Thomas Cannuli - Preparing for a Big Poker Tournament - WSOP 2015

I'm going over the November Nine and saw a Thomas Cannuli video on Youtube. In it, he talks about where he is right now at the pinnacle of success in the poker world or at least at its doorstep and how it feels. It was so good, I wanted others to look and get the feel of a "winning poker player's" approach.
The video is an interview from WSOP. He talks about how he is greatful, blessed and lucky that everything happened the way it did. He was in the WSOP last year but busted out at 690th place or so. So he's right to credit everything that happened the way it did. In fact it's easy to get a great hand but to maintain a grip and win really is a blessing. All of us have gotten great hands ie. four of a kind, full houses, straights but don't always turn it into winning a tournament. Keeping an edge is a blessing.
He also mentions he's taking a month or so off. Sometimes it's great to do just that . Don't play everyday or every waking minute. Get out, broaden horizons and take your mind off the game so you don't burn yourself out. And in the process you'll keep yourself more excited about the game. After he's going to play like crazy and sharpen up. And he's got great mentors to help him.
His motivation for playing? He says it simply is money. Money is what makes the world go around in poker and keeps you playing. Without money you won't be in the game. He also says his other reason for loving winning at poker is that it keeps him as his own boss. He says that while wearing a Hugo Boss tshirt with the word BOSS noted bodly in center. And this is a great reason to be a winning poker player. You don't answer to anybody. Here's the video.

How to Play the Blinds in Texas Holdem Poker

One of the worst positions to play in Texas Holdem Poker is the blinds. The position to the left of the dealer. The blind position is the player who has to make the first move without assessing any body language of any player. And all players can look at the blind positioned player for clues about their hand and force a call. But there is strategy to deal with this situation.

The blind player should always be ready to fold and hand.The risk versus the reward is often low.If a player raises pre-flop , then it is best to fold.You have to do assessment of your fellow players . Is the player whistling dixie or have a nice smile. It may be a clue he has a good hand.Conversely , he could have been checking out your body language and sense you have a lousy hand.

Playing the blinds is where tight aggressive poker strategy comes into its own. Fold poor hands quickly and if you get a good hand , a high pair for example, call and raise.If you follow this strategy , your fellow players will sense a good hand and will more often fold than risk their chips.If you win , you might feel lucky to just made it through the blind position as a winner.

Late position players often pick on the blinds . It's called blind stealing and is a preflop raise. However if you re-raise , then it may be assumed you have a good hand. The late position might just fold.

Always assess your stack as well as fellow players.Putting up enought chips make it look like you think you think you may win and are committed to the pot.The right size bet can go along way in image at the table.And in Texas Holdem Poker , image is just as important as the right cards.

In conclusion, playing the blinds is never the best place to be as contrast to late position at the table. The blinds position player is the first to act and everyone gets to read his body language . The sizing up by an experienced player might indicate if he has a good or poor hand and everyone can adjust their playing style accordingly. The blind position is the worst position to bluff also because more players with try blind stealing and force the blind to re-raise.But with a tight strategy of choosing to play the best cards , a blind position player can still do well increasing small stakes into a larger stack.