Improving your Live poker game

Improving your live game will always be a part of playing poker. Why? Because every one of us should be working toward improving our game one way or the other. Poker is just like any other sport in that it has trends that come in and out of season. If you are not working on improving your game and recognizing those trends then you can consider yourself behind the curve.

One of the ways I work on my game when I am at the casino doesn't even require my sitting at the tables. Usually I arrive early to the casino even if I am playing in a cash game. The reason for this is that I prefer to rail the game I will be sitting in for 30 minutes or so. In my local casino there are two games spread that I play in. Nothing large but juicy games nonetheless. Even though it is a local room and most of us are familiar with each other it still has a number of new players that frequent the tables. What better way to get familiar with their games than by watching them play for a while? This way the blinds aren't eating up your stack and you get to analyze their play before you sit down.

By performing the simple task of watching my opponent play for 30 minutes I am able to gain an edge over the other players coming into the game with me. I also am able to categorize that player easier too. Now I can use the strategy that works best against that player type and hopefully use any additional information I may have picked up during the session. Observation is a skill. Make sure you sharpen that skill regularly.