winning and losing.

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So ... some key thoughts for my own game ...

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Don't chase people away so quickly when I hit my hand ...

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Try to improve my hand reading abilities ...

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Don't be afraid to let the hand go if I think the opponent has overtaken my hand ...

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and try to make a few extra chips.

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Until Next Time

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Keep it Tight!