Category Archives: Strategy
When To Semi Bluff
A semi bluff is when you have a piece of something, say a straight draw, flush draw, or middle / bottom pair and are making a bet at the pot to either increase the size of the pot or take down the pot right then and there without having the best possible hand just yet. As with bluffing, there are certain times when it is appropriate to semi bluff and then there are times when it is not appropriate to semi bluff. Let’s see if we can sort out the difference.
Top 10 Starting Hands in No Limit
Here’s a few different lists of the top 10 starting hands in no limit Texas Holdem. Keep in mind that no limit and limit are two totally different monsters so hands that are great for limit aren’t as great for no limit and vice versa. That is to say hands that draw well in limit can be priced out of draws in no limit, thus negating much of their drawing power if you are going based off pot odds.
Are you willing to go broke?
At almost every poker website you go to you’ll hear someone tell you about “proper bankroll management” but an element that is left out oftentimes is the willingness to bust out. You have to be willing to risk your chips in order to win pots, its just plain and simple. There is no perfect hand, you’ll be waiting and waiting for it for years before it comes around. The blinds will destroy your bankroll. You have to make plays plain and simple. The longer you wait to play a pot the more you look like a rock to the rest of the table. If you look like a rock you’ll never get any action.
Examing Pocket Queens hand matchups
Today we will be examining the hand match ups of pocket queens versus a variety of hands to determine the hands strengths and weaknesses depending on the number of players in the hand to determine the best mathematical way to play the hand. We’re going to start with a six handed match up. Pocket queens (25%) are up against the following hands – King of spades Jack of hearts (16%), Ten Nine suited spades (17%), eight of diamonds six of clubs (15%), two of hearts seven of spades(9%), and ace of diamonds four of clubs (20%). Yes, I am aware these don’t add up to 100%, I rounded any hand that was 0.5% or higher to the next highest whole number. So as we can see the ace four has the best chance of beating the pocket queens in this example.
Don’t call raises, fold or re-raise
This rule does not apply if you’re holding something like a mid pocket pair and are looking to hit trips or see a low board on the flop. This rule is more for the Ace 8′s, the King Queens, and many other hands you would typically raise with. The reason for this is because you want to control the hand. If you are calling raises, then checking, then folding because you didn’t hit the flop you’re bleeding away chips. Now let’s say you call the bet on the flop then catch nothing on the turn, well, that’s even more chips bled. Instead, fold or re-raise to see where you stand pre flop. You’ll now be in control of the hand.
Adjusting for online play
I read something today, it was a sales letter for a product I was debating on buying. It was another one of those reports for “how to win at online poker.” The one thing that really stuck out to me had to do with the fact that all online poker sites use mathematical algorithms to shuffle the deck. Now based on those algorithms, the number of hands you play and the number of good hands you’ve picked up have to do with what cards will come out next.
Table Selection
This post is long overdue. Table selection is another element that can be controlled in online poker. In a live brick and mortar you pretty much only have control over what limit of table you would like to sit at then you throw your name on the white board and wait for a seat to open up. In online, you can check and see what the average pot size is, how many players see the flop, and how many hands per hour are being played before you even “sit down” at the table.
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