 HOW TO PLAY POKER
HOW TO WIN POKER
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Poker Strategy! |
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To be honest, the house is already one up on you. The rake is built in to enable the house to take money from you in small, unnoticed amounts. Unfortunately there is little you can do to that reduces this, but what you can do use one or all of the following strategies. Poker Strategy 1: Beating the Rake Poker Strategy 2: No Limit Poker Strategy 3: Pre Flop Strategy Poker Strategy: Beating the Rake Some poker rooms will only rake the pot once it reaches a certain amount, in this case, you would want to play opposite the style of the table. Advantages can be made from rigid players, through tactics such as blind stealing and through buying free cards. Blind stealing is the act of betting when only blinds are left in the game pre-flop. You may raise from the small blind position or from the position just before the small blind (usually the dealer's position) in an attempt to steal the cost of the two blinds. Buying a free card is a trick most effectively used in last position. If no one else has raised post-flop, then you bet. This will probably limit the number of players (and potential money in the pot), but every person who stays on, will tend to check to you. Then on the turn, after each player has checked you don't necessarily have to bet again. This is why it's known as a free card. It is also best to use this strategic with drawing hands too. Most people tighten up, when playing against an aggressive player. So keep focused on your position, play only premium starting hands and be sure to fold after the flop if you did not end up with much. This is for the same reason that you play tight at all. When you win you will get raked, however if you manage to win just one extra big hand as a result of this action, then you would have covered the cost of the rake. Cherish that one when your single high pair beats the same pair since your kickers are always better. The strategies for an aggressive player won't be as successful, if the rake is a set percentage (usually 4% to 10%). Each time there is a unsuccessful attempt at blind stealing, it is going to be raked and then all bluffing will be 4%-10% less worth it. To get past that percentage you would have to be a better player, and once at that stage you should not be too focussed on the rake. If you are just starting out, you should play much tighter than usual. Within some casinos, if the game becomes short handed, you may request that the rake be reduced or even eliminated. This is known as a rake break. You may inquire about it, as I am sure that the dealers are not permitted to request a rake break themselves. Poker Strategy: No Limit This No-Limit strategy involves the most technique of all when it comes to betting structures. It can be a very intense game, but fun all the same. With each hand you could potentially win or lose a fortune. In any betting round, there will be no limit to the maximum bet. Although there is a minimum bet with is quite similar to limit poker. Eg: Preflop: $1 (AKA a small bet) On the flop: $1 On the turn: $2 (AKA a big bet) On the river: $2 If another player bets $200, and you only have $100 at the table, you may go all-in on your $100. If you were to win the hand, you would only get $100 from the opponent. If two more players bet $200, and you only had $100, you would win $100 from each of them. The winner between the two of them would then get the remaining money (the sidepot). One huge advantage is having more money at the table, especially when playing in no-limit games. Most poker rooms will restrict the amount of money in which a player can bring to the table initially. If a player can win money, than he/she is able to gather a larger stack of chips and then he/she would have the advantage over the other players. Pre Flop Strategy When you get two eights in the pocket, this doesn’t mean you should start betting crazy, you should careflully think about all the factors involved in solid pre-flop strategy. Things you should think about are how aggressive/passive the players at the table are, the number of players, your bankroll, your position, and how much risk you are willing to entail. How aggressive the players are: Let’s say that you have been playing with a small number of people for a few of hands, and you become aware of some idiot raising every hand pre-flop, this would effect you to play tighter. A good way to deal with players like that, is to let them win the blinds (big deal) and nail him to the wall when you have a rock-solid hand in the pocket pre-flop. Number of players: With 10 people in the game, it's much more probable that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket compared to playing in a short-handed game. The more competitors the stiffer the competition. Remember that you should be more cautious in the larger games, as the likelihood of someone’s pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much enhanced. Your bankroll: If you are left with $2, you should play very cautiously and select only one hand to bet on, trying to get as many players drawn in as you possibly can, for a chance at a bigger pot. You'll want to be all-in previous to the flop being dealt. On the flip side, if you have $1000 at a $1/$2 table, you can take the high-risk, high-payout bets. Your position: People in late position have the capacity to manipulate the size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is particularly true pre-flop. Your patience for risk: Depending on your playing technique, you may want to play more or less forcefully pre-flop. Players who shoot for larger pots, but don't mind a greater chance for losing a few hands will want to raise pre-flop, especially if they are in late position. Some players rather be as selective as possible pre-flop, grinding out a winning hand here or there. It really depends on your own manner of play, and how you identify the players around you. You should chase hands that are a high card value, or the capacity to be the best hand (the nuts). You'll want to seriously reflect on playing high value cards (queens, kings and aces), suited (drawing for a flush) and connected (drawing for a straight) cards, and evidently, always play high pocket pairs (queens or better).
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