Zynga poker champion

Google-search "images" with the keywords "zynga poker champion" and the result above is what you will find. Yes, people! As far as Mr. Google himself is concerned, I have enough Zynga poker creds to be on the top row, second from the left. Haha.


I checked my analytics and found that I got hits because of that. I hope I didn't disappoint too much. They were probably looking for tips on how to win the shootouts. Sorry, I am not about to give my secrets away. 


But hey, let me paint in broad strokes how I won the shootout three times in one month. Let me be clear, this is not a "how to", this is a "how I did it". So don't you poker players start telling me you are a far better player or my tips suck. I won three times. And this is how I played it. Fair enough?


1. Fold on the first betting round of the first round. If you've been playing shootouts, you know what I mean. If you do not know how to win heads-up with 1,000 chips versus an opponent with 8,000 chips, you will NOT win the 3rd and final round anyway.


2. Beware of Anna Kournikova. That's AK, or Ace-King. Like the tennis pro herself, she looks nice but hardly ever wins. Go ahead, invest in the blinds but never get too crazy. Don't bet half your chips just because you got Anna Kournikova or any combination of an ace and a face card. Wait for the flop.


3. Never re-raise. Call if you have the cards. Only re-raise on the river when you know for sure you have the best hand. Re-raising with the best hand might make a weaker opponent fold (thus you lose the chance of winning more chips). It's not how many hands you win, it's how much you win in a hand. I can make the top three by winning as little as 10 hands. It's only in the final heads-up that you need to win more hands (generally speaking, you can still win it all with just a hand or two)


4. Play tight in the first few betting rounds. Let the competition thin-out by themselves. 


5. Know when to bet pot. I usually do this when I flopped high pair and my cards have little chance of improving. If I get re-raised, I fold. But I slow play my hand when I flopped high pair and my other card is higher or I have straight or flush draws. 


6. Do NOT steal pots unless you are the big stack bully. Trust me, you are not going to get away with it. Play big stack bully only when you have the chips.


7. Do not bluff until you've established your pattern. Let the table know that you are the ultra-tight player. In the latter part of the game, that's the time to bluff (if you must).


8. Never call a bluff even if you know it's a bluff, if you do not have the cards for it.


9. Sometimes you just have to "call it to see it". But do not lose too much -- but hey, sometimes you just have to keep your opponents honest.


10. Do not be an a-hole in the chat box. The table will gang up on you. You will not get away with anything. And anyway, it's only a friendly game after all.  You can not buy a McDonald's Happy Meal with your Zynga chips.


Hey, got other tips? Share it on the comments. :)