Book Excerpt

Hey guys, here is another short excerpt from my upcoming book. This thing is a monumental undertaking. I really just want it to be done at this point. Editing is a very time consuming and tiresome process. But I work on the assumption that if you are going to do something do it right or not at all. I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel though. And I will be very proud and happy with it when it is released (hopefully real soon).

Anyways, to the exceprt:


The Heart of it All (Extraction)

Now that I have gone over the preflop and postflop strategies in depth I can finally discuss my favorite topic which is something I call “extraction.” Extraction, which refers to getting the absolute maximum value out of your good to great hands, is the heart of winning huge at the micros in my opinion. In fact, largely as a joke I had toyed with the idea of naming this book “Flop a Set: Hit the Pot Button.”

Because that is my secret. Seriously, that’s it.

If I could pick one thing that I believe is the biggest reason for why I consistently maintain much higher winrates at these limits than others, it is this. I never (and I really mean never) win a small pot with my big hands (sets and big overpairs especially).

It is true that sometimes I lose a massive pot but this doesn’t come close to making up for all the times that I win a massive one. I get the maximum. And that is a huge part of my success. There is no slowplay in my game (unless I have quads+). Fastplay is the new slowplay as far as I am concerned.

One of the biggest losing mentalities that I think people need to get over is this idea that they need to keep them in or they don’t want to scare them off.

Here is the best reply that I can give to this. I have won nearly 30k at these limits $2, $5 and $10 at a time. I didn’t do it by slowplaying and hoping that they bet. I did it by ruthlessly shoving my two pair+ hands down their throat! I bet pot or sometimes double pot or I just go all in.

And they call. That’s it.

You absolutely have to lose the idea that bad players need to be cajoled or massaged into coming along for the ride. Stop trying to think on level 10 when they are at level 1! Bad players like to call. Period.

They will find any reason to call. And if you have been winning several pots recently at the table they might make a stand with ace high for their stack. Seriously, they will.

Give them a chance to do that.

Don’t let them check their ace high behind 3 times. Yes they are going to fold every once in awhile when they have nothing. So what! You weren’t going to get anything out of them anyways. That’s just how this game works. You generally need people to have something in order to win a big pot.

I just can’t stress how important shedding yourself of this passive or tricky mentality is at the micros. It is by far the biggest problem that I see with players at these limits. When you make a big hand against a bad player (heck, against anyone at the micros), become a maniac. Go nuts. Count your money later. Thank me later.

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10 comments:

  1. Some of the BlackRain Aggression coming out...!!

    I like it..!!

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  2. Anonymous09 November

    Makes me wanna open up some tables, start punishing fools :). Game on!:D

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  3. For sure, play a little bit of the Rocky theme music in the background. lol

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  4. I thank you now, thanks

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  5. OMG I can't wait for this! Keep up the good work Nathan, I'm hanging for the finished product.

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  6. Thanks guys. I probably should have just shut my mouth and never said a thing about it until it was released lol. But I think I read somewhere that you should create a "buzz."

    I have never written a book before. It is a much bigger undertaking than I thought mostly because I am learning everything for the first time. Luckily I have the help of some good people though.

    All the content is done but all I can say is "soon" because I need to go over it several more times to fix the typos and grammar. At 44k words, and 230 pages this takes awhile.

    The smart thing would have been to just hire an editor but I am doing everything myself which is pretty common with first time authors I hear.

    I am still learning about all of these different formats that I should perhaps release it in and then there is the whole marketing part which I am terrible at as well lol.

    There are a lot of nerves about will the thing sell that I think first time authors face as well. So I want to make sure that I figure all that part out as well.

    It's been quite the learning experience. I am really happy with the product though. I know it is going to help a lot of people. Or at least make for some good bathroom reading entertainment :p

    Sorry for the essay, appreciate all the support though guys. Keeps me motivated!

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  7. You are seriously pathetic claiming: ""I never (and I really mean never) win a small pot with my big hands (sets and big overpairs especially).""

    I guess you forgot about all the times they folded.

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  8. No actually I didn't. Read on a little further in the excerpt :)

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  9. The book is for fr or sh games?

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  10. Hi Razvan,

    I am primarily a full ring player. However the book is not particularly focused on either full ring or 6max. The concepts and ideas apply to both games with a few minor adjustments here and there, mostly in the preflop sections.

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