Poker Betting Strategy This is the most difficult part in poker to master because there are millions of possible situations and many times only one right answer. However, considering the different strategies each hand, each round, and each game will help you achieve your ultimate goal of winning. For our purposes we will look at poker betting strategies from a tight poker player, moderate poker player, and an aggressive poker player’s standpoint. Keep in mind that during your play; there will be situations where it will be best to play super tight/very conservative or times to play very loose/aggressive. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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
