THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Expansion
The minor-league or smaller-stake games are a major source of poor players for major-league games.
2. Minor League (119)
The good player can garner worthwhile income from lower-stake games. But more importantly, he uses
the lower-stake or minor-league game as--
● a pool for selecting new players for higher-stake games
● a place to break in new players (many players who never intended to play in a higher-stake game
will gradually accept such a game after becoming accustomed to or bored with the lower-stake
game)
● a proving ground to test and develop new plays, concepts, and modifications before deploying
them in higher-stake games
● a game in which poor players who will never play in the higher-stake games can conveniently
lose their money to the good player
● a resting place for players dropping out of higher stake games. (Lower-stake games provide a
place to hold valuable losers who are driven out of the big game. Without a lower-stake game to
fall back on, those losers might quit poker completely. With a lower-stake game, they can
continue to play and, in time, they usually recover their confidence, nerve, or finances and return
to the big game.)
When playing in several different games, the good player must carefully plan his schedule in order to
budget and invest his limited time into the most profitable situations.
3. Farm System (120)
The good player controls both the major-league and minor-league games. He directs advantageous
transitions of players from one game to another. That system allows him to make the best use of his
resources (poker players). He promotes players to higher-stake games when they appear ready to move
up. Conditions that indicate when a player is ready for higher-stake games are--
● an increase in financial resources
● a winning streak that provides capital and courage
● development of experience and confidence
● a personal situation or problem that makes the player want to play in higher-stake games.
An obvious sign that a player is ready to drop back to a lower-stake game occurs when he quits playing
poker. In approaching him about a smaller game, the good player must be tactful to avoid injuring his
pride. The proper approach depends on his reason for quitting. Reasons that a player quits a high-stake
game include--
● going broke
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