| Play Texas Hold'em
Texas Holdem Strategy
Texas Hold'em Tactics
Texas Hold'em Bluffing
TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER STRATEGY
Texas Hold'em rules are so simple that many
new players simply jump into the game
without the understanding necessary to survive
in real-money games. No-limit hold’em is complex
enough that everyone, even professionals, can learn
more to improve their game. But do not let this scare you. There are many tactics available
to players to help them succeed at no-limit texas hold’em,
and most relate to five relatively straightforward
strategic concepts.
1.Hand Strengh?
The power of your hand is measured only in relation
to the other hands at the table. You do not get bonus
points in no-limit hold’em for coming second with a
fl ush or a straight. If your one-pair is the best hand at
the table, then it’s the nuts! If your full house is bested
by a four-of-a-kind, then it’s a trash hand.
Poker is a vicious winner-take-all game. In a poker
pot, the fi rst place hand wins all the money and most
of that money comes straight from the guy who
fi nishes second. If you have the worst hand at the
table, consider yourself blessed. After all, the winner is
not taking his bounty from your wallet.
Therefore, you must, must avoid getting trapped
with the second best hand at no-limit hold’em. In
fixed-limit games, people with the second best hand
do not lose too much money with any given hand.
However, in no-limit, a second best hand can mean
your entire stack. Do not get too attached to holdings
when it is fairly clear you are being beat.
2.Stack Size
How much you buy in for greatly
affects the tactics at your disposal. In particular, stack
sizes influence preflop strategy
Big pairs like pocket aces (AA) and pocket kings (KK) are
always valuable, but the speed that you play these
hands depends on your stack size. If you are short
stacked, the theory is you should play these hands aggressively
both preflop and at the flop (provided a card higher
than your large pocket pair is not on the board), in an effort to build the pot
and increase your chips. However, if you are large
stacked, you need to be more careful because other
players may flop a very strong hand against you. If
you’re already sat behind a huge stack of chips, you
have more to lose than a player who’s doing badly.
3.Aggression
Most no-limit hands do not go to a showdown. Unlike
fixed-limit, the bets are often large in relation to the
pot, and people do not want to commit too much
money with poor hands. This creates opportunities
where you can pick up pots with bluffs or semi-bluffs.
How aggressive you should play depends a lot
on your opposition. Against weak opponents with
large stacks, bluff a lot. These players do not want to
commit to a pot unless they have the nuts, so simply
attack the pots until they actually have the nuts.
In contrast, be patient against very aggressive
players. These players will often end up bluffing a lot
of their money away if you let them. Simply wait for
the right time to trap these guys with the right hands.
In general, an aggressive strategy works well.
This is because you have two ways of winning when
you enter a pot: you may hold the best hand or your
opponents may fold to your bet. If you call with a
hand, you can only win if your hand prevails at the
showdown. Just bear in mind that against certain
opponents and under certain circumstances, you
will need to gear down and play a less aggressive
strategy.
4.Mystery
You cannot win at no-limit hold’em if everyone knows
what cards you have. If you give away your hands
through physical tells or betting patterns, you will
end up leaving your chips at the table. Mixing up your
playing style is essential at no-limit texas holdem, especially if you
often play with the same people.
You can change how aggressive you are and
vary how often you bluff/semi-bluff or raise preflop.
However, one good way to stay mysterious is
focusing on how much you bet. If you always
make small bluff bets and large value bets, then your opponents will catch on. A good way to confuse your
opponents is to make similar bet amounts all the time.
If you almost always bet the size of the pot, then your
opponents will have no idea if you are bluffing, have
a weak hand, or have the nuts. You should obviously
vary your bet at times depending on the situation, but
consistently making pot-size bets is a solid way to
add mystery.
5. Play Your Opponents!
Fixed-limit hold’em is a card game that people play
against each other. No-limit texas hold’em is a game of
people played with cards. Emotions run high at no-limit
hold’em, and you should aim to exploit this.
First, identify what types of players you are up
against. Certain player types are more vulnerable to
certain strategies. For example, do not bluff a player that calls a lot of hands (. Since this type of player will call just about any bet it makes little sense to try to muscle him out
of a pot. These players don’t tend to think about
your hand they just wants to see if their hand will
win! Sometimes, it’s better to sell your hand to the
player by folding, and simply vow to win back your
money from him bit by bit.
Furthermore, pay attention when a player goes
on tilt (i.e. after losing a big hand). When emotions run high, players will often
play more aggressively and will make foolish plays
that cost them their entire stack. You don’t want to
become this player, so keep cool at the table!
Texas Hold'em Bluffing Texas Hold'em Tactics
Texas Hold'em Tournament Tactics
|
