Here's Malmuth's take-no-prisoners approach to winning poker:

Find Weaker Players: In poker, most of the money is lost by weak players who typically play in too many hands. These are called `loose players.' Be on the lookout for games loaded with these types.

·         Gotta Know When To Fold `Em:
Be selective with the hands you play. With a full table, only a small percentage of hands you're dealt have a winning potential. Don't go too far with weak hands hoping to catch something.

·         Go For The Gusto And The Jugular:
Bet aggressively with the few hands you do play. If you neglect to bet, you could allow your opponent a `free' card that will ultimately beat you.

·         Bluff Your Way To The Top Sometimes:
Bluff some, but not too much. I'm a big believer in the occasional semi-bluff. That is, when you bet a hand that has an outside potential to hit big, such as going for an inside straight. This gives you two chances to win. You'll either scare your opponents into believing your hand's better and folding, or if you're lucky you'll actually pull your card.

·         Position Yourself For Success:
Poker is a position game. The earlier your position, the more selective you have to be, since there's a greater chance of good hands lurking behind you. Which means, in early positions, you should only play premium hands. On the other hand, late position allows you the time to gather a lot of information before you decide what to do and therefore takes most of the worry out of it.

·         Know Your Neighbors:
Adjust your play depending on your opponents. Even though poker is based on mathematical probability, you have to take into account how people play. Some bluff a lot, some not at all. Some play only premium hands, some anything. Be especially careful going head-to-head with tight players, but more adventurous with looser ones.

·         The Bigger The Pie, The Bigger The Slice:
The larger the pot, the more you should call the hand. It's a percentage play. In other words, in a large pot, even if you're likely to get beaten, you're getting such huge odds on your investment that it's always worth the risk.

·         Be Aware Of Your Surroundings:
Observe the action at all times. But don't go crazy about looking for `tells,' some kind of weird body language that gives away a person's hand. The `tell` is one of the most overrated aspects of poker. What's way more important is the ability to `read hands,' reconstructing them backward in your mind--as well as considering what you know about your opponent --to determine what the likely hand is. Also, if you're playing poker the right way, you're probably only playing about 15-20 percent of the hands you're dealt. Which means you have a lot of down time. Use that time constructively. Pick up clues about your opponents.