Here is a poker strategy that many people fail to follow, but by adopting it you will help yourself become a better player and you will have an edge on the weaker players in your game.
First, switch your thinking for a moment from cards to slot machines. As yourself this: What is the worst part of playing slot machines? It’s when the first two slots reveal a big win, but the third slot turned out to be trash and you lose the money you put in the machine. It’s the promise of coming so close to winning only to get that last, worthless slot.
When you play poker, whether you are playing seven card stud, five card draw, Texas Hold’em, or any other of the innumerable poker games out there, one secret of the pros is to “fold on a short straight.”
For example, say you are dealt a 3, 4, 6, and 7. Which means, you are hoping desperately to be dealt a five in the upcoming cards. What are your chances of getting the five? Most amateurs you receive this hand will play it out, in the hopes that they receive the card they are hoping for. But most pro’s, when they receive this hand, will fold.
Without getting into the boring science of odds in poker, consider this: in a 52 card deck, there are only four fives. It doesn’t matter how many other players there are or how many other cards are getting dealt out to people, those are still terrible odds! Even if you are playing draw poker, where you expect to get a few more cards, the chances are still very, very low. If you do get a five, it will virtually be a poker miracle. It doesn’t happen often, so if it has happened to you, you should consider yourself very lucky.
So what should you do when you are faced with this hand? You do have a couple of options, depending on the game you’re playing. You have a better chance of holding out for a flush since there are 13 of those in each deck and you already have several in your hand. If you are playing draw, you may want to keep your two best cards and burn the rest, hoping for a pair.
Unless that rabbit foot of yours really works, if you are dealt a short straight, your best bet is to fold or look for something else because it is highly unlikely that you will find what you are looking for.
Jeff Lakie is the founder of Poker Information a website providing information on Poker
What does it does take to become successful? Does a degree from
Harvard automatically guarantee a successful life? Is it
dependent on the gene lineage? Is success measurable by the
salary that a person receives annually?
People would usually measure success in a lot of ways. Success
is sometimes measured on economic gains. The higher the salary,
the more successful a person is tagged as some would say. Being
appointed as CEO of a billion dollar company is usually regarded
as successful. There are many ways of being identified as
successful. Being a proud father or mother of newly born baby is
sometimes regarded as successful.
Whether it be by material gain or by the simple non-material
gains in life that a person has, it can always be regarded as
being successful. How to become successful in anybodys
perspective is another different question.
Success with regards to financial independence can be
interpreted as being successful too. But what is financial
independence? Others may define as financial independence as
being able to have enough monetary possessions to be able to
enjoy the best things in life.
In whatever plans a person may have in order for them to tell
themselves that they are successful, getting towards success
will require these important factors. It is planning ahead,
perseverance, focus and keeping a positive outlook in life. One
may notice that these factors are not secrets to everyone as
anybody can have these traits.
Planning ahead means that finding it out what a persons
measurements of success and how to get to it. One may measure
success as becoming an established entrepreneur. This is the
long-term goal. It will be necessary to plan what is the
business idea that an entrepreneur will consider as his concept
in making the business work. He may have to identify also how
get funding for his business. It can start from his personal
savings first then as the business starts to take off,
additional funding can be obtained from bank loans or from
external investors who may be interested in the long-term plans
of the business.
Perseverance is important in the sense that it helps keep a
person in the originally meantime long-term goal. If one has
aspired to be great songwriter, writing songs that will make it
big in the hit charts will not happen by writing just 1 or 2
songs overnight. Continuous practice in writing songs and
listening or observing in what is the current trend today on
what specific songs are bound for the global audience are
equally important in order to be able to write a song that even
though it follows the trend of song genre being listened by
people around the world, it will still have its uniqueness that
will make it special compared to other songs played in the radio
or sold in record stores.
Focus means not accommodating other ideas that will make a
person do a 180 degree change of priorities. If a young golfer
for example has been determined in the past to be able to wear
that much coveted green jacket from the Masters tournament and
hes been playing golf for the last decade and suddenly gets an
idea to pursue a different sport instead like tennis, that would
mean that his priorities has changed and what would be left out
of his ten years spent in developing his skills as a golf
player? Developing that tennis backhand stroke on your 11th year
in sports after playing 10 years of polishing that golf drive
would mean that the years spent in playing golf may not have
been the priority goal after all.
Keeping a positive attitude in life is the last in the list but
its not necessary the least in importance. A positive attitude
in life will allow any person to accomplish whatever he has
originally planned for himself and it will also feed the drive
for him to reach his goals. A positive attitude doesnt leave
room for procrastination to come in. It also doesnt leave any
room for hesitations. No matter how negative an environment a
person may be in right now as long as he maintains that positive
outlook in life, he can always assert himself positively and be
able to see the bigger picture and still be able to move forward
in achieving his goal towards the success road he has planned to
take.
Over the past week, I had the great pleasure of speaking with
three amazing individuals who recently joined my newsletter.
It was wonderful to learn about their past accomplishments and
future goals for their home-based businesses.
Although all three were experienced and successful in previous
business pursuits, the challenges of overwhelm, lack of focus,
and even a pinch of self-doubt were creating a block for each of
them.
Regardless of whether you’re a new home-based business owner, or
a seasoned entrepreneur, taking on new challenges can sometimes
be daunting, to the point of almost paralyzing.
The important thing to remember is it’s all a matter of
perspective and choice.
If you are experiencing a self-limiting belief that is blocking
your progress, consider the following …
- What past accomplishments are you enormously proud of? (Don’t
be humble here!) - What strengths, skills and abilities
contributed to these successes? - Is there any reason why you
would no longer possess these same qualities?
I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts you not only possess those
same qualities, but are also wiser and much more experienced
than when you first set out to accomplish those goals.
If you are lacking a skill required to achieve your goal, is
there any reason why you can’t develop it? If you don’t have the
time or inclination, can you find someone who does and have him
or her assist?
If overwhelm is creating lack of focus, confusion and a sense of
spinning your wheels, consider the following …
- What can you say “no” to starting today? Do you have to
respond to every e-mail the second it arrives or answer the
phone every time it rings? Can you create a pocket of time where
the phone, e-mail and interruptions are not permitted?
- What can you delegate, starting today? Instead of folding
brochures and stuffing envelopes or opening your own mail, can
you enlist the aid of one of your children or an assistant? Can
you create more time for yourself to work on building and
growing your business instead of being detracted by daily
repetitive tasks?
- What can you say “yes” to starting today? Has someone offered
to help, but you choose to do it all by yourself? Can you
relinquish control and accept the help of others? Hang up your
superhero cape and take the heat off yourself. Others may amaze
you with what they can do!
- Breaking your goals down into bite size pieces. What do you
want to accomplish in the next three months? You don’t have to
carry your five-year plan in your mind every single day. By all
means, know where you’re going, but focus on the immediate task
at hand and deal with it only. Creating home-based business
success is a marathon, not a sprint.
- If you don’t have all of the answers, who might be able to
provide them to you? Doing it all alone is tiring, frustrating
and makes for really slow progress. If you can avoid making
mistakes by learning from someone else who has already made
them, what kind of time will you save?
All of the benefits and freedom of being a successful home-based
business owner are available to you. All that is required on
your part is a strong belief in yourself and a knowing that your
success will ultimately be determined by your perceptions, your
choices and your actions.
You can make it happen.
