Strategy Differences Between Home Games and Casino Games
Home games are fun. The problem with a home game is that you are playing with friends. If your interest lies in having fun and winning money is not all that important, then home games are for you. But if you are interested in winning money on a consistent basis, there are things you have to do in poker that are just not suited for regular home games. Certain plays or styles of play work fine in a casino, but will end up causing problems at a home game.
One thing that is sometimes necessary to do to make sure you get as many chips as possible when you win a pot is check-raising. Check-raising at a casino is an acceptable play and will make you extra money when done properly. Check-raising at a home game will generally get you a sour look to start with and can end up even worse if you start taking money from people consistently.
Bluffing is another thing that is not only ok, but encouraged in the casino environment. Bluffing someone out of a decent pot and showing your cards at a casino might get a comment towards you from the loser of the hand, but inside, everyone’s respect level for you, including the person you just bluffed out of the pot, just doubled. The same feeling does not normally happen at a home game. Bluffing a co-worker or good friend out of a couple of $50 pots is generally not good for a relationship. Something might not be said at the time, but I can guarantee you it will be remembered.
Another thing that works much better at a casino than a home game is aggressive play. For those of you familiar with Gus Hansen, this guy is the definition of aggressive. At a casino, that is a very tough style to play against and to predict. You never know what an ultra aggressive player has and that type of play tends to take people away from their game and puts people on edge a little bit. Many players look up to very aggressive players, even when they are losing chips to them. You go home and you think to yourself, wow that’s a tough player to read or play again. At a home game, this type of style is considered a bullying style. Part time, home game type players will consider this tactic as trying to buy pots or throw your money around in an attempt to scare people.
Try all three of the above techniques on the same night at a home game and you risk bodily injury. Use them all and use them properly at a casino and you will leave a very happy person. And remember, in poker it’s your goal to succeed and make others fail. That type of thought process is what can drive you to become a better player and win more money, but is usually best kept away from your friends and co-workers and saved for the casino.