Change Gears – Negreanu

Written by Nigel

Definitely one of the hottest and most respected names in poker today, Daniel Negreanu should be an example for us to follow.  That is why when I read an article he published last week, I thought, why not share the idea with others who might not have read his post?  It was all about changing tactics in the middle of a game – when necessary, of course.

He says “Whenever you jump into a game, you should have an idea as to what your plan will be for the day. But you also must be willing to switch gears quickly if the speed of the game changes.”  It makes sense, doesn’t it?  Have a definite idea of what you are going to do in specific circumstances.  However, when circumstances change and your tactics do not apply, have a back up plan that will give you some measure of success.

“The speed of the game is defined by how loose or aggressive your opponents are playing. The more aggressive the game, the faster the speed is. Games where play is very conservative, with few pre-flop raises, are considered slow games.”  Your course of action should be: be more aggressive when the speed of the game is slow.  On the other hand, when the game speed picks up, try to sit back and watch how you play – be more careful.

I’ve always believed that poker is all about the players, sometimes more than the cards.  As Negreanu said in his article: “It’s your job to figure out which player is in what gear. Knowing how someone plays when he’s winning or losing is even more important than the cards themselves.”