winningpokertips.net

Before the flop I have to decide between 3 options:
Should I bet / raise?
Should I check / call?
Or
Should I fold?
Some things I take into consideration when I’m deciding between these options are:
Am I first into the pot or has someone else entered the pot ahead of me?
Am I in good position or bad position?
Are my opponents playing aggressively or passively?
What are my hole cards?

The answers to all these questions combined helps me to make a decision on which option to choose, and since there are many possible combinations of answers it is not possible to have a “right answer” to every situation. My goal when I play poker is to try to make the “best decision” as often as I can and in doing so to win the maximum amount of chips possisble when I get it right, and loose the minimum amount of chips possible when I get it wrong. To my mind, the most important ability to have, or to develop, when playing poker is the ability to read situations and opponents and this is the main thing I try to improve every time I play.

Most of the time I play a straight-forward game so there are some things I will almost always do. When I say “almost always” I mean about 95% of the time – the other 5% of the time I will vary something just to throw my opponents off. The following strategies are the foundation of my poker game:

When I am the first to enter the pot I will always bet 3 x Big Blinds. It doesn’t matter whether I am in early or late position, or what two cards I have decided to play, I will always bet. The reasons I do this are to give myself two chances to win the pot (I can win if everyone folds to my bet, or I can make the best hand and win), and also I don’t want to give my opponents the chance to be in the hand cheaply and possibly win with bad hole cards that hit the flop hard. I have experimented with different bet sizes like 2 x Big Blinds, 4 x Blinds etc but I find that 3 x Big Blinds works best for me most often. It is a big enough bet to discourage my opponents from calling with total rags (especially the blinds), but not too big to fold to strong opposition (if I’m playing a marginal hand) even in the later stages of tournaments when the blinds are big. By always betting the same amount when I am first to enter the pot my opponents never know if I am betting with a premium hand like AA, KK, or AK or if I am betting with a lesser hand like 88, 10j or suited connectors. I don’t want to give them any information that will help them get a read on me so I don’t vary the bet size.

If someone has entered the pot before me, either by limping in or by betting, and my hole cards are AA, KK, AK or AQ, I will almost always raise 3 times what they put in the pot. If they don’t fold to my raise I am building a bigger pot that I am favourite to win the majority of times. I will also do this about 5% of the time with lesser hands to vary my play.
If someone limps into the pot in front of me and I have QQ, JJ or AJ I will raise, but if there is a raise ahead of me I will most often just call with these hands and see what the flop brings and then decide how to procede.

With all other hands that I wish to play, I will almost always call a limp,or normal sized raise, and see what the flop brings or what action happens before its my turn to act again. This is where learning to read situations is vital and where most mistakes are made.

If it costs me 1/3 of my stack or more to play a hand that I like, then I will consider myself pot commited and push all in. And if I am down to about 20 Big Blinds or less, then I am looking for two picture cards or a pair of tens or better with which to push all in. I will not push all in with anything less then this unless I somehow end up with a very small stack like 3 or 4 Big Blinds in which case I ‘m going all in with any 2 cards.

Deciding which hands are playable and which should be folded is a key decision, and most other decisions made during the play of a hand can usually be traced back to the cards you chose to enter the pot with.

Because you won’t have any idea about how many players will be in the pot with you when you’re in early position, you need to play strong hands – the kind of hands that tend to play well whether you’re facing one opponent or multiple opponents.

In later position, when you know how many opponents will be involved in the hand, deciding whether to play a drawing hand – the kind that usually requires a number of opponents to make them potentially worthwhile – is much easier. It takes a large pot to overcome the cost of all those drawing hands that don’t work out.

In no-limit hold’em chosing starting hands is often more a case of stack size then the number of opponents. You can play hands that won’t win often as long as you and your opponents have lots of chips. Because your looking for a situation where you can win all your opponent’s chips, you don’t need a lot of opponents in the pot with you.

A good guidline is to play few hands in early position. Cards that aren’t suited or paired, or that are three-gapped or more, should be folded in most cases. Suited cards are more valuable than unsuited cards of equal rank. Acting late in a hand is a big advantage. You can afford to see the flop with weaker hands in late position.

You should usually play any pair from aces to sevens in early position and always raise with aces, kings or queens. If you are in late position against a few opponents and no one has raised, call with a lower pair hoping to flop a set. Sets are always well hidden and you will get payed off if you hit.

In late position, when no one has entered the pot, you can raise with any pair in the hope of playing against only one of the blinds. Your pair is likely the best against just one opponent, and you have the advantage of acting last in the three subsequent betting rounds.

Here are some recommended starting hands from early position:

Pairs – Sevens through aces

Suited – Ace with a king, queen, jack or ten.

King with a queen, jack or ten.

Queen with a jack or ten.

Jack with a ten or nine.

Ten with a nine.

Unsuited – Aces with a king, queen, jack or ten.

King with a queen or jack.

When you are in middle position and no one has raised you can play all the hands recommended for early position and add the following hands also:

Pairs – Fives and sixes

Suited – Aces with a nine, eight, seven or six.

King with a nine.

Queen with a nine or eight.

Jack with an eight.

Ten with an eight.

Nine with an eight.

Unsuited – King with a ten

Queen with a jack or ten.

Jack with a ten.

In late position you have the advantage of acting last or next to last, so you can add a wide variety of hands. These should be released if the flop doesn’t improve yor hand tremendously.

Pairs – Fours, Threes and deuces.

Suited – Aces with a five, four, three or two.

King with an eight, seven, six, five, four, three or two.

Jack with a seven.

Ten with a seven.

Nine with a seven or six.

Eight with a seven or six.

Seven with a six or five.

Six with a five.

Five with a four.

Unsuited – King with a nine.

Queen with a nine.

Jack with a nine or eight.

Ten with a nine or eight.

Nine with an eight or seven.

Eight with a seven.

Mid-range connectors such as 9-8 and 8-7 are “fit or fold” hands. If you don’t flop a big hand or a big draw, release your hand. Play these hands cheaply if you play them at all.

Here is a short video about Starting Hands.

 

 

 

Here are some quick tips that you should be using every time you play Texas Hold ‘Em poker.

 

> Play few hands from early position. You will throw a lot of hands away, but you will save a lot of money.

 

> Position is very important in Texas Hold ‘Em. Hands that you would fold in an early position can be raising hands in late position.

 

> If the flop does not help your hand you must consider folding no matter how good it may have looked before the flop.

 

> Play carefully. Many people will play A-K as strongly as a pair of aces or kings, but it is not. A-K is a great drawing hand but it usually needs help on the flop to win the pot.

 

> Selective and agressive play are key to success.