Poker Strategy – Introduction to Omaha

The Rules

In Omaha Hold’em each player recieves 4 hole cards and everyone shares 5 community cards, similar to Texas Hold’em. The catch is that you must use exactly 2 cards from your hand and 3 cards from the board to make your 5-card poker hand. In general the winning hands in Omaha are much better than the winning hands in Texas; in a game of more than 3 people usually a straight or better wins.

When you are first playing Omaha, you should make sure you are actually using 2 cards from your hand, and not 3 or 1. For example, if the board is K Q J 5 4, and you have A Q 4 4, your hand is only three-of-a-kind 4’s. You do not have full house of 4’s over queens. If the board is A K Q 10 9, then your J J 5 4 is not a straight, since you must use two of your cards.
Why play Omaha?

Omaha Hold’em is not as popular as Texas Hold’em but is played by plenty of fish. Also, a lot of good Texas players want to try out Omaha and are unfamiliar with the game but they may still play at high limits because they are good at Texas. These players generally play too loose.

Also, it is much more of a technical game because it is easy to see what the best hand is, since usually there is a flush or a straight on board and odds are that somebody has one.

Some good places to play low-limit Omaha are Party Poker or Empire Poker (they are on the same network). Another place to play is Paradise Poker but they don’t have as many Omaha players.

Poker Strategy – Low-Limit Omaha Hold’em

At the low limit Omaha Hold’em games, there is easy money if you have the patience. Usually, these games are filled with players who are playing far too loose because everyone thinks that their two-pair is a great hand. The best strategy is to play hands that do well in multi-way pots and bet hard when you have the nuts.

There is another version of Omaha called Omaha hi-lo. In this game the high hand and low hand split the pot. This article will not discuss the hi-lo version; I will only talk about Omaha hi.

Some good places to play low-limit Omaha are Party Poker or Empire Poker (they are on the same network). Another place to play is Paradise Poker but they don’t have as many Omaha players.

Starting hands

In longhanded Omaha there really isn’t any such thing as a “dominant hand” preflop. You could get two Aces and two Kings and still easily get beat. However, that isn’t to say that you should call to the flop with just anything. You should still play tight preflop and wait for a good hand, although now there are many types of good hands, hands that become dominant after the flop hits. The best starting hands in Omaha are hands where you hit two pair and your draw, for example Kh Qc Jh 10c. (A decent flop would be Q J x). Those hands are a bit rare, so another good hand in a loose game would just be a hand with a lot of drawing possibilities. If you are expecting a multi-way pot, then it is important to be drawing to the nuts. In other words, you want to draw to an Ace-high flush, not a 9-high flush. Also, you don’t want to draw toward straights if you have low cards and are likely to end up at the low end of the straight.

You may wish to simply call preflop with drawing hands so as to not scare away the loose-passive players. This way you also risk less if you don’t hit your draw. However, if you hold a hand which has strength in high cards, such as Ah Ad Ks Js, then you should raise. You should also raise with several drawing possibilities to build up the pot, if you feel that people are staying in too much for big pots.

Online Poker Training

Hands with only a high pair can sometimes be played. Play AAxx, KKxx definitely; with AAxx you should raise if you think you can knock people out and get the hand heads-up or 3-way. You may experiment with QQxx but that is very borderline. A set would be nice, but sets aren’t so great in Omaha since someone can easily draw a flush or straight on you. With high pairs you really want to hit a high full house, and rob someone who thinks their lower full house is the high-hand. The main reason high pairs are much less valuable than in Texas is because having an Overpair on the flop is worthless in Omaha. Most likely someone else has a two-pair.

Poker Strategy – Advanced No-Limit

According to famous poker player and author Doyle Brunson, No-Limit holdem is the Cadillac of all poker games. The skill involved with No-Limit games is tremendous, even seasoned professionals admit that they still have a lot to learn at No-Limit holdem. However, don’t let this scare you; No-Limit holdem is, in my opinion, the most fun of all poker games as well. It can also be profitable, sometimes even for beginners.

After playing No-Limit extensively on the net, I’ve noticed that the keys to winning No-Limit are one’s knowledge of the game and his ability to adapt to his opponents’ knowledge. You must know what your skills are at No-Limit; what stages of the game you have mastered. Once you realize how you are good at No-Limit, you must then apply this to how badly others at your table play No-Limit.

For the sake of simplicity, I am going to divide the skills of No-Limit into several stages. After mastering each of these stages, one can expect his or her profit potential at No-Limit to increase.

1. Pot odds

You must understand what odds you are getting if you call a bet with a draw. Since you can determine the size of the bet (it’s not fixed), you should know if you are getting or giving good odds to someone.

For example, calling an unraised pot preflop with 55 is good odds. If you hit a set, you can expect to make a lot of money (people will not expect it so they will call with top pair). However, let’s say it’s on the turn and you have a flush draw. The pot is $10 and someone bets $20 all-in, you are getting horrible odds. You have roughly a 1 in 5 shot of hitting, and you would be betting $20 to win $50.

As basic as this may be, many No-Limit players have not even mastered this stage! So if you are still insecure about pot odds, don’t worry. Many others are too and often they don’t even realize it.

2. Realizing the differences between Limit and No-Limit

Check-raising for value is far less valuable in No-Limit than Limit because you may be giving your opponent’s a deadly free card. In Limit poker, if you have the second best hand, you will lose a little bit. In No-Limit, you could lose your entire stack.

3. Aggression

Betting is far better than calling in No-Limit. When you bet, you can win if you have the better hand or if your opponent folds. If you call, you can only win if you have your opponent beaten. If you bet, you determine the bet size. You determine the pot odds. If you call, you are accepting someone else’s odds.

If you bet, you force people to pay off when you have a good hand. If you are a caller, you have to hope someone else will willingly pay you off. The importance of aggression is why tight-passive players can win a lot more at Limit than No-Limit.

Online Poker Training

4. Quick Adjustment

Different types of games require different amounts of aggression. Shorter games require one to be looser and more aggressive. However, if your up against many loose opponents, you must tighten up and wait until you have a strong hand. Generally, the opposite of what the game is does well. If the game is very loose, tighten up. If the game is very tight, take advantage and steal pots.

You also must adjust to your opponent’s quality. If you are up against weak players, simply giving them bad pot odds and taking money from them bit by bit works well. If you are against better players, you must set some traps.

5. Reading skills

Getting an idea of your opponent’s cards is very important. This takes time and experience. However, a way to improve your reading skills is what I call the ‘three question technique.’ Always ask yourself these three questions when someone makes or calls a bet:

What does he have?

What does he think I have?

What does he think I think he has?

6. Psychology and Traps

Once you hold the whopper and your opponent also has a good hand, what’s the best way to double through him? Learning to get out of and set traps is very difficult and only experience will help in this department.

Texas Holdem

Fundamentally, game psychology and traps are used to manipulate the three questions mentioned earlier. For example, if you overbet the pot with a flush draw and then check when you hold the flush, either your opponent will fall for the trap, thinking you had top pair or will realize the trap and check-fold to you on river. The slowplay was used to manipulate the variable: what does he think I have?

Generally, this sort of game psychology is to only be used on good players (players that have mastered the first 4 steps). Against weaker players, you should just build a good hand and extract money out of them bit by bit. Weaker plays just play their hand; they don’t think about what you have.

Poker Strategy – Advanced Shorthand

This section will provide tips to help you in certain trouble situations in a shorthand-limit game:

1. When you’re dealt a small pocket pair (7s or less)

Preflop:

Small pocket pairs work best in a large, multiway pot (you’re hoping to hit another card of your pair and make trips) or heads up. Therefore, your preflop strategy should reflect this. If you’re on the button, one guy has raised and another has folded, your best strategy would be to shut out the blinds and make it heads up. So in this case, reraise. However, if you’re the big blind and three other ppl have already called the big blind, it’s best to just check and hope to hit a set on the flop.

Note: Don’t use the reraise to make it heads up against a very tight player. There’s a good chance he has a higher pocket pair, in which case, you’re owned. The reraise to make it heads up is useful under the assumption that your opponent just has two high cards.

On the flop:

If you’re in a multiway pot, the answer is simple, fold if you don’t hit a set, jam the pot if you do. The only exception is if you hit a weird flop – like 552 or 666 (and you hold like 77), in which case, you probably hold the best hand and should jam the pot.

If you’re heads up, it gets a little tricker. If the flop is mainly low cards, bet at it, he probably has nothing. However, if the flop is AJQ, you’re probably toast. You can go ahead and bet at it (in case he has a low pocket pair too), but if you encounter any resistance, you must fold.

Online Poker

2. Flop bluffs

Flop bluffs work best against one or maybe two opponents. The method is fairly simple. Suppose you raise it up preflop with KQs, and the flop comes A95, well you have nothing, not even a flush draw, but they may have nothing too. Go ahead and bet at it, you might steal the pot right there.

If they just call you. You have a decision. They may have Ace and a low kicker or they may have like K9. Either case, you’re losing. You should generally check and fold. Do this about 80% of the time. However, you don’t want them to be able to crack your bluffing strategy by just calling you on the flop and then seeing what you do on the turn. Because of this, I recommend sometimes slowplaying. For example, suppose you have A9 at this flop, I’d bet at flop, then check-raise at turn. In other words, you must punish them for just calling. People should never be allowed to just call with a second best hand if they hope you’re bluffing, they should be forced to raise to see where they are. If you suspect that they just call you with the second best hand. You should bet til the river when you have the goods, but now always just bet/check-fold when you don’t. You sometimes ( most of the time don’t) should bluff on the turn too. And hey, who knows, you may hit and win it anyway.

3. Slowplaying

I’m not a huge slowplayer in poker because I like to run flop bluffs and flop bluffs are only successful if you actually bet with the goods at the flop. However, sometimes it’s best to just wait and jam the pot. I like to slowplay in multiway situations when I really have the goods. For example, If I have AQ and the flop is AQ3, turn is A, I have the stone nuts. I’ll generally wait for a bet if I think one will happen and then raise it. In other words, slowplaying and jamming the pot on the turn will often be very profitable in mulitway pots, but I don’t recommend it in heads up situations. Often, in heads up, you’ll give them a deadly free card and it’s not worth losing the pot for one more big bet.

One thing to always remember about slowplaying is that it is successful when you have a super boss hand and you want to let them develop a hand that is good but not good enough to beat yours. Slowplaying a set when a flush draw is on board is dumb, because you are allowing the to develop a hand that can beat yours. You have to think ‘what can they develop that won’t beat me but will still make them bet so I can raise them.’ Don’t slowplay if you just have a good hand, slowplay if you have the boss hand but it won’t be paid of unless something develops on the board that won’t beat you but will cause people to think they can beat you.

4. Paired board when you have the third card

This is a trouble situation. Say the board is QQA and you have AJ. You may have the best hand or you may be toast. However, the situation is pretty simple. If it’s checked around to you, check. After all, what will ppl call you with? The only thing ppl will call you with that can’t beat you is A7 or maybe a pocket pair (few would call though).

So, when you’re in this trouble situation, you have to consider two factors: What will people callyou with that won’t beat you and what are the chances they have the trip. The higher the two cards, the much higher the chance they have the trip. AAJ is far more scary for someone with KJ than 44J. I would treat the first flop with caution and probably give it up pretty easily while the second one I’d bet at it.

Which brings up the question: What do you mean play it carefully? Well, if someone bet at me with the board AAJ and I had KJ, he may have QJ, so I’d go ahead and raise, he’d probably fold if he had QJ, but he probably wouldn’t if he held an ace.

Of course, this brings up the counterpoint: Don’t they know you don’t have an ace if you raise? Well, that’s why you can’t always slowplay in these situations. If you have AQ on that board, go ahead and raise too. This way they can’t predict what you have

5. Play against a CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY maniac

Maniacs can be a real pain in shorthand. However, they are generally dealt best with by just calling (although raise them if you hold a very strong hand). They will increase the variance of the game, but you will win in the long run. For example, one game at the 100-200 at Intercasino, I was dealt QQ, a nice hand. Anyway, someone calls, maniac raises, I reraise, maniac caps and there’s one other standard player in the pot. Flop comes AK4. I mean, this is the worst possible flop for me. Anyway, I bet at it, the standard player folds (thankfully) and the maniac raises me. Normally, I would fold but this guy is nuts so I just check call to the river. Anyways, I win. The maniac had 35.

Texas Hold'em

6. Don’t pay them off

Sometimes, when people are on a flush draw and you have top pair or top two pair, they will wait for you to bet so they can raise. If you think they were on a flush draw and then the flush card hits on the river, don’t pay them off. Just check it on the river. Think about the math. If you are in position and just check the river, you save yourself 2 big bets (4 total bets). If it’s a standard hand, there was probably a raise preflop and bet-calls on flop-turn. So you put in a total of 5 bets. You literally save yourself about half the money you would have lost using this technique.

Some Quick Don’t’s of Shorthand

• Don’t go in with any ace if someone else has already gone in. Chances are, they have either a decent pocket pair, A and a higher kicker, or something like KQ. Any of these hands dominate you. Fold
• Don’t play above your bankroll. I’ve made this mistake several times myself. Shorthand has a high level of variance. Make sure you can bank many hours of play before sitting in. You don’t want to go in, have your aces cracked, and be broke!
• Don’t just play your hand. Always remember what the other player is thinking. While this isn’t quite as important as it is in no limit, you have to think about what the other player went in with and what he is calling/raising with. Don’t always bank on that he’s bluffing because most of the time he’s not.

Intermediate Poker Strategy - Tactical Help

Types of hands to play:

The types of hands you play in No-Limit Holdem differ than those in Limit. This is because of implied odds. Hands like KQ offsuit go down in value because they cannot withstand much pressure. Even if you hit a K with this type of hand, you still may be losing to a set, two pair, AK, or may lose eventually to a draw. Thus, with big cards, you generally want to take down the pot at the flop. The exception to this is if you think you have someone outkicked (say AK vs KJ with a K on the board), or if you hit the flop hard (like KK3 when you hold AK). In these cases, you generally want to extract money from your opponent bit by bit.

The types of hands that go up in value or ones that you can bet with confidence: pocket pairs and suited connectors (strong draws in general). Pocket pairs do well because they are sneaky and can often withhold pressure. With pocket pairs, you can bet hard if you have a set or an overpair, which are hands that people generally don’t expect. Suited connectors go up in value for several reasons. First, if the flop comes weird, you generally will be paid off. For example, if you hold 76, you’ll get paid off a lot more if flop is A76 (against an AK) than you would pay off an AK if the flop were A72. Furthermore, you can take down pots and disguise your hand with semi-bluffing. If you hold 76 and the flop comes 45J. People will probably put you on a jack if you bet. They will then either fold or will probably call. Thus, you will either take down the pot at the flop or will be drawing to a hand that people don’t expect. If the next two cards are 8 and A and youre opponent holds AJ, expect a huge reward.

Poker Help Online

How to bet

Many novice No-Limit players simply don’t know how much to bet. Well, the concept is simple. You want extract as much money from people who have made hands but are probably losing to you, you want to punish draws, but at the same time you don’t want to be trapping yourself.

Example: Suppose you have 99, flop is A89. You are pretty sure he doesn’t have 10J.

You want to put in about pot size bets here. Reason being: He either has a straight draw or pair of aces. If he has a straight, you don’t want him to draw on the cheap, and if he has pair of aces, he probably won’t let go of them so take as much as you can.

Example: You hold KQ of spades, flop is A95, A5 are of spades.

Bet into this flop. But don’t bet too much, just enough to make ppl fold if they don’t have an ace but enough to maybe make an AQ just freeze up and call. A 1/3 size pot bet would be good. This way you draw relatively cheaply and can punish if you hit your flush.

Bluffing

This relates back to the showdown percentage. More showdowns means bluffing works less. If you are in a game with a lot of showdowns (typical of lower limits), cut down on bluffing and punish them when you have the boss hand.

Poker Strategy - Intermediate Flop Play

Once you hit the flop in poker, you will be in one of four situations:

1. You will be winning but have a beatable hand. You will have top pair, top kicker for example or an overpair (i.e QQ and the board is JT5). You want to jam the pot and knock people out. Thus, you want someone to bet to you and then to raise if you are in early position. If you are in late position and no one has bet, you must bet to knock people out.

2. You will have a boss hand. More than likely, you will have three of a kind or maybe even a full house on the flop. There is no reason to knock people out because you will probably win (unless you have trips and there’s a flush draw out there, then you need to make them pay). In these situations, it’s generally best to wait til the turn to really jam the pot, but jam the pot on the flop if you think a scary draw is out there that will beat you.

3. You will have the second best hand. If you follow my preflop strategy, this is unlikely, but it could happen. An example is if you have AQ and KQ4 is on the board. In this case, treat the hand as a drawing hand or simply fold, unless you really believe that you may have the best hand at the moment (this is unlikely in a larger, multiway pot b/c someone is bound to have the K).

4. You will have a drawing hand. An example is if you have two spades in the whole and there are two on the board. For these hands, you must use outs/pot odds. There is a detailed explanation of this in the shorthand section under ‘flop tips.’

5. You will have nothing. An example would be if you have 66 and flop is AK7. You clearly are beat, just fold at the first bet.

Poker Training Online

This is the basic way to win at limit, longhand. There really aren’t that many tricky situations you will encounter. Just remember, the larger the number of people, the higher the likelihood that someone has the boss hand that is out there on the board, so be careful of that. Don’t get attached to AK if AQQ is on the board b/c someone probably has the queen.

Poker Strategy – Longhand Limit Texas Hold’em

This section will give you the basic strategy at winning at longhand, limit holdem (limit holdem with 8 or more players). This section is intended for the beginner, so he or she can win at the lower limits (2-4 or less).

Starting Hands/Preflop:

This is where most beginners make mistakes. Simply, they play too many hands. What beginners fail to recognize is that longhand limit holdem is a game of PATIENCE. As sad as it sounds, you literally can just wait to be dealt the quality hands, and just win with those.

So what are the good hands? David Skalansky, a poker expert, groups hands into 8 categories. I’m going to simplify his method a little bit for you. The main difference between my ratings and his ratings is that I don’t separate the suited cards. The only reason I do this is for simplicity. Furthermore, being suited tends to not be a big deal, except for connecting hands and category III hands. Being suited is nice, but it’s just a bonus, it doesn’t change the actual value of the card that much. On any given board, there is a 5% chance a suited hand will form a flush by the river. So in general, you will win close to 5% more pots with a hand that is suited than unsuited.

Texas Holdem

Category I

AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK

These are the best hands, bar none. You should raise or reraise with them preflop. If you hold AA, you especially want to jam as much money into the pot as possible

Category II

TT, 99, AQ, QK

These are good hands, but they aren’t amazing. You generally need help from the board. Almost always in low limit, you will need to hit a set with TT or 99 to win.

Category III

AJ, AT, KJ, QJ, 10J

These are good hands. However, be careful playing AJ, AT, KJ as these hands are vulnerable to losing to a higher kicker (i.e. if an ace is on the board, but someone else has AK, you would lose because he has a higher ‘kicker’). You should generaly play these hands only if they are suited.

Category IV

88, 77, 66, 109, 98, 87, 76 (only play the connecting cards if they are suited)

These hands are ok, but generally don’t win. They need a lot of help from the board.

Category V

small pocket pairs (i.e. 55, 44, 33, 22)

Category I hands should almost always be played. The only exception if if you hold AK or say JJ and you are positive that someone has KK or AA by the way they are raising (in other words, the person is a very tight player but is acting like a maniac preflop). These hands in general should be raised from any position and you want to get a lot of money in preflop. However, remember, for AK you need to hit an ace or a king. So do not get in a raising war with one person because that person likely has a pocket pair already.

Category II hands should generally be played. These hands do best with less people, so you should raise to knock people out. Do not jam the pot though (i.e. reraise) b/c these hands have little value before you see the board. Do not call 3 bets cold with these hands (if you raise, then someone reraises, call, but do not call if someone raised, then reraised, and then it’s your turn.) The reason you do not call 3 bets cold is because you clearly do not have an advantage going into the flop. THE ONE THING TO REMEMBER IN LIMIT HOLDEM IS YOU WANT TO HAVE AN ADVANTAGE GOING INTO THE FLOP. Go ahead and call one raise in late position, unless the raiser was in early position and is a very good player (he probably has you beat with a category I hand).

Online Poker Training

Category III: Treat these hands with caution. They are easily beat by category I or II hands, so these hands are best played with fewer people in the pot who do not hold category I or II hands. In other words, raise to knock people out, but do not call a raise.

Category IV/V: these hands are very different. You want a large, multiway pot. The reason being is that 95% of the time, these hands are trash. However, 5% of the time, these hands are amazing (i.e. if you hit a straight, flush, or trips). Therefore, you want to be paid of big when you actually hit something with these hands, which is why you want a lot of people in the pot. Example: you hold 67, the board is A58, you call a bet on flop, 9 comes on turn and then you jam the pot. Thus, you want to commit as few chips preflop with these hands as possible while hoping that many people go into the flop. Thus, if you are the dealer, and one guy is in with a raise, fold. However, if you are the big blind, and 5 people have called a raise, go ahead and call and see the flop.

Poker Strategy – Intermediate Players 1

Shorthand Limit Texas Hold’em

Shorthand (tables of 6 or less people) is very popular in online poker; in fact, most of the higher limit games are played shorthand. Thus, to make any sort of of money playing net poker, the best strategy says that you really should learn how to play shorthand.

What type of game should I look for?

One of the most important skills at playing poker is simply playing the right game. Unless you just want to practice, there’s no reason to play against other pros! You certainly can’t expect to make money! The best way to tell if the game is easy or not is to look at the flop %. If it is 40 or higher, the game is good. If it’s 25-30, stay away. Some sites express the flop % as average number of ppl at flop. This isn’t as helpful, but generally go there if it says the average is 3 or more. More people going to the flop means that the quality of hands being played is lower. Thus, all you have to do is sit and wait to strike.

Preflop Starting hands

So what exactly are the good hands and the bad hands? Many books have been written about this, but I’ll summarize what I briefly believe are the ‘playable’ hands.

One thing to remember is that hand values are relative, so a hand can be good under some situations and total trash under others. For example, if there has been a lot of action, like a raise and a reriase and then someone calling the reraise, I would fold anything besides AA/KK and I maybe would even fold KK if I knew the players were really tight. Remember, hand values are relative, so always think about what the other guy has and guess if you have the better starting hand than him before going in.

Hands to raise with, non-raised flop: Paired cards, A10+, KQ,KJ, QJ, J10s

Hands to call a raise with: high paired cards, AQ, AK, AJ, KQ

Hands to reraise a raise: This depends on the raiser. Reriase a maniac with any pair or A9+ because you’ll probably be winning at the flop. Otherwise, reriase with made hands like JJ, QQ, KK, AA (although you may want to smooth call with JJ)

Hands to call and hope to build a pot with (early position) high suited connectors (i.e. 910s)

Poker Help

Flop Tips

When you have a made hand, bet it. If flop is AK5, bet with your KQ, maybe they’ll fold. If one calls, then you have a decision to make, if you think he’s drawing, continue to bet at him. If he’s the type to call with the second best hand. Maybe check to him to see if he bets (he probably has a pair too, it just matters if it’s ace low kicker or king lower kicker or a pocket pair).

When you pair but it’s not the top pair, DON’T call a bet. Either raise or fold. Find out where you are on the flop. If you just flat call, that’s a total of 5 small bets. If you raise and he comes back firing, you can probably fold and save yourself 3 small bets (unless he’s a maniac, in which case just call him to river).

Drawing hands and pot odds: Always know your number of ‘outs’ i.e. number of cards that will make you a hand that you are pretty sure will win. Number of outs X2 + 2 is the percentage of hitting at the next card. So divide the pot by that number and if the bet is smaller than that, call. So, for example, suppose you are on a flush draw in a 10-20 hand, you have two spades in your hand and there are two on the flop. So there are 9 spades out there. The chances of hitting on turn are about 20%. So if pot is 80 and bet to you is 10, call! When calculating the pot size, it is generally best to remember future bets. For example, even though the pot is 80, if you hit, you’ll win 40 more on turn/river bets. So all you really need is a 1/12 chance of hitting.

Poker Training Texas Hold'em

Bluffing

General rule of bluffing: It doesn’t work until $5-10 or higher.

Semibluffing: this is betting when you don’t have a made hand yet, but you can. For example, betting on a flush draw. Example: Flop is A64, you have KQ suited and there are two of your suit on your board. Go ahead and bet. Not only do you have a good chance of hitting, you also can steal the pot. Semibluffing is only effective at higher levels, because at lower levels you are just value betting b/c ppl will call you.

Pure Bluffs: These don’t work too well at limit, but they do work at times. At higher levels, if the flop is kinda scary, say AQ9, if the action is passed to you and there aren’t many in it, go ahead and bet at it if you had shown strength preflop.

POKER STRATEGY - PLAYING KK AND QQ

Pocket Kings and Queens are great to be dealt preflop in Texas hold’em. They’re made hands and you’ve got a big pair already, even if you don’t improve. Unfortunately, they’re also very vulnerable hands that can get you into a lot of trouble. For this reason, you should very rarely, if ever, slowplay these two pocket pairs. You’re just asking your opponents to take your money if you do.

Suppose you get dealt Q-Q in third position. Naturally, you’re going to play the hand, but how should you play it? In a no-limit cash game, suppose you just smooth call the minimum bet. Much to your disappointment, no one raises the pot behind you so you can reraise. Instead, 4 other players call the minimum bet and both blinds stay in. The flop comes down J-10-6 with two clubs. With an overpair to the board, you feel pretty confident right now. There are 7 players in the pot who’ve come in on the cheap. The small blind checks and the big blind makes a reasonable bet.

You raise him, and everyone folds to the button who goes all-in. The big blind calls the all-in bet and action is back to you. This is a terrible situation for you, because while you have an overpair to the board, what could these guys possibly have to make that large of a bet? You nervously call. The big blind turns over 10-6 offsuit for two pair, and the buttons turns over the 5-3, both clubs on a flush draw. The turn brings a K of hearts, and the river a 2 of clubs. The button rakes in the massive pot with his completed flush.

This type of hand is very common, especially in online poker. When you allow that many players to come in for the minimum bet, you’re going to see all sorts of garbage hands stay with the hand. You can’t even really fault the guy with the 5-3 – he’s getting great pot odds to see a flop. With 7 players seeing a flop of two more suited cards, you can be reasonably sure that at least one opponent has two more of them. Someone else could have a set or two pair. And sometimes you’ll run into opponents who have slowplayed pocket pairs even bigger than yours!

The lesson is: you’re not going to know where you stand with Q-Q or K-K unless you raise preflop! When you raise, you’re going to thin the field out and those trash hands are going to think twice about staying in the hand. Raise it enough, and only the complete idiots and premium hands will stay with you. Fire in a pot-sized raise from any position and see what happens. If you’re in early position and get reraised, slow it down a little. With Q-Q, you’ll probably just want to call the reraise and see a flop. He could have A-K, K-K, or A-A. When you have K-K, you can consider putting all your chips in at this point. K-K is a little safer because the only way you’re beat at this point is if your opponent is holding Aces.

Poker Training

Be very careful on the flop with these two pocket pairs. Invariably, you’re going to see an Ace come on the flop all too often when you have pocket Kings. What are you going to do? Since you raised preflop, your opponent is likely to have called with big cards, perhaps an Ace-high hand. If you’re first to act after the flop, bet a small amount with the intent of getting more information. If he raises you with any authority, you should probably fold.

You’re also going to run into times where you have Q-Q or K-K and end up all-in against A-A. It seems to happen a lot because these are hands that people are willing to go all-in with preflop. The few times that these hands are dealt together, both opponents are usually going to end up all-in. One quick note to consider about Q-Q: if you make a standard raise and get reraised all-in, do you think that your opponent is likely to have done that with a worse hand than Q-Q? If not, throw your hand away.

Play your Queens and Kings right: raise ‘em hard preflop, and be willing to let them go if you get too much action for your liking or the flop brings an overcard.

POKER STRATEGY - TOURNAMENTS

In most of my first online poker tournaments, my best finishes were just in the money. The way most online poker rooms structure their tournaments, this pays you just over what you paid to get into the tournament. Even though playing poker is always fun, there is something quite frustrating about playing for 2 or 3 hours to get your money back.

This is why tournaments can be tough on tight-aggressive players, who, in my opinion, are best suited for cash games. I would wait until I would get strong cards and raise them. Unfortunately, you don’t always get action on your good hands, especially if you aren’t playing very much. Unless you consistently get hit over the head with the deck throughout the tournament, tight players don’t usually end up with the top prize.

If you tend to play a tight game, you might want to loosen up a bit and become more aggressive as the tournament continues. I recommend staying out of the action early on since the blinds are so low and you can afford to play tight. But if you’re not getting any hands and the blinds are creeping up, you probably should consider playing more hands than you normally would. If you can get in cheap, try playing any pocket pair and go for the double-up if you hit a set.

Poker Training

Also, if your table is short-handed (less than 7 players), you definitely should play more hands and raise more pre-flop. Playing more aggressively can cost you bigger pots and might bust you out earlier, but I would rather have a better shot at winning the tourney than making my money back.

Why play if you’re not going to play to win?

Position in No Limit Hold'em

Position in No-Limit Holdem refers to where you are in the order of betting either before or after the flop. The player with the ‘dealer button’ (to the immediate right of the blinds) will act last on each betting round once the flop is dealt. Acting last conveys many advantages in No-Limit Holdem games, the main factor being that you get to see what your opponents do before you decide on your own action.

The best way to look at taking advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem is that you are able to win the most when ahead and loose the least when behind. At the end of the day the strongest hand will win a showdown regardless of where at the table the holder of this hand is sat.

Online Poker

Hand Selection

Before the flop you are able to take advantage of late position by playing a wider selection of hands. For example if you are in early position (one of the first to act) in No-Limit Holdem you may not be able to profitably play hands such as suited connectors, small pairs or unsuited high cards.

The reason for this is that all of these hands need high ‘implied odds’ to be profitable. They will not hit the flop too often and so need to be cheap to play in the early betting rounds. In early position most of your opponents have yet to act. The risk here is that one or more will raise you forcing you to lay down your hand.

Compare this to being in late position you have seen most of your opponents limp or fold and can now play these hands with little risk of a re-raise. Even when raised you may choose to call having the advantage of seeing your opponents act before you do on the flop may also mean you can steal the pot.

Betting Rounds

The real advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem comes from being last to act on the flop, turn and river betting rounds. Compare holding a medium pair when first to act to being last. In order to find out where you stand you will need to bet. Betting when first to act risks being re-raised by any opponent, or even flat called as a bluff.

Betting when last to act gives you the advantage of seeing your opponents check first, making your bet more likely to succeed. Sure, an opponent may be trapping with a strong hand but check-raising you ‘out of position’ will show a lot of strength and allow you to get away from your medium strength hand.

Poker Training

Bluffing Advantage

If you completely missed the flop then being last to act may enable you to pick up small pots with a bet on the flop. If an opponent who is in the habit of betting every flop acts before you then you can even choose to call taking away the pot with a bet on the turn instead.

With a strong holding last to act you are able to decide whether to check, enabling your opponents to ‘catch up’ in the hand. You may also be in a position to flat call a raise, thus building the pot, or to re-raise an amount that you expect to be called by at least one opponent. With strong holdings you want to build the pot, the advantage of being in last position is that you can do this without arousing too much suspicion from opponents.

To summarize, taking advantage of position in No-Limit Holdem involves being able to play hands you might otherwise have folded, steal pots that nobody has shown an interest in, build a bigger pot when you are strong and get away from a medium strength hand early when the action in front of you gets heavy. This is quite a list, and explains why profitable poker players make sure that they play the majority of their hands from late position.

Single Table Sit n Go Basics

Single table sit n goes are the fastest growing game in online poker. A standard sit n go consists of 9-10 players with the top 3 making the money. Recently, different forms of sit n goes have come into play. One new type is the shorthanded sit n go, where 5-6 players enter and the top 2 finishers make the money.

Also, satellite sit n goes are becoming popular. In these sit n goes 9-10 players enter for a certain buy in, and the top finisher wins his/her way into a larger buy in tournament.

Step Tournaments

Another common form of single table sit n goes are “step tournaments”. In these, players start out at step 1, which may have a $5 buy in, and the top 2 finishers advance to a step 2 tournament, which may have a $25 buy in. There are usually around 4-5 steps before the final tournament, where cash prizes are awarded.

In sit n goes players enter the tournament for a fixed buy in. Besides the buy in, there is also a small tournament fee, which is usually 10% of the tournament buy in. This means that if you enter a $5.50 sit n go, $5 is going to the tournament prize pool, and $.50 is going to the poker site for hosting the tournament. It is similar to the rake of cash tables.

Chip Structure

When the tournament begins the players are all given the same amount of “play chips” that they use to play in the tournament. The chips you have aren’t real money, but you have to use them to try and outlast all of your opponents. When players get out that are in the money they are awarded their cash prize. In the most common form of single table sit n go, the 9-10 man, the top 3 finishers get paid with payouts as follows:

• 1st Place Finisher 50% of the prize pool
• 2nd Place Finisher 30% of the prize pool
• 3rd Place Finisher 20% of the prize pool

Poker Training

Some of the advantages of single table tournaments are as follows:

Single table sit n goes are very quick, because the blinds are continually raised. Usually blinds are increased every ten minutes, and as the tournament progresses an ante may be added as well. This puts pressure on everyone, as they are blinding away, so the tournament progresses quickly.

Sit n goes can be entered at anytime. They are literally running non stop at just about every single online poker site. This means that as soon as you bust out of one sit n go, you can join another instantly. This feature attracts many weak players, as they want to play without waiting in line for a ring table, so experienced players can take advantage of them.

Another advantage is the fact that you aren’t playing with chips that aren’t real money. At a cash table you can lose all of the money you have at any time. In a sit n go however, you can only lose what the buy in was for the tournament. This reduces the variance for sit n go players.

Single table sit n goes are a great way to increase a skillful players bankroll. At the lower levels the players are almost all fish, so if you learn the proper strategy you can win consistently.

Some situation not to bluff in a poker game

Bluffing is general in poker and many people think they can bluff more in online poker because there are no gestures, they are hidden behind their computer. But there are moments when you should not bluff.

When you bluff keep in mind that everyone else is also looking for an opportunity to bluff. You can spot them, but beware they can spot you too! You have to use bluffing sparingly.
So when no to bluff in poker?

Poker Help

Other players are expecting you to bluff

I suppose you don’t want to be the fish at the table. When you bluff and are caught you reveal your playing style to the others, so you will be vulnerable. Always consider this before you bluff.

You have been caught bluffing recently

If you were caught as a poor bluffer recently you should not bluff but start to build your reputation back.

Bluff when the flop is dangerous

You have to recognize whether is a flop dangerous or not. I know, it is a difficult task, but for example the flop contains an Ace, you could be sure that someone has an Ace at the table. People love their Aces and keep them almost until the end of the hand.

Lots of players at the table

With a lot of players at the table there is a great chance that someone has something that he will stick with. It is not worth the money to bluff in this situation.

Against bad players

It is much more profitable to play straight up in these games. They will bluff a lot, but will keep an eye on you too.

You have just lost a big pot

Not only might you be on a bad run, but other players will expect
you to be on a bad run, and will more readily call you.

In the blind positions

You really have to evaluate the flop, but generally other players
will think you have a poor hand and expect you to bluff.

To summarize: be careful with bluffing, always take into consideration when you bluff you could be caught.

STRATEGY GUIDE FOR HIGH CARD FLOPS

Texas Hold’em is a big card card game. We all know that, or at least we ought to. Hole cards such as pocket Aces, Kings, Queens, and A-K dominate the average overall winning percentages. Naturally, we gravitate toward playing these big hands and your opponents will add hands like K-10 suited, K-J, or Q-J into the mix despite their position or their hole cards’ trapping nature. This means that flops containing these big cards are likely to hit lots of players and amount to big pots in no-limit Hold’em. My goal in this article is to help you make the most and lose the least when one of these monster tricky flops arises.

Tip #1: Protect heavily with two pair or a set. When you play two big cards like A-K or K-Q and you hit two pair on a flop like K-A-10 or J-Q-K you have to play extremely carefully in order to both protect your hand and/or find out if you’re already beaten. You should naturally be more suspect and cautious when 3, 4, or more players are contesting the pot. When you hit top two pair on a big flop you probably have the best hand but you need to protect against straight draws and perhaps flush draws. For some reason, hold’em players love to draw to broadway straights (10-J-Q-K-A), even if they’re only using one of their hole cards. When you make two pair the next card could always give your opponent(s) a better hand so I recommend betting out or raising at least the size of the pot. The same risks apply when you flop a set. A big card flop is likely to have helped your opponents as well so you’ll probably get plenty of action while protecting against draws.

Tip #2: Don’t slowplay anything. The only exception to this would be when you flop something like quads or the nut flush. Even the nut flush is vulnerable to a full house draw if your opponent hit a set with his big pocket pair. When you see a high-card flop against multiple opponents, slowplaying a big hand essentially only kills your own value. Since your opponents will also be playing big cards it’s very likely that they flopped a worse hand than yours. When you flop a set, a straight, or top two pair you’ll usually get action from straight draws, top pair top kicker type hands, or flush draws depending on the board. Why give them a free (or cheap) draw to make a better hand? Instead, make a sizeable value bet on the flop, build what appears to be your pot, and protect against bad beats in the making. Bottom two pair on any flop is even more dangerous as the next card could counterfeit your hand or give your opponents a higher two pair.

Poker Training Online

Tip #3: Watch out for one-card straight draws and flush draws. As mentioned above, you’ll often run into loose players willing to gamble on their one-card straight draw. For example, I’ve seen countless players draw with a hand like A-8 on a 10-J-Q board. Despite the fact that it is a gutshot straight draw with 12-1 odds against hitting, poor hold’em players routinely draw to broadway straights using only one big card. The big blind may have 9-2 offsuit on that same board and he will probably call a decent-sized bet with his open-ended straight draw (of considerably better odds). When you’re holding pocket Queens or J-Q, you need to be vary wary of a fourth-connecting card coming on the turn or river. Bet out at least the size of the pot and definitely slow down if that scare card does hit. Even if you have the nut straight with A-K on that 10-J-Q board, you have to protect against some other fish holding a A-2. Why? If a K comes on the turn, you’re both only playing your Ace for a split pot. Of course, don’t overlook the weak flush draw if there are two (or more) suited cards.

Tip #4: Know when you’re beat. Big card flops make for big hands. Top pair doesn’t hold up very often against a big connected board, especially against multiple opponents. If you run into heavy resistance with a hand like A-K on a board of K-J-10 you need to have the discipline to lay it down. Weak hold’em players will limp in with any two face cards and cripple your chip stack with bottom two pair or a freak straight. If you don’t hold top two pair or better, you’re better off playing defensively and keeping the pot as small as possible. If a major scare card hits such a fourth connector or a completed flush with 2 or more opponents, you’ll probably need to be looking for reasons to fold unless you have an excellent read on a weaker hand. I see too many players who don’t give up on their two pair or even top pair when it’s obvious that a straight is out. When it’s a high-card board, it makes it that much easier to know that your opponents are playing correlating cards.

Taking Beneficial Risks In Poker

Generally you shouldn’t enter a pot in poker unless you feel you have an advantage. However, in certain cases you want to take a chance when your payout will be well worth it. Eventually you will hit a flop and win a monster pot. Consider it this way, have you ever gotten busted with AA because you let people limp in preflop?

When to Take a Risk

You want to take a risk when you have the potential of winning a big pot without sacrificing much money. For example, when most of the table limps in preflop you need to reconsider folding certain hands. Even if you don’t have much of a hand, you could get lucky and flop anything.

If you happen to flop a strong hand you will get paid off very well, as there are so many players in. Of course this won’t happen often, but when it does you will reap the benefits. By occasionally limping with suited connectors into multi way pots, you can hit a flop hard, and get paid off very nicely.

Specific Hands

If you are one of the last to act at the table, and most people have limped in, you want to play almost all suited cards as well as connecting cards. As you know, you aren’t likely to hit a flush or make a straight, but when that time comes, you will get paid off. One example of this is if you hold 34d in late position, and six people have limped in. This is an easy call, as your hand has great potential to become a monster.

Also, if you’re in the big blind with the same hand, and multiple players have called a small raise, you should call this as well. You’re the last person to act, so you know it won’t be reraised, and you have great pot odds to try and hit a flop.

Poker Training Online


When you Make a Flop

If you actually hit a flop, let’s say with the 34d, you still need to be cautious. If the flop is 34K, you need to play the hand aggressively. Anyone with a hand like KQ has a great chance of outdrawing you. If someone in early position bets the flop, and a few players call, you need to put in a large raise. Your goal is to take the pot here, as your hand is vulnerable.

If the flop comes A25, it is another story. Now your hand is very strong, and can only lose to a full house if the board pairs. On the flop you should just call a bet, and if no one bets, check. Depending on what the turn brings, you may have to bet to force draws out. If the turn is a 6, or makes 3 of a suit, then you need to bet out fairly strong, so any long shot draws are forced out.

Final Lesson

If you are late to act and almost everyone at the table is in (and assuming there hasn’t been much of a raise), you’ll want to limp in with any cards that have some sort of potential, such as suited cards, or connecting cards. You can’t expect to win all the time, but it’s worth the risk due to the reward you could get. So remember that if you can get into a big pot cheaply, go for it, but don’t stay in unless you hit or have good odds.

Taking Notes in Sit and Go's

Basically every poker site online allows players to take notes on other players. Doing this will give you an advantage in future hands against the same opponents. Because players are often very loyal to their site, you will see the same players quite often even on large sites such as Poker Stars.

When you take notes you should be looking for the best players and the weakest players. The reason for this is because you’re looking to avoid the best players and take advantage of the weakest players. Here are some good things to look for when taking notes:

Are the players tight or loose? For example, do they like to call often preflop with weak hands, or do they only play premium hands for raises?

Passive or aggressive? Aggressive players will be betting on the flop with nothing, raising often preflop, and playing many draws. Passive players will just be calling constantly.

Another good thing to note is if the player defends their blinds or not. If you notice a player always folds in the blind to a raise, you should start raising them in late position when they are in the blind.

Poker Training

Obviously, you can note if the player is winning or losing. This is an easy note to take, and can help you identify good and bad players.

The final thing you should be looking for is if the player is playing straightforward or trying to pull tricky moves. For example, do they like to semi bluff, check raise, and slow play strong hands, or do they just bet with good hands, and fold with bad ones?

Texas holdem poker rules

Texas Holdem poker is the most popular form of poker played for real money. You can find texas holdem from the internet, from the casinos and from home around the world. It is so universal game that its almost mandatory to know the rules of texas holdem poker

Rules you need to know to get started in texas holdem

Two first players left to the dealer put out an ante or in other words a blind bet, the smaller blind is half of the bigger blind, with the big blind posted by the player who is last to act preflop.

After the blinds have been put out every player in the game is deal two cards these cards are called either pocket cards or hole cards. After the cards have been dealt the player who is next to dealer on dealers right side is first to act and after that the game proceed in clock-wise order. This phase of the game is called “preflop” and everyone makes a decision on their turn if they want to call, fold or raise. These are the rules of texas holdem poker you need to know to get a game going.

Flop, Turn and River texas holdem poker rules

After preflop action has been completed dealer deals 3 cards in the middle, these cards are also known as community cards and everyone in the table can use them to make the best possible poker hand. The first 3 cards are called the “flop” and first player to act on flop is small-blind and after small-blind everyone acts on their turn in clock-wise order. If the game is Texas Hold’em no limit you can bet any amount at any point of the hand (when its your turn) that is between or equal to the big blind and your whole chip stack. IF the game is limit texas hold’em the rules say that preflop and flop you can bet at max the amount of small blind and total of 4 of those bets can go in. The bets have to go in so that 1 player bets at max 1 bet mro then the previous, for an example player 1 bets one SB, player 2 raises to two small blinds. In turn and river betting rounds the maximum bet in limit holdem is equal to the big blind and also then maximum of 4 bets can go in.

After the flop action has been completed 4th community card is dealt, this card is also known as the turn and again small-blind(or if he is no-longer in the hand the player who is still in the hand and was closest to small-blind in clock-wise order) is the first to act.

Poker Online

After the turn action has been completed final community card is dealt, this card is also known as the “River” and again the action goes in same order, if there is still two or more players left in the pot after the final round has been completed the holder of the best 5 card poker hand wins. Pot can be also won if on anyone of the rounds there is only one player ready to put in the moneys. E.g if 3 players saw a flop and small blind bets out 100 chips on flop but no-one wants to call the pot small-blind player wins the pot. These are in a nutshell the texas holdem poker rules you need to know to get a game going.

Hand rankings:

There are the rankings of poker hands in texas holdem poker from best to worst:

1) Straight flush. 5 cards of same suit in a row, example of this is A,K,Q,J,T all hearts

2) 4 of a kind. 4 same number cards, like A,A,A,A

3) Full house 3 and 2 of same number, like A,A,A,K,K

4) 5 cards of the same suit, for example K,T,9,7,4 all hearts.

5) Straight 5 cards in a row like A,K,Q,J,T

6) Three of a kind, for an example 9,9,9

7) Two pairs, for example 99,88

8) One pair, like A,A

9) High card, nothing

Remember that you can use total of 5 cards from the community cards and the ones you hold in hand, if two players have same category hand the one with higher biggest card wins. For example 99,88 two pair beats 66,33 two pairs and 99,66 beats 99,55. If two or more players have exactly the same hand they split the pot. With these rules you should be able to enjoy and learn texas holdem even if you have never played it previously.

The Continuation Bet

Continuation bets are funny things. Everybody places continuation bets and we usually expect each other to place them, but we don’t really analyze the process. Almost everybody places continuation bets but few people realize why they do or how much strategy there is behind the continuation bet.

In today’s lesson on the art of the continuation bet, we will cover five topics:

1. Explanation of the continuation bet
2. The purpose of the continuation bet
3. When to place continuation bets
4. Stealing others’ continuation bets
5. How to defend against floaters

Texas Holdem

Explanation of the continuation bet

First of all, a continuation bet is a bet that is placed on the flop by the person who raised the hand preflop. Let’s use an example to get started. Say you raise preflop with a hand like AQ. One of the opponents, it doesn’t really matter who, calls your preflop raise and the flop comes down 23J. He checks to you, you bet and he folds. There you go; you have just placed a c-bet. It doesn’t matter if you hit or miss your hand or if your opponent calls or folds. A c-bet is any bet that you place on the flop after raising preflop.

The purpose of the continuation bet

Now that we have the idea of the continuation bet down pat, let’s move on to the reasons we use them. There is more logic behind the continuation bet (c-bet from now on) than just well you raised preflop – you have to bet!

There are three major reasons we place c-bets:

To win pots:

The main reason you place a c-bet is because there is a pot of money in the middle of the table just begging you to take it. Your opponent has no idea what you have you might just have AA for all he knows. You did show strength by raising preflop so go ahead and see if you can take the pot down. Even if the flop completely missed you, your opponent will need a good reason to continue against what looks like a strong hand. So go ahead and get yourself that money. Every little bit helps.

To remain unpredictable:

The second reason we place continuation bets is to keep our opponents guessing. You would be predictable if you only placed flop bets when your hand was strong and checked when it was weak. Everybody would be able to play perfect poker against you and that would be no good.

To protect your hand:

A part of basic sit and go strategy is raising your strong hands preflop so that you can charge weaker hands to stay in and try to beat you. After you have raised preflop, there’s a pot out there that you need to protect. You don’t want to let your opponents draw for free so you place a c-bet.

When to place c-bets

There are good times to place c-bets and then there are bad times. Against a single opponent, it’s almost always a good time to place a c-bet. Unless you are up against a super calling station, an insistent floater or a really scary board, it’s safe to bet almost 100% of the time against a single opponent.

The best time to place a c-bet is when you have position on a single opponent. One of the worst times to place a c-bet is when out of position against multiple opponents. When you are out of position against two or more opponents, too much is going against you to profitably continue the hand. Even when in position, you should usually skip the c-bet if there are multiple opponents in the pot.

Insistent floaters are people who call continuation bets for the sole purpose of stealing the pot from you on the turn. They know all about c-bets and they love to steal them. I’ll get to these guys later.

Poker Training Online

Stealing others’ continuation bets

Now that you know all about c-bets, why not try stealing them from other people? You know that at least half the time you place a c-bet, you don’t really have anything. When other people place c-bets, especially tight, predictable players, you have a great opportunity to call the c-bet and then wait from them to check to you on the turn so that you can place a bet and take the pot.

The term for this play is floating. It’s really annoying when other people float you, so you should do it to other people. No, you don’t do this just to pass the annoyance on; you do it because it’s a hard play to defend against. It wins pots and it keeps you unpredictable.

How to defend against floaters

Floaters are annoying because they constantly steal the pots we are trying to take down. They like to call c-bets so that they can steal the pot on the turn when you slow down and check. Well, there are three things you can do to defend against the insistent floater:

Raise less preflop when out of position

If you’re raising a bunch of trashy hands preflop, it’s going to put pressure on you to c-bet while at the same time making it less likely to hit a real hand. The floater has the advantage because it’s going to be hard to win many pots without decent hands from out of position.

Continuation bet less

No, this isn’t giving up and letting the floater win. It is simply a change of tactics. By c-betting less, you are increasing the percentage of good hands that you do c-bet with. If you are c-betting with strong hands more often, the profitability of floating you diminishes.

Check-raise the turn more

This one will keep the floater wondering. If you have a strong hand, go ahead and c-bet it and then go for a turn check-raise. This will totally take the floater off guard and he’ll remember it the next time he thinks about floating you. Every once in a while, just to mix it up, check-raise the turn as a bluff. Use this sparingly, though, because it’s expensive and there’s a chance the floater will think you’re just getting mad and bluffing.

The Novice Poker Player

It’s happened to everyone. A novice calls and calls you for no particular reason, then catches a miracle on fifth street and takes a whole lot of your money. Say you’re in the poker room at the local casino, playing no limit Texas Hold ‘Em and betting strong with two-pair going into the river. Everyone has dropped out except for the man two spaces to your left, a bespectacled and grumpy-looking 75-year old whose mannerisms and erratic betting make him a tough read, but also give you confidence that he bets when he feels like it regardless of the cards. He’s hunched over, staring at the cards in the middle. He’s been calling you almost dutifully. You have him pegged for a pair, maybe even a low one. Then again he might just be senile and betting for fun with nothing. Under the circumstances, you’re sure your hand is the winner and thank the old man in your head for giving away his money.

Texas Holdem

The fifth card up is a nine of spades, of no consequence to your hand and surely not to his either. He leans back and exhales. You bet, and in an obvious but futile move, he tries to save all the money he’s wasted by doubling the raise in an attempt to buy the pot. You raise back and look up, almost feeling sorry for him. He raises back, not even looking at you. Finally, you raise again and he calls. You flip your cards, feeling good with your queens and jacks. But, without looking, he tosses his cards into the table, and there it is: a straight to the ten. He collects the money without even a sideways look at you, like he somehow earned it, while you’re left with your head in your hands, possibly trying to flag down the cocktail waitress to bring you a shot of whiskey.

What happened? All of the coy strategy, the Rounders patois and information gleaned from hours of reading poker manuals, and you got your clock cleaned by an inferior player just entertaining himself between pension checks. The answer comes in bringing yourself back to a time when you barely knew the rules; when you had to be constantly reminded whether a flush is better than a straight. Poker, to the very occasional player, is not about the complex, deeply psychological battle of will and mental faculty that it is in more seasoned competition. Instead, the novice player is dealing mainly with tension and release. So if you’re not yet able to spot tells like a pro, the key to cracking novices is remembering these key fundamental motivations. After that realization, a novice’s seemingly erratic betting patterns become easy to crack. It’s a matter of associating simple actions with the size of their bets and the cards on the table.

Poker Training

Now look back at his first raise after he caught the nine to complete his straight. The raise means two possible things, and it’s likely that he’s got it written all over his mannerisms. One is the tension of a man deeply involved in a pot with a weak hand. The other is the release, and vindication, of all that betting he was doing earlier. That’s all you’re looking for, either tension or the release of earlier tension.

Yes, he caught an inside straight on the river. Go ahead and feel sorry for yourself. But in medium and low stakes games where less-than-competent players are throwing their money around, it’s not as uncommon as it should be. A big raise from someone who had been calling on a card like a nine, that late in the game, means the nine either helped him or hurt him. So take a look. Is he hunched over, hardly breathing and squinting through a weak smile? Does he keep shifting in his seat and emitting dissatisfied sighs? Think about how someone would look when they’re tense. Or is he leaned back, fighting to hold off a smile that threatens to break out across his face? Those would indicate the release of tension and the vindication of their actions.

Looking back, everything from his lean to the audible exhale indicated a release of tension, and that coupled with a raise should have thrown up all kinds of warning signs.

Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. But in the end, you will only do yourself a favor by remembering that all novices are ruled by simple motivations, day and night different from the cryptic, complex strategies of an expert. To remember those simple motivations can save you from wasting even more money on the inconceivably lucky draws to which novices are prone.

The Truth about Suited Connectors - No Limit Holdem

Many players love to see flops with suited connectors. I’ve seen, otherwise strong players, call early position raises with unimpressive hands like 65s more times than I can believe. Now, I know there is a time and place to make such a call. Maybe when the blinds are extremely small compared to the stacks and the raise came from a particularly weak player. I know a lot of top players will take flops with the medium suited connectors like 87s to see if they can flop a monster and bust someone. There is a time and there is a place for playing suited connectors. More over, however, the hands are overplayed by players who are unable to profit with them.

Online Poker

The first thing I want to note is the skill level that is required to effectively play these hands. I feel like beginner and intermediate players should leave them alone all together. Looking back on my first couple years of no limit hold ‘em play, I know I lost a lot of money messing with marginal hands like T9s. I think I’ve gone bust with QJs more than any other hand, and still find myself in really tricky spots playing it. The point I want to make here is that suited connectors are extremely difficult hands to play. You should leave them alone until you have a great handle on pot odds and counting outs. You also have to have a lot of table time under your belt to stay out of trouble with these hands. You should have a good read on the other players you’re up against and be comfortable playing flops with those players. Suited connectors get you into a lot of murky water that requires a lot of experience to effectively navigate.

Texas Holdem

There are two very important requirements that I look for before deciding to enter a pot with suited connectors. The first one is the size of the blinds in relation to my stack and the stacks of my opponents. The second is my position, both relative to the dealer, and relative to the raiser if the pot has been opened. If I’m playing in a cash game with blinds of say one and two dollars and all the players have around two hundred dollars in play, I will usually be willing to call a small raise if I’m on the dealer button or the cutt-off seat (one from the dealer.) with suited connectors JTs, T9s, and 98s only. I will limp in with these hands only from middle or late position. I’d play the hands similarly in the early stages of a tournament with, say, 1000 in tournament chips and blinds of maybe 10- 20. In the middle stages of 1000 chip tournaments, when the blinds are around the 50-100 stage, I will rarely play suited connectors except when I can limp in on the button or complete the blind from the small blind. Of course I will often open with suited connectors T9s, JTs, and QJs from late position if the players in the blinds are fairly tight, just trying to steal the blinds.

Top Ten Hold'em Beginners Mistakes

Like in any other sport or game, beginners make mistakes. No one is born with the innate skill to be a hold’em poker star. The way we naturally react to some classic situations is not always the optimal play. Here is a list of the top ten most common novices’ mistakes.

Texas Holdem Online

1. Wait to post a blind until you become the big blind. Do not post the blind as soon as you sit down. This extra blind payment seems like nothing, but if compounded over a long time, this will make a hole in your bankroll.

2. Know something about the game beyond the rules. Read a beginner’s book. Read some of the strategy articles on this website. It will save you a lot of times and money to have a notion of strategy instead of wandering in the wrong direction.

3. Exert patience. Control your tendency to seek action and only play a select group of strong hands preflop. It is suboptimal to play more than 30% of hands preflop.

4. Exert control. Do not chase miraculous cards. If you missed the flop or have a weak hand, do not pay an aggressive opponent likely to have you beaten. Do not be the sheriff trying to catch every bluff.

5. Exert prudence in your bankroll management Only risk the money you can lose. Play first at low limits you can afford. Try fixed limit before no-limit to learn the ropes. Put one toe in the water before jumping in.

6. Do not over slow play or over trap. Slow playing is a strategy to be used with caution. If used systematically with strong hands, it will backfire because it enables your opponents to draw cheaply against you and to give you bad beats. It is better to collect a small pot with a big bet, than to lose a big pot with small initial bets.

7. Do not take it personally. No one is there to get you. Do not seek revenge against a villain who gave you a bad beat by calling your preflop raise with 7♥ 3♣. When you play texas hold’em on the Internet, opponents change very frequently so there is no point in making a crusade against a lucky donkey.

8. Do not be impatient. Remember that against 9 players, you have 10% chance to have the best hand each time. Do not expect to win every hand.

9. Do not play more tables than you can handle. Multi-tabling is a buzzword in online poker. Do not abuse it! Start with one table and increment progressively. Playing multi tables at the same time can be dangerous if you have to make two difficult decisions simultaneously.

10. Do not play scared, or too “nit”. Poker is a risk reward game and very exceptionally will you hold the unbeatable nuts. You must take risk, meaning that you have to be willing to lose money sometimes in order to make money overall. Scared play is easily exploitable.

If you can avoid the top ten mistakes, you are on the road to success.