There is a big issue to face though when the level of comfort reaches a point when we really do not care if we lose some considerable amount. You also do not want to play at very low levels where you really do not care about putting in a big bet which for you is really nothing.

The key to this finding your real comfort level. A lot of poker players call this their gulp level. It is that level of play and stakes where you push in your chips right before you, gulp. This means that the amount of money you are risking matters. You are focused because you do not want to lose the money but at the same time not on the levels that you play scared. You may want to advance, sure you can but do so with a lot of thought put into it. Consider the following:

Watch and study

Before going into the higher stake games, watch the games first, observe, and learn. No, you just dont watch a few hand but several hours of poker games at this level. Familiarize how the players behave and study their tactics.

Refinement

You need to hone your skills in order to succeed in higher levels of poker betting games. Go back to your poker lessons and poker books and study how you should be like ,

Bankroll

Make sure you have enough money to go at it. You cannot play beyond your gulp money. Playing while your scared of losing such amount will affect your decisions big time. It is critical that you play at the right level of stakes.

The ideal scenario when you have pocket aces is not battling it out with several players but meeting an opponent heads on upon the flop.  You don’t need to limp and play tricks. Look forward to raising the bet so you can get rid of other players and develop an ideal situation for your cards.

Limping poses danger to your pocket aces. You don’t want to limp, then raise, and re-raise again. It will send some wrong message to your opponents. When you have a strong hand, it will be good to let your opponents know. Make sure though that you don’t let all the clues out or you will waste your pocket aces.

Post Flop

After the flop, you still want to go on with the bets and the raises to beef up the pot. You will be able to rake in more money when you play the pocket aces strong.

Here are some reminders when you have a pair of aces:

• Do not slow play.
• The fewer players in the hand, the better.
• Pocket Aces are destructible, and don’t draw well. Your aces are not suited, so you’re really looking at a one-pair hand, which is hardly ever good on late betting streets when there’s a lot of action.
• Never slowplay unless your hand is obviously good, and not prone to being beat on the next betting street.

You need to think what cards the other players are holding. Assess if they can beat you. Aces again should not be played slowly.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Well, in this hand, John Juanda took control of the table alright. I don’t like his table talk, raising loads of red flags on the flop, if you ask me… Horrible turnraise too. Bah!

“Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose.

Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.”

This is your foundation to win in a poker game.

Basically it says if you have the best hand, bet; if you have the worst hand, fold.

This way you will be guided that your objective is to take control of the table and rake in all their chips. But of course, in poker, you will never be sure 100% what the other players hold. So what you need to do is try to follow the perfect line to win even though you don’t see their cards.

A good poker player (think of the greats in the game like Stu Ungar or Doyle Brunson) will play the game as if he can somehow see what the other players on the table are holding. You can learn how to do that by observing everything that you can observe. You need to read your opponents. Study their reads and betting patterns and you will be profitable.

Strive to improve how to read hands and you will most likely be in line with the fundamental theorem of poker.

FEEL THE POWAAAA!!

YOU’RE A CHAMPION!!

SEND YOU BACK TO RUSSIA!!!

BRING MORE RUSSIANS!!!!

THIS IS NOT SOMEONE TO LEARN FROM!!!!

TEACH HIM A GOOD LESSON HERE!!!!

YEAH BABY COME ON RUSSIAN, GET OUT!!!!

LOOK HOW UGLY THIS IS. YOU’RE A PROFFESSIONAL PLAYER AND I CAN DO THIS TO YOU!!!!

BRING THE RUSSIANS ON!!!

YOU PLAYED THAT AS BAD AS YOU CAN!!!

YOUR CAREER IS FINISHED!!!

DO YOU FEEL MY POWAAAR BABY??!!!!

IS THIS HOW YOU PLAY, YOU CALL WITH KING JACK?

ON YOUR BIKE!!!!

HE DOESN’T DESERVE ANY APPLAUSE!!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tony G ladies and gentlemen, the classiest guy on the poker tour!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hate watching this hand, because if you look at how the final table went, there’s no way Paul Wasicka doesn’t go broke there… It’s sick, but if Jamie did one thing well, it’s talking a good game…

Making Quad Aces on the river, getting all the chips in, and being beat by a guy wearing close to no clothes must really really suck…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love Greg Raymer too, by the way. ^^