You see it all the time on the Poker Discussion message board. "ABC Poker."

In lower buy-ins or against simply weaker opponents the advice is the play straight-forward "ABC Poker" and you'll come out ahead in the long run. But what exactly is ABC Poker?

I think most will agree it's exactly as it seems. ABC Poker is fundamentally sound poker without too much "fancy play" i.e. Bet when you have edges, fold when you do not. The opponent will eventually make the mistakes all by themselves without you having to do much to induce this type of play. Okay, easy enough...right? Well...kinda.

What's assumed in the general concept of ABC Poker is the idea that you know all the sub-fundamentals that make it up. I'll break up ABC Poker into four sub-groups.

• <LI>ABC Finance </LI> <LI>ABC Patience </LI> <LI>ABC Focus/Thinking </LI> <LI>ABC Math
  </LI>

1. ABC Finance

This is the monetary part and first step of ABC Poker. Here you ask yourself "will strictly straight-forward poker be good enough to win this level?" Identify how this particular buy-in will affect YOUR play. Are you rolled for this? Are you taking a "shot?" What will the average play be like? Will you be capable of handling bad-beats and losses at this level? "Know your roll." "I can handle my business at this level."

2. ABC Patience

This is the preparatory part of ABC Poker. Know what kind of things to expect when playing at this level and at this style. Be aware of the possibility of bad beats or suckouts. Identify the time it will take to win this sit-n-go/MTT/satellite and schedule for it. Don't get flustered if shortstacked or far behind. "I know how these go, there is plenty of time to come back and get it done."

3. ABC Focus/Thinking

This is the emotional part of the fundamentals. You must be able to clear your mind in able to make sure your ABC Math is clear and correct. Keep your emotions in check. Recognize what kind of energy you are feeling. Is it negative or positive? Engage in whatever excercises you use to free your mind from clutter e.g. deep breathing. This doesn't have to be a long ordeal, just as long as your mind gets into focus. "Breathe in, breathe out, then react."

4. ABC Math

This is the most structured and final part of ABC Poker. The math portion is rigid and finite. You don't have to control it, you just have to know it. The moves should very well govern themselves. This is where you put together all the information and come up with the decisions. "Do I have an edge, or do I not have an edge?"

That's a synopsis on some of the things to think about when buckling down with some ABC Poker. If anybody has anything else I missed or general comments, feel free to add on!

--Pye

Now I'm not gonna sit here and claim to be a great player by any means, but I certainly hold my own and I'll share some tips that helped me go from standard midway MTT spewer to a decent small stakes tourney player.

1. Prepare yourself for play. If eating is a distraction, eat before play. Get comfortable and make sure no serious distraction (kids, etc.) will restrain you from playing decent poker.

2. Practice good patience. If you are one of those who berates player for going into their timebank every hand then you have a long way to go. If you can't handle waiting an extra minute for someone to make a move how will you expect to show the patience to play for 5+ hours?

2a. Be more inclined to fold early. If a LAGdonk is pushing chips early, he'll probably push chips late too...get him when he's ripe for the picking. Don't be afraid to make those small mistakes early in order to set him up for a huge mistake later.

3. Save the fancy play for past hour two. If you find yourself attempting to pick off bluffs, making hero bets/calls and it's only the first 15 mins--you are getting way too fancy. Save the super strategic play for the last few tables/hours.

4. Lose the "i'm just happy to be here" mentality. If this is your attitude you are either playing above your BR means or you don't plan on being a winning player. You should absolutely want to take the tourney down, not just make the final table or be in the money. My friend congratulated me at the start of a final table once...I punched in the face next time I saw him. Save the happiness and joy for when 1st place gets shipped your way.

5. Try to limit your MTT play to 2 or 3 concurrently at the most. When it gets late in tourney you won't be able to play in the vacuum anymore and will have to make moves according to how the players play...don't leave yourself so occupied you have no knowledge of the others at the table. Also, this limits your tilt capacity...most of us can't keep the steaming refined to that single tourney...it's most likely to carryover.

5a. Take a break after a series of poor MTT showings, or a good one even if you feel steamed.


Hope this helps some middle of the road players break through. Good Luck!

--Pye