PROPER TECHNIQUE - Viewing Your Hand and Handling Your Chips

Many players come to me to study and learn proper poker technique. So, I thought it may be interesting to start a series on the subject. Let me begin with two of the most basic techniques in poker - Looking at your cards and handling your chips. No matter what level you play the game, it can be helpful to learn and re-examine proper technique.

A strategy is a plan of action to reach an objective. - i.e. To bet with a strong intention.
To play a GTO (game theory optimum) strategy so as to maximize my r.o.i. in cash games.

Your technique is the way in which you carry out a particular task. - i.e. how you look at your cards and handle your chips. The line you take in the play of your hand, etc.

VIEWING YOUR HAND - Timing and Protection

An effective strategy, when it comes to looking at your hand, assures your opponent can't see your cards or determine the relative strength of your hand by your reaction to what you see.

When it comes to the technique of looking at your cards, the two main things are your timing and of course how you look at them. When it comes to timing, some players like to look at their cards as soon as they get them, while others wait to look until it is their turn to act. I think the best technique to develop is waiting for your turn to act. This way you can keep your focus up and out and on your opponents as they are looking at their cards. You may even pick up a line on a player who acts after you if they look at their cards right away and give off an indication to what they are likely to do.

The second thing is how you look at your cards. I like the technique in this photo illustration.



The left hand should come up just a little bit higher and the left thumb tucking under a little bit more will provide additional protection. Done correctly, it will appear like you are looking down the rabbit hole!

Conversely, this illustrations below reveals poor technique in looking at a hand.



Holding your cards far out in front of you without adequate protection from the other hand is a bad habit to get into as well as holding your cards up to high and grabbing your chips. This is just a breakdown in proper technique of looking at your hand.

Let's think about our technique in betting our chips.




HANDLING YOUR CHIPS

The strategy in handling and betting our chips is to not give off any physical or bet sizing tells that would indicate the true strength of our hand. The physical placement of our chips into the pot tends to be with one or more of the following techniques.

1. Sliding
2. Placing or the methodical drop
2. Cutting
3. Splashing

The next time you watch a poker show on t.v., YouTube, etc. look for the player's technique in betting their chips. Whichever technique you employ, remember to put strong intention behind your consideration before putting them into the pot. This technique will compliment an aggressive strategy that is meant to put an opponent on the defense.










The other thing to keep in mind when putting chips into the pot is your sizing.

Some "experts" say you should be consistent and always size your bets the same to not reveal the strength of your hand. Putting this kind of limiters on your betting to hopefully not reveal something...well for me at least, doesn't allow for optimum bet sizing.

I think the proper technique is to constantly shift your sizing based on your opponent and the specifics of the situation. For example, if I'm facing a calling station on the flop, and I have the best hand, I don't want to limit myself to a standard size C-Bet. I want to go for a heavy bet and more value. As long as you don't fall into predictable patterns like betting small when you're weak and big when you're strong, you'll be okay when mixing it up.

I'll continue this series with more poker techniques and strategies. If you have a suggestion on a technique or strategy you'd like me to write about, please leave it in the comment section below and I'll be glad to help you with it.

Kenna James