Is That Shot in Your Bag?
With the Masters taking place and golf season back upon us, I wanted to share this story how a simple phrase in golf opened my eyes to think differently about tough poker situations.
I have always had a strong passion for playing sports throughout my youth and several years (maybe a few too many) into my adult life. Whether it was softball, basketball or street hockey, I have always kept my desire whenever I was involved whether it was as a player or as a coach. Golf however was never one of the things that excited me. I am to this day not sure why but accept that it is just “not my thing”. I remember years ago playing in a foursome in a charity golf tournament with my cousin, a very close friend of mine and a friend of his. It was a scramble tournament where everyone shot off the tee and then as a group, you would select who had the best shot and everyone would hit the next shot from there. You would play the hole out the entire way like that and record the score. On one particular hole, off the tee we had a couple of decent shots, but our best distance ball was in an odd spot behind some trees. If we could get it above, around or through the trees, we would be in much better shape after 2 shots then if we chose one of the other balls. The safer play would be to take one of the straighter shots with much less distance. As we stood there pondering our decision, my friend’s friend said, “I am not sure if I have that shot in my bag.” As someone that doesn’t play golf that much, it took me a few seconds to realize what he meant.
You say, “Hey, what does this have to do with poker?” Well, I am getting there. To become a solid well rounded poker player, you need to have a lot of “shots in your bag” meaning different things that you can do. I am sure professional golfers spend days practicing specific shots whether it be hitting out of a sand trap or chipping onto an elevated green. You need to constantly look to add pieces to your game. In poker it is slightly different. You need to be able to have multiple ways to play in your arsenal. You need to be able to play tight when needed, loose when needed, aggressive when needed and (dare I say) passive when needed. You also need to be able to fast play and slow play. You need to be able to trap and avoid being trapped. You get the picture.
Another thing that you need to always ask yourself is “Does my opponent have that shot in his bag?” When you have a difficult decision in a hand, you need to figure out if the other player is capable of doing a specific thing.
I’ll give you an example: You are in a hand with a relatively tight solid player who checks to you on the river. You have what you feel is a strong hand given the action and bet out for value. Then you get the rude awakening of a massive check raise. At this point, you need to ask yourself, “Is he capable of check raising here as a bluff?” In other words, “Does he have that shot in his bag?” If the answer in your mind is “No” then you need to fold your hand. The answer to this question needs be made in order to determine how best to proceed. Conversely you may also be able to take advantage of this against a solid thinking player. If you feel that the solid thinking player because of your image doesn’t think that you can make that move (or that you don’t have that shot in your bag) then you should definitely try it.
Your best poker players have lots of shots in their bag and they are capable of using them at any time. That is what makes them tougher to play against then everyone else. Having many things in your arsenal is important. Knowing when and how to use each of them is even more important. Time their use well and you will find that people will have a tough time playing against you.
- Frank L. DiRe
Nerdthusiast Content Writer
inthemoneypoker@yahoo.com
Follow Me on Twitter @FLD15
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