Why you should never discuss your playing strategy

Anyone who has ever watched a televised Holdem Poker game will have noticed the friendly camaraderie that goes on at these games, even though the huge pots can often reach six figures.

Better the devil you know

Don't forget that these players have known each other for years, and have worked the tournament circuit all the way across the United States and even Europe and Asia. And people who understand what these top players are doing when they chat with each other always find it very interesting.

For a start, they will always try to wind each other up, especially if a player has just had a bad beat. They will discuss each hand in depth after it has been played, how it was won or lost, and occasionally a player will even admit that they made a mistake, misread an opponent or should have called instead of folding.

However, you will never hear any of these players discussing their overall playing strategy. And why should they? Every hand of poker is unique and has to be dealt with individually, and playing poker at this very high level means developing a very complex play strategy.

Dont talk, just play

Newcomers to Holdem Poker, especially when taking part in their first online tournaments, are inclined to get a bit carried away when discussing individual hands and overall play on the poker chat. Other, more experienced players will drink up this information and use it later.

There was a familiar slogan that the censor used during World War Two that went along the lines of, "Loose lips sinks ships". In the poker world that phrase should be adjusted to read, Loose lips, sink hands". Poker players are always on the look-out for although they are harder to find online than in a real game. One sure sign of a player's weakness and lack of confidence is that they are prepared to explain to anyone who will listen how much they know about Holdem Poker strategy.

In this case, the person who coined that well known phrase," Keep your cards close to your chest," knew exactly what they were talking about. Keep your strategy to yourself to ensure that your opponents cant use it to manipulate your game, or you could fall foul to a more experienced player.