I was playing poker with the usual cast of characters the other night when someone said something aloud that I’m sure we’ve all heard at the poker table before.
The guys I’ve been playing with lately are a pretty vocal group, particularly when it comes to the hands they play. As for me, I’m generally too concerned about my table image and how anything I say might tip someone off to my playing habits. I’m no shark but over the years, I’ve definitely won more than I’ve lost. My game is pretty standard. Tight, conservative play peppered with selective aggressiveness when the timing is right to keep opponents on their toes.
One thing I definitely do not do at the poker table, however, is play "favorite hands." There’s no two cards I can be dealt, other than aces, kings or queens, that I feel compelled to play simply because it’s my "lucky hand" or because I’ve won with them in the past.
For example, I’ve played with guys that love to play 6-9 just because of the sexual innuendo. Never mind that it’s likely a loser against any serious hands.
I have another friend, an animal lover, who refuses to lay down K-9. With king-nine, you’re behind against pretty much any decent pre-flop hand, as in K-10, K-J, K-Q, K-K and A-K, not to mention Ace-anything or any pair. That’s a lot of opportunity to lose money. Yet people still play their ‘lucky hands’ because they’ve won with them in the past or because the hands supposedly mean something.
