Poker - Betting Strategy - Texas Holdem Poker

GENERAL POKER STRATEGY FOR PRE FLOP BETTING IN LIMIT HOLDEM

PRE FLOP BETTING CHART FOR TEXAS HOLDEM POKER

Legend: B=Bet, R=Raise, RR=Re Raise, C=Call, BC=Button Call, F=Fold

Note: The above poker strategy pre flop betting chart is just a general guide to fall back on. As you become more advanced you will learn that there may be times to raise with a hand you may normally call on or call with a poker hand you would normally raise with. Sometimes even betting a hand you would fold can be a good thing. Rember Dan Harrington in the 2004 WSOP. He kept his tournament life alive by going all in with the 6 and 3.

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POKER - POKER STRATEGY - BETTING CORRECTLY

 

Consider the poker games table stakes and all of the poker player types that were discussed earlier in (Sizing Up The Opposition) and (Which Holdem Game is Best For You). This will set the foundation for your best betting style to come.

A. Generally a good poker strategy on a loose game is to play tight. The reason is that while everyone is haphazardly throwing money into the pot, you can sit and wait for the good hands. When you hit, you will clean up. However, there may be some benefits to playing a few weaker starting hands such as POT ODDS. We will discuss pot odds in detail in a minute.

B. On a tight poker game it can be a beneficial poker strategy to play loose. This being that you will be stealing blind money and since everyone is in a folding mood anyway, why not take the pot when you can. Keep in mind that you could run yourself into a brick wall if you’re not careful. The guy sitting there with the best hand possible, AA- THE BEST POSSIBLE STARTING HAND, may be slow playing (Not betting when they should) you since your betting into him.

C. Should you be fortunate enough to be on a moderate poker game with some tight players, some loose players and some moderate players, the best poker strategy may be to play as the timing seems right. Switch back and forth from conservative to aggressive depending on what the players surrounding you think.

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Poker Strategy - Deceive your opponents as to what type of player you are. In other words, let them know you are loose player by playing and raising a crazy hand you may lose or even win like 2,3 of diamonds and then play super tight for a few hours with those top 10 betting hands. After you get caught with very, very good cards for a while, play very loose hands until you get caught with a bad hand, then switch back to playing tight. By the time several hours have passed the other players won’t know what you have and will always be very afraid of you.

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Poker Strategy - Be aware of your button position on the poker table. 1-3 spots behind the button gives you better chances of winning with a weaker poker hand. If you are in the blind you can often play weaker hands as well since you’re already invested. However, 1-3 spots in front of the blind can mean you will have more competition to contend with should you decide to play, therefore you will need a good starting hand. The spots in the middle of the table in relation to the dealer button can be played either way, but for the most part, we recommend playing the top 10-15 hands in these positions.

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Poker Strategy - Watch the stacks! Seriously if your getting low on poker chips it may be a really bad time to try to bluff someone out as they can look at your stack of poker chips and notice that there maximum risk is limited. You should also be aware of others chip stacks for the same reason. By all means if you have decent cards, call or raise if your risk is very low.

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Poker Strategy - Keep a straight face (poker face) and don’t get over emotional. Emotional players are easier to read because you can see that they are about to bust out jumping for joy or getting ready to burst into tears.  Remember, it is only money/ poker chips! It is not yours nor is it gone until the hand is over.  When the poker hand is over, it is OK to release your tensions.  However, keep in mind that if you do something very profound, the other players may notice and be on the lookout for future poker tells.

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LOW LIMIT HOLDEM POKER STRATEGY

YOUR BUTTON POSITION IN THE POKER GAME

Poker Strategy - When you are on the button or close to the button in texas holdem, you could gain the opportunity to be the last person to act or bet.  This advantage is huge when a strange flop comes up because those in front of you with AK, AQ, AJ or 33 may check.  Therefore, sometimes a small bet will often win you the pot and who knows,  maybe you caught something to match your mediocre cards. However, please note that with a weak bet, many if not most players will stay with thier AK, AQ, A anythinng, and small pairs if they think they can out draw you for cheap. This is a good time for us to mention representing your cards. If you bluffing, you certainly need to represent that you have the cards you want the other players think you may have. If you misrepresent, it could cost you all of your chips.

Poker Strategy - When you are in the blinds, you can play some weaker hands.  This is because you will almost always have pots odds and many times, it will cost you very little to see the flop.  Therefore you can play 2-3 suited, 6-7 suited, or even 6-8 suited and justify doing so.

Poker Strategy - If you are in front of the blinds, play tight or just the top 15 starting hands.  This will keep you from wasting a lot of bets when one or two people behind you raise and just can't call with you pair of 2's for that kind of money.  Unless of course there is a bad beat jackpot offered.

Poker Strategy - If you're in the middle of the poker table, pay plenty of attention to the people in back of you.  If they all look like they are going to fold, go ahead and play some moderate hands.  In this case if no players are in front of you, it may be best to raise.  It will help you figure out what someone has behind plus it will help get those behind you out and keep the blinds from playing very weak hands.  No matter what flops, you should bet or raise if you raised pre flop unless you know your walking into certain doom.  Sometimes, raising if there is one player in front of you will entice everyone else to fold.  People will assume that he has a decent hand and will assume you have an even better hand.  Again, make sure you raise no matter what flops as long as the person in front of you doesn't bet a lot... unless of course, you hit a great hand.

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 POT ODDS - DON'T FOLD IF THE POT MAKES SENSE

As a general poker strategy, you should consider pot odds at all times during each hand.  For example, the odds of catching an inside straight on the river are roughly 4 cards out of 46 unseen rounded to about one 1 out of 12.  Therefore if the bet is $10 to you, there should be at least $120 or more in the pot to justify doing so.  If you were on a flush draw, your basic odds are 9 out of 48 or roughly 1 out of 6.  Therefore there should be at least $60 or more in the pot for you to pay $10 to see the river card.  Most of the time, flush draws make sense though pot odds.  However, it is the one or two out cards at 24 to 1 or even 47 to 1 draws that one must take much more caution before calling.  Considering this it is often not wise to try to catch and inside straight flush, unless of course there is a bad beat jackpot offered.   In Limit holdem, there are often pots odds so it makes sense to try to catch more hands.  However, in No Limit holdem, you could lose your whole stack trying to catch a flush on the river.  Even though your odds are basically 1 of 6, it won't be very often you will make 6 times your money on a large all in bet or call.

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ADVANCED POKER STRATEGY

 

One of the most important things you can do considering poker strategy in Holdem and No Limit Holdem is gain respect.  You can do this by starting out playing very tight or only the top 15 hands.  When you are in the pot until the end, show your great starting cards whether you won or lost.  This will let the other players know that you only play good cards.  By gaining respect of the other poker players, you will open up an opportunity to steal some pots later through some good bluffing.  As the game goes on, people will believe that you must have good cards and will look for reasons to fold against you.  Especially if you have a good sized stack and haven't lost too many pots you've played.  Therefore, do whatever you can to gain respect as it will win you pots.

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POKER STRATEGY - BLUFFING IN POKER

 

There is no better feeling in a game of poker than stealing a pot with a good bluff.  After all, it is being rewarded for being a good actor, a good player, or even a good liar.  As you may already know, it can be very difficult to do.  Therefore you must have the respect of your opponents before you can start your bluffing game.  Think about it?  If someone sits across the table from you and has just started playing or has been playing weak cards and bluffing, are you going to fold when you have something halfway decent?  Probably not and especially not if there are pot odds-enough money to warrant staying in on a weaker hand or to catch a hand.  However, if the person across from you has been playing tight, raising only when he had the hand, and playing only good cards, you will always fear a bet or call from him or her.  This is why we strongly recommend building respect first, and then trying some well timed bluffs.  Over time, this strategy will prove to be the most profitable.

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THE MAIN REASONS TO BLUFF OR RAISE PLAYING POKER

1.  To scare someone out of the poker hand

2.  To build the pot when you have a good poker hand

3.  To make others believe you have a better hand than you do

4.  To see what your opponents might have

5.  To promote a loose style then play tight

6.  To get free cards.

 

WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO BLUFF IN POKER?

 

1.  When everyone has just called pre flop, most have checked after the flop, or checked after the turn card. this might buy you the hand or at least confirm where they other players are with their hands

2.  Pre flop, when you want everyone to believe you have a good poker hand.  You raise, maybe get a caller or two, and then bet after the flop.  Unless someone is on a draw or slow playing you, they will usually fold. 

3.  When there are pot odds.  Sometimes you may be heads up (just the two of you left) at the end with a tight player.  In this case, if there are pot odds a bet or raise may get your weaker playing opponent to fold.

4.  After the turn or river card, you can check and then raise if someone else bets.  This will usually get everyone in between you and one other player out.  If the player who bet had a weak hand, missed a draw and bluffed, or was flat out bluffing, they will usually fold.  However, if they raise you, you should fold.

5.  If you're in late position, a raise after the flop can get you free cards. This works really well if you're on an open ended straight draw or a flush draw.

6.  If you're on the button or just before the button, you can sometimes steal the blind money with a raise.  This is good to do when you have a top 25 hand or better.  Make sure to follow up with a bet after the flop

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NO LIMIT HOLDEM POKER STRATEGY

 

NO LIMIT HOLDEM POKER PRE-FLOP BETTING STRATEGY

 

AA Poker Hand Playing - When plaing the AA's in Texas Holdem Poker, We recommend pre-flop betting at least 25% of what the largest chip holder has.  Most often when you see AA lose a hand, it was because it was bet improperly or the person was a short stack and got outdrawn.  You want some action with this hand, but only from players with comparable hands. Not betting properly, can result in a loss to a much weaker hand like  Q-J suited or even a weak pair like 3-3.  The only time you may want to try to slow-play (not bet the proper amount) is when you are really short stacked and must get a lot of action to make up ground. 

KK, QQ, AK(suited) - We recommend pre-flop betting at least 20% of what the largest chip holder has.  You want to leave a little room to sniff out the AA if possible.  If someone goes All-in ahead of you, try to determine what they have, a huge smirk or a person who won't look at you may define the AA.  If you need the money, play, if not we know it is hard but consider folding. The odds of a lower pair beating a higher pair is about 1 out of 4.5.

JJ, AK (off suite), AQ(suited), AJ (suited) - W e recommend pre-flop betting at least 10% of what the largest chip holder has. Keep in mind that if someone has bet this amount or more into you, you may want to just call.  If you raise, they may go all-in against you. In hindsight, it will have cost you a lot of chips to assume that you were beat. You will almost force yourself to call and get lucky.

10-10, K-Q(suited), A-10 (suited) - We recommend a bet of no less than 5% of the largest chip holder. A raise back into you may signify a better hand but for a a reasonable amount, you can see the flop.

OTHER TOP 20 HANDS you may want to raise just a small amount to see what is out there.  A small raise at this point could buy you the pot, or keep you from getting eliminated by a slow play.  It is very, very difficult to slow play the top 5 hands so when the person gets a second opportunity to raise, they usually can't contain themselves so they raise very big.  If you know you are beat, fold.

WEAK PAIRS AND SUITED CONNECTORS, we recommend calling only if you in a later position on the table. After the flop, fold if there is nothing developing.

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OTHER NO LIMIT BETTING INFORMATION

 

Poker Strategy - Keep track of your poker chip investment.   Don't let yourself invest a lot in pots only to find you didn't catch your straight or flush.  In many cases, if you do catch a straight or flush with weaker cards, it still won't be the best hand.

Poker Strategy - Represent your poker hand.   If Q, Q, 5, comes up on the flop and there is only one or two people in the hand with you, buy all means you may want to represent that you have a Q or a higher pair with a reasonable bet.  In fact, the times you bluff successfully, will most often be how properly you represented your hand and how good you are at determining that no-one else had the Q. 

Poker Strategy - Going All-In When to Bet All-In.  If you have a very good hand or a monster hand, also known as (THE NUTS) , you want to make it as profitable as possible.  At the same time, it is important that you are aware of the ramifications of your actions.  If you have AA in the hole and the flop is (A of spades, Poker Strategy - K of spades, 10 of hearts), it would be unwise for you to slow down from your pre flop bet, in fact in this case it is best to go all-in,  therefore making the other player go all-in on the flush or straight draw may get them to fold before they catch.  However, if they have a flush and a straight draw, they will most likely call.  They may have a lot of OUTS(ways to catch and beat you) but you have all of the other cards that don't help them aka THE ODDS in your favor.  In fact, we never recommend going all in unless the odds are in your favor. 

Poker Strategy - Getting Someone to Bet into you.  If you have the nuts or a very strong hand and know that you cannot be outdrawn, it is important that you know how to entice other players to bet into you.  If you raised pre flop, you will most likely need another player to catch something in order to build the pot.  If you flop the nut boat or flush, you can check after the flop, if someone behind you bet and or raises, call.  After the turn card comes up, see if there is another flush or open ended straight draw, if there is, bet modestly as anyone on a draw at that point will be more than likely convinced they will catch the nuts if they get their card.  Hopefully the card comes up and you can go all in and be certain that they will call you.  

Poker Strategy - A Good Fold.  They say a good fold is worth 10 good bets.  Feel the people, sense the cards.  Don't get married to you AQ or even AK suited, if you think your beat, you will be right about 90% of the time. FOLD!!!

Poker Strategy - Advertising. If you are not getting good action on your big hands, advertising may help build up the pot. Try to get caught bluffing a few times for cheap. A great way to do this is pre-flop raise a modest amount if everyone folds, show your bad cards. If you get called, raise or bet after the flop trying to take the pot down there, if everyone folds, show your cards, if you get called and get nothing, check and call if the bet is small enough, then show your poor hand. (More about Advertising Below)

 

ADVERTISING

There will be some cases when you are playing no limit Texas holdem poker where no complicated play is required. You may be sitting at a table of unobservant amateurs, and you will often find that correct, solid straightforward play will get you the chips. Today many players go from playing online casino games such as online blackjack and online video poker to Texas holdem, but most never bother to learn the game properly. However, if some of your opponents are somewhat observant, you will have to rely on some more sophisticated tactics to be successful. One important poker tactic that may help in this regard is the advertising play.

What is Advertising In No Limit Texas Holdem Poker? In real life, you advertise when you want everyone to know about something. Advertising in poker is no exception. Poker advertising is when you make a play designed to give your opponents an impression about you that is not true, so you can take advantage of it later.

When Should I Advertise in No Limit Texas Holdem Poker? If you feel you are not having good control over your opponents, it is a good time to advertise. For example, if you have not been getting action on your good hands, with everyone folding whenever you bet, it may be time to advertise. Turn over a couple of bluffs to let players know you are capable of bluffing. Be sure to make a comment to call the other players’ attention to your bluffing repertoire. Conversely, if you like to bluff, you may want to show opponents a few strong hands even when you are not called, just to let them know that when you bet, you’ve got the goods.

What Do I Need to Know About Advertising? Don’t spend too much money on advertising. If you get caught bluffing at an enormous pot, the amount you lose may not be compensated for by the action you get later. You will be surprised how small the pot you try to steal can be that will still give opponents an indelible impression that you are a bluffer.

Don’t bother advertising to unobservant opponents. Against players who only play their own hand and don’t consider the styles of their opponents, advertising can be a waste of time, and in some cases, money. Just play these opponents in a straightforward manner and you should be able to get their chips.

Remember that if the people you were advertising to leave the table, you will have to start all over again. Try to limit advertising plays to situations where you expect you and the majority of your opponents will be around awhile. Although sometimes it is unavoidable, the last thing you want is to get caught bluffing and have that player get up and leave with your money before you can use your new image against him.

 

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CONCLUSION

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