Category Archives: Strategy
Categorising opponents in no limit hold’em
It is imperative that you pigeon hole your opponents as rapidly as possible because this will allow you to devise optimal strategies to beat them. Let us take an example from NL100 ring poker game to show you what I mean. A player has raised before the flop and bet the flop of A-4-6-2-9. You [...]
Looking at pot control in no limit Texas Hold’em
When new players come into no limit Texas Hold’em then they often struggle with the way that pots escalate. Let us look at an example here to show you what I mean. Unlike in tournaments then cash game players are frequently playing with 100bb or more during their session and on multiple tables if they [...]
Determine hand strength online based on “baseline”
Think about it like this, regardless of how many tables a player is at or how terrible their internet connection is, they will eventually have a baseline between the amount of time it takes the computer to show them the buttons versus how quickly they check, bet, fold, etc. In most cases with multi-table players they’ll hit check as quickly as possible if they have a terrible hand to move back to the other table they’re at. If you happen to be playing multi tables as well and have the same opponent at two or more tables you may be able to use this information to your advantage as well.
Poker Home Games – Cash Game Strategy
Truth be told I haven’t seen as many poker home games that operate under regular old cash game rules (minus the rake of course, as that would be illegal) but they do happen. The first thing I want you to realize though is this won’t be like your usual cash game at your favorite card room, casino or online poker site. When you’re playing in a licensed card room you have the option to stand up and walk away whenever you’re up. When you’re playing amongst your friends at a home game, well, you’re supposed to be playing for fun first and winning their cash second so there are some different rules and expectations for you.
Mastering Loose Aggressive Poker Play
Yesterday I hinted at loose aggressive poker players having a healthy relationship with money. Your first step in becoming a loose aggressive poker player is being able to let go of your cash. Once you deposit, put it on the table, whatever your cash is gone. All you have are chips, and your goal is to accumulate more chips through deception, aggression, reading your opponents, and becoming the table aggressor.
Being Unpredictable wins big pots
The art of being unpredictable is a lot easier to master when you have a comfortable bankroll to back it up. If your bankroll is lighter, then being unpredictable may be slightly harder due to the fear of losing your stack. This is why it’s recommended that you have at least 20 times the buy in for the table if you intend to play. So how does being unpredictable win your bigger pots?
Making the correct bet based on your table
The psychology of raising versus pushing all in works something like this. When you push all in you encourage one of three things to happen – no one calls because you don’t have loose players at the table nor do you have tight players with anything worth calling with – you wind up having someone call you with another pocket pair or a premium hand that could possibly beat you – you encourage a loose player to try and outdraw you to send you on tilt. Option #1 can actually be the best scenario in some cases.
Taking Advantage of Overly Aggressive Players
An overly aggressive player is defined as one who raises something like every other pot he plays. I’ve employed this playing style before in tournaments against a passive table, where it worked something like this, you raise the pot pre-flop, you raise the pot on the flop. If someone calls you on the flop you slow down. If they fold you repeat. Eventually no one takes your hand strength seriously and they’ll play back against you when you’re holding a monster. But let’s say you don’t want to play that reckless style, you want to take down the opponent playing that way, how do you do that? Fairly easily actually.
What not to do in heads up play
I’ve said it in several articles, I’m not that good at heads up play. I do, however, know exactly what you shouldn’t do when playing an opponent heads up as I’m learning from my own bad plays of what not to do. What better way to learn than from someone who already made the mistakes for you right? I’ll save you the trouble of making these mistakes by making them for you.
Bluffing Tips
Being that yesterday’s topic was semi bluffing, today we are going to cover some common bluffing tips. As always, I must begin with this word of warning… never, ever try to bluff a new player. They will call you simply because they don’t understand they are supposed to fold. Now that the warning is out of the way, let’s continue.
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