An old saying goes like this – Texas Hold’em Poker takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master.
Many poker players aspire to reach the top of a game of Texas Hold’em. Texas Hold’em Poker, as one of the most popular poker variations, provides a lot of depth, a lot of healthy competition, and, not to mention, a lot of resources to benefit from when attempting to figure out the best strategy to approach the game is.
A professional poker player will tell you that Texas Hold’em Poker is a game in which you must constantly improve. As the game evolves, so should your poker strategies for advancing your hands. The number of players is also growing, which means there is plenty of room for innovation and new challenges to be explored.
Today, we’ll look at what we believe to be the most viable Texas Hold’em Poker strategy options for both beginners and advanced players. Our strategy advice is based on conventional wisdom and what some of the best poker players have to say. Let’s take a closer look.
Starting with Opening Hands
In Texas Hold’em Poker, the hands you choose to play with are crucial. However, starting hands are only one aspect of the game. When deciding which hands to play, the position is an important consideration. In general, the closer you get to the Button, the wider your starting hand range will be.
Consider the number of players in a hand as well. Hands with 1 player may have less value (how much you can get paid off) than hands with 6 players. On the other hand, because you only have one opponent to convince you that you have the nuts when playing heads-up, these same hands can have a higher bluffing value!
So, when choosing opening hands, consider not only hand strength but also how that hand can make you money in any given situation. In a heads-up pot, a hand like a small suited connector, for example, plays better as a bluff but more for value multi-way. It’s unlikely that you’ll be paid off with a suited connector-type hand, so keep that in mind. And, it’s even more unlikely that you’ll be able to bluff in a multi-way pot.
So, when choosing an opening hand, consider how it will make you money after the flop. If you don’t know how a hand will make you money, you’re playing blind, which is a bad way to play poker.
Bet Sizing with Confidence
No Limit cash games allow players to bet whatever they have in front of them. This freedom is what gets a lot of players into trouble. So, the second most important subject on our list of Texas Hold’em Poker tips and tricks is bet sizing.
Bet Sizing – Pre-Flop
Following what’s going on at your table is one of the best tips for correctly sizing your bets. As a beginner, if the standard pre-flop raise is 2.5xBB, this is the line you should take. If you try to be clever by raising an unusual amount, it may backfire. Your bet size must be familiar to your opponents and make sense to them. All you’re doing by raising unusual amounts is making it more difficult for players to make a decision. Making it difficult for your opponents to think after the flop can be beneficial. Pre-flop, on the other hand, usually results in that loose call you don’t want or need.
Bet Sizing – Post-flop
If you were the pre-flop raiser, a c-bet (continuation bet after a pre-flop raise) is almost always required. Your c-bet should be between 50 and 70 percent of the pot size. The size of your bet will help define your hand’s strength. This is especially true at the lower levels of competition. Most inexperienced players will interpret a large c-bet as a sign of strength. Whether or not you hit the flop, you will be able to get the hand over.
You want your adversaries to know (or believe) that you have them beat. If you bet too small, depending on your position, you may face a re-raise or a check-raise. If you bet too much, you may find yourself pot-committed to a hand that will almost certainly lose.
The player who makes fewer bet sizing errors is more likely to succeed in games like Texas Hold’em Poker. Of course, you can’t see your opponents’ cards before placing your bets. However, by utilising the information you have on an opponent and how the hand was played, you will be able to determine the appropriate amount to bet.
No Limping Allowed!
When they are the first to enter the pot, the majority of the best online poker players will open raise. If someone else has open-raised, they will either call, 3/bet, or fold, depending on their opinion of the open-raiser.
Know the 5 reasons why limping is bad for you:
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- When you limp in late position, you’re essentially giving the blinds a free pass to see the flop with (most likely) mediocre hands. Take those blinds!
- If you find yourself limping more often than raising, you’re probably playing too many weak hands. If you can’t get them up, fold them!
- When you limp into a pot, you’re likely to find yourself facing multiple opponents post-flop with a mediocre hand. And you won’t know what anyone has.
- Limping into pots when you’re out of position is especially dangerous. If you hit the board hard, you might not get any value for the hand. Worse, if you hit the top pair with a weak kicker, you’ll be kicking yourself on the river when your hand is defeated by a stronger kicker.
- If you miss the board completely, (which is more likely to be the case), you will be the “dead money” in the pot. (Dead money refers to any money in the pot contributed by players who have folded.)
The open limp is a strategy that good players rarely employ. There is only one situation in which limping is appropriate. When the game is extremely passive and you’re likely to see the flop for cheap with a speculative hand (such as a suited connector or any flop-specific hand) with good implied odds.
When the action is folded to you, your best bet is to either raise or fold. The act of raising seizes control of the hand and immediately puts any caller on the defensive. Because “limpers” are perceived as weak, good players tend to attack them. And, in most cases, they are correct.
Avoid the open limp like the plague unless you’re in a multi-way pot for cheap, with suited connectors, or set-mining a small pocket pair!
Knowing When to Fold
In the amateur poker world, there is a little-known fact: poker is as much about the bets you save as it is about the bets you make. This mantra is based on knowing when to fold, which is an important part of winning poker strategy. Bad poker players are bad for a variety of reasons, but one of their most common flaws is that they do not fold when they should.
It is the act of folding that will keep your bankroll intact on a consistent basis. Folding is perhaps the most misunderstood concept in poker.
It’s as simple as that. Increase your profits by making the proper folds.
Using Position
“Position” is a term that is frequently used in poker. One of the most significant advantages you can have in a poker game is position over your opponent. However, many people do not understand why this is the case.
To begin with, when you “have a position” on an opponent, you get to see how they act before making your decision. We’ve all had the “you first” argument with a sibling or partner. If they don’t break their neck scaling that 6-foot wall, you’re free to try!
Second, in position, you can broaden your starting hand ranges. Attack the blinds with wider ranges and profitably play in many more multi-way pots. Why? All because you were able to witness the action unfold in front of you.
Third, you can use position to play more profitable post-flop hands. Having more information on an opponent gives you a significant advantage. You can use this additional information to bluff more accurately, value bet more effectively makes thin river calls, and make better decisions overall.
Many losing sessions could be turned into winning ones if more poker players simply paid attention to their position!
Texas Hold’em Poker Tips and Tricks Summary
Learning the tips and tricks of Texas Hold’em Poker requires a lot of work – and a lot of reading. The above tips and tricks can help you a lot. Apply these tips and tricks to your next online Texas Hold’em Poker game, and you’ll surely see an upwards difference in your bankroll. Good luck to you!