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Answer by Alan Bustany, Western Classic Player of the Championship
Assuming the basic mechanics of the game are handled I think the three most important concepts to embed to become a solid amateur are:
Probability or odds; Tightness; and Aggressiveness.
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Probability
Tightness
Aggressiveness
You have the best hand at showdown (and you should have started with a premium hand); and They may all fold (and they know you are a Tight rat anyway).
Tight and Aggressive
Getting a reputation for being very Tight and very Aggressive (on the rare occasions you are in the contest) and sizing your bets according to the probabilities to maximise their mistakes is the surest route to becoming a winning amateur with relatively low variance. It may be boring but you will be winning money from the Loose Passive “fish” who are there to “have fun” and who are “scared” to take the initiative.
