Poker Strategies

A  poker pro plays to win, to be ahead of the game. Not just for fun and entertainment. The online poker pro will use many strategies and tricks, math skills and even psychology to win the hand. It is much more than a game, a poker pro plays to win money.  A good poker player understands the different disciplines required to play and win different poker games. He will not play no-limit poker games the way he plays limit poker games.
In a limit game the poker pro has finely honed pre-flop skills or strategies. If pre-flop action is low a skilled poker player will play his better hands. If many players limp in the pro will make a loose call with a suited connector or with another speculative hand.

A seasoned no-limit poker player strategizes very differently. A poker pro will be wary of traps. He will not play too many blinds. In a no-limit poker game the skilled player will not lose his entire stack in one hand, as far as he can help it, while a limit poker player will avoid dribbling out his stack in small amounts. Therefore a skilled no-limit player is able to play many more hands. He can take more risks pre-flop even with odd hands. But a seasoned no-limit poker player will know when to quit if he has a hand that could land him in hot water.  A good poker player in either kind of poker game knows when to quit. He is good as gauging when he’s on tilt and when there is a strong chance of making a killing. It’s a matter of knowing not only when to quit, but also when to hang in there.

A good poker player is aware of his fallibility. He makes mistakes and learns from them wasting no time indulging in histrionics or blame-games. He learns and moves on.

Math Skills

You will need some Math skills to improve your poker game. A poker pro knows, for e.g., you have about 1 in 8.5 chance of hitting a set when holding a pocket pair, and that you have about a 1 in 3 chance of completing a flopped flush draw by the river.

‘Outs’ are extremely important- basically, an out is the number of cards that will improve your hand. Examine your cards and see how many ‘outs’ you will need, multiply that by 2, add 1 and that is the approximate percentage shot you have of a hit.

Math skills will help you calculate the ‘pot odds’. It is of no use knowing the ‘outs’ unless you can use that information to make rational and calculated bets. Suppose you know that there is a 30% chance for a hit. What next? Once you know the hitting/winning percentage, divide the pot size at the River (the current pot and the quantum of money that you figure will be added to the pot through betting) by the betting amount you have to add. So, with a 30% chance and if the bet is $25 The math involved is pretty simple. Don’t start playing poker till you have these basics figured out.

Psychological Skills

Good poker playing is not about ‘I, Me, and Myself’.  A poker Pro might be self centered in his life but when he’s playing poker he’s only thinking three things -

1. What cards does the other guy have?
2. What cards does he think I have?
3. What cards does he think I think he has?

A good poker player thinks of himself and others….but just about what cards they have.

The first step to playing poker really well is answering these questions. The next thing to do is manipulate these answers, and that is the most important thing. If you have a pair of queens and your opponent has a pair of 10s, and you both know what the other has- why play poker? A poker pro will use the answers to “What cards does he think I have?” and “What cards does he think I think he has?” to maneuver the game to his advantage. He does this by Slow playing, Fast playing and Bluffing to get the better of his opponent.  A poker pro always knows in a no-limit poker game it’s all about psychology. It’s a mind game more than just a card game. Limit poker games are just that- limited to math!!

Thus, poker tells are much more important in no-limit games than limit games.

Another good way to really improve your online poker game play is to take notes. You need to make this an integral part of your poker strategy. Take notes and keep updating them, a couple of sentences at a time. Of course these cannot be some random notes, there has to be some logical thought behind them. Start with a theory about an opposing poker player- observe, test and prove this theory based on more than just one round of play. Do add qualifications to observations about your poker playing rivals- observe their trends and habits in the course of play. These will help predict their poker behavior. These notes and observations will also help you keep track of players months later when you happen to play poker with them again, especially when playing online poker.

Of course if your notes are based on a couple of games don’t treat them as the absolute truth. Your opponent might have been playing under someone else’s id, or might just have been having a bad day!! However, if you’ve really worked on these notes over many poker games, your notes are your ultimate reference. You will have had far more data to reach your conclusions and these will be far more reliable and correct.  Do try to avoid silly name calling when you lose a game…say it out loud- no one can hear you when you’re playing poker online. But don’t add it to your notes.
Make things easier by sorting opponents into character categories- aggressive, weak, light, bluffs a lot, likes Fast play, etc.

Changing Gears in Poker

This is an option usually reserved for poker tournament play where the poker player can change their poker strategy according to the stage of the poker tournament and the player’s chip status relative to the other poker players and the size of the blinds being played. In a cash game if you think your rival has your game or you feel they are ‘seeing’ your cards- change your strategy, or as it is said, change gears.

Moneytalk in Poker

How much should you put into a game?  That depends…doesn’t it?? If you’re playing for fun and are not a poker pro put in an amount that won’t hurt if you lose it.  As you keep playing poker and begin improving your game you can increase your investment slowly.

For a seasoned professional poker player it’s a bit different. A poker pro usually plays to win (and earn) money.  If you’re a pro (then you already know this) you should be able to bankroll about 200 big bets at the limit that you’re playing. So if the limit is $2-4, you need a $800 roll. Calculate using the higher limit.

These calculations keep you from losing your entire bankroll as a result of one bad run.

Of course there are poker players who consider 200 big bets not all that much, but it is better to be level headed and realistic about the kind of money you could end up losing. It’s better to rein it in till you succeed up to that limit.

Again, maintain a diary or notes of your own game results. How many poker wins/losses. This helps in gauging how you’re playing. It also helps while paying taxes if gambling income is taxable in your country. In the UK it’s tax free.

Understanding Risks v/s Rewards

A poker pro will take a long-shot risk if the bounty is large enough and if the expected bounty is more than the risk. Pot odds and demanding an advantage come under this heading. A poker pro also appreciates the ‘Risk or Reward’ nature of the game beyond the poker room itself. A pro has a good estimate of how much they need to play from their bankroll and how much to keep in reserve for life outside the poker game. You need to remember to be more risk-shy with your personal money compared with what’s in your stack at the poker table. In individual poker games you need to perceive your chips all as equally valuable. All you should focus on is making correct plays with the chances of winning always being slightly higher than of losing, even if it is 52%- 48% in favor of a win. Again you must remember that your losses at the poker table should not affect your financial position in your regular everyday life.  Your game play will be affected if these become pressing concerns, your concentration will not be as sharp and you will be more likely to lose.  Always quit while you are still in a position to return to play poker another time.

At the time of selecting a poker table to play at, look for those with players weaker than you. This is where those notes you’ve been taking will definitely come in handy. Percentage of players who see the pot in each hand, high percentage shows a loose table( not sure what this means)  You can also check the average pot size- observe how many times players over bet the pot.

These are a few things that a poker player should keep in mind while playing poker. Making these strategies a part of your poker playing will definitely see your game improve steadily and soon you’ll be a poker pro yourself. Play poker online or have a regular poker party at home- the more poker games you play the better a poker player you will be!

The above is a basic Poker strategy guide but you will only get better by actually playing the game and learning how to read other Poker Players and learning the tell signs that all Poker players give off  careful of the good bluffer though.

Three Great UK Poker Rooms