Chip Conservation

Maybe you're moving up from a 5 to a 25 dollar table. You've got a smaller stake than the other players, you can ONLY play winning hands. Nut hands. In fact, you don't even call the blinds unless your hand is socked with royalty.

You've got a 10-J full house, the other guy bets like he's got the J-10 full house.

You have no choice but fold. You're in chip conservation mode.

Now turn it around. If you're the stronger player, the one with the bigger bankroll, you're gonna always use the Wonderbra*** technique on a player in chip conservation mode.

*** Wonderbra: making things look bigger than they really are.

Call it bullying, call it whatever you want to, it's not nice, it's not polite, and that's all part of playing poker.

Now, some players never go INTO chip conservation mode. They'll take a final swing on anything, even a low pair.

Other players, you say BOO and they're gone.

It's THOSE players you have to look out for when you say BOO and they don't flinch, or even turn around and re-raise you. A player in chip conservation is always serious, and almost NEVER bluffs.

Don't get ahead of yourself with bluffing. Pull it out of the bag now and then in an appropriate situtation. Stuff your bra a little bit. But don't try and substitute it for good, solid play, which means betting the hands you can win, raising the ones you'll definitely win, and folding the rest.