Even in poker, the best things in life are sometimes free...

It's an understandable mental slip, to downplay something's value simply because you don't have to pay for it but to do so is sometimes a huge mistake.

Away visiting my parents last weekend, I downloaded a recent issue of Poker Player newspaper to read and was reminded again what a fantastic instructional resource we have at our fingertips, with an archive going back six years, all completely free of charge.

From the issue I've linked to above, I particularly commend you to Lou Krieger's column on page four, Mike Eikenberry's revealing thoughts on bad beats on page 10 and this extract from Mike Caro's column on check-raising/check-calling:

"What common trait do weak opponents share? Right! They’re not usually trying to make money. They’re playing poker recreationally. They want to giggle and feel comfortable. But when you checkraise, they think, “Ohoh, this is serious stuff.” They’ll be more cautious in the future and supply you less money. Even worse, they may be inspired by your sandbag and try to mimic it. This turns a predictable player that you can count on to supply profit in foreseeable ways into a more problematic foe. Against weak players, seldom sandbag. Sandbagging spoils the entertainment value for them and costs you money"

If you're trying to improve your game, not reading this publication is a crime.